Birthday thoughts

There are many things that I could bring up today.  But when I heard a certain song on the radio yesterday, and how it sums up the sentiments of my heart so well, I knew this was the direction I was going to go today.  Back in 2021, Zahriya Zachary (along with a long list of others) wrote a song titled “Back to Life”.  Here’s a sampler of the lyrics:

“I won’t forget the moment I heard You call my name; out of the grip of darkness into the light of grace.  Just like Lazarus, oh You brought me back to life…all of my hope and freedom are found in Jesus’ name; just like Lazarus, oh You brought me back to life.  [Chorus] No longer I who live, but Christ in me, for I’ve been born again, my heart is free.  The hope of Heaven before me, the grave behind.  Hallelujah, You brought me back to life.  When something says I’m guilty, I’ll point to the price You paid…”

[The bridge of this song is where I really had to fight back tears; please don’t cry and drive] “How can I begin to thank You for all You’ve done for me?  Jesus, to praise You fully it will take all eternity.  Just like Lazarus, oh You brought me back to life.”

It took a little bit of research to get the lyrics and information online for you today.  I found a you tube video of the song being performed.  In the comments section, I was glad to see that someone had quoted these words from Lyle C. Rollings III.  

“Jesus Christ had no servants, yet they called Him Master.  He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.  He had no medicines, yet He was called Healer.  He had no army, yet kings feared Him.  He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.  He did not live in a castle, yet they called Him Lord.  He ruled no nations, yet they called Him King.  He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.  He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.”

On this day – and every day – I celebrate Jesus Christ.  Somebody wants to say, “Kevin, it’s your birthday.  You can brag on yourself, just for today.”  No, I point you to the Lord Jesus Christ, not myself.  It’s all about Him; it’s not about me. 

God bless,

Kevin

Choose to forgive

I recently came across a New York Times article, written last year, that confirmed what I’ve already suspected: people are becoming increasingly mean and unkind toward restaurant workers.  Let me just cite a few words from this New York Times article which, by the way, can be found at this link:

“The stories of bad customer behavior began trickling down in the summer of 2020, when businesses that had closed in the early part of the coronavirus pandemic began to reopen to a new, angry mood in the United States.  At a restaurant struggling with staff and restaurant struggling with staff and food storages in Massachusetts, for instance, a group of diners became so furious at the long wait time for food that they demanded it be boxed up – and then theatrically dumped the whole order, uneaten, into the garbage.

“It’s like abuse,” Brandi Felt Castellano, who closed her Cape Cod restaurant for 24 hours to give her weary staff a “day of kindness” break told The Times that [back in] July. “People are always rude to restaurant workers, but this far exceeds anything I’ve seen in my 20 years.””

From my own perch in customer service, I can absolutely confirm this phenomenon.  Just this past year or so, I have witnessed with my own eyes two or three major episodes where customers, not only completely lost their temper right in the store, but they subsequently made a complete speculate of themselves, in a shameful rage.  So be in prayer for us longsuffering souls in the customer service game!

Author and speaker Gary Thomas once made this tremendous statement: “We will either grow in God or grow in bitterness.”  I love that quote, and it’s so true.  There’s enough in the world today that will aid in growing in bitterness.  I’ve highlighted how you might “grow in bitterness” in the customer service realm, but there are other examples.  For instance, I think of marriage.  It’s plain to me that any successful marriage had better have two forgivers (special shout out to my brother and sister-in-law, yesterday, they celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary).  What powerful there is in forgiveness!

The older I get, the more I understand – both experientially and otherwise – the horrific pain that can be inflicted upon a life.  I submit that the only way to be free from this crushing pain is to forgive the offender.  But having stated this, forgiveness can easily be misunderstood.  So I want to take moment to cite an important word from a helpful got questions.org article. 

