Intrusive Thoughts.

 So I'm standing by the back stage door of the Arcada theater after the Petra/White Cross concert. I wasn't really planning on hanging around after the show, but as I was walking towards where I had parked, a guy stopped me to talk about the show. So we were there chatting about the show that we just saw, and then other shows that we have attended. Then out of nowhere comes a voice. It's a voice I know well. It's loud and obnoxious. I have encountered this person at almost every show I have gone to at the Arcada. He is talk (yelling) to us. Asking us if we were waiting for (a) band to come out? He didn't even know who would be coming out the door, if anyone. So myself and the other guy go on with our conversation, when this other dude keeps butting in. Rudely I might add. Then all of a sudden the back door opens and out walks the lead singer for Petra. We're like "Hey John." He stops to tell us that He needs to put something in the van and that he would be right back. The other dude proceeds to chase him down the block. I'm like "dude, he said he would be right back. No need to chase him!"

So John comes back up to were we were all standing and starts chatting with us. The other guy wants him to autograph some stuff and all I want is a quick picture with him and to say hi. There are only three of us back there, so I'm thinking we'll each get a turn with John. Nope! The loud guy kept interrupting our time with John. First was the autograph guy. The loud guy doesn't have any idea on personal space. Instead of the usual 3', he is about 3" away from him. Pointing and talking about this song or that song. Totally raining on the autograph guys time. Then John turned towards me, said hello and we shook hands. Just as I was getting ready to chat with him, the loud guy butts in. I almost lost it. The old fleshly Keven almost came out. The intrusive thought about punching this guy, or shoving him, whatever it took to get him to shut up and leave us alone. I immediately flashed back to a song that Petra sang about an hour before.

The title of that song is 'Jekyll & Hyde'

In the song they sing about sometimes feeling like Jekyll or Hyde, depending on what situation they are facing. Two men fighting a war inside.

I instantly thought, wow, that is me right now. I want to hurt this person (not really) just to get him to shut up. I knew that was an ungodly thought. It wouldn't glorify God or make Him happy with me, but I had it none the less. I know The Bible says to take every thought captive, but still.

2 Corinthians 10:5 New International Version

5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

This wasn't the first interaction I had with the loud guy. When I met Stryper last fall, he was pulling the same stuff. I won't say he ruined my meeting them, but he sure put a damper on it. So I had that history with him already before meeting Petra.

Do I always want my speech and actions to glorify God? Of course I do! But sometimes, things just happen. Thoughts invade and want to take you a different direction. How you respond is up to you.

Romans 3:23 Amplified Bible

23 since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God,

I know this isn't my last time interacting with this person. I just pray that the next time I have a better thought process towards him. I'm sure he will not change, I need to. I need to get better at showing Jesus to him. By having those intrusive thoughts are not the way to do it. I need the mind of Christ. Let me see him the way that Jesus does.

Romans 14:19 Amplified Bible

19 So then, let us pursue [with enthusiasm] the things which make for peace and the building up of one another [things which lead to spiritual growth].

So I encourage you. If you stumble and have these kinds of thoughts, turn them over to God and let Him work in you.

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

May 1st.

 So yesterday was May 1st. There are a few things I think of when this date rolls around. First thing is my cousin and his wife's wedding anniversary. Second thing is May baskets. My family used to give us May baskets every May 1st. They were cute little baskets filled with some kind of goodies for us. Not sure if it still happens or not, but it is a fond memory for me, for sure! The third thing that I think of is the saying "May day, May day, May day!" It is used by airplanes who are in distress.

Here is the origin of the saying that I came up with on Google.

Frederick Stanley Mockford, a senior radio officer in London, was put in charge of finding a good distress signal. He reasoned that because so much of the air traffic flew between Croydon and Le Bourget Airport in Paris, it might make sense to use a derivative of a French word.

He came up with "mayday," the French pronunciation of "m'aider" ("help me"), which itself is a distilled version of "venez m'aider," or "come help me." The U.S. formally adopted "mayday" as an official radiotelegraph distress signal in 1927.

Due to radio interference and loud ambient noise, pilots are told to repeat the word three times: "Mayday, mayday, mayday." The repetition also serves to help radio operators distinguish the transmission from others that simply refer to the mayday call.

I started thinking about this Mayday distress call. If the pilots call out on the radio with this statement, the people working the air traffic control tower know the plane is in trouble. They formulate a plan to help them get out of their predicament. 

What about us, who are not on an airplane and are in distress? Who do we call out to for help? That answer is easy. We call out to Jesus.

Psalm 121:1-2 New Living Translation

1 I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!

God will help us in our times of trouble. We can call out to Him for help every time. There is no limit, to Him helping us. 

Like the song from Third Day says "Cry Out To Jesus!"

