Author: dlc123sr

Week 4 “WORDS” The Fuel of Your Destiny”

Words!

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but “WORDS” will never hurt me. A phrase repeated on the playground by children when I was growing up. A catchy phrase to deflect the hurt when someone uses words as a weapon. The truth is it’s just not true!

Words have led to horrific disasters, protracted wars, kingdoms, and dynasties have been toppled by the sheer power of words. Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me? They can also heal, strengthen, motivate and encourage. Choose wisely it’s your L.I.F.E.

An excerpt from:  An article by Christopher Antony Meade In History, sometimes, words can kill.

It is one of the stranger things in history how sometimes the very smallest of occurrences can have the most momentous consequences. Words can be said that give offence to the wrong ears, and the result can be the fall of empires, or the wiping away of complete nations. The words that get written down are most frequently the ones that cause the most trouble, as the written word provides a more permanent record than just the utterances that come from the mouth. Sentiments that find their way onto official correspondence are the ones that have the most fatal effects as official declarations can bind governments for good or ill, and are less easy to rescind without loss of national face, or diminution of national honor. 

WORDS ARE POWERFUL, and whether you utter them aloud or to yourself, they create emotion.  They determine how you and others feel. Words create passion – both highs and lows.  Words create dis-ease and disease.  They also provide comfort, and a source for future success.

The power behind selecting your vocabulary with care lies in your ability to manage your language in order to better manage your emotions. When you’re aware that words are powerful and create emotion at all levels, you can then manage your vocabulary to assure that the words you use serve you well. Once you begin to identify words you use that don’t serve you or your future in a positive manner, simply replace them with more constructive and courageous vocabulary.  The words you write or speak to others can leave a huge impact and create a lasting memory–either good or bad–so it’s important to choose them wisely.

  1. “Be mindful when it comes to your words. A string of some that don’t mean much to you, may stick with someone else for a lifetime.” -Rachel Wolchin
  2. “Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can be only forgiven, not forgotten.” -Unknown
  3. “Words are free. It’s how you use them that may cost you.” -KushandWizdom
  4. “Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” -Rumi
  5. “…But the human tongue is a beast that few can master. It strains constantly to break out of its cage, and if it is not tamed, it will run wild and cause you grief.” -Unknown
  6. “The secret of being boring is to say everything.” -Voltaire
  7. “One kind word can change someone’s entire day.” -Unknown
  8. “Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.” -Pearl Strachan Hurd
  9. “Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate, and to humble.” -Yehuda Berg
  10. “My task, which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel–it is, before all, to make you see.” -Joseph Conrad
  11. “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” -Mother Teresa
  12. “The tongue has no bones, but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words.” -Unknown
  13. “Be careful what you say. You can say something hurtful in ten seconds, but ten years later, the wounds are still there.” -Joel Osteen
  14. “All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then I can turn the world upside down.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
  15. “Don’t mix bad words with your bad mood. You’ll have many opportunities to change a mood, but you’ll never get the opportunity to replace the words you spoke.” -Unknown
  16. “Don’t ever diminish the power of words. Words move hearts and hearts move limbs.” -Hamza Yusuf
  17. “Words are seeds that do more than blow around. They land in our hearts and not the ground. Be careful what you plant and careful what you say. You might have to eat what you planted one day.” -Unknown
  18. “Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” -Edgar Allan Poe
  19. “A broken bone can heal, but the wound a word opens can fester forever.” -Jessamyn West
  20. “Good words are worth much, and cost little.” -George Herbert
  21. “Your words have power. Speak words that are kind, loving, positive, uplifting, encouraging, and life-giving.” -Unknown
  22. “Kind words are a creative force, a power that concurs in the building up of all that is good, and energy that showers blessings upon the world.” -Lawrence G. Lovasik
  23. “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” -John Keating
  24. “The best word shakers were the ones who understood the true power of words. They were the ones who could climb the highest.” -Markus Zusak
  25. “Speech has power. Words do not fade. What starts out as a sound, ends in a deed.” -Abraham Joshua Herschel
  26. “If we understood the power of our thoughts, we would guard them more closely. If we understood the awesome power of our words, we would prefer silence to almost anything negative. In our thoughts and words, we create our own weaknesses and our own strengths. Our limitations and joys begin in our hearts. We can always replace negative with positive.”

