Remembering a milestone...one month late

I didn’t get the chance to blog about it on the actual day but I wanted to speak about a special event from my past.  When I was a baby, on April 24th of 1982, I had the first defining moment of my life.  I’m not going to go into great detail today, but essentially I was sick with an unmerciful disease as an infant.  While at the hospital, I died for 3 minutes.  My life would have been gone, but God intervened.  I love the words of Daniel to King Belshazzer in Daniel 5; he tells him God holds “your breath in His hands” (verse 23; NKJV).  God put breath back into me that day; what’s more, the disease was gone; and it hasn’t resurfaced again in almost 4 decades now!

Some people are of the opinion that the past doesn’t matter.  That one should just look forward, and never contemplate the past.  But this isn’t a biblical idea.  I recently came across an excellent article from the website got questions.org.  I commend it to you, as I really can’t delve as deeply into it as I would like.  It asks and answers the significance of the stones of remembrance in Joshua 4.  The author writes, “Joshua’s stones of remembrance are just one monument in a series of memorials commemorating the mighty acts of God on behalf of the people of Israel (Exodus 13:3-6; Deuteronomy 27:1-8; Joshua 22:9-12; 24:24-28; 1 Samuel 7:12).” 

Later on in this marvelous article, the writer states, “Remembering the past plays a vital role in the identity of any nation.  Sociologists claim a society aspiring to endure must become “a community of memory and hope” (Waltke, B.K., “Joshua” New Bible Commentary 21st century Edition, ed. By D.A Carson, R.T. France, J.A. Motyer, and G.J. Wenham, Inter-Varsity Press, 1994, p. 241).  God repeatedly directed ancient Israel to set up monuments and enact rituals such as Passover (Exodus 13-14).  Each tribute marked a significant historical memory that would offer hope for the nation that God had claimed as His own.” 

(Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/stones-of-remembrance.html)

As I look at my life now, I’m overwhelmed at God’s power, mercy, and sustenance to me.  God is not bound by time.  We humans experience time in a linear fashion; it unfolds one moment at time.  But God is outside this limitation.  The Bible says that a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3:8).  I bring this up because God knew when He healed me as a child the life I would be living today.  He knew the battles I would fight with my own sin today.  The old hymn says it well: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.  Prone to leave the God I love.”  I struggle and I fall.  But I call out to Him for forgiveness, and He graciously provides it.  He picks me up, cleans me up, and we recommence walking together.

To conclude, I love the song from writer Tommy Nelson titled “Never gonna stop”.  His words echo mine with these words from his pen: “For Your beauty that’s been shown, for Your mysteries unknown, for the miracles we’ve seen, we praise You, Lord.  For the story of Your love, for the wonder of Your blood, how it makes the sinner clean, someone like me.  So I’m never gonna stop, never gonna stop, lifting up my hands to You, lifting up my heart.  When the last day comes and goes, and time will be no more, I’ll be praising You.”           

Kevin 

Lessons learned (part 3 of 3)

Well, I’ve finally returned after a long absence.  I have done this before.  I’ve seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth and then returned.  So keep in mind, in an ever-changing world, it’s good to know some things don’t change!  In all seriousness, life has been very chaotic lately.  Blogging had to be put on hold, but I’m happy to be back.  I’m hopeful I can begin to consistently post blogs because that’s something I love to do.

It seems like forever ago now, but back in March I began a series of blogs on lessons learned from 2020.  I did this because it was in March of 2020 when my world was turned upside-down and backward as a result of covid-19.  Of course, everyone’s way of life was disrupted.  So after two previous blogs, today I want to conclude that blog series with another life lesson I learned.

It has been said that God is in the timing.  This is true.  I wanted to write on this important topic for months, but I was sidelined.  In the interim, I saw an old TV show that had a statement in it that will help introduce today’s subject matter.  In an episode of the TV show “Hazel” (1961-1966), Hazel Burke, the Baxter family’s meddling, but well-intentioned maid was at it again.  She counseled a friend of hers to confess to an indiscretion, even though this person wasn’t even guilty of this.  Hazel’s rationale was to take the blame for it anyway, because as she put it: “People like forgiving other people.  It gives them a sort of ‘holier than thou’ feeling.”

What a misunderstanding of forgiveness!  Hazel may have had her heart in the right place, but she was wrong on this one.  A person doesn’t forgive because they are saying, “Look at how good I am.”  A person forgives because the alternative is grim.  If I hold on to unforgiveness, if I choose to nurse a grudge, I’m really not hurting you; ultimately I’m only hurting myself.  Further, since I don’t want bitterness to eat me up inside, I’m going to choose to grant forgiveness. 

