What a beautiful day! I wish I was not working. (Except if my boss is reading this -- then I am happy to be here and would not have it any other way). I have spring fever really bad.

Tonight is parent/teacher conferences. The time of the year where we "evaluate" how our children are doing in school. I am confident that it will go well.

Well, I did not get my brakes replaced this weekend. Cars suck. The worst investment ever. I just hate taking the time or paying the money to have them repair. Yes, I have issues on this - Thompson - it sucks.

Gathering was great on Sunday. Seeing more new faces is great for me. Either we are seeing growth or I have a really bad memory.

Tuesday things to say:

7. To my life group - I do not have anything to hide.
6. D'trel-thanks for adding me to your blog.
5. Ward - thanks for being great friend.
4. Thompson - update your blog. I don't want to see JOHN LANE.
3. N8 - looking forward to taking classes.
2. Deurty - you truly are the man. Mrs. Deurty - I am glad you put up with him!
1. Jeff - God's grace is all sufficient.

That's it for now.

domenomegoto Mr. Roboto,
Becca's dad

Hey, I just got grossed reading Deuty blog for the day.

I wish I had more to blog about today. God is great. Went to the 3 on 3 today. That place was packed. Jeff, my buddy and organizer, was extremely pleased.

Working on my brakes tomorrow. A buddy of mine has a garage, tools and knowledge. All I need is pizza and cash. What a combination....cars suck. A bad investment all around.

Well, gotta get ready. Becca has a soccer game this afternoon followed by Scooby Doo II at the theatre. Then Gathering tomorrow.

I need to rob a bank.
Carter

Well it is the end of another week. I am looking forward to the weekend. I love our gathering times and cannot wait for them. It was a pay week this week. I am sucking wind right now. I had to switch from being paid every week to every other week. Too long of a story to blog about there, but rest assured it sucks. And on top of the, I switched on an off week. So this week was only one week of pay that has to last two weeks. I will stop whining now.

Pretty non eventful week. I wish I had more to report. This weekend is the Lela Johnson 3 on 3 basketball tournament. Right at the beginning of March madness....oh yeah. Footnote: I do not typically watch alot of tv or sports for that matter. But I really enjoy the college basketball tournament. Anyway, the 3 on 3 is a going to be great. It is a fund raiser for 1st Priority - which high school/jr high school campus ministry. This is the 2nd year of the tournament and they have almost 300 kids participating. That is cool. So more on that later.

Gotta go for now.

Signing off from Holland Michigan,
carter

Wow. What a great Friday night. Becca (my daughter) and I rented way to many movies from Blockbuster last night. It is fun to see her making choices. I will tell her how much she can spend and her mind goes into overdrive figuring out how much she can get with the money she has been allowed. I think this is a good life lesson to teach. It provides an opportunity for her to be part of the decision making and helps her think thru the consequences. That is good solid stuff.

We also went out for breakfast this morning. Right before we left, she said she wanted to take some of her money with her to pick up something (yet to be determined). We always have great conversation. But a cool thing happened. As we were walking into the restaurant, we saw a couple high school kids hang out side the door. They were collecting money for Love, Inc. Love, Inc is an agency in our community that does an incredible work in peoples lives. From money to food to advice to council to pray, they are in the community making a difference. As we were walking up, I see Becca put her hand on her pocket. And without missing a beat, walked right up and put her money in their bucket. I asked her about it after and she said it felt good to do the right thing. Then, not to brag further, after we were done eating, she asked me if she could offer them something. I said go for it. She got right up walked outside and asked them if they wanted something. It was a miserable morning here weather wise. So I am sure those coffees tasted really good to those teens. I told Becca how proud I was and all she said was "I am being the church, Dad. It is the least I could do."

After taking a moment to wipe the tear from my eye, I hugged her and tried to affirm what she is thinking and doing. Out of the mouth of babes.....

At our last core meeting, we had some interesting happen. While we were gathering to eat, several teenage guys came in and helped themselves. Normally, I think people would be upset by that. How dare they just walk in and start eating????? It was great to see people introducing themselves and welcoming the teens in without making them feel bad.

Somewhere there is truth in all this. LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES. GOD WILL PROVIDE THEM!!!!

Until next time,
Becca's dad.

That's all for now. More later.

