Pretty Simple

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 is going to be a great day – football season is here!!!

 

Earlier this week, I listened to a phenomenal message from Victoria Osteen titled, Be Good to People. It originally aired on October 30, 2022. I strongly encourage you to watch or listen to it – it is only 12 minutes and 50 seconds long, but packed with great content.

 

So simple, right? Be good to people. Shouldn’t we all do that?

 

I am going to paraphrase a few points that Victoria made that stood out to me.

 

·       People don’t care what you say; they care what you do.

·       Our purpose is to further the gospel, not to give our opinion.

·       Faith acts before it feels.

·       If someone is mean, nasty, or rude to you and you act the same way to them, nothing changes.

 

That’s it. Pretty simple. Be good to people.

 

What will YOUR influence be…?

 

Proverbs 11:17

17 Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.

 

Proverbs 19:11

11 A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

 

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

What will you choose?

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!

Each of us has a great gift and a choice to make; we have been given this brand-new day, and we will choose how to live it! My hope and prayer is that we will be intentional, positive, and encouraging.

Will we choose to live intentionally, or will we live by our feelings, which are so fickle? Are we on autopilot, or are we taking response-ability (think about it!) for the lives we are living? Let’s be intentional with the things that we allow to be poured into our Spirits, minds, and bodies; what’s in the well always comes up in the bucket. And then, let’s make the courageous choice to be intentional in how we interact with those we are blessed to have in our lives.

Each one of us will choose the attitude we will bring to this day; does it align with the life we want to live? While we cannot control many things that happen around us, we are free to choose what happens within us, which, in turn, will determine how we live this day. If we want to have a good day (who doesn’t?), it begins with a positive attitude, something each one of us can choose! I read a great quote by John C. Maxwell this morning: “So often, what people say their problem is really isn’t their problem. Their problem is the attitude that causes them to handle life’s obstacles poorly.”

Straight fact: you and I will influence every person we interact with today. Yes, Friend, you are that powerful! Will we choose to be encouraging? It does not have to be some grand gesture or some profound word of wisdom; to someone who is barely holding on, a smile from another human being can mean everything. What will your influence be?

So, what will you choose?

"To live intentionally is to live with purpose, not by chance." – Olivia Carter.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” – Viktor Frankl

“The truth is... everything counts. Everything. Everything we do and everything we say. Everything helps or hurts; everything adds to or takes away from someone else.” - Countee Cullen

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

Get In The Game!

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!

Last week, I came across a quote that I find inspiring.

“Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you’re wasting your life.” – Jackie Robinson

Let’s get in the game, Friends! In all aspects of our lives!

What would our world be like if we showed up for our spouses/partners and children every day? It is so easy – with horrible consequences! – to do nothing. I implore us, Friends; instead of just watching what is going on, let’s get involved in the lives of our spouses/partners and children, let’s be there for them every day, and let’s do all we can to encourage, empower, and equip them to be all that they were created to become.

What about work? Are we just showing up to get a paycheck, or are we invested, doing all we can to make a positive difference? I don’t care what our vocations are; there is something we can do to make a positive difference in the lives of other human beings! Everyone needs encouragement, unconditional love, and just to be seen.

What about the goals and dreams that are in our hearts? Are we pursuing them? I have discussed this before in Happy Friday; many people are walking around, living a life far less than the one they were created to live, because they are fearful of striving to become all they are capable of becoming. To me, it is twisted logic; however, these folks believe that if they don’t try, at least they won’t fail. While that is technically true, I have a rhetorical question this morning; while they won’t perhaps every experience a failing moment, aren’t they failing because they are failing to become all they are capable of becoming?

How about the lives we live in our communities? It is easy to cast stones, point out faults in others, or make suggestions about how others should be doing things. Have you ever noticed that the ones who are being critical are usually the ones who aren’t doing anything or they have no accountability for the outcome? If we aren’t willing to get into the game, to truly understand the challenges and problems, what right do we have to critique those who are trying to accomplish something?

I implore us all this morning, Friends, get in the game! Don’t sit in the grandstands and watch this beautiful thing called life go by! You matter, and the things you do, or don’t do, matter greatly!

I will close with a couple of quotes…

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, if he wins, knows the thrills of high achievement, and, if he fails, at least fails daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

― Theodore Roosevelt 

“Everyone wants the result of greatness but avoids the work required to get there. It’s boring. It’s a sacrifice. A commitment to show up every day, do the work, and live the standard. It’s preparing for the moment so you’re prepared in the moment. The work is the shortcut.” – Kevin DeShazo 

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

Who Owns It?

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!

Last Sunday, our Pastor, Steve Huskey, preached a phenomenal sermon titled, “Own It All.” You can listen to the sermon here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3TYDh25SSvNJ7ns7FEBQqD?go=1&sp_cid=c33515483950b9f293e130fef8aaba9b&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&nd=1&dlsi=6ed690e73bd84314

The point is really quite simple; sanctification is the ongoing process where God takes over and transforms every part of our lives. So, who owns:

·       Our attitudes? Negative to faith-filled…where are we on the continuum?

·       The entertainment we listen to and watch? Quantity and quality; in the world, not of it.

·       Our talent? Working as though we are working for the Lord, not man.

·       Our finances? We are only stewards.

·       Our relationships?

·       Our worry?

·       The words we speak?

·       Our time? The most valuable resource we have…does how we use it reflect the faith we profess to have?

And then on Wednesday, I was listening to a message from Pastor Joel Osteen titled, “Who’s The Boss?” You can watch the message and read the transcript here: https://sermons.love/joel-osteen/3397-joel-osteen-whos-the-boss.html

The point of the sermon is this; are we going to be led by the flesh or are we going to be led by the Spirit?

So, other than pointing you to these two great sermons, I simply want to remind us all that we have a choice to make every day…

I want to close with a few scriptures:

Romans 8:6

6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Matthew 16:24

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow 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 family, and please stay well.

Kev 

Which Is It?

Happy Friday, Friends!

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

 

This week’s Happy Friday is going to simply be an observation. I have no words of wisdom, no answers…just thoughtful reflection.

 

Earlier this week I was talking to someone I love dearly. They had not slept well the night before, having troubling thoughts. I referenced the Bible, stating, “God promises to give us peace when we cast our cares on Him.” The person then said something like, “I tried that; it didn’t work.” And then it hit me; either this person didn’t cast their cares on the Lord, or what God has promised is not true. Which is it?

 

Have you ever been there? Are you there? I know I have been a ton of times!

 

I once heard it said something like, “The problem is we place things at the foot of the cross and then turn around and pick them right back up.” I get that! I once heard Pastor Craig Groeschel say, “At some point, you have to decide if you are going to allow God to be God or are you?”

 

So that’s it, just an observation; are we not living out our faith, or are the promises of God not true? Oh, another quick observation; I have also found that we all have different things that we will live out by faith, and those we won’t. I once heard it said that your greatest fear is where you trust God the least. Just a couple of things to think about this morning…

 

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