Author Archives: Gary C

What the Lord is doing in my life.

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What do you see the Lord actively doing in your life? Another way to say that is “What has the Lord been speaking into your life?”

I think this has the potential to be a good topic for a regular post. I think it’s good to regularly take stock in what the Lord is doing in and through us as we spend time in the word, in prayer, and in worship. Since scripture tells us that there should be much FRUIT born from our walk with Jesus (John 15:1-8), we should probably be able to recognize some of it…

So, what HAS the Lord been speaking into me?

My “life verse” or the verse I have committed to memory and … Click to Continue →

Guest Speaker: Following God’s Plan

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Recently, I had the privelage and opportunity to address the members of Clarity Church in Minnesota. I am super grateful. And I want to share that video with you. I have included the transcript below it.

Clarity Church in Brooklyn Park, MN – Following God’s Plan

Intro:  Good morning. I thank you for the privilege and honor of speaking today.

I have been up here a few times and I normally have a pattern I like to follow. I like spoilers, in this context, I like to give you a heads-up on what I will be talking about. I’ll do that quickly this morning.

We’ll start with a prayer, then I will summarize where we are so far with a … Click to Continue →

Guest Speaking on Child Like Faith

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I was grateful to be given the opportunity to be the guest speak at Clarity Church for their “Written In Red” series last month. I have included it here with the transcript below it.

Clarity Church: Written In Red: Child Like Faith

Greeting

Good Morning everyone. If you haven’t met me or don’t know much about me, I am Gary Cartagena. If you are tongue challenged, and can’t roll your R’s, it can also be pronounced Car-Ta-Hay-Na. I am one of the co-leaders of the Plymouth Community group with my wife, Debbie.

Spoiler Alert

I think part of me does that because I like to understand where the journey is going to take me, but if I … Click to Continue →

Is social justice Biblical?

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I must confess, sometimes, I struggle with the call that people have to “stir up trouble” with different “social justice” issues.
It’s not that I don’t believe in equality, love, and equal justice for all… In fact in my younger days I experienced more than a few instances of prejudice to say the least, having grown up a military brat, and Hispanic.
But I think the pure stupidity of the overexcessive “Karen-isms” of what has become known as cancel culture and such, had left a bad taste in my mouth… And as older adults we ( or at least I ) tried to let things go and move on as we mature and grow “wiser”. Or maybe I’m just internally jaded.

But … Click to Continue →