My 21-Day Fast

I've fasted before but I have never documented my methods, reasons, or results. This is my attempt to document my fast in hopes that it may help someone down the road.

First the reason: why fast?  The Bible is full of examples of fasting, commands to fast, and reason's to fast. If I tried to document the reasons why a Christian should fast we would be here for a long time. Daniel fasted and because of his fast, his prayers were answered. Jesus said certain spirits could only be cast out through prayer and fasting. My interpretation of that is greater power in Jesus.

Fasting works.  Three years ago, I went on a 21-day fast because my dad was diagnosed with incurable cancer. After my fast, I prayed for dad and from that point on, he proclaimed his healing.  His doctors weren't as convinced.  Finally, in July of 2013, Dad's doctor told him he was cancer free.

I am fasting now for a number of reasons. First is because I need to be closer to God, I believe if I fast, I will draw closer to him. Second is for a number of personal needs in my family. And my last reason to fast is because my wife (Kim) is going to.  I want to support her. The fact is it is easier to fast with a partner.

My methods: This fast will last 21 days starting January 4, 2016. I will be fasting meat, bread, and sweets. I will eat bread without yeast or lard (unleavened bread). I do plan to drink flavored water and diet drinks.

For anyone that is tempted to reply with how I am fasting wrong, please just take it up with God and keep it to yourself. I haven't found the "10 commandments of fasting" in the Bible which tells me that God is looking for self discipline.  If we are going to fast, God is trusting us to fast something that is meaningful.  So if you don't like the way I'm fasting, you can fast your own way....and I'll fast my way. I'll publish updates every few days.

Day 1:

Started the day with a brief prayer time.  Breakfast/snack is seedless grapes, carrots, celery stalks, and flavored water. My weight this morning was 243.2 lbs.

Snacked on carrots, grapes, and celery.  Had salad, mashed potatoes, and corn for lunch. Read John 7 and 8.

Kim made vegetable soup for dinner and also made some unleavened bread. The bread was interesting and it made a nice substitution for crackers. I drank diet mtn dew. I didn't get home last night until almost 9:00 so I didn't read or spend significant time in prayer. Day 1 didn't feel like a stunning success but I've learned not to go on feelings.

Day 2:
I had an interesting and very improbable to come true dream last night. But when I woke up all I could think about was "with God nothing is impossible" Luke 1:37. Banana and nuts for breakfast. 

For lunch I had rice and mixed vegies (all cooked in vegetable oil only) and a small salad.  I read John 9 and 10 at lunch.  I will probably re-read that scripture. It shows a great view into Jesus' personality.

For dinner I had leftover vegetable soup.

Day 3:
Banana and Almonds for breakfast.  I had eye surgery so I spent all my time in prayer for Dr. Cunningham during the surgery. Lunch consisted of fried onions and potatoes and a salad.

I wasn't allowed to read so I missed out on Bible reading.  I spent all day on the couch watching TV because I wasn't allowed to do anything so I meditated on God quite a bit. Potatoes, onions, and salad for dinner because they were so good at lunch.

**Right now, Kim and I aren't "feeling" like we are sacrificing enough for the fast but I want to research and pray about that.  Proverbs says that our feelings will lead us astray.

Day 4:
Banana for breakfast.  Nuts and carrots for snack. Rice and mixed vegies for lunch. Salad with fruit and nuts for dinner.  Tried to cut back today because I was feeling guilty for being full.  Hunger is my biggest enemy during a 3-week fast but I think, at least at times, it is essential.  I don't think that opinion is necessary biblical.

Tonight, Kim and I spent 2 hours researching the Russian Orthodox church because Kassidi is in the process of converting. We weren't happy with that decision before tonight based on our research. After tonight, the Orthodox Church's worship reminds me a lot of the Pharisees.

Day 5:
Banana for breakfast.  Nuts, grapes, and carrots for snack. The hunger is there but it isn't overbearing.  

Lunch was my rice and veggies main-stay. For dinner, we had oat meal. Today, I found out that Kassidi puts her hope and faith in Mary (Theotokos) as well as Jesus. I believe that this belief is unscriptural and anti-Christ. I now know what the focus of my fast is.

Day 6:
Banana and peanut butter for breakfast. Popcorn for a snack at TWC lady bulldog game.

Day 6 brought a scare with Kelsi almost getting electrocuted. We spent the evening at Children's Hospital but as I expected she was just fine, just a burn on her finger. I give God the glory for her being OK because the conditions were right for something more devastating. 

We had a b-day party to go to Saturday night. We were late because of the scare but we made it. Against my better judgement, I had pasta with cheese and salad. We didn't have meat but we didn't want to make a big deal to anyone there that we were fasting.

Day 7:
Banana and peanut butter for breakfast. Day 7 was our 10-year anniversary as a church at RIO 180. We decided that because this was a celebration with our church family, we would not fast at lunch. However, I did put on the brakes compared to what I would have normally eaten and I was not a glutton. Got home and the spring on our garage door was broke ($250)

Dinner was very good.  Kim made rice, veggies, and fried tofu.  Yes, tofu. Kim is an amazing cook. I've eaten tofu before and it was just awful. I told her not to make me any, I would be happy with rice and veggies. To keep from hurting her feelings and so the kids would try it, I tried it. It was really good, I mean really good. Like I said, Kim is amazing and can even make tofu taste like southern cooking. I love her so much!!

Took Kassi back to school tonight. Oh my!! If you read this, please pray for my daughter. she needs guidance. Please pray for me, I need wisdom.

Day 8:
Banana for breakfast with some nuts for snack. Weight is 240 lbs. I am not fasting for weight loss or health reasons. BUT, I sure thank God for the residual effects. I feel great! I'm not tired or lethargic like I have been on a full fast. I would like a burger and I'm often hungry but other than that, I feel great.

Rice and veggies for lunch at Chef's Asian Cuisine.  For Dinner, Kim made Chili with some kind of beans that act like meat. It was really good

Day 9:
Mixed nuts and banana for breakfast. Nuts and carrots to munch on during the day to keep my hunger at a minimum. Rice and veggies for lunch.

While at lunch I got a text from my sister saying that my mother is going to have to have open heart surgery. More to fast and pray about. Salad for Dinner.

