The Next Stage in Life….An Interesting Prediction!

So I have been exploring and trying to understand God’s move of the chess piece of the next stage in my life. Honestly I believe the enemy smiles at me saying “Check mate” when I am caught in my own doubts of disbelief. Most of you know that I have been working on this book idea, and while trying to convince others I have in the process continually been trying to convince myself as well.

I want to be a writer. I want to meet Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz. I want to sign with Thomas Nelson and Company. And if all went to its best successes, I would love to be on the New York Times best seller list. That is obviously with an appearance on Opera a best case scenario, but you must also be content with a worst case scenario. That might be that Mom and Dad become my two best enthusiasts as they become devoted fans of the James Cartee Book Club on Facebook now growing with twenty-nine members strong. So in addition to Mom and Dad, I have twenty-nine other people that are supporting me….some I have talked to recently….some I have not talked to in several years. So that is definitely a start.

Whether this comes to fruition or not, I have recently felt like God has been calling to travel to see what could possibly be a new friend’s house in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Let’s call this new friend Joe for the sake of privacy as if this is an original title for a name. I have been told by many that Joe has the gift of prophetic visions, and after hearing so many stories that quite frankly were and are really cool (like him foretelling stories, personality attributes, and spiritual gifts about people he doesn’t even know), I must say that I am believer in this guy. Hence this might also explain the interest and not just a calling to visit him. I think I could learn a thing or two from his journey with Jesus.

I have been trying to get in touch with Joe for the past two or three weeks. I have left him several voicemails. One day I literally felt a little nudge from God’s Spirit on my shoulder to call Joe. So I did one more time expecting to get his voicemail, but he answered.

I must admit that after thinking about it for more minutes than I care to say it was one of the most interesting conversations I have had over the phone. With his gift of prophetic predictions, I figured I would ask him to pray for me to ask God about my future and what I was supposed to do with my life. He answered without much hesitation. I will tell you what he said in a nutshell.

Joe mentioned that I would not write only one book but several in a “series.” You might say that prediction overwhelmed me a little. Then he said something about the Spirit of the Lord….that he often felt the Spirit upon others but that it was especially strong in my case more so than he had felt in a long time. Joe mentioned that God would bless me in whatever I did. He described certain personality traits about me….realize he has never met me and that this conversation is taking place over the phone. Joe gave me some great spiritual advice about the peace of God as well….that I should listen to an artist by the name of Brother Keith Moore (http://archiveserver.morelifenow.org/music/index.php) and his music would fill my body like the Spirit of God in a peace filling sensation more specifically with the last CD compilation on this website. You can download it for free if you are really curious….it sounds like Christian old school folk music, and I do not mean Lauryn Hill style. Joe also mentioned that I would learn to mold the tool of the voice I heard when I called him….the little nudge that I felt from God’s Spirit I mentioned earlier. I was almost to the point of tears in shock at what he said. With eight minutes he foretold more things than anyone has perhaps has ever told me in my spiritual walk with the Lord. It was amazing and scary all at the same time!

Please understand that I do not write to brag about Joe’s prediction on my life. I write about it to share something interesting on where I am at in a crossroads with my life. I have never met this guy, and I am seriously thinking about just driving up to Minnesota to spend time with him in his household, to grow in my faith in relationship with Christ, and to obviously write about what transpires. When God yanks on the chords of your tenderloin insides you just feel it. You do not know why you should do something. Sometimes you just do it in obedience. As I pray this is what my spiritual gut tells me. Even as I write it feels right if that makes any sense whatsoever. This is why I write this blog entry….maybe in case I get a reply from one of you as my readers….to make sure I do not sound crazy….or if I do sound crazy that might be kind of cool too because I have been known to do some crazy things in my day. I believe there is a time and season for everything in life. This is a temporary move I felt that has been placed on the chess board, and in faith it may be a move I am about to take. Your thoughts and comments are encouraged by all means. As usual if you read this in its entirety thank you.

Social Media to the Rise!

I have started a group through Facebook called James Cartee’s Book Club. It is really popular so far. You should totally join if you have not already done so. I will also be making routine tweets through Twitter with the name JamesCartee. If you are on Twitter and looking to follow along, please add me. The more support an author has through these things the more noticeable it becomes to publishers and readers drawing attention to obvious things.

While writing the book, the story seems to temporarily have split into two….possibly leading to two books. I am still learning about the structure of narrative as I go. So as I write more and more perhaps it will come back together as one. As I write, the book seems to evolve as thoughts come to me. I will keep you posted, but please continue to follow along here. Thanks.

My direction as defined by the Spirit....

I am in the midst of transition. I am about to move away from Auburn which has been my home for the past two years. Part of me fears what is next. Part of me is also glad to move on. I am looking forward to going home for a somewhat expanded amount of time to be around my family. Sometimes I feel like I am always on the go or simply that I am always away. It is almost like I miss my family going place to place or moment to moment. I am not referring to extended family necessarily because some of us have so many extended family members it is naturally understandable why you cannot keep up with nine cousins who live across the country in almost every state. Immediate family is more immediate in keeping tabs on. There really is not much room for excuses for looking over them without taking notice. While I have not written as much as I would like this summer thus far, it has been a good break to just stop and breathe. That is a luxury that not many individuals are able to take. I should be thankful.