Signing off for the Spring Lake Library,
Carter L. Clark

So I arrived late Wednesday night. It was a long trip that ended with me collapsing in bed. I woke up that next morning and skated into work late. As I was driving, I received a two-way call from a close friend. This is the guy who has stuck with me thru some really tough times. As we were chatting, he asked how I was doing. I replied that my emotional tank was low. But I was going to pick up my daughter and that would help.

That is what is great about kids. My daughter is great to be with. I was out of town and had little time to talk to her while I was away. After work, I picked her up and it was great. A huge hug and lots of conversation later, I am back on track. I am thankful I have a relationship were she and I can talk. Which brings me to one of many points in my life. We as adults do not give kids enough credit. We have a lot to learn from them. The way they look at life for example. I am constantly challenged just by the way God is working in Becca's life. Take the time to listen. Don't be afraid to talk. God gave us two ears and one mouth. I think the message is clear - we should listen twice as much as we talk.

Carry on my wayward son,
carter

I am sure by now you have noticed I am writing this blog in the middle of the day. That is because I have taken the day off. I logged a ton of hours on my trip and decided I needed to take a rest break. As much as I am thankful I have a job, I am equally thankful for the time of rest.

There are so many times I miss God moments. I am only recently becoming more aware of these times. I think Christ created such a great model for our lives by the way he lived. The way He worshipped. The way He prayed. The learned person He is. How He invested in people. There are many examples of how we need to live this out.

As I was drive, I noticed different signs on the Penna Turn Pike. They are signs that encourage you as a driver - BE ALERT; WATCH FOR HEAVY TRAFFIC; GIVE OUR WORKERS A BRAKE. I wonder how many times in life we look for these signs and miss them completely. Oh they are there. God throws them out there; we need to look for them.

Just thankful to be home,
c-man

This is a continuation for the last blog.

One other river moment happened yesterday. It was a river moment that happened to a friend of mine. He is currently working with a local high school as the Technical Director for a play the school is putting on.

He was telling me about how God is providing opportunities to share and be the church. One example is in this play. He is working with high school students to run the lights and sound for the production. One such conversation was with a high school guy who is having some difficulty with his girlfriend. My friend inquired a little further and the high school kid said,"Yeah we are having problems. You know. Like she likes guys and girls." WOW. What a great opportunity to walk thru the door with a kid who is searching for some truth. Well, the conversation carried on giving my friend the opportunity to share about who Christ is and why he and the girlfriend need a relationship with Him. I am looking forward to hearing the rest of that story.

Just trying to inspire others to be the church,
C-man

It has been a while. Sorry for the less than 5 of you (and N8....please do not drop me) who actually read this but I have been out of town and did not have internet access. But I have a lot to say. I may break this up over a few posts. Let the reader beware.

It is so apparent to me how God is pointing things out. I have been reading several books and they are all showing me the same things. I was one who is missing the point. I have felt a huge transition in my life because I am embracing where God is directing my life and what that actually means.

Let me start with where I have been the last week. Last Sunday was awesome by the way. We heard the message once again shared in a way. Extremely life changing. I was loving myself playing keys for the worship team. And I got to be the guy to change the media from computer to video. A big job (a click of a button) but I was up to the task.

I left after the gathering time to head for Philadelphia, PA. It was a job related trip. I needed to head out to do some audio/video replacing of equipment. It is about 13 hours to drive from the Haven to Philly. So this is why I left on Sunday. I traveled alone - just me, a cargo van, some equipment and tools, am/fm/cd radio, and Jesus. What a trip. I made it as far as Elyria, Ohio before I hit the sack. I do not know if you have traveled the Ohio turnpike but it is boring. On the flip side, the pit stops along the way have Starbucks coffee. A huge plus. This gave me the opportunity to start some conversations and receive some new friends. A river moment from me was when an older couple was having some problems navigating their map. So they asked me if I had a moment to help out and I did. After a few minutes of helping out, I asked a few questions about them and engaged a little deeper. After a few, we were praying together and moved on our way.

I really feel like we need to stop and look for opportunities to engage - as the captain on Star Trek the next generation would say -. There are many God moments - river moments - that can happen if we would allow it.

For those who are not aware of the River comments, check out Watermark's website and get involved.

From the point of no return,
C

Brett Jones - one of the finer thinkers of our time - has joined cyberspace.

