The Lord Gives and the Lord Takes Away - Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

  The title of this post is a quote from from Job 1:21 and it describes my life this past year. Life is full of change. Some changes are more dramatic than others but change is one of the few constants in our lives isn't it? As the church I serve in has been in transition I have seen many people and staff leave the church.  It's been hard to say the least, I treat church like family and I hate it when people leave for whatever the reasons. If you love others, than you hurt when they are no longer a part of your life on a consistent basis. But the Lord has brought more new people in and is bringing a new Lead Pastor. I am excited for the people and staff of Southbrook as this new era of Godly Leadership begins.

  Tears of joy and tears of sorrow.  Just in the past month I saw my dear Mom pass from this life into the hope she had in Jesus for a life in Heaven. My brother, sisters, my Dad and my wife Karyn were surrounding her when she breathed her last breathe.  It was so very peaceful and I am so glad she is no longer suffering. I miss her and so do the many who knew her.  But tears of sorrow were replaced with tears of JOY as I was literally flying home from my Mom's Memorial Service in Illinois. While I was in the air my oldest daughter Brittany delivered Noah Thomas Rivera into the world as her husband Thomas coached and encouraged her through the birth of their son, which makes me a Grandpa! Talk about the circle of life. As we landed I couldn't hold the tears back, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

  It's the season of family and friends gathering together to sing and celebrate, to participate in passed on traditions or create new ones.  It's also a time to reflect as we look back on one year and head into the next.  I am an optimist to be sure, but honestly I am not sure where anyone can place their hope other than God.  I get it that religion and church politics have turned many away, the holier than thou smugness, the fact that all Christians are hypocrites and that many a Pastor has become a captive to the same form of pride called entitlement that many celebrities, sports figures and politicians get sucked into.

   But....and this is the point to this blog - it is the Lord who gave you life, gave you much to make a great life. And it is the sin of this world that also damages and destroys. Put your hope in God, He is faithful, people are not.  People come and go but the Lord is full of love, compassion, mercy and grace.  Whatever your experience with church or God has been in the past, please know this He is waiting with His arms wide open for you because He is crazy about you. Next year I may not be around to write this blog, you may not be around to read it. Make the most of the days you have!!!  The Lord gives and the Lord takes away - blessed be the name of the Lord!

A Tribute to my Mom

  This past Tuesday morning I watched my Mom take her last breathe, my wife, brother, my three sisters and my Dad were surrounding her in the hospital room when it happened.  She wasn't alone but it was a very surreal experience to say the least.  Just a couple days before, after visiting with her all day it was time to say goodnight, as I bent over to kiss her on her forehead she reached up and gently grabbed my face with both hands and made sure she kissed me on my lips.  I will never forget that. I could easily write volumes about her, I will just use some descriptive words (in no specific order).

Loving
Sacrificial
Fun loving
Funny
Humble
Godly
Caring
Friendly
Family Oriented
A True Servant
Jesus like

  I loved that woman, every Friday I've called my parents for the last 30 years or so, and when we talked her first words were either "Hi Kev" or "How's my buddy?".  She cared so much for me, shed tears and told me nearly every time we spoke how proud she was of me.  I was a late bloomer growing up, and she believed in me.  She told me of Jesus many times and prayed for my salvation. In fact, it was her and my Dad who led me to the Lord just before graduating from high school.  I will miss her terribly, she was the one who brought so much life and laughter to our family of 7, and to everyone around us.  She was the Kool-Aid Mom before there was one. She struggled with comparing herself to others because she had a pretty tough up-bringing.  Those wounds may have never fully healed, she just never felt worthy!  But today, I KNOW she is new, with Jesus and healed!  She is back to dancing and feeling equal with her sister and hopefully re-united with many from her family.  For sure she now experiences the love of God and she is truly happy and at peace.  Thank you God for my Mom, thanks for making sure she was my Mom! I can't wait to see her again and we will have a long embrace and it will be so special!
Love Kev

Press into God when You are being pressed into.

