Archive for the 'Journal & Message' Category

13
Mar

The Funniest Throw-Up Story Ever Told!

By chuck 8 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

Happy Saturday!

We Almost Died!

Was up all night throwing up every undigested item in my tumultuous digestive system… then bile acids, then maybe a few organs like the unextracted remains from my appendix operation (from 25 years ago), then NOTHING! (they call that the dry HEAVES!) My fingers almost hurt too much to type right now. Ouch, my eyes! (looking away from this bright computer screen)

Hmmmm, maybe it was that fast food Pina Colada milk shake? (Grrrr, let’s call the attorney?) Maybe we were poisoned! (anybody up for a conspiracy theory?)

The only thing we ate in common yesterday, were those two Pina Colada milk shakes. We both had one, and then a few hours later, we were both having a near death experience together! (just like we had always hoped, just about 50 years too soon!)

Don’t worry though. I’m sure this is only a coincidence.

One man jeers… “Maybe it’s a punishment for his sins!” (shut up, hater!) lol

Horrible night, still feeling very bad this morning. Poor Chucky and Emily. (sad face with lower lip puckered out)

Mean Emily!

Of course, I’m still snickering about Emily! haha haaaaa! Why, you ask? Why????? Well, let me telllll you WHY…

I got sick a few hours before Emily… and I am a VERY loud vomiter! So, I was in the bathroom making very LOUD noises for a very LONG time!

I was like, “Ohhhhh Goooooddddd, Dear God, help me! Oowwwoooooo! Ouuuuuuwwwww! Ouuuuchhhhhhh! Emmmillly, Somebody, Anyboddddyyyy, pleeeeeaaseee help meeeee!”

And you know what Emily did? She LAUGHED her BIG FAT head off!!

No, I’m not exaggerating people!

I’m talking, BELLY LAUGHING here… while I was seeing that glorious bright light everyone talks about… you know, the one we’re supposed to see when WE CROSS OVER?

Ok, so I WAS groaning for about an hour before I started yacking! I was dizzy! My body was aching like 25 white faced, bloody eyed, vampire teethe, horror film toddlers we’re beating me everywhere with ball pean hammers! (one in EACH hand… that’s FIFTY ball pean hammers, right?!)

She Thought I Was a Faker!

So, before I threw up for the first time, she must have thought that I was FAKING IT! Grrrrr!

One time she was cracking up laughing so hard, I think there were real tears in her eyes! I kept telling her to stop, because it HURT TO LAUGH… and did she show me ANY mercy… NONE AT ALL!

So, I came out of the bathroom, shocked to still be alive! (please refer to the opening paragraph for a brief refresher!)

I came out of the bathroom… and caught a glimpse of her devious face as the television light revealed her heartless GRIN! I said, “You’re a mean person Emily Balsamo! Mean!”

She didn’t say a word until I got back under the covers. Then, after a few long seconds of silence, she whispers to me in a motherly tone, “Wow, Charlie, you really are pretty sick… poor thing.” (save it Emily, I’ve learned to manage without you!) lol

Who’s Faking it Now, Emily!

About an hour later… Emily jumps up, and sprints to the bathroom like she isn’t going to make it… and BLOWS IT UP for the next 30 minutes! “Baaaaaaaaa!!! Suffer Emily! Thats right… now you know what it feels like!!! Ooooooo! Who’s the faker now! HEY, can you keep it down in there! You’re wakin’ the whole neighborhood up!” hahahahahahaha!!! lol!

I Laughed My Head Off!

So Emily came out of the bathroom, with a dejected look on her face. She took ten minutes to get back into bed, and looked over at me… now VERY HUMBLED! She said to me, “I’m sorry for being so mean to you Charlie… I had no idea how bad you were feeling. Wow, thats the worse I’ve thrown up in my entire life.”

And then SHE whimpered for a little while… and you know what I did? You’re exactly right! I LAUGHED MY HEAD OFF, and asked her to PLEASE go brush her teethe, or talk in the other direction! LOL

That was the funniest sick night of my life!

That’s it for today… just thought you guys might like to benefit from our misery! A very bad night… but it sure made for one heck of a blog! I guess I better go check on Emily! NOT! Haha!

Really, we both still feel very bad… confident we’re improving and we’ll be in tip top shape for tomorrows 10am church service @ Destiny Family Center! See you there?? I hope so!

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

Chuck

The Donate Link, Facebook, Twitter, Make me a Legend, Destiny Family Center, You Tube

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12
Mar

Hovering Over Rock Bottom in the Pigs Pen

By chuck 13 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message and The Book

Happy Friday!

Yesterdays blog: 31 Random Facts About the Chuckster was so much fun! Thanks for making it great with your HILARIOUS random facts!

