Blog – Page 6 – Nickcarnes.com

January 9, 2014

A Miracle for a Stranger

Do Miracles Still Happen?

Yes! And you can make it happen.

Meet Katie Schlinger.

On December 20, 2013, Katie Schlinger was in Aiken, South Carolina supporting her brother during his open heart surgery. Katie was attempting to help a stranger when she was brutally attacked and sexually assaulted. She sustained life altering injuries from a vehicle accident while trying to escape her attacker.This is not your everyday story….

Read Katie’s horrifying story on the DailyMail or on Tallahassee News

Katie does not have insurance and so far she’s been treated by three area hospitals (two of which have discharged her because she lacks insurance). GRU, where Katie underwent two spinal surgeries, has already sent Katie a bill for $250,000! Now in her third hospital, a rehab center in Augusta, Katie has less than 10 free days remaining before she will be billed $2,000 per day she receives treatment.

I do not know Katie Schlinger, she is a stranger to me and to our church, New Passion Church, however I am leading us to be a “Good Samaritan” to her and do everything that we can to help her family raise the $250,000 she’s already been billed (their family goal is $100,000; we want to do better than that!). She attempted to be a “Good Samaritan” and evil rose up against her. We believe good always overcomes evil through Christ and that is who we follow. We also want to support her family in any tangible way necessary while she is in our local area. We simply believe this is what we, as a church and as Christians, are called to do. For us, it’s simple obedience.

If you are interested in giving a tax deductible financial gift to Katie, you can do so by following the donation button below, or you can mail a check to PO BOX 1582, Evans, GA 30809 (Please memo the check “Katie Schlinger). New Passion Church is a 501c3 non-profit organization and we are committed to giving 100% of all donations to Katie Schlinger to help provide for her medical bills. Donors can set-up a free online profile or give as a guest. If you would like tax deduction credit, you must provide your full name and mailing address so a financial giving statement can be mailed to you. Thank you for your generosity!

If you would like to make a donation directly to the family, you can do so through their Go Fund Me Site. Please Note: Donations through Go Fund Me are not tax deductible; Go Fund Me is not affiliated with New Passion Church.

This post is altered from our church’s original post.

December 3, 2013December 3, 2013

Complimentary Brains

The battle of the sexes will probably forever exist. Everyone has a position and an opinion. Some believe that men and women are 100% the same, except for in their reproductive parts and therefore are equal in value and worth, and then others believe that men and women are uniquely designed and intrinsically different, even beyond their reproductive parts, but are still equal in value and worth (different but equal).

The battle of the sexes, as we all know, goes beyond the physical make-up and design of men and women into the role men and women should play in society. Please don’t mistake this post for that kind of statement, this is not a statement on the role men and women should play in everyday life.

This online article by the Independent, shares new scientific evidence that men and women are different, in fact, based on the study results, we are completely wired differently than one another:

“A pioneering study has shown for the first time that the brains of men and women are wired up differently which could explain some of the stereotypical differences in male and female behavior, scientists have said.”

It continues by pointing out that…

Psychological testing has consistently indicated a significant difference between the sexes in the ability to perform various mental tasks, with men outperforming women in some tests and women outperforming men in others. Now there seems to be a physical explanation, scientists said.

So, does an article like this just add fuel to the fire of the ongoing war between the two sexes? Or, does it confirm a view of different but equal?

For me, it reminds me that God is a relational God and he designed both sexes to thrive in relationships; the first being marriage. In Genesis 2:18 we read, ‘Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him,”’ just before creating Eve out of Adam’s rib to give him a companion and a helper.

We like to get caught up on that word “helper” and I believe it honestly has been used by some as a battering ram to devalue women, to abuse them, and to look on them in a slave type mentality. But this article on the brain helps confirm my view that the word helper here is being used in a complimentary way. Simply put, there are just some things, by design, that women do better than men and there are some things, by design, that men do better than women. I believe that God designed us to NEED each other and to compliment each other. Husband and wife, man and woman, provide a unique bond with each other that makes life easier, together. Separate from each other, men and women can function and survive, but life is more difficult as we, all by ourselves, lack the capacity that God has given the other sex which was designed to compliment us. So, instead of battling against each other trying to determine who is better than the other, let’s be thankful for one another and be humble enough to admit that God did not make us superheroes on our own, we need each other.

