Ken McCardell, the author of the BibleRhymes children’s book series, gave an interview to IAWAB (Ideas At Work And Beyond) a Connecticut cable talk show on April 10th, 2008. This is about a half hour interview discussing different aspects of BibleRhymes Publishing and Ken’s personal life. Click here to watch the interview .
And let me know what you think!
kw
To all of the mothers out there…
Thank you for being you!
I’ve got a little poem for you to read here:
http://www. biblerhymes. com/a_mothers_day_poem. html
And I’ll be working on getting my Connecticut cable show interview posted within the next day in case you were interested in seeing it.
You can see me live on tv with sleep deprivation fumbling some of my answers. But I had a good experience and was able to spend time with some quality people on the east coast.
But until the cable interview is posted…
I hope you’ll enjoy the Mother’s Day Poem!
Keep smiling,
Kenneth W.
Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
Proverbs 24: 1 KJV
The grass is always greener…
Sometimes the lifestyles of the people on the not so straight and narrow path can look quite inviting. And they can definitely look a lot easier! There’s no more fighting with temptations if you quit caring who you hurt.
But that’s the thing. Evil men (selfish men) hurt other people. And sometimes evil men can play themselves off as your friends. And if you’re around them enough you may learn to accept their behavior. And if you accept evil and are willing to hang out with people that don’t act properly then you are actually promoting evil.
They’ve been rewarded with your friendship regardless of how they behave.
I know a girl who has a story perfectly fitting for an example.
One of her best guy friends had an ongoing relationship with a woman that was married. And that made me cringe.
Stealing someone’s wife is one of the lowest forms of behavior that I can imagine. And to sit there and say, “He’s nice around me.” And forget about how that guy is willing to help destroy someone else’s marriage is beyond me.
People behaving like that need to be ostracized not supported.
Now I’m of the belief that if people are able to offer good examples with their lifestyles and philosophies then it is imperative for them to do so. But to consistently spend time with a person that you’re not rubbing off on, then they might be rubbing off on you.
So if you are the company you keep…
Then make sure you’re keeping company with the right people.
Quality people are out there. Sometimes you just have to look carefully.
kenneth w.
In the Lord put I my trust…
Psalms 11:1 KJV
That simple statement is why I don’t worry about anything.
I’ve taken some big risks. Some that I’ve been advised against. But I’m not worried. My father’s looking out for me.
And if I’m trying as hard as I can to do what I think is important, then whether or not I get to where I want to, I will get to where I need to be.
I don’t know where I’m supposed to be. I go day by day moving in the direction that I think is positive. But new situations arise every day. New options spring up. And I just keep trying to move in the right direction.
And … In the Lord put I my trust.
So everything will be just fine.
=)
kw
www.BibleRhymes.com
Following my blog entitled Can Heathens Be Saved? I received some wonderful responses. I also received responses that questioned me. I was told my thoughts were not very representative of the Bible and basically told my understanding of the Bible is a bit askew.
But the Bible is a big book. There are a whole lot of parts to it and we have to be careful not to read one passage and hold that up as the answer to all of the world’s issues.
Now I thoroughly enjoy each note I get, even and especially when opinions differ from mine and questions or even challenges are laid on my shoulders.
This forces me to think and my faith grows and strengthens through this process.
And so I’ll try to do this same favor for you. By laying out my thoughts or scriptural passages I challenge you to think and grow as well.
So, if you think faith is all that you need to be saved, please read the following. And I’ll be looking forward to your responses provoking more thought … and then growth.
(James 2: 14-26 KJV)
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Seest thou how faith wrought (operated) with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
kenneth w.
What would life be like if mistakes were a dream?
If mistakes were a dream, life would be paradise; well almost a paradise. Some bad things happen that aren’t an accident or a mistake. Some bad things are done deliberately and without remorse.
But what about the mistakes or plunders that people do regret? What if they had listened to the advice they’d been given throughout their lives about how to avoid bad situations? Well, there would most assuredly be less scraped knees to gripe about. There would be less broken hearts and less bankruptcies and people, it would seem, would be almost perfect.