Welcome - Kiwi!

There are two issues I came to grips with over the weekend (two of my "goliaths" as it is). Exercise/dieting and authority figures. In conversation with me, it does not take long to figure out I have a problem with both. Let me just be frank here for a moment -- I am not sure who frank is but...... -- I have always had an issue with authority figures. It is rebellious thing I realize, probaly stemming from my childhood with a sprinkle of parental influence. From teachers to bosses, I struggle with authority figures. Secondly, dieting and exercise. I do not mind the eating right thing -- after all, 75% of the word diet is DIE! -- exercise is the big killer for me. I only bring this up because as I was driving to work this morning, who do I see jogging? STEVE THOMPSON. Now for those who do not know, he is Watermark, he is my small group leader and he is now part of my accountability group. The thing that sucks is he was jogging and looking good doing it. So in this light, God has perfect timing and a great sense of humor. I hope to be able to jog with Steve someday. By the Steve, I hate you now. (in a loving way).

For me, I need to follow the Nike phrase - Just do it. And I would encourage as well. Healthy self evaluation is excellent. Reviewing where God has taken you from to where you are now is awesome. Pray for me as I deal with these (and many other) issues.

Ranting and ravening today,
C

Welcome a new blogger to cyberspace. Check it out - quiet rider................

C

Hope all is well in your world. My daughter and I purchased a cook book. The book was to support her school. We decided that we would take one recipe a week and make it for ourselves. The time has been great fun! She is learning and I am learning. Just great bonding time.

I help some family members move this weekend. I was sore the next day. This family does a tremendous amount for me and my daughter. Becca gets dropped off there every morning and returns there after school. It is really a great situation because I know she is with family and she is safe. In addition, we went to another family members house for dinner that night. Here is the kicker. This is my ex-in laws. Now I know that it seems weird. But I have a good relationship with my ex-wife and her family. It takes HARD work. But we make it work.

Sunday we talked about Goliaths in our lives. Man, I spent lots of time Sunday afternoon reviewing that little topic. Great worship, awesome message. We had Core Focus Sunday evening. This is a time where we gather to discuss what is happening in the body. It is usually a great time to hear about what's up.

More later.
C

I have been on a website with some friends from high school. It was been fun to regroup with them and hear what is going on in their lives. The question recently came up about the movie the passion and hear is my response. The question is "after seeing the movie, did I think it was anti-semitic?"

Ok. It has taken me a day to respond. I want to make sure I give an honest answer.

First of all the movie was done well. Photography; story line; music; sub text; pacing (they have flash backs); it is all done well.

From a biblical perspective. The movie does take some creative license. There are scenes where things a little out of focus. But for the most part, it is pretty accurate to the bible. There are some catholic tradition references.

The interesting thing is the directly opposing critics of the movie. It is either a great theatrical presentation or a texas chain saw massacre of Jesus.

I have a religious background. I actively attend a church. I believe in what the bible says and what it means. It is difficult to divorce myself from that. So do I think it is good. Yes. Do I think it is graphic? Yes. Do I think is appropriate for children or even younger teens? No. Anti-semitic? It is a representation of what happened. I do not look at the movie Roots and think "wow. That is really anti-Caucasian."

In all honesty, I am glad I saw it for these reasons. 1. Discussions like this. The whole religious movement (except for some truths)(which we can discuss later) is a persons opinion on the subject. I enjoy discussing and helping others understand. 2. The whole idea of what Christ went thru. I did have a reference of what happened during that period. But I did not have a visual. And as a visual person, I now have a better understanding of why he did what he did. I can tell you this much. I am glad I went to see it with some friends I could deprogram with after ward. It is very visually impacting.

I hope I have not bantered too long and have answered the question.

I am still reeling from the movie.
Carter

Well, I did it. I went with several people from Watermark to see the Passion last night. I am sure that it will be several weeks of heavy thinking about that.

I wish I could take credit for the following thought, but I can't:

In a related story:
A teenage gal we know told us of a conversation that happened in school last week. One of her teachers was talking about The Passion, and a student called out from the back of the class, "The movie was good, but I hear the book was better."
While most of the class laughed at this, one student asked, "Did they call the book 'The Passion', too?"
"Duh, it's called The Bible."