670. Bill & Judy Kelley's Monthly Ministry Update (#20) - October 25, 2024

[00:00:06] Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast we will be exploring the book of Proverbs.

[00:00:21] Father God, we thank you for today and that we can come to you, ask you Holy Spirit to be with us. You are living in us. You are guiding us. We thank you Lord that you are directing the conversation today and that whatever we say will be according to your will. In Jesus name, Amen.

[00:00:41] This is Proverb 25 verse 1.

[00:00:45] These are so are Proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable.

[00:01:06] Take away the dross from silver and it will go to the silversmith for jewelry. Take away the wicked from before the king and his throne will be established in righteousness.

[00:01:17] Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king and do not stand in the place of the great, for it is better that he say to you, come up here, then that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince whom your eyes have seen.

[00:01:35] Do not go hastily to court, for what will you do in the end when your neighbor has put you to shame?

[00:01:43] Debate your case with your neighbor and do not disclose the secret to another, lest he who hears it expose your shame and your reputation be ruined.

[00:01:54] A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver, like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear, like the cold of snow in time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters.

[00:02:17] Whoever falsely boasts of giving is like clouds and wind without rain.

[00:02:25] By long forbearance, a ruler is persuaded and a gentle tongue breaks a bone.

[00:02:31] Have you found honey?

[00:02:33] Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit.

[00:02:38] Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house, lest he become weary of you and hate you.

[00:02:44] A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.

[00:02:52] Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.

[00:03:00] Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather, and like vinegar on soda is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

[00:03:08] If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

[00:03:16] For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

[00:03:24] The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue and angry countenance.

[00:03:30] It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

[00:03:37] As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country.

[00:03:43] A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring and a polluted well.

[00:03:50] It is not good to eat much honey, so to seek one's own glory is not glory.

[00:03:57] Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls.

[00:04:04] So Hun, Proverb 25 is really a good proverb.

[00:04:08] There's a number of verses that we could talk about, but which one would you like to share today with the audience?

[00:04:15] There are lots of good verses, like you say, but as you were reading the ones about honey, I thought,

[00:04:22] Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need.

[00:04:24] And I know that as we were feeding our grandkids a few weeks ago, we had them for two weeks,

[00:04:31] that that's one thing I say to them.

[00:04:33] You can have all the food you can eat, but eat what you get.

[00:04:36] Eat what you take, and not be wasteful with it.

[00:04:38] So that kind of speaks to me like, eat what you need.

[00:04:42] Eat as much as you need, but just don't overdo it.

[00:04:46] Which one speaks to you, Bill?

[00:04:48] Well, I kind of like 28.

[00:04:50] It says, whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls.

[00:04:57] And that talks about our self-control.

[00:05:00] And I think self-control is something that we all need to be aware of.

[00:05:06] And it's something that we need to keep in check.

[00:05:09] Because if we are out of control and allow our flesh to take over,

[00:05:15] then we're probably going to end up making some poor decisions quite often in life.

[00:05:21] So this is the segment every month where we talk about traveling.

[00:05:24] And I had mentioned last month that we were going to talk about Europe one more month.

[00:05:30] But this month has been a kind of a whirlwind.

[00:05:34] And we've actually had two hurricanes that have visited Florida.

[00:05:38] And we have been very fortunate.

[00:05:40] We really haven't had any damage at all.

[00:05:43] We've had some debris in the yard.

[00:05:45] But many, many people have been hurt by this.

[00:05:49] So what we did this week is you chose to go on a short trip to Alabama, which we did.

[00:05:56] And it was wonderful.

[00:05:57] We left on Tuesday, spent three nights in Alabama in Dothan National Golf Club and Hotel.

[00:06:06] And I got to play golf on Wednesday and Thursday.

[00:06:09] Had a great time.

[00:06:10] The weather was wonderful while it was raining in Florida.

[00:06:14] And there's a lot of stuff going on down here.

[00:06:16] But if you would, just share a little bit about why you chose to leave Florida

[00:06:23] and your reminiscences of that trip.

[00:06:26] Well, we had just been through Helene.

[00:06:28] And that one, it seemed like we had just the same sort of thing as we had this time.

[00:06:34] It ended up that way.

[00:06:37] That we had a lot of debris.

[00:06:38] That hit close to where we lived before, before we moved to Tulsa and then eventually moved here.

[00:06:45] We lived in the Bradenton, Sarasota area.

