Leaves!

It's that time of year again. Where you drive around and marvel at the tree leaves changing color. From green to red to orange to yellow. The colors are magnificent! I've been doing a lot of driving around our area the last couple of weeks. The trees are just beautiful.

Looking at the leaves changing got me to thinking about us (people). How when we accept Jesus, He begins to change us. At first we are like the trees in the winter, dull and dark. Then when we accept Jesus He starts to change us. We start to bud and produce some color. Then as He continues to work on us and through us, we change again. Into the beautiful fall colors. Full of splendor and life. We were one way and now we are another.

Isn't that just like God? He never leaves us where we were. He keeps working on us. Shaping us, molding us to be more like Him.

Colossians 3:10 Living Bible

10 You are living a brand new kind of life that is continually learning more and more of what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life within you.

We were dark and lifeless in the winter. Jesus comes into our lives. We start showing life. New things start to happen. New life. As we grow and blossom during that season, He keeps on working on us. Just like the tree keeps moving through it's seasons, so do we. Until we produce beautiful leaves.

Then when the leaves start to fall to the ground, it reminds me of how God chips away at us and has all the unnecessary baggage that we carry, fall to the ground. He wants to lighten our loads. Not to carry more than we can handle. He wants us to leave everything with Him.

Psalm 55:22 New Living Translation

22 Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

So give everything to The Lord. Every worry & burden. He will take care of you. He wants you to shine just like the leaves in the fall. He wants our lives to be full and vibrant.

Let go and let God!

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

This Woman!!

This woman. My amazingly gorgeous, talented, awesome wife! I can not tell you how proud of her I am. She has been involved with our local community theater (Stage Coach Players) for the last seven years or so. She decided to audition for a role in a play and got it. She loved the experience and continued to audition for other roles. When she wasn't chosen for a certain role, or there wasn't a play that she was interested in auditioning for, she still wanted to be involved somehow. This lead her to learn how to do lighting. She would help out whenever she could and then eventually became a lighting designer herself. After her first designed lighted play, she was highly sought after. She loved doing that role, but she also wanted to be on the stage. So she had to make choices of which play she would audition for, or do the lighting for. She was being pulled in both directions. People wanted her in their play and directors wanted her to do their lights.

After a few years of this, she was asked to become a board member. She accepted and has been the recording secretary for the last two years. 

So after all of this comes the big deal. 

She is directing her first play at the  theater. 

She is directing  'The Night Witches'. That's a pic of her with her first promotional poster at the theater. Look at that smile!

She has been in rehearsal now for the last few weeks. They open in two weeks, (Oct. 19). I'm telling you this because she is doing all of this while working a full time job! She has been given more responsibilities at work and her work schedule is not easy, to say the least!

Proverbs 31:25-27 Living Bible

25 She is a woman of strength and dignity and has no fear of old age. 26 When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule for everything she says. 27 She watches carefully all that goes on throughout her household and is never lazy.

This is my wife in a nutshell. Trying to make sure our family is taken care. Caring for others, working full time and trying to fit in something that she loves, community theater. I don't know how she does it, or where her energy comes from.

God could not have provided a better life partner for me, than her!

Proverbs 31:10-12 Living Bible

10 If you can find a truly good wife, she is worth more than precious gems! 11 Her husband can trust her, and she will richly satisfy his needs. 12 She will not hinder him but help him all her life.

May God bless all you gentleman with a wife as awesome as mine!

God Bless!

Rev. Kev.

King David.............Lost??

 Wait, what? King David lost? How in the world did he lose? Am I talking about the same King David? The man after God's own heart. (Acts 13:22) Isn't he the one that slayed 10,000? (1 Samuel 18:7) Wasn't he the young shepherd boy who came out of now where and killed the giant Goliath? (1 Samuel 17:48-51)

Yes all of these stories are true. This is the mighty warrior King David. He was a talented musician. A very handsome man. Strong and vigorous. All these accomplishments and he,

Still lost!