“It is important to recognize that to forgive is not to downplay a wrongdoing or necessarily to reconcile.  When we choose to forgive, we release a person from his indebtedness to us.  We relinquish the right to seek personal revenge.  We choose to say we will not hold his wrongdoing against him.  However, we do not necessarily allow that person back into our trust” a little later on, this author sums it up well: “Forgiveness does not mean we act as if no wrong has been done; it does mean we recognize that grace abundant has been given to us and that we have no right to hold someone else’s wrongdoing over his head.” (click here for the full article)

In conclusion, yesterday was also actor Tobey Maguire’s birthday.  Tobey is and always will be my Spider-Man.  Interestingly, for all of the negative press 2007’s “Spider-Man 3” receives (some of the negativity it has received is deserved, yet certainly not all, but that’s a blog for another day), this film has a powerful message on the forgiveness.  In one scene, for example, Aunt May counsels a vengeful Peter Parker on the virtue of forgiveness rather than revenge.  She says, “Uncle Ben meant the world to us.  But he wouldn’t want us living one second with revenge in our hearts.  It’s like a poison.  It can take you over.  Before you know it, turn us into something ugly.”

God bless,

Kevin 

Father Day thoughts (Part 2)

I bring my dad up in conversation all the time.  Because he was a special, memorable man of God.  But also because he was quotable.  I’m sure I’ve shared here that Dad used to joke that we live in Colorado, a state that doesn’t have a professional baseball team.  The irony of the joke was the Colorado Rockies, for as hapless as they have been for a long time, they actually made it to the World Series in 2007 (even though they did lose the series).  The Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, never made it to the Finals – until this year where they won their first world championship! 

In the excitement of the Denver Nuggets post-season success, I quoted Dad’s Rockies line to a coworker of mine.  This person had recently lost a father too.  This subsequently opened up a dialogue about how both of our departed father’s had a love for sports, and each would have been thrilled at the Nuggets recent post-season success.

Soon after this conversation, a wave of grief washed over me.  And to be honest with you, as I’ve composed this paragraph, a fresh wave of emotional grief hit me just now.  Dad and I watched the Denver Broncos win Super Bowl 32 securing their first world championship.  It was a different celebration for me when the Broncos won Super Bowl 50; I could feel how empty the room was without him.  I felt very similar ten days ago; when I saw the Nuggets were going to be NBA champions for the first time.  It was bittersweet to celebrate without my dad in the room with me.

My point is it’s been eight years since my dad passed on.  And yes, the intensity of the wound of fatherlessness subsides with time, but I would be lying to you if I claimed that it ever went away.  It’s not just about sports, either.  I was recently praying to God about something, and I concluded that petition with Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 “Thy will be done.”  It occurred to me that I was praying the way my dad had prayed.  Both in his vocational prayer time, as well as his personal prayer time, he often used the same just-cited words of Jesus from Matthew 6.  I proceeded to say something said something like, “Like my father before me often prayed, I too pray ‘Thy will be done.’”

In conclusion, as I get older, the more I contemplate the legacy I will leave behind one day.  I consider the challenge of finishing well, as Dad did.  Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”  My dad would have been the first to declare that it’s not about him; it’s about God.  That’s the way he lived, and I want to follow in that example.

God bless,

Kevin

Father's Day thoughts (Part 1)

I recently viewed an article on characters that the TV show “Smallville” ruined and characters that they got right.  As a fan of the show, I was interested in this list, and I mostly agree with the writer of this particular article’s assessment (just for the record, let me report that the author stated that Smallville ruined the character of Doomsday, a character who appeared in season 8 of the show.  I disagree with the author’s opinion; I think they added a lot of depth to Doomsday). 

The author of this article’s remarks on the character of Jor-El, Superman’s biological father, in particular, caught my eye.  This was a character that was put in the ‘ruined’ category.  “Smallville’s interpretation of Jor-El was quite odd,” this author begins.  “Whereas Jor-El has traditionally been used as an absentee – but very mindful – father figure who imparts his wisdom to Superman via the Fortress of Solitude, Smallville’s Jor-El was much more strict.  In fact, he often acted like a villain. 

