The Grateful Choice

The Grateful Choice

by | Nov 3, 2023 | Encouragement

We Christians enter the Thanksgiving season with an opportunity to “choose to give thanks.” Many Americans are driven by their feelings—after all, one of the most common excuses for stepping away from most anything is, “I don’t feel like it!”. People abandon marriage...
Life From 30,000 Feet

Life From 30,000 Feet

by | Oct 3, 2023 | Encouragement

Any time I have the opportunity to take a commercial airline flight, I am freshly amazed at the view from 30,000 feet. While the details of what is on the ground don’t change physically, seeing them from cruising altitude provides a totally different perspective....
Harvest Non-Negotiables

Harvest Non-Negotiables

by | Sep 5, 2023 | Encouragement

My wife and I noticed yesterday the first blush of brown amongst the green soybean fields in our area. Even as the summer heat lingers, the crops are hinting that harvest is on the way. Farmers are aware of the “harvest envelope,” the limited time between the final...
Identity and Behavior

Identity and Behavior

by | Aug 2, 2023 | Encouragement

I remember times during my childhood when my father would send me out of the house with the statement, “You are a Kephart, so act like one!” Dad didn’t intend his words to be particularly philosophical, but his comment accurately reflects God’s heart when it comes to...
How Much Time Left?

How Much Time Left?

by | Jul 5, 2023 | Encouragement

A Vienna regulator pendulum clock hangs on our living room wall, with “Kephart” and “1989” carved on the access door. It’s the one object of significant value and quality I have ever hand-made—or, more correctly, was coached through hand-making by an extremely patient...
A Matter of Trust

A Matter of Trust

by | Jun 5, 2023 | Encouragement

I recently came across this quote from Steven Covey, the noted organizational expert: “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” Indeed, trust— “the belief...