Todays… a clip from Make Me A Legend chapter 6: Hurry Up & Find Rock Bottom!

hovering over rock bottom in the pigs pen

Isn’t it weird to think about how much God loves us, and how we spend so much of our lives running and hiding from him? Why do we muscle through our days in human strength, only turning to God when we have nowhere else to turn? Aren’t we out of our minds for making him our last resort? Why are we like this?

We live in a time when anyone claiming a close relationship with God is shunned as a religious fanatic. This modern world makes it seem like only ‘Christian extremists’ or ‘Jesus Freaks’ actually use the Bible as their guiding light. We want God to leave us alone, so we can live how we see best, without having responsibility to some ‘Heavenly Father’. Take a look at this beautiful story Jesus used for describing this insanity…

To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living.

About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. (Tough love) When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.” –Luke 15:11-19

Can you see why this message was, and still is such a smash hit for Jesus? Millions of earthlings, who have never heard about Jesus, have heard his story about the Prodigal Son! I think it’s so popular because every one of us has served time in the pig’s pen. Haven’t we?

Not everyone in the mud, is perceptibly trudging around in some extreme state of human deprivation. There’s a vast sea of prodigals, who seem to have their lives all together… living in nice homes, driving nice cars, with nice careers! While the real truth is… they’re shattered and empty inside! Because nothing satisfies when the connection with Father is disrupted.

God forbid you’re even up to your neck in the slop right now, reduced down to a fraction of the amazing person you once were, gasping for your life under the unbearable weight of some great big series of wrong turns. It can happen so fast!

Every day, my heart aches so badly as I run into people worn down with hard life in the pig’s pen. Anyone that knows one of these pig dwellers almost wonders if they’re going to die right there in the mud! Some of them have spent so much time in the mud they oink at their own reflection! Their humanity has been leeched away… their identity is gone. In a maze of misery, these history maker hopefuls drift further and further into the wastelands, with very little hope of escape.

If I’m describing your scenario with startling prophetic accuracy, then please, with everything you have left, dig your frail fingernails deep into the cover of my book and hold on for dear life… I’m here to carry you out into safety!

Let’s dedicate some time praying today, for all the prodigal people we know! Look around! Things are not usually as they seem. Some of the worlds most hopeless people hide it sooo well.

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

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11
Mar

31 Random Facts About The Chuckster!

By chuck 24 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

Happy Thursday!

I’ve written a few very DEEP blogs lately, so today is going to be SHALLOW, HAPPY, and FUN!

I’m going to tell you 31 very random facts about myself… and I’d love for you to do the same! Maybe not 31… but at least 4 or 5? Come on, it’ll be fun!

31 Random Facts About Myself!

  1. I love Bodo’s Bagels (ate three of them yesterday: one with cream cheese and butter, one with butter and jelly, one with butter!)
  2. I love business almost as much as ministry. Entrepreneurial conversations make me hyper!
  3. I drink more water than any person I know.
  4. I’ve been to England, Uganda, India, Switzerland, Mexico (east and west coasts), Bahamas, and more than 40 US states.
  5. I lost my Mom, Grandfather, Uncle, and Father-in-Law in a span of 4 years.
  6. I hate walking my dogs, but I do it because I know it blesses my wife so much.
  7. I love moss!
  8. I lived in East Patchogue, NY (Long Island) until I was 12.
  9. The scar on my forehead is from the first time I got drunk at 13.
  10. I hate it when people touch my hair! (yes, that includes you Momma) lol
  11. I hiked with my son to the very bottom of the Grand Canyon and back in one day… 14 miles and an elevation difference of 3500 feet!
  12. I love art, music, and everything CREATIVE!
  13. I love cities!
  14. I almost carelessly drowned my daughter when she was 5… and she remembers me saving her life! lol
  15. I love to sit on a blanket at night and look at stars! When my kids were little, we did this 50 times a year! Emily had a star named after me, “the O’ Charlie!”
  16. I have a bionic nose! I can SMELL better then my three dogs… this is not a gift!
  17. One of my best friends in the whole world is this guy, Ren Jones that none of the rest of my friends have ever met!
  18. I love hiking!
  19. I hike St. Mary’s Falls with my family about ten times every year!
  20. I love rocks, birds, water-gardens, gardens, and frogs!
  21. I love BIG surprises… giving them and getting them!
  22. I hate beets and oysters!
  23. I love traveling and I love new places!
  24. I want to hike a live volcano one day!
  25. I want to take me wife on an Alaskan cruise, and spend a week in the Denali National Park.
  26. My favorite foods are lobster, crab legs, flounder, anything with ricotta cheese, anything on the grill, and all desserts!
  27. I still miss my mom!
  28. I enjoy cooking breakfast!
  29. I love to laugh out loud!
  30. I miss Lillian the pet pig!
  31. I love it when my wife is so happy, she spills over with smiles and singing! She is the funnest–happy person I’ve ever watched!