Feeling haggard? Attacked? Pressed in? Oppressed? Suppressed? Me too. well at least some of those anyway. I don't have cable TV, so I have to rely on the internet for what's happening locally and around the world, and frankly I am really glad I don't watch TV news. What a mess our world is in. What a mess! What is going on? Well, the Bible is pretty clear about our last days.

"But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come.  For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient of parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, opposed to what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God. They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power." II Timothy 3:1-5.

  The times have changed so quickly just in our lifetimes, and it is NOT going to get better is it?  Seriously, what or whom do we have any kind of hope in?  Personally, I have been under more attack in the last month than I can ever remember.  Standing for God, and for what is right is just hard.  It's like there is a target on my life.  But listen to these words of encouragement.

"What shall we say about such things?  If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

"Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword." Romans 8:35

 At the church I serve in Southbrook Church, we started "40 Days of Prayer", which includes praying on our knees at 7:14 (a.m./p.m.) reading Mark Batterson's book; "Draw the Circle", along with a study booklet. We are doing this from September 18-October 27, culminating with a Prayer Walk around our campus, and then challenging our people to circle their neighborhoods, schools, businesses and wherever they believe God's grace and love should penetrate.

   This has cost me much!!!  Doing God's will nearly always does.  If you are a Christ follower and your faith is boring, it may be because you are not doing anything about it. It's going to cost you something. God ultimately is the victor but you and I must press into Him for His power and presence.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, discouraged and pretty hopeless, press into God.  Make time in your schedule to be with Him. I sensed Him calling me to spend an hour in prayer everyday during these 40 days, and even that has been quite difficult for me. Press in, He is there waiting and ready to meet you,  to pour into you and give you what you need to thrive not just survive.  How? Not by your strength or power but by His Spirit. Zechariah 4:6.

The Right Kind of Authority Brings Freedom

Inverted T-Bar readings on an EKG apparently are not a good thing, and I had them. A few weeks ago I went into for my physical and when my EKG report came back my Dr. sent me to a Cardiologist. Uh oh! I don't like this and I certainly don't want my wife and family to worry. I admit, I was anxious about this. Partly because my heart hurt last year when I was in the midst of a very stressful situation and partly because there is a history of heart disease in my family. At times last year my heart physically hurt and I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to freak anyone out, (stupid I know). Now that my Dr. found something, what would my Cardiologist say?

What he said was that he needed to run a series of tests. Specifically a Stress Test and an Echo-cardiogram. I went in a week later, sat in a waiting room with some really old people and finally it was my turn. I got all wired up, shot up with radium dye and the Diagnostic Team hit the go button on the treadmill. Long story short, I passed with flying colors, according to the Test givers, the only ones who score higher than I did were Pro Athletes and Marathon Runners. They said I couldn't have done what I did with a bad heart, but they still needed to do the Echo Test and I would still need to me with my Cardiologist.

I did the Echo-cardiogram the next day and again, everything looked fine. I felt relieved after both tests, but I still needed to hear it from the Cardiologist myself. A few days later I met with him and got the news that my heart was healthy and there were no worries. Ahhh! Relief, freedom, peace and celebration! In fact I celebrated by going to Baskin-Robbins and having a double scoop Hot Fudge Sundae!

Most followers of Jesus know deep down inside that there are times when their heart is not fine. They know that some habits they have formed have done damage, but they hope it won't lead to long term damage. WRONG! Psalm 32 talks about the consequences of keeping silent about sin. It says it's like our bones and body waste away. Listen, let God the ultimate Dr. of your heart do an inspection - in Psalm 139 David asks God to search his heart and see if there is any wickedness. In the Book of James, we are instructed to confess our sins one to another so that we might be healed/whole.

