The Lord gave…
The Lord certainly gave. My lovely wife Sherri reached her lifelong dream of becoming a nursing instructor. My oldest daughter, Kristen, got married to a great guy, Brent LaPlante. She also got a puppy and a new car. Katelyn keeps making great grades at school and she also got a new car! It is amazing to watch her mature into a strong woman of faith.  Daniel started a new school, Stratford High School. His football team went undefeated and his baseball team, the Diamondbacks, won their least ring tournament and are ranked #1 in the country for all 15-U AA – USSSA teams. I got a new job as the Dean of Students at Charleston Southern University. We also picked up a new dog, a miniature poodle named Hercules, and we got a new car.

The Lord took away…
My father went to be with the Lord on July 25. This is our first Christmas without him. Now I understand why people can be sad during the Christmas season. Our poodle for almost 10 years, Bo, had to be put to sleep.

In the midst of all the joy and heartache, God is still on this throne. He remains the same.  In a world filled with changes, it is so nice to know the HE never changes.  He was with my dad when he left this earth and He welcomed him to paradise.  He comforted my mom and the family during this process.  He really is Immanuel, God with us…in more ways than one.  The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Gifts often come in strange packages…like a heart attack.

Dad had a massive heart attack in 1983. His heart stopped beating for quite some time. But he pulled through and the doctors said he might live 10 more years. Well, he made it 28 more years. I think these were the best years of his life. He saved the best for last. He finished strong.
During these years dad reconnected on several fronts.

Dad reconnected with hunting and fishing. If you don’t believe me, look at the back room (trophy room) of the house in town. There are 12 deer shoulder mounts, 8 deer antler mounts, 1 turkey spread, 1 largemouth bass, 1 rattle snake, 1 duck, 1 hornets’ nest, 2 antique decoy ducks, 4 rod and reels, and 2 fishing plugs all on display! Dad loved the outdoors and he reconnected with God’s creation after his heart attack.
Dad reconnected with his family. We took a Christmas trip to Pigeon Forge. He took many trips to see the grandkids graduations, performances, and games. Mom and dad went out to eat often…many times at Hardees in Kingstree. There are 79 pictures of family on the wall in his trophy room. He made it a priority to organize and get all of the Carter clan together for family reunions. Dad was a good family man, but he became a great family man after his heart attack in 1983. He reconnected with his family.
Dad reconnected with God and His Church. I never would have thought that Dad could or would love a church like he did Williamsburg Baptist Church. Dad was so passionate about the church that he drew the blue prints for the building on a napkin! He could not wait to see the church building go up and for the church to grow! As a matter of fact, the last time he attended church was for the purpose of going to help with Vacation Bible School. Crazy thing was he had a heart attack a few hours earlier that day, but wanted to attend church before he went to the hospital to get checked out. Dad also shared his faith every opportunity that he had. He would tell anyone who would listen that they needed Jesus. As long as I knew Dad, he was religious. But he fell in love with Jesus and His church the last few years of his life…and everyone could see it. What a blessing!

Gifts do come in strange packages. Sometimes in a heart attack. And most certainly in a short man from humble beginnings in Georgetown, SC. Miss you Dad. Love you Dad.  See you soon.

For those of us who are over 40, we have probably already lived half of our lives here on this earth.  We have a great wealth of memories.  Not all of them are pleasant ones, but they are life-shaping memories just the same.  Looking back over my life, it seems like I have already lived several lifetimes.

• I was born in the mountains of Tennessee.  My earliest memories of this place revolved around me chasing and catching lightning bugs in a mason jar so that I could make a lantern!  I guess I really am a Tennessee hillbilly!
• I spent my elementary years growing up in Puerto Rico.  What a beautiful island.  I think that I talk very fast today because during my language building years, I was surrounded by Spanish speaking folks…and I don’t know any Puerto Ricans who speak Spanish at a slow rate of speed!
• My early teenage years were spent growing up in Cedar Swamp hunting, fishing, and working in tobacco fields every summer.  I still consider myself a country boy, and in the words of the late, great John Denver, “Thank God I’m a country boy!”

• During my high school years, we moved 15 miles from the country to the big town of Kingstree, SC, population 3000!  Here is where I developed my fine social skills (I have very few) and threw myself into high school sports.  Football was king, and nothing was finer than playing football at Williamsburg Academy.  It was “Friday Night Lights” before the television show.  I can’t imagine life without sports…and I would not want to.

So my life sure has been full…and that does not even count my married, college, seminary, children, and vocational ministry years!  Allow me to make a few quick observations about what I have learned about life so far.

