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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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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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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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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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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Yesterday was an EVENTFUL day… we took the ferry over to Ocracoke Island and had an interesting time. A little stressful at times with so many chiefs and so few Indians! lol

Take a BLAZING hot sun… add a few LONG HOURS OF shop hiking… and a few really good eatery OPTIONS… and then of course, to go to the beach or not go to the beach… and you get a few moderate temper tantrums and a whole lot of whispering… but HEY, we all made it out as friends! Because, “We are FAM… IL.. Y!” (yeah yeah)

The bond of FAMILY really is an amazing thing! I mean think about it… no matter how bad we irritate one another… we NEVER annul ourselves from the FAMILY… we don’t just gather a few family members into an alliance and go make up a new family name… we are ALWAYS ONE FAMILY with ONE FAMILY NAME… bearing with the good the bad and sometimes, the ugly! (A real lesson in love and unity)

As we were wrapping up our Ocracoke excursion, everyone consented to a short stop at the beach… Coree REALLY wanted to swim in the ocean. He was willing to forfeit his ONE REQUEST because he seemed to be one of very few with that desire. But hey, all for one and one for all… David’s vehicle pulled over and told us to lead the way. That’s a SCARY responsibility you guys!

I gulped a few times and proceeded to the BEACH RAMP! Yes, I was going for it… at a VERY HIGH RISK, I was leading a CARAVAN of worn out shoppers on a late day detour… I was taking my son to the beach! All was well… everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Emily got to SHELL SHOP along the shore and I found an UNBROKEN SAND DOLLAR (photo included)… a very rare thing these days, even at Ocracoke. Coree got to swim his little heart out… the ocean was BEAUTIFUL!

We all headed back with SMILY FACES… everyone was whistling while we drove… what a beautiful day this had turned out to be. AND THEN… we neared the FERRY LINE to find the LONGEST BACK UP any of us had ever experienced in all our years of Ocracoke excursioning!

Gulp… gulp… was that tasty Philly Chicken sub I ate at the Jolly Roger Restaurant going to be my last meal EVER! Actually, everyone was graceful… at least to my face. Haha! Who knows, they may be having a CHUCK & COREE OMLET for breakfast RIGHT NOW… and DAVE is going to read this blog! (Maybe I should have just LEFT IT ALONE!) lol

Really… the day was beautiful and Em’s family is an absolute PLEASURE! We’ve been vacationing together for 19 years this summer… some of the best days of our lives!

I’m sure some of you guys RELATE with yesterdays tension. You’re smiling and even laughing, because YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! Oh yes you DO! I pray that every one of your vacations turns out as blessed as ours!

Have a super day everyone… it’s overcast here right now… so who knows what THE MANY HEADED CONCIL will come up with for an itinerary… pray for us! lol

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I’m sitting at the ONE spot on this entire property where we receive an internet signal… the view from here is amazing! As the sun begins to rise, all the colors start to show… a duck swims into view on my right… gliding effortlessly across the calm waters of this peaceful lagoon. An orchestra of birds and bugs, they’re all awake now… beautifying this special moment with their harmonious sounds! A dog barks in the distance… a door opens across the way, a man walks out with his morning coffee, leans over his porch rail… ahh the beauties of a vacation morning!

The weather was rainy and overcast yesterday, so we drove to Nags Head and traded Emily’s surf board… she wanted something far more GIRLIER than her previous MANLY board… didn’t really care much about how well it was built or how well it surfed… Emily was craving a PINK SURF BOARD! 

Her and Coree were arguing on the ride over… Coree wanted Emily to keep the board she already had because he just bought a high performance short board… and he wanted to fall back on her longer board on calm days. Emily was not giving in yesterday… NUT-UHHHHHH! This was her day… the entire Island felt as if all of time had culminated into this very moment! Emily sat behind me on the ride there… head held low, figuring that she would lose her war with Coree and drive back home with her butch board.

