Marks of a Man

Kevin Hill - Part 2/2


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Kevin Hill gives an account of his recent life in Part 2 of this interview. Listen in for insight on the results of being mentored by a godly man with a purpose.Kevin Hill moved back to Texas after his divorce and took whatever job he could find. He hung out and played basketball and softball with his buddies. He had no idea where he was headed. Kevin got married a second time to a woman he knew through his employment at a car dealership. He was 24 years old with no firm convictions. He started to work as a corrections officer in the county jail. In a few years, his second marriage was over.

 

Were Kevin’s parents or grandparents attempting to guide him to a more stable life? Kevin says his mother tried. Kevin’s father had left Kevin’s mother for someone he found in an AOL chat room. Kevin’s mother met and married a wonderful man who became a pretty strong influence on Kevin. He had simple and practical wisdom like Kevin’s grandparents.

 

Kevin offers counsel to young men who may feel adrift: Having a good marriage begins with the selection of a partner. Kevin’s first two marriages were not set up to be healthy.Kevin continued at the county jail in Central Texas after his second divorce. The only thing in his life with purpose was his job, which he enjoyed. When Kevin was 31, he met a beautiful woman in a new class of correctional officers. Kevin says, “And that woman has been with me since then. She’s my wife and the mother of our daughter.” They bonded over their work in law enforcement. However, they found the jail to be an unhealthy environment, and eighteen months after meeting each other, they left their jobs and moved to Dallas. Kevin worked in sales and his girlfriend worked in police administration. After a couple of years, they got married. Kevin did not want to divorce a third time.What had changed for Kevin? Kevin and his wife had started going to a church outside Dallas. For the first time, Kevin was challenged by a message of transformation preached at church: You should be different than you are; you should be living with purpose; there should be a reason for what you do. Kevin was influenced by the pastor, a guy’s guy, who spoke like a man. He spoke God’s truth with conviction. The message was an invitation to join a transformational group. Kevin and his wife were convicted that they needed to sign up.Jim quotes Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)

Kevin compares his former life as being in a completely dark space and just being entertained by whatever he stumbled into. All of a sudden there was a light on the horizon and he needed to go find it. Kevin and his wife joined a group, and Phil, the group leader became Kevin’s mentor.

 

Jim cites transformation “by the renewing of your mind” in Romans 12:2 and asks Kevin how he moved forward in the early part of marriage number three. For the marriage to be successful, it was necessary to be transformed.

 

Besides the study group, they did a private study of Proverbs. Kevin and his wife joined Phil and his wife for dinner every week. This was Kevin’s first Bible study. He bought a Bible. Kevin says if he had read and studied the Bible earlier, he would have been saved from years of heartache.

 

Jim is convicted that if you don’t read God’s word, you are not going to be transformed. There is a renewing of the mind that comes when you read God’s word.

 

One thing that Kevin realized, reading Proverbs with Phil, is you have to acknowledge your sins, mistakes, and failures, but you don’t have to dwell in them. You acknowledge what you did, you take responsibility for it, and receive the grace that covers it. You leave it where it is and you move on. If you continue to dwell in it, you are not realizing the grace of Jesus Christ. Jim adds that sin’s wrongdoing is washed away by the blood of Jesus; it’s gone.Kevin’s wife got a job as a corporate recruiter. A few months later, Kevin also got a job as a corporate recruiter for the same company. They have been in recruiting since then, for different companies. It has been great and has allowed them to work from home. They began at entry-level and in six years they have climbed to be economically successful.After a couple of years, Phil and his family moved away. Kevin and his wife moved to Oklahoma City in 2016. Kevin’s mother had just become widowed and Oklahoma City was close to her home so Kevin could be near her.

 

Kevin went from being sure of his strength to being sure of the foundation of Jesus Christ and in knowing things will work out the way they are supposed to. He talks about how studying the Bible is transforming him. Kevin recommends that people put the Bible app on their phones and study the Bible with someone with experience and knowledge to lead them through their study. If you can’t find a mentor, still read the Bible.

 

Kevin talks about how he and Aaron, his friend growing up, reconnected. Aaron, now a pastor,  uploaded his sermons onto a church website and Kevin listened to his sermons every day. Kevin went to Pastor Aaron for coaching. Together, they launched a website, ActLikeMen365.com to help men hold each other accountable as believers, obligated to each other, and responsible to each other for Christian behavior.ActLikeMen365 is launching a charitable operation where they will serve the poor in the community. Kevin tells what inspired the podcast and website. Kevin and Jim quote the passage 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.” (ESV) Take care of yourself so you can take care of others.

 

Kevin compares his life until age 30 to wearing a blindfold. From 30 to 34, he was wearing blinders. When Phil started mentoring him, the blinders came off, and Kevin learned what was expected of him. No one had held Kevin accountable before. Phil’s example and manner of living drew Kevin to ask him for help.

Kevin elaborates about the Bible study sessions that inspired him to name the podcast and website for 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.

Call to Action: Jim invites men to be willing to step into the lives of other people and have some very hard conversations with them to hold them accountable to live as Christian men. You may get pushback and rebuttal but the power of the Holy Spirit may convict those you try to help. If you need to talk about your situation with someone, humble yourself and consider reaching out to Jim or Kevin. Jim encourages you to listen to the podcast for how other men’s mistakes can be avoided in your Christian life. If men behave and act like men, things will be different. Kevin feels now, that after mentoring, he is where he needs to be, with his wife and daughter. You can be transformed; it has to be in God’s way.

 

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Kevin Hill’s website: ActLikeMen365.comKevin Hill’s podcast: Act Like Men 365

Kevin’s email: [email protected]

Kevin’s Instagram: @ActLikeMen365

Kevin’s Facebook: @ActLikeMen365

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Marks of a ManBy Jim Nicklas

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