[00:06:47] And we would often go walking on Anna Maria Beach, Anna Maria Island.

[00:06:51] And that place was devastated.

[00:06:54] And I keep up with all my school teacher friends.

[00:06:58] And without electricity, much damage done.

[00:07:02] The island itself, it'll be a long time before it really recovers from that.

[00:07:07] And one of my very good friends, a dear friend that I taught art with, she taught art and I taught music.

[00:07:12] For 29 years, she and her husband lost everything out on the beach.

[00:07:17] They lost their home and everything in it.

[00:07:20] And so it's been really devastating for people.

[00:07:24] But that was what Helene did.

[00:07:26] We had a lot of yard debris, so we picked up all that.

[00:07:29] We really weren't quite finished picking up that when this came along.

[00:07:33] And actually for everyone, I mean, out on Crystal River, lots of places.

[00:07:38] They still had all kinds of debris and damaged materials from houses and everything that was just out by the streets.

[00:07:46] So they really were still not able to clear up from Helene.

[00:07:50] And then here comes Milton.

[00:07:52] And so, I don't know.

[00:07:55] I think it was just everybody talking about the intensity of it and thinking it was going to strike a lot closer this time to where we live.

[00:08:03] And I thought, why not just get in the car and go to Alabama?

[00:08:06] I saw it was clear weather up there.

[00:08:08] Bill likes to play golf.

[00:08:09] So that's what we did.

[00:08:11] We were going to take our grandkids with us, but they had just gotten back from Fort Myers.

[00:08:16] And they all decided to stay together.

[00:08:19] And so it was just the two of us.

[00:08:21] So it was just kind of a relaxing time to go up there and, you know, thinking about everybody and praying for everybody down here.

[00:08:29] So how did you feel about it, Bill?

[00:08:32] Well, it was good.

[00:08:33] You know, I was kind of thinking.

[00:08:36] It says, you know, home is where the heart is.

[00:08:39] And, you know, you made a comment yesterday when we got back is I'm just happy to be home.

[00:08:44] And, you know, I think my comment to you was home is wherever you are.

[00:08:50] Yeah.

[00:08:51] And, you know, whenever we go anywhere, you know, I am happy to be away from home as long as you're there with me.

[00:08:59] And you just always make everything so joyful and pleasant.

[00:09:02] And I just always enjoy your company.

[00:09:05] So we had a great time.

[00:09:06] It is fun to be back home.

[00:09:07] But it was nice being in Alabama as well.

[00:09:10] So what I'd like for you to do is just go ahead and say a prayer for those people who were devastated by this and are still having effects of these two hurricanes in their lives.

[00:09:23] Father God, we just come to you right now for friends, people we know back in Bradenton, Sarasota area that were so affected by Helene and then again by Milton.

[00:09:35] Lord, we just pray, Lord, that you would be with them.

[00:09:39] Even people up here in Crystal River, they've suffered so much damage.

[00:09:43] Lord, that you would just give them strength, courage, give them wisdom on how to handle all these situations because, Lord, you know what is best for all of us.

[00:09:53] And we just thank you, Lord, that there wasn't more damage than there was.

[00:09:58] It was predicted to be worse than it really was.

[00:10:01] So we're thankful for that.

[00:10:03] We're thankful, Lord, too, that you protected us and protected us on the road, heavy traffic coming and going, too.

[00:10:09] And we just, Lord, bless your name in Jesus' name.

[00:10:13] Amen.

[00:10:15] So last time we were talking about you working in the yard.

[00:10:20] And I said, you need to talk about that because that seems to be something you do every day.

[00:10:26] You love to spend hours out there.

[00:10:27] Can you tell me about that?

[00:10:29] Yeah, you know what's going on is I used to play golf twice a week.

[00:10:34] And when I played golf, I ordinarily played by myself.

[00:10:38] And I just didn't really want to spend a lot of time on the golf course.

[00:10:42] You know, it would only take me about two hours, a little over two hours to play by myself.

[00:10:46] And that was the time that I spent a lot of time with God.

[00:10:50] And that is when I'd have conversations with him and he would talk with me.

[00:10:54] And God actually told me not to play golf as much as I had been playing golf.

[00:11:01] He actually told me, he said, you're putting golf over me.

[00:11:05] And I really had never thought about it all that much.

[00:11:08] But when he said that, I sat there and I said, you know, you're right.

