Keys to the Kingdom

My daughter Mariam had asked if I could watch the girls while she attended a doula-client appointment.

Lydia Mae is 7 years old, Felicity 5, and Vivienne 2. When I entered their house, all three granddaughters greeted me with smiles and hugs.

Immediately, Vivienne looked at me and said, “I want to play hide and theek.“ Felicity focused her big green eyes on mine and warned, “She can only count to four, so you better hide quick.” Vivienne started counting and I dashed to the bathroom, got in the tub, and stood behind the open bathroom door. After counting, Vivienne chose not to look in the bathroom and headed down the hall. Lydia Mae saw me through the crack in the door and coaxed Vivienne into the bathroom. She entered, walked straight to the toilet, and looked in. I then heard Lydia Mae exclaim, “She won’t be in the toilet.”

Vivienne was simply covering all the bases because she was determined to find me…wherever I might be.

Many scriptures tell us to seek God, however, I don’t believe He’s hiding. “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NLT).

All who really want God will find Him. As believers, we should have a continuous lifelong desire to revere and worship God. Seeking God means studying His Word, listening for His voice, praying, and obeying.

“The Seeker,“ written and recorded by Dolly Parton, was released in 1975 and peaked at #2 on the U.S. Country singles chart. She shared that this song was her heart-to-heart “talk with God.“ Some of the lyrics are: “I am a seeker and You are a teacher, You are a reacher so reach down. Reach out and lead me, guide me, and keep me in the shelter of Your care each day. ‘Cause I am a seeker and You are a keeper. You are the Leader won’t You show me the way.“ The songwriter may have used the following scripture as her foundational inspiration: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need” (Luke 12:31 NLT).

I’m all for reading good books in order to gain insight into areas that need improvement or further understanding. But if believers are not reading and obeying The Good Book as our #1 resource, we’re headed for trouble.

“My child, listen to what I say, and treasure My commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:1-5 NLT).

God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. However, the following scripture states the reason why we may not have certain things: “You do not have, because you do not ask” (James 4:2 AMP). He promises to give wisdom and understanding to those humble enough to ask.

If believers could truly comprehend that wisdom is of greater value than money or stuff, we could be walking in high cotton.

God’s children need wisdom to live victoriously in Christ, so seek His face and ask for insight and understanding.

The Key: Be a lifelong seeker of God and you’ll have everything you need.

New Tax Information

Tax and population data is out for the State of Kansas, and the news is not great for the Southeast region (“SEK”). Take a look at the following chart which compares recent statistics of ten SEK counties:

The bad news is that SEK loses about 83 people a year, about 8 of which move out of Bourbon County. The good news is that Bourbon County had the highest average levy a few years ago, and now is down to 3^rd out of the 10 counties; our levy has been lowered slightly in recent years, while surrounding counties have continued to increase theirs. Additionally, our countywide debt is lower than the average SEK county.

Notice that two of the three counties with the lowest average levies experienced the lowest percentage of population loss. The exception is Cherokee County, which is experiencing other cultural issues; additionally, their levy is low because their assessed valuation is relatively high.

The two challenges ahead for Bourbon County are to raise our total assessed valuation by attracting new construction, and continuing to lower the mill levy until we are not in the upper half of this list. We cannot think about competing with the rest of Kansas and Western Missouri for economic development if we do not compare well with our neighbors in SEK. These two objectives will be the focus of Bourbon County REDI in the coming years.