KevinWegnersBlog

Recent Thoughts...

2011-09-06T12:39:00.000-04:00

Being a Spiritual leader. I mean as a guy, that's who I am supposed to be for my family, when that time comes. How can I prepare for that role now? Here's some of the things that I've come up with:

1. BE HUMBLE
Too often, I find myself being prideful towards things that I definitely shouldn't be. Even things like sin! Sadly there's been times when I've been prideful about not struggling in an area of my life, looking down on everyone else, only to fall to the same sin. Not only did it cause pain in my own life, I hurt someone else deeply too. What God has shown me is that we should never think ourselves "above" a certain sin, or think that we're all set in any area of our life. Instead, humbly thank God if He has blessed us with strength in an area, but also don't take your eyes off of God. Looking around at others and judging them will often cause you to fall down with them.

2. BE SPIRITUAL
Now that can sound weird... "Be Spiritual"??? But I've been thinking about it alot lately. I NEED to have a spiritual mindset. When I went to the Journey to the Heart, I purposely focused my mind on the things of Christ, so that He was my sole desire and the most important thing to me, and in that process, God showed me how important it is to have a Spiritual mindset. If while I'm at work, when I'm at home, and when I go to bed, I'm walking in the Spirit, I will NOT fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal 5:16). That is a promise, and an awesome one for sure. The question is, how do I walk in the Spirit? Like I was saying before, if I have that Spiritual mindset where the most important thing to me is Jesus, I'll seek after Him. Yet not in my own strength, because if I do, as Eric Ludy says "I'll end up a miserable replica". No, I need to allow the Spirit of God to control me in such a way, that my actions are directed by God Himself. In saying "allow" I don't mean just "Let go, and let God" (Sorry guys!). I mean, allowing Jesus to be my Master and guide me daily, monthly, hourly, etc.. But here's the thing, and it's extremely important. I am still required to choose to follow the guidance of Christ as my Master, because unfortunately He's not our only option. There's also the flesh, which is, sadly, our default. So what you need to do is right-click on your heart and select "Properties". Then click on the tab "Attributes", and select "Load Custom Settings". Now, browse to your head and select the file called "Spirit of God.dll". Now here is the important part... don't miss this. Click REPLACE AND APPLY. Wait. A dialog box pops up. "Are you sure you want to replace "Flesh.dll" with Spirit of God.dll"? ". CLICK YES.

Ok, we're not computers, and I'm sorry for that analogy. I never knew computers were so much like our Christian walk! No, but seriously, Galatians 5:16 is a promise that we need to live by!

3. HAVE RESPECT
Not just for God, but for your parents and for everyone, really. The big one though, is your parents. This is probably the area I've failed most in, and sadly it shows. The strain between my parents and myself will more than likely be transferred over to my wife after I'm married, and that's unacceptable to me. But here's the problem! That CANNOT be my motivation, because I'll be (have been) doing that in my own strength, and at best, I'll be a fake. I need to respect my parents because my Master, Jesus Christ commands me to, and in all reality, they deserve it!

Have respect for others as well. This is more important than I think we realize alot of times.

4. BE HUMBLE (Again)
I felt it neccesary to mention this again, because it's so easy to overlook. When you have Spiritual growth, or you're praised, be 'umble and thank GOD!

5. BE LOVING
And not just towards your spouse to be. You've heard the saying, "The way you treat your mom, is the way you'll treat your wife". Trust me, your future spouse has heard it too. Don't let that be the incentive for loving your mom though! Your mom deserves your love for countless (and I mean that literally) reasons! Goodness think of the pain she went through just to bring you in to this world! My mom has sacrificed so much for me, and has given of herself solely for my benefit. I love you mom :) Same goes for your sisters though! Often you'll (me) treeat them the same as you treat your mom. Love them with your heart, not with your words.

6. BE A GOOD FRIEND
Self Sacrifice. It's the most important part. You know, sometimes a good friend is hard to find. Don't let that be so for you, specifically for the reason that you're spouse will (hopefully) be your best friend. Be worthy of that, and make sure that you go out of your way for the other person. I w an't to shoot for that goal, starting with my family. I want to be known as "a good friend". :)

As I look back over this, maybe I should have been thinking, "How do I prepare for marriage?", but oh well :) God Bless you all!

Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition Happening Now!

2011-02-17T23:25:00.006-05:00

Hey! I apologize for my absence as of lately, I've been so incredibly busy, and I guess my blog just wasn't one of my priority's. But now, well not quite now, but as soon as I finish giving my blog a complete makeover, I will begin posting again ;) There's gonna be alot of changes in the look of things on here, so don't be like "is he really going to leave it like that?". Don't worry, with any luck, it'll be looking better than ever! :)

God Bless you all! Stay strong in the Faith!

Kevin

Reacting To Situations

2010-08-30T12:50:00.002-04:00

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

2010-08-02T19:42:00.001-04:00

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...

2010-07-27T18:24:00.006-04:00

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...

2010-06-11T19:42:00.005-04:00

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

2010-04-01T07:03:00.002-04:00

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

2010-03-09T09:39:00.009-05:00

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!

2010-03-04T07:48:00.006-05:00

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

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.

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.

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

2010-02-16T15:22:00.011-05:00

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!

2010-02-08T23:01:00.007-05:00

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

2010-01-26T04:30:00.001-05:00

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

2010-01-13T11:17:00.009-05:00

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!

2010-01-09T02:12:00.002-05:00

Hello! :D!

Kevin

(Yeah, that's really it) :P

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

2010-01-01T00:08:00.003-05:00

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

Pictures!! :D!

2009-12-12T19:02:00.005-05:00

Hello! So, I was thinking again, and I thought about how I've never posted any pictures of Justin! So I decided to fix that! Hope you enjoy them!

My sister Katie, and Justin! :)

And while I was at it, I decided to put these on here too! :P

Ryan... yep he's on the computer :P

My brother Jason!

And my sister Sarah!

That's all for now! God Bless you all!

Kevin

Amazed ;) ;P

2009-12-09T16:27:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! Hope all is going well with you all! A quick update on Justin: He's doing awesome! He's gaining weight like a maniac, but hey, when you eat like a pig what do you expect!? :P He is still on 1/16 liter of oxygen, but the doctors are thinking that he'll be off of that pretty soon. We're thanking God that he is doing so well though! Thanks everyone for your continued prayers! :D

Sooooooooo................. I've been thinking (why do you look surprised!? :P)......... and reading.......... and I'm pretty sure that most of you will agree with this statement. God truly is amazing! Sometimes I'll be lying in bed at night just thinking, ya know? And I think about what God has given me. It's amazing! No, I don't have all the money in the world. No, I don't live in a mansion. No, I don't have every little thing I could ever want (then again...). But you know what? That's ok. Because God has blessed me beyond belief! He's given me so much! Yet, a lot of times I find myself just taking it for granted. Now there's the real special stuff (of which I am very thankful for) that is an obvious blessing, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about everything. My parents, my siblings, my great friends etc.. But it goes even deeper than that. Way deeper! God has blessed me with a great dad. He has blessed me with a great mom! He has blessed me so much with each of my brothers and sister: Ryan, Amy, Katie, Sarah, Jason, Jonathan (while he was with us), and Justin. I could elaborate further on that but I don't wanna bring the google server down :P I don't know, I guess I'm just rambling. But really, have you ever thought about how much you have to be thankful for? Sure, everybody's got those times when you think you've got it all bad. But look beyond those times. How much have you been blessed? How much has God given you? Thank Him for it!

Psalm 103:1-5

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

So anyways, just some stuff I've been thinking about!

Keep strong in the faith! God Bless you all!

Kevin

"To Know You"

2009-11-20T06:54:00.010-05:00

I heard this new song by Casting Crowns called "To Know You", from their new album "Until The Whole World Hears. The lyrics are excellent! For those who want to hear the song, I have it at the bottom of my playlist.

