Happy New Year! December 31, 2008
Posted by oneofhis in Uncategorized.add a comment
Just wanted to say Happy New Year to all of you who take the time to read this blog. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Next year we are going to a whole nutha level!!
God Bless,
Kevin
Christmas Pics December 28, 2008
Posted by oneofhis in Uncategorized.add a comment
I thought I would share a few pics from the Christmas parties we went to and from Christmas itself
This is our kickin Christmas tree!
My cute little niece playing with one of her presents.
Hanging at Mark and Amanda’s Source Group Christmas party. Had a great time!
Kickin it with Mark and Pastor Roy at the staff Christmas Party.
Me and my sweetie!
My girls holding up some of their presents
Jubilee was Mary in the Christmas Eve service at Journey
All the kiddies delighted with what they got for Christmas!
We had some of Dawn’s family over on Christmas Day. We tore up some turkey and ham!
Just thought I’d share some holiday pics with you guys. We had a great Christmas. Hope you had a good one too!
Kevin
Root of Bitterness Part 2 December 28, 2008
Posted by oneofhis in Bible Study, Life Experiences, Ministry, Teaching, christian living, marriage.Tags: bible, Bitterness, christian living, everyday life, Healing, Relationships
add a comment
Hebrews 12:15) See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled
There are many circumstances that can plant the seed of bitterness. For brevity sake, I will only list a couple. I want to focus on the subtle more than the obvious.
- Abuse (mental, physical, sexual)
- Unmet needs and expectations (big)
- Past hurts
Sometimes the smallest comment or the most innocent action can be taken as an offense and thus begins a process that ultimately leads you far from God and you didn’t even know how you got there. Maybe your husband didn’t do something you wanted him to do and it goes from a moment of laziness to a characterization that your husband is a lazy bum. This is an example of how a bad decision on the husband’ s part can cause division and strife if an offense is allowed to take root. A stupid remark from a wife who is innocently joking about her husband leads to bitterness, rejection and an affair. This may seem extreme but if the root of bitterness is left to grow, these things can happen. If you were to ask couples who were divorced, if you could get to where the problems all began, you would find that it started with something very small, and it grew to ginormous proportions! There are people in church that do ignorant things sometimes too. Someone says something that hurt someone else’s feelings which leads to a split in the church and more people than original offended and offendee become affected. This is the nature of bitterness. It starts small in many cases and becomes something that it never should have become.
This is the nature of our enemy. How do you combat it? How do we make our hearts “bad ground” for the seed of bitterness to flourish and grow?
1) Self- Examination- we need to ask ourselves the questions we don’t want to answer. It’s not easy but an honest self-exam will keep the things we need to work on in front of us so they don’t sneak up on us from behind.
2) Prayer- If we have a relationship with God, He will give us the strength and vision to see those things and bring those hurts and offenses to Him before they have a chance to take root. The Lord’s prayer says to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” .
3) Be Accountable- If there is a Godly person you can trust, stay accountable for the things that are going on in your life. They can help you stay on the path away from bitterness.
If you have let the root of bitterness creep into your life or if you need prayer, I would be glad to pray with you. Don’t let bitterness destroy your life. Be mindful and guard your heart.
Kevin
Root of Bitterness December 26, 2008
Posted by oneofhis in Bible Study, Life Experiences, Ministry, christian living, marriage.Tags: bible, Bitterness, christian living, everyday life, Ministry, prayer, self-discipline, Spiritual Warfare
2 comments
Galatians 5:19) Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20) idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21) envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
I did a series recently called “Who is Pulling the Strings?”. It was essentially about spiritual warfare. I talked about the works of the flesh and how when we continue to practice those things, we open a door for the demonic to come in and take control of our lives. The root of bitterness is such an important issue that I felt like it almost warranted it’s own series by itself, but i will try to put it one post. Let’s take a quick look at a passage from the book of Hebrews. It is a book in the New Testament for those of you who may not know where to look:
Hebrews 12:15) See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled
The problem with roots is that you cannot see them. How many of you have sat and watched a seed fall from a weed, fall to the ground, get covered by dirt, and grow roots? I would venture to say none of you have. It is a a very unnoticable process. You don’t know you have a weed until the plant has taken root and has grown to a point that it is noticable and troublsome.