2 Chronicles 14:11 Living Bible

11 “O Lord,” he cried out to God, “no one else can help us! Here we are, powerless against this mighty army. Oh, help us, Lord our God! For we trust in you alone to rescue us, and in your name we attack this vast horde. Don’t let mere men defeat you!”

So I encourage you tonight. As you face troubles (don't worry, you will at some point) instead of uttering the Mayday call for help, call out to The One who can really rescue and help you in times of trouble. 

May you never look at May Day the same again.

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

Humbled.

 Last night I wrestled with God, in a dream. Not a physical wrestling match like Jacob (Gen 32:24), but a wrestling match in my mind. I am going to a concert tonight and I already had my shirt picked out that I was going to wear. God came to me in my dream and told me that He wants me to wear a different shirt tonight. I said that I already had my shirt picked out. It is already in the next to wear space in my closet. God said "that's great, I want you to wear something different." "The shirt you want to wear will bring attention to you." "This night is about me!" I don't know what He has planned, but who am I to say no to God? So, I'll humble myself and wear what He wants me to wear.

So I thought about humility. God has humbled me plenty of times during my life, and I accept His making me humble. He knows what is best for me. Like I said, who am I to question Him.

So I wondered if God ever humbled Himself? I would say that yes, yes He has.

Did He humble Himself when He was born a baby? He could have come as a full grown King, but instead He humbled Himself to born as a baby.

Did He humble Himself when He was born in a lowly stable? He could have been born in the Ritz Carlton, or some fancy inn, but He chose a humble birth in a stinky animal stable.

Was He humble when He entered Jerusalem on a donkey? The Bible calls it His triumphal entry. (Luke 19:28-40). I've read stories about other leaders triumphal entries and they are riding on a stallions, or chariots or something of some kind of significance. But the King of the world rode in on a donkey!

Was He humble when He washed the Disciples feet? He was taking on the role of a servant. Most kings were to be served, but Jesus came as a humble servant. (Mark 10:45)

I'm thinking about the Disciples who argued who should sit next to Jesus. They thought that their position at the table made them more important than the others. Jesus says that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Luke 18:14) Other words, we are not to think to highly of ourselves. If we are to be like Jesus, we are to humble ourselves.

Philippians 2:3 New Living Translation

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves

Was He humble when He died a criminals death? Beaten, scourged, nailed to a cross. Like a common criminal. He could have avoided all that, but He humbled Himself to take that head on.

Philippians 2:8 Living Bible

8 And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross.

I encourage you to live a humble life. Do good to others. Not to think to highly of yourself. God will humble you, if needed! 

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

Bow Down!

 Here we go. Another song inspired post. This one is a song by the band Disciple. The name of their song is 'Bow Down'. In the song, they sing about idols being set before them, to bow down to. Promising them this and that. Take you to the highest mountain, promise you a crown. From every direction there is a new voice shouting that they are the way, the truth and the life. Hogwash.

They (I, we) will never bow down to any other God than Jesus! He is The Way, The Truth and The Life. There is no other God but Jesus.

Isaiah 46:9 New Living Translation

9 Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.

This song reminded me of the story in The Bible about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The King had set up a gold statue and ordered everyone to bow down to it. They refused.

Daniel 3:10-12 New Living Translation

10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. 11 That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.

You can read the rest of that chapter to find out how that turns out.

I started thinking about what I may be bowing down to without even thinking about it. I would like to think that I am not, but I am not perfect by any means.

Do I bow down to money? Of course I wish I had more. Who doesn't? But I don't serve money. I work a job to make a living and pay my bills. If I have .25 left after I'm done, then God gave me .25 more than I needed.

Do I bow down to greed? If you know me, this isn't the case. If it wasn't for my wife keeping me in check, I would give everything away. You want that or need that, here ya go. It's yours.

Do I bow down to my job? There may be a little truth to this one. I never miss work. I never call in sick. I have the attitude that I need to work, no matter what. I was taught that if you want something, you work for it. Well, there have been times when I chose work over other important things going on. It is a hard fault to break.

People would probably say that I worship and bow down to the band Stryper. I have seen them 10X in concert. I wear their shirts, support the band, but I don't worship them, I worship with them! They praise God and I'm there praising with them. I've even been given a nickname from someone inside my inner circle that revealed to me how they really feel about this.

At the end of me, I am only going to bow to one person and that person is Jesus. He is the only one I serve and worship! He alone is worthy of all the praise and glory. No one else comes close!

Psalm 95:6 New Living Translation

6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,

So my question to you is this. What or whom are you bowing down to? Search and see what God reveals to you. 

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

Let's Go!!

 Did you know that when you accepted Jesus as your Savior, He has work for you to do? He doesn't want you to dilly dally about getting to it. He's like "Let's Go!!"

First thing for me would be to surround myself with other Christians. People who have been a Christian for awhile. They know a little something and could share with you. Lean on and learn from their experience. They can show you how to follow Christ, now that you are a believer  They can show you how a church operates. What goes on inside with worship and serving. Getting plugged in.

