Random thoughts from a Random Guy

That Is The Problem

2011-11-08T10:55:00.001-06:00

Good Morning,

This is a conversation I had with my teenagers during Bible class Sunday Morning.

ME-“Why do we have announcements on Sunday morning?”
TEEN-“So everyone can know what’s going on.”
ME-“Why do we always take up the collection after the Lord’s Supper?”
TEEN-“It says in the Bible to take up a collection and it’s a convenient time to do it.”
ME-“What is significant about the resurrection of Jesus Christ?”

You might think that I haven’t put up the complete conversation but I have. The answer to the final question was a deafening and heartbreaking silence. I will give the teens the benefit of the doubt and say that maybe they were afraid to speak up for fear of giving what they consider a wrong answer but I don’t think that accounts for all of the silence. I also don’t put the blame on the teenagers for the silence. I place the blame solely on the shoulder of us as adults.

We have done a great job teaching our children and teens about the traditions of “church” but we have lost the message of what Church really is. Church isn’t the building, or even the things we do in the building, Church is the body and bride of Jesus Christ. Church isn’t about making announcements or when we take up the collection Church is about being the embodiment of Jesus Christ here on Earth.

So what do I do about the silence? How do I become part of the solution to the problem? These questions have been in my mind all week and I think I have found the answer. I have to show them who Jesus is and what he wants from us. It may sound simple but I am a simple guy and I believe that when you break down most problems that most of the solutions are pretty simple. The answer is simple the implementation is where it gets a bit tricky. How do you show Jesus and make him real to teenagers? The simplest way is to show them Jesus in scripture but even that becomes difficult because there is so much there.

I have decided to work through the “I AM” statements in the Gospel of John. What better way to get to know Jesus than by looking at the statements he made about himself. I plan on blogging the experience and I hope you will come along for the ride.

I ended the silence by saying “You see that is the problem.” And I stand by that statement. It is a problem when teenagers can’t tell you the significance of the risen Christ but it’s not just their problem it’s our problem too. Let’s claim responsibility and become part of the solution. I love you all and I thank you for reading this. Please pray for my teenagers and myself as we attempt to know and love God and his Son Jesus Christ.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Not My Will

2011-10-04T10:39:00.001-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Matthew 26:42
He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

How many times have you read or listened to this passage? I would dare say that you are not considered to be a preacher if you have not preached at least one sermon on this passage. This is such an intimate time between God and his son Jesus Christ and we are so blessed to be able to read and listen to these words. Have you ever really thought about what was being said between Jesus and his Father? Have you ever considered what was going on in the mid of Christ as he asked his Father to take the cup away from him? I’ve thought about these things and from where I stand it boils down to Jesus doing whatever needs to be done even though it was going to be difficult for him.

It was about 2:00AM this morning and Emma began crying. I’m not sure what was bothering her. Maybe she had a bad dream, maybe she didn’t eat enough of her snack at bedtime or maybe she just wanted to be held. This was the second night that Emma decided she needed to be up at 2:00AM so April asked me to see if I get her calmed down and back to sleep. I got up and went into Emma’s room and picked her up and began to rock her in the rocking chair. Before I knew it 45 minutes had passed and were both asleep there in the rocking chair, I had WON, or so I thought. I laid Emma back down and almost immediately she started to cry. I went back into our bedroom and I told April to turn down the monitor and just let her cry because if we keep giving into these late nights they will become a habit. It took her a few minutes but Emma finally cried herself out and slept until nearly 7:00AM this morning.

I tell you that story to share with you that my understanding of the garden is very different today than it was yesterday. I understood that Jesus was crying out to his Father for help and that Jesus was being mature enough to do what needed to be done regardless of the suffering he would suffer. I understood academically that Jesus, the son, made a request of God, the Father, said the Father said no. I now understand academically and I am beginning to understand emotionally what happened in the garden.

My little girl was crying out to me that she didn’t want to be in her bed, she wanted to be in her Daddy’s arms. My little girl was saying she wanted the comfort of her parents and I had to tell her no because it was the right thing to do. Even though it hurt me more than I can express I knew I had to allow her to go through something so she can grow up and mature into a young lady. God’s love for us and for Jesus is shown through God allowing his son go through something painful because it’s what had to be done.

Is there something in your life that you are putting off because dealing with it is painful? Are you refusing to mature because it might be difficult? Today you can be reassured that God understands what you are going through. God’s only son cried out in the garden begging him to take the cup from him and God still did what needed to be done which was saying no to his only son. I love you all and I hope you are all blessed this morning.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

They Really Do Care!

2011-09-23T12:02:00.000-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Do you ever have those “Aha!” moments in your life? God blesses me with more than my share of those moments because of the work I get to do with teens. It never ceases to amaze me when I see a teenager understand what God wants them to do in their lives. It never ceases to cut deep when my teens say something that hits me Right Square in the middle of my own complacency. Wednesday night was one of these moments for me.

Wednesday night I had two teenagers in my class. Circumstances were that some of the teens had to be out and, I understand that this is going to happen from time to time, but I was still a little sad that there were not more teens there. I was upset for a lot of reasons, probably the biggest reason I was upset was because we were beginning a new series on the book of Colossians. I decided I would go ahead and start the series with sharing some background as to how the letter was written and some of the themes in the book, I also decided we would only look at the greeting and thanksgiving portion of the letter.

Paul states that since the day he heard about the Colossians that he has not stopped praying for them (Col. 1:9a). One of the questions I asked the two that were there that evening was “Do you know of anyone who prays for you daily?” and the answer they both gave took my breath away they both said “You pray for us every day Paul.” It was a great moment! I knew in that moment that they knew I really cared about them. These are two that were still relatively young youth group members when I got here and two that had a good relationship with the previous youth minister (whom I also have a good relationship with) so I knew that when I got here three years ago that these two might be hard to win over.

As great as that moment it was it also served as a reminder to me to pray for the people I love every day. I need to work at it and get better at it, which is a pretty good definition of the Christian life in general. Today I will lave you with Paul’s word in Colossians and I hope they have the same effect on you that they had on me. I love you all!

Colossians 1:3-14
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[c] behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Change The World

2011-09-20T08:47:00.000-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you are all doing well this morning. I’m sorry to say that I faltered on my three times a week blogging last week. Part of the reason I faltered was that I thinking very intently about what I wanted to write. I hope the wait was worth it for all of you today.

In 1996 a movie came out called “A Time To Kill” which was based on the John Grisham novel of the same name. In the movie Matthew McConaughey plays a lawyer by the name of Jake Brigance who is charged with defending Samuel L. Jackson’s character Carl Lee Bailey who is accused of killing a man who raped his daughter. In the movie Donald Sutherland plays Jake’s mentor and friend Lucien Wilbanks, a lawyer who has been disbarred because of his behavior. In one of my favorite scenes in this movie Jake goes to visit Lucien for some advice on defending Carl Lee and Lucien reminds Jake of what he told him when he began training him as a lawyer by saying…

“I can not promise you riches. What I can offer you the chance to save the world one case at a time.”

I love this line because it shows the man’s passion for the law and for changing the world for the better. Believe it or not Donald Sutherland was reflecting Christ in his admonition to Jake. Jesus said it this way.

Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus was telling his disciples to change the world one soul at a time. In that admonition to his disciples he never promises them riches but he encourages them to go out and change the world. The admonition is the same for us today. When people ask me why I am a youth minister I tell them that I want the opportunity to save the world one teen at a time. People might think this is just Paul being overly optimistic but really when people are working with teenagers they are changing the world.

You might think that teenagers are not listening to you, and sometimes they may not be, but by simple virtue of the fact they are at an activity the world is different. When we have church camps in the summer the world is changed because these teenagers are being exposed to ideas they have never heard before and being challenged to live a life better than the status quo. The same can be said for adults to an extent. When an adult chooses to come to a worship service then their life is different, they may choose to ignore what they hear but by simply hearing what is said the world is a different place.

I challenge you to change the world today! Do what Jesus was telling his disciples to do and share his message with the world around you. I hope you are all blessed today. I know you have all blessed me.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Doing Something Good Without Realizing It

2011-09-14T08:37:00.000-05:00

Doing Something Good Without Realizing It

Good Morning Everyone,

When I was 17 years old my Mom who suffers with Multiple Sclerosis, my Dad and I all decided to make a trip out to the farm. Most of the time Mom lived a pretty normal life but on this particular trip to the farm Mom was recovering from an attack from her MS. My Dad was pulling our travel trailer up to the farm with the suburban and I was following my Dad in my pickup. We were driving through Houston during traffic, which was stressful enough, but to make matters worse, Dad was pulling a trailer and trying to look after Mom. So there we are on I-45 and I see my Dad put his blinker on to change lanes and no one was letting him over. I was a few car lengths behind and could get over easily so I got over and then made my way up to my Dad and blocked for him. When we got to where we were going my Dad took me aside and told me how proud he was of me for blocking traffic for him and that he was impressed because he knew that he had not taught me how to block. I didn’t realize I had done something good until my Dad told me and I have to say it was a good feeling.

This past Sunday evening after services we had a youth devotional at our home. One of our teens brought her little sister (4^th grader) and little brother (4 years old) with her to the devotional. All together we had 5 teens and 2 younger children as guests in our home. After the devotional we were going to eat and it was decided that the two younger children would eat with Emma in the dining room and the teens could eat wherever they chose to. I sat down in the dining room with Emma and the two younger children and before I knew it all of the teenagers were sitting in there with us. Emma and the two younger children were so excited that the “big kids” wanted to spend some time with them. The teenagers had done something really good without even realizing it and my heart was full.

Matthew 19:13-15

13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

My teenagers, without knowing it, were doing exactly what the disciples couldn’t do. My teenagers were living the example that Jesus set out for them in scripture. They didn’t make a big show of it, they didn’t do it because they had to, they did it because they wanted to and that’s exactly how we should be living our lives.

Sometimes you can do something good without even realizing it, but you can also do something bad without even realizing it too. Let’s make sure we are doing good things today and let’s make sure when we make mistakes to do our best to make them right. Thank you all for the blessing you are in my life. I hope these words have blessed you today.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

2011-09-12T09:34:00.002-05:00

Seeking Out The Good of Others-9/12/11

Good Morning,

Well I only posted twice last week but the week I made my commitment to post three times a week I actually posted four so my average is intact. Last night I preached a sermon on seeking out the good of others over your own needs, I won’t put the whole thing up but I will give you the gist of it.

When the school year began a few weeks ago I decided I wanted to do something to help our teens get through their day with an encouraging message. I decided that three times a week I would send a text message to the teens with an encouraging thought to help them get through the day. Parents you can be so proud of all your teenagers, they have all responded well to receiving these text messages and have been grateful for them. One of the scriptures I shared with the teens recently was 1 Corinthians 10:24 which says…

24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others-1 Corinthians 10:24

I really love this passage but it has been eating at me because I haven’t really been doing the best job of seeking out good for others lately. Here are three ways that I believe might be able to help us help other people.

1. Become active in your community-Acts 2:46-47

The early church was always extremely active in their community and they were blessed for it. If you don’t believe me just look.

Acts 2:46-47

46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

2. Care For Widows and Orphans-James 1:27

Another way we can seek out the good of others is to be aware that there are people in our world who are not as fortunate as we are. There are children out there who don’t have mothers and fathers, there are women out there whose husbands have died and they have no one to take care of them. As God’s people we have the opportunity to look after these people and help them live a better life.

James 1:27

27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

3. We Seek Out Those With Sin in Their Lives and Minister To Them-Luke 19:1-10

Probably the best thing we can do to meet the needs of someone else is to find people living in sin and minister to them. I think we hear this one and agree with it and then we just kind of forget about it. All of the community awareness and taking care of widows cannot take care of the sin problem in the lives of people. In order to help people with their sin problem then we must become involved in their lives just like Jesus did in Luke 19.

Luke 19:1-10

1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

It would have been so easy for Jesus to dismiss this sinful tax collector, some probably thought that he should have made an example of him to the people there, but that was not Jesus’ way. Instead Jesus went to the man’s house and that impacted him so much that he changed his ways. Imagine what would happen if showed Jesus to the people you are around on a daily basis through your example and through his word? Not every case would be a Zacchaeus but I believe if you shared Jesus enough times with enough people that you would eventually find someone to respond to the Gospel message.

Think about how you can help someone today. You hace all helped me and blessed me by being my friends.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Mission Field Memories

2011-09-07T08:21:00.000-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

As I sat at my desk this morning enjoying my Diet Dr. Pepper (I know, I know but something had to give) and enjoying a snack I was trying to think of what scripture to share with my teens via text message when I came across this one.

Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. 1 Corinthians 10:24

What a great charge from our brother Paul!! I immediately sent this as a text to my teens with the instructions to lift up Jesus to someone today. As I was texting this message to my teens I was reminded of my own teenage years and the brief weeks I spent on the mission field.

When I was 16 years old I went on my first mission trip to the small Caribbean island of Dominica. My days were spent walking up and down the hills, knocking doors, helping with VBS and sharing the Gospel message with anyone who would listen. At the end of every day our group would get together and share our experiences from the day. It wasn’t too many days into the trip when we all started using the phrase “lift up Jesus” as our battle cry.

It has been thirteen years since that first mission field experience and so many things have changed. I went to college, I began in ministry, I got married, and I even became a father. In those years I have seen and done a lot of things but I always seem to come back to those early days learning lessons on the mission field.

Today I challenge you to lift up Jesus to those around you. Don’t wait to go on a mission trip because, whether you realize it or not, you are on a mission trip every time you leave your home. I hope all of you are blessed today by these words. Thank you all for blessing me.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Emma Turns One

2011-09-06T10:39:00.002-05:00

Emma Turns One
Good Morning Everyone,

Yesterday we reached a milestone in the life of our little girl Emma as she turned one. I can hardly believe that a year ago I hadn’t even met this wonderful and sweet little girl. I can’t believe how much my life has changed in this very short year. I love being a father and I love learning more and more about this sweet little girl we call Emma every day.

As I think back over Emma’s first year of life there are many moments that stand out but the one that I always come back to happened in Texas Children’s Hospital. Emma had a small heart condition that they had to take care of that required her to be sedated. After what seemed like an eternity the doctors finally allowed us to go back and see Emma in recovery. April and all the grandparents went back to see Emma but she just didn’t want to wake up which was completely normal. I finally got back to see my little girl and I started talking to her and that’s when she started to wake up, when she heard her Daddy talking to her, and in that moment I really started to understand that this little girl is my whole world. When no one else could get her to wake up and stir her Daddy’s voice brought her around. In that moment I thanked God for the responsibility that he had blessed me with and I hoped that I would never have to be in recovery with my little girl again.