Day 10:
Banana and nuts for breakfast. Carrots and nuts for snack. I'm finding that I'm avoiding the craving for tasty foods by eating a lot of nuts, maybe too many. Rice and veggies for lunch.

Kim made a tasty potato soup for Dinner.  It was very good, it was hard not to over-eat.

Day 11:
Banana and nuts for breakfast. Carrots and nuts for snack. Rice and Veggies for lunch. I'm almost finished with the book of John and it is highly entertaining. The Holy Spirit and Brad Bryant, pastor of RIO 180, has really helped me to read the Bible with a fresh perspective. 

Really struggling with my daughter's orthodoxy. My prayers are really focused on her. Their belief that Mary is equal to Jesus and that all grace and mercy comes from her is damnable in my opinion.

Salad for dinner. I don't know if you've noticed but I'm a creature of habit and not creative. Kim and I tend to eat the same thing over and over. I believe that this is helping the effectiveness of our fast by further denying ourselves pleasure through food.

Day 12:
Banana and nuts for Breakfast. Soup and salad for lunch. Had lunch with my good friend John Meyer. Salad for Dinner.

Day 13:
Oatmeal for breakfast.  Popcorn for lunch at Kassi's BB game. Kim made potatoes, onions, and salad for dinner. So, so good!

Day 14:
Cereal for breakfast. Great church service today! Chili supper after church but we passed because of our fast. Salad for lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. It was tough not eating any of their delicious croutons.

Soup for dinner. Kassi and her boyfriend came over. We had a hard, heartfelt conversation with them regarding Orthodoxy. I was so sad for Kim because she poured her heart out and Kassi was emotionless.

Day 15:
It's a good think that I'm not fasting to lose weight. Weight today is 239.6. Banana and nuts for breakfast. Nuts and carrots for snack. Rice and veggies for lunch.

Rice and veggies for dinner.

Day 16:
Banana and nuts for breakfast. Carrots and nuts for snack. Potato soup and salad for lunch at Aubrey's. Although I do like rice and veggies and they are $3 cheaper than soup and salad, I'm finding that I might be growing a little tired of them. Finished the book of John and started Acts today. I can tell it will take me a while to read because it is so intriguing.

Vegetable chow-mien and rice for dinner. We ate out at Oriental Cuisine in Maryville. Although we don't eat out much, I do enjoy eating out with my family.

Day 17:
Banana and Nuts for breakfast. Banana, nuts, and carrots for snack. I added the banana to try to cut down on the nuts because even though I stay fairly hungry, I'm gaining weight.

SNOW DAY!! Left work early and it took an hour and 20 minutes to get home (33 miles). Salad for lunch. Played outside from 4:00 - 8:20 and had soooo much fun. Found out that Kelsi can ride a snow board really good.

Salad for dinner.

Day 18:
Banana and nuts for breakfast. Nuts and carrots for snack. Mixed veggies for lunch. I'm thoroughly enjoying acts. If I haven't said so, lunch is my Bible time.

Egg noodles, salad, and green beans for dinner.

Day 19:
Banana and nuts for breakfast. Banana, carrots, and nuts for snack. Salad and potato soup for lunch. Acts will be a slow read for me because I'm re-reading almost everything. I'm loving how much Acts is talking about the Holy Spirit and how much He is important to our lives.

Baked spaghetti for dinner. No yeast or meat, although very tasty, met the requirements of our fast.

Day 20:
At this point I'm looking forward to a burger or chicken fajitas. Life cereal for breakfast. Salad for lunch. Got some really good Bible time today and continued to read Acts. Today is Saturday and I've been reading Acts since Tuesday and in 3.5 hours I've only finished 10 chapters because I'm soaking it in.

Soup and salad for dinner.

Day 21:
Even though this isn't a diet, final weight is 237.6 so I lost 5.6 lbs. Banana and nuts for breakfast. Rice and mixed veggies for lunch and dinner. I doubt I'll have rice and veggies for a long time :)

Brad continued his series on MOVE. It has been very inspiring. He is challenging us to try to grow in the fruit of the spirit that we lack the most. Kim says mine is gentleness (same as Brad's) and I can't disagree with it.

Conclusion:
Kim and I both agree that although this fast has been successful, we think we should have deprived ourselves of more things. The last 21-day fast that I did I fasted meat and all processed food except milk and juice. It was so hard that I ate a TON of nuts and gained weight.

The thing that I see that has changed the most is in Kim. She has grown in wisdom and her passion for the Bible. I'm amazed by her growth in just 3 weeks. I am so proud of Kim and I'm so lucky to have her as my wife and help mate. I can't emphasize how she is grown in the Lord in just 3 weeks

Is this how Jesus sees us?

I'd like to share a text with you that Kim sent me yesterday.

"Epic morning with Kelsi this morning.  I love that little rascal.  She is amazing, she loves me so good and she is fun to love.  Unlike everyone else, she sees no flaws in me.  The older girls don't see me like she does.  One day, things will change.  But for now, she is my princess and I am her favorite queen."

 All of my life, I've loved the scripture that says "I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter in" (Luke 18:17 NLT).  I've always associated this with faith.  It takes childlike faith to be able to accept and believe the Gospel.  

Romans 14:17 tells us that the Kingdom of God is "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit". I don't think that is the only definition for the Kingdom of God.  Graeme Goldworthy  summarizes the Kingdom of God as "God's people in God's place under God's rule."  I like that summary, especially when I think about it in terms of Christ.  Jesus is saying that if you don't receive God's people like a little child, you can't be a part of God's people.

Back to Kim and Kelsi (mother & 4-yr old daughter).  Kim's text about Kelsi is exactly how Jesus looks at (receives) Christians that have been covered by his blood.  Kim has never done any wrong in Kelsi's eyes.  Not only that, she is Kelsi's favorite person...favorite queen!  Every meal Kim makes Kelsi is the best she has ever had.  Every moment Kelsi spends with her mom is spent as though it would be her last.

