Author: Kevin Spear

I am a content creator and storyteller based in Florida, where I work for OneHope. I love digital and content marketing, writing, and the occasional doodle.

Categories
accountability motivation

Stop wasting your life!

How much time do we spend doing wasteful things? We all have time-wasting bad habits that can burn up our time in creative ways. Do any of these sound familiar?

  • Did that one episode turn into a binge-watching bonanza that lasted through the night?
  • Do you find yourself munching down on the Halloween candy that was meant for the trick-or-treaters?
  • How about that one Twitter thread that was a train wreck of ideas, but you just couldn’t stop scrolling?

I won’t say which ones are my bad habits. But lets face it, we all know how to wast time.  An article from Inc. Magazine got my attention. My big takeaway is to consider how much time per hour that bad habit is costing you. Could you be doing something more productive instead of that bad habit? Is it costing you more than you thought?

For the most part, that advice holds up. Unfortunately, I can scarf down candy like it is going out of style. Wait, did I just confess one of my bad habits?

We all need a few moments of diversion and we can’t be productive twenty-four seven. However, the tip from the article reminds me that time is precious and we need to consider what choices affect us in the long run.

Categories
accountability communication

Responsible Communication

It’s never been easier to communicate with the world. What we write can go anywhere with an Internet connection in seconds. Fifty years ago, it would have taken a heavy investment in satellites, negotiations with gatekeepers, and a good dose of determination to get anywhere close to that kind of reach.

Before digital communication, it took so much to get a message out worldwide, that it was carefully edited. Experts would examine each word and phrase to be sure the intention of the message was optimized. Such an expensive message resulted in more responsible communication.

Now, a teenager in Bangladesh can become a worldwide sensation with a quirky video. The communication doesn’t have to be responsible, just viral.

And video is just as cheap and quick to get out as the written word. It would have been the envy of major television stations just a few decades ago.

We can get information out with ease. We can also push disinformation out just as easily. Before we know it, a lie can make it all around the world. A flippant comment can influence far beyond its original intent. That puts a lot of responsibility on us… at least it should!

We live in a time full of communication. Let’s be sure we’re responsible with that power.

Categories
Bible Proverbs

Proverbs 16:9

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

Proverbs 16:9 reminds me while it is good to plan, there are things I cannot predict, nor prepare for.

That may not feel very comfortable. Good and bad things happen every day. Layoffs, tough breaks, and a worldwide pandemic are just a few items that don’t make us feel great.

We can debate why things happen or if they ever should occur. But in the end, It is foolish to fight the unexpected things we can’t influence.

Lots of change will come into our lives.

  • Some of it will be good
  • Some of it will be uncomfortable
  • There will be unexpected twists and turns
  • One or two can be happy accidents
  • Others can feel tragic and unfair
  • Then there will be some that will make us shake our heads and roll our eyes

I choose to embrace the change God brings into my life. I will continue to plan and prepare for what I can foresee. But there are events, mishaps, and surprises no one can predict. It is best for me to know what I can control and make positive changes, while I let go of what is simply out of my jurisdiction.

Categories
Bible motivation

Ecclesiastes 3:1

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

On my run the other day, I listened to the song, Glory Days, by Bruce Springsteen. As the years go by, it becomes more ironic. It was on the album, Born in the USA. The song came out in 1985 when I was twenty years old. At the time, it felt like a fool’s errand to reminisce about the past at the expense of the present. Thirty-six years later, I can understand a little better where the song was coming from!

Yet, the wisdom of this verse still stands true. There is a season and a time for every purpose. I had a great college experience. But it would be unfortunate to stay there. It’s great to visit for homecoming. But who wants an old guy staying around campus because he just can’t get the courage to leave?

I loved being a dad to two little kids. But today I have two great adult children. I would be foolish to wish they were younger and treat them as little kids. The early days were great. The present is even better, though it looks different.

It’s foolish to live in the past. It is equally foolish to live only in the future. Yes, the last eighteen months have been brutal for everyone. We have all heard people pining for the future when everything will be back to normal. But what if the present has the opportunities that make your future possible? What if normal never was ideal? We are never guaranteed a future. We just have today.

There were good things about the past. And I believe the future also has promise. But we just have today. Whatever season you are in, live in the moment. It may be a challenging time. You may have problems I can’t imagine. Or you may find a few years from now, today is the day you will remember as the best of times. Say, that reminds me of another rock song!

Categories
children's ministry cartoons church cartoons education

David, Goliath, and Flying Objects

Cartoon of two boys with flying toys overhead. One says, "When the preschoolers learn about David and Goliath, look out for flying objects!"

When a lesson makes an impact, we tend to act it out. Whether we realize it or not, kids continually act out something they’ve learned through watching television, peers, or their families.

When a young child finishes watching a TV show, take some time to observe how it affects their play. Does it affect their imagination? Does it affect their actions and speech? Most times it does!

I remember getting into my dad’s pickup truck with my brother. We loved watching Star Trek. Somehow, we were able to convert that old jalopy into the bridge of the US Enterprise. Dad wasn’t too happy when he would get into his truck and discover that our play resulted in the pickup’s engine flooding. How else are you going to go Warp Factor Three without using the gas pedal?

As adults, we like to think we’re beyond that. But after you watch a news story about angry people, do you feel yourself getting a little angry? Does your work culture affect how you act at home? How about an effective sermon that inspires you to make a change or make worship a bigger priority?

We’re all affected by what we learn. Let’s be sure we’re learning the right lessons and not end up throwing things around the house!

It was good revisiting this cartoon. I drew it before but polished it up for this month.

Cartoon of two boys with flying toys overhead. One says, "When the preschoolers learn about David and Goliath, look out for flying objects!"

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.