This is the same with bitterness. The offense is not always as “in your face” as someone just coming out and wronging you to your face. In many, if not most cases, bitterness creeps in and you don’t know it’s there until it has been nutured to a point it manifests itself outwardly.
To Be Continued…..
Kevin
Christmas in Review December 26, 2008
Posted by oneofhis in Uncategorized.add a comment
I guess it wouldn’t be the holiday season without talking about my Christmas. Here are a few thoughts:
- It was nice to see the smiles on my children’s faces as they opened their presents. They really liked what they got. I enjoyed taking pictures with the camera my in-laws got me for Christmas! Thank You!!! Maybe I will post some pics later.
- I got the X-Box 360 I had waited for so long to get! Yeah!
- Ate too much turkey and ham (burp).
- Went to some great Christmas parties last weekend. Had a good time hanging out with some great people!
- The Christmas services at Journey were incredible!
- Glad its over. Ready for 2009. It’s going to be incredible! Challenging, but incredible!!
Hope all of you enjoyed your Christmas!
Kevin
Studying the Bible December 25, 2008
Posted by oneofhis in Bible Study, Life Experiences, Teaching, Things That Inspire Me, christian living.Tags: bible, christian living, church, everyday life, God, love, Ministry, motivation, self-discipline, study
1 comment so far
I had a buddy ask me recently about how I study the Bible. As I shared with him, it made me reflect and think of how the way and the why I study has changed tremendously!
I was raised in church, but it wasn’t till I was about 17 years old that I truly made the decision that I was going to follow Christ. Not for my parents, or anyone else but I truly made the decision that I wanted to live my life for God and He revealed to me that He wanted to have a relationship with me.
This began my journey into God’s Word. I wanted to know God so bad I devoured the Bible. I mean I read through the whole thing a few times, I listened to tapes, and I read books out the wazoo. I could quote scripture better than many twice my age. I could tell you where to find almost anything in the Bible. I am not exaggerating.
You might think that is incredible. Looking back it was. I had incredible knowledge beyond my years, but that knowledge didn’t bring the spiritual transformation and maturity I so greatly lacked. The knowledge led to spiritual pride. I thought I knew it all. I thought I knew what I needed. What I really needed was a good, swift kick in my toosh! It took many years of humbling situations to bring me to the point that I am at now. I thought I needed to be fed. What I really needed was someone to say “I can see that God has His hand on you. Let me help show you the path. It won’t be easy. You might not like everything I have to say, but I will do everything I can to help.” and be willing to listen (Something I wouldn’t have been willing to do years ago)
My study used to be what I could learn from the Bible. It has become more of a “what is God saying to me through these scriptures?” My Bible learning has become more of a part of my relationship with Him, rather than another opportunity to gain more knowledge. It has taken time and experiences to get the Word that I had in my brain to get to my heart. I actually took a break from the Bible to work on my relationship with God. (I don’t recommend this for everyone) I knew what the Bible said about Him but I didn’t know Him like I really wanted to. Each new day I understand more and less about Him.
As I have gotten older, I realize the things that I thought were important are not so important anymore. I used to argue doctrine and scripture. I don’t have the time or energy to fight with folks about it. It’s a waste of the precious time we have to minister to the gospel to those who will hear it. If you don’t like what I say or want to argue don’t bother. People are going to hell while Christians waste time fighting about the stupidest crap I have ever heard. You want to argue about the rapture? I could care less. I am here, right now, with a comission to reach those whom He has called me to reach with the gospel. You can take your petty arguments and put em where the sun don’t shine!
Let’s all start our Bible study with “Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and strength” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” . When we have that down, maybe we are ready to learn the “deeper” things of God. I don’t know about you but I am still working on those those two.
