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What's Next?
I know it has been a while since I last blogged. It was a simple statement, “He Has Risen!” I posted that on April 12th, 2020. At 65 I really believe I am at the beginning of my 3rd chapter of life. I am still working, still overweight, still not in as good of shape as I desire to be and wondering how to go about this next chapter. To help me prepare, I re-read my book, “Walk This Way, Walk His Way”. I thought the writing was smashing. :-) All kidding aside after 9 years since I wrote it, I do believe the material is still relevant today. So, what to do in Chapter 3 of life? I still feel the pull to write my 3rd book. This one needs to be different and better than the first. I want to move away from my analytical, left-brain thinking and move into a different space. Not sure what that looks like, but to start with, I think it would be fun to bring people along with me. So, I am looking to blog about the process and eventually publish book number 3. (I am counting the study guide for my book as book number 2.) I have decided to write about another subject God has put on my heart out of two choices, Golf, God’s Game and Jesus’ Commands. Jesus said if you love Me, you will keep my commandments, John 14:15. So, that is where I want to go with this 3rd Chapter will take this journey on understanding Jesus’s commands, with any of you that so chose to be a part of the process.
In Christ,
Kevin
Being a Whole-Hearted Person
Here we are in-between the day Christ went to the cross and the day He was resurrected. I read an article in the Omaha World Herald Living section today, April 20th , called “‘Courage’ special brings author Brown to Netflix.” The article was about a lady named Brene’ Brown who is a research professor at the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work. It mentioned in the article that she had done a Ted Talk on Vulnerability and that had been viewed by more than 39 million people. I became the next viewer. While watching this video, I thought about what she was saying about “Whole-hearted” people and the fact that “Whole-hearted” people live with a deep sense of worthiness.
Brene’ states in the video that people who have a sense of worthiness have a strong sense of love and belonging. And people that have a strong sense of love and belonging at their core believe they are worthy of belonging.
She goes on to say “Whole-hearted” people live out of three C’s, Courage, Compassion and Connection.
Courage – to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart, courage to be imperfect. Compassion - to be kind to themselves and then others. Connection - because of their authenticity and willingness to let go of who they thought they should be, to be who they are.
One last point she made was that whole-hearted people fully embrace vulnerability. They believe that what makes them vulnerable makes them beautiful. They have the willingness to say I love you first and do something where there are no guarantees.
She suggests that we
let ourselves be seen – our true selves, our vulnerable selves
love with our whole heart
practice gratitude and joy
and finally believe we are enough.
I suggest you watch this video and reflect on Jesus Christ, who came to this earth, died on the cross for our sins, defeated sin through His resurrection and through that gives those who believe in Him eternal life. What Brene’ Brown is describing in the “Whole-hearted” person is the Co-heir with Christ. While she does not reference Jesus Christ in this video, she is describing how a believer in Christ should walk, His way!
Happy Easter – He has risen, He has risen indeed.
Letting the Spirit Lead
A few weeks back, on a Friday night I was flying back from South Carolina to Omaha. Like always, I go via Atlanta and like always, I go to PF Chang’s for dinner. Why not, they know me there. My favorite dish is Kung Pao Shrimp with brown rice. When I don’t order it, the server asks if I am ill!
On this particular night I was sitting at the bar and laughing with the guy next to me on my left, he always orders Kung Pao Chicken. On my right was a guy who was not connected to the people around him but obsessed with his phone and somewhat beside himself.
After a while, he set his phone down on the bar and asked me to look at a text. From the content I could tell he was in an argument with the person on the other end of the text. He abruptly asked, “Am I an asshole?” A somewhat surprising question considering the brevity of our relationship. My response – I cannot judge that, as I do not know you. He proceeded to tell me the person on the other end of the text was his wife. She was not happy with him due to his travel in work and being away for so long. He asked me what I thought should be his response.
Not knowing exactly what to say, but allowing the Holy Spirit to lead at that moment, I suggested his reply should take the form of a “higher response”, one that does not stay in the heat of the battle, but rises above it. He asked what did I mean?
I then simply asked him if he had a faith. He said he believed in God. That was exactly when the Spirit led me to offer him one of my books, Walk This Way, Walk His Way. He was taken back. I said that you can either read it or throw it away, your choice. However, the type of response I am speaking of is one of love and respect for your wife and your relationship.
My time was up and I needed to catch my flight. As I was leaving, we shook hands and he told me that I just might have saved his marriage.