To Know You
Casting Crowns

To know You is to never worry for my life
To know You is to never give into compromise and
To know You is to want to tell the world about You
‘Cause I can’t live without You

To know You is to hear Your voice when You are calling
To know You is to catch my brother when he is falling
To know You is to feel the pain of the brokenhearted
‘Cause they can’t live without You

More than my next breath
More than life or death
All I’m reaching for, I live my life to know You more
I leave it all behind, You’re all that satisfies To know You is to want to know You more To know You is to want to know You more

To know You is to ache for more than ordinary
To know You is to look beyond the temporary
To know You is believing that You’ll be enough
‘Cause there’s no life without You

All this life could offer me
Could not compare to You, compare to You
And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You

All this life could offer me
Could not compare to You, compare to You And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You

God Bless!

Kevin

Light In a Dark World

2009-10-31T03:52:00.003-04:00

Darkness. Black nothingness. And a whole lot of it. I looked all around. I couldn't see a single thing. It was strange. Almost like I wasn't there or something. But yet I was. How or where I couldn't tell you. It almost seemed like I was just watching everything take place. I don't really know. Then suddenly I could see a bit. It was still just as dark as before, but I could see through the darkness somehow. I could see movement. Slowly I was seeing clearer and clearer. There, right there. I could see something. It looked like a person. Yeah, there was people all over. I looked around and saw that I could see everything. Like literally everything. I mean the whole world. And it was was pitch dark. Yet people were still living their lives like normal. They acted like it wasn't even dark. I was pondering on this, when I happened to see a man walking around with a candle. The strange thing is, it wasn't lit! I couldn't believe it! He was living his life normally. The only thing weird I noticed about him was that occasionally someone would point to his candle and say something to him. He didn't seem to have time for it. Before I could think about that very much, I saw another man holding a candle. It was lit. The light flickered in the darkness, brightly. Everywhere he went he was noticed. I looked closer. I could see people make their way towards the light. They hesitated and shrank back into the darkness as soon as the light from the candle fell on them. The man began to hand out candles to everyone he met. Most looked at it warily. Many, many people threw it down and ran away. They seemed to think "Why do I need this! I was just fine before!" and turned their back on the light, walking back into the darkness. The man then told the people that there was only one way to lite the candle, and then told them how. Some people began to get angry at the man, saying that he thought he was special for having the light. They could not see that they were stumbling around, as if blind all their life. Others of them were afraid. And then I saw one man step directly into the candlelight's beam and stand there. He asked a question. He then knelt down, as if to pray, and remained in that position for some time. After awhile I saw him move and looked hard. I saw that the man who's candle was lit was standing over the other man. Suddenly I saw that there was two lights. The other man's candle had been lit. He stood up, and said something, then walked away, light shining forth. Not because of light from himself. But from the candle. He had realized that he was blind without it, and needed it to see. I began to look around closely, and saw that here and there around the world, there were candles lit, and sometimes groups of then. I saw that many, many people held candles in their hands. Very few of them were lit. Then, I couldn't see anymore. It was just black. But I knew. I began to think hard about what I had seen. Suddenly I felt my mind whirling about me, spinning out of control. The image before me began to transform. White. White brightness. And a whole lot of it. Suddenly I realized I was looking at my ceiling. I looked around and saw I was in my room, and in my bed. I almost laughed. But the image of those people though, stumbling around in the dark was still there. And frankly, I hope it never goes away.

________________________________________________________________________

This was not a real dream by the way. I made it up, as you probably guessed. Just something that's been on my mind lately! Justin is doing great, and he's growing, slowly but surely! Thanks for your continued prayers!

God Bless You All!

Kevin

Update...

2009-10-16T09:42:00.006-04:00

Wow. Has it really been that long since I updated you all on Justin? Sigh. I'm so sorry guys, I've been just sooooo busy I haven't had time to do anything! Ok. To any of you who have emailed me and I haven't replied... well... I'm sorry about that too. Anyways...

Justin! He has been improving rapidly, way beyond what the doctors expected. The bleeding on his brain that they found, had stopped before birth and has practically dissolved into the surrounding tissue. The doctors don't think there is going to be any serious problems from it. He has been gaining weight rapidly and growing rapidly too! He is eating the maximum amount of breastmilk that they allow for his size and age. And on top of it all, they are saying that he will be coming home from the hospital next week! The doctors have been saying the whole time that he will NOT be coming home before my mom's due date, which was November 14. Well, forget that! All I can say is Praise God! For everything! Thank you all for your prayers!

Well I better get going, got some stuffs to do, especially since it's my birthday. Oh, did I forget to say that? oops! ;) Yep, 17. I've been thinking about what I would like to do in this year. This is what I came up with:

1. Get my driver's license! I NEED it, though my parents might disagree ;)

2. Finish school! Okay, I do NEED to finish school! :D

3. Have a better and closer relationship with my family members :D

4. Most important, to grow closer to Jesus Christ, maturing spiritually, and focusing on Him.

5. All the other stuff that fills in the 365.25 days in a year ;D

______________________________________________________________________

God Bless you all! Press on towards Christ, and do not take your eyes off of Him!

Kevin

The Room

2009-09-08T16:25:00.004-04:00

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for the one wall covered with small index-card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings.

And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match.

A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I Have Betrayed."

The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I Have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed At." Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've Yelled at My Brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger," "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my 20 years to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked "Songs I Have Listened To," I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded.

An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: "No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel With." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key.

But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus.

I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one?

Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card.

"No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood.

He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished."

I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

______________________________________________________________________

Convicting? I think so.

Joshua Harris, author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl, dreamt this while in Puerto Rico on a Billy Graham crusade at the age of 19.

Update On the Baby!

2009-08-30T16:34:00.002-04:00

I don't even know where to start. I'm soooooooooo sorry I haven't updated you all on my mom and the baby. I've been insanely busy lately. I actually did start writing a blog post, but I never finished it.

Ok. The baby was born @ 29 weeks by emergency c-section two nights ago on August 29. He is 2.6 pounds and 14.5 inches long. There are many complications that can occur when the baby is born so young. One of the main concerns that the doctors have had was that, without amniotic fluid, there was a possibility that the lungs would not develop properly, and they would not be able to complete the respiration process. The first problems they noticed were that his lungs were underdeveloped for his age, and he had a low red blood cell count. He was given oxygen immediately, as well as a blood transfusion. Thankfully, he has been improving since then.

So today when we arrived at the hospital, the doctors had found that he has some bleeding on the brain. This could result in a number of things, including mental and/or physical disabilities. We're hoping and praying that God will intervene and heal him of this problem.

I want to thank everyone who has been praying this whole time, and to ask you to continue praying. Also I want to thank the people who have posted prayer requests on their blog regarding my mom and the baby.

Oh, wait...did I forget to mention his name? Oops :P His name is Justin Nicholas Wegner :D

I'll try to keep you all updated! :D

God Bless!

In Christ,
Kevin

Camp! :D

2009-08-10T14:30:00.008-04:00

Hello everyone!!!! Here are some pictures from the camp we went to :D

Ele!!!

Don't hide behind the camera, Rachel! :P

Abby! :D

Sarah and Savannah! Awwww :P

Ryan (my brother) :P

Ryan (My friend) :P

Andrew!! :D

We had an awesome game of tackle football with the guys!! So much fun!!!!! :D

Hannah!!! :D

Ryan and Andrew playing some guitar :D

Well, that's all for now! God Bless! Keep walking in the Spirit!!! :D

Kevin

New Camera = Pictures!

2009-07-22T18:25:00.010-04:00

Well, I finally bought myself a camera. It's a Fujifilm FinePix F60fd. Since I haven't taken too many pictures with it yet, they are all random. Enjoy! :D

Ryan packing for his trip to Panama. As you can tell, he is only packing necessities :P

At Mr. R's Today in Capac getting ice cream with some friends :D

Me :D

Jason doing school :D

Our miniature poodle Rugby! :D

I took this while testing the different settings on my camera :P

That's all for now! God Bless You!!!!!

