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Unique Moments Frozen in Eternity!

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 by 4 Comments

Happy Tuesday!

I love that 2008 photo of my two kids, Coree and Heaven being hilarious as they ALWAYS are! lol

Life is a collection of unique moments!

Talk about unique moments! My wife Emily and my daughter Heaven both had their permanent eyeliner put on at Glow Salon! Heaven paid for hers with her own hard earned money, and covered half of Emily’s for her Mother’s Day gift. I went along for moral support… what an experience that was! Can anyone say OUCH? The lady seemed to know what she was doing, and she did a beautiful job. It’s just that my wife bruises terribly and she looks like an abused woman right now! And she has to work at Kohl’s today… so the whole community can assume I beat my wife! Dear God, thats all I need to add to my resume! lol

Here’s another photo I captured from my iphone during our 6 mile run yesterday (before the eyeliner shenanigans)! I feel like kicking the sign over really added great character to this shot! Lol, just kidding everyone… simmer down please! haha

As you can tell, I love capturing unique moments with my camera. Just think of what I could do, if I had a real camera and another life! lol

Each life lived, is a unique moment frozen in eternity!

WOW, that is a quotable statement!

Psalm 39:4-5 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.”

Psalm 139:15-17 “You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!”

The Bible is a collection of unique spiritual moments captured in time… God’s perfect collection… His priceless moments from this age. I believe, that when time is swallowed up in eternity, and this temporary age is over, we will look back through the Bible for all of eternity… musing over the endless beauties contained in Gods unique collection!

We should read the Bible like we would view a legendary photographers collection of moments! When we do this, we can view the universe through His eyes and meditate on those things that are most important to Him… and that, to me, is beyond AMAZING!

Matthew 9:22 Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Matthew 17:18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well.

Matthew 27:50-52 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened.

Luke 22:61 At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

Luke 24:30-32 As they sat down to eat, he (Jesus) took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them (his disciples). Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

These are only a few of the greatest spiritual moments ever captured… there are hundreds more waiting to be viewed in the 66 epic books of the Holy Bible!

What a super blog this has become! Wow, it blows my mind… that every morning I wake with a BLANK mind… and as I write about WHATEVER, these wild thoughts rise and a new message from God flies into the earth through my finger tips!

Psalm 45:1 Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.

To God be the glory… to the quest of capturing his priceless moments, there is NO END! Selah!

I hope todays blog inspires a new LOVE for the Word of God… what a blessing that would be to all who catch it! I just finished praying for you guys and gals… hoping you feel the difference all day long!

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

Chuck

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The Oyster Cookout

Sunday, July 26th, 2009 by 3 Comments

Happy Sunday!

How’s your weekend turning out thus far? Mine’s been EVENTFUL… good times with family! We spent most of yesterday in Richmond, honoring Emily’s oldest brother for turning FIFTY. Poor guy… old fart. lol

At THIRTY-EIGHT fifty doesn’t seem so bad really. I cant elaborate on this thought without slipping in to “where did all those years go” mode… so, I’m moving on to HAPPIER thoughts.

Davids brother Jeff Wall hosted the party… Jeff and Anne are lovely hosts! Ever heard of The Jeff and Anne Show? Check it out on their myspace… and listen to Jeff and Anne perform a folk song! (joke)

They had an OYSTER cookout for Dave… ewwww! (gagging as he types)

Jeff’s brother in law, Eddie has to be the most passionate OYSTER ENTHUSIAST I’ve ever met. He came VERY close to talking the Chuckster here into eating one. Well, one does not actually EAT an oyster… he DRINKS, or SLURPS the slimy mud sucker down his throat… as shivers race up and down his back… and his gag mechanism stands by on ULTRA HIGH ALERT!

After SPANKING Jeff and Wayne at the last horseshoe game on vacation… Wayne decided to bring a new game for us to play. It was called “Chuk”… nice name, but the “stupidest” (word I learned from my President last week, lol) game ever. Actually, it was ok I suppose… if I could have only won a game! Yes, Wayne and Jeff… there it is… I admit, you two beat Coree and me fair AND square. We’ll ALMOST fair and square… next time Coree and I will be sure to have our glasses. lol

The real gaming highlight of the day was when my wife Emily and her cousin-in-law Stephanie DOMINATED the other two “CHUCK’S” of the family at the Chuk game! Oh yeah, I almost forgot to explain… there are THREE Chucks in our combined families. Such a beautiful name by the way!

Good job Emily and Stephanie… you gals were absolutely UNSTOPPABLE with that “Chuk” game! Way to REPRESENT the Balsamo’s, Emily! And don’t even try it Jeff and Wayne… Emily has been a BALSAMO longer than she has been a WALL.

We went and visited Emily’s dad in the hospital before the party… had a beautiful time with an amazing guy! I appreciate you guys praying for Merle… he’s had SEVERAL blood transfusions this week and his white blood cell count is still at ZERO. His faith is strong and we’re all believing that yesterdays bedside prayed made the difference! Standby for glorious testimony!