-Betty Eadie PUBLISHED ON: NOV 5, 2015

I would encourage you to read “Your Word is Your Wand Florence Scovel Shinn Published 1928” available on amazon. “So man has power to change an unhappy condition by waving over it the wand of his word.”  Consider that all you do begins with what you think and allow in your mind and how you express those thoughts through words. So far we have talked about thoughts, turning thoughts into words,and Next week Words into

 ACTIONS!

“It’s just words”.
Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
www.tellthemyourstory .org
dwightspeaks@gmail.com

 

 

Week 3 “Change Your Thinking”, The First Step to Discovering Your Destiny”

Week 3.

Change not my favorite especially as I have progressed in life, which really means “older”. Yet in looking back my life as actually been about change going all the way back to junior high. One would”think” over the last 40 plus years I would have made friends with change and learned to accommodate it in my life and actually have some mastery over and with change.  The truth is, I do, and my purpose is to encourage and challenge you in that regards so let’s begin, by asking a question, what is change?

Webster’s unabridged says;

Change verb (action)

  1. Make or become different. To take or use another instead of.
  2. The act or instance of making or becoming different.

Author Unknown

Change Is…..

“Change is something that presses us out of our comfort zone. It is destiny-filtered, heart grown, faith built. Change is inequitable; not a respecter of persons. Change is for the better or for the worst, depending on where you view it. Change has an adjustment period which varies on the individual. It is uncomfortable, for changing from one state to the next upsets our control over outcomes. Change has a ripping effect on those who won’t let go. Flex is the key. Even a roller coaster ride can be fun if you know when to lean and create new balance within the change.  Change is needed when all the props and practices of the past no longer work. Change is not comforted by the statement ‘just hang in there’ but with the statement ‘you can make it’. We don’t grow in retreat, but through endurance. Change isn’t fixed by crying, worrying, or mental treadmilling. Change is won by victors not victims; and that choice is ours.”

“DLCSr”…..

Our minds work to make us right! There are thoughts flying around all the time, and some of them land on you and me LOL. You get to choose what you keep and what you discard. If you tell yourself something often enough and long enough it will become your reality. I know you’re thinking I don’t know about this, but think of it this way. When we practice for an event like sports, theater, singing, delivering a church sermon, or public speaking what are we doing. We are teaching our minds, and our thoughts to behave, to “think” in a way that we instruct it to. By providing the information to our thoughts about what we want to do, and how to do it we instruct our actions to participate.  To deliver and perform those thoughts and actions we have rehearsed mentally and now want to display physically.

So what to do. Start by first deciding to live like who you are and what you do make a difference. What you tell yourself about who you are and what you do on a regular basis becomes your reality. Determine to take daily steps to eliminate thoughts that do not serve you, your life goals, and purpose. Write it down, make a list of what you want to do and who you want to be. Decide what you are willing to accept and what you are not. Seek out those people places and things that support your vision and your purpose in life. Most importantly decide to hold yourself accountable for taking those daily, often small steps to change. I promise you will be glad you did.

I have included my original list of those people, places, and things that gave purpose to my thinking and determination to my commitment to change. Why because they matter to me. Those lessons I have learned and experienced over time through failure, and success. They may not be applicable to you but at least a place to start that’s not just random but a road traveled by someone you know, Me.

  1. You will dilute your efforts by not having (owning) a predetermined outcome or benefit (goal).
  2. Prayer, reading, exercise, nutrition, supplements, sleep, rest, social activities are extremely important to your wellbeing.
  3. At peace is powerful, do and complete those things, priorities, events, & things that support and empower you.
  4. Express your ideas, frustrations, intentions, and your passion.
  5. Learn that as you visualize who you want to (be) you will act as if (do) and overtime your dreams and desires will come true (have).
  6. You will become tomorrow what you say and do today.
  7. Acknowledge & own your shortcomings.
  8. The only control you have over tomorrow is what you do and think today.
  9. Use your surroundings as an expression of who you are.
  10.  Always acknowledge others, help or intervene as a way of life.
  11.  Swearing and anger are a sign of mental, social, educational, and weakness as well as a lack of discipline.
  12. Manage those assets entrusted to you with discipline, passion, logic, and heart.
  13. Accept today, you will come to a time where you understand the past and have vision for the future.
  14. Always reward those who give great service.
  15. Your cloths are a representation of you, choose wisely.
  16. Checking off your list will free up time, money, and your thinking.

