Speaking God's truth
Alton Carter won the esteemed Oklahoma Book Award for writing “The Boy Who Carried Bricks.”
Alton is married, a father to sons, and a mentor to many young people as a youth minister at First United Methodist Church in Stillwater. Alton reminds us of two important facts: You don't have to have a loving father to become one and all of us can be an influence for good in the lives of young people. Here is a glimpse at his story:
“As I look back in time, I see my adult family members using drugs and settling arguments with violence. My mother battled depression and became hooked on prescription medicine as she tried to raise me and my four siblings by herself. Every house we lived in was in shambles and almost always overtaken by roaches. By the age of 8, the Department of Human Services had removed us from my mother's custody and placed us in my grandparents' home that offered a whole new set of challenges. The house already had seven occupants living there and four of the seven were either addicted to drugs or alcohol. After three years of physical abuse at the hands of one of my uncles, I chose to leave. I spent the next 10 years being shuffled between foster and children's homes.
“In 1988, I became the first person in my family to graduate from high school. After starting a family, I graduated from Oklahoma State University. Today, I am lucky enough to travel all over the United States and share my life story with all kinds of people. My success and ability to break the cycle came from so many people along the way who had whispered encouragement in my ear.
“In every school, children and foster home I lived in, there was at least one person who managed to look past my broken heart and love me no matter how hard I tried to push them away. I can unequivocally say that the reason I am who I am today is because a few dozen people spoke God's truth into my life.
“One of the voices of truth came from the soul of a third-grade boy during a school assembly where I was speaking. I had finished telling the 300 elementary school students about the challenges during my
childhood and was taking questions from the audience. One student asked me where my dad was. I explained that I never got to meet my father. My answer must have been filled with sadness because as soon as I answered, a third grader from the back of the auditorium walked down to where I was standing.
“The boy grabbed the mic from me with one hand and reached up and put his other hand on my shoulder.
“He stood there for a few seconds as I wondered how this would play out.
“The young boy took a deep breath and said, `Alton, I know you never got a chance to meet your dad, but I want to tell you that I think he missed out.'
“I was speechless for a moment as tears begin to roll down my face. God used that little boy to help me begin to heal a wound that had been haunting me most of my life. This little man also taught me that we should never miss an opportunity to encourage others.
“Ephesians 4:29 says `Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.'”