The rest of the story is that Emma is now perfectly healthy and has even started walking in the past few days. This year has been an adventure and I look forward to many, manymore. I love you pumpkin and I hope that you will always listen to your Daddy’s voice.

Love,

Daddy

Nobody Enjoys Change

2011-09-02T09:14:00.001-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Have you ever noticed that people in general do not enjoy change? I noticed this in a big way when I took my little girl for a ride in the car yesterday. I picked up Emma from our babysitter’s house yesterday like I do every day except instead of going home we went to the airport to pick up my Mother-in-law, her husband and my grandmother-in-law. Emma loves her family from Minnesota but because she had not seen them in awhile and since we were deviating from our normal routine Emma had a meltdown on the way home. I don’t use the term meltdown loosely here, she lost it, there were tears and cries and I’m pretty sure she threw a pacifier at some point.

I am always impressed at what we can learn from children about the human condition. Emma demonstrated what most of us feel when it comes to change. We would all like to throw a fit from time to time but we can’t because we are adults and that is not acceptable. As most of you know I work with teenagers, and one thing I’ve learned is, change is a way of life for them. Their bodies are changing; they are constantly being exposed to new ideas at school that cause change, and their interests change almost as often as they change their socks. The Bible has this to say about change and about the God we serve…

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.-James 1:17

In our ever-changing world it is important to remember that we serve a never-changing God. Our lives are turbulent and unstable but we serve a God that understands that and offers us stability. I like stability and I believe that we can all use a little more in our lives. Won’t you accept the stability that God offers? I hope you are all blessed by these words today. Thank you for blessing me.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Tips for Ending a Disagreement

2011-08-31T21:23:00.000-05:00

Good Evening Everyone,

The past few weeks we have been studying out of the book of Philippians on Wednesday night in our teen Bible class here in Pearland. Tonight we began Chapter 4 and as I was preparing I realized that the Apostle was teaching us how to end a disagreement.

Philippians 4
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.

I don’t know who these two ladies are, I don’t know if they were related and I don’t know what they were arguing about but it must have been pretty bad. Paul is writing this in chains and he takes time to address these two ladies so I guess it must have been more than a small disagreement. The ingenious thing that Paul (directed by the Holy Spirit) did was to teach all of us how to deal with a disagreement.

Philippians 4:4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

It is pretty difficult to be mad at someone if you are living your life rejoicing in the Lord. It is even more difficult if you are rejoicing along side the person who you might disagree with.

Philippians 4:5-7
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

To the non-believer your gentleness might be the only gentleness they see. When you are living a gentle life then it is difficult to get into arguments and you will not be as anxious of a person. I don’t listen or do this one very well. I’m a pretty anxious person but I am working on it.

Philippians 4:8-9
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

If you are focusing on these things then getting into an argument will be increasingly difficult. Paul knew what it meant to live in peace with everyone and he has shared most of what we need to know about getting along in these 5 verses. The challenge for us is to apply this to our lives and make a concentrated effort to live like God wants us to. I believe you can do it if you are faithful to our faithful God.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Benin West Africa

2011-08-29T22:11:00.001-05:00

Good Evening Everyone,

Tonight I spent several hours listening to a man named George Akpabli. George is a preacher in Benin West Africa, but more than that, George is equipping men to preach the Gospel. George is one of the missionaries we support here in Pearland and tonight was the first time I had really had the opportunity to sit and visit with him.

As I sat and listened to George talk about what these men have to go through just to be able to preach the Gospel I became very aware of how blessed I really am. These men study for three years to receive their training. In the time they are studying they leave their families and live onsite at the school in Benin. After three years of being away from their families they then go out to preach the Gospel with no promise of any support financially. Thanks to the school in Benin they learn some farming skills and many of them raise a crop to help support themselves. These men will never preach in a congregation with a nice building, most of them are lucky to have a roof over their heads, and their support will more than likely always be dependent on what they can do but these men are happy.

I think about all of this as I sit in my air-conditioned office situated in our comfortable building. I know that I will not have to go out and work in a garden so I can feed my family, in fact, I don’t even have to go to the bank thanks to the blessing of direct deposit and yet I still find ways to complain. I was humbled tonight and I hope that I can learn to be happy with what I have and be thankful for all of God’s blessings. I hope that you may read this and examine how you look at life. Maybe we could all use a little time in the garden.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Blog Roundup

2011-08-25T11:37:00.001-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

One thing that has really encouraged me to begin blogging more is that I tend to read a lot of blogs. When I say a lot I mean a lot, to be more specific, I am currently subscribed to 78 different blogs. Some of them post more than others, some of them are deeper than others but all in all I read them because they encourage me in some way. Today I am going to share with you four blogs that I really enjoy. Let me add this disclaimer; if you are a friend of mine who blogs and yours isn’t on here please do not get offended. Like I said I subscribe to 78 blogs so someone is going to have to get left out. That being said, let’s press on.

#1 Mcakenzie’s Meandering-Robbie Mackenzie is the youth minister at the Main Street Church of Christ in Springfield Tennessee. Robbie is extremely engaging and is not afraid to tackle tough subjects in Christianity as well as youth ministry. Robbie also hosts a vlog that never disappoints. Keep up the good work Robbie!

#2 A Place For The God Hungry-Jim Martin is the preaching minister for the Crestview Church of Christ in Waco Texas. Jim’s writing is easy to read but never ceases to challenge. If you are looking for a better understanding of Christian living then I would have no trouble recommending this blog for you.

#3 The Kingdom, The Kids & The Cowboys-Alan Stanglin is the preaching minister for the Central Church of Christ in Amarillo Texas. Alan most recently was the pulpit minister at the Legacy Church of Christ in the Dallas area but he has had an interesting and varied career in and out of ministry. Alan is a wonderful equipper and encourager. If you are looking for someone to help you live a stronger Christian life and be a better minister then Alan is your man!

#4 Marathon Bird-Holly Shaw has been a good friend of mine for longer than either one of us probably want to admit. Holly is a wonderful Christian woman, wife, mother and servant of the Kingdom. Holly is also an excellent student of the human condition and shows us what life looks like through her eyes. Many of Holly’s writings focus on her life as a parent and as a woman. As a new parent I find Holly’s insight of great value and I think you will too. Thanks Holly for doing such a great job!

Well there are four blogs that will bless you if you give them a read. Thanks to all of you bloggers and readers out there. I would love to hear what all of you are reading blog wise so feel free to drop me a line. I hope this blog blesses all of you today as much as all of you bless me.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Did You Hear There Was an Earthquake Yesterday?

2011-08-24T11:45:00.000-05:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,
I think the title says it all. I grew up in South Texas so earthquakes are not a phenomenon I am all that familiar with. I have lived through one before. My sophomore year at Harding I felt an earthquake, I didn’t realize it until chapel the next day, I honestly thought my neighbor just had his stereo up really loud. Watching the news yesterday I was struck by what God can do through earthquakes and other acts of nature. It made me think about one of my favorite stories from 1 Kings.

1 Kings 19:9-18New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15 The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

I love this story because it shows that God can reveal himself in any way that he chooses. Elijah was expecting to see God in some grand display but at the end of the day God came to Elijah in a gentle whisper.

As I see it there are two things to consider. First, God is not going to grab you by the scruff of the neck and make face to face contact with you in some grand display. God has already given us a grand display in the life, death and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ. Second, we should always recognize God in all aspects of life. I applaud Elijah for looking for God in all of the displays of nature.

Where do you see God? I would love to hear where he reveals himself to you. I hope you are all blessed by these words today. Thank you all for blessing me.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

School Year Goals

2011-08-23T07:39:00.001-05:00

School Year Goals

Good Morning Everyone,

If you count my interning years then I am coming up on my tenth year in ministry. I have learned many things in these ten years but the one thing that stands out the most is this. When you are in youth ministry you begin to look at a year differently. For the average person the New Year begins on January 1^st but for a youth minister you really think of years in terms of school years. So if one is to follow this line of reasoning then the first day of a year in the life of a youth minister is the first day of school, which for me, was yesterday.

I’m not a New Year’s resolution type of guy because I never seem to follow through on them but I do find goal setting an effective way of gauging progress. Today I want to share with you some personal goals that I have for this new school year. These

are not ministry goals per say (we will save those for another blog) but they are goals for my personal life and therefore will have some effect on my ministry. So without further a due here they are!

#1 Better Personal Bible Study-As a minister you are constantly in the word preparing for the next Bible class, sermon, or tracking down the answer to the question someone has asked you, but sometimes that gets in the way of a real study. To accomplish this goal I am reading the Bible in chronological order. I will probably have some thoughts to share with you from this study at some point.

#2 Write at least 3 blog posts per week-My good friend Ryan Parsons is a social media guru. The man is more plugged in that anyone I know and he does all of these different social media outlets to help further the cause of Christ. I have this great venue to share things about God and ministry but I don’t use it nearly enough. To that end I am going to attempt three blog posts a week. (This makes number two for this week. But who’s couting J)

#3 Write at least 3 encouraging texts to my teens per week-One of the teenagers from the last place I worked began sending out encouraging text messages to his youth group. Like any good minister I plan on stealing this idea. Some days it may be a scripture to think about, some days it may be an encouraging word, and who knows, maybe I will even tell a joke or two. Our teens live in a digital world and we need to cash in on that.

#4 Lead/Participate in a small group Bible study-It is my hope to begin studying with some friends of ours with some material I have written. I will let you know how it goes

#5 Reading/Listening to ministry resources-There are so many good books, blogs, vlogs, podcasts and other resources dedicated to ministry right now. As a minister it is not very often that I get to sit in on a Bible class so I am hoping to build myself up by being fed by others.

Well there you have my five goals for the new school year. The only thing keeping me from accomplishing all of these is myself. God is faithful and I believe he will help me to accomplish these things if I devote my life more and more to him each day.

How about you? What goals are you working on right now? I would love to hear about what you are doing and help you in any way that I can. I hope you are all as blessed by me today as I am by all of you.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Back To School

2011-08-22T10:26:00.001-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Today is that day that you always dreaded as child, the first day back to school. For me this day was always a pretty dreadful experience. I loved summers growing up in Texas. Whether it was going to church camp, area wide devotionals, or spending time on the family cattle ranch I loved every aspect of summer. The first day of school always loomed like a dark cloud on the horizon of my life. The first day of school meant getting up early and not staying up late hanging out with my friends, it meant that I had homework, it meant I had to take tests and it also meant my spirituality was going to be challenged.

The last aspect of my spirituality being challenged was one that I was always aware of, but now that I look back I realize that more often than not I failed. I listened to and told jokes that I shouldn't have been a part of, I gossiped, I made fun of people and in general didn't give much regard to my spiritual appearance. I think it is this part of my spiritual journey that lead me to ministry, specifically, youth ministry.

In my works with teens I see that not really much has changed in schools. Our youth group summers are great! Every Monday night we have a big group of kids that make it out to the area wides, our camps and Bible classes are well attended and the overall spiritual health of the teens is great. Then the first day of school roles around and my teenagers, my babies, are thrown back into a world that could care less about spirituality. So today I want to leave all of you with a few scriptures to help you and help your teens live a spiritual life in an unspiritual world.

1 Corinthians 15:33
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

1 Peter 5:8
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Deuteronomy 31:6
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God's will help you and your teenagers navigate the unspiritual world of Junior High and High School. As always I offer myself as a resource. I hope I have blessed all of you today as much as all of you have blessed me.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Anchor Points

2011-08-05T20:42:00.002-05:00

Good Evening Everyone,

I know I usually try to write articles on this blog that are purely religious in nature but tonight I thought I would try something a little different. While there will be a religious spin on this article my hope is to , as my good friend Troy Albers would say, wax philosophical. So that being said sit back and enjoy.

When I was in the 11th grade I was offered a position singing with the chamber choir at my high school. To say I was thrilled would be an understatement! I spent the next two years learning how to sing and making a lot of friendships. I think back on this and at that time of my life it was a turning point. Learning to sing in an ensemble teaches you a lot about what life is all about. You learn all about teamwork, camaraderie, and relying on the people you work with.

While joining the chamber choir was a turning point in my life as a junior in high school it now serves as an anchor point in my life. I believe we all have these anchor points in our lives that help make us the people we are today. These anchor points take different forms for different people. For some people it might be a place, or a sight or even a smell. For me the anchor point of my chamber choir experience is in the form of the song "That Lonesome Road" by James Taylor. This was the first song we learned in our group and the words have always stuck with me. Take a look and see for yourself what they say.

"That Lonesome Road" by James Taylor

Walk down that lonesome road all by yourself
Don't turn your head back over your shoulder
And only stop to rest yourself when the silver moon
Is shining high above the trees

If I had stopped to listen once or twice
If I had closed my mouth and opened my eyes
If I had cooled my head and warmed my heart
I'd not be on this road tonight
Carry on
Never mind feeling sorry for yourself
It doesn't save you from your troubled mind
Walk down that lonesome road all by yourself
Don't turn your head back over your shoulder
And only stop to rest yourself when the silver moon

Is shining high above the trees

Like I said, I love this song, I often times find myself humming or singing this song to myself. The song serves as a reminder of what your life can be like if you don't slow down and think about your actions and that ultimately you may find yourself walking down a lonesome road if you don't.

This song anchors me because I know I don't have to walk down a lonesome road. I have a heavenly father that never leaves my side. I have a family that loves and cares about me and eleven months ago today we added our little Emma to our walk down life's road.

I don't know what your anchor points are in your life but I hope that you're not making decisions that will force you to walk down a lonesome road all by yourself. What are your anchor points? I'd love to hear what helps keep you grounded and what helps to make you the person you are today. I hope you are blessed today.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

p.s. Here is a really cool video of James Taylor singing this song I hope you enjoy it

Godly Friendship

2011-08-03T16:29:00.003-05:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,

This is a sermon I preached this past Sunday on the topic of Godly Friendship taken from 1 Samuel 20. I hope you all enjoy this and get something out of it.-Paul

Godly Friendship from Paul Cartwright on Vimeo.

When I Grow Up I Want To Be

2011-07-27T13:43:00.003-05:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Two posts in one day!!! No one was as surprised as me. Here is a sermon I preached this past Sunday evening I hope you all enjoy-Paul

When I Grow Up I Want To Be from Paul Cartwright on Vimeo.

Have You Told Someone Today?

