Cloudy Vision

You can achieve MORE than you think you can achieve. 

You can become MORE than you think you can become. 

The secret involves your vision. 

Often times our vision is clouded by our sinful desires and the influence of this world, whether we realize it or not. So to achieve success and to carry out what God has planned for us, we have to get our vision right every day. 

We have to clean the windshield. 

We have to put the contacts in.

The BEST way to do this is by spending time alone with God every day. Getting in a quiet place, clearing your thoughts, praying to God, and filling your mind with the wisdom found in the Bible.

By doing this consistently EVERY DAY (even if its just for a few minutes) our vision is lifted. And instead of focusing on whats in front of us, our vision will be shifted up to God. 

THATS WHERE CLEAR VISION COMES FROM. 

You see, we are never going to be able to predict what will happen each day. We will never be able to see the whole picture from our little place on this earth. 

SO, STOP TRYING... and instead, leave whats in front of you, to God. Look up to Him instead. Let Him guide you. Let Him prepare you. Let Him lead you. And Trust Him. Because heres a secret... He can see the bigger picture.  

So get clear vision. 

Spend time alone with the God that is giving you the breathe you are breathing right now. 

Spend time alone with the God who gave you eyes to read these words.

Because He has so much planned for you to achieve

And He loves you more than you know. 

Look to Him.

:)

Walk Across The Room

Today as I was eating Easter lunch with family at a restaurant in Houston, I was reminded of something very important.

Halfway through the lunch, I had gotten up to go over near the salad bar, and as I did, I noticed that the music which I had been enjoying was actually being played by a man with a saxophone in the corner of the room.

As I walked closer to him, I noticed that he was playing his heart out, and yet no one else seemed to notice or pay him any attention.

I slowly approached him, and as he lowed his sax I smiled and told him how incredible he sounded. Thats it. A simple smile and a short sentence of encouragement. As I walked off, I didn't think anything else of it.

About 30 minutes later I was in the middle of telling a story to my family when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and to my surprise it was none other than the saxophone player. 

He looked at me with excitement and said, "I just wanted to thank you for your encouragement. It really meant a lot." He then handed me his card and he was gone.

That really made me stop and think about life.

There are so many people all around us who are playing their hearts everyday, and yet, many of us never even walk across the room and give them a compliment, a pat on the back, or even just a simple sentence of encouragement.

I'll tell you this, I will never forget how heartfelt and honest that man looked as he thanked me for a sentence that took me 3 seconds to say. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the only compliment he got all day.

Today reminded me that we should look for people to encourage every day. The truth is that we all need encouragement. Everyone does. It can change a whole attitude and brighten someones whole week.

Let's encourage more people this year.

Psalm 34

I will praise the Lord at all times.

    I will constantly speak his praises.

2 

I will boast only in the Lord;

    let all who are helpless take heart.

3 

Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;

    let us exalt his name together.

4 

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.

    He freed me from all my fears.

5 

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;

    no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

6 

In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;

    he saved me from all my troubles.

7 

For the angel of the Lord is a guard;

    he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

8 

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

9 

Fear the Lord, you his godly people,

    for those who fear him will have all they need.

10 

Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,

    but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

11 

Come, my children, and listen to me,

    and I will teach you to fear the Lord.

12 

Does anyone want to live a life

    that is long and prosperous?

13 

Then keep your tongue from speaking evil

    and your lips from telling lies!

14 

Turn away from evil and do good.

    Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

15 

The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;

    his ears are open to their cries for help.

16 

But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;

    he will erase their memory from the earth.

17 

The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.

    He rescues them from all their troubles.

18 

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;

    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

19 

The righteous person faces many troubles,

    but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

20 

For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;

    not one of them is broken!

21 

Calamity will surely destroy the wicked,

    and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22 

But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.

    No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Beautiful

Some of the most beautiful people that I have ever met have been the ones who might not have seemed beautiful to the world's eyes.

Friends, I beg you tonight to stop looking on the outside so much and start looking on the inside..

Look at the heart, not the body.

Look at the mind, not the face.

Look at the soul, not the race.

So many times we make decisions about people based on what they look like on the outside.

STOP looking just on the outside and START Looking at the inside.

Because that outer beauty eventually WILL FADE.. which is when the real love is revealed..

Don't let your future turn out disappointing because of how much you valued someones outer appearance..

LOOK PAST THAT. Stop treasuring their body & start treasuring the person for who they are!

Don't let a person's attractiveness determine their WORTH..

Think about this..

-Carter

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I COULD EVER SAY IS THIS

NOTHING in your life matters,

except what you do for God.

Never forget that.

Learning

Life is all about decisions.

Who you are going to hang out with.

What you are going to watch.

What you are going to listen to.

Where you are going to go....

And its just crazy how many decisions we make on a daily basis whether we realize it or not....

Tonight was one of those nights where it all kind of hit me at once.

Have you ever felt like that?

Where all of your worries and things that make you stress come at you all together?

It happens to me every once in a while but tonight I decided to write about it.

I decided I want to as real as possible with you all.

After all, many of you guys have been so real with me.

Recently I have had a lot on my mind.

There's a lot of stuff that I wish I hadn't done and a lot of stuff that I wish I had done over the past few months.

It almost feels like time has escaped me somehow..

BUT what has happened has happened and I must look ahead and learn from the past.

Not necessarily DWELL on the past but indeed learn from it.

Recently one thing that has been bothering me is my relationship with some of my friends.

They are SO great but it seems like I have been so busy lately that I haven't made the time that I should have made for them.

And a few of them are moving away to go to college out of state now..

I just want them to know that I wont forget them <3

There is a lot of people that have been so great to me and I wish I could spend more time with them before they leave.

But I have HOPE.

That I will see them again soon and that they will go on to be happy and healthy.

May God bless them so much.

Its jut so interesting how time flies like that.

How people just move on..

How people that you were once so close to can be so far away before you can even blink an eye...

Life is crazy.

Make good decisions and treasure the moments that you have with your loved ones.

Be there for your friends..

They need you just like you need them <3

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:31

Goodnight everyone.

- Carter 

FIRM

This life will come at you hard, like a tornado.

It will push you and push you until you are so far away from where you started that you won't be able to get back.

That is unless you stand FIRM on the ground..

Standing FIRM isn't just about standing in one place, its more than that.

To stand firm against this tornado of bad influence that some call "the world" you must have something to keep you FIRM on the ground.

You MUST place your feet not in sand but on ROCK.

The ROCK represents God's strength that will withstand ANYTHING that life throws at you.

But the ROCK alone will not keep you in one place. Because you see, God gave us all free will and an option to move away from Him or to draw close to Him.

The only way to stay on to the ROCK is to build a wall around your ROCK of GOOD INFLUENCE. Friends that will help you and hold you and keep your feet in one place.

Friends that wont "experiment" in other places other than that ROCK. Friends who have their life in order. Friends that you want to someday be like. Because like many wise people have said before, your friends will either MAKE you or they will BREAK you.

Always remember, that you can never with your own might pull anyone up onto your ROCK but there will ALWAYS be people that will try and pull you down. Don't ever for one second think that you can change someone. God is the ONLY one that can. You can be a good influence with your own life but don't ever hang outside of that strong foundation of safety that God has led you to. Don't ever give someone the satisfaction of pulling you off your ROCK.

Stay put and stay ready for anything. Keep your guard up.

STAND FIRM ON THE SOLID ROCK OF JESUS CHRIST AND NEVER LET ANYONE PULL YOU DOWN.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."

- Matthew 7:24-25