There it is! 31 random facts about the Chuckster here! Please COMMENT with a few random facts about yourself… I LOVE LEARNING RANDOM THINGS ABOUT EXCITING PEOPLE!

Ok, I’m WAITING! Hmmmm…. who’s going first? ….. ….. ….. come on.

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

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10
Mar

Clip From Chapter 15: Sometimes, I Fear Success…

By chuck 6 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message and The Book

Happy Wednesday!

Had a board of directors meeting last night… love those guys! We’re all so happy with the continued forward momentum of our lives and ministry… every week, this becomes more and more apparent! We are growing like crazy right now, the stories of transformation are almost too many for us to hear them all! And this is just the beginning…

Spring is coming soon… I can SMELL it in the air! The birds are starting to chirp in the mornings! Our koi fish are up from their wintery abyss… before long our FROGS will RIBBITING from their rocks again!

Soon, I’ll write a few SPRING blogs… about LEVERAGING the ENEGRY OF THIS SEASON to BREAKTHROUGH in different areas of your lives. I’m not quite feeling it all the way yet… but it’s building up!

Here’s a clip from Make Me a Legend chapter 15: Bow Lower as You Climb Higher! (unedited) I’m about 9 pages from finishing the entire book… having to climb over a million demons to write these final pages! From the resistance, it’s very obvious: I’m sitting on the next shot heard around the world! And that makes me tingly!

sometimes, I fear success…

Even though this is not the final chapter in our great journey together, it is the chapter I’ve chosen to write last. I saved it for last, because I felt like God needed to do so much more in my heart before I could say this like it needs to be said. I never want to be a hypocrite on purpose, or in ignorance… so I have to be honest with you, my dear readers: I’m still working so hard to walk out so many of the things I’m writing about in this chapter! Please pray for me, that I will become everything I’m asking you to be. Just like you, I want to be so much more like Jesus… and sometimes I still fall way short of that.

I think often, of all the men and women who once stood where I am standing at this moment… all the beautiful Christian people who started out with a similar degree of humility towards others… and a perfect dependence on God. I think of all the men who once loved their wives, and cherished their families, and desired nothing in life except to run a faithful race. I think about how many times they must have prayed, “Please God, don’t let anything in this whole world ever drag me away from you. Please, don’t let me ever forget where I came from. God please, don’t let me fall down and make a fool of you in front of everyone!” And then, after five or ten years of being worn down and worked over, they wake up to an entirely different eviler version of themselves. In total perplexity, they have to wonder, “What happened to my heart? Oh dear God, how I’ve lost myself!” This is why I fear success, sometimes!

the angry mobs

Every time another high profile leader collapses, I pray so hard for God to bend down in mercy to help them up! I get outraged with all of the merciless people in our world, who so arrogantly sidestep their own failures… to expose a broken person! And while many of the newscasters, talk show hosts, and self righteous church folks mock them for months, I fall down on my face in real tears for these humiliated people, and their suffering families!

I never join with the angry mobs… never ever point my arrogant finger in judgment! I never want to be the person who knocks a strong man down, or kicks a knocked down man. Instead, when a mighty person falls, I shake all over with the fear of God! I always spend those horrifying moments digging far into the depths of my own heart. I keep telling myself, “Chuck, you have no idea what kind of pressure that leader was under that led to such a failure! And Chuck, if you even think for a minute this could never happen to you, then think again… because you have never known that colossal degree of internal erosion… the kind of pressure that person has faced these past so many years. Someday, soon enough, you’re gonna have your shot! Someday, you will stand on their mountain! And in that day, you will see how much more violently, the wind blows up there! So, don’t brag because you’re doing so well these days. You’re only facing a few diaper demons, and look at how easily they still slap you around at times!”

Remember what God said to Jeremiah? “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?” I guess this is why we need to read and re-read chapters 9 & 10-and dedicate plenty of years to our extravagant foundation. This is why we need to grow slowly! We have to master the footmen before graduating up to the horses! We have to crawl at each next level on our knees, knowing that it’s violent up there… and if we do not graduate in humility, if we do not graduate with a bigger faith… if we don’t learn to trust in God in a much bigger way, then we will be crushed with what lies ahead.

Even with a perfect foundation, even if we should memorize all the great principles gushing from the pages of this book, even with a sold out stadium of frenzied fans and all the best mentors, peers, and apprentices… even then, we must dedicate especially to the preservation of our lowly hearts… because, if we ever lose our heart, we lose everything!

what if I fall?