I was blown away when God revealed this to me.  Jesus is all-knowing, all-powerful, omniscient, and omnipresent.  He created everything including you.  Yet when he sees us, it's not through judgmental eyes wondering why we act this way.  He sees us with eyes of acceptance like a child.  He wants every moment that you will give him.  And like with our children, every moment you give Him will never be wasted.  But we can't stop here.

This is also how God want's us to look at and accept others.  He wan'ts us to ignore flaws as though we can't see them.  He wants us to forgive trespasses like he forgives us.  He wants us to give like we own it all anyway.

God loves us so incredibly much.  He desires a personal relationship with all of us.  He want's to be with you at home and at work, not just at church.

God loves you and I do too!

John Knight

The Treasure Chest

I heard something on the radio yesterday that brought back some memories.  I don't know if all doctors are like mine was when I was a kid, but when I was a kid there was a treasure chest at the end of the hall at Maryville Pediatric.  I went to Dr. Marmon when I was a kid.  He was great and I wasn't afraid of him at all but I still, I didn't want to go to the doctor.  There was one thing that always made life better at the doctor....The treasure chest.  

No matter how sick I was and no matter how many shots I had to have, I knew if I was tough I would be able to pick a toy out of the treasure chest.  How I loved going through the treasure chest.  As a young boy, it seemed like there was a thousand toys in that chest.  And I had my pick of each and every one.  As we drove for what seemed like hours to the doctor all I could think about was what toys may be in the chest.  When I sat in the waiting room and another kid would come out with his awesome treasure, I prayed that it wasn't the last one.  The treasure chest provided me with hope; hope that no matter what happened, everything would be OK once I got my toy.

I rarely went to the doctor when I was a kid; once or twice a year if that.  I had a great childhood filled with football, eating, and playing.  But sometimes something went wrong and I had to go to the doctor.

As christians, we have our own treasure chest in Jesus Christ, in Heaven, in the hope of seeing our Heavenly Father face to face some day.  In this journey of life that we are on, many days are great and we get to bask in the Grace of the Father without grief or worry.  But then there are days when worry and grief clouds our eyes to the point that we can't see our hope.  There are also times of chastisement and reprovement when God has to teach us something in order that we grow.  Do you know what I mean?   It's during those times that we need to remember that Jesus has provided us a treasure chest at the end or our visit.  If you are a Christian then you have the hope and the promise of eternal life.  As a matter of fact, Jesus Himself is preparing a place for us in His Father's house.  In fact, He said in John 14:1-3:

“Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

Since dad died, saying that my heart has been troubled is an understatement.  I'm sad, I miss my dad.  But God is good, so good!  In my time of trouble He reminds me of the great promise that He made to me.  He lets me know that dad is digging in his proverbial treasure chest in heaven now.  Some day, I'll get to visit my treasure chest with Jesus.  But more that that!  He reminds me that there will be moments in life that will try us, but at the end of each trial, if we are brave and do what is right, there will be a treasure chest where He will reward us.  Our treasure on earth, if nothing else is hope.

God wants you to know that you have hope.  Even if you think there is none, there is hope.  So with that, I say hold on.  Hold on and never give up because Jesus loves you so very much.  He died for you.

God loves you and I do too!!
John

Pretty Woman

Who would have thought that I could have been inspired by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman?  Pretty Woman is one of my wife's favorite movies and when she stumbled onto it this week she had to watch it.  What stood out to me was a moment in the film when Richard Gere was telling her how pretty and smart she was.  Then, he said something like he didn't understand why she couldn't see it.  She said "it's easier to believe the bad". 

That one statement spoke volumes to me.  As a father with three daughters, I'm always conscience of my daughter's self-esteem.  My wife is so very good at watching out for their self-esteem.  I try to say the right things but I just don't measure up to her.  We are fortunate to have three beautiful (inside and out) girls.  But I can't help to think about all of the pretty girls that I knew in high school that thought they were ugly.  Back then, I just wrote it off and assumed they just said that so they would hear someone tell them "you're not ugly, you're pretty".  Now that I'm older I can look back and see, based on the way some of them made decisions, they really did think they were ugly.

After all these years of Dateline reports, news reports, and other studies that I've been exposed to, mostly common sense stuff I guess, low self-esteem can cause a young woman to do things that aren't very Godly.  Low self-esteem is a tool that the devil uses against our teens to deceive them into making very bad decisions.  How many teenage girls have you known that have made some really bad decisions involving a boy that just didn't make sense?  I'll go out on a limb and say 99% of those bad decisions are because of low self-esteem.  Why?  Why does someone that is so pretty need to feel accepted by a boy so badly that they will do anything to win his approval?

The fact is that the devil will use one single thing to tear a teenager down.  For some reason, no matter how much good that has been said about you and to you, it only takes one bad thing to shake your self-esteem.  Like Julia Roberts said "it's easier to believe the bad".   That's why, as a parent, we MUST tell our children how good, pretty, or smart they are.  Starting from the day our kids can understand what we say we must give them positive reinforcement.  Because there is going to come a day when some immature boy or girl tells them "you’re not as pretty as you think you are" or they aren't going to win the starting position that they've worked so hard for.  You can be guaranteed that there will be times that will shake your child's self-esteem.  It happened to me and I bet it happened to you.  When that time comes, will there be enough good that it makes it at least harder to believe the bad?

Dad's, your daughters HAVE to know (not just think or wonder) that you think they are the prettiest girl alive.  They have to know that you believe in them.  Mom and Dad, they have to know that when the chips are down, they have parents they can go to who will help them and pray with them.  You must teach them what it means to be "fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalms 139:14.  I know it's hard but we have to teach them that God's acceptance is the only acceptance that they need.  Dad's, I know it's hard for us to pay compliments sometimes.  I don't know why, it just is.  But for your children's sake, we must do a better job of complimenting them.

And above all, pray, pray, pray.  Build a hedge of prayer around your children to help protect them from the bad that the devil is going to send their way.

I love you and God does too!

Is Divorce really what you want?

If you've been divorced this post may offend you. If it does, I'm so sorry because that certainly isn't my intent. But if you are married and especially married with children, this post is for you. We know what the Bible says about divorce and I think so many have heard it so many times that they may tend to ignore it; mostly because, I think, people know that God will forgive them when they do wrong. Given that, I'm not going to reference God or His will. I just want to focus on marriage.

