Friday, October 29, 2021

Challenges & Tools

 Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn! 😊

This week I want to share a couple of challenges and then put a couple of tools in the toolbox…

On Tuesday I had a post on Facebook that was a quote and a scripture…they both really resonated with me. I am going to share them with you, offer a few thoughts on each, and then throw down a couple of challenges!

The scripture I shared was this…

“A person who is pure of heart sees goodness and purity in everything; but a person whose own heart is evil and untrusting finds evil in everything, for his dirty mind and rebellious hear color all he sees and hears.” – Titus 1:15

 To give you a heads up with where this one is going, let me also share this scripture with you also…

“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. “For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” – Luke 6: 41 – 45

I am not even going to waste your time by asking a whole bunch of questions, I am simply going to throw down a challenge for all of us. This weekend, I want to encourage us to spend some time searching our own hearts – no looking at or pointing the finger at what someone else is doing or not doing, just a pure-hearted look into our own hearts. If we are really brave perhaps, we will ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the areas where we are coming up short. It is so easy to find the faults and failures in others however you and I have control over no one but ourselves. Let’s look at our own hearts, make sure they are in the right place, and then honor the lives we are privileged to live by loving, caring for, and serving others as we are called to do! And how do we know if our hearts are in a good place? Simply look at the fruit! “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.” 😊

The quote I shared was this…

“What is intrinsic motivation? It’s living for the applause of nail-scarred hands. It’s giving God A-plus effort. It’s recognizing that potential is God’s gift to us and what we do with it is our gift to God. It’s not trying to be better than everyone else. It’s trying to be better than you were yesterday.” – Mark Batterson

That sentence, “It’s living for the applause of nail-scarred hands” hits my heart in a special way! Performing for an audience of One!

Here is the challenge I want to propose for all of us; every day for the next week, let’s strive with everything we’ve got to live up to all we were created to become. Let’s relentlessly pursue our potential! Please note, this has nothing to do with another person, any situation, or any circumstance…it is 100% up to you and I, individually. Let’s live that kind of life! Let’s not look to the left or to the right…let’s look dead in the mirror and honor that person! Makes me think of this quote:

“You are the only one who can use your ability. It is an awesome responsibility.” – Zig Ziglar 

I also want to put a couple of tools in our toolboxes this week. I hope you find them helpful as you walk your path! 😊

“There’s so much I don’t know.

There’s so much I don’t understand.

There’s so much that grieves my spirit.

There’s so much that breaks my heart.

There’s so much I cannot do.

AND – There’s things I do know, and can do.

I know God is good and does good.

I know God is in control.

I know God loves the world & hasn’t forsaken it.

I know Jesus will work all things together for good – All things.

I know Jesus is the source of joy, peace, hope.

I know Jesus will never leave nor forsake us.

I know one day there will be no more tears, pain, suffering, death, trauma, injustice, war, famine.

Holding on tight to what I know, helps me to not drown in despair because of what I don’t know or understand.” – Christine Caine

Eight Characteristics of A Servant Leader 

Authenticity

Showing one’s true identity, intentions and motivations

Adhering to strong moral principles

Being true to oneself

Being open to learn from criticism

Having consistent behavior

Humility

Being stable and modest

Having a high self-awareness of one’s strengths and development needs

Having a humble attitude

Being open to new learning opportunities

Perceiving one’s talents and achievements in the right perspective

Focusing on others more than self

Compassion

Having empathy

Caring for others

Being kind

Forgiving mistakes

Accepting and appreciating others for who they are

Showing unconditional love towards others

Integrity

Being honest

Being fair

Having strong moral principles

Behaving ethically

Creating an ethical work climate

Listening

Having a deep commitment to listen actively and respectfully

Asking questions to create knowledge

Proving time for reflection and silence

Being conscious of what is unsaid

Altruism

Being selfless and oriented toward others

Having the desire to positively influence and help others in life by serving their needs consistently

Making a positive difference in people, organizations, and society

Accountability

Being responsible

Ensuring transparent practices

Holding others accountable and monitoring performance

Setting clear expectations in accordance with an individual’s capability

Courage

Being open to taking calculated risks

Standing up for what is morally right, despite negative adversaries

Having high ethical conduct

Source: Coetzar, M.F., Bussun, M. & Geldenhuys, M. (The functions of a servant leader)

Please never forget, Sweet Friends, the things we say and do influences all those we are privileged to have in our lives – for good or bad!