I started feeling bad for Emily… even pulled Coree aside at the surf shop and pleaded with him to back off… explaining that I hadn’t seen mom this excited about a material thing in a VERY long time. She had a TWINKLE IN HER EYE… and I wanted to see her SMILE with the enjoyment of her desire.

As we walked up the steps to The Pit Surf Shop, we saw a man carrying the EXACT board Emily wanted… the sissy boy bought a PINK CAMO surf board right out from under my poor little wife. Emily’s bottom lip went out… her pace slowed… and I think there may have been a tiny little tear forming in the bottom of her right eye. 

So we asked the owner if he accepted trades, and showed him what we had… he took us around the store and nothing jumped out until… THERE IT WAS… and with each step in HER DIRECTION, Emily’s face brightened up more and more… she was SMILING SO BIG! 

The owner started firing off all the specs… and Emily just kept looking at me like she had won a million dollars! She didnt care about the specs… it was PINK AND BEAUTIFUL… and it had a name, something like “PRETTY BETTY!” 

On our way back to the vacation home, Emily was leaned forward with both hands on my shoulders… for the ENTIRE RIDE! I just kept looking into the rear view mirror every 30 seconds to see that BEAUTIFUL EMILY SMILE! I live to see her that happy! She’s so much like a little kid in moments like that… the thing I love the most about her! 

Emily told me she wasn’t giving anyone a peak at PRETTY BETTY until today AT THE BEACH… at the glorious PRETTY BETTY coming out celebration! (no photos on the blog site yet… Dave reads the blog) I cant wait to watch her SMILE ALL DAY LONG! Ohh… I forgot to mention the amazing deal she got on the trade. The board she purchased was ON SALE… AND… they gave her a PHENOMENAL trade in value… a difference of LESS THAN $150. 

Not a very spiritual blog today… maybe tomorrow. I pray that the joy of my vacation blesses you with great peace and a new kind of creativity! Have a super duper day everyone! God bless you all!

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It’s my BIRTHDAY everyone… fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-laaaaaa! As you can imagine… the birthday wishes are coming in on Facebook… and I have a goal of saying thank you for EACH birthday wish! It’s been pretty fun so far… all this BIRTHDAY energy… it’s CHANGING MY LIFE FOREVER! Thanks or being so enthusiastic about the day of my birth everyone!

I was born on Long Island, NY at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital on 7-1-71, weighing 7 pounds 11 ounces. Pretty cool numbers, don’t you think? My amazing mother, who birthed me into this beautiful world… she joined the great cloud of witnesses a few years ago… mom always made such a big deal about my birthday! She always made such a BIG DEAL about ME! 

Today, my BEAUTIFUL, SMILEY, SMART, KIND, LOVING, PLAYFUL, HAPPY, INDUSTRIOUS, SUPER-WIFE Emily Balsamo… she makes a BIG DEAL about my birthday! Emily makes a BIG deal about me too! And what a difference she makes! 

Everyone should have a few people RAVING about them all the time! Life is so much more FUN WITH FANS! Big challenges are no big deal… when there are fans in our stadium! This reminds me of something I wrote about in my book… chapter 9: Frenzied Fans and Home Field Advantages

frenzied fans and home field advantages…
Everyone loves to watch a mob of maniac fans as they elevate their team into a never before seen phenomenon of strength and skill! Most of us have “been right there” when sports history was made at least a time or two, knowing that our hyper raving pushed our beloved teams over the edge during their defining moments! More than likely, everyone has experienced the sheer pleasure of cheering like there was no tomorrow, and we just knew that if us fans held anything back in the stands, our dear players would be mutilated on the field right in front of our eyes. What a rush of adrenaline! We could not hold back… they needed us like they needed their lungs and legs… and when it counted the most, we came through for them!