Book after book has been written on this subject so I'm sure that I may not have any original thoughts. Tonight, Kalli and I went to Olive Garden and a lady with her two young girls was eating beside us and she didn't have a wedding ring on. Does that mean she is divorced? No. But going with the odds, she probably is. They were happy and having a fun time but I thought about how sad it was that these girls daddy wasn't with them.

When you first got married and were in love, did you say things to your newlywed spouse like "if we stay together" or "I hope we make it"? I doubt it. Those newlywed emotions run deep and hot, so hot that they tend to cool off after a while. That's no surprise and certainly not a profound statement. What's left when the newlywed feelings aren't so hot is marriage. Too many couples focus so hard on those newlywed feelings that they lose sight of why they have those feelings. They have them because they are with the one that they love and it's exciting to know that you will have them the rest of your life. That is the phrase that too many couples let go of so quickly; "the rest of your life". If your wedding vows were like mine and Kim's they included a "till death do us part" and "through better and/or worse". That is one heck of a commitment, a life-long commitment.

So when couples with children get divorced, what do they teach their children? First, they teach them that it is OK to quit on what is important. We teach our children to not quit. If they start something they can't quit. The more effort a kid puts into something, like sports, the more we encourage them when things get hard. We tell them something like "you've put so much into this, you've worked so hard, please don't quit now or you will regret it for the rest of your life". A friend of mine had a son who wanted to quit a sport during his senior season. He told him that the decision is his son's but he encouraged him not to quit and explained in great detail the impact it would have on the rest of his life. Even though it was hard and his situation didn't get easier, the boy stuck with it. He was glad he did and had no regrets for it.

A divorce also teaches kids that things worth having aren't worth working for. We teach our kids "if it's worth having then it's worth working for". How is the biggest commitment that you've ever made not worth working for? We teach our kids that if you want to be smart, you have to study. If you want to make better grades, you have to study harder. We all want a better marriage yet so many aren't willing to put any more effort into it.

In my opinion the problem boils down to two simple things; pride and selfishness.  I know this isn't new information but I can't stress how important these two things are and how they have no place in marriage. So if I'm telling you to work to keep your marriage, what work do you do? From my own experience, Kim and I spent a lot of time "working" at keeping those newlywed feelings. We spent years trying to get back that newlywed passion that we had. But if you want that fire back in your marriage or if you just want to keep your marriage the work shouldn't be spent on kindling passion and emotions. When you work at those things, you are trying to do work on your spouse. If it doesn't work then you may blame your spouse instead of yourself. The real work that needs to take place in marriage is the work that you do on you.

Most people, if not all, don't want to admit they are selfish. But you show me a failing marriage and I'll show you a marriage where one or both spouses are selfish. What is being selfish? Being selfish is simply putting your wants and needs ahead of your spouses. I'm not talking about serving yourself before your spouse. I'm not talking about spending your money on your spouse instead of yourself. What I'm talking about is when your feelings, your happiness is more important than your spouses. If you are struggling in your marriage, I encourage you to look inward at yourself first. Are you putting your happiness ahead of your spouse? Are you not giving your spouse what they want because "God didn't make you like that"? It's all about effort. Your spouse needs to see that you are willing to do ANYTHING for them, even if it's out of your comfort zone. And I'm really talking about meeting emotional needs not physical needs. Physical needs are important but emotional needs are so much more important. Your spouse needs, I mean really needs to know that you love them and they really are important enough to you that you committed the rest of your life to them.

What keeps people from being unselfish? Pride. Plain and simple, pride keeps you from doing the things your spouse needs and wants. When was the last time you said you were sorry when you really weren't? When was the last time that you held your tongue instead of saying what was on your mind? If you tend to say what is on your mind, even if it starts a fight then you have pride issues. If you never apologize just to keep the peace, especially before a fight starts, then you have pride issues. We teach our kids to take pride in what they do and we should. That kind of pride is good. When was the last time you thought about taking pride in your marriage? Or more, when was the last time that you took pride in your spouse? When was the last time that you felt proud to be married to them?

Marriage is hard, I know. Divorce rates are at 50% or higher inside and outside of the church. You can't worry about statistics and you can't use them as an excuse. A long time ago, I learned that if you wanted to succeed at anything you had to avoid "relative comparisons". Relative comparisons are when you compare what you're doing to someone else. It's when you say "I may not be great but I'm better than my neighbor". In marriage, we can't do that. The only thing that is important in marriage (outside of God) is your spouse. IT'S NOT YOU. You married the person that you're living with (or separated from) with the intention to be with them until you die. So you can't settle for a failing marriage and justify it because it hasn't failed yet like your neighbors did.

Love isn't that passion you felt as a newlywed. Love is the commitment you made to your spouse. Love is "till death do us part" and "for better or worse". If you want to teach your kids one of the most valuable lessons they could learn, show them how to love.

I know it is hard to do these things when your spouse isn't. But I can almost guarantee that if you put in the effort to work on yourself, your spouse will notice. If you haven't seen the movie "Firerproof" or haven't seen it in a while, watch it and watch it soon. Like I said, my thoughts aren't original they just can't be said enough.

I know there are times when divorce can't be avoided like spousal abuse. If your spouse is abusing you, I encourage you to get out now. However, there is a difference between being insensitive and being abusive.

I encourage you, I beg you, to strive for a prosperous marriage. I know you think your spouse is the problem and you may be right. However, if you will look to be a better spouse your efforts won't go unnoticed. It may take a while but it will be well worth it in the end. I can't think of a time when I said to myself "I wish I would have started that fight instead of holding my tongue".  If you need prayer about this Kim and I would be happy to pray for you.  You can reach me at johnkn.home@gmail.com.

If you live completely for Jesus today, you won't regret tomorrow what you did yesterday.
I love you and God does too!
John

Does Bad Company Really Corrupt Good Character?

Bad company corrupts good character.  That's what my mom told me.  That's what I've told my children.  That's what I've told converted Christians that wanted to witness in bars.  But does bad company really corrupt good character???

