The Present

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds y0u all having a great day on this glorious Friday morning in my Sweet Home Alabama!

I sincerely hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you are enjoying this special time between Christmas and the new year. There are a couple of things on my heart this morning that I want to share with you.

1.      Life is lived in the moment, and it is up to each one of us to see the beauty in each moment. As I reflect on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, I think about building gingerbread houses together, playing games, playing catch out front, watching movies together, working out together, and talking about life, hopes, and dreams. These are moments that I will forever cherish in my heart. You want to know the crazy thing? It wasn’t until the end of the day on Christmas day, when I sat back and reflected on the previous 24 hours, that I realized how truly blessed each and every moment had been. I hope you were fully present, that you enjoyed the moments, and that as you reflect on what happened, you have a genuine appreciation for the people in your life and the moments you got to share with them.

2.     At a little after 8:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve my phone rang. When I looked to see who was calling, I was shocked to see the name of a former boss who I had not spoken to in more than 5 years. We talked for more than 20 minutes – getting caught up on life. That call, completely unexpected, was such a great gift and one of the highlights of my Christmas. Do you have someone you need to call? Is there a name that pops into your head right now? No matter the amount of time that has passed, I want to encourage you to make that call. I can testify, it will richly bless the life of the one you call.

As we enjoy this week before the new year, I want to share a few quotes for us to ponder as we consider how we will live our lives in 2025…

“Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.”

– Mother Teresa

“Write on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson 

“As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out the present moment aware, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love – even the most simple action.”

– Eckhart Tolle 

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”

– Henry David Thoreau

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.”

– Dale Carnegie

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, please stay well, and I wish you all a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Kev

I Want Love

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins in my Sweet Home Alabama! This is going to be a great day…you can feel the excitement in the air!

 

Last night I was at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Christmas party. I was sitting with a bunch of kids while they were eating their pizza, and I asked one of them what they wanted for Christmas. He stammered around, not giving me an answer. I joked that I was pretty sure that he was going to get what he was asking for, nothing! And then a little boy who was sitting just off to the side said what I thought was “glove.” I clarified, “You want a glove for Christmas?” He responded, “No, I want love. I want my family to be together.”

 

I hope that strikes you as profoundly as it does me. We say the right things, however, have we truly been in a situation where that is genuinely our Christmas wish? Perhaps more importantly, do we live like love and our families being together is the most important thing?

 

My heart is not to guilt or shame anyone. Inspired by this sweet boy who this genuinely was his Christmas wish, I intend to honor him and the lesson he so innocently and yet powerfully taught all of us sitting around that table last night. Yes, gifts are nice and there is nothing wrong with giving and receiving them. However, I will intentionally cherish each family member and friend I get to spend time with and be fully present in every moment with them. I believe this will be the greatest gift for us all!

 

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, please stay well, and Merry Christmas!

 

Kev

What Part Do You Believe?

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 sure to be a great one – I believe and declare this to be true!

As I begin this message, I am mindful that a person that does not believe the Bible might struggle with this message. 1 John 4: 6 says, “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” It is o.k. if you don’t like or agree with this message; I respect you and your right to have your opinion. If you ever want to discuss why I believe the Bible, in Jesus, and the reason for the hope I have, I would be honored to have that conversation with you.

I am going to use the introduction from biblestudytools.com, when searching “Bible verses about serving” as my introduction to this message. Here is the introduction:

“Serving God is one of the most important principles of the Christian faith, as believers are expected to help the church with a joyful spirit. “Love one another.” “Care for one another.” “Pray for one another.” “Encourage one another.” “Help one another.” “Counsel one another.” “Support one another.” Scripture repeatedly tells us of our relationship to God and others through service.

The Bible teaches that serving God and others is not about doing great things but about doing small things with great love. We can serve God and others daily by being kind to our neighbors, volunteering our time to help others, and giving to those in need.

We must remember that serving others may not always be easy, but God's grace and strength will help us. Secondly, we must remember that nothing is too small that God will not use it. Nothing we do for God is in vain!”

I now want to share several scriptures:

Matthew 25:35-40 - "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Romans 12:10 - "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."

1 Peter 4:10-11 - "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord."

Mark 10:45 - "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Galatians 5:13 - "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

I have told you all before about Pastor Phil Tutor. You knew Pastor Phil was about ready to ring you up good when he would say, “What part of the Bible do you believe?” He would then smile, cackle a little bit and say, “The part you actually live out!” So Friends, the question for all of us this morning is “What part of the Bible do you believe?”

·       Are we giving the hungry something to eat, the thirsty something to drink, are we welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, visiting those that are sick and in prison? What part of the Bible do we believe?

·       Are we honoring one another above ourselves? What part of the Bible do we believe?

·       Are we using whatever gifts we have received to serve others? Are we slothful or fervent? What part of the Bible do we believe?

·       Are we here to serve or to be served? What part of the Bible do we believe?

·       Are we using our freedoms to benefit ourselves or to serve others? What part of the Bible do we believe?

