Things That Motivate Me
1) The number one thing that motivates me is my faith in Christ. He is my reason for living and the source of everything good in my life. I live to please Him and bring glory to His name. I know He has a call on my life and I want to do whatever He wants me to.
2) My wife is my next greatest motivator. She is my cheerleader and believes that no matter the task I am more than able to handle it. She rocks!
3) My kids. They are watching me and what I do and how I do everything. They have a way of pointing out my failures at just the right time and they love me despite my shortcomings. There’s nothing better than a good hug after a tough day. Makes me realize why i do what I do everyday.
5) My Pastor. Pastor Michael is always challenging me to improve the leadership abilities and gifts God has given me. I never know what he may ask me to do but I know that whatever it is, I feel confident in doing it because of the things I have learned from him.
4) My Source Group. I get so excited for source group Friday. I can’t wait hear their thoughts and ideas and questions! They motivate me to get in the Word so I am equipped and able to answer their questions and to be able to help and encourage them. You never know what situation someone is going to bring to group that night so you have to be ready even when you don’t feel like it.
5) Ignorant people. Being in church most of my life, I’ve heard a lot of stupid, crazy, jacked up stuff. Some REAL out there stuff! What is even worse is that people don’t bother to open their Bible to make sure that it is what the Word really says! I don’t want to be another sheep who just goes along with whatever people say. When I hear something That sounds jacked up, I go straight into my Bible to not only make sure that the scripture they are quoting is an actual scripture, but also make sure that they are using a scripture in it’s proper context !
These are my greatest motivators. Thought I would share them with you.
One of His (Kevin)
Check Out This Post!
This post really got me thinking about how we communicate the gospel and church. (notice I did seperate the two?) Check it. It’s a great read! Definately worth the time.
One of His (Kevin)
Be the Solution
I have heard many church folk talk about how it would be nice if their church would provide certain ministries, groups, events, ect. The problem is that yeah, it would be nice. It would be great! When you ask if they want to start that group or ministry, they are quick to say “I can’t do that” or “I’m not qualified”.
There are so many in church today that have abilities and gifts they don’t even know they have. If the church (and I do mean the people not the building) were busy doing the business of the kingdom instead of talking about it, this world would be a much different place. We need people that will stop talking about what they can’t do and start stepping up and at least trying or making an attempt, or asking other leaders how to get started.
We have so much unused ability and talent in our churches today because of fear. Are you not doing something that God has laid on your heart because you are afraid? Imagine if Jesus’ disciples had said they didn’t have the ability to speak and tried to get someone else to speak for them. Where would the church be? Jesus took uneducated fisherman who had no leadership ability and turned them into the pillars of our faith. Everything they did laid down the foundation for the kingdom of God to be established in the Earth today. Why? Because they decided to follow Him.
So my question to you is will you continue to point out the problems or will you start being a part of the solution?
One of HIs (Kevin)
Soooo Excited!
I was born and raised in the Brandon/Tampa area. My parents are Christians and I have been around the church scene in this area for a long time. The unhealthy attitude of competition between the churches has always left me throwing up in my mouth a little. Pastors putting other pastors down or talking about the things they didn’t like about the other. This is not doing church book of Acts church style.
I was sooo excited to hear about Element Church and Bobby Triplett starting a new church in the area and how CFAN was helping them with a donation of some items! This is huge to me! It’s about time that the church starts helping each other and thinking about the big picture when Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel. There many references in the New Testament about the generosity of the saints and how they helped Paul so he could continue to raise up other churches, not so Paul could build a church to compete with the churches that the other apostles were starting.
I pray that the church as a whole will get a big picture mentality and remember who it’s all about; Jesus and for His glory!
One of His (Kevin)
Friday Night Source Group 9-5-2008: We are Going Fishing!
We are starting a new Source Group series on Sept 5th called Going Fishing. We are going to have some great, pointed discussions during this series. You will not want to miss it! I am very excited about where God is taking us and look forward to seeing everyone at our house on Sept 5th! (As if you couldn’t tell. It’s almost 2 weeks away! LOL!)
God Bless,
One of His (Kevin)
Who Do You Say I Am?
Matt 16:13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14) And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15) He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16) Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17) And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
It’s been a few days since I posted that video on my blog. If you haven’t seen it, I would recommend watching it first. This is a question that I ask myself and I ask you. Who is Jesus to you?
