Kevin Cushing

Kevin was a pastor’s kid, and quickly came to understand that loving God was the most important choice he could make in his life. As he got older he came to appreciate that a relationship with Jesus Christ was not only spiritually fulfilling, but intellectually and emotionally satisfying as well. Professionally, Kevin started off acting on stage and in media, and he wrote and directed some Christian films and documentaries when he was a young man.  He spent many years in motion picture and television development, and then as a marketing executive at a successful dotcom. Throughout his career, Kevin has maintained a close relationship and love for the local church and has been a sought-after speaker as well as writer of devotions and dramatic material used in worship.

A MESSAGE FROM KEVIN

Whatever is true…noble…right…pure…lovely…admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  (Philippians 4:8) In the past couple of decades, the phrase WWJD (What would Jesus do?) has become a popular slogan among many Christians.  It has become so well known that sometimes non- believers will parody it by substituting in other famous names.  But as it was originally conceived, the phrase “What would Jesus do?” can be a helpful way to approach decision making.  When faced with a challenging or confusing situation, a Christian might well consider, “How might Jesus approach this, if he were in my shoes?”  Of course the effectiveness of that approach depends a great deal on whether we are avid students of God’s word and we have a real sense of who Jesus was as portrayed in the Bible.  Too often somebody might apply this question to a given situation with only a vague sense of who Jesus is—a Jesus formed more in their own image—how they would like Jesus to be rather than as he actually is. But if we ask the question “What would Jesus do?” with the intention of applying excellence and love to every possible area of our life, then it can be a helpful exercise.  The apostle Paul tried to imitate Christ, and he encouraged his followers to imitate him because they knew Paul personally, they had seen him in action and in Paul they had a tangible role model to pattern themselves after.  And as Paul said, he himself was trying to imitate Christ, so it was a way that Paul’s disciples might come closer to Christ-like behavior. Paul understood that it might be hard to follow the example of someone whom you had not seen personally and so Paul offered his own life as a worthy model.  Imagine having the confidence in your own godly character that you feel comfortable encouraging people to imitate you! This summer, starting in mid-June we will explore the theme of living with Biblical excellence as it pertains to a number of areas.  We’ll look at themes like honesty, integrity, having a good reputation, pursuing a healthy lifestyle, maintaining sexual purity, managing our possessions and finances well. Our goal in these studies is to be people who represent our Savior well and who, by paying attention to the seemingly small details of life, avoid “giving the devil a foothold,” as Scripture warns. So join us each Sunday for our “Summer of Excellence” and do not forget to also join our Sunday 9am Bible Study in Room 10 or our Thursday night online Bible study. This summer, to the praise of our Lord, let’s learn to be excellent together! All God’s blessings, Kevin