Sometimes, I think that my dreams may actually happen, and in a single day… I will rocket into the public eye as the next high profile Christian leader! The thought of bringing hope to millions and leading so many of them to my savior… it’s too wonderful for words! And then I think about how fast money, and fame, and the exaggerated praise of fellow humans could get so out of control.

What if I can’t handle success? What if I can’t assemble the correct team for properly managing the millions of dollars laid at our disposal? What if I can’t handle the seductiveness of those celebrity crazed women who prey on powerful men? What if I become arrogant, impatient, and mean spirited? What if I burn out and lose my willingness to sacrifice? I would rather turn back now, than to gain this whole world and lose my soul!

so much to risk

1Timothy 1:15-16 “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”-and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life!”

God has done so much for me. Right now, I’m still so obsessed about him! When I pray, several times each day, I still pray like I did when he first saved me! I still cry during a good worship song, and I’m not ashamed to bow on my knees in front of any audience! I feel like my heart is in the right place. Even though there is still so much more I want to change about myself, I love the person I have become! Please, don’t mistake my gratitude for conceit. I am a very thankful man… and I never want to forget how I feel right now!

God has given me the very best wife in the entire world. We’ve been married for 20 years this summer. Emily is my best friend! I can’t even describe to you guys how much I love her! And my kids, dear God I love them too… and now, while they are young adults; I think they still look up to me! God has given me so many loyal friends… and every one of them knows how much they mean to me! God has given me a Christ like compassion for all the destitute people in my world… I actually cry real tears when I walk up on a suffering person… it eats me alive! Anyone that really knows me… they will tell you that as of today, there is nothing more important than preserving the condition of my heart! There is nothing more important to me than my relationship with God, my witness of him to this world… and the way I love my wife and kids!

saving my future–and yours

Of all the chapters in this book, this is the one I’m sending ahead of us… to save our future! It’s the chapter I plan to read every year for the rest of my life! I can’t explain to you how much of a pressing obligation I feel about hurrying to write this! I don’t even want to walk out of my office one more time… I don’t want to lay my head down one more night, before this message is penned! It’s the message I’m afraid I may forget as I succeed… the one I’m writing before my heart has a chance to harden!

I always want to be the beautiful person I am today. I don’t want success to corrupt me. I always want to value the message I am above the messages I preach. I want the open book I’m living each day, to be far greater than any of the books I write. When I talk about fearing success… I’m protesting the very real threat of me being a better person today, than I may be five years from now! Does this make sense?

So many people stop being great once they succeed! They forfeit the inner beauty that caused their rise to prominence. I think this is why so many people are going to love my book. Because it’s written from this regular guy, while he’s still depending on God for his next breath… a guy who’s living wholly in the arms grace. People identify with this!

The chapter is all about PRESERVING your HEART! I’d love to know how you feel about this clip… so leave a few comments (if you can) and have another most triumphant day! Love you all…

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

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09
Mar

Replenishing My Dangerously Low Testosterone Levels! lol

By chuck 5 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

Happy Tuesday!

Last night, my wife Emily hosted a beautiful baby shower for Sarah Grizzard @ the Balsamo residence!

As the time drew near to 7pm, I had a very big decision to make. Either stay and help host this event, or find someone to go watch Alice In Wonderland 3-D, or go hang out with one of my great friends, or go to my office and write for a few hours.

Well, I decided to stay and help with parking, and pick up empty plates, and help entertain a house full of baby crazed ladies! (lol) No we’re not just talking gals here… we are talking about gals in BABY SHOWER MODE! More on this in a sec!

I did thoroughly enjoy having so many people at our house, as I always do! This had to be one of the best baby showers of all time, for one of the kindest young ladies we know! We worked on the yard and house for two days, cleaned the patio, fixed the water garden lights… everything was BEAUTIFUL, the fish even woke up from their winter nap to amuse our guests!

Emily made a stunning buffet of cupcakes (photo), and Heaven and I made a PILE of purple and pink chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels! (photo) I was primarily the taste tester, and my daughters young aspiring apprentice baker!

I Was The Only Man!

Ok, so that’s the first time I’ve EVER been to a baby shower when I was the ONLY MAN! Well, Ryan Huffer was there too, but he sat in the family room playing on my MacBook Garage Band with the headphones… which was ok, because after all, I needed to focus on hosting our guests!

Let me TELL YOU! There are certain things a man can do and still walk away feeling like a man… like, a man can watch The Notebook with his wife and even CRY more than she does at the end… and he can shake that off and return to his normal manly self in an hour or two! lol

Really, there is not much I won’t do with my wife. I can handle pretty much any girly activity she drags me into… but last night was the ULTIMATE FEMININE GATHERING!

