Expect great things from God, and attempt great things for God.
(William Carey, Father of Modern Missions)
You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask (James 4:2).
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).
Here is the one time I write with a certain sense of trepidation and tension. I am going to take a bold step of faith and ask for your help in promoting my blog site. I first want to thank you for your partnership. I do so with no illusion that my musings are earth-shattering material that the world desperately needs to read. I do so with as much humility as a wretched sinner incapable of 100% pure motives can rightly be expected to exhibit.
I believe Apologetics is one of the means God has graciously and sovereignly graced me to possess. You would never know that my second-grade teacher wanted to place my brother and me in special education because we stuttered. So when I look back on my past, I look in amazement at how far God has brought me.
Thus, one of my deepest longings is to be able to stand before Jesus Christ on that Great Day and hear my Potentate gaze into my awe-inspired eyes and declare, “Ricky, (or whatever term He addresses me by) you have been faithful over a few things, now enter into my rest.”
I trust my hope is a desire all who read this blog share, and most fervently so. I will permanently retire from the workforce, Lord willing, in June 2022. While I envision retiring from a paid vocation, there are no plans to sit idly waiting on the Rapture. No, my vision is to continue to labor for our Savior using my meager gifts and talents until my last day in time and space.
I want to serve in a ministry serving males because there is such a dire need as our culture is matriarchy based, especially in the African American community. I will return to producing YouTube videos, and I will continue to publish blogs, hopefully, more frequently. I hope to write Volume II of Weighed and Found Wanting soon after retirement. So, I am most excited about what the future could hold for me. I emphasize could because Jesus Christ could very well return today, and wouldn’t that be grand?
I have often said and mean even more fervently today I want to finish my Fourth Quarter strong. I pray your countenance finds you with the same desire. As the Senior Saints would say, when I was a wee lad, I have more days behind me than I have in front of me. Reflections upon one’s mortality have a way of sharpening one’s focus and desire to ensure their interaction within time and space leaves some mark of their contribution.
Speaking to the culture, admittedly and unapologetically, with a laser-focused eye on African Americans, is my meat as doing the will of His Father was Jesus Christ’s meat as was the Apostle Paul’s meat to see his countrymen Israel be saved.
So, to cut to the quick, here are some ways you can be a blessing to yours truly:
Partner with me in prayer that God grants me an audience
Encourage those in your sphere of influence to check out my blog site and encourage them to subscribe
Share my blog posts on your social media platforms
Share my YouTube videos when I resume in June 2022, Lord willing
Comment, be they assents or dissents, on my blog posts and YouTube videos
Recommend topics you would like for me to address
Again, partner with me in prayer. I know firsthand that whenever the people of God seek to do great things for God, one can best be sure the Adversary is devising ways to derail them. One of Satan's ways is to trip up the believer, so they become disqualified. Pray that God grants me a cover so that I will serve Him with integrity.
I end with the same trepidation and tension that began this blog post. It should never be comfortable asking others to promote oneself. I do so ever so uncomfortably, but the Scriptures do provide license for the believer to ask, so here I am asking.
I still remain resolute that results are left to our Sovereign King. In that vein, I will continue to blog for an Audience of One. Two things can be true at the same time. I can remain content writing for an Audience of One and seek to provide a bigger return on the investment Jesus Christ has made in me.
I will not bury my talent in the ground only to hear Christ’s condemnation on that Great Day. I am a rank sinner so whatever I receive from the hands of Christ only reinforces my understanding all I receive is of Grace and that I always get better than I deserve.
Of course, more could be said. I trust I have said enough. Again, I thank those who have been steadfast supporters of this ole country boy from Mississippi :-)!
As always, let me know what you think. Until then, keep your hands to the plow and seek to serve for an Audience of One.
With fear and trembling,
Ricky V Kyles Sr DEd.Min
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