In Christ,

Kevin

Growing In Faith

2009-07-21T20:49:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone! I was reading in 2 Peter yesterday, and found a portion I really liked. It’s in Chapter 1:5-11. In my Bible they titled this section “Character Qualities To Develop In Life”. Here they are:

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We must be diligent in our pursuit of growth. I know I need to work on being more patient. I can have a problem with getting frustrated when people are slow or something. It says to add godliness onto that; and then brotherly kindness. And then love. It says if you have all of these things then you will NOT be unfruitful in the knowledge of Christ. In verse 10, making sure of our calling and election. Peter said that if we we do all these things, we will NEVER fail! If we have faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love, we don't leave much room for failure. So I'm asking the Lord to help me to become these things, so that I may have a more intimate relationship with Him, and so that I will never fail :D

Press On Towards The Goal!

In Christ,

Kevin

The Beattitudes

2009-07-10T23:32:00.002-04:00

Hello! I was reading in the book of Matthew the other day and the first ten or so verses of The Sermon On the Mount caught my attention. They really convicted me to fall under the "blessed" category. Again I am pressed for time, but I will write a longer post soon, I promise :D

³Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

⁵Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

⁷Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

¹⁰Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

God Bless You All!!!!!!!!!!!

Kevin

Prayer Request!

2009-06-30T17:14:00.003-04:00

Hello! It's been awhile since I last posted so I thought I'd updated you all :D

I've been busy with work lately, though I won't be busy with that soon! I'm getting let go for the year at the end of the week. That's ok, I guess it will allow me to focus more on school (yeah I know :P ).

Ok, most importantly I think I have told you all that my mom is expecting right? Well if I haven't then I'm telling you now :D Well anyways, there has been some complications with the baby. The baby is supposed to be floating in amniotic fluid inside the placenta. Well, there is very little amniotic fluid, which could cause the baby to be born prematurely and have some seious health problems. If you could all be praying for my mom and the baby I would greatly appreciate it and I'm sure she will too :D

Thanks and God Bless!

In Christ
Kevin

:D

2009-06-18T18:51:00.003-04:00

Yeah I'm still here...no I didn't forget I had a blog...and yes I am updating it right now :P

Hello everyone! :D I hope and pray that all is going well with you all!
Hmmm let's see...today is Thursday, June 18, my brother Jason's 5th birthday (Happy Birthday Jason!!!!!). It has been almost two weeks since Jonathan passed away. The funeral was very nice, well, at least as nice as funerals can be. Sometimes I still think he's here. For instance, today when I was walking around the house playing guitar, as I got closer to my parents room, I automatically quieted down and wondered if I might have woken him. But then I remember, and it hurts. But God has been good to us and our hearts are healing :D

Well I don't have that long to write right now, so let's see here...

Not too much has been going on here ( ;P ) lately. I've been kind of busy with work, but they told me today that I don't need to come in until Tuesday. While I am glad I have Friday and Tuesday off, that means that we are really slowing down. They have already let 8 out of the original 14 people go, so I've been barely hanging on for awhile now. But whatever cause I wasn't supposed to be there this long anyway. I'm just happy (and thankful) that I still have a job.

I'm gonna have to get going, but before I do let me...oh there we go :P

Romans 8:5-8 KJV

"For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things if the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace: because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject tothe law of God, neither indeed can it be: and they that are in the flesh cannot please God." :D

God Bless You All!!!!!!!!!

In Christ,
Kevin

Jonathan Scott Wegner --- My Latest Memories

2009-06-07T11:03:00.004-04:00

Oh Jonathan. I remember how every time I got home from work, I would take you over and show you the cuckoo clock. You loved it sooo much. Since the mechanism had stopped working on it, I would open the little doors myself and make the sound of the little birdy. Oh how you loved it. I remember just after I took that last picture of you, I made the sound of the little cuckoo birdy and you turned your head and looked at it. You reached your hand out to say you wanted to go see it. I got up and took you over there. I did the ritual of asking you where the cuckoo birdy was and then opening the doors. You got so excited. But I didn't hold you too long. How I wish I would have held on to you for a little while longer. It was the last time I would hold you before you left us.

I remember the little "smooch face" you would make when you were in that certain mood. It was so sweet. Just this morning, when I was making myself something to eat and everybody was in the living room, I thought I heard you whimper like you were in there with everybody. And then I remembered. You're gone.

I remember thinking about what you would be like when you were a little older. What kind of personality would you develop? Already you had a very sweet one. I'd look down into your bright blue eyes and think about what it was going to be like to have you walking around the house. It was hard to imagine.

I remember the two mornings before you died, you were rolling around the floor back and forth getting stuff to play with. I commented to mom saying how much more active you had gotten lately. She agreed.

I remember the evening after I took that last picture, I was cleaning up the mudroom, and you came rolling in there in your walker. The more shoes I picked up off the floor, the farther you would come in, until finally you could get to me. After I had finished you were over in the kitchen and when I walked by you, you started to whine and cry a little bit. And do you remember? I just gave you some toys to quiet you down. Oh how I wish I would have picked you up and calmed you down. It would have been the last time I held you.

I remember the last time I saw you. You were in your diaper laying in mom's lap sucking on your bottle. Every few sucks you would turn your head and look away.

I remember that I never said goodnight to you. I just got into bed. Oh Jonathan if I would have known what was about to happen I would have held you close and told you how much I loved you. I do love you Jonathan...and I always will.

____________________________________________________________________

These are definitely not all of my memories of Jonathan. If I was to recite them all I would bring down the blogspot server. I am going to look for pictures of him to post soon. I love you all and thank you for your prayers and support.

May Jesus Bless and Keep ALL of You!!

In Christ,
Kevin

Jonathan

2009-06-06T10:14:00.004-04:00

This morning, around 4:25, Jonathan passed away. He went to be with Jesus. It came as a complete shock to us since he was getting so much better. In my twitter updates down and to the left, I have uploaded the last picture taken of him. Just click the link. My next post will be a tribute to him. Please pray for our family. I do not have too much time so goodbye all for now.

In Christ,
Kevin

My brother Ryan has written the story of how it happened. Click here to read it.

Paul Washer's Message To Youth

2009-06-01T22:31:00.001-04:00

This is a great preview of the full length sermon delivered by Paul Washer to over 5000 youth. I encourage you to watch the full length version here.

God Bless!

Kevin

The Huckleberry Bush

2009-05-30T12:49:00.000-04:00

I apologize for the absence of updates on my blog recently. I know you’ve heard this before but I’ll try to be better :P