2011-07-27T10:10:00.003-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

It would have been difficult in the last week to turn on your television, radio or computer and not hear about the death of the singer Amy Winehouse. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most of the people reading this article were not fans of this singer, in fact, I will go even further and say that a good number of you had probably never even heard of this singer until her passing. While I could never be considered a fan of Amy Winehouse I can say with no reservation that she was extremely talented and gifted with a soulful voice, a voice that will never sing again. The talent of Amy Winehouse was always overshadowed by her antics on and off the stage. She was a known substance abuser and her personal life choices were shameful to say the least, these personal life decisions in many ways defined her much more than her talent did. I look at the life of Amy Winehouse and it seems that she leaves behind more questions than answers. Here is my question regarding the life of Amy Winehouse. Did anyone ever share the gospel with her?

I have researched this singer’s life and the only reference I can find to religion is the fact that she born into a Jewish family. Amy Winehouse is just the latest example of someone who lived a very high profile life and died at a young age without the benefit of knowing the saving grace of Jesus Christ. What’s even more alarming is that Amy Winehouse is far from unique in this regard. We come into contact every day with people who have not had the Gospel shared with them, and because of that fact, these people have no chance at salvation.

We all have our “reasons” for not sharing our faith with people we meet. We are afraid we might offend someone with the Gospel, we claim that we don’t have enough time to do a good job of sharing the Gospel or maybe we even think that these people are living such sinful lives that they are beyond reaching. All of these “reasons” would be more accurately referred to as excuses. The Gospels help us understand what it means to make someone’s needs. Matthew 25:34-40 is a prime example of this.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’- Matthew 25:34-40

I’m not going give Amy Winehouse any space on my Ipod or watch her funeral on Television, but, her untimely death will serve as a reminder to me to not pass up an opportunity to share my faith when it presents itself. How about you? What are you going to do when the next opportunity presents itself to share your faith? I hope this high profile death will serve as a reminder of our responsibility as Christians.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Sunday Night Sermon Take 2

2011-05-26T10:08:00.005-05:00

Hey Everyone,

I have heard that some folks are having trouble hearing with the sermon I posted. Here is the audio file and it is much clearer.

Thanks Paul

Sunday Evening's Sermon

2011-05-25T14:54:00.002-05:00

Here is a sermon I preached on Sunday eveing I hope you enjoy

3 Prerequisites For Life from Paul Cartwright on Vimeo.

Sometime being buys accomplishes nothing

2011-05-24T22:24:00.002-05:00

Good Evening,

Have you ever had one of those days where you were busy all day long but you accomplished absolutely nothing? I had one of those days today. I went to my office and worked and did things that I thought needed to be done. I came home and put out a few little fires that needed tending to. I even managed to fix supper for the family, and it all felt so empty. While days like this bother me they also help me to see God more clearly...let me explain that one.

Yes I felt like I got very little accomplished in my office today because I was working on tasks that seemed to only be busy work ,and frustrating busy work at that, but in the middle of that I got to read something that made me smile. A sweet sister in Christ sent me a note with a suggestion on how to help my boys in the youth group excel at leading public worship. More than that she ended her note by telling me how much she appreciated the work I do. WOW!!!

After putting out those little fires while at home I felt drained only to have an amazing conversation with an old college roommate of mine who is also in ministry. He had a day today where he felt very busy but felt he accomplished nothing too. WOW!!!

Someone once said you can't appreciate the sunshine without the rain and today I learned a little bit more about how to appreciate the sunshine. Are you busy? Do you feel that your efforts aren't accomplishing anything? Join the club. But also remember that someone is benefiting from whatever it is that you are doing, the trick is to figure out who those people are and hold them close to you. I hope you are all as blessed today as much as all of you bless me.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

The Eggstra Special Event

2011-04-09T21:48:00.006-05:00

Good Evening Everyone.

We were really blessed today by Chris and Susan Peters. They hosted the Eggstra Special Event which included an egg hunt and dying party. I made a slideshow of the event I hope you enjoy. Thanks Chris and Susan for all you do.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Which Nicodemus Are You Most Like?

2011-04-06T10:32:00.002-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

So I looked at the calendar this morning just to make sure it was in fact the month of April and sure enough it is, the only problem is that it was 46 degrees this morning. I don't know about you but that seems a bit cool for the month of April in South Texas.

I want to thank everyone for the nice comments you left of on the series of posts on the book of Proverbs. It was an amazing journey for me and I really enjoyed helping to lead all of you through that amazing book of God's word. I'm not really sure where I want to go next. I enjoyed a daily post on a chapter from a book of the Bible but not all books lend themselves as well as Proverbs does. So until I decide where I want to go next I just want to give you something to chew on today.

Nicodemus is an interesting character in the Gospels. People like to use Nicodemus as a whipping boy for the purposes of feeling superior in their own faith. We look at what we have done as Christians and compare that to the life of Nicodemus and think "hey, I'm doing alright". This is a dangerous way to live your Christian life (a whole other post) and if you choose to look at the story of Nicodemus in its entirety you would see it is also an invalid way of looking at his life. Let's take a look.

John 3:1-4 ¹ Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”³ In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”⁴ “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”

Nicodemus was at the right place, at the wrong time but for the wrong reasons...let me explain. Nicodemus was at the right place, with Jesus, a place where I believe we all wish we could be. Nicodemus was at the right place at the wrong time, night. Why would Nicodemus go to Jesus at night? There are a lot of people who have tried to answer this question but the best I can see is that he went to him at night because he didn't want to be seen. The Gospel of John is full of light and dark imagery and every time dark is the negative of the two. So, Nicodemus was in the right place (with Jesus), at the wrong time (night), and for the wrong reasons. Obviously Nicodemus knew he couldn't physically enter his mother's womb a second time so what he was trying to do was trip Jesus up on something.

This is usually where people quit reading the story because they say things like, "Sure I may have cheated on my taxes but I would never try to trick Jesus.",the whole time feeling oh so superior when in reality I know a lot of Christians (myself included) that from time to time act like Nicodemus. I see Christians who come to the right place (amongst God's people in worship or in congregational activities) and they may even be there at the right time but they are there for the wrong reasons. Maybe they are there because they feel the need to check "church" off the list for the week, or maybe they are there solely for the social aspect or maybe because they have nothing better to do. Whatever the incorrect reason for being in the right place at the right time the fact of the matter is you're not that much different that Nicodemus...at least the Nicodemus on John 3. When was the last time you looked at Nicodemus in John 19?

John 19:38-42⁸ Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. ³⁹ He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. ⁴⁰ Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. ⁴¹ At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴² Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

This is the same guy that was trying to trip up Jesus back in Chapter 3. I was talking about this with one of my ministry buddies and he asked a good question. What happened between John 3 and John 19? I don't have an all inclusive answer for you because those facts are not revealed to us in Scripture, but, what I do have is a simple answer of redemption. Something along the way made Nicodemus believe in Jesus enough that he would openly go and ask for the body and make a huge financial commitment is providing the spices for burial.

Some people look at Nicodemus and see a coward that was trying to test Jesus. I look at the story of Nicodemus and I see myself, a flawed individual that has been blessed to come into contact with Jesus Christ, and I see a great story of redemption. I hope that when I come to the end of my life that I look like Nicodemus in John 19 and not like the one in John 3. What are you doing to make sure that you are more like the Nicodemus in John 19? I would love to hear some good ways to look more like that Nicodemus so let me know. I hope you are all blessed today because I am blessed for knowing all of you.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

End Of The Road

2011-04-04T21:21:00.002-05:00

Good Evening Everyone,

Well I didn't forget about our Proverbs journey, I just got a little sidetracked. More than anything I have been working on a funeral I have been asked to preach tomorrow, and I will admit I have been taking advantage of this wonderful weather and doing a little yard work. Let's finish the journey.

Proverbs 25

Proverbs 25:15

¹⁵ Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

I remember when Pap-paw was in the hospital I decided to get into a battle of whits with another visitor. Pap-paw was sick and didn't feel well but he took the time to teach me that by keeping my mouth shut I would come out ahead. While it's a little different than what is being said here I think the principle applies.

Proverbs 25:21-22

²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
²² In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.
I am reminded of two friends I had in college that had been friends since High School. These two guys went to a small Christian school where everyone knew everyone else. One of these guys didn't particularly like the other at first. The guy who wasn't liked made it his mission to become friends with the other guy. I believe he lived out the passage I have referenced here. As Christians we don't have the option of treating some people better than others, let's try to be good to everyone.

Proverbs 26
Proverbs 26:18-19
¹⁸ Like a madman shooting
firebrands or deadly arrows
¹⁹ is a man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”

I work with teenagers therefore I hear a lot of jokes at other people's expense. I am even guilty of making a few of the jokes myself from time to time. I hope that we are the kind of people who would rather build someone up rather than tear them down.

Proverbs 27

Proverbs 27:5
⁵ Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.

I mentioned that I am preaching a funeral tomorrow. Right now there is a family that will never be able to tell their loved one that they love him ever again. Make sure that you are taking every opportunity to tell the people that are closest to you how you really feel about them.

Proverbs 27:17
¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another.
This should be the anthem of Christians. we need to spend our times building each other up all of the time. This doesn't mean that we only build one another up in services or when we go to camps and retreats but all the time without ceasing.
Proverbs 28
Proverbs 28:22

²² A stingy man is eager to get rich
and is unaware that poverty awaits him.
I was privileged to know a man named Willie Sandlin. Willie was a minister in Northeast Arkansas and made a huge difference in the life of teenagers and adults alike. Willie was one of the most generous men I have ever known. Willie was known for loaning his vehicle to total strangers because they needed it, giving the last dollar in his billfold to someone who was in need or just taking time our his day to talk. All of this might not sound all that remarkable but it might if you knew that Willie lived most of his life in extremely poor health. Willie had a number of ailments that had never been seen before. There are surgical procedures that exist today because of Willie, and even when he didn't have money to pay his medical bills he still found ways to help others. When I grow up I want to be like Willie.
Proverbs 29
Proverbs 29:27
²⁷ The righteous detest the dishonest;
the wicked detest the upright.
I can't really add much to this, it's a good thought and one very appropriate to our times.
Proverbs 30
Proverbs 30:24-25
⁴ “Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
²⁵ Ants are creatures of little strength,
yet they store up their food in the summer
As I was working in my yard the other day I found lots and lots of ant hills. This passage really made me think about the ants in my yard. They are tiny creatures but when a lot of them work together they can build these large hills. When you look at your average person he or she is pretty small but when you put a lot of us together we can do some amazing things. Next time you think you don't make a difference go take a look in your yard and see if you see so ant piles.
Proverbs 31
I'm not going to try to select a few verses from Proverbs 31because this is the chapter used at both of my Grandmother's funerals. I encourage those of you men who are unmarried to read this chapter and then go find a lady who lives up to these standards.
I have enjoyed this journey more than I can tell you. I hope you have enjoyed the journey and more than that I hope you keep on reading your Bible every day.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Still on the Journey

2011-03-29T18:11:00.002-05:00

Good Evening Everyone,

I'm still on the Proverbs journey and I plan on catching up tomorrow. Until then here is a sermon I preached Sunday evening you can view it by clicking on the word sermon above or watch below.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Untitled from Paul Cartwright on Vimeo.

Proverbs 23 and 24

2011-03-24T11:08:00.003-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Yesterday was a great day in Pearland!!! A very special thanks goes to Debbie Brown for helping organize our first activity for a group at our congregation we are calling the Littles. The Littles are the children of the congregation who are not in school yet but are old enough to begin doing some fun things with their parents. We had four of the coolest young guys I know here in Pearland come to Chuck-E-Cheese yesterday to have a lot of fun playing games and eating pizza.

Because of all of this fun I had yesterday I forgot to blog. Today we are going to look at Proverbs chapters 23 and 24. Our journey is coming to an end but not slowing down one bit.

Proverbs 23

Proverbs 23:4-5

⁴ Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
have the wisdom to show restraint.
⁵ Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

My Dad told me a long time ago that I would never get rich preaching and he was right...well at least mostly right. I certainly don't have great physical wealth but I am rich in experience and friendship. I have watched men strive and strive to gain material wealth only to see it all go away because they never had enough. Let's make sure we are listening to the words of King Solomon and learning what really matters in life.

Proverbs 24

Proverbs 24:17-18

¹⁷ Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,
¹⁸ or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from him.

We love to see people fail, especially if we deem that they have done something wrong. We read the newspapers looking to see who has been indicted, we laugh out loud when we hear new stories about the CEO who gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar and we have to try to maintain control of the vehicle when the celebrity gossip comes on the radio. The reason I say we is because I must confess I do enjoy seeing people fail from time to time. We are better than this. We serve a God who demands that we live a life above all of this. Please join me in living a better life when it comes to how we deal with failures of others.

Proverbs 24:27

²⁷ Finish your outdoor work
and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house.

This verse is special for me today because I am planning on doing some yard work today. For those of you that know me you know that I hate yard work. When we moved here nearly four years ago we began looking at houses. We saw lots of places but the one that April and I loved came with a big yard. I am committed to doing a better job of keeping my yard up this year. They say God works in mysterious ways and today I was able to read this passage from his Word that makes me want to do some yard work.

Keep on enjoying this journey and don't lose your momentum.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Proverbs 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22

2011-03-22T13:21:00.002-05:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Once again I have gotten behind but I really do have a good reason. The internet at the house isn't currently working and I haven't had the ability to blog lately. We had a really good weekend here in Pearland and lots of good things are happening here. I hope you are all still enjoying the journey we taking through Proverbs.

Proverbs 18

Proverbs 18:5

⁵ It is not good to be partial to the wicked

or to deprive the innocent of justice.

A great deal of the world's problems can be attributed to people showing partiality towards people who are dishonest. Politicians take pay offs, people take bribe money and even in our schools sometimes people are favored because of their last name. As God's people we cannot show partiality to people because that is not the example God set for us. God sent his Son and allowed him to live a life as a human and have his life taken away and by doing so he did not show partiality.

Proverbs 18:10

¹⁰ The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.

From time to time we all need someplace safe to go. When you are a child it is into the arms of your parents, as you get a little older hopefully it is into the arms of your spouse but even with these safety nets there are still times when you need someplace to go. I can think of no safer place to run to than the arms of God when life is confusing or you are in trouble. The best ways I know to run to God are to immerse yourself into his Word and speak with him daily in prayer.

Proverbs 18:13

¹³ He who answers before listening—
that is his folly and his shame.

I like to talk. I think anyone who knows me knows that I have the gift of gab and that I enjoy good stimulating conversation. My Dad always reminded me that God gave me two ears and one mouth so I should listen more and speak less. There is a lot of wisdom in those words and this Proverbs just reaffirms to me that I need to make sure I am listening more and talking less.

Proverbs 19

Proverbs 19:2

² It is not good to have zeal without knowledge,
nor to be hasty and miss the way.