That’s not inherently a bad thing, but Smallville’s Jor-El was a wildly inconsistent character.  One moment, he’s a caring father, then he starts acting openly hostile to his son.  He will be coerced into forgiveness, but then trap Lois Lane in a cage of pure energy.  Jor-El was whatever the writers needed him to be.”  I wholeheartedly agree.  Incidentally, the link can be found here.  

It dawned on me as I thought about this: on Father’s Day isn’t it fitting to look at a character who was so "wildly inconsistent"?  Isn’t it true that everyone has moments where they act completely out of character?  Don’t we all have episodes where we acted quite inconsistently?  I’m not a father, but I know that’s true for myself.  Furthermore, there’s a marvelous quote from Jor-El to Clark in the series finale of the show, that I want to share in a minute, but the power of the words holds even more weight when you consider the battles that Clark and Jor-El waged to get to that moment.

By contrast, this article went on to state that one of the characters that “Smallville” got right was Jonathan Kent (played superbly by John Schneider).  Once again, I completely agree.  Jonathan, as I see it, was/is a picture of unconditional love.  His love for his son makes me think of the love of my own father, Jerry Bauer.  Like Jonathan Kent, my dad passed away earlier than anyone thought he would.  But even eight years after his passing, I still miss Dad’s love, guidance, and protection (I’ll share one story about why I say this next time, God willing).  To sum it all up for now, I honor my dad this Father’s Day.  I contend that Clark Kent wouldn’t have been the man he became without the influence of Jonathan Kent; in the same way, I wouldn’t be the man I am with Jerry Bauer, my dad, a true man of God.

In this series finale of “Smallville” Clark Kent is finally ready to take on the mantle of being Superman for the first time.  The Superman suit is in the Fortress of Solitude, and before Clark dons it, we are treated to a touching scene between Clark and Jor-El.  Clark says, “I shouldn’t have tried to push away my Kryptonian side.  My strength lies in accepting it; accepting you.”  “You honor me,” Jor-El replies.  “A father’s pride cannot be measured in words, but know that I’m proud of you, son.”  “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that,” Clark responds.  “We’ve been down a long road, Kal-El – one paved with difficult trials.  Those trials are behind you now.  Any father can only hope that one day is humbled by the feats of his son.  But it is your soul, Kal-El, of which I am most proud.”

In conclusion, I want to encourage you fathers to express your love and admiration to your son (and/or daughter), as Jor-El did in the described scene above.  Maybe you never have, or maybe it’s just been a while.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed.  Don’t put it off.  Never withhold a sincere expression of love and appreciation to your children.  To express these words will lift their spirits, just as they did Clark’s. 

Happy Father’s Day,

Kevin

Inspiring words from another Kevin

For many superhero fans, myself included, Kevin Conroy is the definitive version of Batman.  Back in November, he passed away from cancer at age 66.  I confess I’ve shed several tears at this news.  Because, as someone put it in their tribute of Kevin online, when Kevin Conroy died it was like Batman himself died (I couldn’t find the link again, but just know that this eloquent thought didn’t originate from me).  In my opinion, Kevin Conroy’s legacy is bringing the character and nobility of Batman to life; for three decades, he gave his voice to the famous superhero with authenticity.

Recently, I came across a you tube video of tribute to Kevin Conroy.  It was Kevin expounding on why the character of Batman is so intriguing to us.  It’s clear to me that Kevin Conroy understood the essence of the character of Batman.  My birthday is this month; since my last birthday, I have lived through very difficult days.  Because of this, I found myself resonating with what Mr. Conroy presented.

One last thing before we dive in.  The citing of this man’s words today does not imply that I agree with Kevin Conroy on everything he ever said or did.  Even here, he speaks of fate, a notion I don’t believe in.  Incidentally, the video is titled “Thank you, Kevin Conroy” by a you tuber under the name “Mr. M.”  You can find the video and Kevin’s words here at this link.  With that long intro complete, let’s finally get started.