Almost a century ago in a place not very far from where YOU are, there was a little girl that lived alone with her Dad. The little girl (which we will call Sarah for ease of writing) was her Father’s joy, and very rarely did he have occasion to be upset with her.
One day, Sarah went for a walk over by their garden with her Dad, all the while planning what the garden would look like later in the year.
“We’re going to have a wonderful garden this year, Father!”, she exclaimed.
“Yes Sarah, I believe you will do a wonder with these plants. But beware of the poisonous huckleberry bush, it’s beautiful…but deadly. If it ever grows in your garden, make sure you uproot it as soon as you find it. Search your garden often to see if this weed is growing, for it has no place there.”
“Don’t worry Father, I will”, Sarah answered.
Days and weeks went by and if you would have seen that garden, you wouldn’t have recognized the place. There were tomatoes and broccoli and peppers and well…almost every vegetable you can imagine growing inside. Evidently, Sarah had done an excellent job keeping up the garden.
A few days later, Sarah walked to her garden and looked it over as her Father had instructed her to do. She had almost finished, when she came upon a small plant that she had never seen before. The colors on its leaves were golden and it was beautiful. Her Father’s words echoed in her ears, “…beware of the poisonous huckleberry bush, it’s beautiful…but deadly…”. Sarah knew what she had to do. She went over to the shed and got a shovel. She pointed it at the ground just in front of the plant, and was just about to jump on it, when someone shouted,
“Hey!”
The little girl said, “Huh?”…..
“Hey you”, the voice said again. The girl looked down and said,
“Plant? You talk?” The plant answered,
“Yeah, what do you stink? Haven’t you ever heard that talking to your plants was good for them? Well plants talking to you is even better.”
“Wow. I’ve never met a talking plant before.”
“Hey sweety I’ll cut you a deal. If you put that shovel down, I’ll keep talking.”
“I’m gonna uproot you.” the girl said.
“Why would you do that?” the plant asked.
“My Father told me you were poisonous, and I believe him.”
“Well your Father’s a good guy I’m sure, but did he also tell you that plants could talk, you know what I mean?”
“No, I guess He didn’t” she replied.
“When I get bigger, you can hide in my branches, my leaves are soft and cuddly, and did I mention the smell? No one can beat that smell!” By this time the girl had pretty much forgotten her father’s instruction.

Things passed by normally, or so it seemed to anyway, until one day when the girl went to look at her garden…
“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. The “little” plant that did not seem like anything much, had grown into a huge, disgusting looking thing that had taken over the whole garden. The pollen from the plant was making her eyes itch because it was poisonous. She ran over to the shed and came back running with an axe (which is not a safe thing to do BTW :P).
“Aaaahhhhhh! What are you going to do with that?” the plant asked Sarah.
“I’m going to chop you down. Here goes!” She swung and the axe just bounced of the trunk of the plant, leaving it unharmed.
“You can’t get rid of me!!!!!” the plant yelled.
“I just have to swing harder,” Sarah said. She swung again with all her might but she didn’t harm the plant one bit.
In desperation, she grabbed the plant by her bare hands and tried to pull it out. After several failed attempts, she fell to the ground, to weak to get up. She started to cry. Hearing his daughter crying, her Father came to see what the matter was.
“Look Father,” she said. “You told me to never let the huckleberry bush grow, but I did it anyways. Now it has taken over the whole garden and I can’t get rid of it. Can you get rid of it for me Father?”
“I’m sorry Sarah, you can’t get rid of him anymore,” her Father said.
“Then what am I going to do?” she asked.
“You could build a fence around it,” he suggested. “Would you like my help?”
“Yes Father! Yes I would like your help!”
The Father and daughter together built a solid fence around the plant.
“Now you must never let this fence get run down, or the plant will once again rule the garden,” the Father said.
“Don’t worry Father I will!”

The girl had learned an important lesson, one that I think we also need to learn. Sin can look very attractive, but the end result is always pain. That is all for right now. I have to go cut grass.

God Bless!

Kevin

How To Annoy Someone On An Elevator!

2009-05-21T22:31:00.003-04:00

1) CRACK open your briefcase or handbag, peer Inside and ask "Got enough air in there?"

2) STAND silent and motionless in the corner facing the wall without getting off.

3) WHEN arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act as if you're embarrassed when they open themselves.

4) GREET everyone with a warm handshake and ask him or her to call you Admiral.

5) MEOW occasionally.

6) STARE At another passenger for a while. Then announce in horror: "You're one of THEM" - and back away slowly.

7) SAY -"DING" at each floor.

8) SAY "I wonder what all these do?" And push all the red buttons.

9) MAKE explosion noises when anyone presses a button.

10) STARE, grinning at another passenger for a while, then announce: "I have new socks on."

11) WHEN the elevator is silent, look around and ask: "Is that your beeper?"

12) TRY to make personal calls on the emergency phone.

13) DRAW a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers: "This is my personal space."

14) WHEN there's only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder, then pretend it wasn't you.

15) PUSH the buttons and pretend they give you a shock. Smile, and go back for more.

16) ASK if you can push the button for other people but push the wrong ones.

17) HOLD the doors open and say you're waiting for your friend. After a while, let the doors close and say "Hi Greg, How's your day been?"

18) DROP a pen and wail until someone reaches to help pick it up, then scream: "That's mine!"

19) BRING a camera and take pictures of everyone in the lift.

20) PRETEND you're a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exits with the Passengers.

21) SWAT at flies that don't exist.

22) CALL out "Group hug" then enforce it.

23) If the lift is full of women you look at the floor and say, "Nobody move their feet, my pet rat is on the loose". (Spiders and roaches work good too).

24) WALK on with a cool box that says "human head" on the side.

25) SPEAK into a mobile phone and say, "Yeah, the doctor said it was very contagious"

Thanks to Frank for this funny post.

Hope it put a smile on your face :D

In Christ,
Kevin

Trust

2009-05-19T21:28:00.003-04:00

I was reading in the Proverbs the other day and came across the following verses:

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

I'm sure you've probably heard them before, but it seems to me that they (in a way) sum it all up. I've been wondering...do I always trust in the Lord with my whole heart? The answer, unfortunately, is obvious. No. Do I lean not on my own understanding? Again, a lot of the time, no. I often find myself leaning on my own understanding :( I also often find that when I do, I also stumble. God's wisdom is far beyond all I can ever comprehend. Sometimes it's hard to realize that what "your" understanding is, is not always the right one. Honestly who thinks that "they" are wrong? But the thing is, we can only see what is currently happening in our lives. God sees our whole life and knows every decision that we should make. Personally, I have always had a hard time giving up my will to someone else, especially when I think I'm right. But, with God it's kind of different. We know that He is right all of the time. That should make it that much easier. So anyways, I'm going to work on putting all of my trust in God and giving up my will to others. I'll leave the rest up to Him :D

God Bless You All, And Goodnight !

In Christ,

Kevin

New Look!

2009-05-18T13:49:00.001-04:00

Just a quick question to you all to see if you like my new blog template. If you do not, do not be afraid to say so. I need the input!

In Christ,

Kevin

2009-05-10T09:42:00.002-04:00

Ok. I'm gonna try to post this with my cell phone. If it works, u should see a pic of Jonathan. Here goes nothing!

Mother's Day Is...Tomorrow!

2009-05-09T17:51:00.003-04:00

Mother's Day. The time of year that makes you think about your mom. How much she's loved you. What she's done for you. And what she would do for you if she had to. You know what everyone? What on earth would we do without our mom's? You know what I mean? Good!

Though it is hard to admit, I am not always appreciative of my mom. I'm gonna make it a goal to try to show my mom that I appreciate what she's done for me in the years ahead.

Give your mom a hug right now and tell her you love her. You may do it all the time. Or, like me, you may almost never do it. But I'm sure it'll make her happy :D.

Again, I'm pressured for time. sigh. Hopefully I'll update again soon.

God Bless!

In Christ,

Kevin

Oh yeah, and Happy Mother's Day!

An Update On Johnny

2009-04-26T20:34:00.002-04:00

Hello! I am sooooo sorry I have not updated you all on Jonathan. Some of you have asked me for an update, but (here goes my lame excuse) I have been so busy with school and work and driver’s ed that I have not had much time to do anything. Anyways, no excuse. Ok! Here Goes!

So last….um….I think Tuesday, my mom came and picked me up after work and we went to Jonathan’s pediatrician to get some blood tests done (poor guy). Since it was going to be a long wait (like over an hour), I decided to stay in the van and listen to talk radio (The Bob Dutko Show!). So after the wait, my mom came out with little Johnny, and announced that he had gained almost three pounds! Praise God! But, the amount of protein that was leaking from his bloodstream was still extremely high. Since Jonathan originally went to a doctor at Children’s Hospital in Detroit, the pediatrician decided to send him a blood sample.