When I think about the life of Jesus I have to answer "not all of the time".  Jesus was our perfect example and, other than the disciples, He hung out with bad company.  Where did Jesus eat many of his meals?  He ate with tax collectors who were considered the worst sinners because they generally stole from the poor.  Tax collectors like Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) and Matthew (Matt:9-11) hosted Jesus.  But according to Matt 9:10,11 there were plenty of sinners there.  Sinners like tax collectors, prostitutes, and Pharisees.  In Matt 9:12 Jesus went on to say that "It isn't the healthy that need a doctor but the sick", referring to "bad company" as the sick.

So bad company only corrupts good character some of the time.  Really?  I wonder which times that is.  This just doesn't make sense to me.  Jesus is our perfect example, our moral compass if you will (WWJD).  Jesus said that the "bad company" are the ones that need a physician so we need to know which bad company will corrupt good character and which ones won't.

The problem with my thinking is that I'm focusing on the bad company as being the problem.  Really, the problem with bad company corrupting good character isn't the bad company.  Bad company is bad company, we shouldn't be surprised when sinners sin.  Good character on the other hand is a different story.  Good character isn't supposed to go bad.  

When Jesus went to the men with leprosy (Luke 17:11-19) Jesus didn't catch it.  He healed them.  When Jesus hung out with sinners He didn't sin, His good character was incorruptible. In my opinion, the reason for this is because everywhere that He went He looked to serve in as humble and loving way possible.  I'm not saying that He served up booze, porn, or drugs.  What I am saying is that He served with love, providing what the bad company really needed, with love.  He didn't tell the prostitute and tax collectors "YOUR GOING TO HELLLLLL".  That's what He basically told the Pharisees.  

So with all of that, I have to make the declaration that bad company does NOT corrupt good character!  However, I will say that "bad company corrupts average character" or "bad company corrupts mediocre character".  

The type of ministry that Jesus did is not for the faint of heart.  We like to compare ourselves to the disciples and hope that we can find similarities.  The fact is that Jesus did not let His disciples minister to "bad company" unequipped.  Jesus told them to wait on the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49, John 14: 16,17) after He was crucified.  The reason was He knew that they must have the power of the Holy Spirit to be able to endure and maintain there good character.

God has called us to witness in the highways and byways (Luke 14:23).  He wants us to server others.  You've heard the saying that "love is a verb", well Christianity should be an action word too.  Am I telling you to go to a bar alone to witness?  Absolutely not!  However, you should listen to the Holy Spirit and go where He draws you.  If you find yourself in a situation where you aren't serving the "bad company" that you are around, you should probably ask yourself why you are there.

Live for Jesus completely today so that tomorrow, you won't regret what you did yesterday.

God loves you and I do too!

She thinks we're just fishin

Kassi

Kelsi

Kalli

Over the years, I have had four really good fishing buddies. Although dad and I fished some when I was a kid, I was more concerned with football than fishing. So really, Kim was the first person to really turn me on to fishing. Since that day on Fontana when I got hooked (pun intended), I have loved to fish. God has blessed me with a big pond in my front yard so I get to go anytime I want to. The really fun thing though is when one of my girls goes with me.

Kim was my original fishing buddy (and is still the prettiest) but once Kassi could hold a fishing pole, she would come out and fish with daddy. She once caught a Blue Gill with only a hook, no bait!  Kassi stuck with it for a little while but once basketball came along, she kinda lost interest in fishing. Then came Kalli. I gotta give credit where credit is due, Kalli has been my good-luck-charm fishing buddy. For some reason, I always caught more fish with her than with anybody. Kalli would also handle the fish more than most girls would. And now, there is Kelsi. She is going to be a really good fishing buddy. She started last year but she really couldn't manage her sponge-bob fishing pole then. This year, she is holding her own.  She is the most patient out of all of my fishing buddies.

Last night, she caught her first fish and I wish I could have caught her reaction on video. She was so excited, once she could see the fish at the bank she almost through her pole down.  She actually froze she was laughing so hard.

Over the years, I've had a lot of nice evenings with my girls just fishin. I'd love to tell you some emotional, tear jerking story like Trace Atkins' song 'she thinks we're just fishin' but I don't know if I have any. What I do know is that when we go fishing, shoot basketball, throw softball, play with Lego's, go swimming, or whatever we do together, I'm fulfilling God's word by bringing my kids up the way that they should go. I'm letting them know that they are important. They know that dad is busy with work and chores but I always should let them know that I'm not too busy for them.

I'd love to tell you that my years have including hundreds or thousands of evenings spending quality time with my daughters but unfortunately, that would be a lie. Fact is, I'm an imperfect father. I tend to get caught up in the "rules" and "discipline" side of fatherhood and I let mom focus on the "loving" and "nurturing" side. But as a Christian father, it is so important for us to truly live one day at a time. Yes, we have to plan for the future but some day, she's not going to be my little girl, she's going to be my young lady, then she's going to be my grown woman.  

When my little girls are grown what have I taught them? Right now, who cares! Life's lessons will happen on their own, we don't have to make them happen. I just need to make sure that when they do happen, I'm there to help and to love them. I have to make sure that my girls will trust me and know that I care.

I hope you take time to cherish those "little" moments with your kids. They are the moments that they don't recognize today as being significant but someday they wouldn't take a million dollars for them. I know I'll always cherish my time at the pond with each of my girls and if I play my cards right, some day, they will too.

Live for Jesus completely today so that tomorrow you won't regret what you did yesterday.

I love you and God does too!

Happy Birthday Little Brother!!

Regret!!!  Life is full of it.  In it's simplest form, regret is just the mindset of wishing you would have done something different, usually because of the outcome of a decision.  I try to teach my children to not have regret in life because it is very hard to fix.

My life is full of regret; I wish I would have tried harder in school, I wish I would have been closer to my grand parents whom are all dead now, I wish I would have insisted on playing Line-Backer full time instead of Defensive End, I wish I would have had short hair, I wish I would have tried contacts sooner, I wish I would have taken my relationship with God seriously, I wish I would have maintained friendships...... I think you get the picture.

