Tying up loose ends (Part 2)

Every December at Christmastime we quote from Isaiah 9 that states that Jesus is not only “mighty God”, but also “wonderful counselor” (verse 6).  I can attest to you that this is absolutely true.  You see, for many years, Valentine’s Day was a difficult day for me.  Understand that there have been exceptions to this; for example, things shifted when my dad passed away – almost 10 years ago now – I took it upon myself to use Valentine’s Day to show my dear mother that she is loved.  Isn’t that what we celebrate on Valentine’s Day?  But even still, I developed the habit of focusing on the (seemingly) happy couples, jealous of what they had.  This wasn’t even something I even knew that I was doing; it was God the “wonderful counselor” who recently illuminated it to me.

This Valentine’s Day was such a delight for me!  Rather than bathe in envy and jealousy, I chose gratitude that the couples around me found each other.  Rather than mentally compare myself to others (a surefire recipe to make yourself completely miserable), I can know that everyone’s story is a little different.  Incidentally, while I’m on this subject, one of the verses that the Lord used in my life is 2 Corinthians 10:12; which says, “When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves by themselves, they are not wise.”  Did you know that was in the Bible?  What a joy to know that it is the Lord who directs the steps (Psalm 37:23)!  He has put me where I am today for a purpose.  I am to run my own race, or as an author I read somewhere put it: “stay in your own lane.”

I want to publicly state how I thank and praise God for showing me this important life lesson.  Romans 11:36 sums it up: “For from him and through him and for him are all things.  To him be the glory forever!  Amen.”  All of this seems obvious now, but I couldn’t see it.  Make no mistake: the reason I’m presenting this content today isn’t because I’m so clever I figured it out.  No, it’s because the “wonderful counselor” Himself communicated it to me.  And I pass this on, hopeful that it helps you as well. 

Let me conclude with this.  I’ve been re-reading a tremendous book by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and Robert Wolgemoth titled “You can trust God to write your story”.  In the foreword of that book, Joni Eareckson Tada writes: “If God seems to be writing an unusual story in your life, don’t resist His penmanship on the pages of your days.  Don’t balk against the bumps and bruises He writes into your script.  I will be the first to confess that His Providence can, at times, read like a mystery novel, but in the end, His storyline for those who trust Him is always wise, specific, and good.  Good for you and for others.  Best of all, good for the kingdom.”

God bless,

Kevin

Tying up loose ends (Part 1)

Let me begin with an analogy that a pastor once gave.  He likened life with God to being in a 4 X 4 truck.  God is driving, and we are in the passenger seat; He had already announced, “We’re going to have some fun, but make sure you put your seatbelt on.  Things are going to get bumpy.”  I can deeply resonate with that analogy!  There is a lot going on in my life right now, and I have not been able to blog as regularly as I would like to.  So here’s what I’ve decided to do: last time, I mentioned that I was going to give my thoughts on Super Bowl 59 – which I will be doing today.  And in the next blog, another loose end I plan on tying up is some Valentine’s Day thoughts, which was this past Friday already.  So that’s where we are going, at least as far as my plans go, but we’ll see what plans God has.

Not too long ago, I came across a you tube channel by a guy named Tom Grossi.  He gives humorous reactions to NFL developments from the perspective of an NFL fanbase; he is sitting on a couch, wearing the corresponding NFL jerseys to do this.  His recent video titled “Every NFL fan's reaction to Super Bowl 59” has several very funny moments.  A link can be found here if interested.  It begins, for example, with the Eagles reaction: “You may not like it, but we’re the good guys in this scenario.  First, we beat the Patriots, and then the Chiefs.  We are Luke Skywalker!”  The Chiefs reaction was simply, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

What caught my attention was what he offered as the Seattle Seahawks reaction: “A bird team blowing out a team from the West in the Super Bowl; memories!”  Broncos: “No, we are not bringing that up!  This is a happy day.”  This is a reference to Super Bowl 48, and a 43-8 drubbing. I couldn’t help but think of this game.  In the days leading up to that game, everyone seemed to be having trouble predicting a winner.  The Broncos were coming in with a high flying offense (still the best in NFL history, by the way, even all these years later!).  After the dismantling of the Broncos, some NFL pundit responded, “Defense wins championships.  How could I forget?”  Yet it seems to easily be forgotten. 

As I was watching the Philadelphia Eagles steamroll the Kansas City Chiefs, I couldn’t help but think of other various dominant defenses in the Super Bowl in my lifetime.  I was too young to remember the ‘85 Chicago Bears, but I’ve seen clips of how amazing a defense they were; they demolished the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl 20.  I thought of the great defense of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens that beat up on the New York Giants 34-7.  I thought about how the Denver Broncos rebounded from Super Bowl 48’s debacle by coming into Super Bowl 50 with a stellar defense and stunning the Carolina Panthers, and their potent offense, defeating them 24-10.  Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and a very good defense, smothered Patrick Mahomes Chiefs in Super Bowl 55, by a score of 31-9.  What is my point?  Defense wins championships.  We’ve seen it time and time again.

