HOUSE OF PRAIN

Ok, so the secret is out. I am not Superman. Sure, my name is Kent… but it’s my first name, not my last. And even though I love to think that I am still 22, the reality is that I am 6 years shy of turning 40. FORTY!!

Chick-fil-A is incredible. You know that. I talk about it all the time. It’s my life. Is it easy? Absolutely not. A wife… two little ones… alarm going off at 4am… long hours… juggling schedules… coming home with lemonade and tea coating my white shirt and tie… chasing around the kids… getting the kids to sleep… trying to find time to spend with my wife… getting a few hours of sleep… back up at 4am… it’s a crazy cycle, but just as Art Terkeurst (CFA operator) says:

I love what I do. I love who I do it with. I love who I do it for.

And then there are those moments like this morning… when I woke up to a facebook message from a team member out of state that I helped train at a grand opening. A team member whom I spent a week with… a team member that I may never see again. And shortly after that early AM alarm sounded, I found myself reading these words:

“Hey I was just wondering how you’re always so happy. You love life so much and you just seem so happy all the time and I can see that God is such a big part of life and I don’t know I just want to know how to let him in, I know this is probably really weird but you seem so genuinely happy and I love it. I want that. I just don’t know where to start.”

And in those simple words… a soul searching for joy and peace… it confirmed in my mind once again that I am where I am supposed to be. God has given me this opportunity to reach people through the life touching life venue that is Chick-fil-A.

I’m not Superman. I am a simple guy who loves people and wants them to know the Jesus I know.

After a day off today, I came home from running errands and hopped on facebook. What I saw come across my news feed was incredible. A simple act of kindness from a team member of mine. A testament to the people I have a privilege to serve alongside of day in and day out. Here is the story as told by my friend and co-worker, Justin Benton:

“Cool story!! After leaving work today, I was driving down the street and saw a wallet laying in the road. I drove by but turned around to pick it up. I opened the wallet to try and find some contact information. I found a business card and called the guy whom the wallet belonged. He was visiting from DC and had no idea he had dropped it. Later on we met so I could safely return his wallet to him. After thanking me numerous times, this retired Naval Commander gave me $20 and invited me to DC for a private tour of the Capital and the Pentagon! He then asked to call my mom, and spoke to her bragging about what a great son she has! It’s a blessing to be a blessing to someone! Do good people! It’ll bless you! 

-The time is always right to do what is right. -Martin Luther King Jr.”

A couple weeks ago, I interviewed with Chick-fil-A corporate for the position of Interim Manager. This is the position that I intended to apply for from the very beginning. It was my goal. It was my target. To apply, I needed to have 2 years of CFA under my [Oobe] belt. The 2 year mark will be around December 30, but corporate was coming to Charlotte to conduct field interviews, so I thought I would go ahead and interview.

Many, many, many were praying for me, sending me well-wishes, pumping me up, etc… it was AWESOME. The support I received was incredible… but that was not a surprise. God has blessed me with insanely phenomenal friends over the past 33 years.

As I walked into the hotel conference room in Huntersville, NC, I had a peace knowing that whatever the outcome of the interview, it was all part of my story – God’s plan for my life. I interviewed with 3 gentlemen from CFA, Inc:  Andre Kennebrew, Dustin Bennett, and Russ Lambros. Each of these men were kind, professional, and were prime examples of WHO Chick-fil-A is as a brand.

I felt as if the interviews went very well. I was confident, had answers to all of their questions, and gave it everything I had in me. They informed me that I would hear back in a couple of weeks concerning the position of Interim Manager.

Fast forward to a few days ago, and while driving to work down 485 in Charlotte, Andre called me from Atlanta to inform me that they have very limited spots to fill, and that I would not be in the class for 2015 due to the level of competition in the pool with me.

So that was that! I had my answer. I knew that I had applied really early on in my career with CFA, and in addition to that, CFA has revamped the IM program to the point where it is similar to applying for a store. The competition and field is THAT competitive.

Through some follow-up in recent days, I learned that God showed me favor in their eyes… and that they thought highly of me. I was encouraged to either remain in Chick-fil-A and further develop, or to leave Chick-fil-A for a while, find a company that I can grow and lead many people, and then come back and apply for a store. It was definitely a vote of confidence to learn that they believe I would represent the brand well when it’s my time.

So I am encouraged and I am excited! We are still selling our home. We are supposed to close on it in the next couple of weeks. We are also close to renting a home 4 minutes from my local CFA, whereas I was driving 25 minutes one-way for 2 years. This will allow for more time with the family and for local store development, as well as give me the freedom to pick up and go if the Lord wants me to take another job elsewhere for the time being, even if it is in another state.

It’s been a whirlwind! Living your future out by faith is not easy. It’s hard on marriage, family, and God and friend relationships. But the lessons learned are invaluable because your trust is in the ONE who created you and ultimately knows the blueprint for your life… so we rejoice in the fact that we know HIM personally and are downright thrilled for what tomorrow and beyond holds for us. Day by day, moment by moment….

Again, I thank each of you for your love and support constantly. We have never felt alone through this process. So many operators, corporate staff, local staff and friends and family have reached out and shown love and kindness through this time… and it’s mind-blowing that God has allowed me the privilege of calling people like you “friends”. I am so stinkin’ blessed.