In my youth I was blessed with some talents and I enjoyed using them. I was zealous and sometimes that was a good thing but sometimes it wasn't. I am thankful to all of those people who help me learn the right time to be zealous and when to back off and allow others to serve. These lessons were not easily learned but I am grateful they were learned. I would encourage you to the kind of person to mentor to zealous young men and women and help them learn how to serve the Lord to the best of their ability.

Proverbs 19:23

²³ The fear of the LORD leads to life:
Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

I've seen Sean Hannity in concert three times now and I have enjoyed him every time. One thing Sean Hannity shares with his audiences on his radio show and in his live performances is that you don't have to worry about the speeding ticket if you are not speeding. If we are living lives that are in keeping with God's will then we will be untouched by trouble.

Proverbs 20

Proverbs 20:4

⁴ A sluggard does not plow in season;

so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

I shared this passage with a group of young men in the youth group the other night. When I was a senior in High School I had a project over the book "The Grapes of Wrath". I had all semester to do it and I put it off until the weekend before it was due. My whole family pitched in and helped with this project and I eventually got it done. I was acting like a sluggard and my whole family had to pay for it. I would encourage all of us to make sure we are being productive and working for everything as if working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23).

Proverbs 21

Proverbs 21:9

⁹ Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

This is one of those passages that some ministers would use to make fun of their wives, I'm not one of those kinds of ministers. I am richly and eternally blessed that I live in my home with my wife who supports me and makes sure that I am taken care of in every way. To the men out there that like to poke fun at the expense of their wives I say that you need to take a good hard look at what all they do for you and consider how you talk about them.

Proverbs 22

Proverbs 22:6

⁶ Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Any time I study Proverbs I like to point out that this verse is not a guarantee. There have been many a good Christian man and woman who have taught their children from God's word, lived a good example for their children and prayed over them at night as they slept jut to have those very children live a life in open rebellion to the Lord. What this passage is saying is that by training your child in the ways of The Lord they will at least know what to do and will be able to make that decision when the time comes. The decision of following God or not following God is one that we all have to make for ourselves. In one of God's greatest expressions of love he chose to give us free will in whether or not we choose to love him. Wouldn't you want to do your best to ensure that your children have the best opportunity possible to grow up and serve the Lord?

Proverbs 22:17

¹⁷ Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach

I end with this passage today to remind you of the reason we are on this journey in the first place. If we are not paying attention to the wisdom found in this book then what is the point of studying? There are only nine chapters left I encourage you to remain steadfast on this journey with God and with me.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Proverbs 17

2011-03-17T09:45:00.002-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Happy St. Patricks day everyone!!! While I don't necessarily understand or celebrate St. Patricks Day I did always enjoy pinching people for not wearing green. I want to say a very special thank you to Chris Peters for giving us a wonderful devotional thought last night he always does a great job of making us think. Let's take a look at Proverbs 17.

Proverbs 17

Proverbs 17:4

⁴ A wicked man listens to evil lips;
a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue.

It seems that a lot of the time we place a lot of blame on people who are gossipers and who stir up trouble and rightly so. What we don't do a lot of is talk about the listeners. Did you ever stop to think that people wouldn't say things to stir up trouble if people wouldn't listen? Let's try to be people who don't say things to stir up trouble and let's make sure that we aren't listening to people trying to stir up trouble.

Proverbs 17:6

⁶ Children’s children are a crown to the aged,

and parents are the pride of their children.

My parents have six grandchildren who all happen to be granddaughters. To say that they are proud of these six beautiful little girls would be a huge understatement. Most Wednesdays my Mom comes over and stays with Emma and it is an absolute joy to see her face light up when she sees Emma. I chose to speak about this verse to show you how wise Solomon really was. Even so long ago he knew that grandchildren would bring joy to their grandparents.

Proverbs 17:22

²² A cheerful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

I've sat at the bedside of people drawing their last few breaths and left the room feeling uplifted because they had cheerful hearts. I always try to tell people to not allow situations to define them but for them to define the situation. That may sound confusing but here is what it means. In your life you are going to face many challenging situations if you make the decision that you are always going to glorify God and have a cheerful heart then those situations will not define you, rather, you will define the situation by your attitude. Let's choose today to define the situations. Enjoy the journey.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Proverbs 16

2011-03-16T10:33:00.002-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

In my resolve to not fall behind on my Proverbs journey I am bringing you Chapter 16 this morning. I hope you all have a great and blessed Wednesday.

Proverbs 16

Proverbs 16:2

² All a person’s ways seem pure to them,

but motives are weighed by the LORD.

When I was in high school it was a popular thing to wear the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelets as a sign of your faith, or at least as a sign you were trying to fit in. I reference this with this passage because it seems to me a lot of people I knew wearing these bracelets wore them to look "pure" to the world. You might think that sounds judgmental but a lot of these people were out on the weekends partying and drinking and the reason I know that is because they were always telling me about these exploits while wearing their WWJD bracelets. We still wear our WWJD bracelets in the forms of fake smiles and handshakes when we see people we have issues with. Let's take off the bracelets and start living like God is judging our motives, because he is.

Proverbs 16:6
⁶ Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the LORD evil is avoided.

I love reading scripture and finding that it echoes another part of the Bible. I think this passage sounds a lot to me like John 3:16
John 3:16
¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

God sending his son equals atonement and I , for one, am glad that God saw fit to give us atonement.

Proverbs 16:18
¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.

Think about any time in your life when you have failed at something. Maybe it was a class in school, maybe it was a business venture or maybe it was a relationship. Anytime you have failed there was probably some aspect of pride that caused it. Maybe you thought you were too smart to study, or you thought your business savvy was so superior that you didn't need to heed the advice of others and maybe you thought you were such a great person that could carry both sides of the relationship. Whatever the case may be pride generally helps you make the worst out of the best situations.

Proverbs 16:31
³¹ Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained in the way of righteousness.

This one is just kind of funny and I will tell you why. I was combing my hair the other day and I noticed something...a few gray hairs. I'm 29 years old and I am already finding gray hair. April tells me it makes me look distinguished but I feel like it makes me look old. This passage does make me feel a little better about my gray hairs. Keep on enjoying the journey.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Proverbs 11,12,13,14 and 15

2011-03-15T22:26:00.002-05:00

Good Evening Everyone,

Busy, busy, busy that describes my life the past few days. I won't bore you with all of the details but needless to say I haven't been able to blog like I would want to over the past few days. If I can say anything about the past few days I would like to thank the fellow ministers in the area I work with. The men in this area are committed to living out the Godly example presented in Scripture and I am proud to work with them. Well we've got some catch up to do so let's get to work.

Proverbs 11

Proverbs 11:3

³ The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity

Integrity is a commodity in this day and time. Long gone are the days when you could always take someone at their word and a handshake. This is a sad commentary on the world that we live in because it was never intended to be what it has become. I believe as God's people we need to look, act, and talk differently than the people who live in the world around us. This doesn't mean we act superior or better than anyone, rather, it means we live a life that looks like God.

Proverbs 11:5

⁵ The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,
but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

You've seen this play out on the silver screen more times than I can count. The evil protagonist in the movie looks smooth and talks even smoother, there plan works seamlessly and then the hero sweeps in and stops everything dead in its tracks. Hollywood has stolen their best ideas from the Bible and it would seem that Tinsel Town has spent plenty of time in Proverbs. I read this passage and I rejoice because I can see a lot of wickedness in the world. This passage gives me hope that the people who are hurting other people will have their justice someday and that the people who are seeking to be righteous have nothing to fear.

Proverbs 11:9

⁹ With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,

but through knowledge the righteous escape.

We live in a world that contains weapons of mass destruction. With the push of a button nations can fire upon other nations and the world as we know it can be devastated. Every weapon in our arsenal cannot do the damage to a person that sarcastic or callous word can do. The ministers I spoke of early in my post are good friends of mine because they cause me to think critically on a number of subjects. One of the subjects we spend a great time on is why the Church of today is facing the troubles that it is. We always come back to the fact that our troubles would be greatly reduced if people would just love each other like the Bible says to do. If people would stop using their words to tear down and begin using them to build up then we could be unstoppable.

Proverbs 11:16

¹⁶ A kindhearted woman gains honor,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.

The old saying goes "you never see a u-haul behind a hearse". It's something that is said that we kind of chuckle at but when you think about it I think you would agree the statement is pretty true. While we agree that the statement is true we don't always live like it. We go out and buy things we don't need, we have gym memberships that go unused and we try to buy the affection of people by figuring out the things they want and buying them for them. This passage is a reality check for me and I hope that I am gaining honor more than wealth.

Proverbs 12

Proverbs 12:1

¹ Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but whoever hates correction is stupid.

About a year ago April and I went over to our friend Kevin and Laura Odom's home for a meal. I was having a conversation with Kevin where I referred to something as stupid. Immediately all three of the Odom girls reminded me that stupid was a bad word. Stupid is not a nice word but in this passage I believe it is appropriately used. I have never felt more stupid than the times I have rejected someone trying to do something for my own good. I look back on those times and I feel guilty and ashamed but I also feel uplifted because I know I have a God who loves me and forgives me.

Proverbs 12:7

⁷ The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous stands firm.

Every Sunday morning at Pearland I have the privilege of singing a song with the children of our congregation. One of my favorite ones to sing with them is "The Wise Man Built His House On The Rock" because I believe it communicates such a good message. Let's all strive to be righteous and stand firm.

Proverbs 13

Proverbs 13:4

⁴ A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,
but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

When I was a kid we always looked forward to going to the ranch and helping Pap-paw work the cows every year. One of the greatest parts about this annual event was the big lunch we got to eat afterwards. The ladies would spend all day in the kitchen cooking meals that would make Paula Dean jealous. The food tasted so goo because it was prepared with love but more than that it tasted so good because we had all worked so hard. I appreciate hard work and diligence and I believe whenever possible we need to practice these qualities and help instill them in others.

Proverbs 13:10

¹⁰ Where there is strife, there is pride,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

I like advice, I really do, but I don't always listen to the advice that is shared with me. Sometimes I just have to do things my way and most of the time I would have been better off taking the advice.

Proverbs 14

Proverbs 14:23

²³ All hard work brings a profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty.

"All we ever do is talk". If you've ever been in a leadership position either in the private sector or in the Church at some point you have the feeling that all that ever happens is talk. Sometimes this is true but a lot of the time people use this an excuse for being upset about not getting their way. When it comes to seeking the lost in the World I definitely believe that actions speak louder than words. Let's quit talking and work hard.

Proverbs 15

Proverbs 15:1

¹ A gentle answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Have you ever seen the movie "You've Got Mail"? There is a scene in this movie where Meg Ryan laments the fact that she always thinks of the perfect thing to say after the person has left and at one point in the movie she actually does say the perfect zinger to someone and she feels bad afterwards. I feel like most of the time when we think we are being cute or funny that we probably end up just feeling bad because we have upset someone else. It is my prayer that our words will bring people up and never stir up anger.

Thanks for sticking with me on this journey and I'm sorry we had to cover so many miles in one day. I hope you are all blessed by Proverbs.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Proverbs 10

2011-03-10T09:38:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Everyone,

What a blessing it is to have men in the brotherhood who have studied and learned about Christian evidences and apologetics. The reason I bring this up is that we are watching a series from Focus Press called "Convicted" by Brad Harrub. If you have the ability to check it out you really should. Today we are in Proverbs 10. This is where I really begin to enjoy Proverbs because the wisdom is given to us in a rapid fire method.

Proverbs 10

Proverbs 10:1

¹ The proverbs of Solomon:

A wise son brings joy to his father,

but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

Working with teenagers means that this passage is near and dear to my heart. The damage that can be done by a child who defies their parents is almost too difficult to quantify. In my short time here on Earth I have seen more damage and hurt brought upon families because children chose to defy their parents. I encourage you to heed this passage even if you are grown.

Proverbs 10:4

⁴ Lazy hands make for poverty,
but diligent hands bring wealth.

If you look at any of the great success stories in America what you will see are diligent hands. You will never be successful if you don't make the effort to do something with your life. Too many times people with great potential never meet that potential because they simply do not put forth the effort to be diligent. If you are feeling like you are not contributing anything consider what you can be diligent at.

Proverbs 10:10

¹⁰ Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,

and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

This one pretty much speaks for itself but let me tell you why I always smile when I read this passage. There is a game that is played at youth retreats and gatherings called wink 'em. The game is played by dividing up the group by boys and girls. The girls sit in a circle of chairs and the boys stand behind them with one chair left empty. The boys wink at girls across the circle trying to get them to come to the empty chair.

If you are quick enough to see what is happening you can tap the girl on the head so she has to stay. When I was in high school a small group of us went to a retreat that Ralph Bryant was doing and we played this game. Ralph played with us and to say that he was competitive would be an understatement. It was great fun and the reason that I smile anytime I read this passage.

Proverbs 10:16

¹⁶ The wages of the righteous is life,
but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.

This passage echos the passage in Romans 6:23 that says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.". Too often we become comfortable in sin, we decide that we know what is better for ourselves than God does. Solomon is widely considered one of the wisest men to ever walk the Earth I believe we should listen to what he has to say and apply it every day.

Proverbs 10:23

²³ A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,
but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.

How many books could we fill full of stories of congregations of the Lord's church that have been torn apart because fools find pleasure in wicked schemes? I had seen three congregation splits before I was 12 years old, at a very young age I learned what wicked schemes could do to the Lord's church and that is a sad thing to learn at such a young age. I still hurt and grieve over those splits but as I have grown older I also have learned to appreciate the people who were shining examples of Christianity who showed their true colors in the midst of such confusion and chaos. My prayer today is that God will give us wisdom and that the people who read this blog will be the agents of change that will help splits in the Lord's church become a thing of the past.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Proverbs 9

2011-03-09T10:14:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Yesterday was a sad day around the Cartwright household. Emma got her 6 month shots at her check up. Four needles pierced the skin of our pride and joy, but on the upside we now know exactly how loud she can scream. I would ask that you keep Emma and us in your prayers. We have a consultation with an intervention specialist on March 25th regarding her heart condition. I hope you are keeping up in your Proverbs reading today we are in Chapter 9.

Proverbs 9

Proverbs 9:1-6

¹ Wisdom has built her house;
she has set up its seven pillars.
² She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
³ She has sent out her servants, and she calls
from the highest point of the city,
⁴ “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says,
⁵ “Come, eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.
⁶ Leave your simple ways and you will live;
walk in the way of insight.”

