Phil Kelley

Stay Up-To-Date

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 04:34:00 +0000

We have moved BLOG sites to...

www.phillipkelley.org

Please visit us there for more information. You can also go to these sites...

www.lgcnow.com

www.livinggracechurch.com

www.facebook.com/phillipkelley

Feel free to look at previous posts on this page to get you caught up-to-speed!

Phillip Kelley, Pastor Living Grace Church

Can't Sleep...

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 05:05:00 +0000

Okay, so I'm sitting in my in-law's house at 1:05 a.m. staring at a computer screen looking over my sermon that I am going to give at Fran's grandmother's funeral. I can't sleep because the overwhelming thought of the brevity of LIFE is consuming my mind. Pauline Doub (Nemaw as we called her) was 83 years old and lived a great life. She was able to see 3 out of her 4 grandchildren get married and see 6 great grandchildren born. Not bad. But as I think over my life, I continually remind myself that although I am 27 years old, I am not guaranteed tomorrow - or my next breath for that matter.

The Bible says that life is but a midst, a vapor here one second and gone the next. So why do I spend so much of my time focused on THIS LIFE? Not sure. But here's one thing I DO know...I want to spend the rest of my life telling others about Jesus.

"Only one life

Soon will be past,

Only what's done for Christ,

Will last."

If you are reading this and don't know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, simply stop whatever you are doing - really - and pray this from your heart to God's..."Dear Lord, Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for loving me despite of me. I recognize that I have failed your perfect standard and I humbly confess that before you. I believe that Jesus is your Son and that He came into this world to be the perfect sacrifice for my sins. I invite Him into my life to forgive me of my sins and help me live for You for the rest of my life. I don't want religion. I want a relationship with You! Thank you, Father. In Jesus' name, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer, and meant it with all of your heart, the Bible says that you are born again - you have crossed over from death to life and are a new person. You are a new person! You have not merely been renewed. You have been transformed into what God wants you to be!

Caroline is 3 today! (First day of school)

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:43:00 +0000

I can't believe that 3 years ago, my beautiful bundle of joy, Caroline Grace Kelley, entered the world 6 weeks before her due date on August 5, 2006. Everyone says that "time flies." But holy cow...3 years has seemed like 3 weeks! Today Caroline went to her first day of school at Kentucky Christian School (KCS). Her little uniform is precious (yes, I said precious - because it wouldn't be pastoral of me to say ugly - but she doesn't know the difference :))

Frances and I have prayed this one prayer for Caroline every night - "Lord, use her magnetic personality to draw people to Your Son!" I pray that this would be the case!

Bold Leadership...Like Josiah

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:46:00 +0000

Reading the account of Josiah makes me pray and ask God for that kind of boldness. When he finally heard the Word of the Lord from the scrolls he took serious action. He applied what the Word of God was saying.

He was a no-nonsense King who wouldn't settle for the status quo. The adjectives used to describe his actions are filled with passion and conviction...

Words like…

- “he had all things burned…”

- “he did away with the idolatrous priests…”

- “he removed the Asherah pole from the Lord’s temple…and burned it”

- “he tore down the living quarters of the prostitutes who were inside the temple”

- “he defiled the pagan shrines…”

- “he removed…the statues…and burned the chariots dedicated to the sun”

- “Josiah tore down the altars…and destroyed…and smashed them to bits…”

- “The king desecrated the pagan shrines…”

- “He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down…”

- “he tore down…and burned down…and demolished…and executed the priests of the pagan shrines…”

- “he got rid of the mediums and psychics…”

What was his legacy? “Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since” (2 Kings 23:25).

Father, I pray this boldness for my generation. My I be your representative...

It's been too long...

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:48:00 +0000

It seems like FOREVER since I last wrote in this blog. It's pretty bad when some of your closest friends and family are ask you "Is everything okay? You haven't written a blog in a while!" So, for those of you out there...this one is for you!