Fast forward about a week and a half, I’m sitting on my bed doing homework for driver’s ed, when the phone rings like this……oh yeah, you can’t hear it :P Anyways, my mom answered the phone. To my understanding, it was the doctor from Children’s Hospital calling to give the blood test results. Apparently he has almost completely stopped leaking protein. In the doctor’s own word’s “It seems like his kidneys are healing themselves”. Ahhh, but I know better than that. Praise the Lord for the work He has done! Hopefully he will continue to improve. Than you all SO much for all your prayers for him. Our God is great! If any of you have more questions, just ask them in a comment :D

I better get a move on, cause I still have some stuff to do :)

God Bless You All!

Kevin

Who Do I Think I Am?

2009-04-22T13:23:00.003-04:00

Have you ever been out on a dark, clear night when the stars just seem to glow all around you? When you look up and see the vastness of it all, and then you think of yourself. A tiny nobody. A grain of sand. And when you try to imagine our Savior…His greatness… His majesty...it makes you wonder…how could He care about me? Why would he care about me? I mean, look at everything around me. Why would He care whether I die or not? And yet, He died for me? How could anyone do such a thing? When I think like that, it makes me ashamed of myself. He gave His life for me, what have I given to Him? What do I, from day to day, give Jesus?

Slightly off topic:

Have you ever asked yourself the question “If I was to become like Jesus, what about me would I have to change?” It’s a very convicting thought.

Off topic again :)

How could I, knowing what Jesus did for me, be so selfish as to not give Him everything? Sometimes I think like that. Who do I think I am?

After reading over this I see how jumbled up my thoughts are. Sorry! Hopefully you can make sense of it all! :P

Sorry I have not been commenting on any of your blogs lately. I have been sooooo busy with driver's ed, school, and work!

God Bless You All!

Kevin

Just some things I've been thinking about

2009-04-12T18:00:00.002-04:00

Hello!

I was reading in Hebrews chapter 12 the other day and really liked the following verses:

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

What first caught my attention was the laying aside of every weight in verse 1. If I have no weight to drag me down, then I can run at peak performance like a runner who is in good shape. Daily time spent in God’s Word, will help to keep us in the condition we should be in.

Ok. Read verse 2 again. We are to look unto Jesus who “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross”. I thought about that line for awhile. In a different verse, we are commanded to faithfully carry our cross daily. Do I endure my cross like Jesus did? It’s a humbling thought. When I get angry, do I faithfully bear the load and ask Jesus for the strength that he has promised to give us? In 2 Corinthians 13:5 it says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

Your Brother In Christ OUR Redeemer,

Kevin

Wise Advice (It must not be from me :P)

2009-04-08T14:37:00.004-04:00

Do It Anyway
By Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis
it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them anyway.

My mom showed me this poem a few months ago and I thought it was really good. The end is very true. It is between us and God.

God Bless You All!

Your Brother In Christ,
Kevin

A Great Song

2009-03-26T16:35:00.004-04:00

In Christ Alone

By Stuart Townsend

In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light my strength my song

This Cornerstone, this solid Ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled when strivings cease!

My Comforter my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone! - who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe!

This Gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

Till on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied -

For every sin on Him was laid:

Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine -

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Till he returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand!

I really, really like this song. I would write more, but I don't have time :'(     (:P)

In Christ,

Kevin

A Long Overdue Update

2009-03-19T17:07:00.001-04:00

Hello My Friends!

I am so sorry for not updating you sooner. I have been soooooo busy! Anyways, my brother Jonathan is at home now but is still having to go back for testing. The doctors are not sure what the problem is at this point but they think it is the thyroid. They gave him thyroid medicine and it appears to be working. Praise God! They aren’t sure yet though, so we will have to wait and see. I try to remember the verse in Romans 8:28 that says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Jesus is with us at all times, no matter what the situation is. Thank you Jesus for being there for us in both the good times and the bad!

Working at the greenhouse lately has kept me pretty busy. Whether I’m hanging pots, planting flowers, or tagging, that and school keeps me pretty busy! The amount of plants that we work with are staggering. My boss said that there were 17,000 Begonia plants and like 15,000 Impatiens. He said in total, by the end of the flower year we will have planted about 200,000 plants!!!!!!!! I am not exaggerating and neither is he! Trust me, there are a ton of plant in there. Also there are 63 greenhouses, with over 5 ½ acres under glass.

I will try to be better in the future on updating my blog!!! SORRY!!!!!!!

Also, I encourage you all to visit The Believers Gathering if you haven’t yet and apply for membership. Just click the link on the right. Thanks!

Keep walking in the Spirit!

Your Brother In Christ,

Kevin

Jonathan

2009-03-05T17:22:00.002-05:00

My brother Jonathan is in the hospital. Since I already made a post about it on The Believers Gathering, just Click Here to read about it.

50 Facts? Oh No!

2009-02-25T16:49:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by Bethany. We'll see if I can make it to 50!

1. I am 16 years old
2. I am 6 ft. 6 inches tall
3. I wear size 13 shoes
4. I am in 11th grade
5. I enjoy listening to Josh Groban
6. My favorite books of the Bible are Galatians, Philippians, and James
7. I enjoy Paul Washer's teaching
8. I like almost every sport (especially basketball, volleyball, and ice hockey)
9. I LOVE coffee, particularly Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino
10. My favorite season is summer
11. I want to buy a Saturn Vue
12. I work at a greenhouse
13. I milk a cow
14. I have 6 brothers and sisters
15. I have one dog
16. I enjoy reading Fur, Fish, and Game
17. I like Ice Cream (okay, who doesn't!)
18. I am the second oldest sibling
19. I enjoy hunting
20. I am going to take Driver's Ed this Spring
21. I do not enjoy school that much unfortunately
22. I like trapping
23. I have never broken a bone
24. I had my arm bone moved out of place three times
25. I currently have braces and will for a few more months
26. This is harder than I thought it would be
27. I want to learn computer programming
28. I love Jesus
29. I want to serve Jesus with my life
30. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was 14
31. My blog's purpose is to encourage others
32. I like to joke with my family (too much)
33. I like skiing
34. I fell 15 seconds after I put skis on for the first time
35. I ran someone over while I was skiing!
36. I really enjoy listening to The Bob Dutko Show (103.5 FM WMUZ "The Light")
37. I love being with my family
38. I really enjoy Foosball
39. I am not going to make it to 50 :(
40. I do not know what I am going to do for a living
41. I want to please Jesus with everything I do
42. I want to witness the Gospel to more people
43. I cannot wait until I graduate
44. I work 28 hours a week while I'm doing school
45. I want to do the Lord's will in everything
46. I have only 4 more facts to go
47. I can do this!
48. I know I can!!
49. Almost There!!!
50. Woohoo!!!!!! I did it (I kind of cheated there in the end, but....)

Oh, my. Wow. That was hard. I hope you know more about me now.

In Christ,
Kevin

Seperation From The World

2009-02-20T17:18:00.000-05:00

Staying unstained from the world. It’s something I often think about. The Bible says in 1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Now, it can be taken to an extreme. Obviously you cannot be completely separated from this world, because it is where we live. What I’m talking about is the sinful things of the world. Not even necessarily going to places that are sinful, but going somewhere where you are purposely putting temptation before you. I know, you can’t go shopping in a grocery store without facing some temptation (and I’m not talking about buying too many boxes of donuts!). But should we go somewhere that we know will cause us to stumble? For example, I’m not going to go somewhere where no matter where I look, I am constantly being tempted to lust after a woman. It seems to me that going somewhere like that would just be setting myself up to sin. Can you go somewhere like that and not sin? Probably, if you look at the ground the whole time. But chances are, you are going to slip. Why would you purposely put yourself in the way of temptation? Isn’t it unwise? I know, I know, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”. Like I said before, is it possible to not sin when you are tempted? Yes, there is always a way of escape. But why, seriously, why as a Christian who is striving to serve the Lord, would you purposely put temptation to sin in front of you? It’s not logical. For example, if you’re on a diet, you just don’t go into a donut shop. Ok, that’s not the best example ever, but try and get what I’m saying. Exactly what am I saying? Good question! No, seriously, if you want to keep yourself free from the stain of this world, you must guard yourself against it. Flee from temptation!