Remember you make a difference and your family and friends need you. Your destiny is made up of many things,people, places, and events. Next we will talk about the power of “WORDS”.

“It’s just words”.
Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
www.tellthemyourstory .org
dwightspeaks@gmail.com

Week 2  “Thoughts The Beginning of Our Destiny”

Week 2  Watch Your Thoughts

“Truth”

Sometime around 6th or 7th grade I began to have difficulty concentrating. It showed up in my school work and specifically my grades. I was pulled out of class one morning and taken to the principal’s office. That particular event is still not clear to me even to this day. I do remember being asked lots of questions and taking several tests. In the end apparently they determined and told my parents in essence I was not applying myself. To make this even worse my complexion began to show the signs of being a teenager. Personal appearance and grades, the end all be all of teenage life.

I will tell you the next 5 years until way after high school graduation were difficult for me. The truth is I don’t remember much of it. I guess in my mind it was just too painful so I set it aside to move on. The embarrassment of struggling to concentrate and study along with the shame of thinking not only was I not very smart but physically flawed as well. Don’t get me wrong I fought to keep up a good front and did the best I could. Those who knew me then may have just thought I was just another struggling teenager. A nice guy but really nothing special. The truth is how I saw myself and the world around me in hindsight was distorted as a result of wanting to be what others seemed to be to me.  Better.

In my thinking at the age of 14, as a result of looking at those around me, I decided that to be successful, I needed to be more than I was. I came to the conclusion that to be successful in life, and by successful I mean that the girls wanted, pursued, or made a fuss over me, the guys respected me, and people in general admired me. So with that bit of false wisdom I decided (1) I needed to be tall, (2) I needed to be handsome, (3) I needed to have great hair. That seemed to be the key for others why not me. Now that may very well be the roadmap for success at 14 but quite the disaster for lasting success in the real world. Yet in my thinking it made perfect since. Truth was I was not really any of those what I believed to be necessity’s for success.

It has been lots of years since then yet in many ways how I allowed my mind to run me then has to be managed, even today. I have had lots of life experiences, lived in numerous cities and states as a result of my work, been places and have had the opportunity to do things not everyone gets the opportunity to do. I have been kidnapped at gun point while sitting in my car at a mall in Houston Texas, I have ridden in a helicopters taking me to work on numerous offshore drilling rigs, as well as being in some of the most sophisticated manufacturing plants, petro chemical, food and beverage facility’s, as well as ridden on a giant tunneling machine while it was boring and setting the concrete walls as it moved along an underground train track 50 yards below ground in downtown San Antonio Tx. Not to mention the people I have met.

Ok let me just mention a couple LOL Boomer Isaisan, Vernon Jordan Bill Clintons lawyer, Mrs. America Debra Downs, General Brannon US Air Force, Pat Robertson, Actress Stockard Channing, The CEO and his wife of Exxon mobile, and many more. I unexpectedly was offered a job during an interview for sales position that required me to work as a corporate Chauffer for 12 months after a layoff. Their importance and success had nothing to do with me or changed how I saw myself for the better. I did learn a valuable lesson “work is about service not about self”. More on that later.

 

So what’s your point Dwight? It’s this, that even though my forward progress in life was going well, in my thinking more often than not, I was still that insecure teenager especially in what I wanted or thought I needed in life. So for many years I struggled, failed, got back up and failed again, got back up and so on. As I continued as most of us do to make my way along what I refer to as the Broken Road I realized in a rather dramatic encounter that there was actually a very simple yet difficult answer to my ongoing problem.  “Change”

“It’s just words”.
Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
www.tellthemyourstory .org
dwightspeaks@gmail.com

“Life is like a 1000 piece puzzle”

Life is like a 1000 piece puzzle for which you have no picture. You are given one piece at a time, and you are to figure out where it fits. At first there is no clear vision of what you are putting together, It becomes confusing, Frustrating, and sometimes seems impossible.

Through diligence,  determination, commitment you begin to see. To see is inspiring, you feel as if there is a pattern,  and overwhelming plan. You begin to be willing  to take each piece you are given  and figure out where it fits.
The challenge becomes,  a desire  to be a part of the bigger picture. You have a sense that  there is a purpose,  a reason, for all that you do. You become a willing participant,  an enthusiastic creator. Waiting,  watching,  anticipating,  that next piece  that encourages  inspires and moves you to discover just where you fit.