Where Do We Go From Here?
God has a plan for each of us. This year I am working on two things personally. My faith and my health and well-being. What is it exactly God wants me to do now? Where does he want me to go with the work around Walk This Way, Walk His Way? I am praying for guidance and direction in this part of my life. Funny that on a recent business trip I encountered a number of people and spoke with them about my book. I gave a copy to a wonderful person at the Delta Sky Club in Atlanta. She does a wonderful job of reaching out to customers as they enter.
Concerning well being, I have quit drinking coffee. My goal is to sleep better and get into better shape. How will I compete at 80 years of age in the US Open tennis tournament if I don't start today? Does anyone ever find work conflicting with workouts? Need to be more diligent. I always do an excellent job working out on vacation, but when I am back at work it is more difficult.
I'll leave you with three thoughts from Walk This Way, Walk His Way today:
- Choose to believe and be saved!
- Choose to obey and be free!
- Choose to love your neighbor and be light!
One last thing and I am out of here. Laree Lindburg my publisher at Electric Moon Publishing has entered Walk This Way, Walk His Way in the Christian Indie Awards. Please get out on the website and vote at www.ChristianAward.com
In Christ,
Kevin
Hawaii Bound!
This is a very different Christmas for my family. We are on the way to Hawaii on Christmas day and really look forward to spending time with our immediate family there. God has blessed us in many ways and one of those blessing is a chance to spend time together in a tropical paradise.
I wish you and your's a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope 2018 brings you all of the joy and goodness you deserve. May God bless you and keep you in this next year.
Best regards,
Kevin
To Know God
Our pastor has been preaching a series on The Upper Room Discourse. Today he spoke on John 14:1 -11. The disciples are asking Jesus questions that he is answering. On one side the questions seem like the disciples just don't get. On the other side they are showing us their humanity which we would probably done in the position, as well. John 14:7 says, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."
Seems odd that Jesus is saying "If you had known Me" since the disciples had been with him 3 years. But can you imagine being with Jesus? The magnitude of being in that moment had to be enormous as the disciples looked back on that experience.
Today, our pastor said that many people believe there is a God, but when you start to talk about His Son, Jesus Christ, people get offended. As Jesus says in these verses, "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me." The Father and Jesus are inseparable. We must strive to know Him, and by knowing Him we can love Him. In "Walk This Way, Walk His Way", I talk about what we need to know to love God. We need to know "Who" He is and "What" He has done. By knowing who He is, we are able to understand why what He says we should do is so important. And Jesus says that if we follow His commands we are showing our love for Him. So, as you start this month of December please think about where you are in knowing God and in knowing Jesus.
Merry Christmas,
Kevin
My Mission Statement
My mission is to love the Lord my God, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind and with all my strength. Not only do I want to love my neighbor as myself, but I want to follow Jesus’ command to love one another as He has loved us.
I desire to be a loving husband to my wife and a loving father to my kids, their spouses and my grand kids. I want to serve my family by passing on God’s wisdom concerning how we should live our lives. To my wife, I want to be her best friend, her encourager, her ear, and her protector.
I want to always remember if you think you are more than you are, you are less than you were. Powered by this statement I want to stay humbly grounded in my faith and give back to God what is His and be unselfish with my resources, my money, my time and myself.
Career-wise, I want to continue working in a leadership role and follow the prayer of Jabez, “Oh Lord bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.”
Now that I have completed God’s calling to write Walk This Way, Walk His Way and its complimentary study guide, I want to carry out the mission I believe God has called me to complete. I have formed Maker Ministries, LLC, with the purpose of helping disciples of Christ be more effective in walking His way. God has placed on my heart to continue work around Jesus’s commands in a secondary book or sequel to the first, Walk This Way, Walk His Way: Jesus’ Commands. I also have visions of another book to reach golfers, Golf: God’s Game. Through these works, I hope to help people grow in their faith and their walk with Jesus Christ. I ask God that my writing would come alive, and that He would give me finishing power so that His mission for me would be fulfilled. May I live to teach people and help them experience the freedom and power of Jesus Christ in their lives, the freedom from sin’s bondage and Satan’s grasp and the power of a life lived through the Holy Spirit.
May I live my life not by word and tongue, but by action and truth! May it not be about me, but about God and His Will for me! Help me to be Christ-like, help me to be selfless in my nature.
Choice Not Chance Determines Destiny