PC's Poster

We Have Great Students!!

2010-04-09T14:53:00.006-04:00

This past week at our District Fine Arts Competition in Carlisle our students competed and did an awesome job!! Each one contributed in a special way and really ministered. Below you will see them in video, hope you enjoy!!

Just Because I Can, And I Have Fallen In Love With Apple...

2010-01-26T15:06:00.007-05:00

Catchy title, I know, but I had to share the latest and greatest leaked ad that has recently surfaced. This is a new Apple ad for their rumored Tablet PC called iPad. It should be amazing! I only wish I could afford one, and I don't even know if they actually exist yet!!!! Ha!

Tragic Story

2010-01-04T10:32:00.002-05:00

This video is awesome! We all need Jesus and we need His grace for our lives. We cannot simply condemn Tiger for what he has done, God loves him so very much and wants to touch his life!!

Very Funny!

2009-12-15T12:05:00.000-05:00

Look closely at the pictures, one of them may be you!!

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Great Video

2009-12-03T08:35:00.002-05:00

I stumbled across this video yesterday and decided to share it with you. It is an awesome story of a young man's battle with cancer and his change of perspective. I think we can all learn something from his attitude toward life!!

Our Last Days!!

2009-11-15T20:41:00.001-05:00

What a special time we had in our last hours of ministry here in Bangalore, India!!
On Saturday we were honored to go to Grace Childrens Home and minister to the kids there! I should say they ministered to us. What an awesome time with those precious souls! They shared a program with us then we shared a progam with them! Believe me ours was lame in comparison!! They were great kids! We then gave them some candy and tied balloons for them did face painting... What a blast!! It was an experience that I'll never forget! It was the absolute highlight of this trip for me!!

Sunday was a blast! We got up early and were at the church by 5:45 ready to go for the first Sunday morning service!! Greg hubbard preached 5 services all before 1:30 in the afternoon!! To see the people come in and pack that sanctuary was amazing! Before each service was over new people were pressed against the glass doors at the back waiting to get a good seat for the next service! What hunger these people had to see God work in their lives! Every service Tim and Robyn would sing and so I tried to work with the sound guys to make that happen as smoothly as possible! Not always easy when there is a language barrier! God is faithful and so many lives were touched and changed by the power of God!!

Tim then spoke at the 4:45 and the 6:00 services to cap off an incredible time here in India. We are all looking forward to being home with our families! We leave here on a 3 am Tuesday morning flight for home and I hope to be home around midnight Tuesday night!

Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouraging words!

Pastor Carl

Very Busy Weekend!

2009-11-13T22:40:00.002-05:00

The past couple of days have been very difficult on me as I have been pretty sick but am definitely better today! I had some kind of flu that hit me Wednesday and then I had the Chills so bad all day Thursday and most of the day Friday! It was pretty bad but I was able to stay in bed and in the bathroom those two days!! We only had night services so I only missed two evenings of ministry! I am much better this am though with a busy day ahead with a service for men this am then ministry in an orphanage this afternoon.

Tomorrow we will be involved in 8 services and will be doing children, youth and adult services starting at 5:45 when the first worship service begins and then ending at 8pm when we will leave the church! Wow, what a schedule! I am excited to see what God is going to do through us as we finish up our ministry time here in Bangalore! We are all a little homesick and a little bit weary, but we know that God's Word tells us that when we are weak, He is strong!

Thanks for your prayers they are felt here!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

We are Doing very well!!

2009-11-11T03:15:00.002-05:00

Thank you all so very much for your prayers as we are doing very well and God is moving in our service times!

Last night, Tues. we had the opportunity to go to a service with the leaders from different parts of the city. Pastor Greg ministered to around 100 people encouraging them to be faithful in their ministries and we had a powerful time of prayer and petition before coming back to the Hotel for sleep! It was a long day but God was in control of our time and we know that God has been blessed by it!

The church runs very differently here, I will try to explain it to you! The pastoral staff here is in charge of a specific area of the city where they minister, along with a team of lay leaders, to the people in their area. These areas start at the smallest being 400-500 up to some that have 3000 people!! These pastors are in charge of visiting people in hospitals as well as small groups that meet in the homes. The lay leaders are who we are targeting in these nightly services. We are encouraging them to keep working for God and allow Him to bless them!!

This morning we went to a Bible College and ministered to a group of close to 300 students. These are students from all over Asia! Tim and Robyn sang three songs together and Greg ministered to them! They were very encouraged by us being there and it was a little easier because they all spoke English! At the end Greg had me give an encouraging word and pray to close! It was a powerful time of ministry!! God is really blessing that school and students are going into ministry from there after each semester!

Tonight another leadership meeting and some rest!
Thanks for you prayer support, we need it!

Pastor Carl

Coimbatore India

2009-11-10T05:07:00.001-05:00

Monday Night

One thing I could complain about is the Internet service here is quite bad to say the least!! I am able to get on for short periods and update facebook and that's about all! I am hoping that tomorrow we will have better service.

Today was pretty relaxing we we supposed to go to a school today but the schools were closed today due to the amount of rain that they have been having. So we slept in and had a nice lunch together.

At around three we went to the pastors house had some tea and cake with him. It was nice sitting and listening to him talk about the hinu way of life! He also relayed his digust with our president taking part recently in one of their holidays the celebrates when all of their kings were destroyed and the Hindu cast system was put in place! He was really discusted with Pres Obama taking part and slapping the Christians in India in the face!
We then went and ministered in an orphanage to about 25 kids! We had a blast as we shared a song with them and a skit. We also gave them candy and bracelets and then finished with lots of balloon hats and animals! It was a great time with them!
Then we went back to the pastors home for dinner. We had some spectacular food with curry beef and some spicy chicken and rice it was awesome!! As my mother in law would say it took the hair right off your tongue!! Wifey would love the food here!!
After that we went to the church to meet with the church leadership! Greg talked to them about vision compassion cooperation creativity and knowing God! It was really great, and each one there was so very thankful to us coming to be with them. This was our last meeting with this church so we said goodbye to the leadership team. We will see the pastor Jason, pastor preteem, joy the pastors daughter and Shauntie the pastors wife tomorrow at the airport to see us off!
These are all great people with a hunger to see God pour out his spirit her in this city. We had such a great time here but are looking forward to Bangalore and our ministry there!! We are packed up and ready to go there!!
continue to pray for us there!!

Pastor Carl

Coimbatore India

2009-11-10T05:03:00.001-05:00

Sunday 11-8 PM

What a great day of ministry we have had today!!
We had three services and as I sit here I think about how awesome it has been here already!

After speaking to the teenagers this morning I want to share with you Some of the biggest thing that stick out to me so far. I noticed as I shared my heart with them this morning that they are very intense people. What I mean is, that these youth were just hanging on every word that I said. They were hungry to hear what I had to say. I pray that our people are more like that! Desperate to hear God speaking to them. Then after the message every one of those kids stayed and one by one they brought their needs to the altar and I had prayer for them! I was amazed by their faith and expectation to see God work in their lives. These people are very happy to have us here in their country ministering with to them!

Tonight Tim is ministering in the Adult service and several have received healings already!! One guy in particular had his legs healed! He was living in pain and could barely bend his knees, but by the time the altar time was done be was high stepping around the church!! It was awesome and we gave all the glory to God!!

This morning Tim went by motorcycle with the associate pastor to a church across town to preach there. He said that it was a crazy ride! Driving here is insane, worse than anywhere I have ever been! The streets are narrow and they are jammed with taxis bicycles motorcycles cars vans busses, you name it, it comes at you fast! Tim had a great service and was very humbled when they gave him an offering at the end of the morning!! this building literally had a tree growing up through the middle of it! The amount was two hundred rupees which is the equivilant to around 4 American dollars! Very humbling!!

It has been a great day!!

Coimbatore, India

2009-11-10T04:58:00.001-05:00

Staurday 11:40 pm

Today was a great first day of ministry her in coimbatore! We arrived at hotel at 7:30 am this morning. We were looking forward to going to bed and resting until the first nights service. After Greg spoke with the pastor he realized that the church had a 10:30 am service!! So all of the girls went to bed and the boys went to the church! We all has a good time and following the service we went right to bed until 5:30 pm when we had to be back at the church! We Had a great night with Robyn and tim singing three songs then Greg preaching! The people responded very well and we got to pray with everyone that was there! Finally we ate at our hotel resteraunt, curry chicken! Spicey hot goodness!! 7 of us ate like kings for like 7 dollars each! Amazing!
Enough for now, tomorrow is a long day with three services!