So many professional athletes commit to their profession primarily because of the very enticing “multimillion dollar contract.” But really, how many of these guys and gals would want to compete in professional sports without STADIUMS and FANS? Imagine you are Tony Romo, quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and you’re playing that rival game of the season against your arch enemy, the Washington Redskins… in an empty stadium, without television coverage… not one moment of applause, no mascot or cheerleaders, not even a small delegation of family and friends! There you are all alone, with nothing but the sound of colliding pads and the heavy breathing of your teammates and opponents. Even with all the money in the world, who could get energized about this? Sure, there would be a few fanatics who would keep on playing for the “love of the game” and a few more who would stay dedicated for the luxury it affords. However, we must wonder how much time would pass before many of these under applauded superstars would start looking for something else to do.

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” -Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

This morning as I was reading all my BIRTHDAY WISHES, I wrote the following twitter update: Relishing in ALL my BIRTHDAY wishes! Imagining what life would be like if 100′s of friends said HAPPY THINGS to me EVERY SINGLE DAY!

I want to be your FRENZIED FAN… everyday… a voice that CHEERS you to UNTOLD VICTORIES! Go… Go… Go… Go… GOOOOOOOOO… GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (catching my breath) LOL!

May todays birthday blog add tremendous value to your amazing lives! May it cause each of us to LOOK AROUND… and find someone playing their game with all they’ve got… and let us CHEER like crazy people all day long!

Please leave your comments… and help EXPAND our influence! Have a super duper day!

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Got home from Vacation Bible School last night to find a surprise pool set up on my patio! Not a little inflatable one… it’s 15 x 4 you guys! Ok, so Emily asks me yesterday if she can get a small pool from WalMart and put it on the patio… and I just kind of looked at her like, “I think it’ll look a little tacky, but if that will make you happy, go get one.”

Thinking back on that conversation, I remember her saying, “Charlie, can I get one of those SMALL 12 foot WalMart pools and put it RIGHT HERE on the patio?” (hand motioning that the pool she had in her devious little mind was going to fit into the LITTLE area she was suggesting… and even though she said TWELVE FOOTER, my mind caught the key words SMALL and a mental picture of the THREE FOOT area she was claiming for this TINY project.

I didn’t even really think she was serious until I got home at 9:30pm last night… and there it was… a BIG BLUE… FIFTEEN FOOTER, WalMart pool. EMILY BALSAMO!

Of course, Cole Moore had helped her and Heaven put it together… and as I began to resist, they all gave me this look like, “PLEASE DAD CAN WE KEEP IT… we worked so hard in the BLAZING SUN… ALL DAY LONG… to give you this amazing FATHER’S DAY PRESENT!!!!

Actually, after I got past the initial SHOCK, I was quite happy she took INITIATIVE and made this happen for our family! So, I did some finishing touches to the liner while Cole and Heaven installed the filter system… and we turned on the water hose! Eight hours later, we have a functioning POOL!

Pool party anyone?

Matthew 7:12-14 The Message Bible: “Here is a simple, RULE-OF-THUMB GUIDE FOR BEHAVIOR: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then GRAB THE INITIATIVE and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.”

Same verse in different translation: “DO TO OTHERS whatever YOU WOULD LIKE THEM TO DO TO YOU. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

Is this what Emily was doing with the pool… did she GRAB THE INITIATIVE and do for me, WHATEVER she WANTED me to do for her? Awww, thats so nice Emily… so Christian-like my dear dear wife! LOL

Initiative: The power or ability to BEGIN or to follow through ENERGETICALLY with a plan or task; enterprise and DETERMINATION; a beginning or introductory step; an opening move.

Seriously, I have to ADMIRE the INITIATIVE of this tiny gal… she has always been a TAKE ACTION kind of lady… NEVER lazy, never afraid to take on a challenge, never hesitant to GRAB THE INITIATIVE! Emily has way to much POWER and ability for making those INTRODUCTORY MOVES… with ENERGY and DETERMINATION… she doesn’t linger for perfect conditions!

It’s scary at times, but a VERY ADVENTUROUS 19 years!