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

In Christ,

Kevin

The Love Of The Savior

2009-02-17T12:17:00.002-05:00

As some of you know, the ultimate goal of my blog is to share what I have been thinking and doing, and to encourage people in their walk with Jesus Christ. So with that in mind, I would like to ponder about how much love Jesus has for us. I know, it’s something everybody knows, but I find that it helps me to keep my eyes on Him.

What kind of love is it that enables a person to give his life for the people that are killing him? Jesus bore the wrath of God for us, taking on himself all OUR sins so that we might be saved. He was horribly treated, the soldiers spitting on Him and hitting Him, after which, He was beaten with a lead-tipped whip. All of the religious leaders were probably looking on with scorn and satisfaction as all this took place. Then Jesus was forced to carry the cross up a hill just outside of town. Because of the wounds He had received, Simon had to carry it part way there. Jesus was then placed on the cross, held in place by nails through his hands and feet. The religious leaders mocked Him, asking why He did not save Himself. What they did not realize, was that He was dying for them, the very ones who were killing Him. Do you think He couldn’t have come down? He very easily could have saved himself. Please, try and grasp that. Anytime that Jesus wanted to, whether it was while he was being whipped, while spikes were being driven through His hands and feet, or beforehand in the Garden of Gethsemane, He could have decided to not give His life for us. Knowing Satan, he was probably there the whole time, tempting our Lord to save Himself. But our Savior ignored Him. And though Jesus begged the Father to take the cup of wrath away from Him, He was willing to submit to God’s will. It should have been you and me who died. Instead, Jesus took our place. He died so that we might live eternally. How great a price for the souls of sinful man! Praise and thank the Lord for His unconditional love for us, for, without it, you would be eternally damned.

In Christ,

Kevin

I Got A Job

2009-02-15T17:18:00.000-05:00

For a little while now, I’ve been wanting to get a part time job. You know, nothing that would take too much time away from my day, yet something that will get me a little money. So when a friend told me that a local greenhouse was hiring, I wanted to apply right away. The only problem was getting my school done. I figured that I would probably be able to work for a few hours a day, and get all of my school done. So I asked my parents if they would let me work there. Not surprisingly, I didn’t get an answer that day. I prayed about it a little, wondering if I even wanted to work at a greenhouse. I didn’t know if I would apply, even if my parents said I could. Then one morning, three days later, my mom told me that my dad had decided to let me apply. Hmmmm…. I talked to my mom about it a little, but still, I didn’t know what to do. I was wondering if maybe I should apply at Krogers, or maybe Tractor Supply Company. I don’t really know when it happened, but I started feel better about the idea of working at the greenhouse. When my mom asked me if I wanted to apply that very day, I said I would like to. I called my friend and asked him where I was supposed to apply. He gave me directions to follow once I got to the greenhouse (It is a rather large one), which I didn’t think I would be able to remember. But, off to the greenhouse I went.

After I arrived, I started looking for the door I was supposed to enter. I picked one and hoped for the best. Thankfully, it was the right one. Then I tried to remember where to go next. I thought I saw movement about a hundred yards off in an adjoining greenhouse, and decided that that was my best bet. I prayed on the way over there, asking God to help me remain calm, and that His will would be done. I walked through the door where a woman asked me what I needed. I asked her if they were accepting applications. She said that they were, and escorted me to the office to fill out the application. She set me up on an office desk, and told me the owner/boss would be there in about five minutes. I proceeded to fill in the required fields on the application. Then I read and reread the whole thing over, while waiting for the boss to come. Finally, I saw a man approaching the office. He entered and I stood and shook his hand. I tried to act calm and confident. He asked me if I was the friend of the person I mentioned above. I said I was. Then he told me that because of that, he looked on me very favorably. He continued to ask me questions, like what hours I could work, and a few other things. Everything seemed to be going well. He then told me that I could consider myself hired. I was thrilled. We exchanged a few more words, after which we shook hands again. Then I started back towards the van, thanking Jesus for giving me confidence (I am usually very . I climbed in the van, and proceeded to tell my mom what had happened. A few weeks later, I got a call from the owner’s wife asking me to come in on February 20^th . I have to fill out some more paperwork, watch a movie, and discuss a few things. Soooooooo……… I will start working on February 23, 2009. I hope it will not hinder me from posting as often. Only time can tell.

In Christ,

Kevin

Treadmill

2009-02-08T09:11:00.001-05:00

Here is a little tv commercial somebody e-mailed my dad. Enjoy!

Characteristics Of A Christian

2009-02-05T13:22:00.003-05:00

“12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Colossians 3:12-17

I really, really like these verses. In verse twelve, it directs the elect in Christ to put on mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering. Continuing on into verse thirteen, it says to forbear one another, and forgive one another, even as Christ has forgiven us, so also should we. But above all these things, it says to put on charity, or love, which is the bond of perfection. I think these things are essential in our walk with Christ. They make up much of the characteristics of a Christian. Mercy, kindness, humbleness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, love; these are things that I want people to associate with me. I pray to the Lord to help me grow in these areas.

This morning I was listening to the radio, and they were talking about a man who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. The only proof the jury for sentencing him was the victim’s identification of the man. The fingerprints the police had gathered did not match his own. His friends all gave testimony in court that he was with them at a party playing some cards, when the crime was committed. Still, the jury pronounced him guilty. Now, twenty years later, this 39 yr. old man has passed away, dying from an asthma attack. More than half his life was spent in prison for a crime that he didn’t commit (I hope and pray that that man found peace in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ). Can you imagine that? Can you imagine spending all those years in jail, for a crime YOU didn’t commit? I think that it would be very easy to grow bitter in that situation, not only towards the man who had really committed the crime, and the jury, but towards everyone and everything. But as Christians serving Jesus, that is not how we should be. Kindness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, and love all come into play here. It would be extremely hard to forgive, and love people for that. Yet, His Word says we can do all things through Christ, who gives us the strength we need. Thank-You Lord!

Let everything you do, be in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord!

God Bless You, Brothers and Sisters!

In Christ,

Kevin

My Average Morning

2009-02-04T19:00:00.004-05:00

My family shares a dairy cow with our neighbors, and we milk it every morning. I milk on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. My sisters Amy (13) and Katie (12), milk together on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Since my brother Ryan works during the week, he only milks on Saturday. Anyways, here is what my typical mornings are like. It varies slightly from day to day.

Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday (My days to milk)

11: 25 p.m. - 5:25 a.m.: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

5:25 a.m.: Alarm goes off. My mind is clouded from sleep, and I wonder why I set my alarm. Push snooze button and roll over..

5:30 a.m.: Alarm goes off again. I turn alarm off, climb out of bed, and start getting ready to go.

5:35 a.m.: I can only find one glove. Frustration. Finally, I find a different pair.

5:37 a.m.: Open the garage door, and start the van (and make sure Ryan’s car is not parked behind me :)

5:40 - 5:50 a.m.: I arrive at the Garno’s home, still half asleep, and definitely not ready to start milking. I walk inside, and start getting ready anyway (No, the cow is not in the house!). Mrs. Garno walks into the kitchen. She greets me with a cheerful good morning, and I sleepily answer back. She probably wonders how it can possibly take me so long to get ready to milk. All I have to do is grab the milker (that is what we milk into), and fill up a small pail with warm, soapy water. What I’m really doing is savoring my few moments of warmth in their house;)

5:51 - 6:10 a.m.: I clean up the manure (obviously the most fun part), and give Daisy some grain and hay. Then I lock her in the stanchion, and start cleaning her teats off.