"Of all the superheroes, he’s the only one that’s not a superhero. There’s nothing supernatural about Batman, you know what I mean?  He can’t fly.  He can’t see through walls.  He’s a man.  He’s a human being.  But not only is a human being, he’s a very flawed human being.  He knows he’s flawed.  He’s been damaged by life.  So it makes Batman that much more relatable because he’s so much like us, in a way. 

What distinguishes him is that no matter what life throws at him, no matter what crisis, or challenge, or failure, he never lets it crush him…he takes that pain that life throws at him and he turns it into something positive.  And he gives it back to the world as love.  Because his whole mission is to leave the world better than he found it.  And it’s the nobility of that mission, that’s what we admire so much about him.  But that’s something we all can aspire to in our lives, you don’t have to have superpowers to want to give to those in your life, to want to leave the world a better place; all you have to do is care enough to try, care enough to want to. 

Everybody on this planet stumbles at one time or another, but that’s not what defines us.  What defines us is how we get back up, and learn from our mistakes; and get back into life and contribute.  You have no control over what fate throws at you…life throws curveballs at everybody.  But what you do control is how you react to those curveballs; you can let them crush you and make you bitter, or you can learn from them, and take that knowledge and get back into life."

God bless,

Kevin

"Celebrate; everybody, everybody, celebrate"

A while back, I heard a song playing at a store where the lyrics are essentially nothing but the singer declaring, “Celebrate; everybody, everybody, celebrate” about 50 times or so.  When the song concluded, I actually asked out loud, “What exactly are we celebrating?”  Today I heard the song again; this time there is little doubt what the cause of celebration is: last night the Denver Nuggets became the world champions of basketball for the first time in their nearly five-decade history! 

I want to acknowledge that not everyone is celebrating.  The fans of the Miami Heat are in mourning.  Let me immediately offer my congratulations to Miami on an extremely impressive post-season run.  The Miami Heat actually became the second team in NBA history to go all the way to the Finals as an 8th seed – the 1999 New York Knicks were the only other team to do so.  The Miami Heat were formidable.  Even last night, Game 5, when Denver closed out the series, the Heat played their hearts out.  They actually led 51-44 at halftime.  But in the end, the Nuggets won the wild and wacky game by a score of 94-89.

Here’s an interesting tidbit: until this year, all of the major sports teams in Colorado had at least made it to their respective championship games, just not the Denver Nuggets.  The Colorado Avalanche have actually won all three Stanley Cup appearances they have competed in.  Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos have a whopping eight Super Bowl appearances; they have won three.  Even the hapless Colorado Rockies made it to the World Series in 2007, but lost to the Boston Red Sox.  Every world championship is special – for both the players and the fans.  But there’s something extra-special when a franchise finally gets its very first world championship.

For instance, I was reminiscing about when the Denver Broncos won their first Super Bowl.  I clearly remember exactly where I was when I viewed Denver shock the NFL world by defeating the heavily favored Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl 32.  I’ll never forget hearing Dave Logan – the voice of the Broncos – announce, with considerable emotion in his play-by-play, that the wait was finally over: The Broncos were finally the world champions of football.  Now, behind Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, as well as Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and a whole host of other talented, unselfish players, the Denver Nuggets have secured a world championship, perhaps the first of many.

God bless,

Kevin

Stormy weather

The state of Colorado, where I reside, has had stormy weather of late.  We’ve seen heavy rain, thunder, lightning, even some hurricanes.  One day this week, after I arrived home, it started hailing.  It was very small in size, and brief, but for a time it loudly announced its presence.  It suddenly dawned me on that while there has been literal stormy weather, we all deal with metaphorical stormy weather as well.  It has been said, “You are in a storm; you are just coming out of a storm, or you are about to enter a storm.”  That sounds disheartening, because storms are so painful, but they also have the capacity to instruct us.

