The most glorious Sunday of all

Easter is such a special day for me.  It’s a high energy, passionate, celebration every year; because I commemorate the reality that Jesus Christ rose from the grave, alive forevermore.  Jesus not only claimed that He was going to rise from the dead (see Luke 24:6-7 for one example), but He actually said in John 10: “I lay down my life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again” (verses 17-18).  Easter is the most glorious of Sundays, because we celebrate that Jesus is unlike any other figure in history; He took on death, and He won!

Someone is thinking something like, “Good to see some things never change. Kevin is prattling on about the resurrection of a Jewish Rabbi again.  But so what?  What relevance does this have in my life today?”  I’m glad you asked! Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” When He walked on this Earth, Jesus was all about calling people to Himself; to look to Him for significance, purpose, fulfillment, and peace; to proclaim to others that He offered salvation and forgiveness of sin.  Because He doesn’t change – because of the truth of Easter Sunday – Jesus is still in the business of transforming lives, just as He did those centuries ago.

You can’t have a relationship with a dead person.  You can admire them, and even be inspired by the life they led, but you can’t have a relationship with them.  For example, when I was born, Roger Moore was playing the role of James Bond.  (Wow, that dates me.  Please, no jokes about how I’m quietly getting old.)  The fact is I think Roger Moore was an extremely talented actor – and a very good James Bond, I might add.  I never had the chance to meet him personally, and I can’t do so now, because sadly he passed on in 2017.  But because of the events of Easter, how Jesus walked out of the grave, you and I can have a relationship with Jesus this very day.

In John 16, Jesus tells His disciples that it’s actually to their benefit that He is about to leave the world, because if He didn’t, the Holy Spirit wouldn’t come (verse 7).  You see, God is at work in the world.  The Spirit of God draws, woos, and convinces men and women today; He convicts humanity of their sin, and their need for the Savior of the world, named Jesus.  How do I know this?  Because that’s what happened to me.  I am who I am today because of Jesus.  

Don’t get me wrong: I still struggle with my inconsistencies and sinfulness.  But even still, I echo the words of Galatians 2:20 for my own testimony: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  I’ve said it before, but here it is again: it’s my prayer that if you’ve never started your relationship with Jesus, you would give up the fight and do it today.  This doesn’t mean that life will magically become a cake walk; but it does mean that you will have a Friend who will be with you, and empower you along the way, no matter what you may go through.  

Let me begin to wrap this up.  The 2006 film “Superman Returns” is a rather odd superhero movie.  It features a good cast (Brandon Routh was excellent as the Man of Steel, and Kevin Spacey was a very good Lex Luthor), and there are some dazzling cinematic moments.  Such as when Superman saves an entire airplane full of people – including Lois – from certain death.  Or when a bullet doesn’t bounce off of Superman’s S crest, but rather his actual eyeball; not only is Superman unharmed, he doesn’t even blink.  The unfortunate reality is these moments are few and far between.  Overall, the story was mediocre, bland, confusing, and attempting to do too much.  However, when I think of this film, one scene springs to mind. 

Lex Luthor manages to get kryptonite.  With it, both he and his goons, physically torture Superman.  To see Superman kicked while down, mocked, and get his head pushed underwater, is very difficult to watch.  But the worst moment in this sequence is when Lex stabs Superman in the side with a kryptonite shard, and then he leaves him for dead.  This is a cinematic allusion to Christ, as this happened to Jesus on the cross (John 19:34).  Of course, Superman ultimately survived the kryptonite; he lived on, and to sum it up succinctly, he saved countless lives.  This too points to Jesus, His glorious resurrection from the dead, and that He saves “to the uttermost those who comes to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25). 

God bless,

Kevin

My story (Part 3)

Today I’m going to conclude this collection of blogs reflecting on my story; this is part 3 of 3.  I want to document how part of my story is the fact that, in several episodes, I would have died had God not chosen to intervene.  It is incredibly humbling for me to consider that God chose to preserve my life to this day; in His divine wisdom, He decided for me to be breathing in and out here in March of 2024. 

For example, I’ve often spoken of how God healed me from a terrible and ruthless disease I had as a baby.  It very nearly took my life – I was technically dead for three minutes, in fact – but the Lord brought me back to life, and the disease was gone!  Job 12:10 states in the hand of God is “the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind”.  For years, my parents sang a song of thanksgiving they had written to God for healing me; every April, my loved ones and I still celebrate this miraculous intervention.  And yet that was just the first instance of my being snapped away from the jaws of death.

Not long ago, I found in a journal where I wrote about a day in early August of last year.  I stated that the whole day had very difficult for me; I indicated with every breath there was lung and rib pain.  I didn’t know it, but this was telling me that I had an ulcer and internal bleeding.  Thus, by the end of August, I was pale, sickly, and closer to death than I knew.  On the 31st, I had struggled at work again.  Had I not decided to go to the doctor’s office, I’m sure I would have bled to death very soon.  Instead, a doctor saw my low hemoglobin levels, urged me to go to the emergency room, and my road to recovery began.        

