Tag: Hope

Daily Bread: Living A Fruitful Life

Today’s reading and word is from Galatians 5, verse 22-23 and it speaks about the fruit of the spirit. This is in reference to a Godly spirit that we can have if we choose to seek his guidance in our lives. The verse lists the following things that are vital to being a good person, a Godly person, a caring person and most importantly a fruitful person. The old saying we reap what we sow comes into meaning with this reading for me. If we sow love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control then we will reap a great reward. Those that we are around will be influenced to live a fruitful and prosperous life.

We all have the capability and choice to be good or to be rotten. Sometimes we fall in between, but the choice to be destructive to others, hate, create chaos, be impatient, unkind, unfaithful, and lack self control is the result of habits and decisions we made and continue to make. Losing control of your life is noone’s fault but your own. God made us with the ability to chose and some chose good while others chose bad. We all face things that scar us emotionally, physically and spiritually in life. Some people do bad things to other people and these are hard to overcome, forgive and forget. But ultimately we have to decide how we react to life events and how we move forward with it.

If you have been damaged, hurt, broken, given up, lost control and are unforgiven then the time has come to face up to the past. Decide today that it is “right now” that you will go forward as a fruitful person. One that forgives, loves, is patient, kind, gentle, faithful, and controls your own destiny through good decisions. If it is a bad idea, then walk away from it. Release the past hurts, brokenness and pain by asking God to guide you, heal you and help you be a “new person”. Be fruitful and follow Gods lead and watch how your world will change.

Tips for moving on and being more fruitful:

1- Leave the past behind you. Forgive, forget and move forward. Living in the past destroys your opportunity to live in the present and future.

2- Kick old habits to the curb: Kick addictions, afflictions, bad habits, unhealthy habits, bad decision making skills and other things to the curb. Start fresh, set goals and monitor success daily. Be more intentional in your new habits with small changes and grow.

3- Stop worrying about tomorrow and live for today: We are not fruitful if all we see is the past or tomorrow. We must live today, make good decisions today, seek better relationships today, be more kind today. By living a fruitful life daily we can then create a future with no worry.

4- Do not be afraid to fail: We build bad habits, addictions, make poor decisions and often seek the easy way out because we are afraid to fail. Are we truly afraid to fail or are we afraid of what might happen if we work hard, set goals and actually change out current status of failure to success. Do not be afraid to have setbacks, pitfalls and other issues as you become more fruitful in life.

5- Seek Gods will and word in your life: God can cure all and can show you the light. He is the path to a more fruitful life. As I said in #4, do not be afraid to fail. Often people say “I don’t know about all that God stuff” or “I am not sure about God”. Well you will fail if your afraid to ask, seek and check it out. Give it to God by simply praying for help. Ask him to guide you, heal you and make you more fruitful and it will be so. Stay the course and watch your life change for the better!

You got this. You can do it. Be fruitful to yourself and others. Love, care, be kind, grow, pray, help out, watch over others, support them, be positive and God Bless!

Coach B

Galatians 5:22-23; But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Motivational: Fight, Fight, Fight

2020 was a tough year for me physically as I was faced with multiple health conditions that truly tested my physical, mental and spiritual durability. As the year wound down along came the COVID 19 virus and it took major hold on me attacking my health, lungs and body. The biggest challenge was mentally as the virus took its toll on my breathing, energy levels and the other problems it created. It eventually becomes a mental battle when your energy levels are squashed and it wears you out just to take a bath, dress or walk into the kitchen.

We got sick about a week before Christmas Day and things escalated from there quickly. COVID started out slow but began to roll along and challenged my health quickly. Next thing you know, I am in the hospital like many people have been fighting for my health and future. As a career coach and teacher I have always spoken to my student athletes about being a fighter and suddenly I had to stand to my own words and fight. And a fight it has been and one that continues in the hospital as I type this blog post.

COVID is nasty and effects everyone differently and there were a few days, times and instances I wasn’t sure it was going to work out very well. All along I got very uplifting words of encouragement from my family, friends and peers telling me to fight. Yesterday one of my wrestlers called me and said “coach, your a fighter, hang in there, battle this and come home soon”. Oh the words of a 16 year old that is motivating a grown man with the same words of encouragement I have used on him after several matches he may or may not have won.

I constantly encourage my guys to stand strong and fight. There will be points in our lives when we are forced to fight, forced to stand, forced to meet obstacles head on. COVID will overwhelm you and make you quit if you are not tough and fight. For those that have fought the battle keep it up. And for those that have lost someone, I sincerely wish you blessings, mercy and guidance from God during these times. I found strength in his word and battled, fought and have kept a positive attitude so I can overcome this COVID mess and go home to my family, career, students and athletes.

Fight, Overcome, Battle, Win, Have Faith, Live Intentional, Hope for a brighter time and let’s whoop COVID 19!

