Promises

 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! A beautiful blank canvas is before each one of us…let’s intentionally choose to make a masterpiece out of this day!

This week I am going to share two messages to put tools in our toolboxes.

The first tool comes from a Bible Study in the YouVersion Bible app. The study is titled Dealing With Uncertainty and it was written by the YouVersion team. The specific excerpt I am sharing comes from the 4^th day of the study and it is titled Pick Up God’s Declarations.

“The thoughts you fill your mind with are crucial because what you cling to influences your worldview.

If you choose to dwell on God’s promises, you start to recognize God’s blessings during uncertain times. Plus, trusting that God will redeem your present pain equips you to walk forward in faith and keep on fighting.

As you walk forward today, reflect on some of God’s promises, and let them transform the way you think:”

“God will sustain you.”

Cast your care on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. – Psalms 55:22

“God’s peace will guard your heart.”

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:7

“God delights over you with singing.”

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. – Zephaniah 3:17

“God will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.”

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. – Psalms 32:8

“God is your refuge and strength, your help in times of need.”

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. – Psalms 46:1

“In all things, you are more than a conqueror because God loves you.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:37-39

“God will never leave you or forsake you.”

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave nor forsake you. – Deuteronomy 31:6

“God’s perfect love casts out all your fear.”

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. – 1 John 4:18

“Nothing can separate you from God’s love.”

“God’s not done with you. God’s not done with you. God’s not done with you.”

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6

Powerful stuff, right?! I would strongly encourage you to do two things: 1) Check out the YouVersion Bible app. There are so many great Bible studies! 2) Print of this Happy Friday and keep these declarations handy so you have them when you need to speak Biblical truth over your life.

The second tool I am going to share with you is title Stop Blaming and Start Being. It was written by Bryant McGill.

“Stop blaming and start being! We attract what we are. We attract who we are. If you don't like something in your life, look only at who you are. Who you are is why you choose the friends and situations in your life. Who you are is why you choose poorly, or fail to choose wisely. Stop being a victim! If you do not like a certain behavior in others, look within yourself to find the roots of what discomforts you. The conflicts we have with the outside world are often conflicts we have within ourselves.

When you blame others you are effectively proclaiming that you are only response to stimuli. But you are more than response to stimuli. When you blame others, you are affirming that you have no power, and your existence is only a reaction to the power of others. But, you are powerful, if you choose to be. You can choose to be pro-active, assertive and self-defining. You can choose better relationships, better jobs, better places to live, better uses of your time and better ways of treating yourself. Go look in the mirror and have a talk with your real boss. Find a new and better leader within yourself, for yourself. Lead your life with love and friendship; self-love as your own friend. Lead with honesty, total integrity, compassion, patience and tolerance — toward yourself! If you live with values for yourself, then you become of great value to all who know you. It starts with you. Quit waiting for others to give to you; it is not going to happen.

You see, reconciliation with others and the world begins within. If you don't get right with yourself, then nothing in this life will ever make you happy. Blame is very tricky in that it seems like a way out when it is really a form of imprisonment. Until you stop blaming and become positively self-critical you are not going to move forward. You think that if you blame, you will then be free of those problems, but blame cements you to your problems. You have to take responsibility. Empowerment is never about blame; it is about taking personal responsibility. Taking personal responsibility is not about being "responsible" — it is about seeing your truth and evolving. People who blame are always looking to "get out" of something, but like quicksand, the more they struggle the more they are captive. Blame anchors us into the past; a place we cannot change. Acceptance frees us to the future. Even when something is not your fault, toxic blame has no place in your life. Focus on your own empowerment and healing. If you set a clear standard for yourself; for how you wish to be treated — people take note. Rather than communicating blame communicate your standards for proper future treatment.

Ultimately, everything is completely up to you. Quit looking for the answers outside of yourself. The invitation to something better is not arriving from any source outside of yourself — ever. Those who get the invitation are the ones who realize, that the invitation, only comes from deep within. Give yourself permission to be free from the past. You are the authority and the gatekeeper of your own life. Once you become something, only then, are you worthy of it. The life you want is a manifestation of self-realization. It is easy; just be to have. Begin accepting the gift now, and have every beautiful and good thing in life — and then share.

