God's Man

I'm remembering that verse in Ecc chapter 2: "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun" The revelation in Ecc is that if everything ashes in the wind why not focus on what matters. God gave us specific goals to hit. Put Him first, build the kingdom, rely on Him to provide. Everything is folly and foolishness. Here's the rub though. We as finite humans focus all of our energy on the matters at hand instead of the matters of import. The "rat race" of society keeps us unaware of the promises of God and even His presence. We've got to get out of day to day living and focus on a lifetime of service and blessing. Then we can break free of this "wheel of empty struggle". This message is more for me than you but I cannot keep God's messages to myself. With love I share, God's Man

Challenge: Are you open as a parent? Are you available? I learned/am learning that I have to be “on purpose” about being open and available to my daughter. She has to KNOW from experience that she can come and talk to me about ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING. Any subject, challenge, issue, anything under the son. But in order to do that I have to be open, receptive, and prepared to stop and listen. Joyce Meyer said this morning that our kids pick up things from us that we don’t like about ourselves. Then, when they resemble that behavior, attitude, etc we begin to not like them, distance ourselves, and resent them for feeling unloved, unappreciated, etc. I thought that was so powerful! I wonder if we as parents are willing or even strong enough to allow God to work on us and REALLY MOVE some mountains out of our lives, I mean REALLY fight against some mediocre attitudes, behaviors, “stinking thinking” so that our children don’t have to go through exactly what we are dealing with at this exac...

I got this great email from my wife today and I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Does anyone have any good things to say about life? (Caveat: I am speaking to myself FIRST!!) When I ask about weekends or vacations most people go to the negative first. Well, do you remember ANY good part of your weekend. Forget that it is “never” long enough. Or that it rained when you wanted to grill or the dog ate you new shoes. How many good things happen in life that we just gloss and glance over without a second thought. The Word says, “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say rejoice!!” The emphasis on “Again” has convicted me of the words I allow to come out of my mouth. When someone asks me about my weekend, I usually say good things, but what am I saying about my daily activities of life?? Am I complaining b/c I get requests for information at the last minute or that some co-worker made me mad? OR am I rejoicing in the Lord and being happy on my ability to think clearly, ...

I love quiet times. When everyone is asleep or should be. I've been thinking about what it means to be God's Man. I wonder if David sat and thought about what being God's Man really meant. He was called a Man After God's Heart. Abraham was called a Friend of God. Jesus is God! Where does little Carlton fit in the pantheon of Great Men of God? Where is my place? What is my purpose? How do I cope when my responsibilities seem overwhelming? It's times like these when I can really hear God. I know that He is reaching out to me. Comforting me. He is in every situation and if we can hold on to that truth we can smile and give Him praise. I often ask my god-daughter what are you creating? It's time to tap back into my source. The Creative Power of God. God be Praised. You chose "little" 'ol me. The crazy guy for the Country and stuck me with Your men and said you will do great things indeed. Good Night All God's Man

Sometimes it is hard to write especially when you have been mixed up in one of the most frustrating moves ever. I won't go into all of the details just know that you should never use the company DT's Quick move out of Dallas, TX. I'll get back to proper posting later today. I'll be updating you on everything that God has been up to in my life. Lot's going on. God's Man

The Word Says, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. When was the last time you heard a lion roar? Whether it was at the zoo, at a wildlife preserve, or like my Pastor, on the plains in Africa a lions roar is very distinctive. I mean it is such a sign of power that MGM Studios has been using it to announce the start of their movies forever. The lion's roar is a symbol of power. It is his announcement of authority and a warning to all those within his voice. There is one thing that the lions roar is never... Quiet! I've been reading a book by Dr. C. Thomas Anderson, called Becoming a Millionaire God's Way , in it he talks about how we become brain dead throughout the day. He talks about how our minds can sometimes go on autopilot and ignore new information until it is too late. I have told my wife this on many occasions. Often our minds shut down when we do things that are routine. This is both a ...

I was talking to a cousin late last week and I he commented on being unsure if another relative who is in the hospital right now is saved. I was shocked. I had an idea in my mind about this person and I am filled with questions. Where will her soul be? Will I see her again when our Father comes for us? It made me sick with missed opportunities to witness. It is true what they say about assuming. I have a friend who told me a story about a young guy he knew. They always skirted the issue of religion but my friend never pressed the issue (fear). A few months later the young man died in a car accident. My friend was distraught over his death. He wondered where this young man's soul wound up. It hurt him deeply. I know that this message is not the most coherent. I pray that we will all have the strength to talk to our "chicken list". Whatever negative feelings they may have towards us is nothing compared to what their souls could be in store for. Be Prayerful God...

I am going through The 100% Brain Course (Master Manual), that a student of mine is letting me borrow. The author, Melvin D. Saunders, gives you 223 creative exercises to help develop 100% of your brain. The first exercise teaches you how to identify your emotional states. I think that this is important for everyone, especially the Christian, to know. Here is an excerpt from the first exercise. "If you were drunk or addicted to something or mentally aberration, could you recognize that your behavior was different? Do you know what makes you cry or what makes you angry? Unless emotions are intensely experienced, many people find difficulty in describing or relating to their feelings. They sometimes deny experiencing the emotions of love, fear, anger, pleasure, because of the lack of conscious awareness of such emotions. People may even feign love or pleasure to cover up unhappiness and low self-esteem. " When we don't acknowledge our feelings we leave a doorway for the de...

I've been tasked with developing a section of our Men's Seminar. My section is on achieving your dreams. It's funny how God always deals with me about something right before I'm given an assignment. Here are the different workshops I'll be designing. Finding your Dream! Funding your Dream! Farming your Dream! Our Men's Retreat will be in July. I'll be sending out invitations soon. God's Man

The great thing about God is that his grace is all sufficient. I'm excited that He has already forgiven me. I have been away from this site for quite some time. God is still in the saving business. Be on the lookout for God's "more consistent" Man.

