A Few Random Things

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious Saturday afternoon! It is College Football Gameday, the Houston Cougars have already gotten a "W" today...life is good! :)

Before diving into this weeks Happy Friday, I promised last week to share with you the name of the gentleman whose quotes I shared. His name is Aaron Malone. :)

This weeks Happy Friday is going to be short. I just want to share a few things I came across this week and let you think about them, apply them to your life however you feel convicted to do.

The first one comes from The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes & Posner. It says:

"You don't just owe it to yourself to become the best leader you can possibly be. You're even more responsible to others. You may not know it, but they're expecting you to do your best."

The second is an incredibly powerful quote I came across this week. It's from Dan Pearce and it says:

"Dads. Do you not realize that a child is what you tell them they are? That people almost always become what they are labeled? Was whatever your child just did really the "dumbest thing you've ever seen somebody do"? Was it really the "most ridiculous thing they ever could have done"? Do you really believe that your child is an idiot? Because she now does. Think about that. Because you said it, she now believes it. Bravo."

And finally, I want to share a scripture with y'all. 

"Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and in what they are doing." - Philippians 2: 3 - 4 (TLB)

Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you or your families. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, an awesome weekend and please cherish your precious families.

Kev

First Things First

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new day begins to dawn on the Texas Gulf Coast! New...pretty powerful word. Let's seize THIS day and all the hope, opportunity & promise that it has to offer! :)

Hurricanes Harvey & Irma. Hurricane Maria. Wildfires across the West & Northwest. A(nother) devastating earthquake in Mexico. And these are just the various storms of nature that I know about. There are also storms of life. All storms bring with them pain, destruction and tremendous loss. So I wanted to pause for a moment this morning and ask a simple question; what is the condition of your well this morning Friend?

Ken Whitten, the Pastor at Idlewild Baptist Church, once said, "What's in the well always comes up in the bucket." I have shared it with ya'll many times and I remind myself of it nearly every single day. It is impossible to give to others what we ourselves do not have. The well will eventually run dry if we do not refill it with fresh, clean, life-giving water. So as you are perhaps pouring yourself out in prayer or in action to serve others who are suffering through the various storms let me ask you, how are you filling your well?

It's interesting; how many times did Jesus go away and spend time with His Father? I don't know the answer - kinda hopein you did! :) - however it happens quite regularly, especially after a full day of ministry. So, Jesus need to take time away to fill his well by spending time with His Father but you & I don't?!?!

I love my Bible. It is the Amplified version and throughout there are little points where Joyce Meyer shares insights that help better understand the scriptures. This morning in one of these life points she asks the question, "Who do you receive encouragement from?" That is a great question. The reality is you & I are receiving encouragement from someone...who is it? And, are our thoughts, actions & words after receiving their words of encouragement leading us to live the lives we want to live? We can encourage folks positively or negatively and, in fact, we do. The fruit that is produced by our lives and theirs will tell us which choice we made.

Here is a scripture for you to ponder, the one that led to Joyce's question. "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Thessalonians 2: 16 - 17

I also want to share a few quotes about encouragement with you as well. Please remember though Friends, unless the well is filled first, nothing else will matter.

"Listen, read and speak words of encouragement to yourselves and others always." ~ Terry Mark

"Taking an interest in what others are thinking and doing is often a much more powerful form of encouragement than praise." ~ Robert Martin

"Try a little encouragement and be patient. All of us are doing our best to stand up and reach our full potential. Take every chance to whisper words of encouragement, especially to those who are faltering. Life is not a competition. Its an opportunity to feel the joy of seeing others thrive, and using your words to raise them up." ~ Kemmy Nola

"Each person has an ideal, a hope, a dream which represents the soul. We must give to it the warmth of love, the light of understanding and the essence of encouragement." ~ Unknown

A couple of other things I wanted to share with you this morning.

1. Now this first one, well, this is terrible and I have a confession to make. There is this dude who sends out an email every week, to me and several other guys. It is much like Happy Friday - thoughts, ideas, reflections, etc. The thing is, I can't remember the dudes name right now..augh! So, last week he had some really good things in his email that I wrote down and want to share with you. When I receive his email this week I will write down his name and share with all of you next week. For now, know this is from someone other than me... :)

"People experience growth when they feel loved & appreciated."

"How am I fostering an environment for the people around me to feel loved and appreciated?"

"If you're not looking to foster a team like atmosphere in your home and work place you're not maximizing the potential of the people you influence."

