Reacting To Situations

I was talking to someone at church yesterday, about how sometimes things happen, or decisions people make, just can make you so upset. The more I think about it, the more I realize that that will never change in life. There will always be something or someone that does something and it ticks you off. But reacting and showing the person how upset we are with them is not the way I see Jesus acting. When your parents say or do something that upsets you, what's your reaction? I know I can have the tendency to make it clear to them that I'm not happy with them and act in a disrespectful way. And I ask myself, Is that how Jesus would react? No, I know it isn't. Look how Jesus acted to the people who were threatening to kill Him? And when they were falsely accusing Him? He didn't show anger! He barely said a word! Sometimes I think about what it was like for Jesus as a teenager. I mean, you wonder if Jesus ever wanted to do something, or maybe He wanted to go hang out with John or something, and instead His parents said "no". No biggy, right? But what about us? when there's something we want really bad or something we want to do a lot, and our parents tell us no, what's our reaction? Even if we outwardly display respect and submission, what are we thinking inside? What are we really wanting to say to our parents when a situation like that arises? "Why can't I do this?" or "Why can't so and so come over?". Their reason may seem stupid or totally ungrounded to you. But does that give us an excuse for reacting in a bad way? I mean Jesus had every reason you can think of for blowing up they've chief priest and officials for talking to Him the way they did. Goodness, He's the one who gave them the tongue to say those things. Yet He still demonstrated to us how we should act. Do I act like Jesus in that way? Do you? It's something to think about. I know I need to work on seeing situations from Jesus's perspective, instead of my own. I need to put that in practice now. So next time things don't go the way you want them to, or you want to see someone really, really, REALLY bad, ask yourself; How would Jesus react in this situation? See where it takes you.


Sorry if I kinda went in circles. This started out as a 3-4 sentence post on Google Buzz and as I was writing, more and more just kept coming out, so I decided to write it on here instead.

God Bless!

Kevin

Ummmm... :P

Yeah. I got bored. And I know I haven't been posting that much lately, so that's how this post came about :P A stupid video of a few recordings I did when I was 7, 9, and 15 years old. Here it is.

Okay, I'm warning you, I was like really retarded when I was younger. I try not to do stuff like this anymore :P

God Bless!

Kevin

Pictures...

Hey everyone! Thought I'd post a few pics on here since I haven't updated in awhile. Enjoy!

Barak and Amity


Justin! :)


Me and Jason


Sarah and Victoria


Ryan and Rachel


We played a few games of 2-on-2 volleyball at church on Sunday. * sigh *... very sadly, Jacob and I lost this game :P




Lemuel!


More Volleyball!



Sarah and Lemuel!


Sarah showing Jason her Kung Fu skills... it's quite intimidating in real life ;)

Well, that's all I have for now, because sadly, my camera is broken :( I was looking at some pictures on my camera :) and accidentally held onto the lens while I turned it off. Please don't ask me how I held onto the lens "accidentally" because I don't know! It just happened :P Well anyways, I gotta get going! See ya'll! God Bless!

Kevin

Lead Me...

Hello Everyone!

Let's see here, what has it been, 2 months since I wrote a new post? I really do want to update more often! Where does my time go? ;) So anyway! I've been thinking about some things. My brother showed me this song the other day, and I really like it! The theme of the song is basically a guy that wants to be led by God to lead his family, and to be the husband and father that he should be. I know most of us guys aren't married quite yet, but I still think it can be something we work towards. Here, I'll let you listen to the song :)

Note: In respect of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who do not agree with CCM, I have used the "acoustic" version of the song. If you want to hear the original version, Click Here :)

When I first heard this song, I felt challenged. When I close my eyes and try to picture what it will be like, I feel a sense of determination. To be the leader that God wants me to be. To be lead by God. I want to be there for my family and lead them in the way that God reveals. To be loving to my wife and children, as a good husband and father should be. To raise our children in Christ, teaching them to love the Lord. For Christ to be the head of the home :) and then... I open my eyes and realize I'm only 17, and have a lot to work towards lol :P Like submitting to my parents, and learning to keep my mouth shut someti... ok a lot of times :P Two things that I really need work on :(

"So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone"

Well I've got to get going... my sisters are calling me out into the pool :P And I promised I'd go in with them :) I won't wait so long to update next time ;) God Bless you all! Keep reading God's Word and striving to be like Him! Press On and Resist Temptation!