I actually could go on detailing other episodes of God protecting me, and saving me from death’s door.  God has been faithful and kind to me.  But you get the idea so let me begin to wrap this trilogy of blogs up.  Ultimately, my story isn’t about me.  In Romans 14, we are told that no one lives or dies to himself; if we live, we live to God, and if we die, we die to God (verses 7-8).  I’m thankful beyond words to live for God this day; and to have the opportunity to point, once again, to His goodness and grace. You see, it’s true that God chose to preserve my life on numerous episodes.  But the greatest miracle of all is how the Lord transformed my life, through the gospel.

Jesus Christ was the only one qualified to be the Savior for the world.  As God Himself, in human flesh, He paid the wages for mankind’s sin.  “The wages of sin,” we are told in Romans 6:23, “is death.  But the gift of God is eternal life, in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Here in the midst of Holy Week, 2023, we contemplate again how Christ lived a perfect life, He died a perfect death, and then – just as He had predicted He would – He rose from the dead forevermore.  That’s the gospel!  Now, through faith and belief in Christ and His substitutionary work, we can have an intimate relationship with the God of the universe.  Have you done this?  Whether I live for another 30 years, or 30 hours, I will share this life-changing message.

God bless,

Kevin

My story (Part 2)

Yesterday, I heard a segment on a Christian radio station that I found very intriguing.  The DJ shared the details of a celebrity who had suffered a tremendous loss; I wish I caught all the details, but I didn’t.  The bottom line was this person endured horrendous pain and trauma.  One year later, as this person was beginning to resurface, someone in the media asked her, what is a question that you wish someone would ask you.  This person said, “I wish someone would ask me, ‘who are you now?’ 

As the DJ rightly pointed out yesterday, pain has a way of changing us, but that doesn’t necessarily mean for the worst.  The listener was invited to call in and offer their thoughts on their own trauma and pain, and to then answer, as a result of going through this, ‘who are you now?’  This segment deeply resonated with me.  After the intense trials I’ve endured in the last 18 months, I actually thought about calling in, but I was too hungry and tired after a long day, so I didn’t.  Even still, God has used these ordeals to shape and refine me.  So what would I have said if I had called in to that radio station?  I would have said something like this:

'Who am I now?  I am someone who has been consistently storm-tossed, and is better for it!  For the last year and a half or so, I’ve been in the midst of one fiery trial after another.  Someone said something to me that hurt me so deeply, my heart was shattered into a million pieces.  A physical ordeal put me into a hospital emergency room, near death.  There were instances of theft and other injustices against me.  A beloved family car was totaled after a bad wreck on the highway – unharmed physically, but not emotionally.  On and on I could go with trials that continue, even to this very moment.  Yet, in the midst of it, God has taught me invaluable lessons. 

He taught me to choose to look at life through the prism of a grateful heart; to applaud others success and achievements, rather than envying them.  He taught me to be comfortable with who I am, and the path God has called me to walk; not to play the comparison game, but to remember that everyone’s life journey is different.  Thus, every day I now walk in confidence from the Lord, with my head held high.  In the Bible – Malachi chapter 3 – the Lord is likened to a “refiner’s fire”; it is He who will “sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver.”  It is incredible to me that through these relentless fires of adversity and pain, God has used it to refine me into a better version of myself.' 

In conclusion, some people suggest that it would be great to know what is going to happen in the future.  I disagree.  To know, in advance, all of the crushing events that would come upon me would have filled me with dread.  However, that said, if I were able to tell my past self not only what was going to happen, but also how it would change me for the better, I’m sure past Kevin would have a hard time believing it.  All I can do in response is praise and thank God; even in the midst of all of these storms, I feel the most whole, the most secure, the most confident, that I’ve ever felt before.  This is an absolute miracle to me!

God bless,

Kevin

My story (Part 1)

I recently went to a church event where we had an opportunity to share a brief testimony of how we became a follower of Christ.  It was to be very short; an “elevator pitch” if you will (I felt a little bit like I was back in public speaking class, but it was fun!).  My speech was a lot like what I wrote last time in this blog – although I did leave out the “Spider-Man 2” content.

Like I did here, I began by speaking of coming to Christ at a Billy Graham crusade, but that was just me being put on the team.  Then I began to describe some of the trials that have hit me in the last 18 months; and I did mention my dad’s unexpected passing in 2015 too.  Ultimately, I gave God the glory, not just to survive these ordeals, but even thrive in them, oddly enough (I’ll flesh that sentence out in a future blog, Lord willing). 

The idea was to ask the group for feedback as to how to sharpen the presentation.  So when it came time for feedback of my speech, someone asked if I really had come to Christ at 6 years old.  This wasn’t asked out of doubt or disbelieve, apparently I just hadn’t made this point clear, at least in this person’s mind.  It taught me an important lesson: I can take this part of my story for granted.  You see, I know beyond a doubt that this is where I began my relationship with the Lord; however, if I ever did give an “elevator pitch” to someone, I need to make it abundantly clear that, in 1987, I truly became a follower of Christ.  This realization inspired me to share this with you today. 