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 do take the time to accept the challenges, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well! 😊

Kev

Friday, October 22, 2021

How Do You See Yourself?

 Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as this beautiful Friday begins to fade. 😊

This week has been pretty cool! I have felt this strong conviction in my heart however the message for today had not quite come together for me…until this morning. I was listening to Focus on the Family and their guests this morning were David and Jason Benham. I want to start by sharing a few excerpts from this mornings conversation. All of this was stated by Jason.

“…and this is where we find a lot of Christians in culture today, is Peter in the courtyard. But what we’re saying is be Peter at Pentecost. That was the Peter who stood boldly, who said, “Yeah, you guys killed Him, but listen, He has you know, He came in and gave the gospel and 3,000 get saved.” That’s the Peter who became the bridge.”

And he states a little later:

“…Satan knows that how you see yourself will determine how you behave.”

“So, if he can convince you, as a believer, that you’re not a full-time minister, that you’re just an insurance salesman, or you’re just a real estate guy, or you’re just a stay-at-home mom or whatever, and he can convince you of that, then that’s how you’re going to act. But what David and I discovered is that we are full-time ministers. The minute you give your heart to Jesus Christ, you’re a minister, you’re on mission, and your work is worship. When you recognize that, you are in full-time ministry. We think that where you’re placed or how you’re paid determines the minister, but it’s not about that. It’s about God’s presence in your life and your passion for Him that makes you a full-time minister right where you are.”

I want to unpack a couple of things:

1. I shared the first excerpt for this reason – do you see yourself as the Peter in the courtyard or the Peter at Pentecost? My point is this; we all have failing moments. Moments we wish we could have back, respond differently, behave differently, say something differently. But the thing is, we can’t. The only thing we have is the next moment in front of us. What would have happened if the rest of Peter’s life was defined by the courtyard? There never would have been the moment at Pentecost!

How about you and I? Are we living our failures or are we living up to our potential? You failed? So what?! We all fail, this simply makes us human. The key is to not get stuck in the failure. Learn from it? Grow from it? Absolutely! Please just don’t live there. There is a Pentecost before you however you won’t live it if you stay in the courtyard!

2. How do you see yourself? Are you “just a [fill in the blank with whatever adjective you want]? Let me end all the drama here, you are absolutely not “just a” anything!!! You, Sweet Friend, are fearfully and wonderfully made! You were created for a purpose for which you have been perfectly equipped (with all the talents and abilities you need)! You lack nothing to fulfill your purpose!!! Please, go ahead, reread those last 3 sentences.

Here is a tip for you: your job, title, marital status, parental status, likes, shares, etc. do not define you and they are certainly not your purpose! Used wisely your job can be used to express your purpose however it, in and of itself, is not your purpose. 

So I will ask you again, how do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as one who is fearfully and wonderfully made? Do you see yourself as one who was created for a purpose for which you are perfectly equipped? Do you see yourself as lacking nothing in your ability to fulfill your purpose? How you see yourself is how you behave… 

There is a reason Satan is referred to as the great deceiver…he deceives!!! Please see it and please intentionally choose Who and what you are going to believe! The quality of your life, and the lives of all you will influence, hangs in the balance. 