Kevin
Leaving it All on the Field December 18, 2008
Posted by oneofhis in Uncategorized.add a comment
I love watching football. There is nothing better than seeing one player just knock the mess out of another player, even if it is one of your players. Those guys play so hard! They hold nothing back, and they put it all on the line for 60 minutes. When they are done, they say that they left it all on the field. Meaning, they gave that 60 minutes every bit of energy, emotion, heart and soul they possibly could. They are spent!
How many of us can say we left it all on the field in regards to our relatioship with God? We poured out every bit of love, devotion, and passion for Him that we possibly could. How many times do we live passionless lives while folks in the world go out and party like it’s 1999? We give Him a few minutes of our time a day and maybe a couple of hours on Sunday but they are given with no more passion than we have when we get up for work. It’s not right. God deserves every ounce of life and breath I have to give. He lived a life of passion. He left it all on the field. Can we do no less?
This drives me nuts sometimes.
Kevin
What Methods of Contact do You Find Most Effective? December 17, 2008
Posted by oneofhis in Communication, blogging.Tags: Blog, blogging, Communication, friends
add a comment
I am an organizer. If I see something really out of place or I see something that could make things more efficient or make things easier, I am one of those who thinks of those things. A lot. Kids keep me from being compulsive about it cause God knows they are all slobs! Lol!
Being the type of person I am, I like to find the fastest, most effective way to do things, this includes communication. I was wondering, what is the best way to get ahold of you to contact you or get information to you? (Phone? Email? Twitter? ect?)
I look forward to your responses.
Kevin
Ministry Burnout December 16, 2008
Posted by oneofhis in Uncategorized.3 comments
I know and have known many who are have told me that they are “burned out” on minstry and really need a break.
I want to preface what I am going to say before I get myself in trouble. I strongly believe that people should take vacations, take time with family away from church, and just relax. We need it to recharge our bodies and it gives us a chance to step back and see where we are and where we are going.
Now that I have that out of the way, I have one question for those of you who claim to be burned-out: “Are you burned-out, or has your relationship with Christ burned-out?” Christ-Followers should serve out of the overflow of our relationship with Him. If we try to serve Him cause we should, then we are doing it for the wrong reason. Some serve to hide the fact that their relationship with Him is lacking. It’s harder to question someone who is “busy” all the time.
Let’s make sure that we don’t mistake busyness with a relationship with Christ. It can be easy to do. The thing is that we need to be able to recognize it and act upon it. If ministry is keeping you from spending time with Him, then you need to stop, hand it to someone else for a period of time, and just get to know Him again. There is noone, no ministry, there is nothing worth doing that will end up costing you your soul.
In closing, I want to leave you with this scripture. This is God speaking to one of His churches:
Revelation 2:3) I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4) But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5) Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Peace,
Kevin
Are You Trying to Pull the Strings? December 14, 2008
Posted by oneofhis in Life Experiences, Teaching, christian living.Tags: christian living, God, Jesus, Manipulation, motivation
add a comment
I just finished a series called “Who is Pulling the Strings?” After finishing the series, and after Sunday’s message at Journey, I pose this question: Are you trying to pull the strings? Have you set yourself as god of your life? I am talking to Christians here. There are many who may not be manipulated by demonic forces but just as dangerous is when we as Christ-Followers put our desires, needs and agendas before Christ. It’s called idolatry.
There are those who preach a prosperity gospel that is so insulting to the magnificence that is God Almighty. There are those who would preach that God is someone we can manipulate into doing our will. If we push the right buttons, we can get God to cough up our every wish because “He wants to bless us.” I am not saying He doesn’t want to bless us. What I am saying is if we serve Him to get something from Him, we are in a bad place. God is not mocked. He is Holy. He will reward everyone according to thier deeds. You better remember that He sees the heart. He sees the motive.
He may give you want because you bug Him constantly, but it may not be what He wanted to give you. This is why we need to check the motivation of our hearts. There are things that I wish I never would’ve asked for! I got them all right! It was a mess!
Are you trying to pull the strings? It is time to let God be the Lord of your life. It is time to place your life in His hands and let Him mold you into what He has called you to be. Humble your hearts before the Lord and He will raise you up, He will bless you, and He will give you the desires of your heart and it will be so much more than you could ever make happen. Trust Him.
Kevin
