I was watching a televangelist on tv this morning, and he was talking about how God has people going left, to get them to end up right. He was going on and on about things and then he hit right where I am at in my life. It was like he looked right at the camera and said "Keven, this is for you." He had my attention, that's for sure.
He started to talk about if you are at a job that you don't feel it is a right fit for you, that is God taking you on a left turn, to get you prepared for the right turn. When you are left, God is preparing an even greater thing for you, than where you are at right now. In fact I just posted this on my facebook page the other day, about "God, I sure hope you something better for me than this." I was talking about my job.
The job that closed down and sent me to un-employment paid over $22.00 an hour. As my un-employment was running out, I didn't have much choice in jobs, so I had to take one that was offered to me for $10.00/hour. Less than half of what I had been making. I made more on un-employment.
I am very grateful to have this job. It is local (Sycamore), it's first shift, and I am able to get Friday's off for ISOM. The pay is the only thing that stunk about this. But I had a job, thank You Jesus!
So I have been there nine months now, and I have been hired full time. But, and there is always a but, I am really tired of the long hours each and everyday. On top of that, they expect you to just work them. Excuse me, but I have a life. I have a family and friends that I would like to see and spend time with. I don't live to work here. So last week, I was down in spirit about this place and crying out to God, "there has to be something more for me than this."
That's when this televagelist comes into play. He was preaching about the job situation and staying there until God moves you onto something bigger and better. And believe me, there is going to be something bigger and better. So right now, God has me on a left turn, and I am trying to be patient until He moves me to the right turn. I know that He has something more for me, I can just feel it. So while I wait, I will worship and praise Him! To God goes all of the glory. He gets everything from me, the good and the bad! I lay it at His feet and let go. Thank You Jesus!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
I Want to do Better!
They last few weeks I have been looking back on where I have been, and where God has me going. I would like a little more revelation from Him, but I will be patient, or at least try to be. I the meantime I will worship Him!
What I have noticed is that in my mind I have failed at all or at least some of these things lately. So I want to do better.
I want to be a better husband. I want to be a better father. I want to be a better son. I want to be a better brother. A better uncle, a better friend, a better co-worker, a better witness for my Savior Jesus Christ. I want the Holy Spirit to help me do all of this.
My prayer is that God will help me become the man that He wants me to be. My job is to be patient and be still and let Him be God! I know the desires of my heart, but I want more of God and less of me. I want what God wants first and foremost, not what Keven wants. I want to hear His voice and answer His call. I don't want to be to busy to hear God. I want to be busy about the Father's buisness. I want to be working with and for God.
I know I can do better. I WANT TO DO BETTER!!
What I have noticed is that in my mind I have failed at all or at least some of these things lately. So I want to do better.
I want to be a better husband. I want to be a better father. I want to be a better son. I want to be a better brother. A better uncle, a better friend, a better co-worker, a better witness for my Savior Jesus Christ. I want the Holy Spirit to help me do all of this.
My prayer is that God will help me become the man that He wants me to be. My job is to be patient and be still and let Him be God! I know the desires of my heart, but I want more of God and less of me. I want what God wants first and foremost, not what Keven wants. I want to hear His voice and answer His call. I don't want to be to busy to hear God. I want to be busy about the Father's buisness. I want to be working with and for God.
I know I can do better. I WANT TO DO BETTER!!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Keep on pursuing God!
A pastor friend of mine gave an awesome devotion the other night, that really hit home with me. It was from 1 Samuel 30.
7 Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it. 8 Then David asked the Lord, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?”
And the Lord told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!”
9 So David and his 600 men set out, and they came to the brook Besor. 10 But 200 of the men were too exhausted to cross the brook, so David continued the pursuit with 400 men.
The pastor told us that sometimes in life you are going to come to a brook, or an obstacle that will be in your way of your pursuit of God. He told us to keep going. God has called you into the ministry and for you to persevere in that calling. Seek God, pursue God with all your heart, mind and soul. So I asked that question of God. "Do You want me to keep on pursuing this ministry thing?"
