Kevin Schaeffer’s blog

    How often do we consider the motives behind our lives? The undertones? The reasons? Can we really call it all coincidence? Or is there something more, something deeper that we often misinterpret? When I think of my life and the lives of those around me, I come quickly to the conclusion that there are two common views through which the world is viewed (in regards to this topic). The only thing separating the two is a simple acknowledgement of purpose.
   
    Think about it. We all have unique lives consisting of numerous different factors – relationships, careers, hobbies, material possessions, etc. But there are only a small percentage of us who carefully reflect on the reasons behind our involvement in such things.
   
    What would happen if we all analyzed our intentions before taking another step into the world? For example, ask yourself, “What is the reason I’m heading into work today?” or “what good am I accomplishing by spending time with this friend?” My objective in proposing this thought is that live our lives on purpose; so that we can fully intend on achieving something of value in all aspects of our lives. I’ve found that when we fail to plan, when we “wait and see how things go,” or when continue an old routine out of habit, we take advantage of our blessings and miss out on the most rewarding opportunities life has to offer. Instead of having an attitude of, “I’ll just make the best of it.” I propose we begin to think in terms of, “I’m going to make it the best!” When thinking this way, we subconsciously construct a blueprint in our mind for the way things should be.
   
    Take into account a relationship (I’m currently in the process of implementing this thought process into my relationships); wouldn’t it be easier to have a plan? Something to strive for? Wouldn’t it be great to know that you’re both on the same page and both following the same course of action? It’s powerful to feel the greater purpose of your pursuit. And, it’s fun to achieve goals (achieving goals is difficult when you have none).
   
    My view is this: Together we stand, side by side, validated by God; and in our own unique roles, we compliment each other, we overcome, and we win. Until everyone is finally able to see the big picture of how life should work between a man and a woman – we’re not just together; we’re together on purpose.
   
    That is the new backbone for my relationships. It is a paraphrase from the book, In Search of the Proverbs 31 Man. I reflect and repeat it before I act. How much it has helped! But, the great thing is that this kind of purpose is malleable. It’s flexible. It’s resilient. You can bend it and make it work for you in whatever category you desire. But, whatever you desire, I encourage you to pursue with purpose. It makes a world of difference.

You got it,

Kevin Schaeffer

    It’s present in my life. It is present in all of our lives I will suppose. But, I have recently been placed into numerous situations where the active conversation is usually one that goes untouched; Religion and politics are probably the most common. In actuality, I’ve come to realize that not only are these topics avoided, but also they are frequently tolerated in ways that reiterate their boundaries and guidelines. For example: Who of you will argue that the world has problems? Those are few who believe that we are all in the right. Then, my question to you is, “Who of you are willing to stand up against the wrong that is often tolerated?”

    I’ve come to see that the majority of people are not willing to stand in the face of a possible argument, even if it does protect what they believe as absolute truth. My problem with that is great.  To paraphrase Joshua Harris, it is amidst all the chaos and destruction, amidst all the violence, greed, lust, jealousy, pride, and hate that God wants His children to be faithful – even if the majority of humanity has abandoned their roles – for it is when we are afraid to stand against wrong beliefs that the lines of our truth begin to bend. Then, we begin having to ask ourselves the question that has unceasingly been racing through my mind, “What’s next?”

    It’s because of all of those who remain sitting, who remain minding their own business that this world’s light is dimming. It’s when no one stands up that the downward spiral begins. But, another thing I’ve realized is that people choose not to disagree for fear that they may be alone in their thoughts… But, they never are! There are always others waiting for the chance to back you up (they just may not have the courage to take stance initially). There is a saying, “Evil flourishes when good people do nothing.” This couldn’t be more true. I hope you’ll have the courage to prove this statement true: When a leader stands, 1,000 spines stiffen. Often all it takes is one person willing to lead the rest.

Perhaps we can all view life this way: The people who are making this world worse aren’t taking a day off, so I’m not either.