I hope to get back on the Internet soon!!
The weather today was in the low 70s but terrential rains came in tonight, it was a little rough, but we managed it!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

India

2009-11-10T04:50:00.001-05:00

Saturday 4:30 am!
Right now we are sitting waiting for our last flight from Chennai to Coimbatore where we will begin our work here in India! We will get to our hotel and rest after a long two days of travel! Our first ministry will be a church service tonight after we rest and get cleaned up! The first two flights were very smooth, but very long! The first one was around 7 hrs. and the second was close to 9 hrs.!! But all is well and I will post this as soon as I can to my blog! Continue to pray for us the God wil have His way!
Pastor Carl

On the way!

2009-11-05T13:35:00.001-05:00

I am currently in a van on the way to Philly to catch a plane to India! It is overwhelming to think about how quickly this vame about for me!! God must be ready to do some amazing things through us!!
Andrea sent me a prayer sign-up sheet where our students signed up on different days to pray for us every day that we are gone! They signed up last night at youth! It is awesome to know that we are covered in prayer and exciting to know that they were willing to commit to that!! I am truly a blesses man for sure!!
Check back as I will be posting as much as I can!
Pastor Carl

Kids These Days!!

2009-10-23T14:51:00.005-04:00

We have all heard that expression! Kids These Days! It is almost always used in a negative sense! However, today I wanna tell you that these young people, that I am privileged enough to work with, are pretty amazing!! I wanna relay this e-mail from our district Youth Alive Director Jason Lamer, that has to do with one of our students!! So go ahead... be proud of them, I am!!

This is Courtney's report from last month!!

"This has easily been the most amazing month for me since I have become a campus missionary. My youth group had a post SYATP rally and I invited my whole volleyball team. They are my closest friends and four of them are on my five friend focus. My entire team ended up attending and all four of them were saved!!! I had the amazing opportunity to pray with them and it was an experience like I have never had. Seeing my prayers so clearly answered was amazing. God did some awesome things in their lives. They are so excited to know Jesus and are asking tons of questions that I LOVE answering for them. They are already sharing Christ with other students and their families!! I can't wait to see what October holds for me as a CM and for our team, now all sisters in Christ!! =D"

*Courtney was awarded the DYD Merit Award for 2008-09 school year.

Kid's in School!

2009-09-21T12:22:00.002-04:00

It has been a while since my last post, so here comes a new one!

I love this time of the year! Friday night football, Soccer games, school events... the list goes on! As I think about all of the fun things our kids do and experience at school, I also think about the great opportunities that they each have to share Christ through their lives. Our students are really amazing. They are stepping up the place as never before!

This Wed. night is our annual See You At The Pole event. We will have games and prizes and food at our post pole rally! We are anticipating breaking our attendance record but more importantly we are trusting God to save many souls!! I am believing and praying for more students to lay down their lives for God.

Pray for us as we continue on in His service!
Blessings,
PC

The Nines

2009-08-25T11:40:00.004-04:00

I am so looking forward to this one day of church leadership! The nines will be an all day marathon for any and all leadership. I am so looking forward to this lineup of cutting edge church leadership! They are always full of ideas, humor, and insight! Below, I posted a short video below for you to check it out if you are interested in this totally free webinar!!!

Blessings,
PC

The Nines from Todd Rhoades on Vimeo.

Our First Day in Orlando!

2009-08-04T00:34:00.002-04:00

We had a great trip here, no problems other than a few serious thunderstorms! We had a few bad slowdowns because of the weather, so it took us almost 6 hours to get here when it should have only taken 5 hours. All in all it was a good trip.

We had our first service tonight! Picture the largest room you have ever seen with close to 20 thousand screaming young people! It was great!! Almost all of our students responded to the altar call!

We are looking forward to a great day tomorrow, we will go and listen to James at 9:08am and then we will go to Magic Kingdom in the afternoon. There is no service tomorrow night so we are looking forward to the time off!! Dylan raps on Wednesday @ 9:30 so we will do that then go to another park in the afternoon. There is a lot to do and it seems like we will not have very much down time! Pray for us as we go!!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

Ready to Ride!!

2009-07-31T21:24:00.002-04:00

Well, We are all packed up and ready to hit the road. We will be leaving on Sunday morning at 7am!! We will drive about 10 hours on Sunday and then stay overnight in a hotel. We will then continue the rest of the way on Monday to our home for the week in Orlando. We will have the opportunity to hear Jeff Deyo leading worship and several amazing speakers including Tony Dungy, Herbert Cooper and many others. We are really excited about the fine arts competition that will be taking place all week! Please remember us in prayer as we pack up and hit the road for this amazing opportunity! I will be blogging our events throughout the week!!

blessings,
Pastor Carl

Kid's Camp 2009

2009-07-21T13:14:00.002-04:00

I always have a blast at camp and this year was no different. We were able to take 15 great kids from our church, and had a great week with them. Below you will see a video of our kids at camp. There was so much to put on here, but I just did the highlights! Hope you enjoy it!
Blessings,
Pastor Carl

Day of Fire Testimony

2009-07-02T12:09:00.003-04:00

I saw this testimony of God's grace and mercy and had to share it with everyone. This is a powerful video, take 5 minutes to check it out!!
Blessings,
Pastor Carl

I Love Kids!!

2009-06-23T10:07:00.002-04:00

See this is why I love Students. They are creative and intuitive and they never cease to amaze me!
We had a great week at camp last week. Thanks to all who were praying for us as we went. God did some very real things in them as well as myself as we were challenged to do the things that God has called us to! What a great time it was for each of our students. I will never forget it! Thanks guys for a great week!!

Blessings,
PC

Church Pastor's Bible Study Shut Down!

2009-05-29T08:02:00.002-04:00

When I saw this story I couldn't believe it! Check out this video and wonder about our country and it's values! I am shocked and very nervous, I didn't think that I would see this in my lifetime!!

Open Handed Leadership

2009-05-19T09:45:00.002-04:00

I have lived this concept for many years and have really seen this modeled by my mentors. The idea of leading with an opened hand is an amazing concept that I learned early on in ministry.

First, let me explain what I mean. We have all heard of "leading with an Iron Fist", well, this concept is the exact opposite of that. Where we often run in to difficulties in ministry is when we jump to conclusions or make a quick tempered decisions. I really try hard not to respond when someone is harsh or brash towards me, my ministry, or even my family. It is often their own struggles or insecurities coming out through their actions. God deals with everyone on His/Her own level. Quite often struggles and conflict work themselves out without any kind of help/hindrance from me.

Now, let me explain that there are definite lines that cannot be crossed with this leadership style. We cannot allow people to walk all over us as push-overs. These people must be dealt with or the ministry vision will not move forward. This is vital to understand. Even Jesus turned over the table in the temple courts, and fussed at his disciples when they fell asleep!

We must be cautious leaders, not paranoid, conflict hungry lions! We can self and ministry destruct in just a few short months if we lead in this way. There are some predators out there, the Bible is clear about that, but in our churches the vast majority want to see the Great Commission fulfilled!

The next time that you are in conflict and ready to jump down someone's throat take your pointed finger and turn your hand over and look at your palms. No scars? Jesus took the nails for us... those scars are the reason that we are in the position that we are in! Lead with an opened hand, Jesus willingly obtained those scars for you and for me!

Just some thoughts from a YP!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

God’s Chisel

2009-05-03T16:26:00.002-04:00

This is a link to a great video drama of two men speaking of how God wants us to change! It is a great dramatization of His love for us and how we often miss out on what He has for us because of our insecurities. It really made me think! You may need to be a member of facebook as it is a facebook video!

“God’s Chisel”

Blessings,

Pastor Carl

Inspirational!

2009-04-28T08:01:00.002-04:00

I saw this video today posted by one of my friends and had to share it with you all! I just wept as I watched God move through people!!

