Friday, October 27, 2023

Living Our Faith

 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 is going to be special…I can feel it! There is so much life to be lived – purposes to pursue, people to serve! I am genuinely excited to live THIS day! 😊

A couple of weeks ago I was struggling with some things. As I spent time praying, studying my Bible, doing my Bible Study, reading my leadership books, listening to podcasts, etc., my Spirit convicted me; I am not living my faith. Yes, I believe in God, I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Savior – I fully believe my salvation is secure, and I do believe that God works all things together for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose…I just felt convicted that I am not living the life every day that I profess with my mouth.

So, what do I mean, what does this look like? I am not talking about doing stupid or irresponsible things. Jesus addressed this in Matthew 4 when He was being tested in the wilderness:

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

    and they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

No, what I am talking about is how I actually go about living. Do I only profess to believe Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose – or do I live like I believe it? If I live like it, my reaction to problems, challenges, and setbacks would be vastly different than if I only profess it with my mouth. Do I only profess to believe James 4:13 – 17 – 13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. – or do I live like I believe it? If I live like I believe it, I will think and talk differently about the plans I have and I will do the good I know I ought to do. Make sense?

James spoke to all this clearly in James 2: 14 – 16 when he said:

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Verse 19 has always felt like a swift kick in the rear to me – 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. If I do not live my life in accordance with the faith I profess, how am I different than the demons? If I truly believe James 2: 19 I am not.

I refuse to live my life without deeds that match my faith! I know full well that I will need the wisdom, discernment, strength, and courage of God Every! Single! Day! I will start this THIS day and then I will have to make a choice again tomorrow! My Spirit convicted me for a reason, and I would be wise to listen!

As I have continued to think, pray about, and study about actually living a life of faith, I came across a few quotes that really resonated with me. I want to share them with you this morning.

“God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible – what a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves.” – A. W. Tozer

“Just as love is a verb, so is faith.” – Helen Burroughs

“Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe.” – Mitch Albom

Last week was the 600th Happy Friday I had posted. With this I reached out to several people and asked them if they would share their words of wisdom and I posted those in Happy Friday. Going forward, I want to do this weekly. I will call this section “Wisdom from Friends.” If you ever have anything that has profoundly impacted you and you want to share with others, I would be honored to give you the platform to do so. Please simply email me your thoughts/idea at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com and I will copy and paste it into the next week’s Happy Friday. This week we will start off with some very insightful words from a great man, exceptional leader, and dear friend.

“…we live our lives based on the values that we believe to be so important. In my case those values are: a deep love for God, dependable, integrity, honesty, respect, accountability, generosity, and role model. If we live our lives and try to follow these values, I think we are blessed.” - Jerry Gilbert

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 family, and please stay well! 😊


Kev

Friday, October 20, 2023

Nuggets

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! 😊

I am so blessed to have so many remarkable people in my life! When I was looking ahead to this week, realizing that this would be the 600th Happy Friday, I wanted to do something different, something special. After thought, prayer, and reflection it came to me…I would give others the platform to share their words of wisdom. I am so grateful for each of these individuals, and the countless others, who bless my life so very richly. I hope you will find value in the words they have shared.

Before sharing these words of wisdom, I want to first point you to Jesus Christ. I am a Christian and I believe, as the Holy Bible instructs, that a person must accept Jesus Christ as their Savior to live for eternity in Heaven. With this I feel I would be failing you greatly if I did not give you the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior this morning if you have not already done so. I believe the greatest piece of advice anyone can give is “we all need Jesus,” and my heartfelt prayer is for whoever reads these words to receive Him.

A prayer of Salvation does not have to be long or over-spiritualized. It simply needs to be sincere. If you desire to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior this morning, simply pray this prayer:

Dear Lord, I admit that I am a sinner. I have done many things that don’t please you. I have lived my life for myself only. I am sorry, and I repent. I ask you to forgive me. I believe that you died on the cross for me, to save me. You did what I could not do for myself. I come to you now and ask you to take control of my life; I give it to you. From this day forward, help me to live every day for you and in a way that pleases you. I love you, Lord, and I thank you that I will spend all eternity with you. Amen.

"No one has it figured out as much as we think." - Stephen Ponder

“Be more concerned about winning the relationship than the argument.” – Kathy Haslam

"Keep your feet and mind in alignment and be where your feet are in thoughts and actions, doing the next right thing is always best." - Stephen Ponder

“Live a life of faith and service, and you’ll look back without any regrets. The Lord put you on this earth to fulfill His purpose, so take the steps to start living what He has called you to do.” – Payton Haslam

“In times of trouble or in making tough decisions, always trust (follow) your heart.  It is never wrong.  I believe God knows our hearts and uses it to guide us.” - Steve Hettinga

“Make a significant impact in people’s lives, by having a heart that is genuinely concerned for people, and building honest, strong relationships. Allowing God to show us where we can give of ourselves to better others and show them Christ.” - Bill Jordan

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 family, and please stay well! 😊


Kev

Friday, October 13, 2023

Bringing Your Life into Alignment with Your Priorities

Happy Friday, Friends!