He lost his battle with lust of the flesh! He lost to Bathsheba! 

Instead of going to war like all the other kings, he stayed behind and thus began his moral failure. He took a walk up on roof top one evening and he spied a beautiful woman bathing. (2 Samuel 11:2) 

He liked who he saw, so he had someone go and bring her to him. He slept with her and she became pregnant. (2 Samuel 11:4)

To cover his sin, he tried to cover it up by calling Bathsheba's husband home from the battle field to sleep with her. It didn't work. Keep reading in 2 Samuel.

In the downward spiral of this sin, King David had Bathsheba's husband killed in battle. (2 Samuel 11:15)

The losing streak continues. 

After all of this, Bathsheba gave birth to a son. The Lord was very displeased with King David and punished him by causing his son to become ill and die after seven days.

So this mighty warrior, the one who defeated Goliath, killed his tens of thousands, became King of Israel, was a man after God's own heart, lost to a woman. He couldn't control his urges and sinned greatly. He was disciplined greatly as well. 

King David repented and asked for forgiveness. God forgave him and restored him. (Psalm 51:12)

So I encourage you tonight. Whatever sin you may have committed, you are not to far for God to forgive & restore you. Repent and ask for His forgiveness. 

If God can forgive and restore a man like King David, He most certainly can forgive and restore you.

God bless!
RK.

Warfare!!

 What do you think of when you think of war? Planes & bombers? Helicopters? Rifles, machine guns, hand guns, bazooka's? Humvees and armored cars? Generals, Lieutenants, Medics, etc. etc.

Bombed out cities, bloody bodies and body parts scattered all around? Shell casings, cannons, fox holes. The list could go on forever. This what it is like when nation fights nation. Warfare goes all the way back to Biblical times. It's not anything new! It seems like people and countries have always been fighting against one another! And still are to this day!

Do you know that nation doesn't have to fight another nation to have warfare?

You can have warfare in your home! Warfare between husband and wife. Between parents and children, brothers and sisters, between neighbors.

You can even have warfare at your job, between boss and employee, or other employees.

See, it doesn't have to be a world war to have warfare, it can happen in your own little area of the world. Just on a smaller scale.

So how do we begin to settle on a peaceful end? It's easy to just say that we need Jesus, but that is the absolute truth. He is the only long term solution. Only He can get rid of greed, hatred & jealously in our hearts. He wants us to be content. Show compassion and forgiveness to others.

Psalm 51:10 Living Bible

10 Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires.

Only God can tame our anger and the violence that stems from that anger, with His peace and love.

Hebrews 12:14 New Living Translation

14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

No matter where you are in life, chances are that you will encounter some kind of warfare. I challenge you to seek peace. A peaceful resolution is far better than an angry & violent action. Remember that Christ lives in us! He gives us the peace that we need in every situation.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Amplified Bible

16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace at all times and in every way [that peace and spiritual well-being that comes to those who walk with Him, regardless of life’s circumstances]. The Lord be with you all.

God bless and Peace be with you!

PK.

Would You??

 What would you do if God asked you to do something that our little finite human minds would consider absurd or whacky? Would you go through with it? Or would you question the validity of the request? Did God really, really ask me to do that? Really?

Would you tie yourself up and lay on your left side for 390 days and then your right for 40 days, like God required of Ezekiel? (Ezekiel 4:5-6)

Would you prepare, cook and eat food cooked over human dung (poop)? Again, like Ezekiel had been instructed to do? (Ezekiel 4:12)

Would you walk around your community naked (very doubtful) and barefoot for 3 years, like Isaiah did? (Isaiah 20:3)

Would you go out and marry a prostitute? Probably not. That is exactly what God told Hosea to do. (Hosea 1:2)

Would you take any of your children into the wilderness to sacrifice them? That is exactly what God told Abraham to do. God stopped him from doing it, but he was about to follow through. (Genesis 22:2, 22:12)

Would you go up to high ranking government official and demand that they let your people go? God required that of Moses. To go to the Pharaoh and demand that he let all of Moses people go. (Exodus 8:1)

So God asked all of these people in the Bible to do all of these to us absurd things. They aren't normal by today's standards. I don't want to live by today's standards, I want to live by Gods standard! I want to do what God wants of me. 