Stop blaming and start being. Everything comes by being! Be the love you seek. Be the friend you seek. Be the lover you seek. Be the honesty you seek. Be the integrity you seek. Be the patience you seek. Be the tolerance you seek. Be the compassion you seek.

Fill-in the blank: Be the ___________ you seek.”

I hope these two tools are useful to you! Regardless of whether you choose to use them or not, 1) What Will Your Influence Be…in your life? What will you fill your Spirit, heart, mind, and body with? What you pour in will eventually pour out! 2) What Will Your Influence Be…in the lives of others? It has been scientifically proven you will influence every person you encounter, the only thing to be resolved – by you and you alone – is whether it will be positive or negative.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. 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, please pray for those being impacted by Hurricane Ian, and please stay well! 😊

Kev

The Strain of Perfection

 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 one right here is sure to be a great one!!! 😊

 

I don’t know about in your world however in mine, there is a lot going on. Everyone seems to be in a hurry, there is so much to do, and it seems there is never enough time to get it all done. This morning I want you to take a deep breath, get a cup of coffee or tea, let the weight of the world fall away for a few minutes, and I just want to remind us all of a few things…

 

Matthew 11:28-30 tells us:

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

 

This is Jesus talking to us. It is summarized well at gotquestions.org when it says, “The good news is that Jesus promises to all who come to Him that He will give them rest from the heavy burden of trying to earn our way into heaven and rest from the oppressive yoke of self-righteousness and legalism. Jesus encourages those who are “heavy laden” to take His yoke upon them, and in so doing they will find rest for their souls. The yoke of Jesus is light and easy to carry because it is the yoke of repentance and faith followed by a singular commitment to follow Him.” You can read the entire article at https://www.gotquestions.org/yoke-easy-burden-light.html.

 

If you are caught up in trying to do enough, be enough, accomplish enough…I pray the sweet words of Jesus will wash over your mind, heart, and Spirit.

 

Matthew 22:37-40 tells us:

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 

Yes, I am pretty sure I just shared this in a recent Happy Friday…don’t care! 😊 I remind myself of this Biblical truth all the time. Don’t know what to do – love God and love people. Feeling the weight of the world – love God and love people. Overwhelmed – love God and love people. Scared – love God and love people. I think you get the point; no matter what, love God and love people. I have found that when I focus on doing that, everything else takes care of itself.

 

My final reminder this week is another excerpt from The Glorious Pursuit: Becoming Who God Created Us to Be by Gary Thomas. It told you all it is a great book!

“The second truth is recognizing that the virtues area something I practice, not something I become. I’ll never be completely humble, but I can practice humility. I will never corner the market on generosity, but I can practice being generous. Understanding this has removed me from the strain of perfectionism that so marked my early life in Christ. It has allowed me to have more of a God-centered faith. Jesus calls me to respond to Him and to leave the results in His hands.”

 

O.K., let me help our curious Friends out: the first truth was “real change is possible.” Come on now, focus! 😊

 

When I read those words, a great peace fell over my Spirit. The strain of perfectionism…I can so relate! But we aren’t called to perfection, we are called to…are you really going to make me say it?!?! Love God and love people!!! And as we respond to the promptings of the Spirit, as we work as though we are working for “the Lord, not human masters,” (Colossians 3:23) we can boldly, confidently, and with great faith leave the results in His hands.

 

I sincerely hope these three little reminders have been half as meaningful to you as they have been to me!

 

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

You Matter

 Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as the sun begins to set in my Sweet Home Alabama! It has been a beautiful day and I am going to finish it off perfectly after writing this Happy Friday…a date with my Beautiful Bride! 😊

My message this week is short and sweet – you matter! Your story matters! The life you live and the path you have walked to this point, matters! There is not a thing about you that is unimportant or insignificant! Nothing! Your life is precious, and this world would be a little less if it didn’t have you in it!

Earlier this week I was out to lunch with two coworkers and a very well-off person. After the luncheon one of my co-workers stated that they had wanted to share something personal with the other person however they didn’t know if it was o.k. to do so…it was about her life journey and the significant role the other person had unknowingly played in it. I strongly encouraged the person to listen to their heart in the future and to tell the story…and I stated that their story mattered. Ironically, had the story been shared, both would have been blessed. However, because the story was not told, one carries a message that may never be delivered and the other has no clue of how they blessed another.