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 evening, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well! 😊

 

Kev

Friday, October 15, 2021

We've Got 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! 😊

Do you know what you and I have? TODAY!!! Right now, as I am beginning this day, it is a blank canvas. I have read and written notes and now I am here. This day is not inherently good or bad…it is simply an opportunity. I get to choose what I will do with this day and so do you! 😊

We have all heard “you never know when it will be your last day” or we have been implored to “live like you are dyin’.” While it is true, I want to look through a different lens. Instead of, “hey, this could be your last day”, I want to look through the lens of, “Hey! You have this day!!!” Make sense?

So, what attitude have you chosen for today? Have you been intentional? Have you already determined in your mind that this is going to be a good day? Or a bad one? Have you already determined that you are going to give your best to everything you do today? Or have you determined that you are just going to try to get through this day? Have you determined that you are going to pursue your hopes, your goals, and your dreams? Or have you decided you are going to live your fears, your regrets, and your failures? Are you looking at the opportunities that are available before you today? Or are you dragging the weight of the regrets of yesterday, and perhaps many yesterdays, behind you?

You have TODAY, and so do I! We get to author it however we want. My Bible tells me that God’s mercies are new every morning, and that this is the day that the Lord hath made…let us rejoice and be glad in it! Have we started there? With a joyful heart that we have today! With the recognition that our failing moments don’t define us and that we can create a better tomorrow by living a great today! It is totally up to us…not our situations or circumstances. We can, regardless of what is going on around us, choose to pursue the greatness that is within us. We can choose to love, care for, and serve others well…whether it is reciprocated, recognized, and/or appreciated or not. We have TODAY!

I pray that we will all look at the opportunities before us with childlike wonder! I hope we will look past the challenges and relentlessly pursue the opportunities! I pray we will live this day to the very best of our ability, emptying it of every last drop of it’s potential.

So what has me all fired up this morning? I regularly catch myself singing lyrics from the Matthew West song, “What If.” The lyrics I sing are “What if today’s the only day I got? I don’t wanna waste it if it’s my last shot.” Inspires me!!!

Here are the lyrics to the full song. I would encourage you to read them and listen to the song. Let the words wash over you and speak to your soul.

"What If"

I've heard 'em say before to live just like you're dying, yeah

Wish I could say that's how I am but I been lying, yeah

Lying in my bed at night, and one too many times I'm thinking

What if, what if

My biggest fear is waking up to find what matters

Is miles away from what I spent my life chasing after

Is my story gonna have the same two words in every chapter?

What if, what if

But last I checked this heart

Inside my chest is still beating

Well, I guess it's not too late

What if today's the only day I got?

I don't wanna waste it if it's my last shot

No regrets in the end

I wanna know I got no what ifs

I'm running till the road runs out

I'm lighting it up right here right now

No regrets in the end

I wanna know I got no what ifs, yeah

See, I refuse to be a shoulda woulda coulda been

I can't go back in time, I don't have a DeLorean

What I'm trying to say is I don't wanna say these words again

What if, what if

But last I checked this heart

Inside my chest is still beating

Well, I guess it's not too late, no no

What if today's the only day I got?

I don't wanna waste it if it's my last shot

No regrets in the end

I wanna know I got no what ifs

I'm running till the road runs out

I'm lighting it up right here right now

No regrets in the end

I wanna know I got no what ifs

I'm gonna dream a little bigger

Burn a little brighter

Stand a little taller, closer to your fire

Dig a little deeper

Reach a little further

Love a little harder

I'm gonna dream a little bigger

Burn a little brighter

Stand a little taller, closer to your fire

Dig a little deeper

Reach a little further

Love a little harder

'Cause what if today's the only day I got?

I don't wanna waste it if it's my last shot

No regrets in the end

I wanna know I got no what ifs

I'm running till the road runs out

I'm lighting it up right here right now

No regrets in the end

I wanna know I got no what ifs, yeah

I wanna know I got no what ifs

I wanna know I got no what ifs 

You’ve got today, Sweet Friend! Please think about it, determine in your heart and mind how you will live it, and then run into this day with hopeful expectations! I promise you; you will not regret it!