About a month ago, I was ready to quit going to ISOM. Things were not happening as fast as I would have liked. I wasn't being interviewed or tested for my credentials. I thought that God was closing that door to me and I was ready to give up. God told me to be like the 400 men in the story above who kept on pursuing. Pursue me, seek My face, don't quit and don't give up. I wanted to be obedient to the Lord, but I just didn't feel it.
About a week later, my pastor let me know that we were going to interview and test, later on that next week. I was excited. I sent my payment in for my next class. Got all of my rooming taken care of, and started studying.
The testing day came and went. I passed the test and the interview. Thank You Jesus! Thank You for giving me the strength to hang in there. To not give up and throw in the towel. The door was not being closed, it was being pushed wide open. I intend to walk through that door. I don't know what God is calling me to, but I do know that He wanted me to continue with my ISOM studies. Praise the LORD!!
7 Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it. 8 Then David asked the Lord, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?”
And the Lord told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!”
9 So David and his 600 men set out, and they came to the brook Besor. 10 But 200 of the men were too exhausted to cross the brook, so David continued the pursuit with 400 men.
The pastor told us that sometimes in life you are going to come to a brook, or an obstacle that will be in your way of your pursuit of God. He told us to keep going. God has called you into the ministry and for you to persevere in that calling. Seek God, pursue God with all your heart, mind and soul. So I asked that question of God. "Do You want me to keep on pursuing this ministry thing?"
About a month ago, I was ready to quit going to ISOM. Things were not happening as fast as I would have liked. I wasn't being interviewed or tested for my credentials. I thought that God was closing that door to me and I was ready to give up. God told me to be like the 400 men in the story above who kept on pursuing. Pursue me, seek My face, don't quit and don't give up. I wanted to be obedient to the Lord, but I just didn't feel it.
About a week later, my pastor let me know that we were going to interview and test, later on that next week. I was excited. I sent my payment in for my next class. Got all of my rooming taken care of, and started studying.
The testing day came and went. I passed the test and the interview. Thank You Jesus! Thank You for giving me the strength to hang in there. To not give up and throw in the towel. The door was not being closed, it was being pushed wide open. I intend to walk through that door. I don't know what God is calling me to, but I do know that He wanted me to continue with my ISOM studies. Praise the LORD!!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Disturbed
My family and I watched a movie the other night, that really disturbed me. The movie was titled 'Joyful Noise'. It supposed to be about a church choir singing in a competition between churches.
The movie was filled with all kinds of things that I found offensive. Pre-marital sex between a choir member and a random dude. Teenage kissing between a choir member and some other kid. The performing of secular songs in church. I mean really, if this is the way that the world sees us Christians, they really missed the boat.
If I were to attend a church service where all of this was going on, it would be my last at that church. To me, this movie portrays us Christains as a bunch of hypocrites. To me, to be a memeber of the choir, you need to old yourself up to some higher standards. Not worldly standards. We are to be in the world but not of the world.
I know that this isn't a Christian film, but seriously, they got it all wrong in my book. I don't know what kind of church they went to, to research this, but rest assured it wasn't my church!
Once again, this is just my opinion about this movie.
The movie was filled with all kinds of things that I found offensive. Pre-marital sex between a choir member and a random dude. Teenage kissing between a choir member and some other kid. The performing of secular songs in church. I mean really, if this is the way that the world sees us Christians, they really missed the boat.
If I were to attend a church service where all of this was going on, it would be my last at that church. To me, this movie portrays us Christains as a bunch of hypocrites. To me, to be a memeber of the choir, you need to old yourself up to some higher standards. Not worldly standards. We are to be in the world but not of the world.
I know that this isn't a Christian film, but seriously, they got it all wrong in my book. I don't know what kind of church they went to, to research this, but rest assured it wasn't my church!
Once again, this is just my opinion about this movie.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
My Daughter
My daughter just finished 8th grade. This has caused me to reflect back on what has happened in her life so far. Here comes the nostalgia.
