Creating Memories

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious new Friday morning! I am not writing this Happy Friday from my Sweet Home Alabama, but rather in a hotel room in Illinois as my Beautiful Bride, youngest Tender Warrior, and I are visiting our oldest son, Payton. It has been so awesome seeing his friends, spending time together exploring the place that he has called home for the past two years, and today we get to go watch him work and take in a baseball and soccer game...a blessed life indeed! :)

This morning I want to encourage us all to reflect, determine if what we are doing is leading to where we want to go, and to be intentional moving forward. I will start with a simple question; what memories are you creating?

If you stop and think about it, we are all creating memories, aren't we? We tend to think of memories as big and grandiose, however if you really think about it, we are creating memories in all things, big and small. It certainly could be  a memory of a big event or a big trip, however it can also be a memory of how we handled an adversity, how we treated a broken person, or simply how we approach each day. What memories are you creating?

The reality is that for all of us one day this will all end. The striving for whatever it is we are striving for, the trips, the ballgames, the shopping, etc. It will all come to an end and all that will be left of us is the memories that those we were blessed to do life with, to have in our lives, carry in their hearts and minds. Will these memories bring smiles and joy or dread and regret? While they will certainly miss us, just as we miss those who have passed, will their memories of us be launch pads forward or hurdles they have to overcome? These are things that you and I can, and will, choose. What memories are you creating?

I want to share three memories with y'all this morning.

1. My Nano and Grandpa had one of those aluminum awnings on their back porch. For those who have lived there, you know in late summer in Arizona you get monsoons. Still one of the coolest things ever to me - all day it can be clear, sunny, and very hot. Within about 30 minutes the skies will turn dark and there will be the most spectacular thunderstorms. As soon as the first drop of rain would hit that aluminum awning, my Nano would go in an start popping popcorn. My Nano, Grandpa, and I spent hours sitting under that awning, eating popcorn, counting from the time we saw the lightning until we heard the thunder to determine how many miles away the strike occurred. It is very rare that I am in a thunderstorm that I cannot smell that popcorn or see in my minds-eye my Nano and Grandpa sitting under that awning.

2. On one side of my Nano and Grandpa's yard they had a whole bunch of oleanders.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with an oleander, it is "a shrub or small tree" and it "is cultivated worldwide in temperate and subtropical areas as an ornamental and landscaping plant." Now, that is the official stuff. To a little boy? They had these long, flexible branches that made great bows and arrows. And my Grandpa made me, probably, hundreds of them! We would go out and look for the perfect one to make a bow. He would whittle down the ends and then make notches on each end. He would then take string and attach it to each end, putting just the right amount of tension in the bow, and then tie it off. We would then look for smaller pieces of wood that would become my arrows. He would whittle these too - making what I thought was a sharp point on one end and then putting a notch in the other end that would fit perfectly into the string of my bow. And I have to share this; he always used the same knife. I don't know the name of it but it was so impressive. It had what I think is white ivory on each side. It always seemed so sharp to me and it was so impressive...it was Grandpa's! A few years ago my sweet sister brought me a bunch of stuff that had belonged to Nano and Grandpa in a box. Guess what was in that box? That knife! The sides are now yellowed from being held by my Grandpa for so many years however it is still very sharp. Guess what my favorite knife is? Which one I usually take with me when Landry and I go fishing?

3. Every spring, for I don't know how many years, I would always go stay with Nano and Grandpa in the spring. I really don't know how that worked...must have been spring break. Doesn't matter! Here is what matters; every afternoon Grandpa and I would go to Hi Corbett Field in Tucson and watch the Cleveland Indians in Spring Training. We would always go in, get our peanuts and a soda, walk down the 3rd base line and sit right by the bullpen. We would then sit there for hours, watching baseball and talking. I am literally smiling as I type this...when Grandpa would try to tell me a story that he though was funny, he would get so cracked up he could hardly tell me the story! I loved it. We saw some great ballplayers - Dave Winfield, when he was with the San Diego Padres, sticks out in my mind the most - and we had some great experiences - as one of their promotions I once got to go out on the field and hit pitches from Bob Feller - one of the all-time great Indians. And while all those things were neat, what I remember most is just being with Grandpa. And guess what I absolutely love to do to this day? Go to a baseball game. Doesn't really matter who is playing. If I had my preference, we would sit along the 3rd baseline, and yes, I always get peanuts and a drink as soon as I get to the stadium.

Other than the costs associated with the baseball games, please note, these things did not cost money. It was just a little boy and a Grandpa. He was fully present and he simply loved me...those are my memories. And I was always amazed by his patience...I am still hoping and praying I grow to become half the man he was in that area. He made me feel as though everything I wanted to do was exactly what he wanted to do at that moment.