Kevin

Prayer

Prayer. It's talking to God. A lot of times when I think of prayer, I think of only the"bending the knee by the bedside" kind of praying. But you know, prayer is also when you're taking a walk outside, and telling God about some of your struggles or problems you've had. I know for me personally, the best prayer times I have are when I go for a long walk by myself, or when I'm out hunting. I don't know if it's something about the outdoors or what, but usually I can just let go and talk freely to God. My prayer life could definitely be a lot better than it is though. I mean, when you are trying to get to know someone real well, you talk to them a lot, and learn as much as you can about them from other sources. Take my best friend, for example. I wouldn't only talk to that person when I needed help, or when things weren't going how I wanted. I'd be telling them everything that's going on in my life. I may also praise or thank my friend for something that they did. It's a genuine friendship, and that's how it should be with Jesus. Of course there are differences. But the main structure and thought is the same. I really need to work on that. Jesus is supposed to be my best friend, and sometimes I don't think I give Him that place in my life. I know it's something I'll be working on though :D

On a side note, another important ingredient to a close relationship with Christ, is to be in His Word. I recently just finished reading the book of Proverbs, and though it doesn't have a lot to say about Jesus, there sure is a lot to be learned from the wisdom in that book. It's surprising how many things are applicable to are life now.

I would go on, but I have a little brother "calling" me from his crib :P Justin is doing exccellent by the way. Hopefully soon we'll be able to bring him to church!

God Bless you all, and have a good rest of the week!

Kevin! :D

Those Two! :P

Well... I'm sure a lot of you know from visiting my sisters' (Amy and Katie) or Friend's blog, but my brother now has a girlfriend. Yeah I know, this is old news, but I uploaded a video of me and my friend singing (try not to shiver :P). I wrote a song for them, or rather, a song about them. "Them" being my brother Ryan, and his girlfriend Rachel. And they are courting, by the way.

My brother gets slightly embarrassed in it, and kinda objected to me uploading it to YouTube. We'll see what happens when he finds out I put it on my blog! :P So if I like, don't make a post for a long time, you'll know the reason why :P

So anyways, here is the video! Enjoy!

God Bless You All! :D

Kevin!

Gymnastics!

A balance beam. They are very easy to fall off of. Unless, that is, you've had proper training. And trust me, I'm terrible when it comes to gymnastics. I'm too big :P But anyway, I've been thinking about the similarities and contrast between the Christian walk, and a gymnast on a balance beam. I know, you're probably rolling your eyes, but hey, give me a break, I'm tired! You know what, instead of rolling your eyes, why don't don''t you go make yourself useful and get me a cup of coffee :P

1

In the life of a Christian, a person must never stray from the narrow way, or else they will stumble and fall. (I'm not saying as a Christian you'll never stray, because sadly, we will. I'm just saying that when you stray from Christ, you will stumble and fall. Just wanted to clear that up.)

similarity

When on a balance beam, you must stay on its narrow ledge, otherwise you'll fall off.

2

When a Christian stumbles, he must not stay on the ground. He must look to Christ, rise up from the ground, and resume his journey. Before we can rise from the ground though, we must be forgiven, and sometimes healed from the wounds we received when we fell.

similarity

When a gymnast falls off a balance beam, he must not remain on the ground either. Before he can again perform on the beam though, he must be healed of his injuries from his fall.

3

In our walk, we must not rely on ourselves or our ability to do the right thing. Instead, we need to fully rely on Christ in us, and to follow Him and His teaching. We can totally rely on Christ for everything. He doesn't need our abilities, though he may use

contrast

While a gymnast, too, must rely on what he is taught, he also must fully rely on himself and his abilities. He must have confidence in his own strength.



Sorry, I can't think of anymore... my brain is fried. I've been up since 5 o'clock and I'm tired :P But really, I'm just trying to get my thoughts out again. The important thing in all this, I think anyway, is that when we do stumble, we need to make sure that we don't stay down. I'm not saying that I think you should be popping up and down like crazy either, by any means. I just think it's important that we look to Christ as soon as we've realized that we stumbled.

Well, I gotta get going... I hope all of you are doing well, and that you have had a good winter so far! God bless you all!