I have been applying for jobs all over Alabama and some opportunities abroad and in the Northwest. I feel like God’s Will for my life is simple right now: write! Every time I apply for a job there seems to be a bit of uneasiness not because of change with a new job but rather because I know that is not what God will have for me right now. Now responsible people concerned with paying the bills as any person should be will naturally say, “You can do that while working a full time real world job.” That is all well said and done and considered for that matter. How many people after an eight-ten hour day and a possible hour in the gym come home ready to write ten pages for a book? They are usually ready to watch Seinfeld and then call it quits before saying good night prayers to go to sleep for the next workday.

This may be the last time in my life I get to just write and try something worthwhile of dreams’ imagination. As I celebrate my 28th birthday tomorrow, I realize I am getting old or rather not much younger, but I certainly do not feel it. On the contrary, as I get older I feel that my life gets better. I accomplish and attain one more notch under the belt.

Recently I have been really careful to listen to people’s advice but not to act upon it. Other people are not living your life. While it may be easy for them to tell you what to do, if what they want you to do is not what you want to do, then I would suggest not doing it. Some folks respect my flight to write a book. Others press for me to join the real world work force. If I could just decide what I was going to do at this very moment, I would become an author and start a worthwhile nonprofit organization. Now that dream may change with the next morning approaching, but I really want to help people and change lives more than just giving some spare change to a person sitting on the ground. Through Christ I want to be the reason that change is occurring. God has been transforming my heart to keep pursuing a dream….to keep my eye on Him….not moving wayward in one direction or the other. I am concerned with God’s lead not other people. I am a driven person. I just need to drive myself in the direction God is leading. At least for right now, that is to record my story or stories.

I am moving away from Auburn, but I hope that God gives me the courage and strength to never look back. I do not mean looking back towards Auburn as a geographical location but more metaphorically to look forward, to accomplish, and with courage to pursue what my heart has been telling me to do for a long time: to write, to realize, and to move people in ministry in an area that is often ignored by the church. I pray the Spirit of the Lord moves in ways so that such a path is unavoidable. And all God’s people said: Amen!

YT…..Beyond Young and Talented!

During my first year at Auburn in graduate school, I attended a Pirate’s Booty (thematic in the sense that everyone dresses up like Captain Jack Sparrow) party hosted by the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity chapter. I remember thinking that the band that night was just okay as they jammed out on a fabricated pirate ship stage. During one of the band breaks, an artist by the name of YT (Young and Talented) stepped up to do a few of his own original HipHop songs. First of all, I was completely thrown off because the guy was white. I thought the performance was going to be some kind of Weird Al Yankovic impersonation. When his first song “Treat Me Right” started playing, I was slowly becoming more and more impressed with each lyric he continued to say. I was enthralled by seeing such a random performance by what appeared to be a professional artist in Auburn, Alabama. Let’s just say when I heard the song “Auburn Boys” that kind of explained everything. YT or as some call him by his real name Andrew Mannheimer was a student at Auburn in his senior year. I did not really think much of it at the time (getting his number and where that might later lead), but as a freestyler myself I got Andrew’s contact information to maybe randomly get together and goof off with some music endeavor. I am still waiting on that day when JLCurly or JLC3 can pop out the box with YT! What a dynamic duo that would be?!?!

Anyway right now that may not exactly be my calling! This past year I managed a small music festival at the Forest Ecology Preserve called ForestFest even as original as that sounds. I quickly remembered YT and his dedicated following here in Auburn. So I thought it would be a get act to add to the lineup. So I quickly made contact to ask if he might be interested. Of course, any reason to return to Auburn seems to be good enough for Andrew to come visit because like many students his blood bleeds orange and blue.

As I got to know Andrew more and more, my respect for him as a person grew more rather than just what I saw in a performance. It is easy to swing into a performance and change your facework in front of a camera or an audience letting the attention go to your head. While he might like the attention as anyone receives attention would, Andrew seems to realize that his gift to rhyme is a gift of the Lord with the “faith of a mustard seed.” Some of his songs might be beneficial for the party scene as “We Ridin,” “Beatin’ Down the Block,” or doing the “YT Shake,” but one observation and fact remains true. This artist has an ambition beyond the music. He doesn’t drink. He doesn’t smoke up. He doesn’t cuss. He doesn’t wear your typical MTV rap gangsta gear. He is just a Christian guy doing what he enjoys and loves in his own artistic mentality. He is genuine giving the performance of life his very best efforts to become more than the average or normal person. Andrew was quick to remind me during his most recent visit that normal people do not settle for apathetic excuses in quitting. He encouraged me write whether it be one book, two, or three because at least for right now that is my dream. The beginning is fun. The end is fun. But sometimes in the middle of the task it becomes a grind, but whether you push through the grind to achieve a dream is what makes you different. Christ did not create believers to just sort of do what our passions aspire to be. He made us to chase after Him in the pursuit of those dreams. I think Andrew understands that. “I have been chasing this dream for way too long and by the power of Christ become way too strong” ....the more you chase something the stronger you become to attain it! As I write more and more, this is what I must come to realize.

I have attached one of his more popular videos “We Ridin.” If you want to be introduced to YT’s sound, this might be a worthwhile place to start. Enjoy and thanks for reading.