In closing, I would like to point out two things:

If you read the entire article, you will see for yourself that men, in fact, by design, do not get lost! We are hardwired not to 🙂
I no longer have to feel guilty when I, by design, lack empathy. God gave that talent to my wife and I am so grateful to have her be who I am not 🙂

Join the Conversation…What are your thoughts?

July 10, 2013

Do Hard Things

Last Sunday, at New Passion, we concluded a 6 week message series titled, “All In” which was directed at those in the church that claim to be followers of Jesus.

Today, I was reading through My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers and decided to catch up on some of the devotions that I have missed when I came across the July 7 entry, “All Efforts of Worth and Excellence are Difficult“. I think it fits well with the All In series, so please read below:

“Enter by the narrow gate…Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life…” Matthew 7:13-14

If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but its difficulty does not make us faint and cave in—it stirs us up to overcome. Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His highest—our best for His glory?

God saves people by His sovereign grace through the atonement of Jesus, and “it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). But we have to “work out” that salvation in our everyday, practical living (Philippians 2:12). If we will only start on the basis of His redemption to do what He commands, then we will find that we can do it. If we fail, it is because we have not yet put into practice what God has placed within us. But a crisis will reveal whether or not we have been putting it into practice. If we will obey the Spirit of God and practice in our physical life what God has placed within us by His Spirit, then when a crisis does come we will find that our own nature, as well as the grace of God, will stand by us.

If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult.

Thank God that He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a joyous thing, but it is also something that requires bravery courage, and holiness. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is “bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10), and God will not shield us from the requirements of son-ship. God’s grace produces men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not pampered, spoiled weaklings. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the worthy and excellent life of a disciple of Jesus in the realities of life. And it is always necessary for us to make an effort to live a life of worth and excellence.

God’s grace produces men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not pampered, spoiled weaklings.

My Note: We drift towards doing what comes easy and what is comfortable and manageable, but following Jesus is difficult and it requires that we do HARD things with purpose rather than settling for what naturally comes easy. This is why Christianity is a faith journey, we can only do hard things through faith.

Join the Conversation….What do you find most difficult to do as a Christ Follower?

June 16, 2013June 16, 2013

A Day of Honor

Today is a Day to Honor….

It is a day to pause and to reflect on the goodness of God to give such a wonderful gift as a father. Not all men deserve this honor, but there are a select group of men that, although are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, strive hard and give their best to be a father, husband and man deserving of honor and respect.

Today, as I think about the many friends that I have who either lost their dad at an early age or was brought into this world by a man that may embody the term by gender but insults the very meaning of the word in deed and lifestyle, my gratitude to God increases for the dad that he allowed me to have and the time he has given me with him.

My dad is not perfect, but he is a man that deserves respect and honor. He helped lay so many of the stones that I now walk on as a foundation for my life. He modeled what it means to live a sacrificially for those that you love. That sacrifice may have embodied working multiple jobs to pay the bills or going without personally so that his kids could have what was needed, but whatever form it found itself in, it was modeled in quiet humility, never demanding or requiring gratitude or the slightest appreciation. If I had to describe my dad in two words it would have to be quiet and steady. He always just does what needs to be done. He has never been one to seek the spotlight or wanted to attract a lot of attention.

My dad is a man of conviction and integrity. In 2007, he ran for the U.S. Senate against Lindsey Graham and later the U.S. Congress. Some may have looked on in disdain or with a slight snicker under their breath because of the great odds that he was up against with a career politician. But, how many other men can say they had convictions about the way our country should be run and stood up to do something about it? Win, lose or draw…you can only make a difference if you get in the game…my dad got in the game and made his voice heard as loud as he could with as much platform as he was allowed to have. I always believed he had a chance to win!

There have been times in my lifetime that I have seen people rise up against my dad, falsely accusing him of things and trying to ruin his name, and while everything inside of me wanted him to fight against them and tell them how things really were, he was quiet and steady; just doing the right thing and not answering fools according to their foolishness (Proverbs 26:4).

