Kevin Presseault

  I have been thinking about INFLUENCE for quite some time. As a pastor, I met so many people who are struggling in life because of the negative influence they have received. Maybe it was when they were a child, maybe it was a bad marriage, whatever caused the pain, the influence it has on the person's life has a profound impact. I also met people who have had an incredibly positive influence on their life! A parent, youth pastor, teacher, or friend are just some of the examples of stories I have heard of individuals who played a huge part in someone's life and journey. Not only do people have an influence on us, but we also have an influence on others! It can be positive and it can be negative. The question each of us has to ask is do I want to have even more of a positive influence on the people around me? I hope for you that the answer is YES! In order to do so, we each need to battle against the negative influences of the world. Whether it's something in us that needs t

I have a lot of strong opinions. I really do. And I have a lot of strong opinions and many, many different topics: church, pastoring, theology, family, faith, health, politics, the economy, the pandemic... and these are just the few I can easily think of. With so many topics and so many opinions, it can be a challenge to discuss them with people who hold a different viewpoint than my own. Social media algorithms have created little micro-communities based around of our opinions. You can easily find people who hold your view point, while never engaging with others from a different opinion. In fact, it can make us feel like the entire world agrees with me, so if you don't, there is something seriously wrong with you. Thoughts and viewpoints don't just simply stay in the back of our minds where we forever turn them over again and again. Eventually they all lead to action. How we talk to others. Decisions we make in our daily lives. The challenge for the follower of Jesus is this:

Something really weird happened to me when I turned 48 years old. I began to feel OLD!  Things I've LOVED doing for years suddenly didn't bring me joy. Hobbies felt exhausting more than life-giving. My interests were shifting. And clinging to my old way of living and playing was making me feel more and more depressed and anxious. I was lacking focus. I found myself spreading myself way too thin trying to accomplish too many things! This was something that I learned about myself during my CREST Leadership Training that I had undergone for the 2 years leading up to this old feeling. I have a lot of interests and passions. Over the years I have kept adding to that list of passions and responsibilities, without re-evaluating how my time is being spent. Since January 2020 I've been on a journey of mental, spiritual, and physical health. I have come to see the interdependence between these three aspects of my life in a way that I never would have imagined. When we are weak in on

There's an expression that has become increasingly popular when talking about the past 15 months. While this worldwide pandemic has placed us all in the same storm, we are far from being in the same boat. For some, the past 15 months haven't really been all that bad. In fact, some would even say they have been greatly blessed by slowing their busy lives down. For others, the past 15 months have been incredibly painful in so many different ways. Illness, loss of income, mental health, isolation, family death. This storm has affected all of our lives very differently. The same is true for churches. Many factors have been at play in how churches have responded to the pandemic over the past 15 months. Things like location, building size, the average age of attendees, amount of staff, and even spiritual health of a local church, have all played a unique role in the life of each church. Every single church is different, lead by pastors and elders who are different from your church. P

This has been brewing in the back of my brain for some time. This is my attempt to begin working this out. I don't know about you, but I have noticed a sad and disturbing trend in social media and in a number of conversations: Christians from all walks of life seem to be getting angrier. I get it! I really do! The past 14 months have been incredibly stressful and hard on everyone. I admit, in the past year, my mind has gone to some pretty dark places. I could easily feel anger creeping up inside of me. When it does, I find comfort in the Bible that this is not who I am. Because of my new identity as a child of God thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus, I have a way of dealing with this. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and tenderhearted to each other, forgiving each other just as Christ forgave you. - Ephesians 4:30-32 It'

  I did it! I actually did it! After months of thinking and praying about it... after changing my mind a dozen times... I have finally committed and signed up to become a Level 1 DDPY Certified Instructor! It may seem a little weird for a church pastor to pursuit such a goal. I'm not a fitness instructor. I'm not intending in leaving ministry to become a fitness instructor. So why do it? That is what I want to write about in this blog post. Maybe, just maybe, it will also inspire you in your goals. Pass On What You Have Learned In the movie Return of the Jedi, as Jedi Master Yoda laid in his bed dying, he told his student, Luke Skywalker, to "Pass on what you have learned." This has actually been a fundamental part of my entire life. In school, in my career in the computer industry, and especially in my role as a pastor, I am always about helping other people through what I learn. I love serving people that way. I love learning a new skill or idea and being able to sh

  12 months! It has officially been twelve months, one full year, since COVID-19 showed up in my city. This time last year, as a church community, we were laughing on Sunday mornings as we simply closed down our free coffee and did elbow bumps to greet people at the door. On March 16th, 2020 we moved everything online. And we have been operating that way ever since. To say that this year has been unprecedented truly is an understatement of the magnitude of what people have been dealing with. This year wasn't simply crazy or unprecedented. It was hard. Really hard. Hard on seniors. Hard on families. Hard on couples. Hard on singles. Hard on kids. Hard on teens. Hard on small businesses. Hard on mental health. Hard on physical health. It has been hard on our very souls. And it has been particularly hard for those who feel called to care for the souls of the people around them. How can we possible care for others when we ourselves are struggling with the very same issues? I have a con

As we begin a New Year, maybe my story can be an encouragement to those of you thinking about improving your health this year. This past year I started a fitness program called DDPYoga. Now, I know what you're thinking: I wouldn't be caught dead doing yoga. Me too! But this definitely isn't your mama's yoga! You can check out the program at www.ddpyoga.com . I didn't get involved with DDPYoga to deal with my weight. Sure, at 49 years old, I definitely could lose a few pounds... but my issue was PAIN! For as long as I can remember I have had constant back pain. Not crippling, keep me in bed pain, just a level of pain that never let up. Every single night I would wake up multiple times. Every single morning I would wake up exhausted and in pain. Most people didn't even know I struggled with this. It was easy to keep it secret. But those closest to me knew. My wife. My kids. They were the ones that had to deal with this the most. My pain kept me from enjoying life