Potentiality

2009-04-23T08:48:00.002-04:00

I am often amazed at how the Holy Spirit works in me, especially on Wednesday nights during a youth service. Let me explain:

I often have these images of young people ministering to others in my mind while I am sharing a message with them. Yep, while I am preaching I see them preaching and leading and helping others. I don't understand it all, but I am often encouraged by the images I have from God. These precious lives deserve our attention and I am committed to see them used by God! I am here for each one of them and I love them with all of my heart! These students are some of the most gifted kids that I have ever had in my ministry. I believe that they are world changers and if they put their minds to it they will accomplish great things for God!

I am really excited to see where some of these God ordained students end up!! I am praying that God will use them to do some great things!

Remember this account of these young men as they began their ministry!

Acts 3
Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar
1One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

6Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

Attn: All Parents of Teenagers!!

2009-04-20T13:25:00.001-04:00

Some of you need one of these right now, and others will need one of these when your child starts dating! I have one on hold at Target now for when my girls get old enough!! Thanks Jeff Leake for posting this... I stole it from him!!

Good Times

2009-04-19T21:00:00.001-04:00

I have learned so very much over the past two weekends I can't even tell you.

First of all last week we went to our Penn-Del District Youth Convention. It was really amazing and I had such a great time with all of our students. We had record attendance and I think that everyone had such a great time. The services were absolutely incredible. We hosted Robert Madu and he was awesome. He really preached his heart out and it was incredible! Check out his web site: http://robertmadu.com/ We also had the band "Worth Dying For" that led worship. They were an amazing band and they really led us into great times of worship. You can check out some pictures here on my facebook account:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=368237&l=7c3b0d12ac&id=1070941083
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=367400&l=d3b7cc1de3&id=1070941083
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=367436&l=4188ef758f&id=1070941083
What a great weekend of seeking God and His leading and direction.

This past weekend I had the great opportunity to go with the Waynesburg Central High School Pride Retreat. Wow, is all that I can say about it. I love to see students get inspired and changed by one another. This public school retreat not only changes the students that are invited it changes the staff that is there as well. These students are challenged to build relationships with each other and with the staff members that they are assigned to. We call them "family Groups". It is so much fun and you would not believe where some of these kids have come out of! Wow, it amazes me that they are able to go on with life, but some of them do exceptionally well! I am blessed and changed to have been given the opportunity to be a part of it!!

Thanks for reading,

Pastor Carl

Just for Old Time's Sake!

2009-03-30T13:56:00.003-04:00

Here are some puzzles that were written back in the 80's. Try them out and have fun just don't get caught by your boss.
Here is the link: http://virtualapple.org/numbersquaresdisk.html

Here is the article that goes along with it:
The Apple II Gains Eternal Life in the Web Browser

Phil Shapiro

Mar 20, 2009 8:04 am

Back in 1989, in the same year Tim Berners-Lee was cooking up the world wide web, I asked myself if there were some way to connect joy and thinking in the minds of elementary school children. With the help of a talented Apple employee, Dave Lyons, I assembled a collection of logic puzzles named Number Squares that ran on Apple II computers. Back in those days the Apple II was king.

I founded a software company and sold that software commercially between 1990 and 1995. When the Apple II computer was discontinued by Apple in 1994, I thought the lifespan of that software had come to an end.

What I didn't anticipate is the talented person who created AppleIIGo, a Java applet that runs Apple II software within a web browser. When I heard about AppleIIGo, I posted a short note on the AppleIIGo discussion forum asking if there was anyone who could help create a disk image of the Number Squares logic puzzles I designed way back when. Robert Stone, from Columbus, Ohio, answered the call.

And soon after I was running Number Squares on various modern computers. Thanks to to Bill Martens at the Apple Puget Sound Program Library Exchange you can now play these puzzles right in your web browser on the Virtual Apple web site. The direct link to the puzzles is right here.

A QuickTime screencast I created showing the puzzles in action can be seen here.

Here are a few tips for playing these puzzles. First off, you need to remind people playing these puzzles that this software does not respond to any mouse actions. All the game play occurs via the four arrow keys -- along with the return key (also known as the "enter" key.) Sometimes you need to use the mouse to click onto the window of the Number Squares puzzles for the software to respond to the keyboard, though.

Start off with the 4 x 4 puzzles. You'll enjoy those most. My favorite puzzles are the 5 x 5 puzzles. Use the arrow keys to move the numbers into the open space. Keep in mind that if you solve a puzzle one or two seconds faster than you did before, you'll receive more substantially more points for doing so.

The points you receive for solving puzzles is based on how fast you solve the puzzles and how difficult the puzzle is. I've seen kids play these puzzles for more than an hour and not get tired of them. With the gentle guidance of an adult or older sibling, the puzzles become even more fun and interesting.

Neat Story!

2009-03-26T08:59:00.001-04:00

Blow Some Bubbles in Your Drink!

2009-03-24T12:48:00.003-04:00

Just a quick thought today. I had a Dr. appointment today and after, I took my wife to Panera Bread for lunch. By the way, I highly recommend the Black Bean Soup!! Anyway, we got talking about life and things that are happening and as I was sitting there I started blowing bubbles in my drink. I laughed to myself, then I told my wife that we all need to smile every now and then. She was not really amused by it but I kept it up and probably annoyed her a little bit!

The point is this, sometimes we just need a little levity to get us past some things that we are struggling with. Laugh at yourself, I think that it is healthy. Whether or not you want to admit it we are all very, very funny! God wants to fill us with His joy and peace, but we have to have some initiative in our lives. If we allow ourselves to wallow around in the mud, we will get comfortable and stay there for a while, dirty and pitiful. But if we choose to allow God to lift us up out, then we too can get ourselves cleaned up so that we can blow bubbles and enjoy life. It can get difficult at times, but you can make it through!!

Stay faithful and He will lift you up!!

Blessings,

Pastor Carl

Still Learning

2009-03-18T16:30:00.002-04:00

We all have these preconceived ideas about how life should go...

That will make you think a bit huh? Things come into our lives and leave from our lives. Circumstances and problems, blessings and fun. We live these things out, and in front of us seems to be this straight road when we look out. It is when we look back that we can see the twists and turns and hills and valleys.

I will never forget as a 12 year old boy going on vacation to California. We went as a family and drove our Mercury Marquis and our pop-up camper across the entire country. There were three of us in the back and three in the front of the car. I can't believe that we made it without killing each other. Some of the mountain passes that we drove up and through were amazing, spectacular as I think about it. These were winding twisting roads as we drove up higher and higher. You could not see the next curve until you were already in the middle of it. You did not know what was ahead because you could not see around the turn you were in. Then all of a sudden the old Mercury would shift and we would be on top of it all! You could look back and see the road that we just came up and across the valley or whatever was on the other side. It was truly spectacular to see, at times even breathtaking!!

I told you that little story to say this. We must go through the twists and turns to get to the top. We do not know what will be around the next bend. We do not know when the next curve will come or even how steep the climb will be. We can be rest assured though, because we know who is in the driver's seat. The one leading us through it all!! He is the sustainer and giver of all things!!

Be our Leader and Guide Lord!!!

Just a side note, I would have probably given my right arm for a GPS unit in those days, it would have saved us some time and arguments!!

Blessings,

Pastor Carl

Kid's Breakaway Day 2

2009-03-07T23:31:00.006-05:00

Well, we are almost finished with breakaway and we had a great time. We will be leaving here as soon as we eat lunch (burgers and fries) in the Caf. after the am service.

Today was a good time for all. We had a great time this morning when we had a missionary to Cuba in the service with us. It was great to hear the stories of how people are being saved in such a closed country. We at lunch then basically had free time this afternoon. We played on the playground (thank God for beautiful weather) Played basketball, and had a blast on the inflatable games set up in the gym.

After dinner (chicken nuggets!! (one of my personal pbcc favorites)) ;-) we had our last PM service and it was great. the kids were challenged to consider the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It was great to see kids praying with their chaperons in circles and hearing kids crying out to God. Tonight we had a movie night in the gym and we watched "the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything". It was much fun, but the sleepyheads are always a challenge to get back to their rooms.Overall it was a good day, I will not have time to write tomorrow so have a great morning worship service and we will see you all between 4-5 pm!! Pray for a safe trip home and plenty of peace and quiet in the van with all of the sleepy kids!!

I hope that some of you enjoyed the facebook pics, and those of you that don't facebook, you should join up because it is one of the easiest ways to stay connected!!

