Category: Uncategorized

Week One of the CPE Journey: Presence

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The week started off with a quiet bang. I was quickly reminded of the text in I Kings chapter eight wherein the glory of the Lord was revealed in a cloud. The cloud was such that the people were not able to stand by reason of the cloud. In fact the presence of the Lord was in the place where the people came to worship. The worship brought in the closeness of the Lord thereby creating a presence that would not allow the people to remain upright.

This was the idea presented in the first worship service for the chaplain residents and interns at Huguley Hospital. The basic premise is that in order to bring about healing and other ministerial acts there needs to be a closeness by which the recipient is able to feel the love of Christ through His servants. It is impossible to have such a presence unless one is in the room. It is in presence that healing takes place. It is in presence that comfort is made. This is the presence that brings the sin sick soul to a place repentance, healing and deliverance.

I am reminded of one lady I was allowed to minister to. She is oppressed with depression. As she began to speak it became more than evident that there were deep seated hurts that had been there for some time. When I took occasion to pray for her the welling of her tears were such that it was impossible for the tears not to come pouring down her face. This was because all this lady needed to know was that she was loved not only by humanity but also that the ever-present God of the universe counted her to be much.

There was another lady today on staff of the hospital who saw herself as less than worthy. As some of my co-laborers and I were “blessing hands’ today there stood off to the side this lovely young lady who saw herself as just a linen worker. I took time to let her know that she was just as important as everybody else and that she, too, was welcomed to have her hands “blessed.” So she came and I cannot express the gratitude this young lady showed.

The point that I am seeking to express is that most seem to think that it takes wondrous works to help the downtrodden. Sometimes all it takes is a mere presence. Sometimes people just need to know that they are loved and appreciated. It does not take much simply to be present for those that need just one person to let them know that they are loved. So, as I journey through this journey of CPE training I will endeavour to be present with those in need so that the glory of our Lord can rest on His people. As I am present professionally perhaps you can be present in the life of that one that just needs an encouraging word, a hug or a simple pat on the back. Yes, it is time we all became a bit more present.

Summer Group 2014

Don’t You Dare Quit

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Don't You Dare Quit.

Don’t You Dare Quit

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn Uncategorized3 Comments

There are times when you just have to walk in faith. This is to say that in life an absolute dependence on God and His Word become paramount in good times as well as bad times. I can attest to faith on God on both levels. There is no doubt that God has been nothing less than incredible in my life and to speak of things most recent would take a book just to begin to understand the many twists and turns that have led me to this point. Let me explain.

Many may be familiar with the fact that I am in Texas as a result of the Fort Worth veteran’s health clinic offering me a chaplaincy internship. Now, the Fort Worth clinic is part of the larger Dallas VA medical system. Still, with that offer I quickly accepted the position while I was still in Baltimore and began in earnest to make my way to Texas. Of course this was not an easy task because I had been unemployed for some time and was unable to pay for any means of transportation. Well, this was nothing for God. As a matter of course I was put in touch with the founder of an organization called The Open Table (http://theopentable.org/). Without hesitation the founder sponsored my trip to Texas and provided other financial aid. So, someone please tell me that God does not take care of His own!

Still, that is far from the end of the story. I also needed a place to stay and while researching what could be done I learned of Veteran’s Community Outreach (http://www.vetsco.org/). I received the same type of response from its founder as I did with The Open Table. Without hesitation the founder simply said, “I’ll help you.” And with that he did help. I was picked up at the train station in Fort Worth, transported to a hotel that Sunday evening, picked up Monday morning and transported to a wonderful four-bedroom house in Arlington, TX. It is true that God does put people in our way to be a blessing to us. The fact is that God uses people to bless people so I would encourage all that have a hard time receiving to open wide your hands so that God can do what He does best.

To my dismay the Veteran’s Administration was not nearly as accommodating. After getting to Texas and doing all that was required I soon learned that things within the Veteran’s Administration are far from honorable. No doubt that many have heard of the atrocities at the hands of the Veteran’s Administration in which a number of veterans died waiting to be served. While my situation is not as dire as that suffice it to say that I served in the United States Marine Corps. I was honorably discharged in 1985. From that time I have had no problems because of my not registering with the Selective Services. In fact the Selective Services letters I have clearly show that because of my service I should be denied nothing from the Federal Government.