Now what does all of this have to do with wishing my brother (Jody Knight) a Happy Birthday?  Well its simple, I have a lot of regret when it comes to the way I handled our relationship as children.  Anyone who knows us knows that we have completely different personalities and we always have since birth.  Basically, his personality was good and mine was bad.  I loved my brother but I was jealous of him because he was "cuter" or "nicer" than I was.  When you couple that jealousy with the fact that I was mean , I was more of a bully than a brother much of the time.  

Now don't get me wrong, we had a lot of fun.  We played football, baseball, and Nerf-hoop in our bedroom all the time and we played in the woods, swung on muscadine vines, played in the creek in the woods, went swimming, and rode our bikes a lot.  But for anyone who has ever been in a bad relationship, the memories that tend to stand out aren't the good ones, its the bad.  It would be too easy for me to tell too much about the negative so I think that I will just leave it at "I was mean to my brother, too mean".

After all these years I love my brother very much and I always have.  I have always been very proud of him.  I have the utmost respect for my brother.  He was a great athlete in school, he was was always smarter than me, and he beat me at every video game we ever played.  Now, he is a strong, reliable, Christian man.  He is a loving husband and loving father.  Like me, he isn't perfect but I think he is a lot closer than I am.  I've done what I know to do to let him know that I love him and I know that he knows that I love him.  The problem is that word "regret".  I just can't help but wonder how things would be today (for both of us and our families) if I would have let the love of Christ overshadow my relationship with my brother.

And you?  Do you have any regret like me?  You can't go back and undo what has been done but you can ask for forgiveness and then move on. Maybe you were on the other end of the stick and you are harboring hard feelings because of the way you were treated.  You must forgive.  

Regret isn't healthy but it is a fact.  All we can do is live our lives from this point on with no regret.  If you live today completely for Jesus, then tomorrow, you won't regret what you did yesterday.

I love you and God does too!

It's never too late

A few weeks ago, pastor Brad used Jeremiah 18:1-4 in a message series that he preached.  Since then, that scripture has been echoing in my mind.  The NLT version reads like this:

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” 3 So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel.4 But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.

Verse 4 is what resonates with me.  God specifically was telling Jeremiah that Israel had not turned out as he intended, so like a potter does clay, he was going to crush Israel and start over.  This verse makes me think about my personal life and testimony.  I can see myself on the Potter's wheel and things are spinning and He is molding me as planned.  But then a flaw comes out of the clay that messes up the pot.  As long as I am willing to accept being crushed, the Potter takes me back to a form he can work with and starts again.

Sometimes, the Potter has to completely crush me because the flaw is so big that I just have to go back to the beginning.  Sometimes, he just has to use a tool to dig out an imperfection.  This may leave a scar but that will become part of my testimony.

Obviously, I use this verse when I do prison ministry because everyone knows that a felon needs to start over.  But how about us?  How willing are we to let God crush us into a lump of clay so he can start over with us?  Too often, I'm afraid, we tell God "not yet, let me finish here and then you can have me".  Or just as bad, we see other flawed jars and we tell God that our flaw isn't so bad, especially compared to our neighbor.

Probably the saddest situation is the person that thinks that their flaws are too bad for God to want to fix.  Or maybe they think they aren't important enough for God to fix.  I know this sounds crazy but after talking to the people that I have over the years, you should never be surprised how someone may think or feel.  I have met so many people that just didn't feel worthy to be saved or "fixed".  There are so many hurting people that don't realize that what they have done just doesn't matter to God.  All He cares about is whether you are a willing vessel that is willing to let Him mold you.  Are you?

God loves people, period!  He may hate sin but he loves people.  He loves drunks, drug addicts, child molesters, adulterers, homosexuals, murderers, and liars...to name a few.  He will forgive sins and THEN put you on the Potter's wheel for him to mold.  God is ready to forgive sins and accept you as you are, we just have to be willing vessels.

God loves you and I do too!

Childlike Faith

Well its been a while since I've posted anything.  OK, its been forever ago.  After my last post about my dad my emotions were just way too deep.  Although I enjoy sharing on this blog, there are just some things that I prefer to keep private and after much discussion with Kim I decided that I'd hold off for a while.

Back to Childlike faith...

I was talking to Kim last night about dad's faith.  Kim made the comment "your dad has such great faith" and he does.  I truly wished that I had his faith but I have yet to concur my cynicism, skepticism, and pessimism to have that great of faith.  But after thinking about it and trying to figure out why I don't have the faith that he does it really just boils down to one thing....TRUST!

Dad, like a child, trusts in God.  The Bible tells him "ask and ye shall receive" (Matt 7:7, Matt 21:22), "if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven." (Matt 18:18-20), and "Therefore I say to you whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:24).  

When we put our hands on a loved one and pray, do we think; "I hope God heals them" or "I can't wait to see God heal them"?  I know which one that I unfortunately lean toward.  Jesus said “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matt 18:3).  This is a very broad statement but it is as simple as Christ was saying it...to adults; "your children trust in you, you must trust in Me" is what Jesus was saying.

My dad has this kind of trust and faith.  And his reward?  He has been cancer free since the tumor was removed in December.  I specifically spoke with two neurosurgeons that both believed that even after the tumor was removed, he would only have 12 months to live and that he would probably start deteriorating after 6 months.  Dad has had one clean MRI and he finds out the results of the second tomorrow.  His statement to Kim was "I don't know why they keep wasting their time and mine because they aren't going to find anything".  That's faith.

Find ways to practice your faith, that's right, practice.  The bible is quite plain that we are all given the same "measure of faith" (Rom 12:3).  It's up to us to learn how to use it through practice and prayer.

God loves you and I do too!

I want to be like him

By reading this, I'm sure you know that my dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor Tuesday night. Since then, I've spent a lot of time with him and the rest of my family. My brother, Jody, has hardly left his side. While I have been with him, I've paid close attention to him. I've come to many conclusions over the past few days but one is resonating with me right now. No matter how old I get, I want to be like my dad when I grow up.

When I was a boy, I thought my dad drove a train because he worked at ALCOA where all the train tracks were. I thought that was awesome. So when I grew up, I wanted to be like my dad and drive a train.