God is the ultimate authority and nothing is going to escape Him when it comes to our hearts, the hidden things that we hope will never show up. We might fool others, even ourselves, but God knows and it will effect you eventually. I urge you to confess and repent of anything in your heart that does not please God. God will set you free, you will celebrate and you will experience both peace in your life and effectiveness in reaching others for Christ. Go get your heart checked, you'll be glad you did!

To My Wife

If you who know Karyn, well you know what a gift she is. Though she is initially quiet and somewhat reserved, it's mostly because she is never wanting it to be about her because her love for God causes it to be about others. Don't take her quietness to be shy or even possibly stuck up. She is fun and loyal as all get out. She is so very funny and about as humble a servant person that I know. So, to honor her today I've decided to make this blog about her. (She will blush).

Karyn Joy....



is a Joy! She brings it, exudes it and knows how to help others experience it.

is caring!

is selfless!

loves God deeply!

is playful!

is an extremely hard worker. Tireless!

is romantic!

is beautiful outside and inside!

is a wonderful Mom, Aunt, Sister and daughter!

is determined.

is understanding.

is not into public attention but loves private conversation and relationships.

is generous.

is genuine.

is a reader!!!!

is not pretentious.

is feminine!

is an adventurer.

is humble.

is a gift to everyone who knows her.

is a champion for the unnoticed and underdog.

Are you starting to get a picture? I love you KJ!

What are you known for?

We had our 4th area-wide multi-church gathering for Pastors and their staffs last week in order to get to know one another better. We took time to eat together, to worship, pray and be inspired by one of the Pastors who gave a devotional. I was asked to lead the Prayer segment, I love to pray and lead out in prayer, I have learned much over the years reading about prayer and learning from others as I have listened to their prayers. A couple days after the event many of our staff complimented me on what a great time the prayer time was, and then someone said, "if Pastor Kevin is known for anything it's prayer."

Don't get me wrong, that is a wonderful thing to be known for, but I'd love to be remembered for more than that however. I hope people remember me for being a lover of God, truthful, relational, grace filled, a great teacher of the Word, a producing reproducer, a great husband, Dad and brother etc. What about you? If someone was going to sum you up in a singular statement what would they say? I believe the older we get the more focused we become and what people say about us is a by-product of how we spend our time, resources and invest all that we have and are.

The summer should be less hurried for most of us and so I encourage you to either answer the question yourself or even ask others around you what they would say about you. If you don't hear what you hope to than make whatever course corrections you need to be in order to become what you want.

When the Holy Spirit Shows Up - What do you do?

Last week I had one of those unforgettable moments, at least I hope I never forget it. I doubt I will, but just in case I do here goes;
A middle aged former Buddhist, now Christ follower had asked to see me and another person from our church. We knew that she no longer came to our church, but she was coming because we had earned her trust. We hadn't seen her in several months and she mentioned that Michelle and I both looked so young. I'll take that compliment any day. We just had said that God was doing amazing things in our own lives and here at church and so maybe that's why we looked younger. She said she no longer was hungry for God, His word and had felt like walking away. Her once healed shoulder was hurting, her marriage was on a thread, and God was far away.

That's when I told here that she can't keep doing the same things over and over and expect different results. "May I pray for you?" I asked. She said yes, I anointed her with oil, prayed a bold and Spirit led prayer and then the Spirit came. Forget about theology just for a moment. As we finished praying, she began mumbling, I looked up and saw her holding her mouth with both hands and fear covered her face. "What is happening?" she said. We kept praying. A second later she is saying something that sounds like Abba. "My face is hot, what is going on?" Michelle (the other person praying) said not to worry that the Holy Spirit was here and doing a work. I told her to put her hands down from her mouth and let whatever was happening to happen. The next thing you know she is saying "Abba, Abba, Abba..." and that her face was so hot, she started laughing hard, joy was overflowing! I went to get her a glass of cold water. When I came back we took a moment to thank God, as we are doing so, still laughing, she starts to pump her right arm in the air high, and says over and over "Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus." I looked at her and asked her about her shoulder, she said with an astonished look, "It must be healed, it doesn't hurt. Thank you Jesus!" We all laughed and praised God!!!