• God is faithful.  Now I know that God is too vast and amazing to fully comprehend, but one attribute that I love more dearly as I get older is that He is faithful.  I am not.  I wander.  I am stubborn.  God is steady.  God is sure.  God is faithful.
• Life is hard.  This one for some reason always seems to catch me off guard.  I think that life one day will get easier on this old earth, but it won’t.  Life on this earth is hard.  Jesus said it would be – John 16:33.
• We can’t control many of our circumstances, but we control 100% of how we respond to them.  I love Abraham Lincoln’s quote on this, “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”  So true.  We have 1000 reasons to be angry and upset.  Get over them.  Let’s grow up and move on.
• Family and friends are some of life’s greatest treasures.
• You spend as much money as you make (sometimes we even spend MORE money than we make)!
• Life goes by so quickly and the older you get the quicker it goes!

Now, some of my not so serious life lessons…

• Honda and Toyota make the best cars.
• The world would be a better place if we all wore blue jeans and t-shirts.
• Disney World IS the best vacation spot in the world…period.
• Fishing in a one man boat on the Black River is therapy for the soul.
• Monday Night Football, a bag of popcorn, and a Coke are a hard combination to beat.
• A happy wife, a happy life.
• “Hidden Fees” on ANY bill should be illegal…are you listening hotels and phone companies?
• There is something terribly wrong with our tax system when our pay checks, property, electricity, water, phones, gas, food, and clothes all get taxed…and we STILL owe the government money!
• Having good health is too often taken for granted.
• Dogs are better pets than cats.  You know I am telling the truth.

Well, it is getting late and I am getting silly.  Enjoy life!

Today, we got up and went to Universal Studios.  We had a great time of just relaxing, eating, and laughing!  It was a great way to end our trip.

As we head back to S.C. tomorrow, I am reminded of a universal principle that is found in the Scripture.  It is the “Law of the Harvest” and it is found in Galatians 6:7-10.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.  Let us not loose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.  So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially top those who are of the household of the faith. (NASB)

This week, we had an opportunity to “do good” to those in the household of faith, Redeemer Church.  No doubt they were touched and blessed by us serving them, because they told us so every chance they had!  But make no mistake about it, we were blessed to be able to serve them.  Our faith was increased.  We made new friends.  We did Kingdom work.  We had the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.

This has been an incredible week.  We really enjoyed Universal today…and this week we experienced the universal truth that we got back what we gave, and then some.  It’s the Law of the Harvest!

Well, it is time to get to bed.  We have a drive home tomorrow!

Then we proceeded with our painting projects at Redeemer Church.  We are almost finished.  We completely finished the nursery, and are 95% finished on room #2, and 90% on room #3.  Our students are working so hard, it makes me proud!

Today as I was scrubbing floors and painting, I thought to myself how unusual this birthday was for me.  What 49 year old man plans to spend his birthday like this?  But the more I thought about it, the more I saw what a great privilege it was for me to serve the next generation of children who would be hearing the gospel, maybe for the very first time, in these rooms that we were painting.  I thought about this:

• The magnetic paint that we put in the children’s room would soon hold “masterpieces” painted by children trying to capture the wonder of a Bible story that they heard in Sunday School.
• The baby blue walls that were painted in the nursery would remind infants of the beautiful blue sky that the Creator painted for them.
• The “green wall” that we painted in the older children’s room would be used to shoot some incredible videos that would inspire children to live the greatest adventure of all, a life sold out for God!

When our work at Redeemer Church was through today, we ended our day at the Cheese Cake Factory.  It was such a joy to sit around a table with 8 students and Tam to enjoy a good laugh, good food, and of course…Cheese Cake.  Maybe my birthday was not so unusual after all.

The building is very functional, but needed some work in the three rooms where the children meet.  So most of our day was spent taping, priming, and painting these 3 rooms.  Thanks to the generosity of Charleston Southern University, we were able to help them with some of the expenses and most of the labor.  We still have about 2 more days of labor left on these projects, but I am confident we will complete them all, to the glory of our King.

Here is the church website in case you want to learn more about the church:

http://redeemerorlando.com/

I have been on dozens of mission trips during my 27 years of vocational ministry.  Each trip was different and challenging in it’s own way.  But the one constant that always amazes me is the unity in the body of Christ.  I found out about Redeemer Church from my friend Brent Crowe, vice president of Student Leadership University, who happens to be a member of this church plant.  Brent gave me his pastor’s contact information and I emailed the church a few times and spoke over the phone with them twice.  However, I never met Andrew or his family until today.  But after about an hour or so of working with him, I feel like we have been friends for years.

I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (NASB)  It really is wonderful to be in the family of God!

Well, time to get some shut eye.  A busy day awaits the 10 from CSU!

