Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Guess what this FRIDAY is? Having a hard time? Here, let me help… drum roll please!! (boom, badoom, badoom, boom, boom… crash)

Ladies and gentlemen… on this coming Friday morning, I will wake up at approximately 5am, walk into the kitchen for a bottled water with fresh lemon, race into my family room, wrap up in my blanket, plop down onto my 15 year old couch, and pray and read my bible and worship God for about an hour and thirty minutes.

And THEN, after I’m finished praying for you beautiful people… I will fire up my lovely macbook pro and write the inspirational BLOG #365! And when it posts… we will be celebrating 365 consecutive daily blogs here @ chuckbalsamo.com!

It’s been challenging and rewarding… what a difference God has made with us in just one YEAR!

For some strange reason, this feels like a pretty big milestone! Maybe bigger than it should be. And maybe this is because no person really has any idea what I’ve had to endure these past 12 months to reach this checkpoint!

There is no way I will EVER be able to explain the temptation I’ve faced… the temptation to go do something else with my life. The temptation to walk away from church… and nail a bunch of no trespassing signs all over my yard… and say, the hell with ministry. (forgive my language, this expression describes the very real feelings I had to push through during the dark night of my soul)

This has been the YEAR of DO or DIE for me. It’s like a meeting took place in the high court of hell… and my name finally made it to hell’s most wanted list. And SUDDENLY, out of nowhere… it’s like a half a million high ranking demons filled the air above my head… like the sun that warmed my world was snuffed out in one evil hour… leaving me open prey for one gruesome death attempt after another… mostly for the death of my DREAMS!

But I’m a SURVIVOR… la la laaaaaa! The things that REALLY MATTER… they remain UNTAINTED! Things like: my FAITH, my LOVING FAMILY, my early morning prayer life and bible routine, my love for people that are hurting, my gigantic vision of tomorrows better world! Miraculously, these things have SURVIVED and THRIVED the dark and evil 2009.

Maybe you’ve had a challenging year. Maybe my story is also your story. Maybe you’re happy to hear that someone else really knows how you feel! Maybe this is why you love reading these blogs…

18 years ago… when I first met Jesus Christ, I knew there was something special about my salvation. I knew that it was REAL… my conversion was like a shot heard around the world. Jesus told a story about a girl who LOVED MUCH because she was FORGIVEN MUCH… and this story explained my story! During that first year (1991)… I sought for the meaning of my life. I begged God to give me something BIG to do for him.

As I prayed, God answered my prayers… and in that first year, I saw VISIONS… I had DREAMS!

One thing I have learned about DREAMS… is that HAVING A DREAM is only a VERY SMALL PART of actually doing something great with our lives! Oh sure, in this faithless generation… having a dream does set a person apart! But KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE is ANOTHER STORY!

Check out the following video clip from, The Pursuit of Happiness! Pay special attention to the last 48 seconds…

Will Smith says to his son… “Don’t ever let somebody tell you… you can’t do something. Not even me. Alright. (alright) You got a dream… you gotta protect it! When people can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you-you cant do it. You want something… GO GET IT, period!”

For me… I had a DREAM almost NINETEEN YEARS ago… and THANK GOD I still have that DREAM today! I can’t tell you exactly how its all going to happen… but surviving this year is all the evidence I need-to KNOW that Gods hand is on my life!

Making a difference with every waking minute of my life! This is my calling-my gift… it’s what I love to do more than anything! And I’m positive… I will lead a tribe of great people to win a million people to Jesus Christ!

So, you keep your own dreams alive… watching out for all the people who can’t or wont do your dream themselves… for the people who will dedicate their lives to kill a dreamer. You want something… GO GET IT PERIOD!

Habakkuk 2:3 “This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems SLOW in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.”

I hope today’s blog INSPIRES you to dream bigger, live bolder, and make a far greater difference with your amazing life! Love you all… praying for you DAILY!