What kind of relationship do you have with Him? Unfortunately there are many who have been treating God like a Genie in a lamp or a supernatural Pez dispenser. If you do and say the right things, you can manipulate God into doing whatever you want. Is this your relationship with Him? Do you spend all your time trying to get God to do what you want Him to do, or do say “What can I do for You?” Does your relationship reflect a love for Him or is He your whore that you pay so He will do ”favors” for you? Is that too harsh? Remember I have to ask myself the same question and I have found myself at times having allowed my relationship to be nothing more than me asking for things.
Don’t take this out of balance. God loves when we acknowledge that He is the giver of all good things. It is awful that there are men and women of God that have preached and written books and made lots of money trying to show people how to get what you want from God. This is not relationship, and God is not fooled. When is the last time you just gave Him thanks for the breathe in your lungs? For the shelter He has provided? For the food on your table? When is the last time you acknowledged His Lordship in your life? Can you say in all sincerity that you need Him? Do you believe that the status of life you have attained in life is by your own hand? These questions bring out the true essence of our relationship with Him.
This is not written to bring condemnation. This is to bring repentance. I am guilty. Are you?
Awesome God. I ask you to forgive me for making You too small. Forgive me for magnifying myself greater than you Lord. Forgive me for my pride and selfishness. Thank you for your forgiveness and your everlasting love. Thank you for the blood of Jesus that cleanses me from my sin. Fill me with Your love and help me cause I can’t do it without You! You are my Lord and my God and I will do whatever You ask because I love You. I praise You and magnify You cause You are worthy of all praise and honor.
One of His (Kevin)
Check This Video
You have to check out this video.
I will have more to say about this later
One of His (Kevin)
Georgia Conflict
My blogs are usually more of a spiritual nature, but the events that have taken place and are taking place are on my mind quite a bit. I have been following this situation since the beginning and following the developments closely. There are a lot of accusations coming from both sides about who and how it started. I have watched the video being piped across the internet of the destruction and death.
As people who are blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom to worship God, we need to exercise that right and pray for the people of Georgia and South Ossetia. They may be on the other side of the world, but they need our prayers. Prayers for peace and wisdom for the parties involved in trying to bring a peaceful resolution to the situation. Prayers for our nation’s leaders as they go head to head with Russia in a diplomatic showdown to defend the freedom and sovereignty of a small, thriving, democracy. Prayers for the families that have been affected by the tragic events of the past week. Prayers for those who have lost their homes in this situation that they may be able to return to a normal way of life.
Prayers of thanks to God that if not for His grace, we could be facing the same horrors as those in Georgia.
One of His(Kevin)
Feedback
I love my wife. She is my biggest cheerleader and my best friend. She encourages me to pursue the call on God in my life. She reads everything I write. The good and the bad stuff. I will be the first to admit that I can forget to speak in english and not the native tongue of “churchese” (you learn churchese by being in church your whole life. It can be a whole nother way of talking). I have gotten a lot better and my baby keeps me on track giving me the feedback I need to share my heart in ways most will be able to understand. I am very thankful for her input (most of the time. Lol). You rock baby!
One of His (Kevin)
Common Grace
I am always amazed at how God works despite our imperfections! I had a lot of distractions this last week and I didn’t get to prepare like I would like to for Source Group. I must say God’s grace is greater than we can imagine! We had a great time of fellowship, food, and discussion. This leads into the topic of this blog.
I have been reading about the subject of Common Grace. Common Grace is the undeserved blessings that God gives believers and unbelievers alike. For example, despite the fact that in Genesis 3:17-19, God declares that because of man’s sin, the ground is cursed. God’s Common Grace still allows the ground to produce food in abundance despite the curse of thorns and thistles which was a result of Adam’s disobedience. There is the example of Potiphar, captain of the guard for the Paraoh of Egypt. He did not worship the God that his servant Joseph worshipped, but his house was blessed because he knew everything Joseph put his hand to succeeded and prospered. These are examples of Common Grace. God’s grace is greater than we fathom.
So the big question that I said I would answer in this post was why do people who do not believe get blessed? The answer is Common Grace. In Psalms 19:1 the Bible declares:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
If God declares His glory and goodness in the skies above, why wouldn’t He show His goodness in the greatest of His creation? Man. Why would He not bestow His blessing to all His creation? There are many reasons why God would bless people who do not believe in Christ. God has a will and it will happen on Earth just like His will is done in heaven. God may bless a business man that He knows will give His money to a charity that will help a homeless person who is crying out to God cause he is hungry, or in need of shelter. God may bless an atheist scientist with great knowledge so he may discover a cure to an incurable disease or sickness that could cause a worldwide pandemic. There are so many reasons why God may bless those who do not believe in Him. They are countless.