Kevin

Jesus

Jesus. What was He like? What IS He like?
How well do I really know Him?

These are some of the thought I was having while reading So You Don't Wanna Go To Church Anymore by Wayne Jacobsen and Jake Colsen.

I'll be honest. The book could have a better storyline and it isn't the best written book ever. Some of the plot may be unrealistic. But... this book, it gives me a hunger to know Jesus more. To be that personal with Him. For Him to be that real in my life. To be able to just talk about Jesus like I would about my best friend. To know Him that well. That is one of the biggest things I got out of the book. Now I'm not sure yet whether I agree with everything he says in the book, but for the most part, I think the overall message that they're trying to get across is good.

Here is an excerpt from the beginning of the book:

____________________________________________________________________


(In reply to an overheard conversation about Jesus and religion)

“You really have no idea what Jesus was like, do you?”

The noisy clamor subsided quickly as tension-filled faces gave way to puzzled expressions. “Who said that?” was the unspoken question that filled the eyes of their surprised faces as they scanned the others around them.

“Do you have any idea what he was like?”

This time all eyes turned downward toward the voice and were surprised to see the man who’d spoken.

“What do you know about it, old man?” One of them finally spoke up, his mockery dripping off of each word until the disapproving gaze of the crowd silenced him. He laughed it off and looked away embarrassed, grateful that their eyes had swung back to the stranger. But he was in no hurry to speak. The resulting silence hung in the air, far beyond the point of awkwardness.

After what seemed an insufferably long time he spoke again. His first words were whispered directly at the man who had threatened the others with hell. “You really have no idea what motivates you, do you?” His tone was one of sorrow, and his words sounded like an invitation. There was not a trace of anger in it. Embarrassed, the man threw his hands up and twisted his lips as if he didn’t understand the question.

The stranger let him twist in the gaze of the crowd briefly, then looking around the circle he began to speak again, his words flowing softly. “He was nothing special to look at. He could walk down this street today and not one of you would even notice him. In fact he had the kind of face you would shy away from, certain he wouldn’t fit in with your crowd.

“But he was as gentle a man as one would ever know. He could silence detractors without ever raising his voice. He never bullied his way; never drew attention to himself nor did he ever pretend to like what vexed his soul. He was real, to the very core.”

“And at the core of that being was love.” The stranger paused and shook his head. “Wow! Did he love!” His eyes looked far past the crowd now, seeming to peer across the depths of time and space. “We didn’t even know what love was, until we saw it in him. It was everyone, too, even those who hated him. He still cared for them, hoping somehow they would find a way out of their self-inflicted souls to recognize who stood among them.

“And with all that love, he was completely honest. Yet even when his actions or words exposed people’s darkest motives, they didn’t feel shamed. They felt safe, really safe with him. His words conveyed not even a hint of judgment, simply an entreaty to come to God. There was no one you would trust more quickly with your deepest secrets. If someone were going to catch you at your worst moment you’d want it to be him.

“He wasted no time mocking others, nor their religious trappings.” He glanced at those who had just done so. “If he had something to say to them, he’d say it and move on and you would know you’d been loved more than anyone had ever loved you before.” Here the man stopped, his eyes closed and mouth clenched as if choking back tears that would melt him in an instant if he gave in to them.

“I’m not talking about mamby-pamby sentimentalism either. He loved, really loved. It didn’t matter if you were Pharisee or prostitute, disciple or blind beggar, Jew, Samaritan or Gentile. His love held itself out for any to embrace. Most did, too, when they saw him. Though so few ended up following him, for the few moments his presence passed by them, they tasted a freshness and power they could never deny even years later. Somehow he seemed to know everything about them, but loved them deeply all the same. ”

“And when he hung there from that filthy cross,” the man’s eyes looked up into the trees that towered over us, “that love still poured down--on mocker and disillusioned friend alike. As he approached the dark chamber of death, wearied of the torture and feeling separated from his Father, he continued to drink from the cup that would finally consume our self-will and shame. There was no finer moment in all of human history. His anguish became the conduit for his life to be shared with us. This was no madman. This was God’s Son, poured out to the last breath, to open full and free access for you to his Father.”

As he spoke further, I was struck by the intimacy of his words. He talked like someone who had been with him.