I know, that stings a little…Happy Friday!

I truly believe that we are called to use our time, talents, and treasure to love, care for, and serve others. What do you believe? Let me ask it another way; what are you actually living? It is easy to say the “right thing” or to “give the Sunday school answer.” Unfortunately, lives are not changed and nothing meaningful happens through our words. It is only through the lives that we live, the things that we actually do on a consistent basis, that changes lives and produces meaningful fruit. Are you and I happy with the fruit that is being produced through the lives we are living? If so, I want to encourage you to keep going and never grow weary in doing good! If not, what changes do we need to make to bring our life into alignment with who and what we say we are, and who we want to be?

During this season of giving, I want to encourage us to live a life of giving. Not only will it positively impact every precious soul that crosses our path, it will also bless our souls in indescribable ways and it will lead to a joyful, fulfilling, life.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me at any time 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

Faithful Through It All

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this email finds you all having had a great day as a glorious day draws to an end in my Sweet Home Alabama!

You all are in for a special treat this week! I had not yet written Happy Friday when, sitting in a meeting this morning, I got a text from Payton that said, "I'd like to write a Happy Friday before the end of the year." He graciously went ahead and put together today what the Lord had placed on his heart.

People always say, "You must be so proud of him," referencing his choice to serve in the military. Yes, I am proud that he is serving our country however there is nothing like the feeling - I truly don't know the proper word to describe it - to watch your son become the Godly man and husband he was created to become! Thank you, Jesus!

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 family, and please stay well!

Kev

Happy Friday Everyone! I have been off the grid for quite some time, and as I have been settling back into reality I have been feeling prompted to write a Happy Friday message, which speaks to the heart of my message as you will see. 

So most of you who read this every week know of the journey that me, Halla, and our entire family have been on with our recent transition to military life. It has been nothing short of God-ordained, challenging, and rewarding, all at the same time. However, I want to spend today talking about faithfulness to God in every area of our lives, but in particular, with our giving.

Our church, Faith Church (igotofaith.com), is an incredible home that has molded our family, counseled us in many ways, and assisted our growth in our relationships with the Lord. Every year, right before the end of the year, they do a week of “Capstone Offerings” where they encourage people to go above and beyond their monthly giving and focus on an area of the church that they would like to see develop (this year is the Kid’s Ministry). As I was thinking about this year’s capstone offering, it caused me to reflect on last year’s and how that was the first time I had truly given a full tithe, and subsequently, carried that into this year of faithfully tithing every month. At first, I was completely scared - giving way to thoughts of “losing” what was mine, not having enough for myself afterwards, worried about what others might do with the money, etc etc - essentially, came up with every excuse in the book as to why I could not give or why it wasn’t the right time. Thankfully, it was the best decision that I never wanted to make, but jumped off the deep end, did anyway, and will never again second guess following what the Lord places on my heart. 

Malachi 3:10 says:

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” 

If you noticed, I put bold around the words “test me in this” because in this verse, God clearly instructs us to challenge Him, because on the other side of your faithfulness, God will pour out blessings, far more than you could ever ask or imagine - and the way my 2024 has unfolded is nothing short of a testimony to this faithfulness. 

You see, to me, being faithful in the tithe is not just about getting money back in return, but in experiencing the true blessings from the Lord on the other side of it. Below, I would just like to offer a few of those blessings I have experienced, along with my wife Halla, and hope to offer you the opportunity to truly give from your heart, be faithful to the Lord, and watch Him bless you beyond comprehension. 

In my journal, I have a section each week titled “blessings after tithing”, and here are the highlights from 2024:

• Married the woman of my dreams (Halla would be proud to be #1)

• Had the opportunity to work with my dad and live in the same town as my family for the last 2 years

• Joined the Navy and commissioned as an Officer 

• Bought a home in Florida 

• Adopted the sweetest black lab

• Had the opportunity to pour into and be poured into spiritually by great people

• Financially: received a higher paying job, was able to pay for my wedding with my wife, received endless wedding gifts and blessings, received money back at the closing of our home, and the list could go on.

The point in sharing this was not to brag, but to simply testify to the ways that the Lord has blessed Halla and I beyond comprehension in so many different ways during this season of life. One of the scriptures that we live by is Joshua 24:15: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

We have made that commitment to the Lord, to each other, and every day, we look for opportunities to serve others, be great stewards of our resources, and follow God’s promptings in our lives. It is no coincidence to me that things have come together this year far better than we could have ever scripted on our own. 

“We are motivated not by what others think about us, but by how God sees us. We make a difference not by what we wear or what we own, but by living out each day in a way that brings glory to Him.” - Tim Tebow, Mission Possible 

With all this, I would simply like to challenge you to think about what you can give - your time, your money, your resources - and ask God where He would like you to direct whatever it is - and then watch Him bless you. You see, at the end of our lives, we will all give an account to the Lord - and I hope that at the end of my life He will say, “well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this message. Enjoy your weekend, enjoy your Holidays with your family, and Merry Christmas!

Payton