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

I want to briefly tell you how incredibly blessed I have been over the past month. The weekend of September 16th my oldest Tender Warrior, Payton, and I took a trip to Athens, GA to watch the Georgia Bulldogs play the South Carolina Gamecocks at Sanford Stadium. We left on Friday afternoon, thoroughly enjoyed our trip getting to Athens, took in the full game day experience, and then had a wonderful drive back on Sunday morning. Last week my Beautiful Bride, Kathy, and I took a little mini vacation to Destin, FL. We left on Wednesday, listened to several podcasts on the way down – taking time to discuss them afterwards, visited shops in Destin, 30A, and Fort Walton, and then listened to College Game Day on ESPN and the 1st quarter of the Red River Rivalry as we drove home last Saturday. Here is the thing; it wasn’t what I was doing, though admittingly visiting Sanford Stadium was a dream I had since I was a teenager, but rather it was who I was with and the time we spent together that I will forever cherish in my heart.

When I think of my trip with Payton, I think of the random stop at the apple orchard somewhere in north Georgia, admiring and talking about the beauty of the small towns and countryside of north and central Georgia, of walking all over the beautiful University of Georgia campus talking about life, family, and dreams the entire time, and the dinner we ate together in the hotel room the night after the game. When I think of my trip with Kathy, I think of the incredible lunch at HWY 65 Barbeque, of listening to the podcasts – learning and growing together, exploring 30A, walking out on the fishing pier at Fort Walton Beach, and sitting on the beach each evening, talking about life, family, and our dreams, as we watched the sun set on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night. It is these things that make my heart full, that I cherish so deeply. It wasn’t necessarily what we were doing but that we were doing these things together, that we were investing in each other, that made all this so special to me.

I am very mindful that all of us choose who and what we will value. I cannot, nor do I want to, tell you or anyone else who or what they should value. I am simply here to testify to what I believe and have found to be true in my life. I truly believe, to the depths of my soul, that my highest calling and greatest responsibility is as a husband and father. And I have found that while I have sacrificed personal goals and dreams, hobbies, and wants and desires for them, I sit and type this message without any regret whatsoever. I have chosen to bring my life into alignment with my beliefs, I have been highly intentional in the things I will do and not do, and I have committed my life to becoming the best man, husband, father, leader, and friend I can personally become.

This week I simply want to ask you to thoughtfully consider the life you are living. Is the life you are living in alignment with your beliefs? Are you intentional with the things you will and will not do? Are you striving every day to become the best person, parent, spouse/partner, leader, and friend you can become? Are you happy with your answers to these questions? Perhaps you have a completely different set of priorities and questions…that’s cool. Are you happy with what they are producing in your life? If not, perhaps you need to reconsider your priorities.

For those like me who believe that what matters most in life is the people we are blessed to have in our lives, I simply want to encourage you to honor your priorities. You don’t have to go to Sanford Stadium or Florida…Kathy and I have had many wonderful evenings simply sitting out on our back porch talking and the boys and I have spent hours playing catch, golfing, etc. Again, it is not about where you are or what you are doing, it is about who you are with and investing in each other.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for any of 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 family, and please stay well! 😊

Kev

Friday, October 6, 2023

What Will Your Influence Be...?

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious Friday morning! My Beautiful Bride and I are on a wonderful trip to the Emerald Coast – a time to reconnect, renew, and refresh! I am truly blessed beyond measure! 😊

This will quite possibly be the shortest “Happy Friday” I have ever written.

As Kath and I were driving on Wednesday, we listened to some podcasts together. One of them we listened to was I’m In, Part 3: I’m Influential. It is a podcast from Life.Church with Craig Groechel and it originally aired on September 29, 2019. You can watch the message here https://www.life.church/media/im-in/im-influential/

At the beginning of the message, Pastor Craig said this:

“You have no idea how one conversation, one word of encouragement, or one expression of love might change someone’s life.”

He then continued…

“You have no idea how God might use one word, one moment, one generous expression in the life of another person to love them toward the grace of Jesus.”

So, today is here. Unless you are a hermit, live in a room where you interact with not one other person, you are going to cross paths with another precious soul today. There is only one question to answer…

What Will Your Influence Be…?

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 family, and please stay well! 😊


Kev