Boy, have I thought a lot about that interaction throughout this week. Why wasn’t the message shared? Because the one person was extremely wealthy, the other person was not, and with this, the person who was not wealthy was, I don’t know, scared, shy, or perhaps embarrassed, to share their story.

Several years ago, when I served in another organization, we had an extremely wealthy individual – this person had the capacity to give a 9-figure gift, meaning $100,000,000+ and did!!! We had a meeting and afterwards heavy appetizers – translation = basically a small meal! It was so interesting to see what happened. The very wealthy person got their food, sat down to eat, and nobody got within 10 feet of this person…literally!!! Like my co-worker earlier this week, nobody apparently felt “worthy” of sitting next to this person. At this point in my life, I was driving a Toyota Corolla 42 miles each way to work because I couldn’t afford to live closer, and I was making about $48,000 per year. So, what did I do? I asked the person if I could sit with them. After the person said “yes, please” we sat and talked for nearly an hour about life, family, and the organization I served. We had a great time, I made a new friend, and all my co-workers and supervisors were horrified! I smile now thinking about it… 😊

My career has blessed me so richly with meeting some of the most fascinating people. I have met very wealthy and very famous people and I have met people who are in, or have overcome, unimaginable battles. And you know what I have found? Well, a couple of things:

First, the great ones, the ones that have really achieved something, they make you feel as though you are the one who has accomplished something. From Hall of Fame athletes to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, to world famous artists and musicians, to some of the greatest scientists in the world, without fail the truly great ones never made me feel inferior. They wanted to know about my life, my family, my story. There is a lesson in there for all of us.

Second, every single one of us has a story and every single one of them matters. There is not one person born, not one person on the face of this earth who God doesn’t love, who He didn’t give a purpose to, and whose life doesn’t matter…not one! Now, some choose not to person the greatness that is within them however that is, perhaps, another Happy Friday for another day.

Friends, please don’t care your messages with you. Please share them. I fall into the category that our tests become our testimonies and our messes become our messages. It is not just a cliché, it is a fact. Just become someone has accomplished more, has more money, has more [I don’t care, you fill in the blank] does not mean their life matters more, they are more important than you or any of the other crap that we believe!

So, my two-fold challenge is simple this week:

Pick your head up and be proud of the you that you were created to be. This world would be a lot worse place if you weren’t in it. Nobody is just like you and if you were not here there would be a void that no one else can fill. And second, please value and appreciate everyone…it costs you nothing but taking the time to care. So, they have faults and failures, flaws, and scars…WE ALL DO! Please, extend the grace we would all like to receive and encourage them as they walk their journey’s.

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! Date time!!! 😊

Kev

Gentleness

 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! What an opportunity!!! Today is a blank canvas and each one of us gets to decide what we are going to do with it. I am running into it with hopeful expectations, determined to live it fully, to empty it of its potential…I sincerely hope the same for you! 😊

I am reading a great book, The Glorious Pursuit: Becoming Who God Created Us to Be by Gary Thomas. The other night I was reading a chapter that was so good! How good? Well, I had my Beautiful Bride sit with me as I read to her. When she finally escaped - 😊- I Face Timed my oldest Tender Warrior and read to him! Oh yeah, you know where I am going…I am going to share several excerpts with you all this morning.

The excerpts I am sharing come from Chapter 15 which is titled, Caressing Life: Gentleness.

“Since God is the source of all virtue, we can’t experience one of His qualities while denying that He personifies that virtue. To get on the path of gentleness, then, we need to understand the depths of our Lord’s gentleness.

Though Jesus gave himself a number of figurative titles (such as the Good Shepherd), when it came to actually describing His character with specific virtues, there are only two. This gives any one description particular importance. When Jesus describes Himself in Matthew 11:28-30, gentleness tops the list: “I am gentle and humble in heart.”

Before Jesus came, the prophets predicted that the Messiah would be known for His gentleness: “Behold your King is coming to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey.” When the apostles looked back in memory of our Lord, they thought of this virtue: “by the humility and gentles of Christ, I appeal to you.”

So the Bible predicted that Jesus would be gentle; Jesus affirmed that He was gentle; and the early church – the ones who saw Him fact-to-face and watched Him interact with others in public – remembered Him as gentle.

However we may feel about God, He reveals Himself to be gentle.”

*What a testimony…I wonder how people will remember you and me.