[00:11:11] I really do put golf ahead of you quite a bit at the time.

[00:11:17] And I repented.

[00:11:18] And I said, you know, I don't want to do that anymore.

[00:11:21] So now I'm only playing golf once a week.

[00:11:24] And I'm only playing with the people from my church.

[00:11:28] And I'm having fellowship with them.

[00:11:31] So now that has been replaced with working in the yard.

[00:11:36] And now we've lived here almost three years other than when we were in Colorado going to Karras.

[00:11:42] But, you know, I work in the yard 15 to 20 hours a week.

[00:11:46] And so it's my time basically to commune with God.

[00:11:50] He speaks with me.

[00:11:52] I speak with him.

[00:11:53] He goes over things he wants me to talk about on the podcast.

[00:11:57] And it's just a wonderful time.

[00:11:59] But it's almost like we're communing together.

[00:12:02] And it kind of reminds me of what it was like way back in Genesis when Adam spoke with God in the garden.

[00:12:10] It's really kind of neat.

[00:12:11] I think that what it shows is that prayer can be done anywhere.

[00:12:17] And communion with God can be continual.

[00:12:20] You know, it says pray without ceasing.

[00:12:22] Basically, we can live our lives like that.

[00:12:25] Whatever we're doing, whether it's working in the yard or, you know, taking care of things in the house, doing our cooking, whatever, folding the clothes.

[00:12:36] You think about something.

[00:12:38] Your mind is always going all the time thinking about something.

[00:12:42] You can direct your thoughts toward God.

[00:12:45] And you can be communing with him throughout those activities.

[00:12:48] You know, you really hit a good point.

[00:12:50] And like you said, we are always thinking about something.

[00:12:56] So when Paul does say pray without ceasing, he is literally meaning it.

[00:13:01] He actually expects us to do that.

[00:13:04] And I would rather be praying than being anxious or being nervous and thinking about other things.

[00:13:12] So this is the time of month where we have you share your principal ministry.

[00:13:19] And that, of course, is with the grandkids.

[00:13:22] And we had a wonderful opportunity over this past month since we met last time is we actually had four grandkids living with us for 10 days.

[00:13:34] And we did everything, you know.

[00:13:36] So you had to pick them up, bring them to school, make their lunches.

[00:13:41] It was almost like they were literally our kids for that period of time.

[00:13:47] So what I'd like for you to do is share just a little bit.

[00:13:50] How meaningful was that to you?

[00:13:51] And what are your fondest memories thinking back a couple weeks ago?

[00:13:55] Well, it was 12 days, not 10 days.

[00:13:58] It was a little longer than you thought.

[00:14:01] I don't know.

[00:14:02] It was just fun.

[00:14:03] You know, it's fun, again, to be the house, to be filled with activity and constant on the go from sunset to sunrise to sunset.

[00:14:17] And just getting in the habits of being organized so that you can get their lunches and get them dressed and get them in the car and, you know, all that sort of thing.

[00:14:26] And it was interrupted, though, by Helene.

[00:14:30] So we were, they had extra days off from school.

[00:14:34] So we got to spend a lot of time together at that point.

[00:14:38] They weren't going to school.

[00:14:39] So we could just play games and do things around the house.

[00:14:43] We couldn't go outside because of the weather.

[00:14:46] It was just really fun just to be a part of their lives and to just get to know them even better and to spend time with them.

[00:14:54] It was just fun.

[00:14:55] Yeah, you know, my heart really goes out to people who have grandkids and they live hundreds or even thousands of miles away from grandkids and don't ever get a chance to see them.

[00:15:08] And, you know, little by little, they grow up.

[00:15:10] And next thing you know, they're teenagers and you hardly even know who they are.

[00:15:14] So I'm so thankful.

[00:15:16] And, you know, I just think any opportunity we have and any opportunity anyone listening has, you know, if your child gives you an opportunity to spend time with their kids, your grandkids, cherish that moment.

[00:15:33] Seize it and just have fun, even if it's only for an afternoon or for one or two days.

[00:15:39] Take an opportunity to do that.

[00:15:42] You know, we need to take our minds off of ourselves and just what we want to do.

[00:15:46] But let's spend time with the grandkids and create that legacy of, you know, having them remember us.

[00:15:53] And because that's so important and being able to talk into their lives.

[00:15:58] It was a blessing.

[00:15:59] And my daughter, she just turned 40.