Without any prompting she tells us that she wants to start studying her Bible again, that she wants to love her husband and treat him better, that she wants to get pizza and share a piece with her husband and with Jesus. We get up to leave and walk her to the front door, the whole time she is skipping and laughing and now she looks 10 years younger. We stare in awe! Thank you God for miraculous healing of body and soul. Thank you for showing up in such an undeniable and unexplainable way. If we can figure God out and explain Him than we may have a pretty small God. I am so very glad for Him bringing awe and wonder into my life and others. When the Holy Spirit shows up, don't try to figure it out, let Him do His work.

When Hope Seems Far Away

Hope is one thing we cannot live without, but often hope seems fleeting, or we have placed it in the wrong places/people. I am 100% sure that everyone reading this right now either has great need of hope, has needed it or will need it in the future.

I'm writing this on the Saturday of Easter weekend and on this day in history the followers of Jesus struggled the most. The 11 remaining Disciples had invested the last 3 years of their lives with Jesus and what they hoped for was a new era for Jews everywhere and that there place in it would be huge! Now it was replaced with a deep sense of hopelessness, a "what are we going to do now?" period.

Are you there? Does it feel like the clock is at 11:59:59 in a specific area of your life - job/career, finance, marriage, relationships, health or something else?

"May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick/ache, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12

Reading the promise God has in Romans 15:13 is not false hope, God promises that you will be overflowing with joy, peace and hope AS YOU TRUST IN HIM. The Holy Spirit will make you overflow with those three things, your part is to trust in Him. The more you let go and trust in Him, the more you will experience Joy, Peace and Hope. I am not sure what the followers of Jesus felt like on that Saturday, but no one seemed ready to take on the world, or was anticipating the resurrection of Jesus even though He promised it. Instead they were hiding out in a room hoping not to be arrested and trying to figure out next steps. JESUS CAME THROUGH THEN AND HE WILL NOW. He is trustworthy! Put your hope and trust in Him fully and watch what happens next!

Are You Missing Out?

If you are like most Christ followers you can't wait to get with others to passionately worship God and express what's on your heart for Him through singing. Corporate worship is fairly easy - we go to church where skilled singers, players and production people lead us in giving God praise, thanks and express His worth. But that's only for so many minutes once or twice a week at best. If you are like me - that's just not enough! There is something we can do, but many people miss this. Are you ready? Personal worship! No, I do not mean worshiping yourself - I mean worshiping God on your own throughout the week. Regardless if you play an instrument or sing. Here are some ideas.

- Write God a love note. Sounds corny but that's really what praise/thanksgiving/songs are anyway.
- Listen to praise/worship cd's/create Pandora/Spotify Stations or burn your own cd/playlist, then get alone and listen or sing with these. Your heart will fill up with more love to express to God.
- I start my daily time with God by reading a few pages of a book called "10,000 Reasons to Praise God For" very creative!
- Be still and listen in silence - God can reveal Himself during this time. During my silence I begin to think of all the reasons I love God, His character and all that He has done for me and is to me. See Psalm 46:10.
- Take a walk in nature but really take the time to discover. Don't make this an exercise walk, make this about the creativity of God. How leaves are shaped, how many varieties of trees and plants, birds, and animals there are. But don't worship creation, worship the creator while you enjoy His creation.

We were meant to worship God all of the time, worship should be something you just can't do enough of. And of course, our lives, the way we conduct them is worship (see Romans 12:1-2). Don't wait - start today!

What a Contrast

This past weekend my wife and I got away to the beautiful City of Asheville, North Carolina. The trip was planned around touring the Biltmore Estate, and staying at the Inn right on the property (thanks again Melanie and Seth for this gift). The mansion has 250 rooms, not small rooms mind you, huge. There is the 2 story library, an indoor swimming pool and the dinning room and sitting rooms were gigantic. The property is over 10 square miles, and back when the family actually lived in the house, it took 35 people to take care of them/it. The purpose of this home was to house a family. 250 rooms for one family! It's the largest private home in the United States!