Much has happened over the last few weeks -

My beautiful wife and girls have been in Florida for the last few days soaking up the sun and enjoying the beach without me! However, I drive in morning to pick them up at the Nashville Airport! Ready or not, here I come!

Last weekend we saw over 3,000 people come through the Fourth of July Living Grace Church Family Fun Zone in downtown Campbellsville! It was an amazing time of fun and ministry. People from all over central KY came and commented how much they were amazed at what Living Grace was doing for the community! It was a HUGE HOME RUN! Thanks to all of the 100+ volunteers that made it happen! We couldn't have done it without you!

We started the "Don't Date" message series at Living Grace 3 weeks ago and I have seen people all over the community wearing your "Don't Date" t-shirts! The theme of this this - Don't simply date Jesus and His church. Determine to be a fully devoted follower of Christ! We are going through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah and are actually building a wall on the stage each Sunday. On the lower part of the stage, we have a 50 foot wall constructed where hundreds of people continue to write prayer requests and praises. It's amazing to see what God continues to do in the life of our church week in and week out!

Next week I'm giving a message entitled "Don't Listen to Stupid People!" I hope you can make it out! It's going to be great!

See you then...

Phillip

13 Youth Baptisms at Green River Lake - Amazing Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:32:00 +0000

I just left a wonderful time at Green River Lake with our youth group. Led by Youth Pastor, Jim Ward, we saw 13 students publicly declare their faith by being baptized! It was a sweet time to hang out with the kids - at one time, my Pathfinder was jam packed with teenagers. The only problem was that they were stuffed into the back and every time we hit a bump, my back door would come crashing down on their heads! Great times!

Back at Living Grace...We had a great service. We tackled a very difficult topic - Winning the War on Prejudice. Although it was a very difficult message to preach, I felt led to lead where most churches are silent. We saw a great response and several give their lives to Jesus! Even in the midst of the summer months, our church attendance is better than ever. God is doing some great things.

Things that REALLY set my heart on fire...

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:14:00 +0000

I often think in terms of "ideal." With that in mind, I was just brainstorming at what really sets my heart ablaze...here's just the start of a list that is dying to get out of my head on onto paper...

What really lights my fire?

- Seeing people take ownership of their faith

- Seeing people lead from their strengths

- Seeing people move from one place to the next spiritually

- Seeing dads become the spiritual leaders of their homes

- Seeing members take pride in what we are doing and welcome people into the church with tearful passion because of what the church means to them

- Creating resources that assist church members take the next step in their faith, maturity and leadership

- Building a team of leaders who own the vision and work diligently for this common purpose

- Being a flagship church of what “could be” and “should be” in a small community

13 Baptisms, 150 volunteers honored, 3 salvations, 2 rededications...Great Sunday!

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:08:00 +0000

Okay, as you can tell by the title of this blog - I am PUMPED about what God did at Living Grace yesterday. We witnessed 13 baptisms in our morning service. The stories of life-transformation were remarkable. As I stood there in the baptistry watching the video stories of all of those being baptized, I couldn't help but thank God for all of His provisions and purposes.

Here's a picture that I snapped with my phone right before the baptisms...

Here's who's in the picture (in random order):

Larry Cooper Jr

Angie Coomer

Daniel Miller

Hope Cole

Andrew Powell (child)

Chasity Mitchell

Kelly Martin

Susie Bradley

Mike Wiegel

De De Wiegel

Kenny Eastridge

Teresa Coulter

Kenny Childers

As I preached on 2 Corinthians 5:17, I sensed that God was leading us to give a special time of response at the end of the service. As we closed, we saw several people either give their lives to Christ for the first time or rededicate their lives back to Him! This NEVER gets old! Wow!!!!

After the service, we had a good ol' fashioned pizza party for the hundreds of diligent volunteers who faithfully service the Lord at LG. We ate pizza and all met in the sanctuary for a time of encouragement and motivation. I challenged our volunteers with what Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 when he reminded the young pastor to "fan to flame the gift that God had given him!"