Thank You God for her birth. She was born five weeks early and had to spend the first nine days of her life in the hospital. Her lungs were not full developed and had to be watched 24/7. She was transfered from Mercy in Aurora to Lutheran General in Park Ridge. Not being able to hold your own child for the first nine days, very painful.
Thank You God for getting her through her heart surgery when she was a year old. She had a hole in her heart that should have closed by itself by the age of six months. It did not. So she had to have surgery. Thank You Jesus for answering our prayers, even when we weren't walking with you. I did not know You at the time, but yet You still kept Your hand on the situation. Looking at her today, you would never know that she had these problems in her first year of life.
Thank You God for her very first day of school in kindergarden. Her class would line up outside and then all go in together. She went in the building but somehow got seperated from her class. So she came back outside crying that she was lost. Good thing I didn't leave right away. I got her straightened around and she made it through her first day.
Thank You God for every parent/teacher confrence that I ever went to was a positive one. Every teacher from kindergarden all the way to her eighth grade, gushed about her. How helpful she was in class. How she did everything they asked her to do. Her awesome grades. Even when she changed schools, the teachers could not tell that she was a transfer. She adapted so easily. Thank You Jesus.
I thank You God for her musical and acting abilities. She recieved the highest score on her solo ensamble in sixth grade. She won an award for that. She sang the song "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me. Made us all cry! She has tried out for and was awarded roles in every play from the sixth grade to the eighth. Not afraid to be on stage.
Thank You God for her softball ability. She is a really good player and understands the game well! I love being able to go out and play catch with her. Every Dad's dream right. To play catch with their kid.
Thank You God for her being a Cardinals fan and for loving the game of baseball. She actually wants to get a score book and keep score of games we watch on tv. Awesome! Her school went on a field trip last week up to Milwaukee to watch the Brewers play. Her friend wanted to walk around, but my daughter said that she came to watch the game! She would ask questions and give answers to her friend. I was so proud of her!!
Thank You God for blessing me with my daugher! I don't know what I did to deserve her, but thank You!
Thank You God for her birth. She was born five weeks early and had to spend the first nine days of her life in the hospital. Her lungs were not full developed and had to be watched 24/7. She was transfered from Mercy in Aurora to Lutheran General in Park Ridge. Not being able to hold your own child for the first nine days, very painful.
Thank You God for getting her through her heart surgery when she was a year old. She had a hole in her heart that should have closed by itself by the age of six months. It did not. So she had to have surgery. Thank You Jesus for answering our prayers, even when we weren't walking with you. I did not know You at the time, but yet You still kept Your hand on the situation. Looking at her today, you would never know that she had these problems in her first year of life.
Thank You God for her very first day of school in kindergarden. Her class would line up outside and then all go in together. She went in the building but somehow got seperated from her class. So she came back outside crying that she was lost. Good thing I didn't leave right away. I got her straightened around and she made it through her first day.
Thank You God for every parent/teacher confrence that I ever went to was a positive one. Every teacher from kindergarden all the way to her eighth grade, gushed about her. How helpful she was in class. How she did everything they asked her to do. Her awesome grades. Even when she changed schools, the teachers could not tell that she was a transfer. She adapted so easily. Thank You Jesus.
I thank You God for her musical and acting abilities. She recieved the highest score on her solo ensamble in sixth grade. She won an award for that. She sang the song "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me. Made us all cry! She has tried out for and was awarded roles in every play from the sixth grade to the eighth. Not afraid to be on stage.
Thank You God for her softball ability. She is a really good player and understands the game well! I love being able to go out and play catch with her. Every Dad's dream right. To play catch with their kid.
Thank You God for her being a Cardinals fan and for loving the game of baseball. She actually wants to get a score book and keep score of games we watch on tv. Awesome! Her school went on a field trip last week up to Milwaukee to watch the Brewers play. Her friend wanted to walk around, but my daughter said that she came to watch the game! She would ask questions and give answers to her friend. I was so proud of her!!
Thank You God for blessing me with my daugher! I don't know what I did to deserve her, but thank You!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Crickets!