God Bless! Coach B


Family: Covid Christmas 2020

This week my wife and I tested positive for the Covid 19 virus and are locked down at home for the Christmas Holidays.  We have been very careful to avoid people, mostly staying at home and using proper protective measures for months.  Our oldest daughter has it also and is stuck in Florida for the Holidays, while our youngest daughter is finishing up her covid lockdown from being positive a few weeks ago.  We have called all the family to advise that we cannot meet with them on Christmas day to eat breakfast, open presents, fellowship and most importantly celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

This however does not mean that Christmas cannot be just as special because we will get together in a week or so when everything clears up and everyone is well enough to be safe to gather.  This Christmas will be unlike any we have ever experienced with covid lockdowns, infection rates spiking and the need to being safer than ever.  People are stuck at home, in nursing facilities, and hospitals with nobody able to visit with them or see them.  With this in mind, we all need to be openly praying for those lonely folks and feel blessed that we are not in that situation.  We will rise on Christmas morning, eat, drink some coffee and celebrate Christ as a couple.  

We can still celebrate this Covid Christmas season by using technology, video, texting, google meet, zoom calls, skype and all the other things that are available in this new age we live in.  You can ship your presents to the family and watch them open them up online using one of those technologies.  Or, you can do what we will do and that is wait and celebrate the family, fellowship and make new memories after the Holidays. May you all find blessings, make great memories and push forward into 2021 with hope, faith, love and be fearless.  God has this and it will all work out as he sees fit. Be safe, use common sense and make the best of a Covid Christmas 2020.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my readers.

God Bless, Coach B

Faith: Spending Time With God

Today I am writing about spending time with God and growing our spiritual connection with him. He seeks us out and we need to seek him in return.

Do you ever just stop and spend time with God?  I try to pray three times per day morning, noon and night to make sure I speak with God.  Sometimes I fail at that goal because life can get in the way.  The quantity of prayer in my opinion is not greater than the quality.  Doing ti three times a day allows me to focus on the things I need guidance on.  

Our spiritual needs can change in a minute, an hour or a day.  Give those to Fod and know that he has heard those and will action them for you.  God wants us to spend time with him, seeking his guidance for our lives, relationships and jobs. My favorite way to seek time with God is to go out behind my house and sit near a huge tree in the shade and talk to God.  

Maybe you have have your “quiet time” or devotional time or whatever we call it to seek guidance.  When you do seek God do it with conviction, with an open heart, mind and soul.  Do not half heartedly pray for things that are wants , but go after your needs.  Allow Hod to work through those and lead you to a finalization with them.  

Maybe you do not seek to speak with God daily, opting to only seek or call on him when we need him.  I am guilty of that myself, and work hard to avoid doing that.  God seeks us constantly and is consistent in sending us a still small voice. A dear friend of mine that is very spiritual and gifted once told me that “God shows us signs in small ways, doing small things as the day goes on”.  

With this I say we all look for God in our daily lives through small but meaningful events.  Could be emotional, physical or spiritual movements.  Might be someon holding the door for you or someone allowing you to pull into dead locked traffic.  Or it could be in a big way as well.  Seek him out as he seeks you and look, listen and learn how to connect to God in spirit.  

Deep down inside we desperately desire to connect with our Creator. And He wants to connect with us. Figuring out how to do that seems complicated, but it easier than we think. We have to get quiet and pray to God. After all, God is huge, mysterious and greater than us. He’s everywhere around us, yet we cannot see him.  

You may sit down with your friends and have a cup of coffee most days.  Do that with God, grab yourself daily brew, sit down and talk to God as you enjoy that warm cup of coffee.  Grab your lunch, go to a nice park and eat and think about God.  He thinks about us and loves us to come to him spoken and unspoken. 

Spending time with God daily allows us to tap into his wisdom, mercy and grace.  In return we get his love, guidance and direction in our daily lives.  That is how we see our lives change in ways that can seem hard to believe. We become more like God’s children as we spend time with him.  

Here are a few ways to spend time with God daily:

1- Schedule a set time and add an alarm in your calendar.  Do not avoid it, silence it or skip it.  Make God a priority. 

Would God silence or put you off?

2- Be consistent in those prayers and be open to building that relationship.  Just as your spouse, children and friends matter, so should God.

God is consistent, will you be?

3- Set goals for spiritual growth.  What do you want to accomplish with God.

You set goals for work, health, marriages, etc.  Don’t you think setting a goal for God is just as important?

4- Be hopeful and faithful in your time with God.  

Christ often went to solitary places to pray (see Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12). Christ was the most powerful person to ever walk the earth, he was born of God and still sought him out.  Be like Christ and seek time with God, grow in spirit and abound with life.

Lord, I pray that you help me to find time for you. Quality time that is important and a priority. Seek me as I sell you and let’s connect at a higher level than ever before. Amen!