[00:16:02] So it was a celebration to go to Ireland with her husband.

[00:16:06] And they thought what I did was a blessing.

[00:16:08] But I think that them giving me the opportunity to care for the kids and to spend so much time with them, that was a blessing for me.

[00:16:16] One of the things, though, that the youngest said, he said to Bill one day, he said,

[00:16:22] I love working in the garden with Grandpa Bill.

[00:16:26] So that's something else is that we get to minister.

[00:16:30] They see what we do and they like to enjoy it and they like to participate.

[00:16:35] And that makes it really fun and special, too.

[00:16:40] So what's going on with the podcast, Bill?

[00:16:43] Well, you know, this has been an exciting month.

[00:16:46] We had some great testimonies on last month.

[00:16:49] And in November, I am going to give you the rundown.

[00:16:52] We're going to have Tony and Janine Leonard.

[00:16:55] These are people who went to Keras with us.

[00:16:58] We were second year.

[00:17:00] They were first year.

[00:17:01] They're from Wyoming.

[00:17:02] They've been married a long time.

[00:17:04] And they're wonderful joy.

[00:17:07] This is the second time they've been on.

[00:17:09] I'm going to have another guy, Rakesh Christian.

[00:17:12] And he has been on previously.

[00:17:14] And these people coming on now are going to be part of my team.

[00:17:19] And I now have solidified my 26 people.

[00:17:22] So from now on, people are going to be coming on twice a year.

[00:17:28] And hopefully the people listening will get used to hearing their names

[00:17:33] and hopefully get to grow with us together as they grow together with the Lord.

[00:17:40] And so we have a pastor, John Johnson.

[00:17:43] And this is a new guy.

[00:17:45] But he is a pastor of a...

[00:17:47] It's called the Cowboy Church in where we live in Florida.

[00:17:52] And he's great.

[00:17:52] I think you'll really enjoy him.

[00:17:54] And then I also have John and Lisa Adams.

[00:17:57] And John is a former pastor.

[00:17:59] I believe he pastored over 30 years.

[00:18:02] So he and Lisa have a lot to offer.

[00:18:05] And then as far as my Bible reading goes, I'm real excited.

[00:18:08] I just finished the book of Exodus this week.

[00:18:11] You know, it's 40 chapters.

[00:18:13] And I'm almost finished with Genesis.

[00:18:15] I read chapter 46 this week.

[00:18:17] So I only have four chapters left.

[00:18:19] And I did Psalms 141 and 142 this week.

[00:18:23] So by the time we meet again, it's going to be five weeks from today.

[00:18:29] So by the time we meet, I will be finished with Genesis.

[00:18:33] I'll be finished with Psalms and getting into some new books.

[00:18:36] So things are going well.

[00:18:37] Well, I'm really excited.

[00:18:39] I'm really excited where the podcast is headed.

[00:18:42] Had a chance to, you know, speak at a men's group this past week.

[00:18:49] I'm going to a new breakfast group with some men.

[00:18:53] And I'm doing that every Tuesday morning now.

[00:18:56] And that's been a real blessing.

[00:18:58] But what I want to do is we have kind of neglected the ministry that we do together.

[00:19:06] And we have a Bible study.

[00:19:09] And we have it biweekly on Tuesday.

[00:19:12] So what I'd like for you to do, hon, is just share about what we've been doing together as far as our Bible study moving forward.

[00:19:21] Well, biweekly we're having this Bible study in the evening.

[00:19:25] And a neighbor from across the street comes, a couple come, and another man comes.

[00:19:32] So it's a small group.

[00:19:33] But it was really, it's a blessing.

[00:19:36] And we're enjoying each other's company too.

[00:19:38] And we've been studying the book of Philippians.

[00:19:40] We just finished that.

[00:19:41] But we are going to be starting a study, an Andrew Womack study that's called You've Already Got It.

[00:19:48] And they're all on board for that and ready to do something new.

[00:19:53] And last week, well, the last Bible study we had, that was during the hurricane and the kids were here.

[00:19:59] Or it was right before the hurricane.

[00:20:01] But the kids were here.

[00:20:03] And that was really special because three of the grandchildren got to participate in the Bible study.

[00:20:10] And they even led the opening song.

[00:20:12] And I think that just really blessed everybody to see these children who are ages 12 and 8 and 5,

[00:20:20] to be able to sing and sing a song for them and to just be well-behaved during the Bible study.