1 Samuel 3:10 New Living Translation

10 And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

I want to listen to God speaking to me. I want to hear His voice. Leading me, guiding me and directing me!

So my question to you is this. If God asked you to any of the above, would you? Or would you say that is to far fetched to be from God.

My hope is that if God asked, your answer would be yes & amen!

God bless.

Rev Kev.

Cross Necklace.

 

I bought this Cross necklace a little after I accepted Jesus as my Lord & Savior. I thought that it looked cool and still kind of represented my "Heavy Metal" side with it's design. I bought it because it's what I thought that I needed to show that I was now a Christian. Not that wearing it makes me or anyone a Christian, but's that what I thought at the time. I wore it everywhere, until................. I was told I could not.

I had started working at a food manufacturing plant and employees were not allowed to wear jewelry on the production floor as management was afraid it could fall off into the food. Made sense to me. So I stopped wearing it.

I recently rediscovered it and started wearing it again. I was in a different role at work now and was allowed to wear it.

I've been getting compliments & questions about it, "wow, cool necklace." "Does it mean anything to you? Or is it just a decoration?" I would always say thank you for the compliment, and then answer the question about if it means anything to me. Mean something to me? Boy, does it ever!

I recently was asked by a coworker why I wear a Cross necklace. I told them, let me tell you the reasons. Which there are many.

First, when I put the necklace around my neck, it reminds me of Jesus being all around me. Surrounding me with His love, grace and mercy.

Second, looking at the Cross, it reminds me of what Jesus did on the Cross for me. He died there for my sins! It is a constant reminder of His sacrifice. 

Third, upon looking at the Cross, it's just the Cross. Jesus isn't on it. Reminds me of how He died, was buried and rose from the dead! Any empty Cross means that Jesus is alive!

Fourth, when the necklace is resting upon my chest close to my heart, it reminds me that Jesus is living in my heart. My heart is His home in my body!

Finally, whenever I turn my head or lean either to the left or right, the necklace slides that direction with me. It reminds me that no matter which way I am going, Jesus is going with me. He has me covered in all directions.

So, those are the many reasons that I wear my Cross necklace! It really does mean something to me. Jesus really means something to me. He is kind of a big deal in my life!

Zephaniah 3:17 New Living Translation

17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

God Bless.

RK.

Freedom!!

 As I sit here and reflect on this 4th of July, I can't help but to think about the people who migrated here too gain their freedom! I think about the Statue of Liberty, standing and welcoming immigrants who came to the United States by sea. I think about those immigrants who left behind everything except for the clothes on their backs to seek new found freedoms offered! They risked their lives to make the trek across the water. All for freedom!

Isn't this what's it like when we come to Jesus? He calls us to come out of the world and leave everything behind and become citizens of a new Kingdom. The Kingdom of God! When we come to Christ, we are a new person. Just like the immigrants are looking for a new, fresh start in their new country, we get a new, fresh start when we come to Christ. The Cross for the Christian is our Statue of Liberty.

2 Corinthians 5:17 New Living Translation

17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

The people who migrated here didn't come here to lead the same life they left behind in their homeland. They came for something new.

That's how we are when we come to Christ. We don't continue to live the same old life as before. We are free. Free to live for Him!

1 Peter 2:16 Living Bible

16 You are free from the law, but that doesn’t mean you are free to do wrong. Live as those who are free to do only God’s will at all times.

Just like the trip across the pond was treacherous and dangerous, our walk with Jesus will not be easy either.

John 16:33New Living Translation

33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

So I encourage you to remember the freedoms that we enjoy. Both within our country and in Jesus Christ!

God Bless.

RK.