About a month ago or so, I was asked to give my testimony to our youth group at church. How I have been saved and for how long. Then I was asked to do a little Bible study along with it. I said sure I would do it. I was very excited for this oppurtunity.
So I researched and came up with some scipture that would go along with what I was going to talk about. My Bible study was going to be about what it means to be a new person in Christ. How your old life has died and you have a new life in Jesus.
So I read Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20 and finally pulled it together with 1 Peter 4:4-5.
In my mind I was going to speak for the full hour. I anticipated group interaction and a lot of questions. In reality, it lasted only about 10 minutes and was met with silence. Like in the movies when you hear crickets chirping when something boring happens.
I praise God for the oppurtunity to even speak in front of them. I praise God for giving me the courage to do so.
So I researched and came up with some scipture that would go along with what I was going to talk about. My Bible study was going to be about what it means to be a new person in Christ. How your old life has died and you have a new life in Jesus.
So I read Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20 and finally pulled it together with 1 Peter 4:4-5.
In my mind I was going to speak for the full hour. I anticipated group interaction and a lot of questions. In reality, it lasted only about 10 minutes and was met with silence. Like in the movies when you hear crickets chirping when something boring happens.
I praise God for the oppurtunity to even speak in front of them. I praise God for giving me the courage to do so.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
What it means to be Christian
What it means to be a Christian. My definition and your definition are probably different, but hopefully some of the points will be the same. To me being a Christian is to believe that the Bible is God inspired and the Word is true! To live out your Christian walk everday, not just on Sunday.
Recently President Obama made a statement regarding same sex marriages. He thinks that they should be legal. He has been quoted as saying that he calls himself a Christian. If he is a Christian, then he can not believe in this. The Bible says in Mark 10: 6-9
6 But ‘God made them male and female’[a] from the beginning of creation. 7 ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife,[b] 8 and the two are united into one.’[c] Since they are no longer two but one, 9 let no one split apart what God has joined together.”
The Bible is full of all kinds of things that we are not supposed to do. I try to follow it as closely as I can, but I am far from perfect.
Ephesians 5:18
Recently President Obama made a statement regarding same sex marriages. He thinks that they should be legal. He has been quoted as saying that he calls himself a Christian. If he is a Christian, then he can not believe in this. The Bible says in Mark 10: 6-9
6 But ‘God made them male and female’[a] from the beginning of creation. 7 ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife,[b] 8 and the two are united into one.’[c] Since they are no longer two but one, 9 let no one split apart what God has joined together.”
The Bible is full of all kinds of things that we are not supposed to do. I try to follow it as closely as I can, but I am far from perfect.
Ephesians 5:18
18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.
I have not had a drink since 2003. I just choose not to. The Bible tells me not to get drunk, so I don't.
Ephesians 4:29
29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
The first part of this was a hard one for me to change. I worked on a shipping dock, with truck drivers around all the time. So changing my speech was very difficult for me. The Bible says not to use foul or abusive language, so I stopped. The second part of that passage is easy for me. I am always encouraging people, lifting them up. I always try to see the best in everyone. It's not always easy, I still struggle with this.
This can go on and on. I am just trying to say is that saying you are a Christian, you have to line up with what the Bible says. You can't believe what the Bible says and then go out and say or do something different. Like I said in the opening, this is just my thoughts on what it means to be a Christian. I love everyone the same. I may not like their lifestyle choice, but that is between them and God!
The first part of this was a hard one for me to change. I worked on a shipping dock, with truck drivers around all the time. So changing my speech was very difficult for me. The Bible says not to use foul or abusive language, so I stopped. The second part of that passage is easy for me. I am always encouraging people, lifting them up. I always try to see the best in everyone. It's not always easy, I still struggle with this.
This can go on and on. I am just trying to say is that saying you are a Christian, you have to line up with what the Bible says. You can't believe what the Bible says and then go out and say or do something different. Like I said in the opening, this is just my thoughts on what it means to be a Christian. I love everyone the same. I may not like their lifestyle choice, but that is between them and God!
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