I bring all this up because, just this week, I encountered a new storm.  In the course of one day, I received both an encouraging compliment, and a series of occurrences that left me feeling slighted and completely invisible.  It was an unusual phenomenon to have both extremes in one day.  It birthed this blog content today.  Because it was a powerful reminder that I’m to give both the good and the bad to God.  Or, as was stated in the 2006 movie “Facing the Giants”: “If we win, we praise Him.  If we lose, we praise Him.”

Of course it feels to be given verbal praise, or if you like, to have a victory.  But, the fact of the matter is, it’s not about me.  If anything praiseworthy comes from my life, it’s ultimately because of God, not me.  Galatians 2:20 states that it’s actually Christ in me, “and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.”  He’s living in and through me.  I love the B.J Thomas song from back in 1979 titled “He’s walking in my shoes”; he speaks of how today Jesus “is walking in my shoes; He’s singing with my voice…He’s smiling with my face; He’s showing me the way, and I’m so glad that I can be a part.  He’s living in my heart.” 

Conversely, it is difficult to lose; to be subjected to unkind words is one of the worst kinds of suffering.  Someone has said “pain can either make you bitter or better.”  I’m not necessarily suggesting that it's easy, but we must ask the Lord what it is He is trying to teach us in this.  The Bible says we can “glory in tribulation” (Romans 5:3).  Why?  Because we Christians are masochistic and enjoy pain?  No, keep reading: “knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope.  Now hope does not disappoint” (verses 3-5).

In conclusion, I have easily listened to Rebecca St. James’ newest album “Kingdom Come” fifty times now.  During a particularly turbulent storm in my life, God was my comfort and ever-present help.  Seemingly each track from Rebecca’s album ministered to me in a special way, but I love the word picture from the song “Desert bloom”: “You are joy to the broken; You are spring to the garden; You bring beauty from ashes.  You are peace where there’s no resolve.  You are hope where there is none.  You repay every random; You reclaim what was stolen.  You are making my desert bloom.  Blessed are the ones trusting in Your love; You are faithful, Father, in all that is to come.”

God bless,

Kevin

"He takes care of me"

Now that the month on the calendar has flipped to June, I should share that this is a special, celebratory month for me.  No, I’m not just referring to the Denver Nuggets being in the NBA Finals for the first time in their history (or how Denver won Game One over the Miami Heat tonight 104-93).  However, as a sports fan, I will say it’s been intriguing to see them on this journey.  But June has a lot more to it than that for me.  For instance, this month marks another year that I’ve been working in customer service at Chick-fil-A (I often joke that I’ve been working there not quite since the dawn of time; it’s actually coming up on 20 years soon).  And on the 29th, I celebrate my birthday. 

I look forward to these events with anticipation, because this year has been incredibly difficult.  Perhaps you even noticed that I alluded to this in the “about me” section of this blog.  I updated my bio, and I have a new picture there too.  However, to live through this extraordinarily painful season of life has given me a fresh perspective.  Jonathan Evans, the son of Dr. Tony Evans, in his book “Your time in now” writes:

“No matter how much money or fame and no matter how many friends a person has, we all face difficult things.  But don’t forget that these are things that shape you, if you let them.  Because every test you go through is setting you up to be a testimony for God’s great name.  You can’t have a testimony without a test.  You’ve got to go through the stuff, press past the problems, and overcome the adversities to develop your spiritual strength.” 

The bottom line is this: today’s blog, and this month, is another chance for me to give God all the glory for it all.  I’m being nakedly transparent with you: my relationship with Jesus is everything.  Without Him, the trials I’ve endured would have left me completely destroyed.  The Collingsworth family once recorded a song titled “I can trust Jesus”.  In it, they capture my heart with these words: “I can trust Jesus…He is my strong tower.  The strength in my weakest hour.  I can trust Jesus; He takes care of me.”  Proverbs 18:10 is right when it declares, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

God bless,

Kevin