It’s an awesome discovery to see that all you do is a part of a beautiful, moving, and fulfilling piece in the puzzle. Be grateful,  thankful, and excited  that you are part  of creating  a one of a kind, masterpiece.  Planned by the Master from its very beginning, to truly be work of L.I.F.E

L. Live in confidence that who you are and what you do make a difference.

I. Invest in others daily.

F. Faith in God, your purpose and in others.

E. Elevate your thinking.

1996

“Its Just Words!”
Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
dwightspeaks@gmail.com
www.tellthemyourstory .org

 

 

 

Week 1″Thoughts the Beginning of a Destiny”

Week 1

                                        “THOUGHTS”

If failure were money I would be a millionaire.

If uncertainty was an educational degree I would have a masters.

If disappointments were rewarded I would be the guest of honor.

If anxiety was a temperature mine would at least be 103. Not enough to kill me but enough to really keep me down.

 

In spite of these ongoing challenges in life I have managed to earn my living over the years in several capacity’s that from the outside some would say I was not necessarily qualified for. I have been granted access in manufacturing facility’s pitching products or services that were beyond my expertise. I have been trusted with and been on dangerous assignments on offshore and land based drilling rigs where a simple mistake or a moment of indecision could be fatal. I have asked for and been granted appointments with business leaders way above my socio, educational and economic level. I have provided advice, and expertise in areas where some would say I was not qualified for. I have been given guidance and direction from individuals who had nothing to gain from me, and yet were compelled to do just that.

The commonality in all was and is my “thinking”. I am convinced I just didn’t realize I wasn’t qualified, and drive and ambition blindly pushed me forward toward what I wanted to be, do, or have. Given some thought could be that true for you as well?

I know it’s not just that simple, to think and it will be. Yet in 1937 Napoleon Hill wrote a bestselling training and motivational book entitled “Think and Grow Rich”. Maxwell Malts in 1960 wrote “Psycho-Cybernetics”. His work defines the mind-body connection as the core in succeeding in attaining personal goals.  My favorite Zig Ziegler wrote “See You at The Top”  “The how to book that gives you a checkup from the neck up to eliminate stinkin thinkin and avoid hardening of the attitudes” in 1982 and many others until his passing in 2012.

All of these men studied, researched, and provided instruction as to the importance of what we think. Eastern philosophies touted the benefits and importance of our thoughts. The Bible in addressing maters of the heart or spirit addresses the challenges of what we think and allow into our minds: Simply put, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he” Proverbs 23 vs 7.

It has been said we only have control over three things in our life:

The thoughts we think.

The images we visualize.

The actions we take.

I have found that to be true in my life have you?

So what do I do, if how I manage my thoughts and how and what I think is so very important, how do I go about managing what I think?  Or can we?

see you next week!

“It’s just words”.Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
www.tellthemyourstory .org
dwightspeaks@gmail.com

A letter to my Mom. Charice’s story

 

A letter to my Mom “ Rosemary Caldwell”,

I wanted you to see the power of what I call “generational living by example”. What I have learned from you and Dad and what Vilma learned from her Mom and Dad is bearing fruit, “growing”. Sometimes it seems what has been planted is not blooming as expected. Has what’s been sown not taken root, have we failed in our efforts to teach, and direct, by example.

No, it has been gaining strength, just below the surface, until its time. Encouragement, determination, acceptance, direction, and often intervention win out over the challenges of life. An overwhelming garden of beauty, so many wonderful and different flowers “our children and grandchildren” spring up and show their beauty. It is a reminder to me and I wanted to share Charice’s story with you
( there were more than 82 likes and comments to her post. Clearly her heart and actions touched others) .

Vilma and I will never let our garden go unattended. These treasures “children and grandchildren” strengthen my heart and give wings to my purpose in life. Thank you for loving me so I could understand and love those who follow in your steps and ours.
Dwight Sr.

Charice Thoman
11 hrs
I was reminded again, tonight, what it means to be a nurse. To give love and compassion to each individual in their most trying times.