6:11 a.m.: I start milking. By now I’m wide awake. Nothing wakes you up like the smell of fresh manure.

6:20 a.m.: I finish milking and unlock the cow from the stanchion. I grab the milk, turn off the lights in the barn, and, after I give the steer some milk, I start walking back toward the Garno’s home

6:30 a.m.: I begin to strain the milk into gallon jugs, and end up getting about a 1 ¾ gallons. I wash the milker, grab our milk, and drive home.

6:55 a.m.: I put the milk in the fridge, grab the coffee beans out of the freezer and start making a pot of coffee. Then I walk back out into the garage, and start chopping kindling.

7:10 a.m.: The fire is blazing by now (I hope anyway ;) and I pour myself a cup of coffee. Then I sit in front of the fire and start doing school.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday (My sisters’ days to milk:)

11:30 p.m. - 6:30 a.m.: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

6:32 a.m.: ring, ring, ring, ring (phone). Again, my mind is clouded from sleep. I look at the ceiling (projection clock) and think I don’t have to get up until my alarm goes off. I turn over. zzzzzzzzzzzzz

6:33 a.m.: ring, ring, ring, ri… I manage to jump out of bed, climb down the ladder (I sleep in a bunk bed), and answer the phone in time. My sisters want me to come pick them up (my dad drives them over there in the morning when he leaves for work). I get a tip from Amy that Ryan’s car is parked behind the van.

6:35 a.m.: I move Ryan’s car out of the way. Then I start the van and drive to the Garno’s.

6:45 a.m.: I’m still waiting for the girls. I’m freezing because the van’s engine isn’t warm enough to produce heat. Temperature: 9* F.

6:47 a.m.: Finally the van starts to heat up. Amy opens the door. She starts putting her stuff in the van. I tell her to hurry up, because all the heat was escaping. Next, I tell her that it’s not right to get a guy out of his warm bed, on a freezing cold morning, and then make him wait forever. She says I didn’t have to wait very long, and I’m too tired to argue.

6:49 a.m.: Katie climbs in the van. I drive home.

6:55 a.m.: Katie grabs the coffee beans out of the freezer and starts making a pot of coffee for me (what a nice sister!!). Then I go into the garage, and start chopping kindling.

7:10 a.m.: Amy and Katie are in bed. The fire is not blazing (not the best fire ever :( but I pour myself a cup of coffee anyway. Then I sit in front of the fire and start doing school.

7:45 a.m.: I make myself some breakfast, and do more school.

8:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.: Different everyday!

I've Been Tagged

2009-02-01T17:35:00.004-05:00

I have been tagged by J.J. Biddinger. Here are my answers and the people I tag.

A movie I watched: I didn’t see any new movies

A moment I will always remember: Going to the camp at the Cooper’s, and trapping my first coyote

A new skill I acquired: I’ve started learning fingerstyle guitar, and a little bit of computer programming

A lesson I learned: That I cannot fix my character flaws by myself. I need the help of Jesus!

A new place I visited this year: I haven’t really gone anywhere.

A book I read: One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven By Mark Cahill

An inspiring verse or quote: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Here are the rules:
1. Fill in your memories of 2008.
2. Link my blog to yours.
3. Tag others and comment on their blog so they know they've been tagged.

I am going to tag Ryan Wegner, Hannah Heyworth, Leah Heyworth, and David Cooper

The Star Spangled Banner

2009-02-01T14:32:00.001-05:00

Here it is. The Star Spangled Banner, America’s official National Anthem. If I go off-key in a few parts, please try to ignore it. Thank-You.

PLEASE TRY TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS WAS OVER FIVE YEARS AGO!

Coming Soon......The Star Spangled Banner!!!!

2009-01-31T15:01:00.002-05:00

As soon as I can get to a high-speed internet connection, I am going to post a movie of yours truly singing our national anthem. Since I was only eleven years old, I don't sound the same as I do now (at least I hope!). It may take a few days from now, or a week, but it is coming soon. There will be rules to follow while watching it, like no laughing, but I will post those with the movie.

God Bless,

Kevin

Update On Jonathan

2009-01-27T17:58:00.004-05:00

For those of you that do not know, my mom took a few of my brothers and sisters to the doctor for a bad cough yesterday. Normally we do not go to the doctor for little things like that, but since they were coughing for at least a week and a half, she thought it might have turned into bronchitis, or pneumonia. Unfortunately, the person who was coughing the worst was Jonathan, my youngest brother, who is only seven months old. After listening to his breathing, the doctor sent Jonathan to the hospital to be checked for RSV and pneumonia. The others just had a bad cold. Since the only people with her were Amy (13), Sarah (6), and Jason (4), and the rest of us were gone, she dropped them off at home and drove to the hospital in Port Huron. After hours of waiting after the x-rays and tests, the results came back negative for both RSV and pneumonia. Praise the Lord! Jonathan does have an upper respiratory infection, but thankfully the doctor said he should recover soon. I hope and pray he does, along with the rest of us who are coughing.

In Christ,

Kevin

President Obama.......What Did You Expect?

2009-01-27T15:51:00.018-05:00

If you have doubts on whether President Obama will push for Socialism, doubt no longer. This explicitly shows what the democrats want. Socialism! You know, like spreading the wealth......Bad! This is the person that lots of Christians wanted for their president. It's ridiculous! But, since he is now our president, we will have to deal with it, though we don't have to agree with it.
The FOCA? Bad! Funding of Oversea Abortions? Terrible! It's really population control in disguise. Homosexuality? Just plain wrong! But don't you dare say a single word against them, because we "need to be tolerant". WE NEED TO BE TOLERANT? Unbelievable.
Just some thoughts.

In Christ,
Kevin

Our Pilgrim's Progress

2009-01-22T13:53:00.002-05:00

Pilgrim’s Progress. An allegory of Pilgrim’s journey to Celestial City, written by John Bunyan (not to be mistaken for my ancestor, Paul Bunyan;). He must have been inspired by God to write that book. So many of the things can be used in our Christian walk. For example, Pilgrim was told by Evangelist to “keep his eyes on the Light”, and he would not stray from the path to Celestial City. When he did take his eyes off the light, there were consequences, like the Slough of Despond. To me it is very encouraging to read something like that. If we fix our eyes on Jesus, we will not want to stray from the Narrow Way because we will have our eyes fixed on the prize that the Lord has promised us. Like Pilgrim, we do stray from time to time even though we love the Lord. Thankfully, our loving Savior forgives us of our faults, when we confess and repent them to Him. The point is, if we don’t look left nor right, and keep walking in the Spirit towards the Light, we will never stray from Him.

In Christ,

Kevin

Our 44th President

2009-01-21T12:38:00.002-05:00

Inauguration day, January 20, 2009, Barack Obama, the first African-American to become president of the United States of America, is sworn into office. It’s amazing to think that just 50 years ago, he would not have been allowed to drink at the same drinking fountain as a white person, yet now he can rise to the highest position in the U.S.A.. Do I agree with a lot of his positions? No, I don’t. Laws regarding same-sex marriage and abortion will now be passed under his authority. But whether you agree with him or not, he will be our president for the next four years.

A month or two ago, I read a paper where somebody asked if Christians were praying for Barack Obama. Have you? I haven’t. He brought up an interesting point. We should be praying for our country’s leaders, whether we agree with them or not. I pray that our 44^th president will look to God before making any decision in the White House. I pray that he will remember that our country was founded “Under God”, and that passing the laws he intends to pass will pull our country farther away from God, not closer to Him. Nevertheless, let your will be done, Lord.

God Bless America!!

A Few Random Pictures

2009-01-19T19:21:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures I thought I would post.

Ryan can't you wait till after the picture is taken to eat?

Where's the Harley, Jason?

Nice mohawk Jonathan!

Content?