Respectfully,

Kevin Schaeffer

I just returned from Philadelphia, PA. There I was given the opportunity to visit some of our nation's historical buildings and read some of the world's wisest men's words. It was then that I made the decision to cease my interpretations of Franklin's virtues. His definitions are superior to anything I could offer through my own understanding.

More writing to commence soon,

-Kevin

    The first thing to get clear about temperance is whose definition would be most effective in its application. For our purposes here, let’s assume we’re referring to moderation or self-restraint. It has been accepted widely throughout North America (as I’m sure is likely on other continents), that temperance deals mainly in regards to alcoholic drink – but I feel limiting the term to one category such as this defies the rights that we have and takes our focus off the need to implement temperance into most every aspect of our lives.

    To paint a better picture, on the bigger scheme of things, temperance is acting; it is doing – but in moderation. To make myself clear, I don’t believe that temperance involves refraining completely from one thing. It is simply knowing how much is enough. It is having our fair share, and only our fair share. It is partaking without overtaking.
   
    With this, I think it’s safe to assume that we all struggle in this category. Hands down. I think it is human nature to always seek more of something satisfying. Consider our eating habits. Almost all of us eat more than the suggested serving size. I’ll often open a bag of potato chips, and within a few hours, the whole bag will be empty. We can all agree that the potato chip, in itself, is not a bad thing – neither a whole bag of potato chips. The wrong is my crossing over the line separating enough from too much. It is in the same way that one man can enjoy a glass of wine with his supper while another man cannot enjoy one glass without enjoying the whole bottle. It is all a matter of discerning the right time to fold.
   
    There are other areas, areas that don’t include a form of physical ingestion, which can also be taken into consideration here. For example: a man may desire a more athletic-looking body. To achieve this desire, he may partake in some form of exercise every day – weight lifting, running, push-ups, sit-ups, etc. This is not a bad thing; in fact, it’s usually a very good thing. But, on occasion, one will get overly involved in his efforts. We all know someone who becomes “obsessed” with one certain thing. In our example here, a man could spend hours everyday at the gym. This obsession soon appears to overtake all other pieces of his life. This is when temperance is needed. This is when we need to be able to monitor our intake. We should never allow something to overcome our will. We have to be careful consumers.
   
    The world is not a gentle place. We all need to know what we’re feeding ourselves. This isn’t limited to food either. We should monitor what goes into our brains – what we see, what we hear, what we say, what we choose to believe, what we choose to fight for. We have to be able to live in moderation. Being so, we still shouldn’t accept limits into our lives. It takes responsibility, and even will-power; and it has to be deliberate. But, it builds character. And, it’s worth it.

Respectfully,

-Kevin Schaeffer

    Some of you may know of Benjamin Franklin – in fact, most of us know at least a thing or two about him. However, one thing that often gets overlooked when considering his accomplishments was his struggle to attain “moral perfection.” What Franklin did was develop his life into a working project of self-improvement. He chose thirteen virtues he deemed worthy of pursuit; he assured that they were measurable, then spent years implementing them into his life.
    What Benjamin Franklin did can be taken as an exemplary model that we all could emulate and employ into our own lives.

His virtues include:

    1.    Temperance
    2.    Silence
    3.    Order
    4.    Resolution
    5.    Frugality
    6.    Industry
    7.    Sincerity
    8.    Justice
    9.    Moderation
    10.  Cleanliness
    11.  Tranquility
    12.  Chastity
    13.  Humility

    For the next few weeks, I plan to expand on these thirteen and contemplate how each can be directly implemented among our own core beliefs. I feel it fair to expect these virtues from others only when we emit them ourselves; only when we courageously step, one foot in front of the other, into the constant wars being waged within our own selves; only as we battle the mind and body from remaining in what often is an inherited attitude of complacency.

    Franklin knew that in order to obtain his potential influence, he had to change himself into a worthy leader. If he were still around today, I’d argue that he would still be working on these thirteen virtues, never accepting the fact that he was “good enough.” We all should constantly seek that which will make is better – for we can always be better.

