Where To Start

So my last blog was about how having a relationship with God is most important. My next question was, how do I start a relationship with God? Since I don't know where any readers of this blog are spiritually, I thought it good to begin with what you have to have to start. First thing you need is belief, or faith as it were; a simple belief, not much really. How much you ask? Well I'm glad you asked. You need to believe that just maybe there is an outside chance that there is a God out there and that maybe, just maybe, He wants a relationship with you. If you can muster that much faith, I assure you that God will prove Himself to you. Jesus said in Luke 17:6, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you." Here Jesus is talking about moving a tree, how much more does He wish to have a relationship with you? I dare say that if you have a microscopic faith He wants a relationship with you, that He would beyond a doubt make Himself known to you. I really believe that He wants nothing more than just that.

Into Action:
1) Tell God that you believe in Him.
2) Ask God to make known to you how much He he loves you daily.

Pressing on with excellence!!
Keith

From Mountains to MoleHills

Do you ever ask yourself these questions? Why do I act this way? Why does that person bother me so much? Or say to yourself: I should be better than this. Do you ever feel like you’re so far away from God that you wonder if he will take you back? Do you have trouble forgiving people that hurt you?

I would say that most people ask these all the time and they are probably pretty normal thinking patterns. Would you like to get out of this rut? The first thing I had to do was to name and claim my sins; my selfishness, my fear, my envy, dishonesty, laziness, unforgiveness and my pride. These things blocked me from God.

When I started practicing the opposite, I knocked down the mountains that were blocking me from God. I started practicing unselfishness, trust, humility, honesty, diligence, forgiveness, and love. These things I could not do by myself, but I would pray and ask God to help me. As much as I was willing, God helped me.

I think it is vital to sit down and take a look at these things that are blocking me and write them down. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. If I don’t look at what’s making me the way that I am, then I will never be able to change it. I can’t change everything over night. But little by little, one at a time, I can reduce the effect that some of these things have on my life. If I practice the opposite, with God’s help I can turn mountains into mole hills.

Pressing on with excellence!! Keith

You have what it takes to change your thinking and change your life.

Get into the solution

So I went to a meeting tonight and there was a guy that had gone to a wedding and gotten drunk over the weekend. He had been sober only a month. The discussion took on the usual; things to stay away from, wet places, and how to have a plan of escape. Don't allow yourself to be tempted. The problem is, no matter where you're at you can be tempted with anything. Whether you're an alcoholic or just a regular sinner, temptation comes. So really there is no safe place. The Bible says in 1 Cor.10-13">No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it." (MSG). Even then you still have to have a desire to not give in. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. To the extent that we allow Him to control our mind he will give us the desire to say no. So the solution is to prepare ahead of time by submitting control of our mind to Him over and over again until it almost becomes a habit. Ro. 8:6 says, "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." Think about this: when you're being tempted you are not at peace, in fact you're in turmoil. So you will know when you have overcome temptation because you will have peace. The peace you receive when you overcome temptation is real life and the only real solution. 

 Taking it to the street:
          1.) Identify those areas that are your greatest temptation create a plan of escape.
          2.) Ask the Holy Spirit to control your mind.

Happy Easter

I was wondering what people that don't know Christ think about Easter. For them, it's just another day. But do most people know what we celebrate? As a Christ follower I celebrate His resurrection. But what does a non Christ follower think about that. Really, if you think about it, they must think that we are crazy and should be put in the loony bin. Our foundation of what we believe about Christ is that he died for our sins and rose from the dead. Not too many people rising from the dead around here. No offense Walking Dead fans, but it is not an every day occurrence. If Christ did not raise from the dead then we really are crazy. But he did and we celebrate that glorious day when he overcame sin and death and and made us right with God if we believe in him. I'm pretty sure they don't think about what he went through for us. The suffering that He had to endure to pay the price for the sin of the world. This time of the year I'm reminded of this truth and I am so grateful  for what he has done for me.
Taking it to the street: 1.)Ask yourself do you believe?    
                                 2.)Take some time and think about what Jesus had to go through for you.