2009-01-15T11:02:00.001-05:00

In my devotions this morning, I randomly decided to read in Philippians. As I was reading, I came across this verse. “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.(4:11)” But how? How can I be content? In answer, two verses later I read, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” It hit home. That was exactly what I needed to hear. I can’t be content without the help of Jesus. I thank and praise the Lord for having me read those verses on this particular morning. I pray to the Lord to give me the strength to be content.

Sin Is Optional

2009-01-12T20:34:00.001-05:00

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV

I find that this verse is very encouraging. Sin is optional. I don’t have to let Satan trip me up. I don’t have to slide back into the flesh. But there is always a way to avoid sin. I know this is kind of obvious, but sometimes I need a reminder. Often I find myself so blinded by my flesh I don’t see the way of escape, or even think to look for it, until after I have sinned. You know the saying “Think before you act”? Well, too often I “Act before I think”. I need to remember to think ”What Would Jesus Do?” before everything I do.

Off-topic, I have been thinking about character flaws too. I wish they didn’t exist. I’m finding that all I can do is fix them temporarily. The only way to fix these flaws is to give them to God with an open heart and let him change you. It’s so hard to do. I wish it was as simple as it sounds. I pray that the Lord will help me. With the Lord’s help, may we all get closer to Him, with every passing day.

Kevin

What A Weird Dream!

2009-01-09T13:28:00.002-05:00

I had a really weird dream last night. I had died and was waiting to get into Heaven. Then Peter came up and told me I had to write all the sins I had ever committed on a huge wall off to the side. I turned and looked at a 20 foot wall with ladders leaning up against it. A loud groan escaped from me as I turned to start on the grueling task. Peter pointed to the pencils I was to use. I turned to him in disbelief. These things looked more like logs. They were about 6-8 inches in diameter and around 6 feet long. I walked over and hoisted one up onto my shoulder. Then I walked over to one of the ladders and started climbing up. Suddenly, someone stepped on my fingers. I looked up, and, to my surprise, I saw Levi. “Levi, what are you doing?” I asked. He answered, “I’m coming down for another pencil.”

Well that wasn’t a real dream but I thought I’d write it anyway. Sorry Levi, I had to use somebody for the part, so I picked you. My Grandpa told it to me a few years ago and I thought it was hilarious. Thought I’d pass it around.

The Whole Heart

2009-01-06T18:23:00.000-05:00

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.(Galatians 2:20) KJV

The life we live as Christians is by faith in Jesus Christ. Our life is no longer our own. We have committed our entire life to him. We have died, and Christ reigns inside our hearts. But I find it easy to keep a corner of my heart for my own, not giving him all. This, of course, leads me to stumble later on, because I can’t handle my own life. God didn’t ask for part of my heart. He didn’t ask for most of it. He asked for my whole heart. I know I need to look and make sure I have given him my whole heart. Because when I’m at Heaven’s gates, I want to hear my Lord say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” To hear Jesus, the Lord of the universe, say that to me (you?) would be incredible. My prayer is that those I come in contact with will see the light of Him, shining forth from me.

Kevin

Putting a link directly in your post.

2008-12-31T09:38:00.000-05:00

Here is the sample HTML code to make a direct link:

Hello everyone! Click
(A HREF="http://kevinweg.blogspot.com")(b)HERE(/b)(/A) to view my blog.

The only thing you have to do different is change all the parentheses to < or >.

If I change the parentheses to <> then it will look like this:

Click HERE to view my blog.

Great Teaching By Paul Washer

2008-12-31T09:17:00.000-05:00

My family listened to a Paul Washer CD last night, about the true church. Who is saved? Who isn't? Mr. Washer does a great job at laying everything out clearly. He is very bold, and is not afraid to say things that most contemporary pastors will not say. I encourage everyone to visit his website HERE. There are a lot of different mp3's to download on there.

2009?

2008-12-30T16:26:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that 2008 is almost over. It just started! At least it seems that way to me. Time flies by so quick. Until I think that I can't take driver's ed until Spring 2009. Then time crawls like a snail. It will get here soon enough. For now, I'll just be happy I get to drive the van over to milk the cow. Brrrrrrr. It gets cold sometimes.

Kevin

Amazing Love

2008-12-30T16:18:00.000-05:00

A new virus that caused your respiratory system to shut down was spreading like wildfire. Cities were quarantined to stop the disease from spreading. Still, within a few months it had spread across the World. Doctors were at their wits end at what to do, for they had no cure. Thousands of people were dying from the sickness every day. Doctors everywhere were testing and searching for a cure. Then, they had a breakthrough. They had found what everyone was looking for. A cure for the disease. There was one catch though. They needed someone to donate blood for the making of the antibiotic. They needed ?+ blood (a new type they discovered in the making of the cure) and as much as they could get of it. Everyone came to be tested to see if they had the correct blood type. No one did. Doctors were getting scared. The people were terrified. Then, a little 8 yr. old boy was found with the correct blood type. He was the only person on earth who could save them from this disease. The doctors were excited. People everywhere were happy. But wait. How much blood do they need? All of it? Surely not! Yes they need all of the boy’s blood to make this cure. The boy’s parents take him to the doctors. The doctors tell him what they need to do. As the parents turned to leave, the boy cries out in terror, “Mom, Dad, why are you forsaking me? How can you let them do this to me?” The parents say nothing. Everyone needs this boy to give his life for them to be saved. He was given an option. He could go home, and live his life as he normally would (and probably end up dying from the disease), or he could let the doctors remove all of his blood, and save the world. The boy turned to his parents and said with tears in his eyes, ”I love you Mom and Dad.” He tells the doctors he will give his life. The parents turn their back and walk away. The world is happy. They are saved. But everyone soon forgets the person who gave his life, so that they might be live.

I heard this story years ago. I did my best to write it down, but alas, I will never be a writer. Please try to ignore my stiff writing and try and get the big picture. Jesus died for us. He died for you. The love that it takes to give your life for people that hate and reject you is infinite. How could you love someone when they are yelling out “Crucify Him”? Only God’s supernatural love can do that. Sometimes when I look at what Jesus has done for me, I am amazed at how I just kind of take it for granted. He really did die. He was wounded for our sins. And by his death, we are saved. I know for me it can help to just look at the love Jesus has for us. Doesn’t it make you want to serve Him more? I hope reading this has not been a waste of time for you.

Kevin

Are You Hot or Cold?

2008-12-28T15:43:00.000-05:00

Do you know what? As a Christian I think it can be easy to just go along with your life and kind of do the motions. For example, reading your Bible, and praying. Sure those things are good, but unless you are doing it with the right heart (a heart that yearns and desires what the Father wants, a heart that longs to be closer to Him), it can be just the reading of a few paragraphs, or the mumbling of a few lines. If our prayers do not come from the heart, they are meaningless and vain words to our Lord. I know for me it is easy to just do the motions. But it is all an outward appearance. The bible says in Revelation 3:15-16 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!” I like to think of it as a cup that is sparkling clean on the outside, and dirty on the inside. I don’t know about you but that is something I would not drink from. Jesus would spew us out of his mouth. We need to be a Christian from the inside, and let our light shine from within. We need to be the kind of Christian that when your non-Christian friends hear that you are a Believer, they don’t say “Really?” in disbelief. We need to be on fire (and I mean burning) for the Lord, because everything in this world is constantly trying to put us out. If you’ve got a fire that consists of a few twigs burning, all you need is a little wind (troubles) to put it out. But if you have a big fire with hot coals, it takes a lot to put that fire out, because its source comes from the inside (the hot coals, or Jesus Christ), not the outside like the little fire.

These are just some things I have been thinking about lately, and thought I would write them down.

Your Brother in Christ,
Kevin

First Post!

2008-12-28T15:21:00.000-05:00

My first post! Boring to everyone else. Anyway, this place is cool. I like the look of the user interface and the ease of use. Great design.