-Kevin Schaeffer

    I can preach all day long on my proposals for a better life, or on virtues, or on principals; but if I’m not living my life in a manner satisfying but one of these, then I lose all credibility as the leader I strive to become on a daily basis. I become a hypocrite – one undeserving of the right to a valued opinion.
   
    I’ve heard it said that a man is only as good as his word. I can’t get that statement out of my head. I feel its realization is of utter importance. Honestly, what good is a man if he can’t be trusted? To whom is he of any use?
   
    To validate this idea, consider the following:
   
    Recently, I’ve proposed a considerable amount of ideals that I claim to be visible throughout my current actions, emotions, thoughts, and speech. Perhaps this was a risky plan on my part. Even so, I wanted to exemplify the life I continue to strive for. Now, if you witness me partaking in an act that goes against my presented material, you could, and should, consider me a hypocrite. Right? This alone is EXACTLY my reason for making my aspirations public. I need the accountability.
   
    When I speak of accountability, what I really mean is pressure. The more I feel pressured to achieve, the more likely I am to succeed. I need help. Realize, I’m not perfect. None of us are. I will continue to fail – over and over and over again. The reason I desire accountability is so that I have someone to “call me out” when I don’t live up to my word. I desire excellence in my life, but I know that it cannot be achieved through my own undertaking. No man, even those claiming to be, is a self-made man. Anyone great, anyone worthy of our respect, anyone we deem heroic has had the constant help of others throughout their voyage to success.

    I need people (frankly, we all do) who aren’t just going to sit back and accept the weaknesses that are so present in the human machine. We need people who aren’t afraid to stand for their convictions.

    I’ve said it before; you’ve heard it before – we are fallen men; we are fallen women. We were all born into the double darkness of both sin and ignorance. There has only been one man to ever stand behind every word spoken from his mouth; and they crucified him on a cross at Calvary over 2,000 years ago. Knowing this, it is obvious that we need to seek council, to accept responsibility, and to gladly embrace criticism; that is, if we want to improve. As Christians, we all have a responsibility to stand against evil. We have to be willing to push against the weight of this world. Not only this, but we have a duty to stand for our brothers and sisters as well. Proverbs 27:17 reads, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” This exemplifies accountability. In Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10 we learn that “9Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” We are far better as a united people.

    In conclusion, if I continue the pursuit of my goals, accepting no help from others or encouraging no critique, I would gladly allow you to consider me a fool. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not perfect. None of us are. I like what Tim Marks says, “There are three things that I know for sure: 1 There is a God. 2 It aint me. 3 It aint you either.” This is obvious, but if we help each other, we’ll be able to faithfully attempt the hunt to a better, more fulfilling, more Christ-like life here on Earth.

Desire the extraordinary,

Kevin Schaeffer

My journal entry from September 6, 2006 reads as follows:

    "Could you give me a full analysis of my life, so far? I want everything. Nothing skipped or overlooked - every step and every breath noted. I want every action, and more importantly, every thought noted. I want to re-read (re-live) the 17 years I spent learning and figure out where I went wrong. Why do I think some things and not other things?I have been taught to be between the lines of guilt; and I'm not functioning well under its' presence. Who taught me wrong?"

    As I tried to retrace the process my thoughts had been introduced to, I realized that this yearning never totally left me. It's still here, years later. I think we should always put our lives into perspective - our past, the present, and the future. When I look back on the process I've gone through to get where I am, I realize one thing. It is a process. At times, I felt so lost. So alone. Other times, I acted as thought I was the only man left on Earth - free to come and go as he chooses. I made terribly wrong choices, for the absolute wrong reasons. I've been a hypocrite. Still am today - just a little bit more aware of the fact. But, there is one thing that I disagree with now. I don't think that it's anyone's fault but my own. Now, I'll take the blame. Nobody "taught me wrong." If anything at all, I learned wrong. It is perspective that makes all the difference. It is our perspective that leads to our attitude that usually brings fourth thought, which usually leads to our actions, which reveals our character. Maybe that's a mix of the process, but they do all build off one another.