“To truly convey who Jesus is, it’s not enough to just repeat His words; it’s how we speak those words that most accurately convey His Spirit.”

“The Bible is clear that those who call Christ their master will display the virtue of gentleness. Philippians 4:5 tells us, “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” Not to the deserving. Not to those we “like.” We’re to be gentle towards “all.””

“…gentleness is not a bonus we give to the deserving; it is a debt we owe to all.”

“Gentleness is birthed in the recognition that Christian ministry isn’t about winning arguments; it’s about reconciling people to God and representing Christ to the world. Brutish force doesn’t reconcile, it divides; legalistic demands don’t invite, they alienate. Grace and gentleness build bridges.”

“Too often we equate “gentleness” with “weakness” when in fact, the reverse is true. Letting loose with a tirade of anger is an act of weakness, not strength.”

“The “spiritually strong” are the ones who need to exhibit gentleness and de-escalate situations that spiritually week people can’t handle.

Gentleness is much more powerful than the human failings of temper, anger, and hatred. Anger has a place in the Christian life, as does confrontation. But gentleness has a far bigger role to play than anger, for gentleness means understanding human frailty. It’s a willingness to support, help, teach, and counsel with patience, until the other person becomes strong and mature. Gentleness also means the application of grace, and since grace is “unmerited favor,” the true definition of gentleness is the application of unmerited favor.”

“The first step in becoming gentle is being overwhelmed by the gentleness with which God has treated us. I try to remind myself that I need to treat others like God has treated me. Gentleness doesn’t call us to ignore people’s failings – God doesn’t ignore ours – but it does call us to respond in a particular way. The difference is really in methodology – how sin and weakness is confronted and handled, not whether it will be handled.”

Powerful stuff, Friends! I hope it speaks to our Spirits and moves us to be the gentle people we are called to be! 

I would be remiss if I didn’t offer my highest recommendation for The Glorious Pursuit. It is a great book and I find it challenging me every day – to learn, grow, and become the man, husband, father, leader, and friend that God has created and called me to become!

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 Just Takes One

 Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day is beginning to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! College football is back!!! Absolutely love this time of year! 😊 

Last Friday night my family and I went to a high school football game. I didn’t know anyone in the game, so it was fun to just go watch football and not really care who won. 

There was an elderly gentleman sitting in front of us. We did not talk through most of the 1^st quarter. I can’t remember exactly how the conversation started however he soon told me that his Grandson was #17. All the sudden I cared. I watched #17 everywhere he went, every play, and I genuinely wanted him to play well. And as we watched I learned that the elderly gentleman is retired from GM, that he had played professional football, and I learned about some of his challenges.

It is amazing to me how much we are all alike. We all have hopes, goals, and dreams. We have families we love, challenges we face, and issues we have overcome. All we have to do is care enough to talk to another human being and soon enough a high school football game that meant nothing, suddenly means a lot.

As I have thought about all this during the week, I am reminded of a situation several years ago while I was still coaching. Several members of the coaching staff and I were at an event at an elementary school. There was a woman there who was strung out on drugs. I remember looking at her and being so judgmental. Then one of the coaches recognized her. He had known her several years earlier…I believe his brother had dated her. It was clear that the coach genuinely cared about her and, in seeing his compassion, empathy, and care, everything changed for me. Suddenly I wasn’t not judging her but rather I felt great compassion for her. I cared about her because my friend did.

Putting these two things together, I want to offer two challenges for all of us this week:

1.      Talk to someone new. Just strike up a conversation and get to know someone you don’t know. Find out who they are, where they are from, what they do vocationally, learn about their families, etc. Maybe you will have the opportunity to encourage someone, or perhaps you will find yourself inspired. Either way, you will both win.

2.     I am pretty sure nobody set out to be a drug addict, homeless, or to have whatever challenge they are facing. I learned a lot that day many years ago…we all have a story, they all matter, and most of us have someone that cares about us. Let’s look at those who are facing challenges with great compassion. As my mom used to often say, “But for the grace of God, there go I.”

The thought that keeps coming to my mind is “it just takes one.” It just takes one friendly word, one word of encouragement, one person to care…it just takes one. You and I can be the one. We can treat people differently and we can choose to look at people differently. Let’s really strive – intentionally!!! – to see and believe the best in people and do everything we can to let them know they matter and that they have value. One by one, we can change the world!

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