Kevin

Super Bowl 59 thoughts

40-22 Eagles.  That was the final score of the big game today.  It’s interesting to consider that, years from now, some historian may look at just the score, and think that it was a relatively close game.  That would be wrong.  I think at one point in the 3rd quarter it was 34-0 Eagles; the Chiefs got some yards and points in garbage time, but make no mistake: this was a complete beatdown by the Philadelphia Eagles.  Congratulations to the Eagles on their second Super Bowl victory, each time over a powerful opponent (they defeated the Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl 52).  And congrats to the Chiefs; they made it to the Super Bowl again and had a chance to win 3 Lombardi trophies in a row, but a buzzsaw of an Eagles defense just dominated.

However, I don’t really want to focus on the game today.  I want to focus on what I was going through leading up to the game – I do intend to give some more of my thoughts on the game next time.  This is a Super Bowl that I will not soon forget, because I was sick all day long.  I woke up with a roaring headache that turned into a bad migraine headache.  Quickly soon after, it morphed into various other unpleasant symptoms, like vomiting.  It felt like I was experiencing flu-like symptoms for several hours.  I essentially spent the whole day sleeping, and having my routine completely disrupted.

Therefore, it was such a huge blessing to finally be at a place physically where I could get out of bed, and watch a much-anticipated Super Bowl game.  What a blessing it was, as I described it, to “be upright” or in a vertical position again!  It was a reminder that health is such a massive blessing not to be taken for granted.  It’s a reminder that every day we wake up and face a day it is a huge gift.  Because life, as I recently heard a character in a movie correctly declare “can turn on a dime.”  It’s so true.  Just as some of the Eagles did on the postgame show, I want to stop and thank God.  I give Him all the glory for who He is, and what He has done in my life.

To be continued!

God bless,

Kevin    

A "new world" in 2025

It was back in 1995 when a creative movie trailer was released.  It began with these words: “It’s a new world.  With new enemies.  And new threats.  But you can still depend, on one man.”  The last phrase “on one man” lingered; a figure walked on, with his gun blazing, he began to blast away bits and pieces to ultimately reveal the phrase “007”.  The man walked up; it was Pierce Brosnan, in all his suave glory, showcasing that there was a new James Bond in town.  “You were expecting someone else?”  He remarked.  And images of the new Bond film “Goldeneye” emerged.  I begin this way as a springboard for what I want to talk about today. 

However, while I’m on the subject, I have to say that Pierce Brosnan’s portrayal of James Bond is very much underrated.  Once upon a time, the Bond franchise was all but dead.  The last movie had been back in 1989, the six-year hiatus was the longest in its franchise.  Many were probably wondering if 007 would ever return.  Enter Pierce Brosnan.  He breathed new life into the series; each of his four Bond films were big blockbuster hits.  His last film “Die Another Day” (2002) is widely criticized, but I recently saw it again on DVD, and I thought it was entertaining.  Is it the best Bond film ever made?  No, it’s not even the best Brosnan Bond film ever made.  But it’s not nearly as bad as people have made it out to be, either.

So what’s my point?  Why begin with a description of a movie trailer (to say nothing of the rabbit trail I proceeded to chase)?  Because this trailer illustrates the transition that has occurred at my work at Chick-fil-A.  It really is a “new world” for me.  You see, January 31st marked the end of an era: The Chick-fil-A store I work at, that had a particular operator since 2015, saw this operator move on to a new Chick-fil-A out of state.  We have a new operator as of 2/1.  I’m optimistic; I think this new operator is doing a good job.  That said, it’s been sad to say goodbye to the old regime. 

It’s been a stressful, world wind for me these last few weeks, I admit it.  Yesterday, as I was getting ready for work, I thought about all the changes, and that “Goldeneye” trailer I started with came to mind; “it’s a new world…but you can still depend on one man.”  It certainly is a whole new world.  However, I don’t depend on a fictional spy; I depend on God.  And, I testify to you that He has been so faithful to me.

This latest episode isn’t the only time it felt like the bottom of my life just dropped out.  What a comfort to know that the same God who has sustained me, no matter what comes my way, will sustain me in the future!  In 2023, Josh Baldwin and Bethel Music released a song called “Time and time again”; in the midst of all of these changes in my life, I recently sang this song to God several times:  

“You’re still the rock that I cling to when everything else falls apart.  You’re still the One I’m building on; the reason my hope’s never lost.  You’re the reason my hope’s never lost.  You come through now like you did back then, time and time and time again.  Almighty fortress, my defense, time and time and time again.  Nothing has ever been wasted, ‘cause there’s nothing that You can’t restore.  As the waters rise, I’ll lift my eyes to where my help’s coming from.  You’re where my help’s coming from.”

God bless,

Kevin