We need to continually FAN to FLAME the gift that God has given us in our service to HIM!!

Well, got to go...Planning my message for this week...make sure you are there EARLY (trust me!) We are talking about "Winning the War on Addiction!"

Amazing Wednesday Night Prayer Service

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:29:00 +0000

I am on cloud nine from an amazing "fully devoted" prayer service. We experienced God through dynamic worship and intense times of specific prayers. As a pastor, it is great to sit in these services (and not always lead them). Pastors need to get fed too!

After the service, as I was getting ready to leave, Kenny and Bonnie Childers motioned me over to where they were seated. Here's where the miracle begins! (Kenny, hope you don't mind me sharing your story)...Kenny began to share with me that he vaguely remembers praying a prayer when he was 19 years old but it never really "stuck." He also said that he doesn't even remember getting baptized. But he said that over the last few months, God has been chasing him like none other, wooing Kenny to Himself.

Tonight was the night for Kenny! I shared with him John 3 (the story when Jesus tells the religious leader that he needed to be born again to see the Kingdom of God). I was amazed at seeing Kenny's heart simply melt before God...It is rare to see that kind of true humility! Oh, man this is awesome! Kenny invited the Lord Jesus into his life and I was able to witness life-changing moment!

April 29th, 2009 is Kenny Childers' spiritual birthday! Way to go, God! Way to go, Kenny!

Let's continue to press into God and share his Word with the world!

Caroline Falls Asleep Eating...

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:48:00 +0000

Well, my day off today had a bit of a surprise...After feeding Caroline her lunch, she decided to take this opportunity for a bit of a nap! I love this little girl! And, as I type, she is still snoozing away!

4.24.09 Devotional

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:45:00 +0000

Deuteronomy 7:6 “For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people of the earth, the Lord your God has chosen YOU to be HIS own special treasure!”

Even though Moses was writing this to the Israelites in this passage, I think the principle still applies to us today! What an amazing thought that WE are God’s treasure! Father, I am YOUR treasure! I am fearfully and wonderfully made! “For yet while we were STILL SINNERS Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8). Yeah, that’s pretty much a treasure! So, when I think about doubting God’s provision and plan in my life, I MUST cling to the fact that I am HIS treasure!

Deuteronomy 7:22-23 “The Lord your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, for if you did, the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you. But the Lord your God will hand them over to you. He will throw them into complete confusion until they are destroyed.”

God’s timing is SO perfect. Even though He goes ahead of us in all situations, He never goes too far ahead of us. As this verse says, the Lord won’t dump the blessings of God on us all at once because if He did, we couldn’t handle it! However, because He knows us and loves us, He spaces them out for our best interest and long term benefit. Isn’t God good?

Deuteronomy 8:7-14 “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land…it is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking…When you have eaten your fill, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and laws. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, that is the time to be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt!”

Convicting. Oh how easy it is to become content and plump in God’s blessings. This brings nothing but spiritual laziness clothed in criticism and cynicism. Contempt for the things of God and the people of God springs forth when we have forgotten God. Satan doesn’t want us to hate God. He just wants us to forget God. And when we have forgotten Him, through the lure of nice things and being “blessed,” our enemy has us right where he wants us – vulnerable to the very sin that catapulted him right out of heaven – PRIDE.

Devotional for 4.21.09

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:16:00 +0000

Deuteronomy 5:9-10 (NLT)

“…I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.”

Generational curses are real. I think of my family history of alcoholism. Most people in the Kelley family are consumed with the drink. The legacy of two people, Grandma and Grandpa Kelley, can have a HUGE detrimental affect on an entire group of people (to the third and fourth generation). However, what could happen to those who love God and obey His commands? God will LAVISH HIS LOVE even for a THOUSAND GENERATIONS! May I be the latter!

Luke 7:24 (about John the Baptist, Jesus says) “Who is this man in the wilderness that you went out to see? Did you find him weak as a reed, moved by every breath of wind?”