When I was 8 or 9 years old, we lost power in a storm. We had a well for water so if there was no electricity there was no water. If there was no water, we couldn't flush commodes. Once the sun went down, this was a precarious situation for me because I did not want to go up in the woods to use the bathroom because it was dark and I was afraid. Not dad. When he needed to go, he took off and didn't even take a flash light. He wasn't scared one bit. When I grew up, I wanted to be just like my dad because he wasn't afraid of anything.

As I became a teen, I would meet people that my dad worked with. Sometimes they would say, "there isn't a more honest man than John Knight. I hope you're as honest as he is". Or they would tell me some story about how dad worked out a difficult situation with the Union at ALCOA and would say "you're lucky if you're as smart as your dad". But my favorite and the one used most often was when they would always say "Oh! your John's boy. If you grow up to be half the man your dad is you will be a good man". So when I grew up, I wanted to be like my dad because he was a good man.

Today I watched a man, stricken with a brain tumor pray for the preacher that was praying for him. Today, I watched my dad give thanks to God because no matter what, he knows that God will take care of him. I watched as he witnessed to every nurse and doctor that came in his room. When I grow up, I want to be like my dad, I want to be someone that is NEVER ashamed or scared to talk about Jesus to anyone.

As I type this blog, my dad and I are listening to a CD of my mom singing and Betty Bowman playing the piano. Right as I thought he was asleep, he raised up and as he cried happy tears he said:

"Son, I love that woman! Listen to that voice, have you ever heard anything more beautiful in your life? We've been together for nearly 50 years and we've had our struggles; some my fault and some her fault, but through it all, we are more in love today than we have ever been. I love your mother so much, I could never make it without her. Just listen to her. There is nothing more beautiful to my ears as your mother's voice, listen".

With that, he laid back and just listened. I want to be able to look back at nearly 50 years of marriage and say "through it all, we are more in love today than ever". When I grow up, I want to be just like my dad.

I love you and God does too!!

It's a tumor, now what God?

Got the worst news of my 41 years yesterday. My dad has been feeling poorly lately and it turns out he has a brain tumor (9.5 cm X 5.5 cm X 6.7 cm). The doctor believes it is a very new tumor, only 3 - 4 weeks old, but it is already a stage IV tumor
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_staging). Without going into detail, you can already tell this isn't good.

Bad things happen to good people every day so I'm not asking why. My dad is saved so we aren't worried about the ever-after. But this is my dad. Remember my post "go son, go!!"? I love my dad, and now looking at him in the hospital bed I don't ask God why. But I do ask, "now what?" I'm praying, my family is praying, our friends are praying, RIO-180 is praying, the RIO network is praying, Broadway Baptist is praying, Redemption Christian Center is praying.....we're all praying for my dad. But now what?

I was just being honest with God this morning in prayer and told him "God, this isn't a matter of whether You can or can't. It's a matter of whether You will or won't". God said that He will have mercy on whoever he wishes (Rom 9:18). If God heals dad, we're going to praise Him and if He doesn't, we're going to praise Him. But still, I come back to, "now what"?

At this point, all I know to do is to pray and trust God. If you read this, please pray for John Knight. He is 67 and a Godly man. He loves his wife dearly. He adores his children and grandchildren. Although he is ready to meet God, he doesn't want to do it soon.....I don't want him to either.

I love you and God does too!!

Love and Babe Ruth

I ripped off Dennis Rainey yesterday so I thought I would do it again today.  Here is something that I read last month and it has resonated with me ever since.  One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Pet 4:8 "Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins".  I know in my life and my marriage, I have counted on the love of others toward me to cover my sins to offer forgiveness so I try to be careful to do the same.  The story below from Mr. Rainey is a great example of what Jesus was talking about when he said we must accept the Kingdom of Heaven like a child (Matt 18:2-5).
 
I can’t attribute this story to its source, but a number of years ago I read a story about Babe Ruth. At the end of his legendary baseball career, the Babe had become obviously overweight. During one of his final contests, he bungled several fly balls in the outfield and struck out weakly with every plate appearance. Fans who had seen or heard about his once-proud exploits were now quick with catcalls, mocking this man who had hit twice as many home runs as anyone else in baseball.

But as the jeering got louder and louder, a little boy leaped over the railing and onto the playing field. With tears streaming down his face, he ran to the Babe and threw his arms around the legs of the fading athlete. Babe Ruth reached down, picked up the boy and hugged him tight. Then setting him down and patting him on the head, they walked hand in hand toward the dugout, while the jeers turned to cheers. Hardly an eye remained dry in the whole place.

The crowd had been correct in their assessment, of course. The Babe had let much of his athletic prowess go to seed. Yet a little boy had remembered him for who he was . . . and had covered over his errors with love.

This is not unlike what marriage was established to be -- two people saying to each other, "I know you've failed me and disappointed me at times (as I have you), but I'm still going to put my arm around you and tell you, 'I love you.'  i'm on this journey with you one way or the other."

Love covers a multitude of sins...Period!  It isn't pride and it isn't something you earn.  God is Love (1 John 4:8) and this love allows us to forgive.  Love allows us to over look someones mistakes and see them for who God sees them.  God's love is what allows me to see my kids and my wife the way that Jesus sees them.  Like I said to Kassi yesterday, my nature is for everything to be black and white, no gray area.  It is God's love working in me that helps me to get past my human nature and see my family the way God sees them.  It's God's love that lets me know that God has laid hold of (apprehended) them for a reason (Phil 3:12) and I should always do the same.

Judge not lest ye be judged (Matt 7:1)

I love you and God does too!

Foul Ball

The aricle below is taken directly from what I read this morning in my family life devotional (familylife.com) by Dennis Rainey.  This is something I am guilty of more often than I care to admit.  I'm sure I was guilty of it today when I was asking my daughter why she had to go outside to get her backpack.  Wouldn't life be easier if you just pick your "stuff" up when you get out of the car was my comment to her. 

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise.
Ephesians 5:15

I've often wondered why more people don't get hurt by foul balls that are hit into the stands during a baseball game. You'd think it would happen almost every time, especially those line drives that carom through an entire seating section. But even on those occasions when a stray ball does leave a lump or a bruise, you can hardly blame the batter, can you? I mean, he's not out to intentionally harm anyone. It's just what happens in the flow of the game, right?