Hospitality is a dying art. When I first came to Pearland very quickly we began having lunch together with a group of families. We look forward to this lunch every Sunday but up until recently it was missing something. Recently we decided to begin rotating houses every week and cooking a meal instead of going out every Sunday. Whoever hosts is responsible for the main dish and the people coming all bring some kind of side. The joy of being together has always been there but now we don't have to wait to be seated or deal with incorrect orders and we can really focus on each other. I know this passage is discussing wisdom and using the house as a metaphor but there is a practical lesson here.

Hospitality is a trait that is looked favorably upon in scripture and if we are to be God's people here on Earth then we need to adopt a spirit of hospitality. Don't be afraid to open your home because you think it isn't nice enough, don't be afraid to cook a meal for someone because you didn't go to culinary school and don't be afraid to love people because you are afraid they won't love you back.

Proverbs 9:8-9

⁸ Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you;
rebuke the wise and they will love you.
⁹ Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.

From time to time we all need to be corrected and reminded that we do not have everything figured out. The difference between people who care about what God thinks and people who do not is that the people who care about God will accept being rebuked and learn from it. Being rebuked is not fun, it was not intended to be, but it is necessary. I implore you to remember that as you are being rebuked that there are lessons to be learned. Enjoy the journey and don't be afraid to make comments and ask questions.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Proverbs 8

2011-03-08T09:53:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Everyone,

I had the best day yesterday! I got to eat lunch with out seniors group the Golden Agers. I fixed my special Dr. Pepper baked beans which were a huge hit. The day was capped off with a visit from my parents where they got to see Emma eat some yummy squash and pears with her cereal.

Recently at a leadership retreat for the area teens we had a panel discussion where the teens were encouraged to ask questions about leadership. One of the young men there ,whom I have known since he was a little boy, was trying to understand how deal with the loss of his Grandfather who was a great leader. His exact question was "How do you replace my grandpa who was a great leader?", my heart broke at that moment because I remember the young man's grandfather and the great leader he was. I did my best to answer his question because I wanted to bring him comfort. I conveyed to the young man that you can never replace a person because each person is unique and made up of their own life experiences. I shared with the young man that the best thing he could do was to honor the memory of his Grandfather by learning the lessons from his life and to spend a life loving God because that is the way his Grandfather lived his life.

Hindsight being 20/20 I wish I had shared this passage from Proverbs with him. Today we find ourselves in Proverbs Chapter 8.

Proverbs 8

Proverbs 8:32-36

³² “Now then, my children, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
³³ Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
³⁴ Blessed are those who listen to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
³⁵ For those who find me find life
and receive favor from the LORD.
³⁶ But those who fail to find me harm themselves;
all who hate me love death.”

The Grandfather this young man seeks to honor understood and lived this passage out in his life. I have a special place in my heart for young men who love their Grandfathers because I loved both of mine very much. I know that in your life there has been that one special person whom you respected as a leader and friend that is gone now. I also know that in your life you have wondered how you can honor that person. I suggest you read this passage from Proverbs and apply it in your life. I hope you are all enjoying the journey.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Proverbs 6 and 7

2011-03-07T12:21:00.003-06:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Let me apologize for not blogging yesterday. We were all busy around our house yesterday as well as at the Church building. I want to say big thanks for Jeremy Brown heading up a service project with our teenage boys yesterday to do some yard work for a widow. This is the first project in a new ministry that Jeremy and several others will be undertaking here in Pearland. I was blessed to just be a part of it yesterday. Since I didn't blog yesterday you get two chapters today.

Proverbs 6

Proverbs 6:6-8

⁶ Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
⁷ It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
⁸ yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.

Self motivation is one of those things I have trouble with. I know I need to do things but I just have trouble getting any motivation to get started. If you are like me sometimes seeing a good example of a self motivator helps me to get motivated and get the job done. The next time you need a good example give Proverbs a try.

Proverbs 6:16-19

⁶ There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
¹⁷ haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Sometimes a passage of scripture just sticks with you and this is one of those. Thinking of the LORD hating something holds a place in my soul. To think that the creator of the universe hates something makes me realize that I need to have nothing to do with it. I would beg you to , along with me, search your heart and soul and make sure that you are not participating in any of these things.

Proverbs 7

Proverbs 7:4-5

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and to insight, “You are my relative.”
⁵ They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words.

When I was still very young, an infant, I had not begun walking yet. I could pull up to a standing position and I was very stable but I had no interest in walking. My sister made it her mission that I was going to learn how to walk. Melissa sat me at one of the room and positioned herself with a Dr. Pepper at the other end. I would begin to crawl over to Melissa and she would back up and this process went on for awhile. Finally I pulled myself up and walked over to my sister for a drink of Dr. Pepper.

Two things became entrenched in my mind that day. I love Dr. Pepper and I still would walk across the room just to get one. The second and more important thing I learned was that I have a sister who cares about me and wants the best for me. I can honestly say that my sister is wise but I am not sure I have made wisdom my sister yet. I hope that in the future I will be able to add a new member to family and that her name will be wisdom. I hope you enjoyed these two chapters today and I hope your journey is going well.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Proverbs 5

2011-03-05T08:37:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Last night I was blessed to make a small trip up I-10 to eat at Carls' Jr. with Steve Haney and Chris Dunning. We didn't just go to eat great west coast fast food (although that would have been reason enough) rather we were on our way to our staff meeting for our session of Camp Bandina. I love going to camp with our teens every summer and I look forward to see what God has in store for us this June. Today we are going to look at a few passages from Proverbs 5.

Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5:3

³ For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil

Sin always looks good. I had a professor in college that said he would never be tempted to wash the dishes. To him the dishes were not appealing. Satan will never use something that is not appealing to us on some level to tempt us. As Christians we must understand what tempts us, we must know our limits, and then we have the obligation to never flirt with those limits.

Proverbs 5:21-23

²¹ For your ways are in full view of the LORD,
and he examines all your paths.
²² The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
²³ For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.
Discipline is one of those funny things. We all need discipline to wake up in the morning to go to work, to pay our bills and keep living in general. We sometimes view discipline as a necessary evil but really calling it an evil really cheapens something we need to survive. We need discipline to study God's word. When we exercise discipline in studying God's word our lives are blessed.

Sorry this is so short today but I've got a meeting to go to. Enjoy these thoughts and don't be afraid to share some of your own.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Proverbs 4

2011-03-04T10:30:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Yesterday evening April and I were blessed to spend some time with our good friends Jeremy and Heather Brown. Jeremy and Heather welcomed their newest addition Everett Colson into this world this past Sunday. Everett is a cute little guy an we enjoyed our time with the Browns last night. I have been enjoying the positive feedback on the journey we are all taking together through the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 4

Proverbs 4:7

⁷ The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

I look around my home and I see all of the possession I have. We have a living room full of furniture that we were blessed to have donated to us when we lived in California, we have a television that we bought after saving up our money and we have a coffee table that has been in April's family for a number of years. I look at all of these things and and then I look at this passage that tells me wisdom will cost all that I have. I wonder if I truly would give up all I had to gain wisdom? I feel that I have some wisdom but I know that there is more out there and I hope when the chance comes to gain more I hope I recognize it and take it.

Proverbs 4:24

²⁴ Keep your mouth free of perversity;

keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

It would seem that perversity and corrupt talk are commonplace today. There were times when these things were reserved for politics and printed fiction but now they can be found anywhere and everywhere. These things are even found in our congregations today and that is truly sad. Proverbs teaches us how to live a life that glorifies God but Proverbs is just like any other teacher. You have to listen and apply what is being taught for the lessons to matter at all in your life.

I am glad I am taking this journey, more than that I am glad you are my traveling companions on this journey, but if we don't apply the lessons we learn on this journey then there is no point on making the trip. I know the bulk of you reading this blog want you life to be changed by walking with the Lord and I know that this is just another log on your spiritual fire. I am glad I can help you along in this.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Proverbs 3

2011-03-03T09:13:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Everyone,

I want to begin today by commenting on what a great evening we had last night at our monthly Wednesday Night With The Master program at Pearland. Special thanks goes to DC and Debbie Brown for their great idea of having breakfast for dinner last night. All of us who attended had a wonderful time and enjoyed fellowshipping by doing God's work.

This morning we are in Proverbs Chapter 3. I have shared the idea of spending the month of March in the book of Proverbs with a few people who probably wouldn't read this blog and I've had positive responses. Thank you all for coming on this journey with me.

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

This is one of those passages we probably all need to read everyday just to stay on track. In my typical day I make hundreds of decisions. Do I wear jeans or dress pants to work? Do I read "Goodnight Moon" or "I Love You Through and Through" to Emma at night? I'm ashamed to say that more times than not I do not consult God on many of my decisions, I tend to lean on my own understanding, and when I do I don't always make the best decisions. Consider for a moment of how trusting in the Lord does show our submission to him. The idea of total trust is one that is becoming less and less frequent in our society and this is sad because we all have a desire to trust and be trusted. With God this desire for trust reaches it's fulfillment. We trust God in all things and he takes care of us. God also trusts us by giving us free will and choice knowing we may choose not to trust him. My friends this is the epitome of total trust.

Proverbs 3:11-12

¹¹ My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
¹² because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.

When you were a child you probably had difficulty understanding why your parents were disciplining you. In your mind you couldn't understand why you were in trouble for jumping on your bed. You might have made statements like "You just don't understand me" or "I will never treat my children this way", and now that you are grown you understand there was a reason for our parents disciplining you. Shouldn't we give God this same understanding? Shouldn't we understand that God loves us and that he wants the best for us and that sometimes that means going through something unpleasant? I love this passage because it helps me, a finite being, have some insight into the mind of an infinite being.

Proverbs 3:27-28

⁷ Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
when you already have it with you.

When was the last time you did something simply out of the goodness of your heart? From what I know of my readers I would think that for most of you it hasn't been all that long ago. The thing about all of you is that , for the most part, you are the exception to the rule. People in the world don't always step up to the challenge when it comes to doing good for someone else. I challenge all of you to try to influence the world to begin serving others by continuing to put the needs of others ahead of your own daily.

Well those are the passages for today. I hope that in some way these passages and my thoughts have been a blessing to you today. Enjoy your study of Proverbs and thank you for taking this journey with me.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

31 Days In Proverbs

2011-03-02T09:51:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Everyone,

This past Sunday I was blessed to preach during our Sunday evening worship service. The title of my sermon was simply "Stand". As a congregation we looked at three Biblical examples of people who failed to take a stand and three Biblical example of people who did take a stand. One of the positive examples we looked at was the Biblical character of Solomon. Solomon was the son of King David who took his Father's place as King at a young age. As he was about to become King Solomon asked God for a discerning heart and wisdom. God blessed him with this wisdom and much more. Much of the wisdom of King Solomon is recorded for us in the book of Proverbs.

In my sermon on Sunday evening I challenged the congregation to take the 31 days of March to read the book of Proverbs. It's actually not a difficult task. Provers has 31 chapters so it breaks down to only one chapter per day. If you have ever preached or spoken to a large group of people you sometimes wonder if anyone is listening. When I issued the challenge to take a stand and be in the word for the month of March I really didn't think anyone was listening. God proved me wrong yet again though, one of our sweet sisters sent me a message and told me she was taking up the challenge.

I was so impressed by this young lady that I have decided to not only spend 31 days in Proverbs but to allow you to follow along in my journey. Here is how this is going to work. You are going to have to read the actual chapters yourself just like I am going to do but I am going to share my thoughts on particular verses that are special to me. It is my hope that these passages will mean something to you and I also hope that you might share some thoughts as well. So let's get started. You get two today since this idea came to me late last night

March 1st Proverbs Chapter 1

Proverbs 1:7

⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

At night as I read to my little girl and we have our little heart to heart conversations I sometimes tell her that she never has to be afraid of anything because her Daddy will always be there for her. The fear that is being spoken of in Proverbs is not the kind of fear that I am trying to help Emma to understand, rather this fear could better be characterized as a healthy respect. There have been times in my life when I have not respected God in the way I should. When I read the words of possibly the wisest man who ever lived and his admonition to me is to have that respect I know that I need to have it without question. I love my earthly father and I respect him and I should treat my Heavenly Father no different.

Proverbs 1:8-9

⁸ Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
⁹ They will be a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.

The older I get the wiser my parents seem to get, okay that's not true, they have always been very wise it's just that I am getting old enough to respect their wisdom more. As I already mentioned I love and respect my Earthly Father but I didn't mention my Mom. I hope that all of you are as blessed as I am to have a Mom who loves you and cared enough to make sure that you are raised right. I would encourage you to live your life aspiring to make the difference in the life of a child in hopes that they will want to serve God every day.

Proverbs 1:32-33

For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,

and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

³³ but whoever listens to me will live in safety

and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Does anyone else have trouble with written instructions? I sure do. Whenever we buy something that has to be put together I promise you that I will find some way to misread the directions and spend twice as long putting it together than it should take. Life is a lot like that if you think about it. In the Bible we are given very explicit instructions for how we should live our lives and yet we ignore them. To call God's inspired word written instructions might seem like an oversimplification but in essence they are instructions and they have been written down for us. If you ant to live your life in safety...follow instructions.

March 2nd Proverbs Chapter 2

Proverbs 2:11

¹¹ Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.

Last night I watched the 20/20 Interview with Charlie Sheen. I think it is safe to say that this guy is the King of indiscretion. Between the women, alcohol and drugs this man seems to have no understanding of discretion. It would be easy to sit back and say that this guy is the victim of growing up in Hollywood or some other excuse but when it comes right down to it Mr. Sheen chooses not to observe discretion in his personal life and now he is paying the price. The sad reality is that if we choose to not observe discretion and understanding that there is a good chance we will end up much like Charlie. So let's do out best to live a life that has these qualities.

Proverbs 2:20-22

²⁰ Thus you will walk in the ways of good men
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹ For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;
²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

If you turn on the news it seems as if the wicked are winning. The afore mentioned interview with Charlie Sheen, the situation our government is in and the mess that is our national finances would make you think that the wicked are in control. Over and over again in scripture we are reminded that God is faithful. Now more than ever we must remember that God is faithful and that he is in control. While it is easier to cast our lot with the wicked now ,more than ever, we need to take the moral high ground.

I hope these thoughts in Proverbs help you some today. Don't be afraid to comment and to share your own thoughts. Take a stand in March to grow closer to God by studying Proverbs!

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Rise Up Church With Broken Wings

2011-02-23T14:13:00.002-06:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,

We have been blessed with some beautiful weather here on the gulf coast these past few days. We've had overcast mornings with light rains which have been followed by beautiful warm sunshine and breezes in the afternoons. As much as I enjoy talking about the weather this blog isn't about the weather but I do want to share something with you from scripture that talks about the weather.