We went to a local chain restaurant and were told we had about a 20 minute wait to be seated.  Forty-five minutes later, we had our table.  Well, sort of.  Our tables were not even connected, but we were close.  Ten minutes later, we had our drinks.  Twenty minutes later, our appetizers arrived.  Twenty-five minutes later our meal arrived.  Twenty minutes later our second choice for deserts arrived (our first choice for desert, an Oreo Delight that would make any dieter stumble and crumble to his knees, sold out about 2 hours earlier so we settled for a substitute).   Fifteen minutes later, the manager showed up and gave us a $10 off coupon and a $175 food ticket.   Ten minutes later they collected the bill and gave us the receipt for our records.  So, after almost 3 hours at the restaurant, our dinning experience mercifully came to an end!

Isn’t that how life is?  One minute things are going great, the next minute someone pulls the rug out from under us!  We all know the routine.

• We get a raise at work.  The kids need braces.
• We get a new car.  People in the parking garage really don’t care!
• Our hair turn gray.  Then our hair turns loose.

I could ramble on, but I see you shaking your head in agreement.  You get the idea.  So what do we do about it?   We remember the words of Jesus to His disciples in John 16:33.  “In this world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”  Life is going to be hard.  That is simply the human experience.  But we win because Jesus has overcome.  The word “overcome” is a powerful word that can also mean “conquer or prevail.”  It is where we get the word NIKE from (yes, like the shoe company).   VICTORY!

It is getting late so let me wrap this up.  Life is hard.  God is good.  So life is good for the child of God.  Why?  Because Jesus has won, we share in His victory.  We win!  Period.  So no sword, lion, cancer, bullet, accident, rainy day, and yes..even a bad “dining experience” can change the fact that we win.  Orlando, get ready, we serve you as victors tomorrow!

Since Monday is the first day back on the job, it is also the first day to try something new!  It is a chance for a new beginning.  It is an opportunity to dream a new dream.  Who among us has not started a new diet on Monday?  Or promised to have a new attitude toward our employees?  Or made a resolution to clean our office?  To be nicer to our spouse?

You get the idea, it is a chance for a FRESH start.    It is a perfect opportunity to change.  So with the Lord’s leading and strength, I can say with a smile on my face, “I love Mondays!”

• The older we get, the more life experience we have, and the more familiar things are to us.  Familiar things have a way of passing right by us and we seldom pay close attention to the common things in life.
• The older we get, we start to move slower.  (Have you every driven behind many of our senior citizens?  You get my point!)  Since we are moving slower, everything around us seems to be moving faster…and often times it is!  So the chasm between the pace of our lives and the pace of life gets larger the older we get.

Christmas this year has certainly arrived much quicker than I anticipated.  Christmas day is only 9 days away!  It seems like it should be at least 20 days away.  Wow…I must really be getting old!

• God is love (1 John 4:8) The highest good on this earth comes from the Highest Himself – God.  Now we know that God is more than love, but love can never be more than God.  The reality is that anything in this life that is good is only good because it emanates from the very essence of who God is (James 1:17).

• We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19) Let’s face it, we are all selfish.  Now I know that we might have our moments of generosity, but the reality is that we can love because we have experienced love!  God took the initiative to love us, even while we still were against Him (Romans 5:10).  That is a love that is hard to resist!

• We love when we keep His commandments (2 John 1:6) It is easy to say that we love someone.  The old axiom  is true – talk is cheap.  However, it takes work and effort when we conform our lives in order to please someone.  When we follow the commandments from our Lord, not only will we be blessed but we demonstrate our love and commitment for Him (John 14:15).

• All of His commandments can be summed up in two commandments – love God and love each other (Matthew 22:37-39) Most of us don’t like long lists.  Religious people do.  In Jesus’ day, the religious leaders added laws and teachings to the ten commandments in order to “protect” it.  Instead, the added the burden of over 400 more commandments for the people to keep.  So when the question was asked of Jesus what were the greatest commandments, Jesus shared these two.  Isn’t it interesting that ALL the commandments can be summed up in two commandments and one word…LOVE.

• Love is greater than faith and hope (1 Corinthians 13:13) Here is why this is true.  When Jesus returns and time is no more, we will no longer need faith.  Why?  Because our faith will be realized.  We will see Jesus face to face! We will no longer need hope.  Why?  Because everything that we had hoped for will be a reality in the presence of Jesus.    Who could ask for anything more?  But we will still need love in eternity!  We will always need love.  Love really endures forever!

So, that is just a few thoughts about love.  Love is much greater than this for sure…but we can ponder the depths of LOVE throughout eternity with Him.