the Great love.

When I woke, I was so full of…love. I shall try to describe it.

I am so full of love that causes me almost as much pain as it does joy. It feels like I will get a surge of pain rise up in my chest and almost make me weep, when an overwhelming relief of joy crashes like a wave and consumes the pain.

At that moment, I am full of joy for where the Lord has brought me.

It is a mix of hurt for how I have acted or how distant I feel from people I love. My heart reaches out to them across the nation, yet I cannot feel them. I remember all of the best memories I have had over the last few years and love them and the people I was with, but then the pang that makes me realize that those same places with those same people will most likely never be again.

It is a longing and a yearning and a loneliness of sorts, all at the same time.

Yet, I am consumed by a warm joy. I am grateful for the time with those who are no longer running with me. I see the faces of those who still are. I see the faithfulness of my closest friends and marvel.

Their faithfulness manifests something of God’s nature that is new and fresh with every day they call or contact me.

I am so satisfied in where God has brought me; totally at ease which mixes with the pains of lost friends and loved ones.

The only thing that I know that can swirl pain and joy at the same time is love. I am consumed by love; a different kind of love that I am used to. This kind of love only consumes me once in a while.

It is a Great love.
It is an immense love.

It is a love so broad that it breaks the borders of my reality.
It spans my entire lifetime and all my adventures.
It encompasses the pain, the good times, the lonely times, the fears of the unknown, and shapes those things into gratefulness, passion for the mission and an intense love.

This is a day of the Great love.

Great love is a brief moment where all silence of our lifetime deafens the static noise of day-to-day life. A silence so disconcerting that I would stop my car in the middle of the road and look to the sky, and up and down the valley for a sign of this silence's origin.

Great love spans throughout our life from beginning to end and in that brief moment, total gratitude, total appreciate for life, total realization of life, hits in the depths of my chest and stops me from all.

I want to praise and weep. I want the moment to stop because it hurts, but I want the moment to never end because I can see everyone I have loved even though I can't touch them.

I want to run with those who are still with me in a vision so big I can't see it end to end; I can only feel it.

This is the day of Great love.

Opulent Barista

Yesterday I desperately needed a fork. Alas, however, the office had freshly ran out of forks!

What was I to do? Walk down the street to the local coffee shop, Java Breeze, and ask for one of course!

Upon arriving, I received a hearty 'hello' from the barista behind the counter. A burly man with a child's voice, I like him immediately.

"I would like a cubano," I said enthusiastically. I HAD to order something. I couldn't get a fork and not give them something in return, could I?

"Well, we don't normally make those," he replied gleefully, "but I can make one for you. I was a barista at another store coffee shop before this one, and I love cubanos."

While he was turned, I noticed that he was reading a book. It's title was 'Gun Ho' and caught my attention.

"What'r you readin'," I asked.

He was all too glad to tell me. He went on to describe a book by the same authors which preceeded this on. He described superior service. He told me about the ideals within the book that spoke of getting your own employees involved. This will ultimately create raving fans with your employees, and when they interact with your customers they won't be able to help but give them not just service, but excellence.

He was so pleasant and excited I couldn't help but just laugh. He was serving ME with excellence. I could see that what goes into the mind comes out of it as well.

This bubbly, burly, boyish barista was serving me preeminence; he was giving me superior service.

When he was finished with my cubano (which was excellent!), I even ordered a breakfast wrap. As I walked back to my office, I couldn't help but think of preeminence. I couldn't help but think that if I hadn't inquired of his book, I never would have gotten this double-shot of wisdom.

Being opulent, digging for the gold in others, and abundantly inquiring of others has always brought so much blessing and abundance to my life.

Sipping my cubano, with a warm breakfast wrap in my hand, I couldn't help but laugh out loud again at the whole experience.

All because I needed a fork!

Yuwie Rocks!!

Hey, everyone!

Another opulent thing out there is opulent marketing. (I will be writing about this on my website, IamOpulent.com soon.)

One type of Opulent Marketing is when a company takes a tested model, and makes it even better by making it a Win-Win for everyone.

An example of that is Yuwie.com. This is my new favorite shiny, happy, Stream of Income toy.

Imagine if you got paid for your number of friends and the page views they had on MySpace! This is what Yuwie has done.

In a nutshell, those tacky ads on MySpace pay them a big chunk of change to advertise to all of the little people clicking around all day.

Yuwie saw this as an opportunity to both bless their clients, themselves, and their advertisers; a true Win-Win-Win for everyone.

I LOVE this type of marketing because:

• It is mostly residual
• It is easy to do.
• You don't have to be a genius.
• You don't have to be rich to get involved.

Check it out here. Sign up. Then call me or ask me if you have any questions.
Also, if you are interested in other ways to make money on line, or doing bigger deals, just contact me.