I think the question that more Christ-Followers ask is: “Why are they blessed and I am not?” Let me declare to you (and myself) that the same Common Grace that is bestowed upon the great is available to the least of us. In 2Cor 12:9 the scriptures say:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
This should bring us comfort that despite what we feel we lack, His grace is sufficient to fill in those areas. You may not have a mansion, but you have a home that provides you shelter. You may not be a genius who will create the cure for cancer, but He gave you a job with health insurance so you can get medical care for your family. You may not be able to go out and eat all the time but you have enough to have 3 meals a day. His grace is available to all and is poured out on us all in different measures. Why is it not the same? You can ask God that question.
This week I would also like to talk about His Saving Grace as well. Till then, may an extra portion of His grace be upon you.
One of His (Kevin)
Check Out My Next Post
Ever wonder why people who aren’t Christians are blessed? That’s what I’m talking about in my next post. Be on the lookout!
One of His (Kevin)
What a Week!
This week has forced out the Mr. Fixit in me. Certainly not of my own free will I must tell you. First, the AC decides to shut off on Sunday afternoon. I fixed what was wrong but we didnt have AC Sunday night and if you live in Florida you know you can’t live without the AC. We had 4 fans going in our bedroom but blowing around hot air doesnt cool anything off! I had to take my 6’4′ behind up in the attic (which isn’t easy at all) and flush the drain line and empty the pan underneath. It started working like a charm!
Last night, I get home from work and notice that the water pressure is low. I thought maybe the pump station down the street might be down so I didnt think much of it. I go outside and start mowing the front yard and notice that there is water coming out of the ground! Yes it’s a “Holy Crap!” moment! I shut the water off to the house and get all the water out of the hole and see what happened. A root from the tree a few feet away snapped the pipe right at the point where it looks like it was repaired previously before we moved in. So, I had to run to the store and get some pipe and couplers and fix the broken line.
It’s funny how life experiences and freak things happening prepare you for the future. I worked for someone doing landscaping and irrigation for several months which gave me the knowledge on how to repair the broken pvc pipe. I had some guidance on what I needed to do to get the AC running, but past experience with working with ACs gave me the confidence to do what was needed to get it running. Sometimes all we can see is the problem and how awful it was. Lots of people don’t use their negative experiences to learn from them. Do I wish these things didn’t happen? Of course!(Do I wish I had the money to let someone else fix them? Yes!) You never know when you might be able to help someone else cause you went through what you went through.
Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. George Santayana
Don’t be afraid to share your failures as well as your successes. You don’t know how you may help someone else.
One of His (Kevin)
Active Faith vs Passive Belief
(I started to write this before church Sunday morning. It messed me up BIG time when Pastor Michael hit on this Sunday morning! Listen to his sermon here)
Like I have posted before, as a leader, I have to constantly be in a state of evaluation to recognize whether or not what I am doing is effective or not. This is not just what I am doing as a source group leader with my group. This has to do with my own life as well. Am I growing in my walk with Christ? Do I still believe the same things I used to believe a few months ago? How will those beliefs change what and how I minister? This led me to this topic.
Many Christ-followers have beliefs. We believe that Christ was the Son of God. We believe that He died and rose again. We believe that He told us to go into all the world and make disciples. We believe that He prayed for the sick and they recovered. These are great and powerful beliefs! These are things that we believe that we have made up in our minds and accept as truth. Right? Maybe. What do we do with these beliefs? How do they shape our lives? How do they influence the way we live and deal with our society? How are they shaping our future? Perhaps they have become nothing more than passive beliefs.
Beliefs become passive when they no longer have any influence in our lives today. You believe that God can heal people but you won’t pray for the sick or afflicted. You believe that God is your provider but you won’t part from one dime to support the local church. You believe that Christ is the only way to salvation, but you will not share Christ when the opportunity presents itself. This is passive belief, powerless piety. Worthless religion at it’s finest.
James 2:26-
26)As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
We see in this scripture that our faith is worthless without action. There is no evidence that our religion has any influence in our lives without action taking place. You can say you exercise everyday and eat right but if you never have any outside evidence of losing weight and toning up then noone will believe what you are saying. Evidence follows actions. Jesus didn’t come to Earth and just say “I Love You”. He paid the ultimate price to show that love and took the sin of the world upon Himself that we may spend eternity with Him. He showed His love for the sick and mentally afflicted and healed them. He took people that were far from perfect and never would have considered for religious leadership in their day and age and gave them the great commission to go into all the world and share His love with others.
They went out and did what He asked them to do and God did amazing things through those people. He still does great things with those who are willing to “do” and not just “believe”.
Will you have active faith or passive belief?
One of His (Kevin)
