The Thanksgiving weekend is one of my family's favorite times of the year. This is one of two times a year our entire family gets together. I look forward to the food, fellowship, and the laughter we share with one another. I feel very fortunate that we are all still here on planet earth and can enjoy one another. Many of us have forgotten the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
I recently sat down with my father, Dr. Ron Phillips, and asked him some questions. I want you to hear his heart and get to know one of my heroes.
Spend a little time around youth activities (sports, arts, music, dance) and you’re sure to hear someone accuse a parent of “living their life through their kids”. I know I have said it about people and I am certain that people have said it about me. But what does that really mean? As I reflect on that statement, I want to pay tribute to my son, Ronnie Marion Phillips, III (Trey) on his Senior Night for his football team.
Every Christian has had to deal with guilt at one time or another in their life. The definition of guilt is “responsibility for a crime or doing something bad or wrong; a feeling caused by knowing or thinking you have done something bad or wrong”. Guilt is a necessary emotion that leads us to complete freedom. In fact, guilt is often what leads us to pursue a relationship with God. We feel guilty and we seek peace and forgiveness; in that regard guilt is necessary and works together for the good for those who are called according to His purpose.
Once we have welcomed the Hero to live in us, He immediately begins renovations. Out with the old and in with the new! The old self begins to crumble, our walls are broken down, and Holy Spirit makes everything new. His ultimate desire for us is to be like Jesus. He wants everything we do to reflect who Jesus is.
Did you know it is possible to be saved without living a life of power and boldness? It's the kind of life that can feel dry, mundane, and ritualistic. Even while serving the Lord you may feel that longing for more, the thought that you know there must be another level. The empowerment you need to go to that next level comes from the Holy Spirit, our Hero within.
We all have people we admire and want to be like especially when we are young. If you’ve ever watched a movie, read a book, or seen a comic strip about a hero—from Rocky Balboa to now Adonis Creed, Black Panther, Batman to Spiderman to Wonder Woman to The Chronicles of Narnia—chances are that you felt inspired by a Hero. If you’re anything like me, you felt something in those stories. The stirring of something deep inside you that you would never in a million years admit to having. It’s the desire for greatness and the fantastic; for the supernatural, for superpowers because you would love to become a Hero yourself. If that sounds like you, I have good news! You can be a Hero yourself because, if you have given your life to Jesus Christ, there’s a Hero living inside you.
