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Storms

2/28/2016

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I’ve been thinking a lot about storms this past week. A group of teens, chaperones, and I just returned from a weekend Christian conference of 12,500 teens and adults who came together for worship and encouragement. Its theme was “Storms.” One of the key thoughts throughout the weekend was that the storms of life do not have to destroy us or define us. In fact, they can even bless us!

I’ve also been thinking about storms that bring physical destruction, tornadoes specifically. You see, this past Wednesday night, my friend Ben Rouse and his family of six lost their house to the tornado that passed through Virginia. Thankfully, they were on their way to church when the destruction took place, and all of the family is well. The picture to the right is what remained of their house after the twister.

I said earlier that storms can bless us, and one of the greatest blessings that come with storms is clarity. When life is hardest or when your losses seem greatest, you are given the opportunity to sharpen your perspective on life. What matters? What is trivial? Where do you find your purpose? What defines you as a person? 

As Ben and his family started accounting for things lost or irreparable, they couldn’t help but be saddened by their children’s toys and mementos that are forever gone. Having been told what had happened to their house, Ben’s children wanted to see for themselves. So he finally relented and showed them a picture. Ben’s mother Viki described their response like this on Facebook: 

“When Ben finally showed the boys the pix of the destroyed house that they had been begging to see, they both responded with great delight, ‘Look, Dad, there's my bouncy ball!’ They saw what DID survive instead of focusing on what didn't.”

The children saw what DID survive, not what didn’t. Storms can remove and destroy much. They can also show you what matters most in the remains. My life’s storms have consistently shown me I only have three things that matter – my Faith, my Family & my Friends.

I don’t know what storms you have faced in the past, are facing right now, or what storms wait for you in the future. What I do know is that God is greater than any storm. He can use a storm to bless you, if you will allow it. He can show you what matters, if you let Him. And even if you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you don’t have to fear any storm, because you know God will see you through it (Psalm 23:4). 

Thank you, Rouse family, for allowing me to use and share your testimony. Thank you, Challenge Youth Conference, for an uplifting weekend. Thank you for reading. Let God use your storms to bless you and to be a blessing to others. 

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The Closed Mouth

2/21/2016

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“She doesn’t pull any punches.” 
“You never have to ask what’s on his mind.” 
“I’m a brutally honest person.” 

Some people take statements like these as a compliment. In a culture that often lacks sincerity and authenticity, someone “who tells it like it is” or who “speaks his mind” can be heralded as a type of hero. 

But if we view speaking one’s mind as the marks of heroism or virtue, we are sorely mistaken. While society may depict those who “speak freely” as strong, the Bible depicts them as lacking both sense and self-control. Here are some passages about the use of our words: 

Proverbs 13:3 — “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
    he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”

Proverbs 15:28 — “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
    but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.”

Proverbs 17:28 — “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
    when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”

Proverbs 27:2 — “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
    a stranger, and not your own lips.”

James 1:19 — “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;”

Certainly, honesty and integrity should be found in all the words we speak. By no means, however, does that give us permission to say everything we’re thinking. The Bible’s wisdom on how we use our words is needed as much today as it ever has been. If you want to be blessed and be a blessing today, choose your words carefully, and keep many of them to yourself.

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Following the Leader

2/15/2016

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It’s a messy Monday morning in east Tennessee. Had it not been Presidents Day, local administrators would have likely cancelled school due to snow and ice on the roads. We’ve had a number of days like that recently. School cancellations seem to be an invitation for naysayers and second-guessers to criticize decision-makers.

I personally do not envy those who make decisions for schools, businesses, churches, governments, or any other organization. Successful organizations need good leaders, and good leaders are often molded on the crucible of difficult decisions. They make decisions when others would avoid doing so. They make decisions knowing that some people will not understand all of the reasons why. They make decisions regardless of how well they’ll be received. Nonetheless, they make decisions. 

Decision-making demands a one-of-a-kind perspective. Sometimes we’re tempted to look outside our window and assume that school should be in session because our roads are clear. School administrators must consider ALL roads. Football fans love playing Monday Morning Quarterback, but few of them have felt the pressure of making split-second, gameday decisions. Second-guessers enjoy the advantage of hindsight when the pressure is off, the stakes are low, and unforeseen consequences are evident.

Beyond leadership, successful organizations need something else. Good followers. Yes, there is such a thing as poor leadership. But good leadership is of value only when others are willing to follow. In the context of the church, the Bible says it this way – “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Hebrews 13:17).

Good leaders give an account for so many things. Good followers appreciate the reality that their leaders must give account. Leaders, may God bless you in your leadership, especially when making tough calls. Followers, may we bless our organizations by supporting and encouraging those who make the tough calls.

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Unquitting

2/8/2016

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Have you quit church? If so, please humor me and take a minute or two to read this.

All kinds of studies and articles have been written in recent years about the mass exodus of people leaving churches. They believe in God, Jesus, the Bible, etc. They’ve just walked away from the church. And there are lots of reasons why. Some I understand and sympathize with. Some I don’t get. But please let me humbly offer the following:

The church needs you. I promise you that among any group of God’s people, there are many who are hurting in some way. When you quit church, there is one less connection in these people’s lives to help them. You may say, “I help people,” and I’m sure you do. But I promise you that there are people quietly hurting that find encouragement in something as simple as your presence among the church. There is strength in numbers.

You need the church. I might not know everything about you, but I know you need the church. Yes, I know that you can worship God at the comfort of your coffee table and in the majesty of His mountaintops. But there is something unique that happens when a group of God’s people come together to praise him and encourage one another. You can’t get that by yourself, and you’re robbing yourself by not taking advantage of those opportunities. If you have children, you are robbing them too. Our children need to see spiritual community in action. They need to know the stories of the Bible. They need to see older people who lead lives of enduring faith. They need to worship with people who look different from them. You see, we were made in God’s image. The Bible depicts God as a spiritual, social servant. I need to be the same. Church provides a unique opportunity for me to experience spiritual, social service.  

The world needs healthy churches. Do you know what this nation, this world, and your own community needs more than anything else? Jesus. How are they going to come into contact with Jesus? His church. The church is his body, and connected together, we carry out his work (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). You can’t be a part of Jesus’ church when you are disconnected to his body. Disconnected churches are a disservice to the local community. More importantly, they are an insult to Jesus.

When you quit church, it helps no one. Whether you read this on a Monday morning or Saturday night, do everyone a favor – be blessed and be a blessing by unquitting church. 

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See the Light

2/1/2016

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It's Monday morning, and I'm already feeling overwhelmed by so many disheartening situations. Some of them involve personal matters of friends and loved ones. Some of them are making national news. And some of them are taking place in other parts of the world.

The world can be a very dark place. 

One of my best friend's Facebook profile says, "Don't ever let your eyes adjust to the dark."

Jesus said something related to this in Matthew 6:22-23. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

It's easy to let our vision be changed by the darkness. It's easy to let the morning news or our Facebook feed dictate how we perceive the world and our place in it. And while there is much darkness around, we don't have to immerse ourselves in it, adjust to it, or become part of it. Instead we can be light. 

Again, the words of Jesus: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).

Philippians 2:15 says, ". . . Be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."

These sacred words do not deny the realities of the present world. Rather they ask that we fill dark voids with the presence of our light.

Don't let your eyes adjust to the dark. Be blessed today by seeing Jesus as the light of the world. Be a blessing by shining your light before others.

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    Blaine Kelly

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