“If I were you,” he said with a wink and a smile as his eyes swept over those who’d started the discussion, “I would waste far less time ragging on religion and find out just how much Jesus wants to be your friend without any strings attached. He will care for you and if given a chance will become more real to you than your best friend and you will cherish him more than anything else you desire. He will give you a purpose and a fullness of life that will carry you through every stress and pain and will change you from the inside to show you what true freedom and joy really are.”
____________________________________________________________________

I know it's a lot of reading there (and I edited some of the descriptive parts, to cut to the point), but I don't know, not just this part of the book, but also other parts just give me a hunger to know Jesus more. I don't know... tell me what you think, I'm interested to know :)

By the way, here's a link to the Author's Website where you can download a pdf of the whole book: So You Don't Wanna Go To Church Anymore


God Bless you all!

Kevin

Can't think of a title!

Whew! My mind is whirling a bit. There's sooooooo many things going on in my life right now! Some of them are easy to concentrate on, and some of them aren't. Some cause stress, some don't. Some bring joy and happiness, and others do not. But, they don't call it life for nothing, do they!? :P One example, is...

I'm starting back up working at the greenhouse on the 22nd of February. I've got mixed feelings about it though. I mean, yeah I wanna work and save money for the future real bad, but! There's some very important people in my life that don't really want me to work there. They are for different reasons, but for both of them I completely understand their point. The greenhouse isn't the best place to work ever. Not just as a career (lol, there isn't one there AT ALL! :P), but also the people that work there aren't the best influence, to put it nicely. One of them is my friend who left Christianity awhile back (some of you may remember me mentioning him, and some of you have met him). Basically, I talk to one or more of them the whole time I'm working there, because it's boring to plant flowers all day :P This does present some excellent witnessing opportunities, but, sadly, to this point all of them have rejected it for the most part. But most of the time the guys don't wanna talk about spiritual things. Quite the opposite, unfortunately :( Thankfully, they at least try to respect my beliefs and requests that they not talk about certain thing in my presence, but they don't always. Yeah, I know. It's the world. Get used to it. But still... I'll probably looking for a different job so I can get out of there. I want to make everyone happy :D! My parents, my friends, and most importantly Jesus!

My dad's telling me to get off so I don't have time to proof-read... :P

Sorry if this post means nothing to everyone, I kinda just needed to get my thoughts out :)

Just a reminder! Keep reading God's Word! Everyday! :D!

God bless You all!

Kevin

Go to sleep, Go to sleep... :P

Well, I'm laying in bed, on my iPod Touch and I can't fall asleep :P Don't ask me why!  It's after 4:00 a.m. :P But I thought I might as well write a blog post or something, so we'll see what this ends up being :)

I've been really busy lately, with school and stuff and just the general everyday things that somehow leave you with no time left in the day. I really need to manage my time better :P We have gotten to go to church the past two Sundays, which was great! It was great to see everyone and to have good fellowship (and singing :P). 

This past week and a half, a good friend of ours came over from Canada to do a little work and fantasize about being an American. Haha jk. But yeah, Eric Buurma, from BuurmaBoy101 has been staying with our family, and it has been quite a good time. From writing some country songs, to innovatively using Bluetooth technolgy, I've had a great time, and I think he has as well :) You guys should check his blog out at the link above :) 

Let's see here, ummm, oh yeah! we went skating with the Heyworth's, Carrigers, Eric, and Ele!! That was a fun time. Afterwards we went out and got pizza, and then went to Starbucks, where we watched an interesting checkers game :P It was quite the day! :D 

Thursday were going skiing on Boyne Mtn. !!!!!!! I can't wait!!!! Oh my goodness I can't wait! :D! It will, barring injuries, be an awesome day!! Last time we went there my brother Ryan cut his wrist really bad on one of his skis, and I *cough* ran an unfortunate guy over :P I'm hoping that won't happen this time! :P :D It will be a great day though! As of right now, I'm not planning on getting hurt! :P

Well I better get to sleep! Before I have to get up :P 

God bless you all! Keep the faith and remember to be in God's Word!

Kevin 

      
 

Tagged! :D

Hey everyone!!

I've been tagged by Bethany from Asher Acres. Thanks Bethany!