Proverbs 27:17 Amplified Bible

As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion].

Second thing would be to open our mouth. Start telling people about Jesus. We are not saved to stay quiet. Wherever you go, tell everyone about Jesus and what He has done for you. Share your salvation story with everyone. Testify about God's truth! Proclaim His name from the streets to the roof tops! From mountain tops to the valleys!

Mark 16:15 New Living Translation

15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

Don't stop praising His name. Give Him all the honor and glory. He is worthy of it all! 

As you grow more and more in your walk with Jesus, start teaching others. Show them the way, just as you were shown the way when you were a baby Christian.

Matthew 28:19-20 New Living Translation

19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Third thing is to put your faith into action. Start serving others. Volunteer at a food bank. A pregnancy resource center. Give people rides. Help change a flat tire. Help someone move. Go visit someone in the hospital. Bring a meal to someone who is home bound! Pay for someone's meal in a restaurant. Just get moving. Jesus doesn't want us to stand still. He wants us to get in the game and start participating!

Acts 20:35 New Living Translation

35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

So my question is this. What is stopping you? What is making you not do what The Lord calls you to do? Are you afraid of what people will think of you? If you are afraid of what people will think, you'll never do it. Are you afraid of someone calling you "A Jesus Freak?" They'll ask if you could just keep your mouth shut about this Jesus. You say to them, "I can not be silent. If I stay silent then the rocks will cry out." I don't know about you but I don't want any rock speaking for me. Jesus gave me a voice and I intend to use it. For His glory!

So I encourage you today. Let's Go!! He has work for us to do!

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

Flipping Tables!!

 In the last month or so I went to see a couple of movies. One was 'The Last Supper', and the other was 'The Chosen, The Last Supper'. In both movies they show the scene of Jesus flipping over the tables in the Temple. Last week I went to see Disciple in concert. One of my favorite bands. The lead singer always does some kind of a mini sermon during the show. Guess what He talked about? Jesus flipping the tables. I don't know about you, but when I hear something two or three times, it is a sign to me. God wants me to listen to what He is saying.

The singer for Disciple asked why Jesus called the Temple a house of prayer. He said that its because The Father wants to have a relationship with you. So by having it turned into a den of thieves, it was going against God.

1 Timothy 6:10 New Living Translation

10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

What does a thief do? They take what is yours. Steal it away from you, without your knowledge. By turning the Temple into a den of thieves, they were taking away (stealing) their area to spend with The Father! Having money changers, the selling of livestock and whatever else they could do to get in or block the way of God.

John 10:10 New Living Translation

10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. 

Thieves had taken over the Temple to steal peoples time with The Father, kill their faith and destroy their relationship with God!

Jesus was angry that the Temple had been reduced down to this. That people were allowing it to happen. He came in and started flipping tables, using a whip to drive out the merchants. Money went flying, animals ran wild and people were shocked by what was happening. According to the movies, it was quite chaotic!

So I fast forward 2,000 some years to today's world, or more exactly us! What kind of tables do we need flipped in our lives? What are we allowing that is not of The Father? What does Jesus need to drive out with a whip?

Is it a table of addiction? Fear? Anxiety, depression? How about pride, lust, greed? Set whatever you want up on the table and have Jesus come in and flip it over. Drive it out with a whip, never to return.

Colossians 3:5-8 The Message

5-8 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

So I ask you today. What tables need flipping in your life? What do you need to get rid of? Jesus can and is more than able to do it!

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

What Are My Beliefs??

 I was asked this question the other day by a co-worker. I pondered for a little bit before I answered him. I knew what he was asking, but I decided to have a little fun with him first. Who knew?? Lol!

I told him that I believe that the Cardinals are the best team in the MLB! The Packers are the best team in the NFL. Michael Jordan is the GOAT, not LeBron! Metal is the best kind of music. The half time shows of the Super Bowl are terrible! And so on.

He groans, and says "come on man." "You know what I'm asking." "You're always wearing these Christian t-shirts, what's your belief?"

Oh, my spiritual belief. Got it.

I believe that Jesus was born of a virgin. (Matthew 1:23)

I believe that Jesus was crucified and three days later raised back to life. (Luke 23:33) (Luke 24:6-7)

I believe that He is my Savior. (Acts 4:12)

I believe that He guides my every step. (Psalm 32:8)

My co-worker said "okay, I get it. Just wanted to know why you are the way that you are, and wear what you wear."

I also told him that I believe that I am healed because Jesus believes that I am healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

I am forgiven because Jesus says that I am. (Isiah 43:25)

Jesus provides for me. (Philippians 4:19)

"One more thing. I believe that I am delivered." (1 John 1:9)

I told him that I try to live my life Biblically. Jesus is everything to me! (Psalm 73:25-26)

This is my belief system. 

God bless.

Rev. Kev.