Baby Shower Girl Talk!

For almost 3 hours, I heard enough baby shower GIRL TALK to last me a LIFETIME! lol

Here’s a sample: (Men, CLOSE YOUR EARS!) lol

  • “Awwwwww, isn’t that ADOR-A-BLE!”
  • “Oh my, is this my cup? Oh yes it is, because it has my LIPSTICK smeared on the rim! Hee Hee He!”
  • “Let me tell you, when I was pregnant with little Jimmy, I had the worse heart burn… and I was so GASSY! Hee Hee he he he!”
  • “Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!”
  • “Awwwwwwwwww!”
  • “You know, pink is my FAVORITE color, I just love baby showers when they’re having a GIRL… everything is just so PINK!”
  • “Isn’t this outfit just the CUTEST thing you’ve ever seen!”
  • “Oh my, that is just so ADOR-A-BLLLLLLLLL!”
  • “A-Dor-aBLE! A-dorable! A-DOOOOR-ABLE!” BOOOO!

Grrrrr! I never want to hear the word “ADORABLE” again, for the rest of my life! lol

Ok, so I might be exaggerating a little bit… but NOT VERY MUCH! Last night is the first time in my life that I realized on that degree HOW MUCH DIFFERENT men are from women! And this goes WAY beyond our obvious differences in anatomy!

Please Save Me!

Any ideas about how I can REPLENISH my dangerously low TESTOSTERONE levels today? Please help!! I’m thinking about dressing up in all camouflage and painting my face camo too… and maybe going to the shooting range… or maybe I can change the oil in my vehicles… or maybe I can BUILD SOMETHING!

Ooooot!

I suppose that’s it for today! Nothing spiritual, just a much needed laugh maybe! I need to go to SMACK MYSELF IN THE FACE about twenty times and go CLIMB A TREE! Have a most triumphant day everyone!

Really, I do appreciate now more than ever, the many differences between men and women! I’m VERY happy we were able to host that baby shower… and that I was able to serve and entertain all of those AMAZING ladies! Everyone was so much FUN! The energy was SO HAPPY! It was a sheer pleasure! I’m laughing out LOUD right now and I don’t know why! Love you all… please leave a comment! lol

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

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08
Mar

Yesterdays Panel Discussion & Motocross Illustration!

By chuck 4 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

Happy Monday!

What a morning we had @ Destiny Family Center yesterday! Worship was amazing! The panel discussion was SO MUCH FUN (Cindi Fortin, Ben Scott, Melanie Thomas, Wayne Howard, and Emily Beauchamp)… then the motocross faith illustration! Transformational!

At the end of it all… three hands went up for salvation… and it was the REAL THING! Joel Gunn, Mary Kennedy, and Keith… people were crying all over the sanctuary as they turned their lives over the Christ!

If you want to watch the entire service, go to the dfc media center and CHECK IT OUT! Yesterdays video should post later today.

Ok, so as you can see in the photo (compliments of Vickie Rankin)… Cole Moore (our church motocross champion)… he demonstrated FAITH using Robby Cline’s bike (Honda cr250r 2 stroke).

In the illustration, I explained 6 symbols and I’m adding one more today: the bike, the rider, the track, the pit crew, the fans, the engine, and the fuel! PLEASE take the time to click on all the Bible verses if you can… this will greatly ENHANCE the effect!

  • Vehicle: Your Potential (Ephesians 3:20)
    • In this case, we used Robby Clines Motorcycle.
    • A person can do so many things with his life… everyone has a vehicle, a potential: it’s far greater than most people comprehend!
  • The Driver/Rider: You (Jeremiah 29:11)
    • You are special to God… he made YOU for a specific reason… to BE great and DO great things!
    • In this illustration: YOU are just like any other human creature, until YOU PLUG IN TO THE MATRIX.
    • And you can do whatever you feel like doing with your life.
    • In this illustration: everything changes for the RIDER that understands his vehicle, and all the key elements surrounding his vehicle… for the RIDER that learns to RUN HIS RACE as well as it can be run!
  • The Track: Your Specific Destiny (Acts 26:19/2Timothy 4:6-8)
    • Every person has a specific purpose in life.
    • Our vehicles were DESIGNED for a certain kind of RACE.
    • We race our best race when were on the right track.
    • We can race our whole lives on the wrong track… it’s important we get in the right race!
  • The Pit Crew: Your Pastor & Church Family (Ephesians 4:11-16)
    • These are the people who keep us doing well, and help us do BETTER on the track!
    • I’m gonna refer to these guys and gals as the spiritual mentors in our lives: especially our church leaders!
    • Without a good pit crew, we are going to race poorly, and eventually, we are going to break down!
  • The Fans: Your Church Family and Other Supporters (Hebrews 10:25)
    • Some people will tell you it does not matter where a person goes to church.
    • I believe it’s VERY IMPORTANT… where a person goes to church, how often they attend, and how involved they become!
  • The Engine: God (Acts 1:8)
    • If you are born again… you have an ENGINE.
    • I believe in varying degrees of Gods power… that a person can go through their whole lives only manifesting a “pit bike” degree of power.
    • According to the Bible and history… we see thousands of examples of men and women who manifested Gods power in a “Sci-Fi” kind of way!
    • You can always upgrade to something with more power!
  • The Fuel: Your Faith (Hebrews 11:6)
    • Without faith, we look like a serious contender… we have a personal Bible, and we might go to a cool church, and we have a few fans, and we have about 10 or 15 racing phrases we use…
    • Without faith, we have POTENTIAL, and available POWER… but nothing to FUEL OUR DREAM MACHINE!
    • In the illustration, Cole Moore pushed the bike around for a little while… and I asked him how long he would enjoy racing if he had to PUSH HIS MACHINE! He said, “About a second!”
    • This is what life is like when we live outside of FAITH! We have to PUSH our way through life in our own human strength: with mind and muscle!
    • Just as soon as we LEARN to live by FAITH, everything changes for us!