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

Friday, October 8, 2021

Leading by Example

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious Friday morning in my Sweet Home Alabama! :)

This will, without a doubt, be the shortest Happy Friday I have ever written. I want to share 3 quotes, 1 belief, and then I am out of here! :)

"Action expresses priorities." - Mahatma Gandhi

"Wisdom is knowing when to have rest, when to have activity, and how much of each to have." - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." - Albert Schweitzer

I truly believe, to the depths of my soul, that my greatest earthly calling is to love, care for, and serve 1) my Beautiful Bride and 2) my Tender Warriors...in that order. Everything else comes after them. I truly believe that any success that comes at the expense of them is truly not success at all.

Having said that, Kathy and I are headed to Nashville for a weekend together! I am looking forward to long talks, being silly, and just enjoying one another's presence. I am beyond excited for this special time with My Girl!

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...please don't expect me to get back to you until Monday though! :) 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

Friday, October 1, 2021

I Struggle

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! 😊

For the last few weeks, during my prayer time, I would feel this conviction; I need to write down the scriptures about the Armor of God and the Fruits of the Spirit. I meant to do it. I would be working out, praying, remember, shake my head, swear I was going to get it done this weekend and then, it would happen all over again. This went on for like three weeks….

Do you ever struggle? Let me make this simple, I struggle. There are doubts, fears, worries, cares, and concerns. If I am not vigilant with my thoughts, if I am not prayerful, if I am not intentional in my actions, I can go down a dark path. Monday night was one of those nights….

Having had a few days to reflect, I know it was the trifecta of fear, doubt, and pride. What did it look like? I couldn’t sleep. My heart hurt and I had an aching feeling in my stomach. I get up pretty early so I try to go to bed no later than 9:00 p.m. Monday night I was still watching a baseball game, hoping I would get so tired I would finally collapse, at 12:15 a.m. I prayed and I prayed and I prayed. The feelings would not subside. Finally, I went and laid in bed. I can’t tell you what time I fell asleep. I did leave the alarm set for 3:50 a.m. and when it went off, I wisely decided that 2 more hours of sleep would do me much more good than any workout I might do that morning. 

I got up and a little before 6:00 a.m. and went and read my Bible. I read a one-year Bible. It is broken up so I read something from the Old Testament, something from the New Testament, a Psalm, and a Proverb. Here is a part of my reading for September 28th:

Ephesians 6:13-17 (NIV)

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

I kid you not!!! Isn’t that amazing?!?! 😊 I smiled and, as my beautiful Mom would have told me to do, I put a smile on my face, a bounce in my step, and I made it a great day!

Later that day I got to go to lunch with my Beautiful Bride…how blessed am I?! As we were coming back from lunch we talked about the night I had, why I had it, etc. I had not told her about the conviction in my Spirit to write down the scriptures nor did I tell her about my Bible reading that morning.

Yesterday morning I got up, grabbed my Bible, leadership book, notebook, and I sat in my chair. I opened my notebook and there was a note from this great blessing of mine. She had written:

(Across the top of the page) Pray for these things…

The Belt of Truth – this is the Word of God.

The Breastplate of Righteousness – the breastplate protects our heart.

The Shoes of Peace – we are to walk in peace and remain in peace, no matter what kind of battle is raging.

The Shield of Faith – we should release our faith in every challenging situation.

The Helmet of Salvation – we are beloved children of God, we are forgiven and God has a good plan for our lives.

The Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God.

I don’t blame you; I don’t know what to say either!!! Let’s start with “Praise the Lord” and go from there! 😊 The second thing I would say, I would beg you, when you have a conviction in your spirit to do something for someone, please do it. Kath had no clue when she wrote this for me and slipped it into my notebook before she went to bed that God was using her to deliver a message, one, that I assure you, was received loud and clear! Still overwhelmed just thinking about it… And yes, the first thing I did when I saw her yesterday morning was tell her about all the times I felt the conviction to write out these scriptures, about my Bible reading the day before and then her note. We both stood there, awe-struck.