Blessings,

Pastor Carl
Carlisle, PA

Kid's Breakaway

2009-03-07T00:17:00.002-05:00

Just to let everyone know... We made it to breakaway and everyone is doing just fine. We are all tired and some are having a little trouble getting to sleep with all the chatter... o wait that's my guys!! Hold on.............. Anyway we are all good, had a good service tonight where the kids were challenged to submit to Jesus and let Him take control of their lives. We had a good response and are looking forward to tomorrow's services. We got to spend time in the gym after the service on the inflatables. Everyone had a blast and ran around to wear themselves out!! We are all good and tired after the travel and fun.

Pray that God does some great things tomorrow in the lives of our kids. Pray that they are opened to His will and the moving of His Spirit!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Carlisle, PA

Mashed Potatoes... Hold The Gravy!!

2009-02-27T10:50:00.002-05:00

You know things don't always go the way that you want them to.

This past weekend we had our annual Sectional Fine Arts Competition in Uniontown, PA. Our students did a great job all day as we ran from event to event trying to see all of them minister. I was so very proud of each one as they did their best for the Kingdom of God.

There were a few events (as always) that I really felt strongly that our students should have moved on to the district level in. I have to confess that as a youth pastor I tend to get upset when judges do not see it the way that I do! I have to look back and laugh at myself as I get worked up reading evaluations that just plain don't make sense to me. I try hard not to let my displeasure ruin the day for the students that these evaluations effect. It can be difficult though, I am HUMAN!! I want the very best for these kids and I want them to be encouraged as many of them are blessed with talents that are unbelievable.

This past week I found myself sick as can be. I woke up Wednesday morning so sick I had to go to the doctor's office. (I never go to the doctor!) I have not been to the doctor for sickness since I was a kid! I went and found out that I had an intestinal virus and was extremely dehydrated (go figure)!! I was given 2 liters of IV fluids and sent home to rest. I even missed youth group for the first time since I have been in ministry!! It was very difficult to lay at home and place everything in trusted hands to do the job! (thanks Tim, Katie, and Andrea) It is good (necessary at times) to have trusted people in our lives that can step in at a moment's notice and stand in the gap for us!! What a blessing, even though at the time it felt like a curse!! All I ate on Wednesday was a little bit of Grammy's mashed potatoes... without the gravy I didn't need gravy at that point in my life!!! What a lesson I was given through this.

Often we find ourselves dependent on only what God has given to us. We must learn through life. We cannot give up on something because a "judge" does not like our style or our song. It's our song that He has given us... we must keep singing it for Him and for no one else!! If others desire to lend an ear and be blessed by it than so be it!! Don't let someone steal from you the gift that He has so graciously given to you! Sing, preach, write, teach, live the way He has shown you! Allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide, sometimes people miss out on the message because of their own humanity. Don't let that discourage you. Peter walked on water toward Christ until his humanity stepped in between and he started to sink. What did Jesus do? He reached out and lifted him up from the wave that he could have drowned in!

Be lifted up today!!
Blessings,
Pastor Carl

I Learned Something Today!

2009-02-10T21:07:00.002-05:00

So often we get caught up in the business of our days and sometimes we forget that we are real people in a real world, who are trying to do our best.

This morning as I was driving my daughters to school we paused, as we do everyday, to ask God to help us through our day and to pray for protection. As Abby was praying I felt something on my shoulder. As I drove on I looked down to see Megan's hand (my youngest daughter) on mine and Abby's shoulders. She was agreeing with Abby in prayer by simply whispering a prayer of her own as her big sis prayed. I was taken back that she would lay her hands on us as we prayed together.
This moment in time made me think about our lives. We often over think our "prayer life" and the ways that we communicate with our God. You see, I don't think He cares to see us praying in public or for any kind of performance. He wants to see our hearts in our words and our actions. We don't need to dramatize our prayers to get through to our Creator. He looks into our very souls when we communicate with Him. He knows when we are being real and when some are just showing off their educated words or actions. When my daughter touched me this morning I was a little shaken, because I had been taking these prayer times a little too lightly. We were talking to God and He was listening to us. I learned (from my 6yr. old) that it doesn't matter if we are driving down the street in the car or eating dinner or even just hanging out, God is concerned about us and we need to communicate with Him. We need to share everything with Him and never take Him for granted.

Luke 18:16-17
But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

Just something to think on...

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

Here We Go................!

2009-01-19T11:48:00.002-05:00

It is a happy day to be a Steelers fan. A great day to be a part of the AFC! Also, if you watch the news, you might want to hold on as this could be one of the greatest matchups ever in the Superbowl!!

As all of the crying winds down on the missed calls and what should-have-been, the reality is that the Arizona Cardinals led by Kurt Warner and the Pittsburgh Steelers led by.... an awesome defense, are heading to SuperBowl XLIII!!
Last night we knew that it would be a shootout in the desert and a slugfest in the snow! These two games did not disappoint anyone! Each of the four teams had opportunities to take control of the game and turn the outcome to their favor. There is, however, tons of speculation surrounding the officiating crew and penalties given and not given. The reality in my mind is this... No matter how a game is called, you have to do what it takes to win! The Cards and the Steelers did just that. In the Cardinals game there was a botched kickoff that looked for a moment that it went out of bounds and then bounced back onto the field of play. What really happened though was that the ball bounced in bounds and fell onto the feild of play and was recovered by the kickoff team (Arizona). They didn't cry a river! They simply played on!! The correct no call was made at the end of the game when no pass interference was called on a throw to Curtis who got tangled up, and the ball hit him in the hands. You have to play through adversity in the NFL. He makes the 4th down catch there may have been a different outcome??

In the other game there were multiple times that the officials "took control" when they should have left the flag in their pockets. How about the two touchdowns that the Ravens got. On both occasions the Steelers were flagged for pass interference in the endzone! Wow, both were questionable calls. Then the running into the kicker call at the end of the half that gave the Steelers the ball back, aweful. Then the no call that everyone is crying about today was the hit on McGahee at the end of the game. It was not a helmet led hit! The shoulder hit first and the unfortunate result was a knocked out cold McGahee! After a scary moment the game was won by the Steelers and McGahee should make a complete recovery.

All in all the best teams won yesterday and Superbowl XLIII should be a good one!!

I am Resolved to be Resolute!!!

2009-01-06T14:25:00.002-05:00

I write this today very humbly because I recognize how God has blessed my life over the years. I look at where we are at in our lives and I see areas that we must work on. I have resigned myself to the fact that I need to work on my physical body over the next few months. Ouch, that sounds like pain doesn't it?? Yes it will hurt some days, but with some consistency I will look and feel better about myself in no time.

See, we often work hard at the spiritual things in our lives, setting aside daily time, and taking time to be with the ones that we love. But there always seems to be a side of us that gets a little (or a lot) neglected. A couple of years ago I got it in my mind to "get in shape" and I did a pretty good job of it. I lost around 30 pounds of excess weight and was doing very well. Since then there has been a lot of bad habits formed. I have not done much work to take care of this old (getting older) shell of mine. I think that it is important for me to be healthy so that I can be everything that God wants me to be. Soooooooooo I have decided to try to get to a target weight of 215 pounds. Wow, right now that seems insurmountable, but with God's help and encouragement from others I will be able to do it. My current weight before I began was 265!! I have a lot of work to do here. I trust that you will pray for me for strength and courage as I go after this goal. I am going to really push myself to be in much better shape by 3 months time. I am hoping to be back to where I was a couple of years ago after three months. We will see! Thanks for allowing me to be transparent with you in this matter! We can all be better together!!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

Love Your Church!!

2008-12-22T10:53:00.002-05:00

You know as I sit in my office today and think about the last few weeks of ministry. I think of the hustle and bustle of getting things done. I think about our Children's ministry on the 7th of December. I think about our Contatta last week, and I think about our services yesterday. I am completely overwhelmed by the things that God is doing. What a great job Charlotte does with our kids!! What a great, dedicated, choir we have. Many churches across the country do not have the resourses to even have a choir. Joyce really works hard at pulling them together. I am so thankful for these two, and their leadership and direction. If you agree take time to thank them in a quick note this week!!