Luke 8:22-25

²² One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. ²³ As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. ²⁴ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Okay so the weather is not the main focus of this passage of scripture but, as he does with all things, God uses this weather, specifically a storm, to show his power and majesty. I read this passage and sometimes I like to saddle up and ride my spiritual high horse. I like to think that these disciples are so flawed because they know what Jesus is capable of and yet they still doubted his ability to control the storm and keep them safe. Then I realize that I am just not all that different than the disciples.

Some of you may know that a little over a month ago we found out that Emma has a very treatable heart condition known as Patent Ductus Arteriosus. I'm not going to take the time to explain what all is involved with this (If you want to know more you can check out the link) other than to say that 90% of the time it takes care of itself and the other 10% a very simple surgical procedure can handle it. What I will take the time to tell you is that when I found out that there was something wrong with my little girl I acted a whole lot like the disciples did in the storm.

I share all of this with you not to elicit an emotional response or anything of that nature. I share this with all of you to help us all realize that we need to allow God to be the one in control of the storms in our lives and that only God has the means to see us through the storms of life. On Sunday night I shared these thoughts at a joint devotional between our teens and the teens of the Westside Church of Christ Youth Group in Alvin Texas. In the course of that devotional we sang the song "Shout To The North". The last verse of that song is my vision of what can happen if we as Christians allow God to handle the storms in our lives. I am going to leave you today with the words of this song. Don't get lost in the storm, look to God to carry you home.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Rise up church with broken wings

Fill this place with songs again

Of our God who reigns on high

By His grace again we'll fly

Can I help You?

2011-02-16T09:17:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Everyone,

"Can I help You?" Think about how many times a day this phrase is uttered. Whether you go to a restaurant, gas station or even the post office you hear this phrase several times a day. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I really told people what they could do to help me. Sometimes I feel like saying, "my yard needs cutting could you help me out with that", just to see what kind of a reaction I would get.

I have been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting lately about why I am here on this earth. Most of you know that about five months ago I became a parent for the very first time. I absolutely love being a Dad! I love playing with my little girl, I love watching her sleep and I love the fact she is discovering the world around her more and more everyday. Becoming a parent my mindset is constantly, "Can I Help You?", because my little girl can't do anything for herself and I guess that is what has brought me to where I am today and has prompted me to ask a question.

My question is this. If someone could do something nice for you what would that thing be? I ask this question because I think we have become so calloused by the world that we are afraid to even talk about what we can do for each other. In my own way I want to help change this mindset in the world. I am truly interested in the hopes and dreams of my friends and family but I don't know what all of these hopes and dreams are yet.

So today I am encouraging you to share what that nice thing is that someone can do for you. Leave me a comment or drop me an e-mail (pmcartwright82@gmail.com) and let me know what it is you would like for someone to do for you. I can't promise I can fulfill these desires but I would still like to hear what you are thinking about. My goal from this blog post is for people to seek out the needs of their friends and family and in some way try to help fulfill those dreams. Maybe it's a pipe dream ,but that's the good thing about a blog, you can put whatever you want to out there. Let's get some conversation started! I hope you are as blessed by me today as much as all of you bless me.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Watershed

2010-11-22T09:19:00.002-06:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Do you know what the word watershed means? If you don't know, don't feel bad, I had to open up my dictionary and look it up as well. A Watershed is an important point of division or transition between two phases or conditions. The term watershed is usually used to define a monumental moment in history like the signing of the Declaration of Independence or the fall of the Berlin Wall. I wish that I could go back in time and be present for some of these watershed moments in history. I wish I could see John Adams sing his name to the document that declared us to be free or that I could have a hammer in my hand and take a swing at the wall that separated East and West Germany. Even though time travel is not possible I was able to experience a watershed moment at our youth devotional this week.

The past several Sunday evenings our minister ,DC Brown, has been talking to the congregation about the idea of vision for the new year. We have been challenged to try to reach out to our community and bring more people to Christ in 2011. I took this challenge to the teens at our devotional to see what would happen. In what I would call a watershed moment the teens decided that they would like to focus on members of the youth group who were not coming at all. I have challenged them to come up with a game plan that we will present to the eldership here. What made this decision monumental is the fact that the teens recognized that some of their peers have fallen away and they want to reach out to them! I have said many times before that the teenagers in Pearland are the largest asset to the congregaiton that meets at 2217 N. Grand Boulevard and this watershed moment just reinforced that idea.

Here is what I would ask from all of you. Begin praying for our teenager's outreach to their peers on a daily basis. I know there are so many of you who remember our youth daily in your prayers but I am asking you to go one step farther and remember them as they reach out to people their own age. I would also ask that you hold these youth accountable to the commitment they made. As Christians we are blessed to have a cloud of witnesses to help us press on towards our goal (Hebrews 12) so let's help our teens in that way. Finally, if you have any ideas for reaching out to the teens who have stopped coming please let me know about them so I can pass them along to our teenagers.

I'll end today by sharing with you some of what I shared with the teens. At our devotional we had six of our boys there. I tried to instill in these young men the ideas of leadership by looking at Joshua. I shared with them how Joshua had to step into a role that Moses had filled for so long and how he was able to lead the children of Israel. The young men who were at this devotional are my Joshuas. These young men are always willing to step up and do what is needed to be done and they have accepted the challenge that Joshua gave the Children of Israel in Joshua 24:15.
But if serving the LORD seem undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, of the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

Who are you serving? Are you serving the gods of cable television or the Internet, or are you serving the one true living GOD? This is a question we all have to ask from time to time. If we are going to take up the challenge of reaching out to the world around us in 2011 then you must decide who you are serving and commit completely. I hope that you are all as blessed by me as I am by you.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

When did the world become such a scary place?

2010-11-10T10:56:00.008-06:00

Good Morning Everyone,

This past weekend I was blessed to be at Harding University in Searcy Arkansas for homecoming. We make this trip about once a year so we can expose our teenagers to Christian education. The time spent in Searcy was relatively uneventful but something happened on the way home that I would like to talk about.

On our way home we stopped at a Wendy's in Arkadelphia Arkansas for lunch. I ate my lunch and after I was finished I took Emma so April could eat her lunch. I was sitting in my chair and I could feel someone looking at me from behind, very soon that feeling was validated by a voice. The lady sitting behind me began to ask me questions about Emma, none of her questions were out of line, it was the typical questions about age and name and things of that nature. Looking back the most alarming thing she asked was whether or not Gary Adams was Emma's Grandfather.

I tell you this story ,and I confess to you here, that the whole time this lady was asking me questions I was scared. I was scared because I didn't know this lady. I was scared because this lady I didn't know was asking me questions about my child. I was scared because she thought Gary was related to me (Just kidding Gary).

In retrospect all of these fears were completely illogical. This lady never made any attempt to physically accost Emma or myself. This lady never asked for money or for a ride anyplace, all this lady was guilty of was taking an interest in fellow human beings.

We have become so scared of the world we live in that we find it difficult when someone we don't know takes an interest in us and because of this we have become scared of taking an interest in other people. I do realize there are times when people overstep their boundaries in the world but more and more it seems that we are scared to even be nice to someone. As I processed all of this I became increasingly aware of the fact that if we never take an interest in others we will never win souls for Jesus Christ.

Let's take a look at this through the eyes of the woman at the well in John chapter 4.

John 4:7-26
⁷ When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” ⁸ (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) ⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” ¹¹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” ¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” ¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” ¹⁶ He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” ¹⁷ “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. ¹⁸ The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” ¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” ²¹ “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” ²⁵ The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” ²⁶ Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

Stop and think for a minute what would have happened if Jesus had been scared to talk to this woman, moreover, think of what would have happened if this woman had ignored Jesus. As Christians we are called to act like Jesus, he is our pattern to follow, and yet so many times we don't even try. The amazing thing is that if we acted more like Jesus we might get results like Jesus got, let's look one more time at John 4.

John 4
³⁹ Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. ⁴¹ And because of his words many more became believers. ⁴² They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Many Samaritans believed because Jesus did not fear the rejection of this woman and the woman did not fear the social implications of speaking to Jesus. Satan loves to use fear to allow us to justify being unfriendly. Again I want to say that there are people in this world who would seek to do you harm but I believe them to be the exception and not the rule.

The next time you are out someplace and someone begins to make small talk with you don't reject them immediately. The next time you are out someplace and you see someone who looks like they have had a bad day don't be afraid to say something to brighten up their day. You never know, someday people might be able to say that they now know God because you didn't allow yourself to be afraid of the world. I hope you are all as blessed today as much as you have blessed me.

Be strong and Courageous,

Paul

Hello Officer

2010-11-03T11:25:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Yesterday was my day off from work. Emma needed some diapers so April and I headed out to Target to pick up some diapers and a few other things. I was coming down one of our roads here in Pearland when the long arm of the law noticed I was doing 42 in a 30. The officer came to my window and I gave him my driver's licence and insurance information and awaited my forthcoming ticket. The officer took my information back to the car and upon his return he informed me he was low on tickets and that he was only going to give me a verbal warning. I thanked the officer and I went on my way. That officer showed me grace.

Grace is one of those things we don't talk about very much. We recognize that grace is mentioned in the Bible (124 times in the NIV), we sometimes mention it in a prayer and when we teach we read the word in scripture, but, we don't really do a good job teaching about grace.

I am a pretty simple guy and when I want to know more about a word I go to the dictionary. One of the definitions of Grace is as follows:

Grace-"The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God"

I like that definition but I really like what scripture has to say better...

Hebrews 2:9 (NIV)
But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with the glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

I can't really define grace much better than that. Jesus Christ who was without sin came to this earth and lived as a man and died on a cross so I wouldn't have to. I don't encourage speeding but I am thankful for the lesson about grace the officer taught me yesterday. I encourage you to teach someone about grace today. When you have the chance to take on something so someone else will not do it and experience what it feels like to give grace to someone else. I believe by doing so you might be able to better understand how God can give us grace. I hope I have been as much of a blessing to you today as all of you have been to me.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

The Richest man in the world

2010-09-09T23:42:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone,

According to the Internet a man named Carlo Slim Helu of Mexico is the richest man in the world with $53.5 billion dollars. That's a lot of money. But you know what? He's got nothing on me.

For those of you who don't know on Sunday September 5, 2010 at 2:00AM Emma Anne Cartwright made her appearance into this world by c-section. Along with being healthy and all of that she is pretty cute. If you don't believe me here take a look.

Now you might be saying to yourself "Paul you are a youth minister and we know that no one gets into youth ministry for money." If you said that you are right, you don't get into ministry, youth or otherwise, to make money but as I sit here on my couch watching King Of The Hill I'm telling you I am the richest man in the world.

I came to this realization even before Emma made her grand entrance into this world. April and I went to her doctor on Tuesday August 31st and we were admitted to the hospital because April's blood pressure was high. I began posting on my facebook and sending out texts to our friends and relatives and immediately people were lifting us up in prayer. This was the first sign that I was richer than I had ever imagined.

One night in the hospital turned into two and on the third night very late they moved us to labor and delivery because we needed to deliver our baby. I've never been as scared as I was that night, and I have never felt the kind of love that I felt that night. People were texting and calling and praying for us literally all over the world.

We spent all day Friday and Saturday in labor and delivery and still Emma didn't make an appearance. April's Mom and Grandmother showed up Saturday afternoon and began to help me and blessed us in a huge way. April was able hold out until 11:30PM Saturday night but when her blood pressure got up to 200/90 the doctor said it was C-section time. The first time I held our little bundle in my arms I knew I was rich.

We got to bring home our little Emma and I am doing my best to learn how to be a Daddy. She knows who I am already, and yet, in so many ways I am just getting to know her. I hold her in my arms and I feel the weight of knowing that she depends on April and on me for everything. I change her diapers and rock her to sleep and I feel that I am totally overwhelmed and then I remember that I am no less prepared than any other father has been.

When I was in college I was at the family ranch helping with our cows. My Pap-paw was coming to the end of his journey here on this earth and was in a wheelchair watching us work. There was some mishap and the work slowed down with a cow in some distress. I wasn't doing anything and my Pap-paw called me over and said these words to me. "Paul, I don't have a lot of money in the bank, I don't have a fancy car and I am losing my health. But I look around and I see my family here at this place that has been my home my whole life and I know that I am rich."

I thought I understood what Pap-paw was saying that day but I really didn't until I held Emma in my arms for the first time. Thank you Pap-paw for showing me that I am the richest man in the world. I am the richest man in the world because I have a wife who brought our sweet precious daughter into this world. I am the richest man in the world because I have my little Emma and I will always be her Daddy. I am the richest man in the world because I have family that I am related to by blood, by friendship and through our bond in Jesus Christ. I hope you feel that you are the richest person in the world because when you think of it, with all that we have, we are truly rich. Thank you for blessing me, I hope I have blessed you.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

My Day Today

2010-08-30T23:27:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Mondays have become my day to take care of the office by myself. The recent resignation of our secretary means that once a week I get to be in the office by myself for a whole work day. Let me tell you about my day today.

I got to the office and I worked on creating a database for our congregational volunteer survey. While I was doing this a couple from our congregation stopped by and we visited for several minutes. After the couple left a lady looking for some help with her utility bill dropped by and after that I put in a service call regrading out Internet at work (or lack there of). I came home and spent some time with April and then fixed dinner for us. April and I then spent the rest of the evening together just watching TV.

You may read this and think a couple of things. You may think it is pretty boring sounding to work on a database all day. You might wonder how I was able to get anything done with interruptions. Here is what I think about my day.

I think I am blessed to work in a congregation where the eldership blesses me with opportunities to stretch myself in so many ways. I think it is great when a couple who has been married for a number of years and have raised Godly children come to visit me and share their knowledge. I think that cooking dinner for the woman I love and who is carrying our child is one of the greatest blessings I could have ever asked for.

Friends, I think we get caught up in our days and we forget that each day is a gift and a blessing from God. Sure, we have problems, we have things in our life that are difficult but if we didn't have those then we would not realize how blessed we are. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who bless me on a daily basis. You may not even realize that you are a blessing to me but you are. I don't have too much to say I just wanted to say thanks.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

God Never Asks Us To Give More Than We Have

2010-08-23T09:14:00.002-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

When was the last time you took a look at Acts Chapter 3:1-10? Acts 3:1-10 tells the story of Peter and John healing a crippled beggar. My favorite part of the story is the statement that Peter makes in Acts 3:6...

"The Peter said 'Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you.'" Acts 3:6a

The reason I enjoy this part of the story so much is because Peter gave all that he had to this man. Peter did not have worldly riches or fame but he did have the gift of healing from God. Peter used his gift from God and gave all he had to this man. Peter demonstrates to us an extremely Biblical point, the point is that God will never ask us to give more than we have.

