The Course of a Lifetime

I have been a student at the great North Carolina State University for 3 and a half years now. Over that time I have gained so much both in class and in out. Friendships have turned into me gaining brothers and sisters of the deepest kind. I have even been blessed enough to meet a pretty amazing woman. I have been able to spend time with some of the wisest and most Godly men I have ever met. God has done a work in me here that has forever changed the course of my life. I am most thankful for what God has given me and allowed me to do.

With that being said some things are changing, about a month ago I went on a leadership retreat (mission USA) to South Carolina. Tom Short led times of prayer and teachings and it was fantastic. The thing that struck me most was not what was said by Tom or any of the other elders but what was shown. These men have been chasing God together for over 20 years. As I saw Berk, Tom, Ed, Robbie, and other elders interact and listening to them talk about how they started, it built a fire up in me. I decided then that I wanted to spend my life reaping in the blessing that is found in serving with other Men of God. I have resolved in my heart that I want to serve God as the main thing that I give my time and energy to.

Currently I am studying Computer Science Engineering at NC State University, for those that don't know that is basically software design. I am 2 semesters and a summer session from graduating, by finishing out my degree I would double my current debt and graduate in December of 2012 with a BS in Computer Science. After seeking wisdom and guidance from some leaders of my church and my parents, I feel like it is more wise for me to instead finish a degree in computer programming at Wake Tech. This will allow me to get a degree in less time and spend the time I would have used at NC State building up web development skills and paying of debt so that I can eventually go on staff with Great Commission Ministries.

I am very excited about this and think that this is where God is leading. I would ask everyone to please pray for me in this as it is not easy and is very scary for me.

Ask

Proverbs 1

 ² To know wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of understanding,
³ To receive instruction in wise behavior,
Righteousness, justice and equity;
⁴ To give prudence to the naive,
To the youth knowledge and discretion,
⁵ A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
⁶ To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
 ⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction. 

The prayer that I have prayed more than any other my whole life is Lord give me wisdom. Even though I have asked this so often I found that I was not believing him to do it. It got to the point where I was asking without faith.

James 1
⁵ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 

When we ask we should also believe that we will receive and act accordingly. Do we believe that if we ask God for wisdom in which job to take that he will give it? Or do we wait a few days then just pick anyways?When was the last time you had a sit down with God and told him the desires of your heart? Better yet when was the last time you ASKED him for the desires of your heart? We often times try to "hide" our desires from God cause we think he doesn't care.

Matthew 7
⁹ Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!


Ask God the desires of your heart he knows them anyways so not talking with him about them doesn't do you any good. Align your heart with God and he will give you your hearts desires for after all he is our father and we his children.

Reckless Abandon

This past Friday night and Saturday morning our church had a retreat at Riverbend Church in South Carolina. Tom Short was leading the retreat and as we all trickled in on Friday we had a night of worship and prayer. While we were singing a worship song someone's little boy was chasing around a balloon, being ADHD like I am I was watching him as we worshiped. At one point the balloon got away from him so of course he had to get it back, as he was chasing the balloon he knocked over a cup of water, stepped right through the water, and ran into the man leading worship. He was so intent on getting that balloon that he didn't notice any of this but in the end he got that balloon.

This lead me to think about our life with God, so often we are afraid to chase after God because well we might knock over something or mess something up. We care more about who is looking at us and how foolish we might look than trying to be with God. As I watched this kid chase the balloon with reckless abandon I thought we as believers need more of this, a passion so great that we don't allow anything to get in the way. This is the point where normally I would talk about how we need to do this but with maturity and wisdom, but actually no Matthew 18:3 - And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The heart of a child loves fully without permission and restraint and when that love is applied to God, then there needs not be any restraint or slow and careful inquiry. RUN, CHASE, DIVE INTO the heart of God with full intentionality of finding him and living through him. Live a little more reckless for God today.


- Keegan

The Words we Choose to Use.

For those of you who know me really well you know one of the things I enjoy is following/watching/playing Starcraft 2. A while back a player left a team because the team had asked him to restrict the usage of inflammatory words. The team did this not because they just wanted to have control of him and what he said, they did this cause he was representing them and they wanted to be viewed without the taint of those words. He chose to leave because he valued his "right" to do and say what he wanted over the necessity of working with others for a common goal.

This made me think about curse words. Let me define curse words in two different ways, first culturally our society has decided certain words carry a stigma of malintent and as such have been labeled as curse words. Secondly curse words scripturaly, the Word of God describes words used in anger as curse words. These words many times overlap but that is a different topic completely. The question I am looking at today is how as believers should we view these words and actions?