Well, this did not matter to the Dallas Veteran’s Administration. I had already started my internship and was fully seated. My background was clear; I was able to get through a very intense interview process among other things. And while human resources did not fire me they did say that my package had to be sent to Washington, D.C. for clearance. The process could take as much as ninety days. So, after much hard work my program was suspended impacting not just me but also my co-workers. With that it seems that well qualified veterans such as I deserve extra scrutiny in order to work with veterans. For real? Is this the way veterans should be treated?

It needs to be made painfully clear that my experience with Human Resources of the VA has nothing to do with my immediate supervisor. In fact my supervisor in the Fort Worth clinic, insofar as I am concerned, is a superior and wonderful person. In fact all the chaplains I have met in the Texas VA have proven to be high quality people many of whom are themselves veterans. My issue is the administration and the administration alone. The fact of the matters is that my supervisor was kind enough to refer me to a chaplain at Huguley Hospital (http://www.texashealthhuguley.org/) in Fort Worth. After meeting with him his words were “I can see why they hired you” and immediately offered me a position. Yes, there was some red tape but nothing like that of the Veteran’s Administration. My work at Huguley is to start Monday the sixteenth.

Now, this will be a very intense program. Within two and a half months I will put in at least four hundred hours and about ten on-call days. This means that I will be spending much less time online as I walk further into my destiny. And while I will not be online a lot my plan is to chronicle my experience with the Huguley Hospital internship weekly. Please be sure to follow what is going on in my walk as I continue to press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

With that said it is my hope that all be encouraged. It took several years for me to get to this point with considerable opposition. Some have said that I was not qualified while others mocked my faithfulness. Some saw no reason for me to perform academically while others have chosen to smother themselves in the stench of jealously. This will also happen to you if you choose to go after what God has for you. But, be not dismayed. Do not give up. Keep on moving toward your destiny and your end will be most victorious. No, don’t you dare quit!

A Word About Words

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

A Word About Words.

A Word About Words

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn Uncategorized3 Comments

     Stop! Listen. Do you hear that? There are words everywhere. There are people on cell phones and land-line phones. There are people screaming and some speaking softly. There are words being uttered in languages known and unknown to us. Listen; listen to the words that are being put in the atmosphere never to return. Promises are being made and vows are broken with words. Life is being advanced and death encouraged all with what comes from the mouth – words.

     This is why the Scripture is careful to point out the significance of words. You see, there are many that use words as a mere covers for what is actually going on in the heart. With words lies are being told that need not be told. For instance, there are many that say that they love God however their actions are far from loving. Jesus points this out in Mark 7:6 with the words, “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” This is to say that they profess God with all the words they can muster yet the reality is that there is no love for God at all. Such people need to be very careful what comes from their mouths in that it is very dangerous to profess one thing while living another.

     James was one that clearly understood what words could do. In chapter one of the epistle the words “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain” are found in verse twenty-six. This was written because so many that count themselves as followers of God find it impossible to carefully choose their words. Excuses are made on every hand because of the lack of discipline in controlling the unruly member we call the tongue.

     It becomes abundantly clear that Christians need to be able to control what comes out of their mouths. This is because it is not what goes into a man that defiles him rather that which comes out of him (Matthew 15:11). Yet many choose to use their mouths to put down others, lie on friends, neighbors and family, slander and even use expletives even while they count themselves as Christians. Well, let it be said that those that act in such a manner have deceived themselves. The unbridled tongue of such people is a clear mark of the hypocrisy born deep within them. This is a dangerous place to be because James clearly shows that the religion, or worship, of such people is null and void.

     And still the mouths of ungodly people purport promises in which there is no intent to follow through. Promises to return phone calls or letters go unmet. Promises to make purchases are made only for the good feeling of the moment. Marital vows are broken for reasons that fall far short of good reason. And all this is done with uttered words. Words; with our mouths much is made with them yet all too often there is no follow through. There is no action taken. The words then cause one’s entire life to become vain because the religion of one that cannot control an untruthful tongue is vain.

     The fact of the matter is that words do matter. They matter when there are corresponding works and they matter where there are no works. This is why it is better to be quiet (I Thessalonians 4:11) than to open one’s mouth wide with devastating results.

 

A Necessary Juxtaposition

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

A Necessary Juxtaposition.