I just had to share all that because I truly don’t believe in coincidences. I believe in God, that He is alive, and that He does show up. I also want to share a couple of other key points:

 I struggle. Please hear me, Friends! The truth, I believe, is we all do. We try so hard to have it all together, to have all the answers, to always be bold & confident, etc. And it is fake, it is a show! I don’t want to be fake, and I don’t want to put on a show…I want to live my life authentically. I have had people tell me so many times, “You are always so positive and encouraging” and I want to scream, “I wish you could feel what I feel many mornings!” It is not positive, and it is certainly not encouraging. The war in the mind is real! We all have negative thoughts and feelings…we are human! The key is what we do next. I have found that God is faithful. No matter how I feel, what I am thinking, when I wake up, once I spend time reading my Bible, reading my leadership book, writing my notes, and getting my work out in, I am usually positive and encouraging. Not because of me but because of Him and the work He has done in my heart that morning.

I really have a burden in my heart for this point to be understood this morning – let’s keep it real! As a young leader I thought that all leaders had it all together – no fears, no doubts, no worries…they are leaders! I have read so many books and articles that share great leaders, across all vocations, have battled doubt, anxiety, fear, etc., just like you and me! There was a great article written by Rose Leadem on November 9, 2017, that you can find at entrepreneur.com. It says in part, “Some of the most famous, successful artists, authors and leaders in history battled self-doubt and esteem issues before making history. In fact, some held these feelings throughout their entire lives, even as their work had been held up in high regards by the public. However, sometimes it’s our doubts, worries and anxieties that push us to achieve great things.” And there is a list of folks who battled these issues – it was documented based on things they said and/or wrote. And the people that are on that list?

John Steinbeck

Michelangelo

George Washington

John F. Kennedy

George Eliot

Abraham Lincoln

Edith Wharton

Leonardo Da Vinci

Vincent Van Gogh

You want more? Jesse Carey wrote an article on June 9, 2021 titled, “Seven Prominent Christian Thinkers Who Wrestled With Doubt.” You can read the article at relevantmagazine.com. Here who is on that list:

C.S. Lewis

Mother Teresa

Martin Luther

Charles Spurgeon

John Calvin

Pope Francis

Anne Lamott

The point, my whole point here, YOU! ARE! NOT! ALONE! I pray that whoever you are, wherever you are, you will hear these words loud and clear, that they will speak to the deepest recesses of your heart. The fact that you have doubts, fears, worries, cares, concerns, etc., does not disqualify you! It simply proves you are a human being…a valuable one at that!

The second key point is, “what do you and I do when we are in those moments?” When the doubts, fears, worries, and cares are building, what do we do? Some drink or use drugs, desperately trying to numb these feelings. Some fight and belittle, desperately trying to make themselves feel better by putting others down. Some just withdraw, refusing to live life, not willing to risk failure, and in the process, never pursuing success. We all make a choice, and the consequences are profound.

I can’t tell you how to live your life, nor do I want to. Heck, just read the first part of this post and you will find I have a hard enough time living mine!!! 😊 I do however want to testify to what I have found in my life when I struggle. As I have gotten older and more mature, I am able to realize when these moments are coming. Sometimes I can simply wield the Sword, speak truth, and the feelings subside, and I am immediately reset. Other times, like the other night, I pray for hours…literally. And sometimes, I simply have to walk by faith – not seeing it, not feeling it, simply believing that He is who He says He is and that His promises are true. No, I didn’t say some sweet little prayer on Monday night and immediately fall asleep…not doing hocus pocus stuff here! The battles are real, we all fight them, however I did eventually fall asleep, I woke up refreshed, I dove into the Word, and I had a phenomenal day. Please, I simply ask that you choose wisely. If the things you are doing when these moments come are not helping you, if they are hurting you or others in your life, perhaps you want to try another way.

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