So, where does a RIDER get FUEL for his bike? At the GAS STATION! And where does a person get FAITH (fuel) for his LIFE?

Romans 10:17 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

Faith comes from reading and meditating on the Word of God! So, FUEL UP RIDERS, we have a race to run… a race that REALLY MATTER in the face of eternity!
Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

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07
Mar

Todays Panel Discussion & an Unforgettable Illustration

By chuck 0 Comments
Categories: Announcement and Journal & Message

Happy Sunday!

I’m in my office, drinking some H2O, hydrating my vocal cords for todays church @ Destiny Family Center! Stoked as usual… getting ready to crank some really good new worship music and leap around my office thanking God for this beautiful day! Gonna pray for all my Destiny peeps! (gansta) lol

Today, I’m doing a panel discussion… picking 5 people out of the congregation to discuss the PRACTICAL side of my current message series!

Then, I’m going to ILLUSTRATE living and thriving by FAITH (vs.) existing and toiling through physical and emotional energy!

It’s going to be poWERFUL! Hope to see you here… 10am! Watch it live if you can’t be here in person! Donate if you want to! (smile)

By the way… yesterdays blog: The Greatest Facebook Message of My Facebook Life! It was UNBELIEVABLE! See if you can get through it without making a LOUD WEIRD NOISE! lol

Have a perfect Sunday everyone! Leave a comment, let us know about it…

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

Chuck

The Donate Link, Facebook, Twitter, Make me a Legend, Destiny Family Center, You Tube

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06
Mar

The Greatest Facebook Message of My Facebook Life!

By chuck 6 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

Happy Saturday!

This is a long saturday blog… BUT A VERY POWERFUL MESSAGE! Invest your time to read it slowly… and watch what happens!

Last week, I received THE GREATEST FACEBOOK MESSAGE of my facebook life! Since this was a private message to me, I will not identify the sender and I will not include the entire message… just a few of the highlights!

Let me introduce this facebook conversation with a clip from Make me a Legend, chapter 14: Mentors, Peers, and Apprentices!

Never once before that day, was I able to comprehend on that level, the unuttered passion gusting through the aging spirit of a mentor… their dire need for establishing legacy! You see, to every genuine mentor, coach, father, and shepherd… this is the meaning of life! They wake up every day yearning to give away something of great value… to someone who recognizes the great value of that something! And so, every single time an eager young apprentice flies across the universe to meet up with his brilliant Yoda mentor… every time youthful zeal and humble admiration meets up with ripe old wisdom and protective vigilance… the fireworks go off!

Up until now, I’ve had a very nice circle of mentors, a very nice circle of peers… and only a FEW apprentices. I don’t have time on a saturday blog, to explain this while process… you’ll have to wait for the book! (smile)

This GREATEST FACEBOOK MESSAGE of my facebook life… it’s so valuable to me, because it comes from a VERY POWERFUL man who claims me as one of his greatest MENTORS! The things he says to me… they make me uncomfortable at times… and I’m not sharing this with you guys to raise my own value. I think there is something to be learned in our conversation, so here it is:

On February 22, 2010 7:12pm, he writes: (selected clips from that message)

Pastor Chuck!!! First, I have to say that I totally miss DFC and pray you guys are doing well, as well as you and your family.

Anyway, since God used you as a powerful vessel to lead me to Christ on fathers day 2008, he continues to do so. God has been so good to our family and we eagerly await any day now, the next addition to our family. Thats right another soldier for God’s army!