While suctioning the trach (airway) of a young man, only 8 years older than my son, I gently rubbed his arm and reassured him he will be ok, as he was very anxious. After he motioned to me that his airway was clear, he reached out his arm, grabbed my hand and squeezed it as tears rolled down his face. He can’t speak due to the tracheotomy, but ‘lipped’ “Thank you”. Most times it just takes a little extra TLC and comforting to let people not only know, but *feel* you care about them.

Charice, I could not be more proud of you. Your strength and compassion commitment and determination are the cornerstones of our family. Your heart encourages me your actions inspire me. Never stop growing always trust your heart. Love Dad.

“It’s just words”.

Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
dwightspeaks@gmail.com
www.tellthemyourstory .org

 

“Never let what others say be your truth.”

I recently in a very proud grand dad moment posted photos of our grand children and noted the t shirt one of them had on as “covering his angels wings”. I said nothing of the t shirt or that it had a skull on the front. It was of no concern to me only using what I thought to be humor, noting that great grandmother and grandson were plotting to reveal his angel status at a later date. What I received from someone very close to me was an email saying “its just a t shirt get over yourself”. Huh, first off the response made no sense and was not what I expected. It was more the get over yourself than anything

With more than 60 years of experience at living life, I am still often stunned by comments from those I have know for years. Often judgmental  for all the wrong reasons and sure that they need to keep me in my place. I cant began to tell you how many times over the years someone I trust or I am close to has flippantly tossed out a derogatory, unexpected, clearly unfounded, and blatantly untrue comment. Let me give you a couple of  examples.

While playing of all things Foosball more than 30 years ago a competitor across the table who I had know at that time for more than 10 years said “Carter just not that good”. This after through finesse and skill cleaned his clock two games in a row in front of more than 10 people that were watching. I barely had time to celebrate my victory before “your just not that good”.

Sevaeral years later, yet again, playing racquetball with a friend and delivering 3 games in a row of defeat to my then friend I heard, “Carter your just not that good”. I quickly reminded him “I just beat you 3 games to zero, so clearly one of us is that good. From where I am standing its me”.

Why would a man with significant life experiences and interactions with a broad range of people, places and things be concerned, offended or just down right hurt by the voice of so very few. Its because when it comes from someone close, someone you trusted, invested in, counted on for direction friendship or leadership your view of what was “so” is dramatically impacted. Change and the perspective and the assumptions there in of beliefs, security and comfort of the known is shattered. Often resulting in gut wrenching pain and heartbreak.

Over more than 40 years I have sat across the table form men and women who were often significantly above my educational, social and economic standing as well as many who were quite possibly my junior in those standings. My best conservative count is at least 19,000 people, not including seminars, training, social clubs, speaking opportunity’s, as well as general conversations with friends and family. In a majority of those conversations my purpose was to inform, challenge or to establish a call to action, or to assist them in making a decision. In the majority of those interactions my experience and professional delivery of that information was accepted,  appreciated, and used for the purpose it was intended. In others not so much.

My point, I do have some experience in the matters of life and so do you! Don’t let others take your well earned wisdom and understanding away. And never let them derail you from that calling and purpose God has given you. The hard reality is, now is the time to break free from those concerns of what others think. DLC

In the book “Getting Back to Happy” Mark & Angel Chernoff Penguin Random House LLC copyright 2018 they provide the following instruction:

” We fear the judgments of others, even though those judgments are rarely valid or significant. The biggest problem is that we tend to forget that people judge us based on a collection of influences in their own life that have nothing to do with us. Basing your self-worth on what others think puts you in a perpetual state of vulnerability- you are literally at the mercy of their unreliable perspective”

My hope is you and I will began to let go of those thoughts, people, places, and things that habitually drag us down. “There is much to learn that will take a willingness to not know.” Thoughtful instruction given to me in prayer more than 18 years ago.  A confusing yet profound reassurance of what was ahead. A simple yet explicit instruction. So what to do. Well if I am to follow the instructions then  learning is the object then a lack of knowing “faith” must be the key. Well that’s the complete opposite of everything I know. How do you learn without knowing?

  • start by taking action, or what might be referred to as  blind faith, step out, without confirmation, trusting your instinct or heart, that internal thought process or drive.
  • Continual prayer asking for guidance and direction beyond your ability, knowledge, and expertise.
  • Having done all stand. Not like do nothing but like in firm confidence of the outcome. “For your good and Gods glory”
  • Never forget that what others “think” is really of no concern, and beyond your control. What they do is where our purpose to encourage and instruct lives.