I have been doing youth ministry for 12 years now and I can see God doing great things in the lives of our young people. I have been here at Gospel Tabernacle for 7 years this February!! I have seen God do great things in our church as well. We have some Great... I mean Great people that attend this church. Most of which are involved in ministry. These are the people that make the church what it is. The church not only takes on the personality of the Pastor and staff, but also the people that are doing ministry.

This Holiday season I am so proud of each one that has worked so hard this year to make this chruch (Gospel Tabernacle) Great!! God's Kingdom is advancing in this area! He is faithful and He has a perfect plan for this church. I love our church.... Can you say that you do as well?? If not, get involved, forgive those that have wronged you and move forward into ministry. Encourage those in leadership to move forward in advance!! Remember, it is not about us, it's about how He wants to use us to see His will done and the Kingdom pressing forward this coming year!! Will you do your part along side of us?? I trust that you are already and you will continue!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

I Am Soooooo Ready for Christmas....

2008-12-19T10:27:00.002-05:00

I can hardly believe that another year is gone and this Christmas day 2008 is upon us. When I think about Christmas I think of all of the fun things that we do, some together and some by ourselves.

It can be crazy around black Friday and you had better stand clear or you could get run over and even hurt badly when the doors open. Or you can be like me... I ran to Wal-Mart last night to shop for my precious wifey!! I had no clue what I was after, but I got the job done. I think that she will be very happy this year! I cannot tell you what I got her yet for fear that she will find out! I do think that she will be suprised and happy though. Her joy helps me to be encouraged, and my kids on Christmas morning are amazing! I love to see their joy as they open their gifts from us. I really believe in the reason for this season in our lives and our kids know that these gifts are for them from us and we are celebrating the birth of the greatest Man to ever walk the earth. He is the one that has changed everything!

I downloaded the Christmas album by Faith Hill this year and the song that struck me was "A Baby Changes Everything." You can see a video of it here. This song moves me! There is so much truth here that I wish people would stop and hear the message this Christmas!! He has changed my "everything" in my life and I am so grateful for that truth that has changed me.

This Christmas before my family opens their gifts we will take time to make sure that our kids know the WHY of this great season. I pray that you will do the same. Don't leave the greatest gift out of your family's Christmas!! He is so near and so precious to us.

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

No internet for you!

2008-12-12T10:28:00.001-05:00

I sit here in my office this morning with tons to do but no internet service to work with! I have upgraded our service to a higher speed but they shut us off until they can switch it over. They said that they will have it done by Monday!! One of my first questions was will there be any downtime?? O, absolutely not sir, you should be able to plug your new modem in and be fine! Well, not so in this case! They have to send a tech into town to do the switchover! And here we wait! O, well! We will wait..... and wait.............. that's all we can do for now!

Just Thinkin'

2008-11-25T13:17:00.002-05:00

We just finished up with a funeral for our friend and fellow pastor, Rev. Chester Tennant. What a time of celebration for this man's life. He was a great man of God and leader in our community and our church. What a legacy he has left his wife and family. Anyone who has ever know Pastor Chet would tell you that he was a great guy who loved God and loved people. He was a pastor for many years in West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania. His kids are living out his legacy. One of which currently pastors a church that his dad pioneered!! I write this with the anticipation that one day I can sit by him in heaven... more likely we will be running around and kicking and shouting praises! He was filled with the Holy Spirit and really let people know what a spirit filled life was all about. I am trusting God for just a small measure of Chet's faith and fire!! His boldness was contagious, as was his love and kindness. What a great guy, I am glad that I had the opportunity to know such a great man! God find favor on him and comfort this amazing family through their time of loss!!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

I Know The Suspense is Killing You!!

2008-11-12T17:15:00.005-05:00

This is the part where I tell the story of how I killed the Biggest Buck of My Life!!!

It was a very cold (37 degrees) Monday afternoon. November 10th, which just happens to be one of the best days of the year to kill a good buck (according to the experts- druryoutdoors.com). Anyway as I pull onto the road that leads to the parking area where I enter the woods, I look up to see a very nice buck pushing a doe across a backyard!! I immediately thought... come back here cross back over the road to my stand area!! Please!!! I got parked and it was about 2:40pm. I should have been in the woods already but I couldn't get out of the office any faster. I pulled my bow from the truck and quickly noticed that my 20 yrd. pin was messed up! I looked at it closer to see that the fiber light gathering element was shattered. I drew it back and determined that the deer would have to be close and there would have to be enough light to be able to shoot. I was a little bothered by it but what else could I do?

I made my way to the tree that I had climbed several times this season with it in my mind that I was going to move to a new tree down on a flat where I had been seeing deer moving through. As I approached the tree that I had climbed many times before I heard that sound that every hunter hates when walking to the stand. I quickly crouched down only to see a large doe, tail up, waiving at me as she ran down the point! Immediately behind her was a large buck at least an 8 pointer and then behind him was another smaller 8!! I stood there in amazement as I watched them disappear down the ridge line. The woods quickly became quiet again. I thought please, please come back later!! They didn't seem too spooked and you never know what will happen when the rut is on!!

I quickly headed past the old stand location to the first flat that I came to. I had seen several deer here in the past working out to the point where the deer just ran to. With fear of pushing out more deer I began setting up there. I noticed a scrape on the ground about 15 yards away and by the musty stink of rutting buck in the air I quickly recognized that a big buck recently worked it! I also noticed several rubs all around me.

I quickly and quietly climbed as high as I could, probably 25 feet or so. My Summit tree stand will climb just about any tree I want and just about as high as I have pull rope for. I got settled in just a few minutes and sat down in my comfy stand.

Not more than 15 minutes passed when I heard the sound that makes every deer hunter's skin stand up on the back of their neck. Running... through the leaves coming to me! I quickly grabbed by bow as I stood to my feet. I watched as two doe ran in to where I was and began to feed. I thought it somewhat strange that they ran in, and they bedded 50 yrds from me within a few minutes. I watched them for a while and then sat down again. This time for only about 5 minutes before I heard the sound again. Only this time it came from directly behind me. It was close and I didn't dare move until I saw it.

The deer got closer and closer till it was directly underneath my tree. I struggled to bend my neck to be able to see it, and as I got the first glimpse of it I saw that it was a gnarly little seven pointer. He worked his way out to where the doe were and nudged them in the butt to get them up only after he rubbed a nearby tree! It was pretty cool watching him work. From that point on it was one buck after another. I saw three more small bucks come up from the bottom and they sniffed around where the does were laying. Then a pretty decent shooter 8 pointer came and started really pushing the one doe around. They came within 20 yards and I almost drew up on him but he was moving too fast. He then chased her into the bottom out of sight. I thought wow that was close!

I then pulled out my grunt call and this is when it got really interesting. I let out a series of grunts on that call and immediately two more bucks came out of the bottom heading my direction. One was a pretty nice 8 pointer that anyone would shoot around here. He got about 50 yards and started sniffing around where those does were and he got hung up. I let out a couple more grunts and he headed right to me. He was crossing about 15 yards in front of me when I raised my Hoyt to draw up on him, it was perfect! Just as I started to put pressure on the string I heard walking off to my right coming down the ridge!

I turned my head trying not to lose focus on my target when I saw him. It was a GIANT coming right at me. I quickly repositioned my body for the shot. I had to turn all the way to the right as he was going to pass directly under my stand but behind me slightly. I drew up on him and bleated softly with my mouth to try to stop him. He stopped after taking three more steps, right behind a large tree. I couldn't shoot, I even leaned out to try to see if I could see the vitals but no dice. He began walking again, and I had to spin all the way around the tree to the other side. He stopped again literally at 3 yards. I ran the pin down his back to the vitals and eased pressure onto the trigger of my release. WHACK, the arrow hit exactly where the pin was on him. He ran a little and quickly slowed and stopped. I thought in my mind, go down big boy!! That's when I saw his body collapse backward into a pile and I began the victory dance in the tree! He was the biggest buck that I have ever killed and possibly the largest deer that I have ever had a chance to kill! What a memorable day it was! I can't wait to get the mount back and celebrate some more that amazing day... November 10, 2008 4:45 pm!!

Thanks for reading, leave comments if you like!
Pastor Carl Redding

Random Thoughs from a YP!!