One of the Mother’s Day gifts my mom received was an excellent book by Margaret Feinberg.  It’s titled “More power to you: Declarations to break free from fear and take back your life.”  In one chapter, she tells a powerful story of how she struggled with unforgiveness.  I love her honesty as she relays the details of that season.  She writes,

“Refusing to forgive left me distrustful.  My ire was doled out toward anyone who broke the most innocent of promises.  If you said you’d bring a salad to dinner and forgot, I felt betrayed.  If you promised to meet me at the movie theater on the hour and arrived four minutes late, I felt you were out to get me.” 

She goes on to describe how she came upon the Bible’s words in Matthew 18, where Jesus tells Peter that he must forgive not up to seven times, as Peter had suggested, but seventy times seven (verse 21).  “For me, forgiveness took root somewhere between 372 and 379 times.” she states.  “I finally stopped counting, and forgiveness flooded the deep recesses of my heart…I’m no longer eaten up by negativity and a lust for justice.  What they did was wrong, and forgiving them hasn’t made it right.  But my soul is healthy regardless of them.”

So, in conclusion, why am I bringing this subject matter up?  Because 2020 taught us that everyone on Earth needs forgiveness.  We can’t live life, and we can’t have interpersonal relationships, without hurting others along the way.  I won’t take the time for it today, but I could tell you about how I said something I later regretted, so I had to go and apologize.  Forgiveness was extended to me, and it felt like a breath of fresh air in my lungs.  Further, I could tell you incidents of how I was hurt by others, and I chose to forgive.  Matthew West had it right in his song “forgiveness: “The prisoner that it really frees is you.” 

Kevin

"My living hope"

Several years ago, a coworker asked me what my favorite holiday is.  My answer was a surprise to her, just as it might be to you: I answered Easter.  “What about Christmas?”  She asked.  I replied that I loved Christmas too; but I went on to explain that Easter is the day to celebrate that Jesus Christ walked out of the grave, alive forevermore! 

My love for Easter has only been deepened since then.  In fact, the importance of this day cannot be overstated.  Romans 1:4 says that Jesus “was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead.”  Later on in that same book, we read, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9).  1 Peter 1 says we have been given “new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.”  I don’t worship a dead corpse; I worship the risen Lord Jesus Christ!

Someone wants to know why Jesus’ resurrection is important.  I would invite you to take a fresh look at some statements Jesus made.  For example, Jesus arrived to Mary and Martha, grieving the loss of their brother, Lazarus.  And Jesus unequivocally states, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25).  Just so you know: if I ever make such a claim about myself to you, I lost my sanity.  No, I’m not the resurrection and the life, but Jesus is, He backed up His words on Easter Sunday.

I have been gripped by this incident in John 16.  On the last night He had with His disciples, the Lord speaks words that, as usual, His disciples didn’t understand.  He declares in John 16:16, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a while you will see.”  The disciples are thoroughly confused, and Jesus clarifies.  “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.  You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy” (verse 20).  He goes on to give the analogy of the pain of a woman in labor, but upon delivery of the baby, she completely forgets the pain, and instead there is only joy.  Verse 22: “So it is with you: Now is the time of your grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”  And that’s exactly what happened.

In conclusion, I love Phil Wickham’s song “Living Hope”.  “Who could imagine so great a mercy?  What heart can fathom such boundless grace?  The God of ages stepped down from glory to wear my sin and bear my shame.  The cross has spoken, I am forgiven…Jesus Christ, my living hope.”  And here's the climatic stanza: “Then came the morning that sealed the promise; Your buried body began to breathe.  Out of the silence, the roaring lion declared the grave has no claim on me.  Jesus, yours is the victory.”  There is hope in Jesus.  He is the hope.  He is my hope; my living hope.

Kevin

Grieving the loss of life in Boulder

There are moments in life when an event hits you so hard that time seems to stop.  All you are left with are feelings of disbelief, shock, and helplessness.  This happened to me again recently.  I’m referring to a horrible event last week; there was a shooting at a King Soopers in Boulder, Colorado.  10 people lost their lives.  I want to wish my sympathy to the families and friends who have been thrust into a dark season of pain, suffering, and grief. 

As I said, this news has hit me very hard emotionally.  I don’t live in Boulder, but I do live in Colorado.  Actually, Boulder isn’t all that far from my stomping grounds.   The close proximity was one aspect that shook me up, but another thing is the venue.  I am a frequent shopper at King Soopers.  How often have I gone into a King Soopers just to get a few things?  It goes to show that one cannot take a day for granted, because life is fragile.