John the Baptist was a stud. He was a man’s man. He was firm in his convictions and couldn’t be swayed by the opinions of mere man. He was also a fit man!

Luke 7:31-35

You can’t please everybody! I love how Jesus laid it out in this passage. He mentions how John the Baptist strove to live a godly life yet the religious leaders called him demon possessed. Jesus, God himself, was called a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of the worst sorts of sinners! This just goes to show us that no matter how hard you try, you just can’t please everyone! If Jesus couldn’t please everyone, I must not try to do the same.

That’s why I must live my life for an audience of One! Being bold and confident of this very thing – that He who began a good work in me will carry it out to completion.

Prayer for My Family 4.21.09

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:35:00 +0000

Deut 6:6-9

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, why you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

This is such a powerful reminder to give what God has given me to my children and family. Lord, as I follow you, teach me to daily communicate your truths and love to my children and my family. I pray that our home will be a sanctuary. I pray for Caroline and Madelyn right now. I lift them up to you today. I pray that they passionately follow you with all of their hearts. Use their magnetic personalities to draw people to you. Help Frannie and me to be the best example for them.

4.15.09 Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Father, I pray for clarity. Clarity of vision. Clarity of purpose. Clarity of priorities. When I am clear with the vision that YOU have given me, then I can boldly express “thus saith the Lord.” However, when things are muddy, it is impossible to lead. Leadership requires certainty and clarity. Father, I pray that you will continue to reveal to your servant the vision for Living Grace, the Kelley family and my own personal life. You have been so gracious and good thus far…Now I pray for a double portion of Your Spirit.

Father, you have anointed Living Grace in an amazing way. I can’t really put it into words. Sometimes I feel like a turtle on a fencepost. The only explanation is that someone had to have picked it up and placed it there. That’s what its like serving at Living Grace. I am that turtle on the fencepost. It can only be explained as the hand of God allowing me the wonderful privilege of serving such a great people. When I get conceited or prideful, Father, remind me that I am simply a turtle on a fencepost. Apart from You, I am nothing.

I am humbled and blessed.

Easter T-Minus 36 hours...

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:41:00 +0000

Every year around this time I get so JAZZED about our Lord. This is a natural time in the cycle of the calendar to really take time and reflect on ALL that the Lord has done in us, for us and through us. If you haven't done that this year, go ahead and stop reading, raise your hands and simply praise God for who He is!

Okay now...I'm sitting up waiting on my parents to arrive at our freshly cleaned house;). They left this morning from KC and drove straight through the nasty tornados and storms to get here! But when you are raised in Kansas tornados are pretty common.

I picked Frances and my girls up from Nashville today. They stayed a few extra days enjoying the sun in FL. Its funny because as I type this, Frances is on her way back from the Nashville airport (again) because she accidentally grabbed someone else's bag and put it in our car (and someone else had her bag!). We didn't realize that until I was unloading her stuff in our Cville home! Long story short, Frances said that she had been around babies for 2 straight weeks and she wanted some alone time - hence why I'm not in Nashville at the airport.

Well, my parents are on the phone and I'm guiding them to my house! Hang tight, I'll finish this tomorrow...

Two Great Phone Calls & Video Message...

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:01:00 +0000

Hey Living Grace Family,

I'm sitting here amazed at what God has done! I just had the wonderful privilege of leading two people on two separate phone calls to Christ!

The first call was to Tereasa Coulter. She is a friend of Mindy Cartwright who has been coming to LG for the past couple of weeks. She said that this was the first church that she EVER attended where she doesn't feel like she is going to get "singled out" with embarrassing questions from "higher than thou" church members! She LOVES attending.

Anyways, after several minutes of conversation, she said, "I've been wanted to pray the prayer of salvation all week...can you lead me in the prayer over the phone right now?" Heck Yeah!!!! What an amazing honor! I LOVE my job!