A Necessary Juxtaposition

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn Uncategorized3 Comments

      Some might recall my experience with Subway last year on Veteran’s Day. In Baltimore I visited eight Subway stores anticipating that the organization would honour its promise of providing a six inch sub sandwich to veterans. To My dismay and chagrin neither of the stores in the downtown Baltimore area provided me that sandwich. I was more troubled that a professional letter of inquiry was sent to Subway’s corporate offices soon after the event in November of last year and to date Subway has yet to respond to me. I said it then and I say now, shame on Subway.

     In light of that I find it necessary to juxtapose Subway with a much different organization in a totally different city. You see, there are some stores that don’t make a lot of fan fair yet the work done by them is most honorable. One such organization is Chick-fi-la in general and the Collins Street store (http://www.cfarestaurant.com/northcollinsstreet/home) in particular. My experience with this organization and store is worth raving about. However I would not have had the good pleasure of enjoying the professionalism and excellent products of great restaurant were it not for my brother, a police captain in the Baltimore Police Department, who gave me and my siblings 2014 Chick-Fi-la gift cards for Christmas last year. What a generous and thoughtful gift!

     Because of the gift card provided me I have had the opportunity to visit the Collins Street Chick-fi-la a few times. My visit early this week allowed me to see signs indicating that there would be a military appreciation day which took place yesterday from 4:00 to 7:00 P.M. yesterday. I arrived around 6:00 and found much more than I anticipated. There were police directing traffic and a parking lot filled with a number of sponsors all of whom had small gifts for veterans. All that was needed was the presentation of a military or veteran identification card. So, I presented my ID and was not only given a ticket for a great chicken sandwich meal with waffle fries and lemonade but also other gifts including a Chick-fi-la moo-moo cow bearing an olive drab billboard with the inscriptions “Life, liberty and the pursoot of chickin” and “21 chickin salute.” These things were underscored by the professionalism and courteous demeanor of the plentiful staff of Chick-fi-la. Thank you so much Chick-fi-la.

     Perhaps the honesty and unexpected largess of Chick-fi-la goes to the Christian roots of its founder S. Truett Cathy which can easily be juxtaposed with the not so Christian ideals of Subway. The fact is that Christians, by virtue of their dedication to holiness, are often generous. Moreover Christians tend to keep to their word no matter personal costs. This apparently is the attitude of S. Truett Cathy and has filtered throughout the restaurant chain. This is a lesson that can be applied to Christians at large in that the keeping of one’s word, particularly when that word is unsolicited, is extremely important and under girds the integrity of the one putting out that word.

     Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 reads, “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, then that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” And while this text is specific to vowing to God the idea of making promises and vows without fulfilling them is an inherent problem and should not be an issue among Christians. Jesus furthers the matter in Matthew 5:33 when He states “Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths…” These oaths to the Lord are not just specific to Him but also to those that serve and love Him.

     It is for this reason that Christians need to be very careful about promise they make. If a promise is made then the promise needs to be kept no matter how insignificant the promise may seem to be. This promise of a Christian extends from many levels to multitudes of relationships. It could be a simple “I’ll call you” to the vow of marriage for better or worst. Any breaking of any promise to a Christian is like vowing a vow to God and not honoring it. Even so there are many that break vows as though their words mean nothing. The text in Ecclesiastes counts such ones as fools.

     With that said I thank Chick-fi-la for honoring the veterans of this nation and for keeping a vow that may seem little yet is much in the sight of the Lord.

The Secularization of the Church

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Secularization of the Church.

The Secularization of the Church

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn Uncategorized3 Comments

     It seems unreasonable that anyone would argue against the idea that the Church is to be separate and distinct from the rest of the world. Yet so many see no reason for the church to remain an entity within itself rather there has been an effort on the part of many to move the church more from God and closer to the world. It is not certain that this is the thing that God had in mind when he gave rise to the idea that the Church should be separate and apart from the world in every aspect.

     Moreover God has always required that His people be distinct from all others. One clear evidence of this can be found in Leviticus chapter eleven. While much of the discussion in Leviticus has to do with priestly ceremonial law it is certain that God wanted His people to be different from others even in what they ate. Now, there no suggestion as to what should be eaten by the Christian noted here as that is not the point of this missive. Rather it is important that the people of God not give in to secular ideologies which seek only to distance the people of God from a most holy God.