As believers in Christ Jesus we have freedom outside of the law (not the law imposed by government but the law given to Moses by God). So we technically have the freedom to use the words culture has deemed unfit.  Because we have this freedom does it mean that we should use it? What does the use of these words and actions show about our hearts? As in the situation above we represent someone else so, how are we representing them? Are we showing the world that liberty of words is more important than the character of God? Do we prove ourselves fools when we open our mouths or show God's wisdom through restraint?

You have the mic so what do people hear from your words?

-Keegan

Circles Of Life

On Friday night Topher, Chris, Victor, and I stayed up until 6:30 in the morning playing video games, the next morning I went to the football game with Amy, Loren, Jenna, Josh, David, Joannah, Alex, Sommo, Zach, Rob, Caiti, and Tyler. While at the game I saw one of my friends from back home Mark High and we got to talk about the old times and people that I grew up with. Why am I telling you all of this? So one of things I have realized about life is that you are going to have different parts of your life that you share with different people (there is some overlap) and that you need to balance these parts.

Yes another google picture it just happened to be appropriate ;)

I call these different parts circles, some of them are circles within circles ie. HomeGroup is within Grace, these circles require time to maintain which is why over time some shrink and disappear. Throughout my day I am constantly having to choose between circles, do I watch a movie with this group? Do I hang out with this group? I am not perfect at all but I do try my best to spend a equal amount of time in each group.

This is really hard for me because most people don't see this they only see that I am ditching them for someone else. I want to do so much but I only have a set amount of time, as such at different times different circles take priority of others.

As a person I hate it when people are mad at me or disgruntled with me. This makes life really difficult because I am always being pulled in many different directions and having to say no to things constantly. This creates tension and sometimes hurts feelings, I hate it when I have to do that but I can't be in multiple places at one time.

Basically what I am trying to say is I would love to be able to spend as much time with everyone as possible but please understand that I can't. I have different responsibilities as a HG trainer, student, Friend, and family member. I have to balance all of these, so as I try to do this I ask that you be patient with me. I am not perfect nor am I anywhere close.

Popeye: "I yam what I yam, an' tha's all that I yam" 

-Keegan

Hearing what is being said.

In present day America what I call the Youtube Party mindset has taken over our brain's. We don't care about others we are just waiting for them to pause so we can put our 2 cents in.  This mindset leads to a self centered life that is controlled by bitterness. A quality that every leader should strive to have is that of being a good listener.  

“If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y and Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut.” -- Albert Einstein.

When you ask questions you are telling the other person you want to care, when you listen you are showing them you truly care, and when you act purely for their benefit you show them what love is.

John 13:34-35 ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Christ loved us so much he gave up his own life for us, this is the love that we are commanded to show one another. Loving others is a continual mindset, an established lifestyle, and an action that defines. "Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. "--C.S. Lewis. Love and humility walk hand in hand, to really love like God has commanded us to we have to love others more than ourselves, yes even our own lives.

Will you start Loving others today?

-Keegan

Leading

So this blog will be a place for me to share my deeper thoughts it will probably happen every few months.

Leadership, a word that carries so much and burdens all the more. Why do we have leaders? What qualifies someone as a leader? Why should some lead and others not? Among other questions these are things that have been on my mind recently.

Why am I a leader? This question bothers me the most and in many ways hinders me so much. When I look at other HomeGroup (HG) trainers and other people in the church I end up comparing myself to them and ultimately seeing how I don't stack up. There are people who are more mature, more dedicated, more passionate, more humble, have more of a servants heart, want God more or have a greater love for others. I see so many flaws in who I am and what I do.

That's why God reigns because as a human I am a failing, lying, judgmental, arrogant, hypocrite. Yet Gd still allows me to be a part of his plan. I am not inherently good so all of the good I do can only be God. He is the only one that deserves credit and the only one who can receive it. When I focus so much on why I am a failure I don't allow God to use me, it is selfish and arrogant of me to think like that.

This weekend as Andy talked about vision and where we are looking it struck me, am I so focused on the path that I am missing the path maker? I am not looking where it matters? Why do I see the world and miss God? Because I am not looking. Lift your eyes the kingdom is here those words have never rung more true to me than now. LIFT YOUR EYES that is a command look up focus on him who can give sight and guidance instead of trying to see and guide yourself. How can the blind lead the blind? Even more so how can a blind man lead himself? He can't.

When our eyes are on Christ we also see the people around us walking the same path, our field of vision is wider. We can reach out and help those about to trip, call to those about to hit an obstacle. We can do this not because we can see better but because we can actually see them, we have the right focus. With our eyes on Christ we can actually have a heart that wants the best for others and doesn't look at every situation and evaluate how it affects you. A hearts whose eye's are focused on the path will lead to a selfish, bitter, and unfulfilled life. A heart who's eyes are on Christ will lead a loving and joyous life.

Where are your eyes at?