On our way back home I stopped for gas just a couple exits away, and as we were pulling back out onto I-40, we saw a sign for "The Cove", the Billy Graham Training and Conference Center, we decided to stop and tour. Talk about contrasts. This property is on 1200 acres, just as beautiful and the purpose of this place is to train people to share the gospel. "What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul." Matthew 16:26. George Vanderbilt died suddenly in his early 50's of an appendicitis. Though I do not know if he professed Christ as Savior there is no mention of it anywhere, and now his estate is run by others as a museum. The Cove will be used long after Billy Graham departs this world to be with the Savior. Whatever you are building your life on, hoping for, longing for - if it is not invested in the Kingdom of God it will not last.

Join in on "The Blessed Life"

Jesus said "It's better to give than to receive." Many of us wish we could be more financially generous than we are, there are a couple reasons I believe we are not.

1. We are trapped by debt. We owe we owe so off to work we go. We are a society of impulse and selfish spending. There used to be a huge difference between what we need and what we want, today that gap is too close. Most Americans have more than they need. How many TV's, pairs of shoes, items of clothing, computers do you own?

2. There is too little room between what we make and what we owe. When emergencies/un-expected expenses happen most people living paycheck to paycheck have to use credit cards to pay for it. I have heard that around 70% of Americans live week to week.

3. We are selfish creatures when it all comes right down to it. A simple test is what you do when you get an un-expected bonus or refund. Most people think about what they can buy instead of how they can be generous toward others in need.

Generosity is NOT limited to money, we have talents and abilities, we have time and we have spiritual gifts that have been given supernaturally from God to be used to expand His Kingdom and bring glory to Him. I want to challenge you to come out on Wednesday nights during the month of February from 6:30-8:00 at Southbrook Church for our 4 week Blessed Life Study. If you are in a Life Group you will be going through this study with your group and we are providing a study/discussion guide for you to use. "The Blessed Life" written by Pastor Robert Morris is all about the blessing of being generous. It's NOT a prosperity gospel book or philosophy, it's about being radically and obediently generous, the life impacting kind.

Do you have a SIMPLE List?

Okay so I am no spring chicken, (whatever that saying means). I grew up with 4 channels on TV, no dishwasher and something like 4 choices at McDonalds. Smart phones and personal computers didn't exist yet and we said the Pledge of Allegiance (a pledge that says what matters) in elementary school everyday. We had a home phone only, and our dictionary and encyclopedia were in real book form and expensive.

Today we are barraged with non-stop information and choices. We receive continual texts and e-mails that we glance through to decide if we will keep reading on or save for later. All of this makes life complicated with warp speed choices facing us all of the time.

I was talking to my 80 year Mother yesterday (she just got out of the hospital), and so we talked about the fact that as we get older life should get more simple, and I think it does. The things that don't matter get ignored or become bothersome compared to the things that really matter. You have to decide what really matters. Do you know what really matters? I decided to take advantage of her recent hospital stay and talk about her own mortality. "Mom, what do you hope is said about you at your funeral?" We discussed what doesn't matter and what does. Under the "What Does" category it was her relationship with God and hearing Him say, "well done good and faithful servant"; her family/friends and how our family truly does love each other, and is there for each other no matter what. This helped her get over her life long regret about whether she was/is a good Mom or not because we all do love each other so well. It's about creating lasting memories. That was about it. What was in her "Does Not Matter" category? Bank accounts, possessions she will pass on, and what jobs or awards she may have achieved.

Here's my challenge to you. Decide what really matters and stick to it, leave as much of the other stuff aside as you can. Make your "What Really Matters List" and "What Doesn't" and do your best to live by it.