The second call came right after that. It was to Amber Mitchell. Amber has been coming the last few Sundays with Troy Edlin and she expressed her LOVE for Living Grace as well. Coming from a Catholic background, she had several questions for me. After spending close to an hour on the phone, she prayed to invite Jesus into her life as well! It was a great moment - I had her put the phone on speakerphone so Troy could be a part of this special moment! It was AWESOME!

To top it all off, Troy's daughter, Taylor, got saved last Wednesday night at Youth Group! Sweet! What an incredible day!

It doesn't get much better than this!

I want you to watch a special EASTER video message from me by following this YouTube clip...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnZWWxtTLyE

Enjoy. See you Sunday. Phillip

Caroline "dancing" as a flower girl...

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:57:00 +0000

Okay, this has to be one of the coolest moments as a dad. I was preaching my sister-in-law's wedding in Jacksonville, FL this weekend and my daughter, Caroline, was the flower girl. As you can probably guess, she is a bit dramatic (like her mom!).

In this video, she is dancing down the aisle as soon as the music starts playing...it is priceless!

Here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL6zoFyiEhU

Enjoy...

Lord I need wisdom...

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:02:00 +0000

I am going to start posting a few of my journal entries into my blog. I thought that you might like to see what I am praying about and how the Lord is speaking to me in my daily times with Him. I usually just type my prayers out for my journal but I really felt like they might encourage you too. So, here goes nothing...

3.31.09 Tuesday – 8:00 a.m. home

Father, I pray for a divine energy today. Help me to keep the main thing the main thing! I pray for discernment and wisdom. I need boldness and clarity. As you go before me, I pray that you will guide me in all righteousness. Help me to discern between that which is urgent vs. that which is the most important.

11:50 a.m. LG office

I just finished having a great prayer time. The best that I have had in a long time. My spirit is refreshed and my soul is alive. Thank you, Father. I am finding myself drawn to 1 Kings 3:5-15 where God tells Solomon that he can ask for ANYTHING his heart desires and God will grant it to him. Instead of asking for power and riches, Solomon asks for wisdom; the ability to discern between right and wrong and to govern the great nation of Israel.

Solomon even says, “I am only a child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

This is how I feel at Living Grace. I am daily praying for God to give me a discerning heart and divine leadership. I pray that He will go before me and protect me from what might be around the corner. I pray for His anointing and unexplainable presence in our church through our people – starting with me.

I am carving my mornings to spend time with You, Jesus. Well, six weeks into my time as pastor and I am FINALLY starting to make this the FIRST part of my schedule! I am humbled that it took this long to get into the swing of things but am excited that God has forced my hand. Thank you Jesus.

GREAT WEEKEND...

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:02:00 +0000

Ok, so I have decided to write a "weekend wrap-up" blog to share my heart (and my perspective) on the things that are happening at Living Grace.

This weekend was amazing! Our church was in all out prayer mode ALL weekend! Our 36 hour prayer event was a HUGE success! I heard from numerous people who hadn't signed up for a prayer slot but felt compelled to come and pray. I even heard from a teenager who said, "I hadn't planned on going but felt as if my heart was being tugged right into the church to pray!" That's awesome!

That prayer force poured right over into this morning's worship service. You could feel it from the moment you walked into the building. Worship was great! The church was incredibly responsive to the message that God had laid on my heart! All in all, it was a wonderful Sunday.

I can't wait to see what our Lord does this week.

Well, off to sleep.

Phillip

Just Left the 36 Hour Prayer Event...

noreply@blogger.com (Phillip Kelley) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:47:00 +0000

What an amazing time of prayer! My hat's off to Christine Arachi and Jessica Castenir for your hard work in pulling this prayer event off. We have Living Grace people praying in sanctuary the from Friday night all the way up till this Sunday morning! What a great feeling it is to know that the church is prayed over all the way up till service starts.

Also, it was so sweet to be there with my whole family - finally! All three Kelley girls were there tonight. After the service, Caroline was glued to the stage. She was a ballerina and the stage was her ball! Lord help me!

Well, it is almost 1:00 a.m. and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.

Until next time.

Phil