My dad helped lay the stones of my faith and my involvement in the ministry. He didn’t look down on me because of my age, but he allowed me to serve in various roles as a young person and many times by his side on the Migrant Fields of South Georgia. It was through this exposure and this experience that I felt God calling me into full time ministry. My dad didn’t always just teach me what was right and wrong, but he challenged me to compare my own personal views to the teachings provided to us in Scripture. As I made a choice to walk away from some of the traditions I was raised in within the church (although I have never walked away from the faith), my dad stood by quiet and steady and allowed me to forge my own path for which God uses to this day. He never forced his opinions or his convictions on me, rather he allowed me to be led by God on the path he helped lay.

My dad taught me how to be faithful and committed to my family. To marry a woman that is better than the rest. He taught me on my first Christmas to take his better power drill back to the store and keep my wife’s crappy drill…he assured me things in the home would run much smoother if I did…so I did as he suggested.

I could go on and on and on about the lessons I have learned from my dad and the positive impact he has had on my life. Today, I am blessed that God, in his mercy, was so kind to give me a dad I could honor and be proud to call my own.

Today is a Day to Feel Honored…

Being a dad is a scary proposition. You’ve never been one until you’ve been one. Today, is a day that I get to pause and reflect on how blessed I truly am and how honored I am to be the dad to my three children: Gavin, Tristan and Hailey.

All three are unique in their own way, but they all make me smile and they all make me feel a little closer to God knowing how he must look down on us, his children, with joy, laughter and pride.

I am honored that many times as I walk towards the door to go to work, I can’t get there without all three of my kids tackling me, almost knocking me to the ground to make sure they hug me goodbye. I am honored that many times as I walk towards the door to come in to the house as I am returning for work I am greeted in the garage or in the doorway with their hugs and smiles greeting me from a long day a part.

I love the gift God has given me of fatherhood. I love chasing my children around the house and having pillow fights. I love having them beg to ride in my car home from church. I love knowing my kids love me and want to be a part of my life and want me to be a part of their life. What joy it is to be a father. I desire to be the kind of father that deserves respect and honor.

Being a dad is scary and there are always fears of screwing up and making the wrong choices or having to watch your child deal with the pain of their own bad choices. I am blessed and honored to have the greatest woman on the planet to be by my side and to forge this journey together. Nicki makes me a better man and she challenges me, whether I always admit it or not, to be a better man. I wouldn’t be anything my children deserve without her by my side. I hope that in the end, I will have impacted my children’s lives in the same positive way my dad impacted mine.

May 28, 2013May 28, 2013

Why Does My Child ALWAYS Respond with, “Good”?

We’ve all been there. The kids climb into the car as we pick them up from school and our immediate question for them is, “how was your day at school?” And it seems to never fail, everyday, year-after-year we get the same response, “good.”

In his book, It’s Better to Build Boys than Mend Men, S. Truett Cathy addresses this predicament that all parents face almost daily:

I’ve read surveys that show how little time parents spend with their children, and I wonder how they expect to build relationships in just a few minutes a day. Many parents, including folks who work at Chick-fil-A, have a shortage of time with their families. That’s one reason why we close all of our restaurants on Sunday, so that families can be guaranteed at least one day a week together.

Knowing that time is tight and that you have only a few years to make the strongest positive impact on your children, don’t spend your precious family days on the golf course or watching sports on television all afternoon. Don’t consider watching TV with your children to be “quality time.” You may be in the same room, buy you’re not together. Participate in activities with your children. Play games together. Seek opportunities to be with them on their turf. Volunteer to coach their sports team, lead their Scout troop, or teach their Sunday school class.

Then communicate. But don’t expect them to share their feelings on your schedule. You have to wait patiently. When our children were young and I came home from work, I’d ask. “How are things?” They’d say, “Good.” And that was the end of the conversation.

I learned that when you talk to children, a conversation won’t happen when it’s convenient for you but when it’s convenient for them. You never call a child in and then say, “Well, let’s talk.” The child won’t have anything to say. But if you’re around children long enough, they’ll open up and start to share their problems or opportunities. When they do, you’d better stop whatever you’re doing to listen because the opportunity may not come around again for a while.

One weekend when our daughter, Trudy, was home from college, she told me, “Dad, the thing I remember most about you are the times you sat at my bedside and let me tell you all the things I did that day.” All the possessions we had shared with her-clothes, a car, a nice house to grow up in-were secondary to those times we spent together at bedtime talking.

Join the conversation…what has been your experience with engaging your child into conversation?