So, Sweet Friends, what memories are you and I creating? Be sure, we are creating them. If someone were to sit down and write down their memories of us in 40 or 45 years, just as I have done of my Nano and Grandpa this morning, what will they be? Will they smile? Will their hearts be filled with joy? Will they be taken back to a great place? What memories are we creating?

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well!

Kev

Please Stop Comparing

 Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope this post finds you having a great day as a glorious new day - full of hope, opportunity, and promise! - begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! :)

I want to challenge us, all of us, to stop comparing ourselves to others. Please, commit to one week...no comparison. No what are they doing? No looking at the other person, picking them apart, trying to prove our adequacy. No looking at the other person, seeing all they can do, fighting for our inadequacies. No, for this next week, please stop comparing and simply strive every day to become the best we are capable of becoming, individually.

How's that for flying out the gate this morning?! :) Kev is fired up! I was a part of a talk earlier this week where we were talking about philanthropy, giving. Over and over again it came up how we compare ourselves to others - "This gift isn't a big gift", "I am not one of your big donors", etc. Says who?! You are not here, living this life, to compare yourself to me or anyone else, and nobody else is here to compare themselves to you. We are given this one life to live to the very best of our own abilities...simple as that!

One of the really sad things with comparison is we let it become this big bad monster that we let stop us from doing what we can do. Think about this; what if the Harlem Globetrotters looked at Michael Jordan and said, "We can't be as good as him so we aren't going to play basketball." The Harlem Globetrotters brought joy to millions. They brought families and friends together. If they don't play basketball because they can't be Michael Jordan, none of that happens. Think about it...

Each one of us is given different gifts, abilities, and resources. They are for us to live this life fully - to pursue the greatness that is within each one of us, individually. It is up to each one of us to develop and use them to the very best of our ability. It has nothing to do with anyone else! It is about each one of us striving to reach our individual potential!

Two things tend to happen when we compare:

1. We look at others, see that we are not able to do things they are capable of doing, and we get down on ourselves, become discouraged, and sadly, often times we don't do what we are capable of doing because we can't do what they do. I wonder how many lives could have been impacted in an incredibly positive manner if the person who did nothing because they felt they weren't good enough had just shown up and brought the best that was within them.

2. We look at others, see that we are better at doing something better than they are - we are all better at doing some things than others...we all! - and we get this inflated sense of self importance. Success is not being better than someone else; success is becoming all that we are capable of becoming. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, what if we compare ourselves to the potential that is within us. We all have a ton of potential...will we die with a ton of potential or will we have exhausted it? I pray I die having nothing left to give!

I want to share a few quotes and scriptures with you. I respectfully ask that you really let them speak to your heart, think about them, pray about them, and then choose your path.

"Our problem is that we make the mistake of comparing ourselves to other people. You are not inferior or superior to any human being...you do not determine your success by comparing yourself to others, rather you determine your success by comparing your accomplishments to your capabilities. You are 'number one' when you do the best you can with what you have." - Zig Ziglar

"If you compare yourself to other, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself." - Max Ehrmann

"God gave you your own race to run, stop comparing yourself to other people. They have their race and you have yours. Run hard and don't quit." - Lecrae

"Try not to get lost in comparing yourself to others. Discover your gifts and let them shine." - Jennie Finch

"Stop comparing yourself to other people; you are an original. We are all different and it's okay." - Joyce Meyer

"Each of you must examine your own actions. Then you can be proud of your accomplishments without comparing yourself to others. Assume your own responsibility." - Galatians 6: 4 - 5

"We wouldn't put ourselves in the same class with or compare ourselves to those who are bold enough to make their own recommendations. Certainly, when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves to themselves, they show how foolish they are." - 2 Corinthians 10: 12

"For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice." - James 3: 16

"A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot." - Proverbs 14: 30

You, Dear Friend...the one reading this right now; YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made! YOU were created on purpose for a great purpose! YOU are enough! YOU lack nothing! Please stop comparing and simply pursue the greatness that is within you - abilities, gifts, and resources! Give it one week...and then perhaps two. We string this together and we will have lived this life well!

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well! :)

Kev

It's Just a Tool

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! This day right here, this is going to be a great one! :)

Last Saturday, while working out, I was listening to the radio. The announcer started talking about this young boy. The boy goes to thrift stores, pawn shops, antique stores, etc. looking for old photos, old cameras, video recorders, etc. He finds photos, he has found undeveloped film, and he has found videos which he then puts on TikTok. His hope/goal is that family members will be able to find lost photos and videos.