That's probably not the way Baltimore Orioles' Jay Gibbons felt not long ago when he fouled a pitch straight back over the screen. That's because this time, his wayward swing didn't threaten a nine-year-old sitting there with his cap and glove or a hot-dog vendor walking the steps or a pair of buddies taking in a game together.

No, Jay's foul ball hit his own wife right in the ribcage.

He didn't mean to. It wasn't intentional.

This story reminded me of those sarcastic remarks we sometimes let slip.

Or those little unkind things we foul off. Or those grunts we utter when we think the magazine article we're reading is much more interesting and important than what the wife is saying.

A foul ball can hurt as much as a direct hit. A fairly insignificant slight or accusation--especially when it's allowed to fester and accumulate and build on the last one--can bruise your relationship. That's why you must guard against minor, offhand offenses. Stop occasionally and go see if your words are hurting anyone--your spouse, a child or a friend.

Careless words. A lapse in judgment. Foul balls. And foul words. But whether intended or not, they can still carom with enough speed to wound and injure the ones you love the most.

Be careful with your words and choose your battles wisely.  Those we love are more important than being right all the time.

I love you and God does too!

Prison Ministry - Day 2

After a great day at Little Sandy on Saturday, we were looking forward to an even better day on Sunday.  Sunday, was our second and final day in KY and we were at Eastern KY penetentury.  I always try to to share Jesue when I can on these trips but generally, we only have enough players for one team so while the players play against the inmates we have several dedicated men that do nothing but walk the yard and share the gospel.  We stop playing a couple of times each day to share the gospel when we get a crowd.

Sunday morning at breakfast, I was asked to "share" during one of these breaks on Sunday.   Sharing the gospel is why I do prison ministry so I was fired up Sunday morning.  God had given me a message to share a couple of weeks ago so I was ready.  The message God had given me was simply telling about 4 men that I know.   I won't give names or details because some of you may know who I'm talking about but I have 3 friends that have done time in prison and are now dead.  As I told about each man, one at a time, I shared their stories about their lives and how they died.  I shared that one man was definitely in Hell right now.  I also told them that I was uncertain about the eternities for the other two because they had no fruit in their lives.  

Then I told them about a fourth man, my best friend.  A man that told me that anytime I was tired, not sleepy tired but tired of the world, I could come to Him and He would give me rest.  This man died for me so that I could spend eternity with Him and His dad.   I explained that all we have to do is believe that He died for our sins and believe He rose on the third day, then we could be saved.  This "belief" that the Bible talks about isn't the kind of belief that we have in something because we think it to be true.  But this kind of "belief" is the kind of belief that we have that our mother is our mother.  We don't remember her giving birth to us but because she has always been there, we truly believe she is the one that gave birth to us.  That is the kind of belief in Jesus that it takes to be saved.

When I got done speaking, I simply told them that now is their opportunity to know where they will go when they die because they aren't promised tomorrow.  12 men got saved.  God was truly working in this prison before we ever got there.  I did nothing, it was all the Holy Spirit.

We were about to start playing when this man, a mountain of a man came up to me.  Now I don't want to stereotype but just by looking at him, he would not be my first choice for a baby sitter.  This guy was obviously making good use of the weights.  He was built a lot like Ray Lewis, just tougher.  When he came up to me, he just said "I was the first guy you talked about".  He told me how he has always been willing to fight at the drop of a hat.  He said that he wanted to know where he was going when he died and he has always known about Jesus.  He said he has always known he needed to get saved but thought he had to clean up first.  During my talk, I shared that we don't make our selves well before we go to the doctor and we don't fix our car before we take it to a mechanic.  Neither do we have to "clean up" before we come to Jesus.  His name was Ed and his humility truly touched me.

Have you made that decision?  Do you know that you know you are saved?  If not, please contact me and I will tell you how to be saved.

I love you and God does too!

Prison Ministry - Day one

This past weekend I went on a prison ministry trip to KY.  For anyone that doesn't know what I do, I go with a team of men from Sevier Heights Baptist Church into prisons in TN, KY, AL, and FL.  We play softball against the inmates and tell them about Jesus.  We get to spend time with them and build relationships.  I know that there are people out there that believe we should be doing other types of ministry because criminals "shouldn't get extra privaleges".  The fact is that in Matt 25 Jesus is pretty clear regarding prison ministry.  

Saturday, we saw several men saved.  I was a little disappointed because as of the last 1/3 of the day, I hadn't made a difference in anyone's life.  We were at Little Sandy prison and we had gone in for dinner at 3:30.  After dinner we had another 90 minutes before we could go back out to the yard where the softball field is so this gave us more time to spend with the prison softball players.  Our team and theres did different things to pass the time.  Some played basketball, some played corn-hole and some just hung out and talked.  

I was tired so all I felt like doing was sitting so I found an inmate to talk to.  I sat down with a guy named "Blue".  Blue and I talked for about 30 minutes about softball.  Then the Holy Spirit began to move on both of us.  Blue is from a town just outside of Memphis so I asked him what brought him to Kentucky.  He said "well, running dope and murder".  Thats when Blue opened up.  Blue is 41 and has been in prison for 19 years for murder.  He was saved in October of 2011 and for the last 6 months there has been strange things happening in his life.  He has found himself to be more compassionate to people and he is able to forgive when just a few years ago, there is no way he would forgive.   With all of this, there was still something wrong.  He said that he wanted to be closer to God but something wasn't right.

The Holy Spirit immediately revealed to me that He is working on Blue and that's why he has saw the recent changes.  He also showed me that the reason Blue is unsettled is because he hasn't forgiven himself.  I didn't beat around the bush.  When I brought it up, we spoke for a second and then he started crying.  He said "look at me!  what's wrong with me, I've never cried before".  Blue acknowledged that he had so much remorse for his crime that he doesn't think it is possible for him to forgive himself.  I explained to him that if he got saved God has forgiven him and he agreed.  I told him that by not forgiving himself, he is exalting himself above God and we talked about that for a while.  

When it was time to go back to the field I knew that God had worked through me and through Blue.  God was so good to us this weekend.  If God can provide hope to an inmate that is facing 7 more years to life in prison, imagine what he can do for you if you let him.

I love you and God does too!

John