Appointment Reminder: church at Destiny Family Center 10am TODAY! If you can’t make it IN PERSON, watch the entire service ONLINE starting at 10am EST.

Have a super day everyone!

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What Kind of Change Am I Supposed to Bring?

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 by 5 Comments

Happy Wednesday!

No waves yesterday… ocean was FLAT. Beautiful for swimmers and readers… so we went with it… and had another amazing day!

I pulled out our Waboba Extreme: the amazing ball the bounces on water! We had lots of fun… it really works! Every beach bum needs a Waboba Extreme!

It was all fun and games UNTIL some lady almost lost her EAR! Yup, Coree was throwing back to me from about forty yards… and since my last aggressive throw to him, some lady had INTRUDED in to my personal space… I mean there’s a big ocean out there, what was she thinking!

To tell it from Coree’s words, “I don’t know what happened dad… I turned and glanced your way… saw the lady and thought: oh no, I better wait for her to move… and somehow I lost command of my arm… it took over my body and bypassed my brain… my arm did what it wanted… and I couldn’t do anything to stop myself… next thing you know… the ball was bouncing across the water at like 75 miles an hour STRAIGHT FOR THAT LADY’S EAR!”

A direct hit… and a most DRAMATIC OVEREACTION! She went crazy… we apologized a few times, felt bad at first… ended up happy for the accident… I really think she needed this! lol

On the spiritual side…

The kids left the beach early yesterday, leaving Emily, Merle, Mille, and me to RELAX for a few hours. I took a nap… woke up with a serious crick in my neck… read for about two hours… got inspired… climbed to my feet… put on my iphone ear phones… turned on some really good worship music… walked the shore and TALKED TO GOD.

That hour seemed to kick off the profound spiritual breakthrough I had been hoping for this vacation. It felt as if God rode his Imperial space limousine to the Frisco Beach and walked that seashore with me!

I didn’t ramble on as I usually do in prayer… I just ASKED A SERIES OF QUESTIONS. Not just any questions… the PERFECT questions!

For the past 7 years, I have been doing everything I can to keep people from forcing me into a management role… to keep circumstances from normalizing me… to dodge the status quo tranquilizer darts coming at me every day!

I’m called to LEAD… called to cast a vision… to build a tribe of millions… and incite a movement! I’m not called to MANAGE… not interested in turning DOWN my fire or my VOICE… not looking to blend in or fade away! There is something IN ME that’s bent on BRINGING CHANGE.

The question I asked God is this: Specifically, what kind of change do you want me to bring this world? What am I suppose to give my TRIBE that someone else isn’t already giving? What am I rallying my TRIBE around?

Yes, I know… that in a world filled with so many NEW RELIGIONS… I am called to LEAD PEOPLE TO JESUS CHRIST! Yes, I know that I’m called to AWAKEN a LARGE SECTION of the worldwide CHURCH… and provoke a non-religious, mainstream curiosity for a deeper experience with God’s Spirit. That I am called to EMPOWER the amazing people in my growing circle! But how? Specifically how??

When I traveled around the world ten years ago… I knew what my mission was. I was STIRRING people… I was bringing SPIRITUAL EXCITEMENT… I was awakening Pastors and worship leaders and business people… and Christians of all sorts! I was leading thousands to Christ and helping them to LIVE FOR CHRIST without reservation! There was no question… when I came into town; I brought FIRE… and CHANGE CAME TO EVERYONE!

For some strange reason… people believe that in order to Pastor a church, one must kill all such passions… that one is no longer allowed to think change or BRING CHANGE… that PASTORS are called to MANAGE instead of LEAD. There is a difference… and I have seen the light!

I believe that I am called to Pastor, and write books, and blog, and tweet, and build a global media outreach… at the head of a LEGENDARY TRIBE wrapped around a worthwhile mission… I am called to birth and LEAD a movement. And as my questions are answered, this calling will become far more specific… thus far more attractive… and far more beneficial to everyone else!

I hope today’s blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives. You matter to me… you really matter! Today, more than ever before… I want to EMPOWER and LEAD… so thanks for appreciating my contributions! Thanks for appreciating this tribe! I love you guys and pray so often for you! Please leave your comments… and have a super day!

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Rainy Day Adventures!

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 by 3 Comments

Happy Tuesday!

What a yesterday that was… a rainy day in Ocracoke turned into our best day at the beach so far. We just wouldn’t quit… we were out for memories, refusing to get back on that ferry without them!

We ate lunch at some nifty neato pavilion style café… delicious! Found a map of the island… and explored the roads we have never been on. We went to shops we had never heard of… EVEN ATE CRICKETS! Yes, real crickets… all five of us! (photo)

I was the last to go, whining like a little girl as the golden brown insect landed onto the surface of my petrified tongue. In half a second, the little fellow was expeditiously transported over to my right chompers section… and CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH… swallow!