I have to leave. I'll continue later,

-Kevin Schaeffer

    Have you ever noticed how man people are in agreement when we speak on humility? It’s strange, we ALL think that we’re humble; yet we can all rattle off at least ten people who we know are not. But, when approaching these ten, they’ll surely attest to living humble lives. Just try to get one to admit differently. So, if this is the case, we are stuck. If we all think that we’re humble, but know many people who aren’t, then perhaps our own views are tainted by the one thing, the humble, claim to be without: Pride – humility’s blatantly opposite opponent.
   
    With that in mind, let us reconsider what humility actually is. I see this a good definition: A low view of ones own importance. Humility is not necessarily thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself, less. It isn’t a low view of yourself, it’s an accurate view of yourself. Now, I’m willing to bet that if I asked if you believed in equal rights, you would answer, yes. But, at the same time, we’d rather “feed ourselves first” before assisting others. So, if we agree that every man, ourselves included, is of equal importance, then why do we continue excluding each other? Why do we choose to eat with our friends when we clearly see a neighbor eating alone? The truth is that we’re all guilty of putting ourselves, our own desires, ahead of those around us. We like to be happy, first.
   
    So, does that make us prideful? I argue that it does. We, as people fallen in sin, are proud. One duty of evil, I believe, is to take the form of ignorance. Ignorance is a darkness; a lack of knowledge; the absence of wisdom – just as evil is good’s absence. Alone, we are full of this darkness. I think that it is an ongoing battle within ourselves – this battle between darkness and light. I think that too often, we’re prideful in heart, but humble when beneficial in the realm of our egos. Perhaps I can only speak for myself here, but maybe someone can relate. Thomas Fuller said, “Pride, perceiving humility honorable, often borrows her cloak.”
   
    I must be honest; often this is as close as I come. When I contemplate more and more on humility, I realize more and more how much less of it truly engulfs my lifestyle. I have to admit, I’m guilty. There are times when I put myself before others, times when I serve out of convenience, and times when I don’t serve out of inconvenience. In Fuller’s sense, I “borrow her cloak.” This doesn’t take much of a man.
   
    What kind of man only stands when he is honored? What kind of man seeks to be credited with his good works? We are called to much more than this. We are called to serve and to be poor in spirit. Ben Franklin said, “Humility makes great man twice as honorable.” Besides, who are we to accept any praise? Everything we have is a gift from God.

Respectfully,

-Kevin Schaeffer

    There are some things in life that can wait – that can be put on the bottom of the checklist; things that just don’t require immediate attention… Faith isn’t one of them. In fact, it quite possibly requires the most attention. It may even have been what got your attention in the first place. But, whatever the case, as soon as its vitality has been realized, faith becomes the backbone of our lives. As Christians, faith is our foundation. And the more of it that we have, the more unstoppable we become.
   
    Now, when I say “unstoppable,” I don’t mean to say that Christians are going to take over the world whether anyone has something to say about it or not (If that were even possible, it would have happened already). No, I simply mean that relying on an all-powerful God leaves no impossibilities. Scripture says it in Luke 1:37, “For with God, nothing shall be impossible.”

    Take into account Mark 11:23, "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Talk about faith. Imagine walking up to a mountain, commanding it to remove itself from the Earth and throw itself into the ocean. Truly imagine doing that. It sounds crazy doesn’t it? It sure would make an awfully big splash. Do you think you could do it? Do you really think you could do something like that? Well, regardless of your answer, Jesus thinks you can. He says, “whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13).”

    The truth is, none of us alone can move mountains. But, with God on our side, we can toss them like hacky sacks. It’s cool to have someone like that on our side, right?

Move one today,

-Kevin Schaeffer