2008-11-06T09:02:00.003-05:00

So with President elect Barack Obama waiting in the wings, assembling his cabinet and moving his personal items into one of the most historic buildings in America, what is next for us Christian Americans?? We must not lose our focus as Christians. This is the primary truth that we must remember even if we were receiving the greatest Christian man or woman into the most powerful role in the world. We would not discontinue prayer for this person as we should not fail to pray for President Obama. We all find things to complain about, we all have issues, and we are all different in how we deal with things. Remember this country through the Clinton years. We impeached this president and yet our country remained strong. We went through 8 years with G.W. Bush who had some interesting ideas but was strong with the things he believed in including war! All of this talk about Obama being the anti-christ seems pretty unfounded to me! I highly doubt that this person would arise out of such a high role as the president of the United States.

I guess what I am saying is that OUR Country needs us Christians. This is our country!! I trust that you did your part to vote. Now our part is to support in whatever ways we can. We can all pray, and that is fundamental, but we must be reminded of this. We can all access our congressmen and women. They need to hear our voices. Call them and e-mail them, they listen to our voice. Be encouraging to them, do your part.

This is a new time in American History, we must bind together and we must be strong. Our strength will be powerful in numbers. The worst thing that we could do is live in discouragement and hide our faces because we didn't get what we wanted. That would be a shame. This is America, the Greatest Country in the world.... God Bless this land!!!

Watch this video from our General Superintendent Dr. George Wood

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

Give Thanks!

2008-10-29T10:18:00.004-04:00

I love this time of year when we get to do lots of things that we love. Hunting with friends is always high on my priority list this time of year! Hanging out with my family is something that I look forward to as well. We always head north to my sister's house in Prattsburg, NY. We enjoy our time traveling in the van, then as we arrive it is always exciting to spend time with our loved ones. They mean so much to us and we so look forward to seeing them each year. We spend a lot of time eating and talking and eating more!! I guess that when we think about it food, almost always, goes along with a good time! Corn, Mashed Potatoes, Green beans, Stuffing, Bread, Gravy, Turkey... mmmm... thank God for Turkey, and Mom's Apple Pie! The best apple pie in the world. O, sorry I forgot where I was.

The founders of our great country knew what they were doing by breaking bread together and giving thanks to our God in heaven who is responsible for the abundant blessings that He has chosen for each one of us!! Certainly we should give thanks on that great thanksgiving holiday, but what about the rest of the year... Ephesians says something about this: Eph. 5:19,20 tells Christians to "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, ALWAYS giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

See, it is not a once a year and done kind of thing. Our joy and strength comes from Him. He meets every need that we have. Sometimes we struggle and sometimes we prosper. Give Him thanks no matter what. It is hard sometimes, but He will bring us through to the other side! Thanks for giveing thanks in your life. Our God is worthy of it all!!

God Bless,
Pastor Carl

Men's Conference

2008-10-18T10:32:00.003-04:00

Christian Life Assembly-Camp Hill, PA
Last night we heard a powerful message from Dary Northrop from Timberline Church in Colorodo!!
His message was simple yet so very powerful. He challenged us to 1. Take a risk and he referenced the book of Acts and the straight street account in chapter 9:10-16 where God spoke to Ananias to go to straight street to meet Saul there to pray for healing for him! What a risk taker!!
He also challenged us to be truthful and not to live our lives as a lie!! Also, to live a life of vision, and finally to live in acceptance of people. Just like Barnabas in verse 29 of that same Acts chapter. What a powerful time in the Lord!! He is so good to us and I am thankful for His challenging Word!!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

Honorbound Men's Conference

2008-10-17T09:31:00.004-04:00

This weekend is our annual Honorbound Men's Conference in Camp Hill, PA. This event is really exciting to me!! I love just listening as 1200-1500 men worship our creator all in one accord. It is truly powerful to see and to take part in. The speakers are always spectacular and there is such depth and richness to the ministry that takes place. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is so very powerful! What a great ministry to our men that our district puts forth! What an amazing, uplifting weekend this will be for our men!! Pray for us as we travel and attend the different workshop sessions and events. See the Shedule and Speakers here!

God bless you all!
Pastor Carl

Hunting the Deer!

2008-10-10T14:31:00.002-04:00

As many of you know one of my passions in this world is hunting deer. I love waking early on the crisp fall mornings where the heavy dew is frozen to the leaves. I enjoy climbing into my stand with my bow and arrow ready to wait it out until one comes by. This kind of anticipation motivates me each year as the bow season approaches. It is as if I live for the moment when I hear the release click opened and the smack of the arrow placed neatly into the vitals makes me shake in my boots. I do love those moments, especially when my pin settles in on a nice big buck. All of this talk of passion and excitement is great isn't it?? But infinitely greater is my passion to see young people saved and transformed by God's grace and power. That excites me so much that I live for seeing these young lives come and make new and fresh commitments to Him. As great as my passion is for taking a great whitetail, my passion for seeing lives changed far exceeds this. I am committed to God's plan for using me in this ministry. Will I have obstacles come up? Sure I will and I have. I cannot even tell you about some of the things that I have had to endure in our 11 years in youth ministry. We move forward because this is what God would want from us. What would King David's life have looked like if he would have just quit because someone came against him?? He never quit and neither should you or I! His plan is far greater than anyone or anything in our way. He calls, He directs, He leads!

As a teenager planning on attending Bible college God placed this thought in my mind. One day in prayer the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said this: "if I spend my entire life in youth ministry and just one student's life is changed by God through my ministry, then the entire voyage will have been worth it!" Thank God for that one!!! Thank God for each one that gets it! Amen!!

Pastor Carl

See You At The Pole

2008-09-29T11:30:00.003-04:00

I can't tell you how excited I am about writing this post. It has been a while since I last wrote and what an amazing couple of weeks we have had as a family and as a youth pastor!

See you at the pole is an event that takes place each year on our local high school campuses. Millions of young people gather at their flag poles to pray. It is an exciting event where students encourage others and are encouraged by others. Here is a link to a video that I made from Waynesburg Cental's SYATP. After SYATP we have a post pole rally at our church and each year I encourage our students to bring their friends out. This year I had Jenessa Wrick speak and Megan Fox sang a powerful song. It was a great experience for all that attended. I had give aways and hot wings after the event was over. We had at least 30 students that came to the altar for rededication. I was really encouraged and the students are excited about what happened and this current school year.

Also, to go along with this, a few weeks ago we signed up 25 students to be campus missionaries to their schools. This means that they are commited to the Youth Alive code which is to: Pray, Live, Tell, Serve and Give. It is a powerful time to be in Youth Ministry and our students are reaching their friends for Christ. That excites me!!! Please pray for our students as this is a true battleground that the enemy does not want to relinquish.

Thanks,
Pastor Carl

Our Vacation!

2008-09-14T21:42:00.002-04:00

I figured that since we will be getting on the ship tomorrow that I should post a blog tonight. I don't know what kind of internet they will have there if any!

We had a great time at the beach today in Fort Lauderdale. We went to the beach around 11 am and stayed till around 2 then came back to the hotel and swam the afternoon away. We are a little sunned but had a great time. We had a visitor by our pool this afternoon, a small Iguana stopped by to say hi. Of course Megan wanted to catch it, but it just ran away. I snapped a quick pic before it was completely gone though. We are already having a great time just being together and we are looking forward to the week on the ship! I am sure glad that God has made a way for us to be able to take a vacation like this. We love spending time together and are thankful whenever we can get away!

blessings,
Pastor Carl

Vacation Time!!

2008-09-13T13:17:00.002-04:00

We are currently sitting in Pittsburgh International waiting to board our plane. It is always refreshing to get away for a time and re-energize!! We have been looking forward to this vacation all summer and it is finally here. We have done so many things this summer and are certainly thankful for all that God has blessed us with. I am so glad to be a part of His Kingdom and there are times when I wonder why He blesses us so much, but I know that when we trust in Him and what He has for us it is a wonderful place to be!! I am so very excited about our events coming up, but I know that the next seven days will be relaxation time, doing nothing time, laying on the beach time! I may or may not blog through this time. This may just be a do nothing vacation, that we will talk about or blog about when we get home!! Thanks for praying for us this summer and we love and appreciate all of our friends for holding us up!!

Blessings,

Pastor Carl

More Vista/Apple Trouble!