King Soopers all throughout Colorado have set up beautiful memorial tables to honor the victims.  At one of them, there was a place for people to write a few words.  I took the time to record my perspective.  I wrote this: ‘To lose someone you love to death is to walk around with a hole in your heart.  I know this firsthand.  I pray God’s comfort, peace, and healing for those plunged into grief.’

Kevin

Lessons learned this year (part 2)

This past year has been memorable.  Of course, there’s been trying to navigate in a covid world, but – as challenging as this has been – it’s certainly not just that.  For instance, I’ve mentioned my prolonged upper respiratory sickness and subsequent intense pain that persists to this day.  I’ve never endured such an unusual episode. 

Furthermore, I’ve been contemplating my life and legacy.  I have been doing this for several reasons: 1) because I am just a few months away from my 40th birthday.  2) I recently just about got into a car wreck.  It is miraculous to me how the car that swerved into my lane somehow didn’t hit me!  There was no damage whatsoever – unless you want to mention the affect it had on my emotions.  It was a visceral reminder that life is fragile and precious.

So, after that introduction, what is the lesson I learned that I want to convey today?  Well, once again, as I have been reflecting on the brevity of life; I’ve been thinking about a hero of mine.  I’m referring to a pastor named Rick Ferguson.  Rick passed away in 2002, at the young age of 46, but he left an amazing legacy for God.  Pastor Rick said this on more than one occasion:

“If we knew what God knows, we would always want what God wants.”

The older I get, the more I see the wisdom of these words.  To begin, God knows things that we don’t know, and will never know.  Romans 11:33 says, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”  God is love but He’s also all-knowing, perfect, and holy.  Yet sometimes I am tempted to think that I actually know better than God.  What foolishness!  My limited knowledge and perspective isn’t a reliable gauge.

I love the book “You can trust God to write your story” by Robert and Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth.  In chapter 1 of the book, they write, “Perspective makes all the difference.  God sees the beginning and the end and everything in between; we only see this present moment...He has a wide-angle lens and sees the whole mural He is painting in all of history.  We only see the little speck of time and space we occupy at this moment.”  Amen and amen!  Therefore, I can trust God with the details of my life, with the confidence that He knows best.

In conclusion, it is coming up on twenty years since Pastor Rick Ferguson unexpectedly passed away.  It was one of the first times in my life where I tasted the bitter pill of losing someone you love.  But his life and legacy inspires me even now.  Because he wasn’t just talking the talk, he was living it.  I could go on and on, but for today, I remember his maxim: “If we knew what God knows, we would always want what God wants.”  This year has been a hard year.  But I resolve yet again to put my trust in God, knowing that His way is the best way.

Kevin

Lessons learned this year (part 1)

If we learned anything from 2020, it is that we can be going along our way, and suddenly without warning, hardships, suffering, and pain can hit us.  This was certainly the case for me as well.  No, I didn’t get covid-19, but I did have a bad upper respiratory illness that sidelined me for a considerable amount of time.  The remnants of this ailment bled into 2021.  In fact, even as I write these words, I still have lingering pain. 

Furthermore, it was on 3/16/20, when the Chick-fil-A store that I work for closed on the inside.  It has been strange to work in this new paradigm of drive-through orders only.  As it has been almost a year, I wanted to take some time to present a few lessons I have learned since last March.

#1: Fear not

This is a big one.  I’ve learned that fear, anxiety, and worry can grip my heart and make me act in a way that isn’t consistent with who I really am.  As I was putting all of this together, I saw an example of someone living in fear.  Even though it was a fictional character, it was plausible and helpful for me to watch it.  So I wanted to share it with you today.

In the 3rd season of the fine animated TV show “Ultimate Spider-Man”, our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man chases his arch-enemy, the Green Goblin, across parallel universes.  It’s such an epic saga it takes 4 parts for the story to be told in full.  In one of the installments, Spidey comes across a Spider-Man – known as Spider-Man Noir – who has pushed everyone he ever loved away.  This turned him into a hardened, but equally lonely man.  Why did he do this?  He did it out of the intense fear that someone would get hurt or killed.  Ultimate Spider-Man implores Spider-Man Noir to let others in because he will be the better for it.  And in the end, Noir does so, and he thanks his counterpart for his influence and help.  

The quote that grabbed my attention was when the Mary Jane Watson of that universe asked Spider-Man Noir why he pushed her away in the first place.  After he explained his reasoning, she answered: “You can’t live in fear of what might happen.”  It’s so true.  Yet how often are we – how often am I – guilty of the very same thing?  We fear rejection, being alone, loss of health, death, and whatever else you want to put in this sentence.