Initiative is a vital part of turning HOPES into REALITIES. “Faith is the substance of things HOPED for, the evidence of things NOT YET SEEN.” Faith takes HOPES (dream, visions, promises, and prophecies) and manifests the power and ability to BEGIN… or to FOLLOW THROUGH energetically with a PLAN (the thing hoped for)… with ENTERPRISE and DETERMINATION… faith takes the introductory step… faith makes the opening move!

By faith, Peter JUMPED OUT OF THE BOAT when Jesus invited him out on the waters! By faith Noah started building an ark! Faith is never lazy… faith does not linger for perfect conditions… faith always says LET’S GET THIS STARTED… LET’S DO THIS NOW… LET’S TURN EVERY ONE OF THESE EXTRAVAGANT HOPES INTO LIVING REALITIES!

I pray that todays blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! I love you all… praying your day is filled with many BLESSINGS! Please leave your comments… tootaloooo!

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Over the past few days, I’ve been hearing from a bunch of amazing people about how much you’re enjoying the blog site. I mean the stats are pretty impressive and I can tell that lots and lots of people are reading away… but it’s VERY encouraging to find out specifically WHO is out there in this growing circle!

DAILY blogging has been a VERY big challenge for me. This is because of the JOURNAL factor and the fact that most of us have a very hard time separating our FEELINGS from the thoughts, words, and actions we need to pass on to the people we are influencing.

I remember when this challenge was on a much smaller level. Way back in 1991 right after Emily and I had given our lives to the Lord and we were going to a tiny store front church. Since there were only a few of us… guess who got asked to teach Sunday School to the toddlers? Yes, ME!

These kids had been growing up in “Christian” homes and their moms and dads were all about “family devotions”… and all of them KNEW the BIBLE like a pack of snot nosed theologians! LOL And since I was NEW AT THIS… they chewed me up and spit me out. Every time I mispronounced a bible character, one of them would start giggling and a few hands would go up to correct me… in front of a bunch of 8 year olds!!! It was very humbling and very educational. So, there you have it everyone… I learned the Bible from a group of lovely tots!

The real challenge at that time wasn’t the lesson or the correct pronunciation of Biblical terms. It was being able to teach on an early Sunday morning after SCRAPPING with Emily the night before! I mean, we had some pretty bad fights in those early days… it was REAL BAD at times… ok, I admit it… I was a horrible person back then… and Emily was a beautiful little angel! LOL

I remember calling my Pastor at like 1:00AM to tell him I wouldn’t be able to teach the next morning because I was an evil person. And he would always explain to me that I was a working progress… he would pray with me… and explain that teaching when my heart is broken or right after I have eaten a great big piece of humble pie was a healthy thing for me to do! He told me that nobody is perfect… and that God wanted to use MY WEAKNESS to showcase HIS STRENGTH! 

Little did I know that THIS would be the story of my entire future! That someday, I would be teaching and inspiring people EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE… and that my imperfect life would put GODS STRENGTH on display OVER AND OVER AGAIN! 

Transparency is not about putting our weaknesses on display… it is all about showcasing GODS OMNIPOTENT STRENGTH! To live DAILY in front of a world thats desperate for a message, we must be able to SHOWCASE Gods strength over our weakness… Gods love over our hatred… Gods mercy over our judgment… Gods ability over our inability… and the million and one ways GOD ALWAYS BRINGS US THROUGH everything we face! 

Even though we are not all DAILY bloggers… we are all LIVING DAILY in front of an audience. Our lives are OPEN to our friends, families, co-workers, neighbors, and all the other people we have to LIVE in FRONT OF EVERY SINGLE DAY OF OUR LIVES. And we cannot quit life… so we have to figure out how to showcase Gods attributes as DAILY MESSAGES to all who READ OUR OPEN JOURNALS! 

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

So then, we are ALL LIVING BLOGGERS adding tremendous value to everyone else’s amazing life! I pray you have a super duper day… please leave a comment, let us know where you are from and what you’re all about… tootaloo!

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