     But like Israel Christians have pulled away from the truth of God’s Word. Instead of being separated from that which displeased God there is a welcoming of secularism in Houses of Worship. Take for instance the idea of shacking up. It is certain that God does not condone fornication even while He honours marriage. Some in the church have decided that it is acceptable for a man a woman to live together without being married so long as the couple is committed one to another. This very notion flies against the standards of God while welcoming the secular idea that a mere piece of paper does not determine love.

     Marriage is not the only issue at hand even while some “church” members purport the honour of same-sex marriages. The idea that there are acceptable alternatives to what the world does further erodes the standards of the Church. One such idea is that the young people of the church are taught that it is wrong to go to clubs and like venues. And while there is considerable truth to this pulling away from ungodliness the same people teaching the fallacy of clubbing have introduced club-like atmospheres in local bodies. This dichotomy is not only unacceptable but has created a double standard and hypocrisy in the lives of those involved. Further, it has become increasingly difficult, in some cases, to tell the difference between the Church and secular venues.

     Romans chapter one provides clear insight into some to the issues taking place during the time Paul addressed problems that were going on not just in the secular world but also in the Church. Versus twenty-four through thirty two show some of the issues at hand:

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

     These very things are taking place in the Church today and God is not pleased. The people of God were called out to be separate and apart from the world. After all that is what “church” really means taken from the Greek “ekklasia” which means the called out ones. And while there is a bit more to the definition it is certain that Christians are called out from the world to please God. As such matters such as whispering, backbiting and disobedience must be removed from the church even as homosexuality, adultery and other sex sin should not be named even once among the people of God.

     Yes, there has been a secularization of the Church yet it is high time the people of God referred back to the standards of God in order to be that shining light in and for this untoward generation.

  

The Secularization of the Church

On By Dr. William James Carter, IIn Uncategorized2 Comments

     It seems unreasonable that anyone would argue against the idea that the Church is to be separate and distinct from the rest of the world. Yet so many see no reason for the church to remain an entity within itself rather there has been an effort on the part of many to move the church more from God and closer to the world. It is not certain that this is the thing that God had in mind when he gave rise to the idea that the Church should be separate and apart from the world in every aspect.

     Moreover God has always required that His people be distinct from all others. One clear evidence of this can be found in Leviticus chapter eleven. While much of the discussion in Leviticus has to do with priestly ceremonial law it is certain that God wanted His people to be different from others even in what they ate. Now, there no suggestion as to what should be eaten by the Christian noted here as that is not the point of this missive. Rather it is important that the people of God not give in to secular ideologies which seek only to distance the people of God from a most holy God.

     But like Israel Christians have pulled away from the truth of God’s Word. Instead of being separated from that which displeased God there is a welcoming of secularism in Houses of Worship. Take for instance the idea of shacking up. It is certain that God does not condone fornication even while He honours marriage. Some in the church have decided that it is acceptable for a man a woman to live together without being married so long as the couple is committed one to another. This very notion flies against the standards of God while welcoming the secular idea that a mere piece of paper does not determine love.

     Marriage is not the only issue at hand even while some “church” members purport the honour of same-sex marriages. The idea that there are acceptable alternatives to what the world does further erodes the standards of the Church. One such idea is that the young people of the church are taught that it is wrong to go to clubs and like venues. And while there is considerable truth to this pulling away from ungodliness the same people teaching the fallacy of clubbing have introduced club-like atmospheres in local bodies. This dichotomy is not only unacceptable but has created a double standard and hypocrisy in the lives of those involved. Further, it has become increasingly difficult, in some cases, to tell the difference between the Church and secular venues.

     Romans chapter one provides clear insight into some to the issues taking place during the time Paul addressed problems that were going on not just in the secular world but also in the Church. Versus twenty-four through thirty two show some of the issues at hand:

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

     These very things are taking place in the Church today and God is not pleased. The people of God were called out to be separate and apart from the world. After all that is what “church” really means taken from the Greek “ekklasia” which means the called out ones. And while there is a bit more to the definition it is certain that Christians are called out from the world to please God. As such matters such as whispering, backbiting and disobedience must be removed from the church even as homosexuality, adultery and other sex sin should not be named even once among the people of God.

     Yes, there has been a secularization of the Church yet it is high time the people of God referred back to the standards of God in order to be that shining light in and for this untoward generation.