Man I’m still on fire for Christ!!! I need to tell you this, I need you to listen to me right now, so focus!!

Way back on August 24th 2008, you spoke about the Olympic Relay Race and our responsibility to pass on the baton to the generations. You expressed the longing in your heart that someone would take the message you preached and pass it on!

Well, I was asked to fill in here at our local church here in Peterstown WV. This was the third time and third church that I have been asked to speak in… so amazing!

Anyway, I spoke your same message that hit allot of hearts that day back in 08′, and my friend let me tell you, IT WAS SO AWESOME!!!! and had the same effect. The power and presence of God brought a breath of fresh air and a surge of indescribable power to a Church craving truth and practicality, craving the awakening of their church. I’m still on the Holy Spirit high!! Humble, but so energized. I can’t even begging to tell you how powerful it was. But it was powerful enough that they have asked me back this week. I will be there!!

You also expressed in that message that you craved a mentor when you were still young in Christ, and you longed for someone to pass your mantel on to. So let me just say this! You mentor more than you think! And you have been mentoring me from all the way out here in WV since Father’s Day 2008!!! Yes, I do want to be like you!! Yes I do want to preach like you!! I prayed all week long last week to God that would let me speak with even just an ounce of passion and fire you speak with, and I say all that humbly knowing God is above all.

Don’t ever stop doing what you’re doing, because there is something in you that I need! We have not had many conversations, matter of fact I don’t think we have even spoke for about a year or so now, but does it matter? The message is clear and you have helped me to discover the calling on my life, that is to preach the word of God.

Yes, I’m still a Liberty University student, and it has helped me so much! I wish to be ordained one day, and honestly, I don’t know how to do that or which way to go or what to do with that, but I suppose I will be lead at some point. I don’t know. Anyway I wanted to pass the good news on to you, to let you know your wish has been fulfilled. Thanks, Chuck… more then you know!

I replied to him on February 27 and then on March 5, 2010 5:33pm, he writes: (selected clips from that message)

I talked to your assistant this week, and I think I may have shocked her! I told her that I want to buy all of your messages from Father’s day 2008 to current… and then keep like a running subscription going.

So I hope to hear from someone soon about that. I know it’s allot of money but, I don’t care… all of those messages are well worth it!

I don’t mind paying that money because I believe so much in your ministry… and for me it is like investing back into the storehouse that’s planted so much into me… you know what I mean?

I know it’s a big undertaking but, I will pay… even for her time as well, if you want. In other words, you can’t put a price on revelation!

Here is my last reply and the capstone on a very powerful message: about recognizing value before the

Wow “T”, people don’t usually recognize VALUE until after success… or after death (like with an artist).

I was just thinking a few days ago how my book would be finished next week and then published by the holiday season… and if it does as well as it could do, all of the sudden… PEOPLE from all over the world will VALUE my life and teachings SO MUCH MORE than they have in the past.

In that day, I won’t be saying or doing ANYTHING different from what I’ve already been saying and doing… and the whole world will SUDDENLY LISTEN!

I thank God for people LIKE YOU “T”! You can’t imagine the kind of message you’re sending me by requesting these messages BEFORE everyone else says they are valuable!

It’s a message from God about how HE VALUES what I’m doing… especially on the heels of a very challenging 2009! God bless you and your family… I will NEVER forget the encouragement you’ve sent my way AGAIN AND AGAIN! I’m so HONORED to have a TINY part in your GREAT LIFE!

So, what are the messages in this facebook conversation?

VALUE the special people in your life BEFORE they “succeed” or “die.”

There is so much more I can say right now… but this is already the longest blog I’ve written in a VERY LONG TIME! Leave your comments… have a most triumphant day! Love you all & praying for you this morning!

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

Chuck

The Donate Link, Facebook, Twitter, Make me a Legend, Destiny Family Center, You Tube

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05
Mar

Collecting YOUR 2 Line Stories!

By chuck 8 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message and Journal with Video

Todays video!

Happy Friday!

Is it really FRIDAY again! Wow, there goes another one-hour week! Time is flying for me this year! I am having a blast though! Hope you are too!

Here are three very powerful Bible verses for today:

James 1:22-25 “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”

Is This Working?

Last night at prayer meeting, I had this thought: I wonder how many people are actually practicing some of the principles I’ve taught this year… and I wonder what kinds of results they’re getting?

For example: over the past few weeks, I’ve spoke so much about the power and stability of living by faith and standing on the firmness of our Bibles… vs. the painful consequences of emotionally responding to every shifting circumstance.

I used one great example in my own life from last week. Remember, I told you guys about how last Monday, I felt like some mean person was stabbing needles into a Chuck Balsamo voodoo doll?