Pressing on with Excellence,
Keith

Belize here we come

Okay, so February 1st was my last blog. It is now the nineteenth and I'm happy to announce that Sunny and I are both fully funded to go to Belize. Is that crazy or what? Two days ago, Sunny was close to half funded and I had nothing. Then, yesterday, a person I know contributed $2000 to our trip. That, plus what Sunny had, put us at 3/4 funded and we needed to have 3/4 by mid-March to get the plane tickets. We were $750 short of being fully funded. Susan had taken this person's check and Sunny's money to the church to turn it in. Before she got home, I was checking my email and found that someone else put $750 towards our trip; making it 100 % funded!
God is so good!! It is hard to put into words how I felt when I received this news. All I can say is that there is no doubt that God wants us to go. I personally want to thank all that contributed and all of the prayers. It is not over yet, so please keep us in your prayers; Sunny and I and the team that we will be going with. Pray for the people we will be ministering to as well. This has been a good lesson for me on the power of prayer. I asked that we would be funded early and we were. What I did not expect is to have it all come in at one time. God still continues to amaze me.
Taking it to the street; 1) Allow God to guide you to try something new.
                                  2) Trust that if he wants you to do whatever it is he will provide.
Pressing on with excellence!!
Keith

Try Something New

I wanted to let people know that Sunny and I have been chosen to go to Belize this summer on a mission trip. We are excited and looking forward to trying something different. I would ask you who read this blog to pray for the team, the leaders, and for the people that we meet; for safety, for wisdom and His provision. Also, pray that He would prepare the way for us all that we would be most effective. This is not a vacation as most people think of when they think of Belize. Where we are going is a unimaginably poor area. This is something that I never dreamed that I would be doing. I'm not exactly sure what I will be doing but I want to see what life is like for others. I think we as Americans take a lot of things for granted. I also know that God has been teaching me to be grateful for all that He has given me. One thing I'm looking forward to is seeing how God is going to work to change me and my daughter's thinking about where we are in life and I know He will! When you put yourself into uncertainty and try something new, God has a way of showing up.

Taking it to the street:
1) Ask God to help you to think of something new that you could do that will stretch your faith in Him.
2) Remember to pray for us!

Pressing on with excellence!!

P.S. If you would like to help in financial support for this trip, contact me at 1handymansmitty@gmail.com    

Quit Chasing Rabbits

One of the things I would like to do is to focus more on the important things in life instead of wasting my time on things that don't really matter. Nice thought, but where do you start? I think you need to look at some things and decide what's really important. Goals are nice but if they don't lead you to what's really important then they're just a list of accomplishments. Or things that you want to accomplish. I'm not saying that goals are bad, they just may be a distraction from what is really important. What does God have for you? Trying to figure out what God's will for your life can sometimes be difficult. But if you don't figure that out and pursue it, then you're just chasing rabbits.
It says in 1 Corinthians 13:1, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." I sometimes wonder if I complicate it too much. I have said that I may not know what God's will is for my life, but I sure know when I'm not doing his will. His will is not complicated. His will is to be like Him and to love others since he is love. His will is to, wherever you are in life,
bring glory to him through all that you think, say, and do. Your relationship with God is most important. To love people is what his will for all of us is. The biggest problem I have with that is self.
Taking it to the street:1) Ask God to help you to realize his love for you.
                                2) Ask God to point out to you thoughts that are not glorifying to Him.
Pressing On With Excellence!! Keith

God Is Good

Well, it's a new year, I hope your last one was as blessed as mine. I've been reflecting and thinking about the many blessings our family has had this past year. We were able to purchase a house and visit with family for a week in Tennessee. My daughter wrote her first book, (proud papa that I am, contact me to find out more.)  My wife and I have become small group leaders in our church. What a true blessing that has been seeing and being a part of others spiritual growth. I know others have not had such a blessed year. I know of three families that have lost loved ones unexpectedly. I have had a personal friend diagnosed with cancer and has been out of work for two months and my prayers go out for all of them. I watched a friend throw his future away for nothing. So life is a mixture of triumph and tragedy. Still, I choose to focus on the good. I will be here to help those who make poor decisions. I will pray for those who are grieving, and I will be here to listen to and walk with him who is suffering. I also will still help others on their spiritual journey. All in all, more good has come this year than bad  and I am grateful to God for all he is doing in and through me. God is Good and I choose to focus on the good!
Taking it to the street 1.) Practice looking for the small, good things in your life every day.
                                 2.) Thank God for those good things every day!
Pressing on with excellence!!
Keith
P.S This is my 100th blog!!