The worse part of the experience for me were those few lingering legs that failed to go down on the first few swallows… and the EYE BALL I pulled up with the tip of my tongue… they were lodged in between my cheek and jaw. But hey, we’re the coolest parents EVER according to our kids! lol

We went to a very fun candy store called Candyland… it was a kids paradise… a chucky paradise too! (photo)

After all the shopping, we headed for the beach IN THE RAIN… got to the beach, and the rain had stopped! Coree, Heaven, and I surfed for a few hours while Elizabeth and Emily shell shopped along the shore.

All three of us caught MANY NICE WAVES… and didn’t stop till way past shark feeding time. A couple beside us claimed they saw a fin… said it was like 4 feet wide and 3 feet high! (yeah right!) So we kept surfing, even though shivers went down our spines ever time a piece of seaweed drifted into our legs!

After surfing, we joined the shell-shopping excursion… and together we found TEN SAND DOLLARS… Emily was the winner with SIX… I found TWO… Heaven and Elizabeth found ONE each… Coree found ZERO but he was HAPPY for the rest of us!

My inspiration message:

Your best vacation day EVER can come on a RAINY DAY! So when the storm clouds gather, and you’re not able to do stay on ROUTINE… look for map a MAP! Journey out beyond the well-beaten path, to the PLACES YOU’VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE!

Maybe there’s a life lesson here. Maybe, so many of life’s real TREASURES are found on the DETOURS. Maybe the storms come to force us OFF routine… to prod us onto a NEW ADVENTURE!

So instead of complaining about detours, we should LOOK FOR THE ADVENTURE… refusing to experience anything less than the TIME OF OUR LIVES!

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes EVERYTHING to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them!

I hope today’s blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! Please leave your comments and have a super day! Ohh… and don’t forget to follow our vacation on twitter and facebook! God bless you all!

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The Dinosaur Claw Machine!

Sunday, July 12th, 2009 by 3 Comments

Happy Sunday!

Yesterday was an eventful vacation day! At the ocean, Emily caught a decent sized FLOUNDER with her BARE HANDS! Then, we saw a LARGE fish in the break… something like 5 feet long and dark, never saw a fin, but it did drive us out of the water pretty fast! 

Last night, we went to the arcade at the old Buxton Drive in (don’t know the new name)… played a dinosaur claw game where you can claw little dinosaurs and win them! Well, you know my family… they were ALL OVER THIS MACHINE! 

All of us were taking turns at winning these little plastic dinosaurs… a game clearly intended for kids 6 and under! I became Emily’s hero when I won the GIGANTIC Tyrannosaurus Rex! (photo)

The funniest moment came when Coree won the DINOSAUR HE ALWAYS WANTED… and he was all smiley faced… until he went to RELEASE the prize… and IT WAS STUCK IN THE CLAW!

The machine is NOISY… it has dinosaur background music… and the claw lever opens and closes aggressively! The whole arcade knew we were there!

After Coree’s dinosaur got stuck, we all took turns at trying to shake it loose. It cost us $.50 for each try… 50 cents of HILARIOUS vacation entertainment! Finally it was my turn. Coree (my 18 year old son) gave me that look like, “Please DADDY, set my dinosaur FREE!” 

So I dropped in my 2 quarters… waited for the right moment, hit the button to lower the claw, and shook the claw until it seemed like I had broken Coree’s dinosaur loose AND captured ANOTHER one! The seconds ran out and the claw rose most triumphantly, up into the air… YES… there were two prizes heading for the exit drop… I was SO PROUD! 

Down on my knees, face lit up, working my dinosaur claw magic… all the CHEERING… it was the proudest moment of my life! lol The time had come… so I maneuvered the lever to release the dinosaurs just like I was supposed to… AND… ONLY ONE PRIZE DROPPED… the one Coree wanted was STILL STUCK in the claw! (photo)

What happened next… you HAD TO BE THERE to UNDERSTAND why we all laughed SO HARD that tears were STREAMING down our faces! Something happened in my mind… I suppose my parental defense mechanism kicked in… and all I can remember was the look on my sons face as all his hopes were smashed on the cold hard floor of that heartless arcade! 

Everything started moving in slow motion… as I violently shook the dinosaur claw machine lever maybe 100 times in 10 seconds! No, I didn’t break the machine. I just knew that if I shook it long enough… Coree’s dinosaur would DROP! Come on… DROP DINOSAUR… DROP… DROP NOW! Everyone was CHEERING… it was absolute pandaemonium! This was the DEFINING moment of my 18 years of parenting… AND… no matter how hard and long I rocked the machine… this evil dinosaur WOULD NOT DROP! 

I walked out of that arcade defeated last night… but this VACATION IS NOT OVER YET! 

Sorry… there’s nothing spiritual about todays blog… but hey, it’s Sunday and we get to go to CHURCH! Maybe you can make the 10am service at Destiny Family Center… or catch it LIVE on the internet! Hope I made you guys SMILE this morning… please leave your comments and HAVE A SUPER DAY!

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