Remember, me telling you guys about opening my Bible to Psalms 112… and how verse 4 SAVED MY WEEK! “When darkness overtakes the godly, LIGHT will come BURSTING in!”

All week long, every time my emotions felt hammered by challenging circumstances, I turned to this verse and read it out loud… and LIGHT ALWAYS BURSTED IN!

Collecting YOUR 2 Line Stories!

Today, I would love to know how this teaching, and other teachings from this blog site have positively affected your lives. Think back over the past two months… and give me some PRACTICAL feedback.

You don’t have to write a book… just a TWO LINE STORY about how you’re IMPLEMENTING some of the principles presented on this blog, and the kinds of results you’re getting!

This year, more than any other year… I want to PRACTICE my own teachings… and I want to see other people ACTUALLY practice them in their own lives.

This request is not aimed at stroking my ego… it’s aimed at bringing people DEEPER into the real meaning of these messages… much DEEPER than the initial sense of encouragement they create.

Oh, and one more thing! IF there is a certain topic you would LOVE for me to write about… let me know, and I’ll see what I can whip up!

That’s it for today… a question instead of an answer! I hope this exercise adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! Love you… praying for you throughout the day!

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

Chuck

The Donate Link, Facebook, Twitter, Make me a Legend, Destiny Family Center, You Tube

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04
Mar

To Care Like Mother Teresa!

By chuck 7 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message and Journal with Video

Todays Video Blog!

Happy Thursday!

On Wednesday nights @ Destiny Family Center, we have a catered dinner @ 6pm followed by small groups from 7-8:15pm. It’s been really nice for Emily and I, since neither of us have teaching responsibilities this quarter. So, we’ve been floating around… and last night, we went to the “Honors Reward” group, facilitated by Wayne Howard. WOW!

The night was all about “Honoring Your Peers!” Check out the following verses…

Matthew 10:40-42 “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”

  1. Anyone who receives (or blesses) a prophet, receives a prophets reward!
  2. Anyone who receives (or blesses) a righteous person (a fellow follower of Christ), he receives a righteous persons reward!
  3. Anyone who gives even a cup of cold water to one of the LEAST of my followers… you will SURELY BE REWARDED!

I Got Tired!

Ok, so I’ve been working 7, 16 hour days a week for the past month… and yesterday afternoon I hit a very understandable level of exhaustion. So I went home to relax for a few hours before coming back for church. Emily was off work too… had a great time, watched a few CSI’s… a good mental diversion.

Came back to church last night… and within ten minutes, I was being approached by a pile of people with some pretty HUGE personal problems. As bad as this sounds, I was still in mental shutdown… and I wasn’t real jazzed about trying to help anyone last night.

I Hid in my Office!

So after the meal, I ran back to my office so I could HIDE AWAY for 15 minutes, before I had to go greet everyone and open the small groups.

Bad attitude for a Pastor, I know. But I’m not God and I do have my moments of weakness… and I have to work through those moments just like every other human.

I Had a Vision!

Just before I walked out of my office to welcome our guests, I told Dave Harman how bad I felt about not wanting to help anyone… and then I had a vision of Mother Teresa loving and blessing every disadvantaged person she could get her hands on! And I thought about how much more like Jesus I wanted to be… and how much I wanted to spend my life more concerned about the needs of other people than my own.

Honoring Your Peers!

Then we went to the small group and as I mentioned, the topic for our “Honors Reward Group” last night was: Honoring Your Peers!

That group REINFORCED this feeling I had in my office @ 7:55pm! I was SO MOVED with he video and with Wayne Howard’s presentation… and with the discussions that followed… especially with Greg Bakers heartfelt confession!

So I figured I’d share my experience with you guys… for your benefit! There is such a mandate on our lives to become like Jesus. No, we cannot do this in our own strength… and yes, we are allowed to have a selfish afternoon every now and then!

For me, last night was about correcting my attitude towards suffering people. Everyone likes to hang with their friends… we can do that all day long.

To Care Like Mother Theresa!

What I’m talking about here is this: Do we have the kind of LOVE Jesus had for all the WHOSOEVER’S in our world? Do we REALLY care to make a difference in other peoples lives… in the lives of people we have little or nothing in common with… in the lives of the people who disrespect us and betray us, our enemies? Or, do we pick out the easiest people and leave the rest for Mother Teresa?

And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.

Maybe this is just something unique to me and I’m out of my mind for mentioning it on this blog… but I was pretty moved last night, and felt someone else could benefit from my transparency.

Please leave your comments… I just finished praying for you all, with great love and appreciation! Have a most triumphant day!

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

Chuck

The Donate Link, Facebook, Twitter, Make me a Legend, Destiny Family Center, You Tube

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