All too often in my work I hear Christians say that they cannot help do something for one reason or another. Maybe their house isn't big enough to have people over, maybe they are not talented enough to teach a Bible class or maybe they feel they don't have enough money to give in the weekly collection. I believe that God never asks us give more than we have. Let me share two places where I believe this point is true.

The first one is teaching. I hear people say all of the time that they are not good teachers. God doesn't ask for us to be the most eloquent or inventive teacher, he simply calls on us to teach. You can teach in so many different ways. Find the way you are most comfortable with and give that back to God.

The second area is giving. I know economic times are difficult but that doesn't mean that God wants us to stop giving to his Church. The money that you put into the plate every week supports the work of the congregation you attend. More than that, think of the example you set for your children every week. What does it teach them when you begin to stop contributing? Once again, God doesn't ask you to give more than you have, what he does ask is that you give out of your income.

I hope that you will think about what God wants you to give and the best way you can give it. There is room for everyone in Christianity. There is a place for you in the Kingdom. God wants you to give but not more than you have. I hope you are blessed today because of these words.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Hospitality

2010-08-21T21:16:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Remember when you were growing up and you were always over at your friend's house? For me it was my friend David. We were always in each other's homes. Whether it was playing video games, a game of catch or using the pool we were always together. We didn't know it at the time but we were practicing hospitality. Just this evening we were blessed to go to the home of our friend's Kevin and Laura Odom to help them celebrate a birthday for one of their children. The world would probably be a better place if more people practiced hospitality.

It seems, like so many things, that hospitality is one of those things you do when you are younger but as you get older you begin to do less and less. Maybe it is because we work too much, or because we are overly committed in some other aspect of our lives or maybe we just don't feel like inviting anyone over. For whatever reason it seems that we are in each other's homes less and less.

As I think about hospitality I think about the Biblical character of Lydia (if you would like to learn more about her click on her name). Lydia was a convert to Christianity who dealt in purple fabric. In the First Century if you were a dealer of purple fabric then that meant you were pretty well off. Lydia was very hospitable. She invited Paul, Timothy and Silas into her home only after knowing them a very short time. She shared what God had blessed her with for the glory of God, and that is the real lesson for us.

Think of the people you work and worship with. You see them quite often, but, when was the last time you invited them to your home for a meal? I am convicted that I need to be more hospitable in my own life and I hope that maybe you are thinking the same way. Let's share what God has blessed us with to bless others. I hope you are all as blessed for reading this blog as I am for knowing all of you!!

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Potential

2010-08-19T13:47:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Do you ever think about potential? Potential is one of those words you dread hearing as a teenager, that's because it is usually being yelled at you while you are watching TV. Potential is one of those things that I think about a lot because of the nature of my work. I decided to try to educate myself a little bit about potential, so I did what I generally do when I want to learn more about a word, I went to the dictionary. The dictionary defines potential in this way.

po·ten·tial

/pəˈtɛnʃəl/ Show Spelled[puh-ten-shuhl]

–adjective

possible, as opposed to actual: the potential uses of nuclear energy.

capable of being or becoming: a potential danger to safety.

It is the second definition which I would like to talk about a little today, this idea of what we can be become. I am blessed with the opportunity to work with hundreds of teenagers every summer at youth camps and area youth gatherings. Something amazing happens every summer, and when I say every summer I mean every summer. The thing that happens is that you see young men and women going above and beyond their comfort zones every year. The young man who would not ever lead singing will step up and lead a song in a time or worship, the young lady who is scared to talk to anyone makes lifelong friendships with the girl in her cabin and the friend who has come with one of your youth group members sees that their life in conflict with God's will and yields their life to Christ through the water grave of baptism. I would never want to trivialize any of this, but, what it all comes down to is living up to potential.

Let me explain. Nothing supernatural occurred for that young man to lead that song, the little girl who was shy didn't drink a magic potion that made her outgoing and the young person that gives their life to Christ was not possessed by some force that made them yield their life to Christ. What happened to all of these teens is that they were simply put into an environment that encouraged qualities that were already present in their lives, and that environment was filled with people who encouraged the development of those qualities.

Thinking about all of this makes me wonder what our world would be like if we all lived up to our potential. What if, like these teenagers, we took advantage of the qualities that God has already placed in us and lived up to our potential? I believe our world would be a better place. More than that I believe we would look a whole lot more like Christ if we strived to live up to our potential. Consider for a moment what the Apostle Paul said.

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (New International Version)
⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. ¹²So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

What that translates into in my mind is living up to potential. Those of us that are Christians have this treasure within us, but it is our decision on if, how and when we decide to use it. More than that we have to get past the attitude that "someone else will do it". One of the greatest killers of potential is the idea that someone else is going to do whatever it is that you are challenged with. If we live our lives content with allowing someone else to always do what is needed then we are definitely not living up to our potential.

Teenagers often times get the bad rap of not living up to their potential. I don't deny that teenagers don't always live up to their potential but I would also say that teenagers learn that attitude from somewhere. I propose that teenagers have learned that from us as adults. They have learned it from the salesman who is really meant to be a teacher, the teacher who was meant to be a poet and the housewife who is sitting on the next great American novel.

As you read these words today I challenge you to not be content to not live up to your potential. I challenge you to look at your life and see what your potential could be, simply put, don't be afraid to dream. Take a lesson from that young man at camp who never lead a song before but took a chance. Take a page from the book of the little shy girl who came home with a new group of friends. Think like the friend that a youth group member came and decide to start living your life for Christ. Maybe you need put yourself in an environment that will foster this growth and your potential, maybe you need to leave an environment that is stifling you. To All of you who read my thoughts are such a blessing to me. I hope that I have been a blessing to you today.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Diffusing Hostile Situations

2010-08-17T12:57:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Yesterday I left you right in the middle of 1 Samuel 25 where David was charging into a hostile situation. As I mentioned yesterday I don't often share sermons in this forum but my good friend Tracey reminded me that the sermon I shared with you yesterday was a two-parter. The conflict between David and Nabal makes a good story but if you leave out Nabal's wife Abigail you miss the rest of the story. Take a look at what Abigail did in this story

1 Samuel 25:18-35
¹⁸ Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. ¹⁹ Then she told her servants, "Go on ahead; I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. ²⁰ As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. ²¹ David had just said, "It's been useless—all my watching over this fellow's property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. ²² May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!" ²³ When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. ²⁴ She fell at his feet and said: "My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. ²⁵ May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent. ²⁶ "Now since the LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal. ²⁷ And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you. ²⁸ Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD's battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live. ²⁹ Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. ³⁰ When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, ³¹ my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant." ³² David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. ³³ May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. ³⁴ Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak." ³⁵ Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request."

Abigail reminds me a lot of my sister Melissa. Most of you know I am the youngest of three children. I have a brother David who is seven years older than I am and a sister Melissa who is fourteen years older than I am. Growing up my family always had a suburban that was my Dad's vehicle. My assigned seat in the car was on the driver's side in the back seat, my brother was on the opposite side and my sister had the singular honor of sitting between us. Her job was diffuse hostile situations between my brother and I. Abigail didn't want to see bloodshed so she decided to diffuse the hostile situation between Nabal and David.

As I see it Abigail did three things correctly. I believe these three things are easily duplicated and applicable to us today. For the remainder of this blog I wish to share those three things with you.

This first things she did was to assess the situation. She took a hard look at what her husband had done and what David was planning to do and quickly decided on a course of action. Jesus said it this way to his disciples.

Matthew 10:16-17

¹⁶I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. ¹⁷"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.

The Apostle Paul said it this way…

1 Corinthians 16:13
¹³Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

Both of these statements add up to being able to sum up a situation and deal with it.

The second thing that Abigail did correctly was that she chose her words carefully. A misspoken or poorly phrased word can mean the difference between a peaceful resolution and a fight. When I was a child my mouth got me into a lot of trouble and most of the time it was a combination of what I was saying and they way I was saying it. Listen to what King Solomon said.

Proverbs 15:1

¹ A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger

Think about this the next time you find yourself in a hostile situation. When it would be easy to make a smart remark or a sarcastic comment, think about the words you are saying and the way you are saying them. If they are words that would anger you if someone said them to you then don't say them. If you can do this you are well on your way to diffusing a hostile situation.

The third thing that Abigail did right was to realize that actions speak louder than words. In our modern day and times things have not changed. Actions still speak louder than words. Even carefully chosen words mean much more when backed up with actions. Jesus understood this and wanted his followers to understand it as well.

Matthew 5:38-41

³⁸"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'³⁹But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

Jesus definitely knew that there was a need for words to backed up by actions and he demonstrates this to us in his words and in his actions by giving his life on the cross.

All of these things can be summed up by the words of Christ from the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:9

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.

I challenge all of you to be peacemakers. When a situation arises in your life that could be hostile don't run from it but look for ways to help diffuse it and meet it head on to bring glory to God. I hope you are all as blessed from reading these thoughts as I am blessed by all of you.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Put On Your Sword

2010-08-16T14:06:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone,

I don't usually share sermons that I have preached in this forum for a couple of reasons. First, I think there are much more seasoned ministers out there that you could listen to. Secondly, I feel that I come across much better live than I do in print. I am making an exception to that rule today because there were some things in a recent sermon I preached that I feel might be beneficial to the world at large. Please keep in mind this is not the entire sermon but merely a summary of a sermon.

July gave me the opportunity to do quite a bit of preaching. In my career as a minister I have never preached three out of four Sundays in a month. One Sunday I preached a lesson out of

1 Samuel 25. In this passage King David sends his compliments to Nabal hoping that Nabal will respond in kind. Nabal's response to David's compliments was to make fun of him and question his motives. David's response when he heard of this was to tell his men to put on their swords. If you haven't read 1 Samuel 25 in awhile go back and give it a look.

What caught my eye when reading through this passage was that David was a man of action. When it got back to him that Nabal had disrespected him he didn't take a poll about what to do, he went out and did what needed to be done. In our society we have become very leery of doing the right thing because we are afraid that public opinion might be offended. There are three areas where, I believe, as Christians we need to do a better job of being action oriented and put on our swords. In the remainder of this blog I want to share those thoughts with you. As always I welcome comments and look forward to hearing from you.

The first area is dealing with interpersonal disagreements. If you have lived on the planet Earth very long you have had a disagreement with someone. The problem is that we do not deal with those disagreements very well. Scripture talks about how we should handle such things.

Ephesians 4:25-27
²⁵Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷and do not give the devil a foothold.

Matthew 18:15-17
¹⁵"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ¹⁶But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

I’m not sure how anyone can look at these two passages and allow hatred for an individual to grow in their heart.

The second area I wish to look at is stepping up to challenges. It seems that more and more people are becoming scared to step up to challenges. Whether it is at work, at home or at Church it seems that we are always looking for someone else to step up to the challenge. God didn’t want his people to act this way.

Colossians 3:22-24
²²Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. ²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

If we approached life like this scripture tells us to I believe our attitudes would be better and in doing this we will glorify God.

Another area in which we as Christians could improve is sharing out faith. How many times have you been with a friend who is not a believer and the opportunity to share your faith has come up? How many times have you actually done it? Please let me say that ministers are not immune to this fear. There have been many times when I have had a chance to share my faith and allowed it to pass me by. This was not God’s intention for his People.

2 Timothy 1:7-8
⁷For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. ⁸So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,

2 Timothy 4:2
²Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

All of the scriptures I used are as true today as they were when they were written thousands of years ago. Where we need to be like David and put on our swords is to put these scriptures into action. If you have a problem with someone then go talk to them, if there is a challenge put in front of you then step up and do it and by all means if you have a chance to share your faith then do it.

I hope all of you are as blessed by these words as much as all of you bless me.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Late night thoughts

2010-08-14T23:50:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone,

It's almost midnight and I am up watching "Aliens" on Spike TV while I wait for a pot of beans to cool so I can put them in the refrigerator. I guess as fatherhood approaches I should get used to these late night hours. As I am sitting here I begin to ponder a thought that waxes on the spiritual side of things.

Last week the teenagers I work with were challenged from God's word in 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. For those of you not familiar with that passage I encourage you to go look it up because there are some great lessons there. The long and short of it is Paul challenging the Corinthian congregations of the Lord's Church to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. I challenged my students to think of one person who who needs to give their life to Jesus in baptism or someone who needs to recommit their lives to Christ. More than that I challenged them to write the name of that person down and begin praying for that person daily. It is my hope that myself and the teens will hold one another accountable in this.

In keeping with this idea I started to think about people in scripture who were ambassadors. The first one who came to my mind was Ananias in Acts Chapter 9. For those of you who don't know who Ananias is, he is the ambassador that God sent to Saul to help convert him. As I put my thoughts for class together these are some of the questions I came up with.

Was Saul doing something wrong?
Is it difficult to stop doing something wrong that you have thought was right?
What does it usually take to make us stop doing something wrong?
Who is the Ananias in your life?
Will you be Ananias for someone?

As I come to a close I would ask you to think on these things. Too much of the time we talk about Christianity but we never put that talk into action. I challenge you to begin challenging your thinking. If you want to get some dialogue going on these questions feel free to drop me a line at pmcartwright82@gmail.com and I would be happy to talk with you. I hope you are as blessed by these thoughts as I am by all of you.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

p.s. Any of the scriptures I have mentioned can be found by clicking on the reference. I made them links to an online Bible

Times Are Changing

2010-08-12T14:36:00.003-05:00

Hey Everybody,

It's been a long time since I have written. Life has been busy and it looks as if it won't be slowing down anytime soon. Today I did something I have never done before. I went with April and took maternity pictures. It was a great experience!!! Our good friend Laura Odom is an amazing photographer and made the experience a lot of fun.

People keep on asking me if I am ready to become a father, and for a long time I really struggled with an answer. I have read books, listened to advice, observed fathers I love and respect and my answer is this. I am as ready as I possibly can be, but I am not going into this new chapter in my life with any preconceived notions. I know life is going to be different and I am going to remain flexible. I look forward to becoming a Daddy and I want to share with all of you our first Cartwright family portrait.

On another note of change my good friend Ryan Parsons recently graduated from the Center For Advanced Ministry Training at Harding University. Congratulations to Ryan on this milestone accomplishment. Ryan has begun a 365 day video blog that is , to say the least, entertaining. To access this vlog click on Ryan's name above.

I'm going to try to blog more about life and the experiences of a new Daddy. Stay tuned for further updates. I hope you are all as blessed by this blog as much as I am blessed by all of you.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

How Will You Be Different Today?

2009-11-11T13:55:00.002-06:00

How Will You Be Different Today?