Here's how this works:
1. Do quick post about the person that tagged you saying thanks
2. Answer the 10 questions
3. Follow 3 new blogs and list them.
4. Tag 6 people
5. Challenge one person to do something fun or crazy

Bethany blogs @ Asher Acres, where she writes under a variety of topics, though most importantly, they are all written and based from a Christian standpoint. It's an interesting blog.


3 Recent blogs I've followed: AmyWegnersBlog KatieWegnersBlog and... I can't think of another one :P

Have you ever been to a rodeo?
No, I haven't and I'm guessing I probably never will. I always thought they were interesting to watch on tv though :P

Have you ever tried to ride a cow?
Ummmm no I have not. If I did, the outcome would probably be disastrous lol

Have you ever milked a cow or goat?
Actually I have milked both. I enjoy milking a cow much more than a goat though. We used to share a dairy cow with our neighbors.

Have you ever been to a demolition derby?
Yeah when I was like 5 so I don't really remember it too well. They're pretty cool though.

What's your favorite country song?
Ohhh man that's a toughy ;D I'm gonna have to say either "Love Story" or "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" by Taylor Swift. I also really like "I Just Call You Mine" by Martina McBride :D Those are some amazing songs :D!!!!!!!!

Do you like to hunt?
Yeah I really like hunting! I love seeing nature in it's own natural space and the thrill of bringing down a deer, but another thing I pike about it is the quality time you get alone with God. It's a win-win situation :D

Have you ever cooked your breakfast over an open fire in your backyard?
No I never have, but I used to always want to! I've done while camping before though!

Have you ever thought that the muck was shallow and when you stepped in it, you sank knee deep?
Yeah I've done that several times actually :P It's not fun, especially when you have tennis shoes on! :P

What is the hardest thing you have ever done?
Ummmmm I don't know..... Probably called and apologized to someone...

(The question is optional) What's one of your most embarrassing moments?
I get embarrassed alot :P I don' think I've had a really embarrassing moment though. Or have I?

I'm going to tag:

Hannah @ hannahgracebananaface.blogspot.com

Amy @ amywegner.blogspot.com

Katie @ katiewegner.blogspot.com

J.J. @ jjfortheking.blogspot.com

And the first two people who want to do it and comment saying so :)

I have a challenge for everyone! Live for Christ!

God Bless you all!

Kevin

Hi!

Hello! :D!

Kevin

(Yeah, that's really it) :P

Happy New Year!!!!!! :D!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!!!!!! 2010!!!! You know, 10 years ago today was the whole big Y2K thing. Hah. :P

I'm hoping and praying that this year will be a year of growth in my life Spiritually. I want to become the mature Christian man that God wants me to be. There's also some other things I hope to work out in the coming years. Another thing is that I'm hoping to graduate this year!!! I'm currently trying to determine what work field I would like to be in, and I'm thinking something along the line of Computer Security or IT (and/or Web Design). We'll see what God has in store for me! On top of all that, I'm hoping and praying that this year won't be so... ummm... "eventful"? 2009 was quite the year for our family. I lost a brother, Jonathan, in June, as you all know. Then, there was an addition to our family in the form of Justin (which is good!). And, just recently, we almost also lost Justin. He barely survived a serious apnea attack on Christmas night, and wasn't breathing for 3-5 minutes. I'll tell you guys, I didn't think he was coming back. We are thanking and praising God that he did, after my dad administered CPR and everything. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time I've been through such an experience, and seriously, Justin looked more gone than Jonathan did. I can't even begin to describe the feelings and emotions of the whole thing. Ahh. But I wasn't alone (in more ways than one!) I was praying and literally crying out to God, when he started showing sign of reviving. You cannot imagine the relief! Ohhhhh but he's here now! :D And we're all thankful for that!

I pray that this new year and decade will be a year that we all, as the body of Christ, grow closer and stronger in the Faith!

God Bless and Keep All Of You!!!

Oh, and just to let you all know... I finally convinced my sisters Amy and Katie to get a blog! Check 'em out! AmyWegnersBlog KatieWegnersBlog :)

And another thing... that Apple toolbar at the bottom of my blog? Just ignore it. I'm just trying to teach myself CSS, and JavaScript, and some other programming languages. So if things on my blog start looking a little... messed up, or weird, it's because I'm trying out some of my scripts. Sorry, you'll have to bear with me :P

See y'all soon!

Kevin