Thanks, and have an Opulent Day!!

A Sneak Peek at Servanthood

Friends!!

For about a year or two in the making, I have been working on a book on servanthood. It started as an account of some of the crazy occurrences that have been a part of my serving my mentor over the last 6+ years.

I wanted to give you a sneak peek at the introduction. Read it over and tell me if it is something that piques your interest at all, or if it causes you to want to read more. Give some feedback.

Without further ado:

Disclaimer: This Ain’t Easy
A quick note from the author.

Straight at ya’:
Servanthood ain’t easy, friend. Period.

For the last 6-7 years of my life, let me give you the superficial summary:

• Pain.
• Heartache.
• Despair.
• Depression.
• Criticism on every side.
• Kicked out of prayer meetings. (Is that even possible?)
• Broken off 2 potential engagements.

Just to name a few!

Why do I paint such a difficult picture? To share with you a truth. To share with you the reality of servant hood. You may experience the same. Along with that, you will suffer the same fate as your mentor, which is not always a good thing.

You will be called for service in awkward situations. (Try having to skip a flight to see your girlfriend, which had been planned months in advance, to be a part of your mentor’s service which popped up suddenly.)

You will be stretched. You will be drawn and quartered. You will be hated by the world. You will sacrifice the dearest things to you.

Plan on marrying the girl? Try God asking you to breaking up with her instead. It happened to me… more than once.

Like your career path? Imagine having to quit and go on unemployment.
Enjoy your free Tuesday night ‘guy’s night’ out? Get over it.

Think you will have a lot of great ideas? Try getting shot down at every turn.

Do you like working out 6 days a week and eating right, staying fit and attractive? Try skipping meals, fasting 4 days a week, loosing your physique, and eating ramen every meal.

‘Sounds tough but it won’t happen to me.’ Maybe, but be mentally prepared for it.

When you seek to be mentored, when you seek to serve an anointed man of God, they will push every button you have and those you haven’t thought of yet.

‘Well, Grant, it doesn’t have to be that way.’ You know what, you’re right.
And people in Hell shouldn’t want ice water. But they do.

And if your mentor ISN’T pushing your buttons, then I would say that your mentor is soft and not really mentoring you. Look at them deeper, because they may just be making you “twice the son of hell” that they are.

Why do I say that? Growing up spiritually is plain and down right tough. Maturing is difficult. If we are not being stretched, we just aren’t growing. Besides, I think I heard it said once that “the Lord chastises those he loves.”

And not all of the conflict will come from your mentor.
Reminder: this is a Christian walk.
Simply put, that means the “world will hate you.”

Our one and only Rabbi said that life would be tough. It was tough for him, and it’ll be tough for you too.

What is the GOOD news?

The good news is: You will survive. (well, maybe.)

Now, allow me to give you the REAL results of the last 6-7years:

• Exponential Growth.
• Miracles.
• Traveled around the world.
• Preached in foreign soil.
• Met anointed and famous men.
• Seen prophesies come to pass.
• Joy unspeakable.
• Laughter.
• True companionship.
• Loyal friendship.
• Hearing the voice of God.
• Dreams and visions.
• Avoiding pitfalls and a stagnant life.
• Meeting some of the wealthiest people in America.
• Surprise checks in the mail.
• Anointing.
• Direction.
• Becoming the man God has created me to be.
• Not to mention passive income streams, business savvy, and other material blessings
• And so much more daily!

You can see that one list is longer than another. I want to say that being an armor-bearer ain’t easy. The price is big but the pay off is bigger.

Most of you reading this may have already seen these types of frustrations, and for you seeing the payoff is impossible. Maybe you haven’t hit the wall yet. Trust me, YOU WILL!!

Let me encourage you, though. Stick it out! Run the distance. Fight the good fight! Run that you may attain the prize! Stand firm, and after that, stand some more. And all that stuff!

What is the prize? The ultimate you! The ultimate that God has planned for you.

You will live the adventure that God has.
You will be in awe and wonder more than anyone you know.
You will not have the curtains drawn over your eyes as so many others have.

You will become the very Remnant, called to be the awakening the Body of Christ will need!!

Being a servant will take you to the furthest continents and villages.
It has for me.

Being a servant will introduce you to the most anointed people.
It has for me.

Being a servant will allow you to see the miracles of God, supernatural events that cannot be explained.
I have seen such things. I have even participated in some of them.

I never would have preached in Kenya, been kidnapped in India (and survived), met and learned from people who make $200,000 a day, or finished my degree if I had not continued to endure the service.

Why serve? ‘Cause the Body needs Servant-Leaders and not another degree-bearing pastor.

We are all called to serve.
Our one and only Teacher told us to.
It isn’t easy, but the payoff for those who endure is huge.

Welcome to the race. I hope you learn a little bit about how to serve the man of God in your life.