So there I was laying in my bed, it's maybe 11:30 at night and just had a wild urge for a rootbeer float. I already had the ice cream, but not the rootbeer. My first thought was going to Wendy's, but could also just go up to the gas station and get one from the fountain. I put on some clothes, hopped in the car, backed out the garage, and made my way down the street. As I got to the entrance to the subdivision, I saw a police officer parked, and suddenly I saw like 5 of them.

Not worried, just made sure it was safe to proceed. They didn't even pay attention to me because they were distracted. Wendys was closed, so I came back to the gas station. During my journey I crossed paths with to senior ladies who were lost. They were hoping to be on I75 north, and was on I 85N instead. Those that know the area know they were WAY off. They were on their way to S. Carolina. I gave them directions to get back on track, which was about a good 40 minutes away.

I continued, got my rootbeer, and made my way home. The road was dark, so I imagined the police were gone. Nope! So, I pulled into the turn lane into my subdivision where an officer orders me to pull over to another officer. Lights blazing in my eyes, another takes a light and begins searching through my car. Another asks for my license, etc. I'm not worried, because I have no tickets or warrants. Wait....there's that one time that....oh, hey, nevermind. :-) As I pull out my wallet, another officer says, "Hey, you live here right?" Pointing at the subdivision. I answer yes, and he says, "Oh, don't worry about it, go on home.". I thank the officers with a smile, turned my Spensha Baker CD back up, and made my way to my hacienda.

But I'm thinking....wait....how does he know who I am and were I live???? Ha! If you see me on America's Most Wanted, it wasn't me, I tell ya, it just wasn't! Anyway, if you've read this far, I shared this to make a point.

There are times in our lives in which God wants us to be in the right position. When it's that time, He will give you instructions or directions on how to get there, when to get there, and where to be. Now, He may not always tell you why, but let me encourage you that the "why" is not always important to you. What is important to you is your obedience to His direction. Another minister once made the statement, "If you are in a crowded restaurant, and you feel like God is telling you to stand on the table and cluck like a chicken, no matter how crazy it may seem, just do it. Because you don't know if someone at a table near you made the statement, that if there is a God, someone will cluck like a chicken"

Now I am not telling you to start going out doing crazy stuff. But just be obedient to His voice. We are a part of God's plan. If you say you want Him to use you, then let Him use you without question. In this case, it was me having a weird craving for a rootbeer float that led me to be in the right spot at the right time to help someone who was lost and on their way to be way off their path. Midnight is not a good time to be drinking a rootbeer float, and I started to not even go. But what if I had not? What if I had turned around at the sight of the police? Those ladies would have been in Virginia by now. lol. Well, maybe that's stretching it, but you get the point.

So when God is leading you, let Him lead you. Sometimes He speaks to us for our benefit, but most times what He uses us for has nothing to do with us. Our service to Him has nothing to do with us, but how He uses us to help others. It's about Him getting the glory out of our lives. Your blessings are given to you with the intention that you will in turn bless someone else. Yes, you know the phrase, you were blessed to be a blessing. You become that blessing when you allow God to use you and position you in the right place, at the right time, for the right purpose. Acts 9 tells a story of Saul being on a path, and after a conversation with Christ, he was blinded. God then instructed Ananias to go to a certain spot, and there he would find Saul. Ananias had to trust God's voice no matter how crazy it was to go meet a person who had ordered his imprisonment, and Saul had to trust someone to lead him where he had no way of seeing his way. At that time, neither probably knew what would occur, the complete conversion of Saul to become Paul and one of the greatest Apostles there were. But because of their obedience, we now have the majority of the New Testament written.

So trust God, trust His direction, and when He says go, go. When He says speak, speak. Don't question it, don't try to figure it out, just yield. And most importantly, when He says love, love.

May you find His peace,
Your Brother Kelvin

..

Original Air Date: 9/12/2009 12:00 PM The Manna at Hand: Forgiving the Three On this 9/11 I want to take some time to look at Forgiveness from three points of view. Join me as we feast on the Bread of Life together.

Ok, have a seat and listen to me ramble for a bit. :-) I've experienced and read a lot this week. I could talk about parents accusing our President of brainwashing kids to...stay in school??? Hmm...or I could talk about him being called a liar in the middle of his speech. Oh oh, I got it, I can talk about the little kid who has to live with the image of a man trying to kill her as he also killed the rest of the family. Wait, I got it, something that really irks me, division in the church as the Southern Baptist Convention is dealing with legal injunctions due to a fight for power.

But, rather than sharing my thoughts on that.......how about the little one foot high girl that gave me the biggest koolaid smile at my job? Or being told by a friend that they can't live without me? A caring call from my Mama. Catching up with family here on FB and seeing them do great things? Yeah, let's talk about that. Let's talk about Cissy Houston and the story of how she rescued her daughter, which lead to a clean Whitney and a comeback. Lets talk about the Hurricanes beating the Seminoles in a great game!