Nevertheless, people do make mistakes and that’s because we are given options in life.
And the options we are allowed, the freedoms that we’ve been blessed with are the explanation for so many of the scraped knees that people endure.
But like all things that on the face may seem bad, scraped knees can be quite beneficial. Good can arise from any situation if the situation is looked at from the right perspective.
The difficulty then becomes, if the mistake or scraped knee is yours, can you remove yourself far enough from the situation to view it from the correct perspective?
Obviously our mistakes are our personal dilemmas (though they may negatively affect others as well). And typically, people take personal dilemmas personally. But often you need to pretend you are somebody else. And pretend you are someone that’s honest.
Then look at yourself and give yourself advice. Don’t say, “What should I do?” Instead say, “If that person were my friend, what would I tell them to do?”
And then your mistake can actually be the catalyst that moves your life in a positive direction. Self-improvements can be made.
We weren’t created as perfect beings. But the Lord gave us the ability to undergo continual self-improvement. We can constantly transform ourselves into loving, spiritual souls. That’s what our time here on earth is for.
Or we can curse our mistakes and blame the world or the Lord for all of our faults and shortcomings.
The choice is always ours.
The question is if we are humble enough to accept responsibility for our decisions.
And if we’re humble enough to accept responsibility, are we strong enough to ask for help and guidance?
God’s waiting to help if you’ll ask. And He’s made you strong enough to flourish despite your mistakes.
So since mistakes aren’t a dream, be prepared for them. And then grow from them.
kw
I just got back from a local bistro. It’s where I sit for many of my writing escapades.
And I was about to start crafting some poetry when I decided it was necessary to make mention of something. So hear it goes…
I rarely witness things of this nature and truthfully this story is all hearsay. But it’s hearsay from the two men mentioned in the following story so I’m betting it’s true.
A friend of mine was with his mother getting lunch at the bistro. A young man was waiting on them and came to take their orders. My friend spoke up to make his request and the waiter cut him right off. The waiter told him, “Ladies first.”
I was laughing when I heard the story the other day and I was thinking, “Bravo!” Now I was in the bistro at the time so I looked around for the waiter my buddy had been referring to. I saw him and called him over to shake his hand and congratulate him.
He wasn’t sure what the congratulations were for so I pointed to my friend and told him I was proud to hear about him being a gentleman. He quickly apologized to my friend for saying that in front of his mother and then I cut him off. I told him no apologies were necessary and it’s good to see somebody that’s willing to treat women properly.
And to all of the parents out there, it’s up to you to raise your sons to be proper gentlemen. They don’t get many good examples through television or the movie or music industries. It may be the 21st century with new times and new generations. But the youngsters need a good value system so they can improve from where we are now instead of spending all of their energy dealing with the mistakes that we continue to make.
And good value systems are necessary to bring back the fairytales, the knights in shining armor and the gentlemen your daughters deserve.
kw
Do you ever take the time to see how often God’s looking out for you? Even when you’re not paying attention it happens, but do you ever take the time to contemplate it?
I could just as easily be in a hospital today rather than at home typing this note.
I had a cable show in Connecticut and a book reading in New Jersey at the end of last week. And before I go on I just want to thank the group from the Little Angels Christian Montessori School in Livingston, NJ. Everyone from the school’s technologically savvy pastor to the school’s director to a wonderful mother that took me out to a Mexican lunch spot made me feel at home and welcomed me back in the future.
Pictures from the school event and the cable interview will both be available at BibleRhymes. com soon.
But back to the point of this note; to head out east I took a road trip and I’m so glad that I did. On the way home from New Jersey I stopped at this beautiful scenic overlook in the mountains. And as soon as I got back in the car I had a flurry of new poems forming in my mind. Sometimes just seeing one thing can turn on the faucets of creativity.
