I am grateful for you! Yes you!

I just wanted to take a moment this morning to say that I am grateful for you, as a subscriber to this blog. There are about 85 of you right now subscribed and I feel like you are an important part of my calling in life. I watched a video this morning (see below) and I thought of you. The subscriber list might grow (Lord willing) but right now I wanted each of you to know that I write these posts and make videos with you in mind. Today is my day off so I need to get back to cleaning the house, but I just wanted to say thanks for subscribing. If I have not met you personally I would love for you to email me a little bit about yourself so I can hear your story. You can reach me at kevinccadmin_wp (at) gmail.com

Have a great day and thanks again!

How to capitalize on the real you. Leveraging your gifts

You might be encouraged by this story from a recent trip to Sri Lanka. My grandfather is 96 years old yet doing very well. Years ago he began trusting God for his health and God continues to bless him.

Because he is doing good health wise he was able to travel some with my wife and daughter and two of my cousins. One of the special moments on the trip was when we went to Fridsro Orphanage. This is especially cool since my grandfather went to Bible school with the man who founded the place. Jacob, the founder, is 81 so between him and my grandfather there was 177 years of life experience.

After hearing stories of God’s faithfulness, visiting the site and having lunch it was close to time to leave. The ladies had already gone outside and the only ones in the room was Jacob, my grandfather, my cousin and I. My cousin and I listened to a conversation that grabbed my heart.

Jacob was sharing all of the work that God had allowed them to do over the years with the orphanage. My grandfather then basically said that God had given Jacob faith for that kind of work. He then shared about another college classmate who God had used to build one of the largest churches in the country. He had the faith for that.

It reminds me of these verses. Romans 12:3-8 ³For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

What has God given you faith for? You do not need to be someone else? Be who God has called you to be. But the way my grandfather said it makes me think of an important fact. Not only must we be who God has called us to be, but we must stretch ourselves in that area. Whatever gift God has given you stretch yourself. I pray that if God lets me live to 96, I will look back and see that I used the gifts that God gave me to the limits. Will you?

The day I ran into Billy Graham (almost)

Faithfulness and perseverance matter in long term fruitfulness. My wife Jennie and I got married when we were 20. Being from MN, we obviously decided to get married in the middle of winter (said with a great deal of tongue in cheek). Being 20 we didn’t have a lot of money for a honeymoon. My parents helped pay for one in Rochester, MN about 90 minutes away, close to Mayo hospital.

We borrowed my sister-in-laws car to get down there and proceeded to not be able to start it due to the cold. Fortunately, Rochester has a series of underground and above ground enclosed walkways to get us around. This allowed us to get to a shopping area and multiple restaurants.

One of the days we took our hotel elevator to the underground walkway. While walking through one hallway we passed 3 or 4 men walking in the opposite direction. After we passed them I stopped Jennie and said, “One of those men was Billy Graham.” We weren’t sure so we turned around and headed back the way we came. Sure enough as we passed by Billy Graham was getting on the elevator to our same hotel.

We saw him briefly later in the week at a restaurant we both ate. Although I never had a conversation with him it was a fun moment early in our marriage and early in ministry. Almost 18 years later I am grateful for a chance encounter with a hero of the faith.

But when I think of Billy Graham I think of a person with faithfulness, perseverance to the calling of his life. I am sure he has made mistakes over the years, but he has made consistent strides to the things that God has called him to do.

The question to ask yourself before you go on with your day is, “Am I being faithful to what God has called me to do or am I about to throw in the towel?” You may never be Billy Graham, but you can be the best version of you that you can be. Be faithful today and only eternity will tell the impact your perseverance made.