“There is a peace that comes with surrendering self to Gods will and not our own that is miraculous.” Courage and obedience produce great rewards” DLC Sr.

Isaiah 43: 18-19

  1. Do not remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. 19. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it, and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

May God bless your life as you pursue him! May Gods love and kindness direct you as we are renewed and strengthened as he does a new thing in our lives, the journey to our new lives is on foot, led by the Spirit, to serve Him, and others.

“It’s just words”.

Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
www.tellthemyourstory .org
dwightspeaks@gmail.com

 

When this is the ongoing “result” it’s time to “let go” and move on.

When this is the ongoing “result” it’s time to “let go” and move on.

They act as if you don’t matter. Your family or a friend but your still an outsider.

What you say has no weight or concern even if there’s proof.

Prefer others over you in their actions.

Do not include you in the conversation.

Think and act as if it’s ok for you to be harmed by others “it must have been your fault”

“If you were more like us you wouldn’t have these problems”.

Your experience or expertise is of no value and often questioned. Even if there is proof!

Ignore you over others in a group.

Talk about you to each other but do not talk to you.

Invite you and then ignore you.

Call you for a favor but never reciprocate.

Listen to your concerns and then explain them away and how you misunderstood in the first place.

Talk to each other about your failure and come to the conclusion you deserved it.

Talk about prayer but never take “physical” action to actually change anything.

Ask you how you are doing only to take that as gossip to others.

………..

Quote: Marc and Angel Chernoff “Getting Back to Happy” 2018 Penguin Random House Publishing LLC

“If someone has the opposite effect on you, because they are inconsistently inconsistent, and their actions never match up with their words, it might be time to let them go. It’s always better to be alone than to be in bad company. In the end true friendship/family is a promise made in the heart, silent, unwritten, unbreakable by distance, and unchangeable by time. So don’t just listen to what they say, watch what they do. “

“It’s just words”.

Dwight L. Carter Sr.
Writer, Speaker, Author.
www.tellthemyourstory .org
dwightspeaks@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breaking Through: Monster Trucks and Spiritual Dreams

breaking through thCA2XYDXZ

Dreams, I am amazed how often I have them and especially the ones I remember. For me they often seem to be meant to encourage, direct or break through. I have no scientific documentation, to base my assertion on but I do have friends and family that have had similar experiences. I remembered John Travolta played in a movie several years ago where a bright light in the night sky projected on to him, knocked him down in the street, and when he woke up he was significantly smarter and able to suggest solutions to significant problems. Just to be clear ( LOL) I have not been struck by a bright light in the night sky and my family and friends have not indicated they have seen any change in my intelligence. I do however hope that my experience just like the character in the move will help you to break through what’s been holding you back.

Recently I dreamed I was running away from something or someone and I was very agitated. I was in what seemed to be a monster truck. You know the ones that are so high you need a ladder to get in. Large tires, cramped seating space, flashy exterior, and above it all. Its all about power, brut force, and able to over power and muscle through anything. I was driving, up high, in what seemed to be a warehouse. I could see tools and materials on the ground below me. I was looking for a way out of the warehouse. I saw many open doors/exits but because I was up so high I could not get through the doors.

I saw two men outside of the truck door on the drivers side. One was large the other was small. The larger one reached inside the cab of the monster truck and grab the GPS off of the dash. I took the keys from the ignition and began hitting him on the head with them. As this was happening something with numerous legs or tentacles attached to my head. Something like a centipede but with a hard shell. The smaller man told me to dismantle the legs and pull them off one by one from the grip they had on my head. As I began doing so I noticed it did not hurt like I had expected. As I thought about this dream when I woke up I came to the conclusion this is how it applies to me.

The monster truck represented my self will and desire for significance. I had been determining my own way and direction ( the GPS) and not totally depending on Him. I desperately wanted to get out of the warehouse (where my way of doing things had taken me) where I felt trapped and frustrated and be able to use the tools that were clearly available to me. There were numerous open doors or exits but being up so high ( my own self imposed need for importance) I could not escape. To do so would require steeping down from the drivers seat and not in control of the course or direction.