2008-09-11T16:46:00.005-04:00

I fought for a couple of hours yesterday because I tried to download the newest version of iTunes. Yep that's all just iTunes. I use iTunes to keep my music in some kind of order and to play things when I want them! I like the interface and the usability of the software, I am not into the limited playablity (drm) but that is another blog. Anyway, I downloaded the new version and then when it was finished it prompted me for a computer reboot. I thought it suspicious at the time but a lot of software needs reboot when updated so I let it go. I then worked on something else for a minute then went back to my desktop to see where I was at. I tried to start iTunes again and got the same reboot prompt. I then knew that there was an issue. I then noticed that my network connection had been terminated. I thought that it was absolutely crazy!! I proceeded to work for about an hour and finally did a system restore. After that didn't work I then took it back to two days prior!! After that my network came back but itunes was shot. I immediately went online to see if others had experienced the same issues. Sure enough they had. Vista has been leading the way with incompatibilities, but I think that Apple dropped the ball on this one. So anyway after researching a bit I discovered the fix for the problem. Here it is in order!! Be careful that you follow directions as you can make major changes in regedit:

For those interested, this is how to fix this:

go to start menu --> run (or window key + r)
type regedit, press enter
go to computer/hkey_classes_root/
find pcast and right click it
click permissions
during the course of this you may get a message saying you cant change anything, but you can change who can change things. click ok on it (possibly more that once).
click advanced, then owner tab
change the owner from administrator to whatever name you are using
click ok twice to get out of the pop-ups completely
right click pcast again
click permissions
click OWNER RIGHTS
by full control and read click the allow boxes.
click ok

There are some cool new features in iTunes... for what it's worth!!!

Let me know if this helped you by commenting on this one... maybe I can save someone a headache and hours of work!!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

The Fruit of Our Labor!

2008-09-03T09:21:00.003-04:00

Mark 4:13-20
13Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14The farmer sows the word. 15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

It is really amazing when I see students that really get the Word of God. Over the past 5 weeks we have seen 7 students in our youth ministry receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and still more seeking Him. That's exciting, especially with the world and our country in the state that they are in. I feel sometimes like I am sowing seed along the path or in the rocky places or even among the thorns. But, I have to remember that God is the one who reaps the harvest not me. It is not about me or my desires, but rather what He desires to do in someone's life. They have to be receptive and they have to desire the deeper things of God. When they realize this, God is just waiting to pour out His blessings on their lives.

Is there a greater way to start a school year than to be baptized in fire? I think not... You go guys/girls... just go!! They all inspire me, and for those that are seeking, seek diligently and you will be rewarded. Be opened to receiving The Holy Spirit and it is only a matter of time until He baptizes you with His tongues of fire!! Be ready though because He will change your life. Live in the Spirit... In His power... You will do Great things in Him!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

The Power of Pressing Through To God

2008-08-31T00:09:00.002-04:00

This blog is about us and our own human behavior. We have been challenged through the past two services in not leaving the altar without getting through to God. We are often held back by our own selfish ambitions. We have to give everything up to God. It is kind of unpopular in today's church world when we start talking about taking time to commit to God. It is essential for us to take whatever time we need to when it comes to us seeking God. We have learned that God wants to bless us but sometimes we have to wait on His timing. This advance is so enlightening in that I have realized that sometimes it takes more time than we think it might when it comes to us drawing nearer to God. Sometimes we need to give up things in our lives to allow God to work in a deeper and more intimate way. He is so good and loves us so much, it blows my mind! I am heading to bed for a short nap now, it is back up at 7am.

Blessings,
Pastor Carl - Carlisle, PA

Robots Are The Now!!

2008-08-26T11:33:00.004-04:00

With robot technologies getting better and better as the days progress you will be influence by the technologies that come out of these interesting devices. Your back-up sensors on your car, for example, have come out of this technology. There are a lot of others as well. I wouldn't mind having a robot cleaning my house when I came home from a long day's work. The new models can actually learn how to do new tasks and are easily programmable. You have surely seen the kids toys that learn tasks as kids teach them new things. Awesome technology that is advancing every day!! There are many things today that we don't understand how they work and yet we put our lives in their hands. Take a look at the computer system in your car for just one example. When we bought our minivan a couple years ago the salesman told us that there was more technology in it than the first space shuttle. Wow, that amazed me! We trust the things that we don't see or know anything about everyday of our lives... and yet so many people refuse to have faith in our God who loves us!! What a shame! We press on though, and share with whoever will listen!
Links: http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/category/robot-gadgets/
http://people.csail.mit.edu/edsinger/domo.htm

Blessings,

Pastor Carl

What a Sunday Night!!

2008-08-17T23:08:00.002-04:00

Tonight I was so very proud of our students. Our Nicaragua missions team ministered in the PM service and they were all awesome!! We started out with Tim Bennett leading worship with a couple of songs in Spanish. I then had Dylan Harvey share his rap solo that he went to nationals with. He did a wonderful job! I held a conversation style interview with all of the students in a semi-circle discussing the ministry that we did in Nicaragua. I basically worked through the schedule that we received when we got there. I put together two different videos that went together great for the night. All of the students spoke and we had laughing and crying and praising throughout the night. We finished the night with an altar call and had the students pray for our people. They all went after God and interceded for people around the altar. I believe that many were blessed around the altar. Some of the students really stepped out in faith and I was so proud of each of them. Some other youth that were not part of the missions team got involved as well. I love our students. One of the highlights for the night was when they all came up on the platform and prayed for me at the same time. It was incredibly powerful! I am always moved by students praying for me, it is so encouraging. What a night filled with joy and tears and God moving at the end of it all!! How Great Is Our God!!
If you missed it all we have it recorded, contact the church office to get your copy of it all. Or e-mail me!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

I Love Her!!

2008-08-13T14:41:00.003-04:00

This blog is solely dedicated to my amazing wife Andrea. She has been married to me for 14 years now!! That is incredible when you think about all the junk that I have mustered up for her to deal with!! She is the greatest woman I have ever met. She loves and mothers our kids and she takes care of me. I am so proud of all that she does to help me in the ministry. No would would ever know the countless hours that she spends doing "church" stuff and youth stuff. She never complains about it either. She is a role model and I am so very blessed that I have her help in every situation that arises. I hope as we grow older together that we can maintain the love and respect that has grown us closer together over the years of this marriage. I pray that she will stay close to God and help me to lead our daughters in the faith. We need His strength to carry us, as we often get weary from the well doings of the church. If you would like to encourage her, send her an e-mail at aredding4@hotmail.com and let her know that you appreciate her!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

Wrap Me In Your Arms

2008-08-12T17:55:00.001-04:00

It seems to me that there times in our lives and ministries when we need God to wrap us up in his arms. It is a wonderful place of love and comfort. I often find myself seeking that place of refuge to let God deal with some specific things in my life! Sometimes I lose focus and He has to pull me back in! I must remember that it is not about man or what someone says, but about what He wants to do! We all must be focused on Him and He will direct our paths!
Blessings,
Pastor Carl

Day 5: NFAF

2008-08-08T23:02:00.004-04:00

Today was the final day of our journey here in Charlotte. It was a good day, as we didn't really do a whole lot. The students enjoyed their last day at the theme park and several others just hung out at the pool here at the campgrounds. We left here to go down town at 5:30 to take part in the celebration service at Bobcat Arena. It was a good time as we listened to the winners of the various categories get announced and then perform on the stage. It was great to see student leaders ministering through their abilities. Our students were encouraged by the whole experience. I trust God that the services and the events will permeate the hearts of these young people. I am trusting Him for long lasting results and life changing power for these lives. I hope that each one of us understand that we need more of Him and when we seek Him we will find Him and what He has for us. It is about us taking our eyes off of ourselves and fixing our eyes on Him.

We will be home sometime between 5 and 7 pm tomorrow! Thanks for all of your prayers!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Charlotte, NC

Day 4: NFAF

2008-08-07T23:38:00.005-04:00

Today was a tremendous day for our youth ministry and for our own personal lives. We just returned from a service that was absolutely life altering!! Rick Lorimer spoke tonight after the Planetshakers led us into worship. What a night!! There were several that were baptized in the Holy Spirit tonight! I am still trying to figure out everyone that was, because after the service it is always chaos!! God stirred many hearts tonight and they will never be the same again.