Thanksgiving

'Tis the season and I have been thinking about the different things that I am thankful for. There are so many things that I take for granted. Like my kids wanting to spend time with me. I know that there will be a day when I want to spend time with them and they won't be around. So, for now I will take advantage of that. Another is my wife. I am thankful for all she does. Like the proverbs 31 woman, she takes care of us well. The things that I'm most thankful for are not things but people and relationships. I am thankful for our small group and my friends at church and at work.I'm thankful for old friends and even most of my relatives. But the thing I'm most thankful for is not a thing. It is God's love and mercy and the hope that I have because of Him. Because when it all comes down to it; if you know, I mean really, really know, how much God loves you, it changes everything! When you know that, you change; you can't help but change. It is truly amazing the change that happens, especially in how you treat yourself and others. So that's what I'm most thankful for; just knowing that God is merciful and he loves me.
Taking it to the street 1.) Pray and ask God to help you to realize how great His love is for you personally.
                                 2.) Surrender control of your thinking to Him every morning for one month.
Pressing on with excellence!!
Keith    

Repentance

Let us review of some of the things that we have found that block us from the Holy Spirit's power in our lives. Things such as pride, bitterness, and focus. Acts 2:38 says, "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" (NIV) He say's it again in Acts 8:22. So here's another one we can add to the list of things that block us from the Spirit.To repent means to feel sorry or to have regret for a past action. I believe this is a great first step. We need to realize our mistakes and humble ourselves. This may have been another reason that the people in Acts 8 did not receive the spirit right away. I have been inventorying my own life and I've been pursuing the wrong things. I've been trying to become great in the name of God rather than pursuing his greatness. I wanted to see God do great things through me instead of just allowing him to be great. I've been seeking to become greater. He must become more, I must become less. Forgive me, Lord, for my self-centeredness.
Pressing on with excellence!!
Keith

The Gifts Of The Spirit

I had been a Christian for a good 16 years before I really accepted Christ's forgiveness, When I finally did, I grew more spiritually in the next four years than I did in the sixteen years prior. I found myself asking why or how that happened. I think it is because of the influx of the Holy Spirit and with it the fruits of the spirit. The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I could not produce these on my own, I tried and tried and failed. It also seemed that the harder I tried, the more I failed. I knew what I needed to do but I couldn't do it on my own. The spirit produces these in me as I turn my will over to him. When this does happen, things change rapidly. You actually give a rip about others, you care. You let others go in front of you. You know instinctively when to shut up. You are quick to forgive and fast to straighten out situations when you were wrong. You are able to say no to yourself. These are how the fruits of the spirit showed up in my life. How about you? Do you have the gifts of the Spirit? Is life different for you? Do you want it to be?
Pressing on with excellence!!
Keith

No Price Too High

So, its Easter weekend and its got me thinking about what Jesus went through his last few hours. Think about it, they put a crown of thorns on his head, then they beat him on the head. then he was flogged. All that then they hung him on a cross and killed him. You can read through it pretty quickly in the bible and not feel really what he went through. I try to slow down when I come to those scriptures and allow myself to be put in his position. Can you imagine what it must have felt like? Whew I can't really, only a little. Like I know what it feels like to get hit in the head, but not over and over again and again. I can't say what it would be like to be flogged. Then to be crucified the most painful way; to die slowly. I have heard that when you are crucified  you have to push up with your legs just to get a breath. Can you imagine the pain? I can't in reality. I can't wrap my head around it. Yet God chose this on purpose, why? because you are worth it. He paid this great price for you because of his love for you. I can't wrap my head around that either. Only to say that His love for us drove him to pay the price for our sin. Because of His love for us no price was too high.
Pressing on with excellence!!
Keith

Digging Ditches

Hope deferred makes the heart sick. I've been doing some self evaluating and have discovered some things about myself that I've been wanting to pursue but have not been able to, to the extent that I wanted to. I've been feeling like I wasn't going anywhere. Ever felt that way? Sometimes I need to take a break from what I'm doing and look at where I am. Sometimes I find myself further along than I thought. I'm a long way from where I was 19 years ago. For that matter, I'm a long way from where I was 4 years ago and even 2 years ago. Little by little, God is working on me, helping me to become more and more like him. I believe that he's been working on my patience lately and though I didn't feel like I was making much progress, things are in reality moving quickly toward where I want  and believe that God is leading.

When you believe that God is going to give you what you ask for, then you need to start digging the ditch. What does that mean? There's a story in the Bible that is told about Elijah. He had the Israelites dig a ditch around the altar and poured water over the sacrifice until the ditch was full. Then he prayed for fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice and believed that God was going to answer that prayer. Not only did fire fall from heaven and consume the sacrifice, but it dried up all the water in the ditch as well. All this to say that for the last few months, I've been digging the ditch because I believe that God is going to answer my prayer and there were some things that I had to do to prepare myself for what is going to come. Also along the way, he's been teaching me to be patient as a bonus gift, I guess. But I'm pretty sure that what I've been hoping for will come to fruition.

Pushing Towards Excellence,

Keith