[00:20:27] Yeah, you know, and it's so rich, you know, because every time they're here, I do read the Bible every night.

[00:20:35] And a lot of times they're involved and they'll raise their hand and they'll ask questions.

[00:20:41] So, you know, thankfully, three of them, the three older ones, are going to a Christian school now.

[00:20:47] And so at the Christian school, they are asked to memorize Scripture.

[00:20:53] And so they're used to it.

[00:20:54] So it's good.

[00:20:55] They're becoming familiar with Scripture and even learning Scripture verses.

[00:21:01] And I think that's so, so powerful, especially in this day and age in the world we live in today.

[00:21:07] Yeah, even one of them went and got the Bible so they could read along.

[00:21:11] And that was real sweet.

[00:21:13] And I think everybody got a kick out of that.

[00:21:15] But, you know, she was so intent on reading the Bible along with us.

[00:21:20] So that was a very special time.

[00:21:23] All right, hon.

[00:21:23] Well, this is the time every month where I ask you to go ahead and just give some parting comments about why people today need to invite Jesus into their hearts.

[00:21:40] Well, these last two storms speak to me that you don't know what tomorrow is going to bring.

[00:21:47] But we do know who holds tomorrow in the palm of his hand.

[00:21:52] And I know that before we left this time for the storm, we prayed over our house that no damage happened to it.

[00:22:00] It didn't.

[00:22:01] And I have a friend who lives in Braynton.

[00:22:03] She actually lives in a trailer.

[00:22:06] And she evacuated, had to.

[00:22:09] I think it was mandatory for them.

[00:22:11] She came back and found that her neighbor's place right next door, the roof had blown off of it.

[00:22:18] And hers was completely untouched.

[00:22:22] You know, it's awful when anything happens to anyone else like that.

[00:22:27] But it's a time to also just give thanks to God.

[00:22:31] Give thanks to God for his mercy that it could have been worse.

[00:22:35] And thank God for his protection and safety on the road traveling and also watching over our property.

[00:22:41] But it's just so important that no matter what happens, whether we do suffer some devastation or not, God is there.

[00:22:49] He's with us.

[00:22:50] And it's really important that we just realize that.

[00:22:54] It gives us a peace that we can't have otherwise.

[00:22:57] And we recently had a death in the family.

[00:22:59] And, you know, without the peace of God in our hearts, it would just be easy to fall apart.

[00:23:06] But we just thank God for him taking care of us.

[00:23:10] And every little situation that happens to us, we turn it over to him.

[00:23:15] And he will be there with us.

[00:23:17] We'll sense his presence.

[00:23:18] And that's what I would say to anyone listening today.

[00:23:21] That if you don't know him, invite him into your heart.

[00:23:25] Ask him to come in.

[00:23:26] He's the Prince of Peace.

[00:23:28] And he will help you through every situation in life.

[00:23:31] So if there's anyone listening today and you've not made that decision yet, I would invite you to do so now.

[00:23:38] Just say, Father God, thank you for sending your son Jesus to earth.

[00:23:43] I thank you, Lord, for what he did, sinless, dying on the cross, being raised from the dead.

[00:23:50] And that he's sitting at your right hand, making intercession right now.

[00:23:54] And I invite him into my heart today.

[00:23:57] And I ask him to be my Lord and Savior.

[00:24:00] In Jesus' name I pray.

[00:24:01] Amen.

[00:24:02] Wow, that was so good, hon.

[00:24:04] And always a pleasure to have you on.

[00:24:07] Personally, it's the best podcast of the month for me.

[00:24:11] You know, because when I go back and listen to these, I always am really pleased with the comments you made.

[00:24:18] And always just thankful that I have such a God-fearing woman at my side, knowing the importance of having God in our lives.

[00:24:29] It's more important than anything else in the world.

[00:24:33] So I'm going to close with a blessing.

[00:24:36] Now, may the Lord bless you and keep you.

[00:24:39] The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

[00:24:43] The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

[00:24:48] Friends, we will be back on the 30th of November.

[00:24:52] It will be five weeks.

[00:24:54] And until then, please join me on Monday as we further explore wisdom today.

[00:25:00] Once again, we will be back on the 30th of December.anniepercko,

[00:25:01] vote on the 30th of September. The nay lnight

[00:25:01] Friday, September 13th of September or 2012 and after the 30th of October. Let presents soon to выход

[00:25:01] Thank you.