As I pondered all of this, I was reminded of an interview that Rebecca St. James once had.  This past Friday, March 8, was International Women’s Day, so it’s fitting that I bring up the Australian born woman that has had such an impact on my life, and many, many others as well.  In that interview, Rebecca shared that she came to Christ at age 8, and subsequently dedicated all her gifts and talents to God, at age 12.  The host commented that children are quite able to make important, spiritual decisions; they know more than we realize.  Parents and guardians do not necessarily need to wait until their young person gets older.

Let me come at this at another angle.  It was Dr. Adrian Rogers who pointed out something that I think is so helpful with this subject matter.  He said rather than concentrating so much on the alleged profession of faith way back when, look instead at the fruit of the person’s life today.  Jesus gave these powerful words in Matthew 7: “Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (verses 17-18).  So in my case, I wouldn’t just point to an experience that happened almost 4 decades ago – as important a day as that was for me – I would point to the fruit I’m bearing now.  Yes, I am saying that I bear fruit, all for God’s glory!

By stating this, you are not hearing me declare that I’ve arrived spiritually, or that I’m sinless and perfect.  The Bible actually tells us if we make such a statement, we are deceived “and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).  The truth is I struggle every single day.  But, at the same time, I also live every day endeavoring to please my Heavenly Father.  Let me give you a candid example of this…

Not that long ago, someone asked me about the gold ring I wear on my right hand.  I explained that this was an outward expression of my inner conviction to not have sex until marriage.  This person had put it all together: since I remain very single, standing before them was a virgin, in their 40’s.  Do I know something about sexual passion boiling underneath the surface?  Believe me, if anyone knows about it, I do!  But the Bible states to hold off expressing that passion until married life (see 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 for just one example).  In that same interview I brought up earlier, Rebecca St. James eloquently stated that we live in a culture that tells us, “You can do whatever you want, with whomever, at whatever time.  ‘Just do it.’  But they’re not talking about the consequences.”  Amen, Rebecca!  Better to do it God’s way.

God bless,

Kevin

Remarks after a brief sabbatical

I begin with a story.  Just this week at work, I was treated to a verbal love-fest by my coworkers.  I don’t know what prompted them to give such gracious compliments to me that day (you’d think it was my first day back from work after being away for months due to my illness; not so).  What took the cake, what blew me away really, was when one manager remarked, “Did you guys feel that?  When Kevin walked in, the whole room seemed to change; suddenly there was a great calm.”  I responded with something like, “I sure hope that’s true.” 

Let me be crystal clear: this story isn’t me parading how great I consider myself.  I can already hear the cynic saying, “Kevin takes a three-week sabbatical and now it’s all about him.”  No, may it never be.  May I never be that delusional or arrogant!  In fact, if I wasn’t so surprised by those kind words, I would have said, “Give glory to God; that’s all Him, not me.”  This is nothing more than a testimony to God bearing the fruit of peace in my life (see Galatians 5:22).  It is supernatural peace and tranquility, from the Holy Spirit, in a difficult season in my life.

You see, for the past year and a half or so, life has been a constant barrage of storm after storm.  There’s the physical ailment that put me in the hospital for a few days.  Or I could talk about the two instances of vicious words that cut me like I knife, and injured me deeply (I choose forgiveness and love, not bitterness and hate, but the scars will remain with me forever); there’s also the multiple cases of injustice and theft that occurred against me.  Or, how about considering the car wreck that completely totaled a beloved family vehicle?  No one was hurt that day, quite miraculously, but the stress remains.  The point I’m getting at is this: in the midst of all that chaos and stress, God displayed the fruit of supernatural peace in my life to the point that a coworker alluded to it.  Give God the glory!

As I transition to the next portion of this, someone recently asked me what my favorite movie is.  While it’s a difficult question when you consider all the categories and movie genres there are, I answered that no one could top 2004’s “Spider-Man 2”.  What struck me after the conversion – I basically played the movie in my head soon after it – was the transformation of the main villain at the end of the film.  Doctor Octopus was guilty of heinous crimes, but in the end, he sacrificed himself to save the city.  He died a hero.  It’s a reminder for us that anyone can change.

In my case, God’s grace entered my life when I was just 6 years old.  The Lord used Billy Graham at a crusade to convince me that I was a sinner in need of a Savior named Jesus.  God changed me that day; to use the words of a pastor who had a similar experience: He changed me not only from who I was, but who I would have become.  However, that was just the beginning.  Only God knew that life would eventually include such incredible pain and difficulty, whether you want to cite the unexpected death of my father, or any other fiery crucible that occurred after.  Today, I see that I’m so far from perfect, but the Lord has been with me, no matter what.  As the group Elevation worship sings, “He’s been my fourth man in the fire, time after time.”

Your story may differ from mine.  Maybe, like Doctor Octopus, you have gone down a dark path.  But, I wholeheartedly believe that it’s not too late.  If there’s breath, there’s hope.  Today can be your transformation day.  Like Doc Ock, you can ultimately be remembered for your honor and virtue.  The God of the universe named Jesus can completely revolutionize your life, and put you on an entirely new path.  John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”  Believe in and receive Him today.

God bless,

Kevin