Faith: Finding Inspiration in Gods Words

Finding Inspiration in God’s Word

Finding inspiration in our lives at times can be very hard. Being inspired to pursue our goals and accomplish them is not an easy task. Many things will get in the way and set us back as we seek to inspire others as well. God inspires people, his believers and followers by giving us words of inspiration in the bible.

He declares his word to be true and offers us the most inspirational event in human history as proof. God gave us his only son Jesus Christ as a gift to inspire us to be more like him. What more inspiration do we need to see that God is perfect and holds the key to all our success.

We have to never give up on our dreams, goals and visions for ourselves.  You must be unstoppable and believe you are going to accomplish your goals.  We inspire others by acting, behaving, leading and guiding people in a positive manner that shines God’s light into the world.  

God inspires through his acts of mercy, grace and kindness.  As you seek to inspire and be inspired, surround yourself with people that inspire you.  More importantly, seek God’s leadership to inspire you to be a better person, better Christian, better husband, father, mother, brother, wife and all the other things you seek to be.

  1. Are you willing to be inspired by God’s words?
  2. Are you willing to ask God to inspire you and grow your inner spirit?

Isaiah 40:31, But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

John 16:13, When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

God, I pray that you inspire me to be better everyday at all the things I seek to accomplish. I know that I can do this with you by my side, inspiring me to inspire others. Amen

Faith: Do Not Lose Hope

Do Not Lose Hope

As I lay in a hospital bed awaiting another procedure on my heart and writing this blog. I face a reality check that my life has changed for good and I may never be the same physically. After my first procedure I felt better and began rehab and things were going well. Suddenly yesterday, a severe pain hit me in my chest and I went to the hospital. It was a setback and I started to doubt things.

I felt hopeless for just a short period of time. I was scared and confused. That can create doubt and take your hope away. I prayed about it and have no option other than to fight this and know that God is in control. I have to keep hope and not be fearful of the unknown. As I prepare for surgery, I added to this post as it was appropriate and perfect timing.

Today we talk about hope and what it means to have it in your life. Hope offers us a way to feel like something we want to desire will happen. Hope can often become a huge disappointment in our lives as well. Often we hope for things that are not available or viable for us. A person may hope to find the perfect spouse as they envision in their minds. However, the perfect spouse may be completely different.

How is your hope? Does it bounce back after taking a big hit or disappointment?  Does it cause you to struggle with finding and maintaining a  positive thought process to get where you can?  When you are facing the testing of your faith can you see the light at the end of the tunnel?  Do you trust in God and his word to allow you to find hope in people, relationships and your faith.  

When you need words of encouragement to renew your spirit and restore your soul, turn your eyes to God and seek his guidance, grace and mercy. According to these scriptures from the Old and New Testaments we can find hope and encouragement in his words.

Everyone needs to be reminded from time to time of the hope that God, Jesus and the Bible offer to us in our daily lives. We can find that by reading, praying and being faithful in the process. Holding out hope for a solution to your prayers is a must for you to have and maintain hope.

Romans 15:13, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

1st Corinthians 13:13, So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

God, walk with me in my faith journey. Give me hope that all things are of you, by you and for you. Help me to be Hopeful and seek your wisdom when times are hard and I feel hopeless. Amen

Travel: A Day in God’s Country- Molded Like Clay

Cindy and I spent the day riding in the North Carolina mountains enjoying the cool mountain air and the awesome scenery of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were looking for great pictures opportunities and waterfalls to get some updated pictures for the family. We love to travel together and find waterfalls.

On our trip back down the mountain, we stopped in stopped at one of our favorite places that we took pictures at five years ago to get some updated pictures. We have both been working on our health and losing weight so it was a perfect time to get updated pictures. It would also show how we have changed the last five years. And we got some great pictures, especially of Cindy. She takes a much better picture than I do.

As I was snapping an awesome picture of my beautiful wife. She told me about growing up and flying with her dad over the mountains. Cindys dad Red was a pilot who loved to fly his Cessna 182 all over the state. Cindy flew with him frequently and their favorite trip was crossing the mountains. She told me it was if God had reached down with his hands and molded those mountains like clay. That comment from my wonderful wife made me begin to think.

When we stopped for the pictures, I noticed the scenery of that location had changed some as well. The trees had grown taller and the mountains were harder to see. The tree we loved five years ago was still there, waiting for us to get new pictures. The trip felt like a renewal of sorts. Getting into the high country always seems to set us straight and bring us back to an understanding of how wonderful Gods creations are. It calms and smooths us so we can relieve stress and re-energize.

I had prayed this morning about a topic to blog about, looking for something to write about today. I had thought about taking the weekend off and not writing today. It was getting later in the day and I told Cindy I wait until Monday. Those plans changed when Cindy told me about her dad and how God had molded those mountains like clay. Proof positive that our plans often may not be what God wants for us.