The only way to live a life without agonizing fear is to turn these issues over to a trustworthy God.  This is a lesson I’ve learned this year, and I continue to remind myself of it every day.  Trust and irrational fear can’t coexist in a heart.  The Bible encourages the child of God not to be anxious, but rather to present these concerns to God in prayer, and when this is done, His peace will come rushing in (Philippians 4:6-7).  I’ve experienced this phenomenon in my own life.  But it’s a daily battle to remind myself to turn to my faithful Heavenly Father, and not worry about the “what ifs”.

I’m still mourning the death of Christian singer Carman Licciardello, best known as just Carman.  What a voice for the Lord!  In his album called “The Champion” there is a song that has become an anthem for me.  It is titled “Fear Not My Child.”  In the chorus, it is presented as if God Himself sings these words: “Fear not, my child.  I’m with you always.  I feel every pain; and every tear I see.  Fear not, my child.  I’m with you always.  I know how to care for what belongs to me.”  

To conclude, let me confess that today’s blog took a different shape than I originally envisioned.  I didn’t intend to camp out on the subject of fear, but it is such an issue that is of massive importance in the world today; I trust that this is the form that God wanted it to take.  I pray He uses these words for His glory and our good.

Kevin

Celebrating the example and ministry of Carman

John Diggle, on the TV show “Arrow”, in the midst of deep grief over losing a friend, once remarked: “The world seems as little less bright without him in it.”  I feel the same way when I reflect on the recent death of Christian musician Carman Licciardello, better known as simply Carman.  Last week, he passed away from complications of hernia surgery.  He was just 65.  

While I did not get the chance to meet Carman personally, I have still been in mourning since I heard the news.  I’ve been blessed by his vocation in Christian music since I was a teenager.  I know the immense talent that Carman had, and the unique style he had that no one else could ever duplicate.  He was one of a kind.  But he used his creativity to point others to the Lord.  Yes, the world does indeed feel a little less bright today.

As I’ve absorbed the news of the loss of Carman, countless songs he wrote and performed have been playing in my head.  I could go on and on with amazing songs that powerfully capture the love of God, and His gospel.  But consider this song from his “R.I.O.T. (Righteous Invasion of Truth)” album.

In a track titled “Not 4 Sale”, he describes how the devil “came to my house” and “knocked on my door.”  The devil said, “You are quite a talent, the making of a star, and with a little help from me, you really could go far.”  The evil one goes on to say that he will help him, just so long as he never mentions the name of Jesus.  “You can do something positive, but just don’t misbehave, like using your notoriety to get someone saved.”  Carman’s response: “I have been bought with a price when Jesus hung on that tree; my life is not my own, I’ll never follow your lead…so get thee behind me, Satan, I’m not for sale.”  This song captures Carman’s heart, creativity, and life mission. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that, for decades, Carman was a bachelor.  One article I read states that in 2015, fans asked him why he hadn’t settled down, he said he’d “rather want something I don’t have than have something I don’t want…when the right one surfaces and it’s the right time I’ll do it.”  The right one was a woman named Dana, whom he married in 2017 (information can be found at this link https://www.thefocus.news/music/carman-licciardello-wife/).  I find myself inspired by Carman’s willingness to choose God’s plan over cultural expectation.

Carman’s songs were often more like cinematic events than traditional music.  Perhaps nowhere was this more evident than in a track from his “Addicted to Jesus” album, titled “The Third Heaven”.  Here he creatively depicts dying and going to Heaven!  I wish I could share much more of this song, but let me just hit the high points.

It began in the Emergency Room, with doctors and nurses trying to resuscitate him as death neared.  After a few minutes, we hear, “He’s not going to make it.  We’ve lost him.”  He goes on to describe the beauty of Heaven.  Eventually, he sees the face of Jesus, in all His glory.  But the Lord tells him that many are grieved by his death, and He is willing to send him back.  Carman’s reply is so helpful to those of us who have lost a cherished one who is now in the bliss of Heaven. 

He says, “Lord, if my loved ones only knew the limitless wonders of Heaven; if they could steal but one brief glimpse of glory, I know what they would do, because they loved me.  They’d never ask that I return to the confines of my human body.  Lord, I can’t go back.  Please let me stay with You.”  The scene ends with him worshipping the Lord. 

In conclusion, Carman sang a beautiful song in the track “Serve the Lord” in a best of CD collection.  He sings, “By the grace of God, I will serve the Lord.”  But by the song’s end, he sings, “I believe I’m not alone with my faith in Jesus Christ; that is why all the more we will serve Him” (italics added for emphasis).  Carman may be enjoying his rewards in Heaven now, but his example will continue to inspire others to serve the Lord, and to speak boldly for Him.  May it start right here with me! 

Kevin