2. The second one came from one of Joyce Meyer's editorial sections in my Bible. I read it last Sunday. It was so profound to me that I typed up little notes with the following on it and gave one to my Beautiful Bride and each of my Tender Warriors. Here is how our note cards read:

"Anything that offends God in our conversation needs to be eliminated.

Psalm 17: 3: "I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress." This says we need to plan to keep our mouths from speaking bad or negative things. Whatever we do in this life of faith, we must do it on purpose. Discipline is a choice. It is not necessarily easy, but it begins with a quality decision.

Psalm 19: 14: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

Prayer - "Lord, I pray that You will help me to develop sensitivity to the Holy Spirit concerning all manner of my conversation. I do not want to be stubborn like a horse or mule that will not obey without a bridle and bit. I want to move in Your direction with only a gentle nudge from You. Place a guard over my lips and let all the words of my mouth be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer In Jesus' name I pray, amen."

Scripture - "Set a guard, O Lord, before my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips." Psalm 141: 3."

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 and please cherish your precious families.

Kev

When Life (Harvey) Gives You Lemons...Make Lemonade

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you having had a great day on this beautiful Thursday evening.

This week we have a special guest blogger, my Beautiful Bride Kathy. With this, we are posting Happy Friday a few hours early. I have not even read this Happy Friday yet however I know you are gonna love it because I know the heart of the woman who wrote it! Enjoy!

A beautiful story was written on the corner of Meadows Blvd and Louisiana here in Texas last Friday. Two young boys with big hearts and myself, big pitchers of lemonade, and even bigger signs that read, "HOPE for Harvey Families," set up a lemonade stand.  This story started at 10:00 am and ended at 6:00 pm. We all had one mission. We all had one goal: to reach the hearts and souls of Harvey families with a simple lemonade sale.

 People on bikes, people in golf carts, people in construction trucks, people on walks, all stopped.  It was beautiful to see every race, every denomination, every background, and every age stop by.   We met so many wonderful people, all with huge hearts. We cried together, we laughed together, we hugged, we shook hands, we shared stories. We offered words of encouragement, we smiled, and we truly felt a bond that I just can't explain in words. It was a lemonade sale, but it was more than just lemonade. It was about making a DIFFERENCE!

This day has a left a lasting impression that we will truly hold close in our hearts and souls forever. My son even said, "Mom, this is so fun and so much better that anything else that I could be doing today." Proud Mom moment...truly a Tender Warrior! Even with sticky hands, sunburned faces, messy floors inside from spills, running in and out of the house, and a "lemonade headache," this day will go down as one of our happiest moments. You see, Friends, it wasn't about the money...it was about the hearts and souls of people. It was about coming together no matter what race, age, or background.  Stuff is just stuff and items can be replaced, but lives are ETERNAL. Touching others and being touched by them.

 Let me highlight just two of our special friends who took the time out of their day to be a part of this lemonade sale. I wish I could share more. Maybe on another Happy Friday!

 My friend's mom from down the street pulled into our driveway with her daughter, got out of their truck, walked over to the lemonade stand and handed Landry a donation. She said, "A lemonade sounds so good right now."

You see, her husband at that moment was at home, lying in a hospital bed on Hospice. She needed a break. She sat in our yard, cheered people on, encouraged those that drove by, and truly enjoyed the moment. Even in the midst of her own "storm," she took the time to open her heart. Even with her heart breaking she chose to give HOPE for Harvey families. The very next day her husband entered the gates of Heaven.

Now let me tell you about our last customer. She is a mom on our street with two beautiful little girls. She showed up late, but Landry was still outside cleaning up. She walked up and asked if we had any more lemonade. Of course, Landry said,  "Yes!" He ran inside and yelled, "Mom, we need three  more drinks!" "Right on it," I answered.

 I walked outside with the lemonade. As I walked up our eyes met, we shared a smile and we tenderly hug. I introduced myself, shared a little about ourselves, and then the dreaded question, "Did your house flood?" "Yes," she replied.

My heart ached at that very moment. I offered words of encouragement and we hugged again. You see, even though her house flooded  right down the street from ours, she came to our corner to make a difference in others lives.

My heart rejoiced. She was the epitome of selflessness. The epitome of reaching out to others. She opened up her heart even though her heart has ached the past week. A beautiful spirit. A beautiful soul. Lord, I pray that I may live my life this way. A beautiful soul is never forgotten.

So as I end this "Happy Friday," I hope and pray you can all experience a beautiful story on the corner of your street. It will change your life forever. LIKE MINE IS!

BTW...we raised $1273.00! BOOM! HAPPY FRIDAY!

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.blogspot.com.

Have a great evening, an awesome Friday and please cherish your precious families.

Kev