Her comments and memories triggered me to think about how God molds us like clay. We are a work of art, a special production made by him. A one of a kind priceless in his eyes. He uses his grace, mercy and guidance to mold us into what he wants us to be. Just like those mountains that have formed over millions of years. Carved into something wonderful. Something that brings joy to the world and a peace to the soul.

God is the great Potter and we are the pottery clay. I thank God for his messages and how he sends them to us in such a still small voice. I thank him for my awesome wife who prompted me to write today with such an insightful memory of her and her Dad Red.

Lord, thank you for this message, thank you for my wonderful, loving and super smart wife. I pray for your guidance for us as we go forward in life. Thank you for being my potter and helping me be the clay that can be molded into something special in your eyes.

God Bless! KB

Daily Bread: Seeking God’s Grace

We have a huge pecan tree behind that house. That tree I would guess is atleast 200 years old. It is about ten feet around on the bottom and is very tall. It is where I go to talk to God and get back to nature. I can feel his presence with me when I am at the tree. It is in a sense my tree of life per se. God created that tree and it serves a beautiful purpose. It is like Gods grace as it gives shelter, shade and protection from storms, rain and wind.

God is that tree in our lives. He protects us from the storms of life, takes the wind, rain and problems away. He is a perfect God, the most awesome of all. He is powerful, abundant, unstoppable and makes everything possible. I want to seek Gods grace in my life. I am human and know that perfection is far from my goals. However, what I can do is seek his guidance, grace and mercy for all the days of my life.

He is constant, he is love, he is special and he is my God. Allow him to become your guide and watch the marvelous life you can and will live. Seek his face and see what happens. For he is the almighty that awards his grace to us through all our ineffectiveness and human flaws. God thank you for salvation and for being the light in my life.

Lord bless everyone that reads this message today. Give them grace, mercy and forgiveness. Allow them to forgive others and seek your guidance. I pray this in the name of your son and my savior Jesus Christ.

Amen

God Bless! KB

Spirit Chronicles: Echoes of Mercy

Echoes of Mercy

I dreamed that Jesus was on the cross on a big hill and he was screaming out across the valley asking  for help.  His voice was weakened brom the blood he had lost while hanging on the cross.  It was a very vivid dream where Jesus was dying on the cross and was in so much pain, pain that we as humans could not fathom.  When I woke up, tears were flowing from my eyes and my heart was beating a mile a minute.  

During the dream I couldn’t actually see Jesus, but I knew it was him on the cross.  The valley below has people scattered about and some were cheering while others were crying and begging the soldiers for his life.   I can never forget the sound of the Echoe going out across for miles and miles.  I struggled with this dream for a long time and tried to figure it out.  It was the third in a series of dreams about Jesus.  All of them were about him suffering for sinners like me.  I wrote the dream down in my journal and a few days later, after having this dream I wrote a poem called Echoes of Mercy.  

Echoes of Mercy, he hung on the cross

Echoes of Mercy, he paid for the lost

Echoes of Mercy, so loud and clear

Echoes of Mercy, Jesus so dear

Echoes of Mercy, he was mocked and scorned

Echoes of Mercy, he didn’t deserve those thorns

Echoes of Marcy, he died for my life

Spirit Chronicles: Jesus and Lightning Bolts

Jesus and Lightning Bolts

A few weeks before the September 11 tragedy, I had a really implicit dream that involved Jesus and the most severe lightning storm imaginable.  This is the first of two dreams that I had within a few weeks of the 9/11 tragedy that shook America and the world to its core.  At the time I didn’t know what it was about so I wrote it down like I did all my dreams.  I keep a dream journal and typically have some type of explicit dream a few times a month.  

In this dream the world was ending and Jesus was on the cross, crying out for mankind.  He was pleading for mankind to stop being so lost and to turn their eyes to him.  While he was on the cross, I tried to help him and huge lightning bolts were crashing down all over the place.  Every time I would try to run to him gigantic lightning bolts would crash down.  These lightning bolts were so big that they would literally explode the ground and nature around them when they hit.

You could feel the power of the lightning and the storm it brought with it. 

This event took place at my childhood church where I attended for over 40 years.  I wanted so much to assist, but the bolts and storm raged so strong that I was not able to do anything.  I woke up the next morning and told my wife, something bad is about to happen.  I had no idea what, but the dream was a sign of bad things to come.  

A few weeks later, the 911 tragedy struck America and all those people lost their lives.  My core tells me that Jesus had a message for the people, but I had no idea of how to get it out or exactly what it was for.  My learning from this tragedy is that mankind has got to bring itself closer to God.  Stop the hate, rage and transformation of killing in the name of a belief or ritual. Is this a sign that the end Jesus is preparing for a return.  Only God knows so place your eyes upon him and be in prayer for his light in your life.