I have been in a mental fog all day today. It is as if a blanket is over my mind and it is clouding my perceptions. Today my beautiful daughter had a Christmas program at her school. It was great seeing the kids singing praises. Her 2-year olds class were cute with their little bells. Once I get the picture off of my camera I will upload one or two. Even through my metal fog God taught me something. When my daughter walked into the room where the parents were sitting she was all smiles. Then once she saw "daddy" she began to pull for me and cried. I was embarrassed because she was the only shield that did that. One of her teachers picked her up and they went onstage and did fine. As I was reflecting on this later I thought about how this was a perfect illustration of how our relationship with God should be. My daughter wants to be around me all the time. If I am in the house she wants to be where I am. She love mommy, she love grandpa, grandma, and nana, but Daddy is Daddy. G...

I was sitting in court the other day, hoping to get defensive driving, and God took me to Matthew 25:1-13 . I have read the story of the Ten Virgins before and I really loved the adaptation that Prv31 was in at our church during the summer. I was ready with pen and paper to talk about, always being ready for God's return but God always takes me in a different direction. Follow Me: "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. " Here we have 10 people who have planned, prepared, and executed so that they might acheive their chief aim in life. I know that in today's "enlightened" world marriage is characterized as more of a burden than a blessing. However during this time getting married was one of the highest honors one could have. Especially if the Husband-to-be is wealthy, good-looking, etc... So they were ready. Each had planned well. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The ...

We just finished up an audit at my job, Prv31 and I have not been sleeping very well over the last several days. She's sick and I have been trying to to get sick. Sorry for the delay on the Living Richly. God is good though. Through it all he as given me a new sermon topic. I'll share more on that later. Be on the lookout in the next few weeks for more news on our web venture. Check out http://lovecookies.biz when you have a chance. Thank God for His Goodness God's Man

Well I stepped out on faith today. I am believing that God is going to bless this business venture that I have started. Prv31 and I purchased the domain lovecookies.biz and are using it to market a wonderful ebook collection of christmas cookie recipes. We are testing various forms of internet marketing that we want to use for a larger venture that we have planned for 2006. Today we purchased 100K targeted users to our site and we want to get a 5% response rate for our product. Pray with us and we will all see how god is moving. Live Richly God's Man

Your Inner World Creates Your Outer World! What is on the inside of you? God calls us to be different, more, bigger. Everything about God is bigger so if we are His children how can we be anything but. In order to do that however we have to reframe who we are. In Hebrews 12:2 it reads, "Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world..." The words "any longer" lets us know that God doesn't care about who we used to be. No more, "I've always been this way", or, "That's how I am". You are a new creation in Christ. The old you has passed away and we are supposed to present a new person to God. I mean, come on, God knows who we used to hang around with and where we used to go. He know what you did last summer and last night. He sees the entire breadth of our lives and still says, "I can use that one". Never Fret Over Things Past! God knows that your experiences are there to make you stong. Your trials are just weights ...

Over the next few weeks I will be posting some messages that I have entitled "Living the Rich Life". Our God is a God who gives abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think. The challenge we have is that when we go to His throne we ask for only a little bit. Father empower me to ask you for all that you have for me. I don't want to be accused of putting God in a box. Live Richly God's Man

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. -Proverbs 18:21 God I thank you today for my wife. I speak your blessings over her and our children.You called me to bless those who bless me and I have been wonderfully blessed bythem. Grant them the strength to make it through the day. Forgive them for anysins they may have committed whether knowingly or not. Give them your love today and do not depart from them. He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD. -Proverbs 18:22 I give You thanks father for my wife this day. Let her know that I see her for the gift that she is. I thank You for making me into the Husband that can best meet her needs. Let her know today that I want nothing more than to be the Husbandthat You designed for her. I recognize the favor that you have poured out on myin my family. Empower me to be the priest, father, provider, lover, friend, teacherthat they need. In Jesus name I thank you Amen

by Zig Ziglar As a child of the King I claim the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; here there is no conflict with the law. Since I live by faith and follow the Holy Spirit, I will let Him lead me in every part of my life. I will not become conceited or irritate my brothers and sisters in Christ, nor will I be jealous of any of them. I always put on the full armor of God so that I can stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the devil, and I use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle I will still be standing firm. I put on the sturdy belt of truth and body armor of God’s righteousness. My shoes are the shoes of peace that comes from the Good News, so I am fully prepared. Since I need faith in every battle to stop the fiery arrows aimed at me by Satan, I will also put on my helmet and take the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. I...

Dear God, I just wanted to take this moment to thank you for being my God. You knew that I wouldn't take the time to seek you. You knew that I would run from your call. You knew that I was going to go against your will on many occasions. You even knew that even after I write this letter to you that I still wouldn't get it right. But God you had a purpose for my life. You created me, crafted me, shaped and molded me into the man I am today. Thank you for entrusting me with the vision, talent, gifting, and relationships that I have. Speaking of relationships I wanted to specifically for my wife, a true Proverbs 31 woman. She is truly a blessed woman of God. She loves and longs after you. She knows what it means to be a wife and mother. She handles all of her responsiblilites with poise and grace. She's a smart, funny, secure, and confident woman who is also pretty cute too. I can see how much you are working in her life. She is growing each day and it is awesome to be able to...

Today I feel very much like Paul. " We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." -Romans 7:14-20 Today I had plans to do two very specific things . Begin writing My Fulfilled Life Write a special message to my Wife However that did not happen. Even when God directly intervened I still did something other than what I needed to get done. It is amazing to me how everytime I ...