The announcer talked about how we can roll our eyes at things like TikTok. Just something else that is distracting our hearts and minds from things that really matter - like people! She then noted that it is really just a tool. Yes, this is a young boy who is on TikTok a lot however he is using it to try to help people find lost photos and videos. She then told the sweet story of a family that did see one of the videos he had posted on TikTok. The video was of the family, it was recorded more than 30 years ago and, because this boy took the time to find the video, to post it on TikTok - not to get likes, shares, or whatever you do with TikTok, but rather to try to get something that might be valuable to someone else, this family now has a video of their deceased Dad...literally the only video they have.

It's just a tool. The announcer went on to talk about how things - TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, etc. - are just tools. They, in and of themselves, are neither good nor bad...they are simply tools. She then gave an example that clarified the point; she stated that a hammer can break a window and it can build a house...it's just a tool.

My thought/challenge/idea for all of us this morning is simply this; its just a tool, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to use it for good or for evil? It's just a tool. Are you going to use it to encourage, empower, and/or equip others or are you going to use it to build yourself up, to focus on your wants, needs, and desires? It's just a tool.

If we look around, we will find that we are in a great workshop...tools are everywhere! Let's not be thoughtless, being blown back and forth, trying to fill the holes in our hearts and lives. Let's be intentional. Let's be mindful of the things that are poured into our hearts and minds - what's in the well always comes up in the bucket. Let's be mindful of how we use the tools in this vast workshop - we are influencing every person we encounter...in person or virtually. Are we leaving them better or worse than we found them?

It's just a tool...please Friends, give it some thought. There are a lot of tools and we can do great good or great harm. We can break the window or we can build the house. 

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well! :)

Kev 

Honor Today

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! :)

On Monday, during my morning prayer time, I was sharing with God all of my cares and concerns. I was worried about this, concerned about that...my mind was racing and I felt overwhelmed. And then, as only a loving God could do, I felt this deep conviction in my Spirit; honor today. The conviction wasn't to try to figure anything out, to plan this or that, or to do anything...other than honor today. Immediately there was a deep peace that came over me...I would simply focus on honoring today.

To me, honoring today means living fully present in every moment. Wherever I am, to really be there. Whether it is speaking with my Beautiful Bride or a co-worker, honor today. Whether I was doing what I perceived to be an important or mundane task at work or working out, honor today. To determine my priorities again, every morning, and to fully walk those out...honor today.

I wish I could tell you that I had this revelation on Monday morning and that I was good...that I breezed through the week, honoring today every moment of every day. I would be far from honest if I told you that. The reality is there was a number of times that I found my mind going to tomorrow, or the next day. When I found myself trying to plan not only tomorrow but next year, the next five years. Instead of beating myself up over these moments, as I have so often done in the past, I smiled at the sweet reminder that if not for these moments, I would think I could do all of this myself. The reality is I need God if I am going to honor today. And as soon as that switch was flipped, when I went from letting my mind wander to something other than today and refocused on honoring today, that peace I felt on Monday morning returned, I was refocused and my only concern was honoring the moment I was currently living, honoring today.

Max Lucado once said, "The key is this: Meet today's problems with today's strength. Don't start tackling tomorrow's problems until tomorrow. You do not have tomorrow's strength yet. You simply have enough for today." The first time I read that it so resonated with me! You and I don't have tomorrow's strength...yet! When we honor today, the day we are living right now, learning and growing, experiencing it fully, giving everything we can to it and taking everything from it that it has to give, THEN, we will have the necessary strength to face tomorrow when we get there...which will then make it today! :) But, and I have tasted this bitter outcome, if we forfeit today and all it has to offer, we will arrive at tomorrow, ill prepared for the challenges it will bring.

I really want to encourage you, Sweet Friends, to really think about the idea of honoring today. Determine in your heart and mind your priorities, and this is something we do every day whether intentionally or not, order your steps in accordance with your priorities and then live fully present in the moment. When you find your mind wondering or you find yourself off the path, instead of beating yourself up or believing the deceiver, take it as a reminder that you need God - we all do! - ask Him to help you and get back on the path of honoring today. I can testify, you will not regret it.

Matthew 6:34 tells us, "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Never in the history of mankind has worrying solved a single problem. Never in the history of mankind has waiting for tomorrow to be happy has a person become happy. Never in the history of mankind has waiting for...whatever we are waiting for, have dreams been fulfilled, goals achieved or, most importantly, peace settled on the Spirit. When we honor today we will be happy, we will achieve our purposes and we will have a deep abiding peace as we go through our days.

I will close with a few quotes for you to consider as you prepare to honor this day...

"Each day brings new opportunities, allowing you to constantly live with love - be there for others - bring a little light into someone's day. Be grateful and live each day to the fullest." - Unknown

"We have only today. Let us begin." - Mother Teresa

"Live today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Just today. Inhabit your moments. Don't rent them out to tomorrow." - Jerry Spinelli

"Harness the power of today. Seize the blessings of today." - Steve Maraboli

"This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well!

Kev