Daniel 1:8-16-NIV
⁸ But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹ Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, ¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you."

¹¹ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹² "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." ¹⁴ So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. ¹⁵ At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. ¹⁶ So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

This is part of the text the teenagers looked at Sunday morning. Daniel and his friends were plucked from their home at a young age and forced to learn a new way of life. All the morals and values they were raised with were now in question by the people who had abducted them from their homes. What makes this passage of scripture so teachable is that these young men decided to do what God wanted them to do and not what man wanted them to do.

Consider for a moment how easy it would have been for Daniel and his friends to conform to the world around them. Consider for a moment how easy it would have been for Daniel and his friends to sacrifice their integrity for the fleeting gift of acceptance. Consider for a moment how often Christians conform to the values of this world when God has set such higher standards for his people. While you are considering all of that consider these words from the book of Romans.

Romans 12:1-2-NIV

¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritualact of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Too often all we do is read these words without taking them to heart. Our society has become one of no absolutes; instead of black and white the world sees things in shades of gray. As God’s people we are called to something higher than shades of gray and compromising our morals. Often times I hear people try to justify their complacent attitudes by comparing our society to those of Biblical times. The justification is that we have more avenues of sin than the people of Biblical times. Not only is this justification ridiculous but it is false. We may have different opportunities to sin but the act is sin is the same as it was during Biblical times; and it is just as wrong now as it was then. When considering comparing our society to the societies of Biblical times consider the words of Peter.

1 Peter 1:1-2-NIV

¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, ²who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Peter was writing to people who were scattered away from their homes not by their own choice. Peter encourages these people through his letter to live a life based not upon their circumstances but upon the providence of God the Father with words like these…

1 Peter 1:13-16-NIV

13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

So, how will you be different today? Maybe you will decide to give up a worldly habit, maybe you will reach out and become a friend to a friendless person or maybe you will take a stand for God when you have failed to in the past. I can’t tell you how to be different, but I can tell you that as Christians we need to be different. The way you decide to be different today is up to you. I encourage you to prayerfully consider how you are living your life and how you can be different today.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Did you ever have one of those days?

2009-10-13T22:46:00.002-05:00

Good Evening,

Did you ever have one of those days where it seemed like nothing went right? I had a day like that today. The strange thing is that nothing really went wrong. I went to the office and did my work. I had lunch with all of the wonderful people I work with. I came home and went to dinner with my parents. Nothing went wrong but I felt like I had done nothing right all day.

I have these days occasionally and I am sure I'm not the only one so it makes you have to wonder where these days come from. I definitely feel like days like today are huge weapons in the arsenal of Satan. We know from scripture that Satan likes to attack when we are weak. He attacked Jesus with temptation in the desert in Matthew chapter 4. He used things he perceived would be appealing to Jesus such as power. Satan also used what he perceived to be a weakness to Jesus in the form of hunger.

On these days when nothing seems to go right I, for one, begin questioning everything that I do. I also become moody and hard to be around. These are all things that Satan can use to his advantage if I let him. I am ashamed to say that more times than not I allow Satan to use these days against me and in turn against my relationship with God.

I would encourage you to wrestle and struggle with these days in your life. Seek out the example of Christ found in scripture and try to handle it the way he did. If you look for God on these days you will find him because he never moved in the first place(Malachi 3:6).

I mentioned having dinner with my parents earlier. It was going over to my parent's house that I realized (again) God never moved. I was still in a bit of a funk when I got there but visiting with my parents and seeing the way God works in their life encouraged me. More than that my parents shared some cards that the family here in Pearland wrote to them and they were such encouragements to me.

The next time you have one of those days when nothing seems to go right just remember to look for God. He has never moved but he may reveal himself in places you would not expect. Don't let Satan use a bad day to gain a foothold in your life. I hope this has been a blessing to you today.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Coming soon

2009-09-29T13:12:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone,

I know it has been an eternity(okay maybe not that long) since I blogged. I know some of you were probably hoping for something new today but I am sorry to say that this blog is only a teaser for the blogs to come.

I am currently sitting in the youth and family education lab at Harding University in Searcy AR. I spent a lot of time here during my college years so this is kind of a walk down memory lane for me. The reason I am here is because I am attending the Harding lectureship. I am learning a lot in the classes I am attending and the keynote lectures I am going to as well. In the coming days after lectureship I plan to share thoughts and stories from this week. Basically if you want to know what I learned this week then you will have to check back in later.

I will leave you with one funny story from this week. I went to my first class yesterday and this student handed me a survey to turn in after the class was over. This was not that unusual and I gladly accepted the challenge of sharing my opinion. Later that day I saw the same girl handing out surveys before the keynote lecture. An older man walked up and asked if he needed one of the surveys and the young lady told him he did not need to worry about that because they were just for students. So apparently this young lady confused me for a college student. It is nice to know that I still look young enough to pass as a student.

I hope you are blessed today as much as you all bless me by being my friends.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul Cartwright

A Simple Request

2009-07-29T12:17:00.002-05:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Have you ever noticed that sometimes when people make simple requests that it can really change your whole perspective? Today I want to share with you a simple request that really made my day and has changed some of my perspectives.

Monday evening I met a few of our young men at the building to leave for our weekly Bay Area Wide Devotional. I pulled the van out of the garage and proceeded to sit and visit with these young men before everyone else got there. In the course of our conversation these guys made a simple request for our youth group to become more involved in service opportunities and activities of all kind. They confided that they want to do fun things but they also know that doing service oriented projects could be fun as well. They further confided that they wanted to do these things so we could have a stronger and closer youth group.

To say that I was humbled would be an understatement. To hear these boys so clearly make those declarations did my heart well. In a world where teenagers are so inwardly focused to hear these young men ask to be allowed to serve God through service took me back a few steps.

My simple request today is that you would pray for our group here in Pearland. I have always believed we had the potential to do some great things and now it looks as if God is opening those doors. Pray for the zeal of these young people and pray that their desire to serve God never leaves them. I hope you are blessed today!!!

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Are We There Yet?

2009-05-20T11:17:00.003-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

If you grew up in a family like mine then that means most summers you took some kind of vacation. Whether it was going to Palestine to attend the world famous Crockett Road Church of Christ VBS, or headed up to Nashville so Mom could finish her education, or touring Major League ballparks we usually managed to get away for a little while each summer. The one common theme on whatever trip it was we were on was the question, usually from me, "Are we there yet?".

Yesterday I went to Angleton to attend a monthly minister's meeting and luncheon. I was driving April's car because I was low on gas and my car was sitting at the Church building. As I was driving the forty or so miles to Angleton is occurred to me that exactly a year ago that I was driving April's car on our trip from California to Texas(I'm pretty sure I asked if we were there yet a few times). It then occurred to me that this is the first time in the past two years that April and I have not been moving to one place or another.

I am proud to say that Pearland is home. We have a wonderful church family here, the working environment for April and for me are great, and we have made ,and in some cases, renewed some wonderful lifelong friendships. As I was contemplating all of these things a scripture became very real to me.

James 4:13-16
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

Life is indeed precious and we definitely not in control. We like to fool ourselves into thinking we are in charge but when all is said and done God is in charge. Sometimes we need reminders of that fact ,and when we do, God is good to give them to us, we simply need to listen. To all of you who have made our first year in Pearland the best year we have had I want to thank you. You took two people who were scarred and broken and helped us to become whole again. Today I want to leave you with the words to a song that speaks to this and will help you to keep walking with the Lord.

If You Say Go

If you say go we will go
If you say wait we will wait
If you say step out on the water and they say it can’t be done
We’ll fix our eyes on you and we will come

Your ways are higher than our ways
And the plans that You have laid are good and true
If You call us to the fire You will not withdraw Your hand
We’ll gaze into the flames and look for You

My prayer today is that we will understand that God's ways are higher than ours and that his plan is the perfect thing for all of us imperfect people. I hope you are blessed today.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

The Long Lost Blogger Returns

2009-05-12T13:05:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone,

I know, I know it has been awhile but I wanted to take a moment and write a note this afternoon. The purpose of this note is to ask for prayers on behalf of an event that is taking place here at the Pearland Church of Christ tonight at 7:00PM.

As a congregation we see the need to reach our community here in Pearland. The problem is our community is so mobile that door knocking is no longer a useful means of reaching people, we have had success in the past mailing a DVD telling about our congregation to the community but we want to do more.

Our meeting tonight is to discuss congregational and individual strategies for reaching our community. We want people to know that we have a a passion for God and a passion for the lost. I am asking you to spend a few moments in prayer today asking God to bless our efforts. We can plan all we want to but if we go into this without seeking God's blessing then we are setting ourselves up for failure. Thank you all for always being so supportive and I thank you in advance for your prayers.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

What Makes You Cranky?

2009-04-01T11:32:00.004-05:00

Good Morning Everybody,

Yesterday I took 11 of our golden-agers into the Texas hill country to take a look at the state flower of Texas the Bluebonnet. We enjoyed the beauty that is God's creation and the fellowship amongst old and young. As part of our excursion we took advantage of being close to Brenham and went to the Blue Bell ice cream factory where we all enjoyed our favorite flavors of ice cream. It is at the Blue Bell factory where I saw the shirt pictured above. It never ceases to amaze me how God can use things like t-shirts to give me ideas of things to write and to teach.

Most of you know my primary ministry is working with teenagers. Any of you who have ever worked with teenagers or had teenagers of your own understand what being cranky is all about. It seems that throughout the teenager years that the slightest thing can make them cranky. What is interesting is that we all have our moments of being cranky even as adults. It was as I was reading this shirt that I began to wonder what God thinks about us being cranky.

Philippians 4:12
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

You may read this passage and say that Paul never mentions the word cranky. I would have to agree with you if that is your assessment of the situation. What you do have to admit is that Paul does use the word content. I would propose to you that content is the exact opposite of cranky. If anyone had the right to be cranky it was the Apostle Paul. Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, wrongfully imprisoned and despised by many. In this passage Paul describes almost every aspect of life, both good and bad, and yet he still is able to be content.

As we come to a close I would ask you to think about what makes you cranky. I want you to consider you last experience with becoming cranky and try to decide for yourself how you could have remained content. I hope that we can all learn from our cranky moments and use what we learn so we do not repeat them.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

p.s. I did purchase this shirt and plan on wearing it but don't read into it too much.

Showing Favoritism

2009-03-13T11:15:00.007-05:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Sorry I have not blogged in awhile it is has been very crazy around here lately. Between launching new ministries, teaching Bible classes, preaching and traveling to perform weddings my blogging has suffered.

This morning I thought I would share a thought with you that I shared with my teenagers a few weeks ago about showing favoritism. I began class with these two pictures.

After showing these two pictures I asked the teenagers which person they would more likely associate with and invite into our youth group. After the typical funny and churchy answers it was decided the guy with the perfect teeth an no glasses would make us all feel a little more comfortable. I want to take this opportunity to thank my teenagers for being honest about how they answered this question.

After talking about the reasons for their choice we began looking at a place in in scripture where favoritism is discussed.
James 2:1-7
1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?

When you read this passage it kind of makes you think twice about the way we interact with people in our workplaces, in public and even in our churches. In the course of my study I was reminded of another passage of scripture that really humbled me and made me have to re-think some of my own actions.

Isaiah 53:2 (New International Version)
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

This is a prophecy about Jesus. After reading this it was clear to me that, figuratively at least, Jesus probably much more closely resembled our friend in the Ghost Busters T-shirt than our GQ model. The lesson for us is an old one but one that remains true today. Never judge a book by its cover. You never know what set of circumstances has brought someone into your life and if you are too busy looking outwardly you will forget to look at them inwardly. I hope you are all blessed today.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Your Life Is Not an ipod

2009-02-10T15:18:00.002-06:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I hope all of you are doing well today. I decided to do a little organizing on my ipod today. You see I like all sorts of different kinds of music. I have rock and roll, alternative, pop, country, Christian, Acappella and many other genres. Sometimes as I drive down the road I like to listen to everything but from time to time I like to be a little more specific. So today I made a playlist for all the "religious" music that I have this includes acappella type music as well as some contemporary Christian music.

As I was making my new playlists I began to think that sometimes we treat our life like an ipod. Just like on our ipods we have a place for everything sometimes in life we tend to make compartments for different things. We make compartments for God. In this compartment we go to church, participate in service activities and Bible classes. Then we have a compartment for the rest of our life where we do everything that is not associated with the God compartment.

As I was working on my ipod I was convicted that we need to stop treating our lives like ipods. Instead of trying to make a place for God in our life we need to make God our life. I don't have all the answers that is for sure. I was convicted today and I hope that I have given you something to think about. Thank you all for being a blessing to me I hope I am one to you.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

Random thoughts from a Random Guy

That Is The Problem

Not My Will

They Really Do Care!

Change The World

Doing Something Good Without Realizing It

Mission Field Memories

Emma Turns One

Nobody Enjoys Change

Tips for Ending a Disagreement

Benin West Africa

Blog Roundup

Did You Hear There Was an Earthquake Yesterday?

School Year Goals

Back To School

Anchor Points

Godly Friendship

When I Grow Up I Want To Be

Have You Told Someone Today?

Sunday Night Sermon Take 2

Sunday Evening's Sermon

Sometime being buys accomplishes nothing

The Eggstra Special Event

Which Nicodemus Are You Most Like?

End Of The Road

15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,

Still on the Journey

Proverbs 23 and 24

Proverbs 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22

Proverbs 17

Proverbs 16

John 3:16

John 3:16

John 3:16

John 3:16

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

God sending his son equals atonement and I , for one, am glad that God saw fit to give us atonement.

God sending his son equals atonement and I , for one, am glad that God saw fit to give us atonement.

God sending his son equals atonement and I , for one, am glad that God saw fit to give us atonement.

God sending his son equals atonement and I , for one, am glad that God saw fit to give us atonement.

Proverbs 16:18

Proverbs 16:18

Proverbs 16:18

Proverbs 16:18

18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:31

Proverbs 16:31

Proverbs 16:31

Proverbs 16:31

31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.

31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.

31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.

31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Be Strong and Courageous,

Be Strong and Courageous,

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Paul

Paul

Paul

Proverbs 11,12,13,14 and 15

Proverbs 10

Proverbs 9

Proverbs 8

Proverbs 6 and 7

Proverbs 5

Proverbs 4

Proverbs 3

31 Days In Proverbs

Rise Up Church With Broken Wings

Can I help You?

Watershed

When did the world become such a scary place?

¹⁵ Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.

³¹ Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained in the way of righteousness.

³¹ Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained in the way of righteousness.

³¹ Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained in the way of righteousness.

³¹ Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained in the way of righteousness.