Okay, my brother may not want me to talk about that last one. lol. But here is my point. (it's about time you make a point Kelvin, gessh blah blah blah). We often spend too much time focusing on negative stuff. Negative stuff will always be around us. But let us dwell on good things. Want peace in your life? Here is a tip.

Philippians 4:8 "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."

If we spend time thinking on things, use this as a template. What's true in your life? What's honest? What's just? What's pure? What's lovely? I was on my way to handle a pressing issue on my job. As I crossed the street to enter the hospital, just outside the door is a fountain for patients and families to sit by. There was this little girl, about a foot high off the ground, took a break from her fascination of the fountain, looked way up at this huge 6'4 man and smiled like she had no care in the world. She's a patient, so obviously she has some ailment. But that smile didn't tell that story. So I think of her every now and then, and I think of how pure and innocent she was. It made my day.

So I spend time reflecting on things like this. I think of a friend indicating just how much I mean to them, when I have no clue. That's lovely. I'm just being me. Plain ole boring Kelvin. But Paul gives us a way that we can filter out all the negativity out of our lives, and just focus on the positive. No matter how many trials we go through, no matter how the storms rage in our lives...we can always find something positive to dwell on. Maybe it's a loved one, or an accomplishment, or a memory of some fun time you had. I think about how my friendship has been with my bratty lil sister Rein. The laughs, the good times, the love, the prayers, the ministry. I think of my brother who didn't think he could do anything, suddenly is in his doctorate program and just a hop skip and a jump away from being called Dr. Corey Pendleton. Or seeing my cousin coaching football (he won his first game!!). The 20 year old joke of Erik still having my Tuff Krew tape. Just some random thoughts, that I can sit a smile...and be at peace.

So try not to let you mind be bogged down with negative thoughts. The end result of that is stress, fatigue, and confusion.

The end result of dwelling on positive things, specifically as Paul gives us here, is peace. The next verse says:

9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

The reason why we may have the absence of peace in our lives, is because we are thinking on the wrong things. We'll always have bills, we'll always have problems, we'll always have trials. But cherish those memories of positive things of your life. Even when it comes to loosing a loved one. I miss my cousin Oveida. But I don't dwell on her passing....I dwell on how when she smiled, all my problems just seemed to melt away. Even though I can't see that smile, just thinking about it still has the same effect to this day. Ooooowee if you ever wanted to meet an angel on earth, this woman was phenomenal.

So in closing, that is what is on my mind. Positive things. And I encourage you to spend some time dwelling on positive aspects of your life. Dwell on your goals and dreams and how you are going to work to make them manifest. Think of the greatness God put in you when He breathed the breath of life into your nostrils. Yes you, why you looking around?? YOU! Think of the goodness of Jesus and all that He has done for you. If you feel He hasn't, then just think on this one thing...He traded His life so that you could live free.

And of all things I can dwell on, herein is the greatest I can dwell on. Love. From two perspectives. First, love is the most amazing experience when a human truly understands how to give that love. And most importantly, God is love. So after you have spent time dwelling on positive things, take some time to love. And don't be afraid to be loved. Yeah, we've been hurt in the past. I'm a witness of that. We carry scars on our hearts from past relationships. From friends, family, or whomever. But someone who knows how to truly love, don't be afraid to let that person love you, because love heals all wounds. And if I could make a great statement to end these thoughts, that statement is this. "I love you."

Be blessed beyond belief
Your brother Kelvin

..

Original Air Date: 9/5/2009 12:00 PM BE Be Encouraged: When You've Fallen Under Water Sometimes we fall and it seems like our head is under water. Let's look into the Word at an example of what we can do to get back.

..

Original Air Date: 8/31/2009 6:00 PM Shepherd's Heart: Having the Shepherd's Heart Come let us continue our prayer for leaders and we will also look at what it is to have the Shepherd's heart.

..

Original Air Date: 8/29/2009 12:00 PM BE! Be Encouraged: He Is Risen! I know you're thinking, "Brother Kelvin, it's not Easter, why are you teaching He is Risen?" Come out and let me encourage you with Jesus' resurrection.

..

Original Air Date: 8/23/2009 2:00 PM Shepherd's Heart: Prayer for Leaders Come and join me for prayer for our leaders in the Body of Christ.

..

Original Air Date: 5/31/2009 6:00 PM BE - Be Encouraged : Talking to Myself? Getting back on track and continuing with the shows. Just want give some encouragement for those who talk to themselves. Come and BE!

..

Original Air Date: 4/19/2009 6:00 PM The Manna at Hand Live! - Just Like a Father, the King and the king. Join me for a special episode of The Manna at Hand Live! as we take a look at the love of a King and a king.

..

Original Air Date: 4/11/2009 2:00 PM BE! - Be Encouraged - "Easter: What About Day 2?" On Good Friday we acknowledge the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Day 1. Resurrection Sunday, we celebrate His resurrection, Day 3. But what happened on Day 2 and what does it mean for you?