I will keep you updated going forward. The plan is to continue serving at the Chick-fil-A of Wesley Chapel. It’s home. It’s where my heart is. I will further develop, and develop others. In the meantime, if God opens up a different opportunity and it’s clear development will happen outside of CFA for a while, then let’s go!

God keeps the clock. He exalts in His time, and His time is always perfect.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

I stood and watched the scene unfold. My 3 year old son, Trey, was sitting guard at the top of the stairs as his 11 month old sister, Lauren, crawled towards the edge.

Before she could even get close enough to look down to the landing below, Trey grabbed her and held on for dear life. Lauren screamed and pitched a fit, while Trey explained to her that he didn’t want her to fall.

Wow! What a picture!

You see, Trey has fallen down those stairs before. It hurt. And he doesn’t want “baby sissy” to experience the pain that he had experienced in the past.

Teenager, when your parents say “no” and set up safety parameters for you, you scream and kick. Life’s not fair. Everybody’s doing it. Right?!

It could be that your parents fell down the stairs at one point in their lives. And it hurt. And they don’t want you to experience the pain and the consequences that they suffered through.

So the next time you think your parents don’t have a clue, remember this story. You might end up thanking them. 🙂

4:00am – Alarm sounds

4:35am – Leaves house for Chick-fil-A and prays that the day goes well and guests have a REMARKable experience.

5:00am – Clocks in

4:30pm – Clocks out

5:00pm – Arrives home

5:15pm – Passes out on couch

6:00pm – Walks with fam around block

6:30pm – Dinner

7:00pm – Kids bath time

7:30pm – Prep for kids bedtime/Bible story

8:00pm – Kids in bed

8:30pm – Crash with wife on couch and watch some football while she looks at Pinterest

9:30pm – Bed time. Alarm is armed for repeat performance.

Though the daily routine wears on you, deep down, in your heart of hearts, you know that it’s all part of the Journey. And that Journey is simply amazing!

My first born.

My namesake.

My joy.

My gift from God.

This journey is so much more fun with you along for the ride. I hope and pray that we are always this close. Thank you for being a good big brother to Lauren. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you. I love you, son!

I’ve been busier than ever as of late, and haven’t had much time to catch my breath, let alone, blog… So here’s a quick update:

– Had the privilege of helping open the first CFA in the state of Rhode Island. It was incredible. The friends I made that trip are lifelong, and I’ll never take for granted what that trip did for me.

– Praying much about applying for an Interim Manager position soon. I feel ready, but know I will always be learning and growing.

– By faith that we may possibly be hitting the road for a couple years, we have begun the process of selling our house. God may have other plans, but for now, we are headed in that direction.

– Family is doing well. We are all exhausted, but are excited about what the future holds for us.

– Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!! So humbled to be used by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Love you all.

Today was a tough day at Chick-fil-A. With the masses coming back from summer vacations and settling in for the school year, our business has picked up. Volume increase + training up new hires (even though they are insanely amazing) = stressful moments for all involved.

One guest ordered a slew of spicy deluxe sandwiches. That alone used our batch of spicy fillets. As we scrambled to bread more, nuggets ran out, then grilled fillets…. you don’t even have to have ANY restaurant experience to get the picture. Those that have experienced these days, let’s all have a moment of silence together… I think it’s called a nap!

When it’s finally time to clock out after a day like today, you are tempted to feel discouraged, point fingers, take up a career in floral design, or just plain cry… but I’m 33… and a dude… so I will save the tears for the next Nicholas Sparks film.

So the obvious take-away is that we need to step back, assess what happened, continue training competency and speed, etc, so we don’t have more “bad days”… or was it a bad day?

It’s so easy to brand your day with the obvious. Label it as “HARD” or “BAD” or “AWFUL. Let’s just go home and hope and pray the next round is better. That’s what we naturally do, right?!

But let’s go beyond the obvious!

Today, I got to know my new team members on a deeper level. Today, a veteran team member opened up about some tough things in life they are dealing with and I told them I would be praying for them. Today, I saw my team give 110% in less-than-desirable circumstances. Today, I noticed my kids flat-out SERVING guests… with a genuine smile on their faces. Today, I watched as the Wesley Chapel team members hugged each other, high-five’d, said “I love you”, and went out the door with a bond tighter than when they walked in this morning. Why? Because through adversity comes strength. We are more than sellers of amazing chicken… we are family.

Next time you are tempted to look at the obvious and write off your day as a bad day, take a second to reflect on the moments in the middle… the relationships that will last longer than the highest wait times.

Today…. today was a good day. 🙂 

I’m exhausted. You are exhausted. Let’s face it… life is not easy. This Chick-fil-A journey is not easy. But it is INCREDIBLE all the same. To stay the course. To keep on keeping on… we must follow these 3 simple steps:

1) Hold fast to the PROMISE: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

2) Keep your PRIORITIES in the right order. My good friend, Chick-fil-A Operator, Stockton Perry, recently posted this to my facebook wall: “Keep Jesus first, your family next, and everything else will make sense!!”

3) PRAY! We don’t have it in us to give 110% all the time. But God gives supernatural strength and stamina.

Let’s lift each other up in prayer. Speak LIFE to those we come in contact with each and every day. Give God the glory through it all!