Last week was a long one that didn’t include enough rest. So on the trip home I debated getting a hotel room so I could just let the poetry flow. A buddy of mine had stopped by my house to check on my dogs and called with a report. When my friend got to my house he saw a group of people in the street with two dogs. One of the dogs ended up being my burly girl Charlotte who had escaped through my fence to go play with the neighbors.
And then my friend told me there was a tornado warning going on in the area and hale and snow could be expected. I didn’t want my dogs alone with the ability to keep escaping so I decided to keep driving and just get home.
So a few hours later and I was pulling up on Toledo, Ohio. I could see off in the distance the biggest lighting storm I’ve ever witnessed. And I realized I was driving right into this storm. That’s when I called my buddy to give me a weather update about the tornado warnings.
Now I’m not a jumpy guy. I don’t get nervous too easily. But the lightening shooting by my car seemed like something out of a Star Wars movie. And I was giving my buddy the play-by-play when a torrent of wind and rain slammed my car. I drove 70mph into a blinding mass of water.
And right in the middle of the highway I brought my car to a complete stop. I couldn’t even see one foot in front of my car. I could’ve just as easily driven off the road as into the back of another stopped car. And then I knew that my car would be just like a little pebble if a semi-truck drove up and didn’t see me. I did get my car over to the side of the road and that’s when a truck flew up behind me and thankfully stopped in time.
For the next ten minutes myself and a line of cars sitting behind me waited out the worst of the storm before continuing.
And I had to thank God when I made it home. I could have just as easily been the topic of a depressing newspaper article.
And that makes me think about all aspects of my life. How often am I saved from myself? How often am I pulled through a variety of situations by God’s good graces? Not only the life-threatening situations on the highway, but even being welcomed by open arms out in New Jersey on my book reading escapade.
The Lord knows what we need and He provides.
And I so dearly thank Him for that!
kenneth w.
By me saying what I say, I’m not trying to change anyone’s position on theology. If people feel they know how to be saved and they have a good relationship with the Lord then God bless, far be it from me to try and disrupt that.
What I am trying to do is get people to think.
I’m trying another way to bring theology into public discussion. And I’m trying to do it in a way where people can ask questions and state opinions without feeling like they’ll be judged for any of it.
I’m trying to share some of the love that I’ve been allowed to swim in during my BibleRhymes pursuits.
And my responses to people’s notes can seemingly fill up weeks worth of blogs. So I thank everyone who participates and sends me these notes with such thoughtful topics.
But please remember my blogs are just that. Some of them are fairly long but none of them give a complete picture of my thoughts on a topic.
Books would need to be written for that and I’m too busy with children’s books right now!
Though I will be back with more tomorrow.
Until then,
kw
Another thought provoking note came my way so once again I’ve decided to share it and see what people think.
Here’s my response to the note:
This is probably best for when I come visit your church next month…
=)
And really it’s because I’ve typed too much today to really answer you properly.
Plus my view of “saved” is different from the popular church view. I don’t use that term myself unless it’s in reference to someone else’s beliefs.
To me, saying you’re saved means you’ve already won the game of life and have no more worries.
God has saved everyone in as much as he’s given us all the ability to overcome our temptations and self-serving nature and become givers of love.
It is up to us to live the way we choose and to follow our loves. If we follow self-serving loves then we are not serving the Lord. If we love God and others and live for him then we have secured a place on his team.
Now, no one will pass from this earth without making mistakes along the way. But I believe God looks into our hearts and knows our true loves and allows us to follow them. For better or for worse.
I don’t think he’ll send us to hell, but he’ll allow us to follow our evil loves there. And I don’t think if we do “a, b and c” we’ll get into heaven. But if heaven is where our loves are, he’ll gladly let us follow them there.
He’s hoping everyone will be instilled with heavenly loves and thus will be at his side as a big, loving family.
But now I babbled and so I’m going to share it with the world to see what kind of opinions come flying back.
And I’ll look forward to hearing yours too!
Til next note,
kw