The large man is my Heavenly Father reaching in to my life to take way what I had been using for my direction and purpose ( the GPS). I stubbornly attempted to hang on to the keys (control) and used them to assert my will. The smaller man is the Holy Spirit and directed me to began dismantling those thoughts, and ways of being that had become so attached to my mind. In doing so I experienced freedom and relief, not pain.

I am amazed at how this simple yet detailed dream speaks to me. I needed to understand how I arrived at my current destination and how to correct my course. Proverbs 3 : 5-7 instructs us to Lean on trust in and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight and understanding. In all your ways know, recognize and acknowledge Him and He will direct and make straight and plain your path. Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn entirely away from evil.

I hope you will be challenged and encouraged to join me in letting go, surrendering self and following Christ. Courage and obedience produce great rewards.

May God bless your life as you pursue Him. May Gods love and kindness direct you as we are renewed and strengthened as he does a new thing in our lives, the journey to our new life is on foot, led by the Spirit and Gods Word, to serve Him, and others.

Dwight L. Carter Sr.

“A trust broken cannot be repaired, but does provide a new beginning.”

 

A simple yet profound phone call changed my life. Little did I know I was about to experience a betrayal I could not have ever imagined.  An offer to resolve a problem, a need fulfilled at an opportunity of vulnerability, words from a trusted source.

Words are powerful, they have influence, especially coming from someone in authority or someone who fills a respected role.  An experience that changed my thinking, willingness, and how I process information before I allow someone into my circle of trust. A change that has made its way to the roots of my mental, physical, and spiritual way of life.

Growing up it was easy to trust the people around me. My Father, Mother, Sister, Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles. My well being was at the heart of their concern, evidenced by what they did or didn’t do, or said, or didn’t say. The clarity of their actions matched the words they expressed. If I was told an action was going to be taken it happened? Whether it was punishment, reward, instruction, or support, I could count on it. No manipulation, half-truths, or blatant lying. Just the truth, truth you could count on, and most of all trust

I have experienced 3 layoffs, and let go without cause twice in my work life. The layoffs were over a 22 year period as a sales rep in the ever cyclical oilfield. I loved that line of work. The other 2, one by a sales manager that took my efforts and applied them to her boyfriend, my coworker to boost his sales. They did marry after I was let go but I also learned they were both fired not to long after that. Him for code of conduct violations namely paying someone to inflate his sales numbers and her after being demoted for participating in the scheme, decided to retire and become a minister. I didn’t see that coming.  The second was either my age, or my salary, my performance, or maybe she just didn’t like me. I had been top perform the 5 years prior to joining her team. After 40 years as a professional in the workforce, numerous life experiences, and conversations with other professionals, I guess that’s just about par for the course.

Oh I have also been kidnapped at gun point in my own car, survived a major Automobile accident, had a 10,000 lb. blowout preventer underneath a drilling rig, being held by a hydraulic support system slip 6 inches (another few and I would have been a spot in the mud), survived a brain tumor after 9/1/2 hour of surgery and back at work in 6 weeks. My point in all of that is, at this point in my life as they say, I am a seasoned veteran.  The people, places, and things in life, the good, the bad and the really bad at times have broken me. Yet provided an opportunity to rebuild, and thankfully, made me stronger.

So I have some experience in the difficulty’s of life, and let me just say it’s worth remembering, who our Heavenly Father is and the purpose He has for our lives. Luke 4:18:says,  “He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, He has sent me to announce release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth delivered those who are oppressed, who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity. ”

Encourage others as a way of L. I. F. E. this is my purpose, and opportunity’s to fulfill that purpose are presented daily. Transforming the past, present, and future by the renewing of the mind through stories, true story’s that challenge the heart and engage the mind.

Start today to let go of the past, but don’t forget the lessons.  A greater vision of ones purpose is available through Gods word and prayer, in spite of what ones day, to day circumstances in life may be. Look for those opportunity’s to set self aside and surrender to Gods perfect will for your life. Manage your thoughts and focus on His will and plan for your life. Opportunity’s to serve and “trust” Him and others will show up unexpectedly with purpose. Those divine appointments that minister to you and encourage others.

“Eyes and heart open, there is no better way to live”.dlc

May God bless your life as you pursue Him! May Gods love and kindness direct you as we are renewed and strengthened as He does a new thing in our lives, the journey to our new lives is on foot, led by the Spirit, to serve Him, and others.

Dwight