Our youth choir sang this afternoon and they did a very nice job. You can image how intimidating it is to be standing in front of such a large audience. Their song filled the room we were in and I was very proud of each one of them. They received a superior rating of 34 points out of a possible 40. That is very respectable especially at this level of competition.

Sooo... I am off to bed, I need to rest as we have been running all day long. I will write again tomorrow. God bless you all!

Pastor Carl
Charlotte, NC

Day Three: NFAF

2008-08-07T00:24:00.003-04:00

Today we started in the water park with my kids at 10:00am. We had a blast it is really a nice water park and amusement park. If you are ever down this way it is worth checking out. It is called Carowinds. We left the park at noon to come back and eat lunch. We left here at 3:30 to take Dylan Harvey to the convention center for his rap solo. In the meantime Joy Mason called and she was somewhat frantic as she missed her connecting flight to here and was in Atlanta. She was due in here at 4:30. She ran around and made arrangements to be on another flight that was due in at 6:30. We were glad that she was able to do that, God worked it out for her. That doesn't mean that it wasn't stressful for her though, we are so thankful that she was willing to come and play for us!! What a blessing she and Dave are to this ministry and to our church. We arrived at the convention center and Dylan did his thing. He was amazing!! We thought that he really did a great job. Then I ran everybody back here to the camp to go back over to the park if they wanted to. I ran to the airport to get Joy and Alexis, and then brought them back here to check in to the hotel. It was a busy day! I am kinda glad that we didn't have a service tonight as it would have been impossible to get everything done.

We just learned a short time ago that Dylan got a superior rating and will not be chosen among the "Elite" rappers of the Assemblies of God. He did his best and that's what matters to God.

The choir is on at 2pm tomorrow! Pray that we are able to do our best for his kingdom!!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Charlotte, NC

Day Two: NFAF

2008-08-05T23:19:00.004-04:00

Today was a great day! We started out by going swimming in the pool at the campground and then we all ate lunch together. After lunch we went to the waterpark. What a blast that was as we hung out together. The temperature got to a little over 100 degrees here today. It was so hot!! We left here at 5 pm to head to the service. We were able to get the first two rows of the second section on the floor. It was incredible. Planetshakers are an unbelievable worship team!
Worship was extended as young people got fired up for God and the moving of His Holy Spirit. There was one time when it got really quiet in the whole place and you could sense the Spirit moving. Spontaneous worship just started to spread throughout the auditorium. It was incredible. I was happy to see our young people being extremely expressive in their worship. Rod Whitlock spoke and challenged everyone to really dig deeper and get closer to God. Then... We worshiped some more!! It was a great day and a great night.

Dylan Harvey performs at 4:46 tomorrow pray that God will help him and be with him. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. You mean so much to us!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Charlotte, NC

Blurb!

2008-08-04T23:15:00.002-04:00

I almost forgot to tell you all! You can view the services live along with us if you would like, beginning at 7 pm each night except for Wednesday when there is no service. http://www.charlotte08.ag.org/live/ I will update you all as the week progresses!!

Blessings,
PC

Monday Night, National Fine Arts Festival!! (FAF)

2008-08-04T23:09:00.002-04:00

Well we made it. It took substantially longer than I thought it would, but after 4 stops and 8 hours we made it to Charlotte, NC. After a slight ant problem in one of our cabins we are settled in and hopefully in bed for the night. We had a great opening service tonight, Steve Pulis (National Student Outreach director) spoke about the fire of God! It was very good. Almost all of our students responded in some way to the altar call. Planetshakers was amazing. They played one of my all time favorites: Healer! It just flat out is anointed by God. We stopped at Chick-Fil-A for dinner after the service and had an enjoyable dinner! Thanks for praying for us, pray specifically that some of these students will go deeper with God this week.

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Charlotte, NC

Ready To Go Again!

2008-08-03T21:59:00.002-04:00

Well, it is now Sunday night and I am ready to go again. We will be leaving tomorrow for National Fine Arts Festival in Charlotte, NC. We are really excited about the opportunity to take 30 people on this trip. We will be taking our children with us and we will be camping at a campground. It will be a lot of fun. Our students will be staying in cabins and we will be in our pop-up camper. I am looking forward to the services and also Worshiping with Planetshakers. They were amazing last year in Indy. We will also be close to Carowinds amusement park. Dylan Harvey will be competing on Wednesday at some point and the youth choir will be on Thursday. I am really proud and excited about our 19 students that made it to this level. I have seen a lot of students that have been very good not make it to nationals. They are all excited with me and I am trusting God to do a work in each of their lives. Pray for us once again as we travel. Thank-you so much!!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

In The Airport!

2008-07-31T12:58:00.002-04:00

We are sitting here in the Managau airport waiting for our plane to arrive and I figured I would blog quick.

Wow I cannot tell you what an experience this trip was. We were so very blessed by all of the things that God did in us and the people here. We are so looking forward to being home and sharing with all of you. We will be ministering int he PM service on the 17th of August. Please plan on being there with us as we share from our hearts what God did here. So many stories to share with you all. God bless you and thanks again for all of your prayers!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

We Are Coming Home!!

2008-07-31T09:41:00.002-04:00

Today we will leave Nicaragua but Nicaragua will never leave our hearts.

Last night was another powerful time in the presence of our God. He helped us minister to thousands of people. 10 more gave their hearts to the Lord and too many to count came forward for prayer. It was absolutely amazing. We will leave here today knowing that God has given us a burden for these people. Yes, we are tired and ready to come home, we definitely miss our families, but our hearts burn for more people to come to the realization of who Christ is and the manifestations of His Holy Spirit.

Pray for us as we travel today. God is so very good and so very faithful. Thank you all so much for your continued prayer and support!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua
Final Post

Wednesday again!!

2008-07-30T18:37:00.002-04:00

We made it back to the hotel after a great day so far. We went back to the church that we were at last night and ministered to the kids at their school. They were great. We did a 20 min. program and then had a Pinata for them to smash. It was a lot of fun and the kids were really blessed. From there we hit the road toward the area that we would be zip lining. We arrived there and they loaded us into trucks and took us up a steep hill. We were in the jungle for real!! There were coffee trees/ bushes all around us! It was spectacular. We got harnessed up and had an instruction session and then began our 13 platform journey! Basically there was a hook that went over top of the cable and attached to the belt that we were wearing. Then there was a safety harness attached at all times as well. We wore some heavy gloves and hung from a line. All that you had to do was pick up your feet and away you went over top of the trees and bushes. It was unbelievable. I have tons of video and pictures to prove that we actually did it!!

Now we are relaxing for a little while until it is time to leave for our last church service. I have to make a correction to my previous post. There will be around 3000 at the church service tonight. They have been advertising for a few weeks and are very excited to have us here!

We are looking forward to our voyage home tomorrow. We will be leaving here at 8:30am to begin the trek homeward. I will call when we are on the ground in Houston, TX. God bless you all, pray that our flights are on time and we are safe getting home!!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Wednesday Morning

2008-07-30T08:47:00.002-04:00

It was great to get some rest!! Understatement... Well, we are only hours away now from returning home. Today we have a school to minister at and the evening service at Hosanna Central. There will be around 1000 people there at the church tonight. During the day today we will be traveling to a tourist site to go zip lining. It should be lots of fun! We have been looking forward to it.

We came to Nicaragua with high expectations of what God was going to use us to accomplish. He really blew our minds on this trip. Far more than we could ever expect or imagine. But it seems as we wind down the ministry that this fact is easy to see, and that is, that yes we saw God move, we saw Him pour out his greatest gift of salvation on hundreds of lives, and we saw a demon cast out of someone, and even saw several healings. But what I want to say this morning is that not only was Nicaragua changed but I am changed. Andrea, Tim, Katie, Jenessa, Breanna, Whitt, Britt, Kristi, Lindsey, Lori, Andrew and James are all changed forever and ever. God is so good to us and as I think about this trip I can only imagine what God has in store for each of these students. God, have your way in their lives. Speak to them, call them and use them for your purposes and goals. Keep them sensitive to the power and moving of your Holy Spirit! En el nombre de Jesus, Amen!!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Gloria a Dios! Praise the Lord!! Tuesday!

2008-07-30T00:28:00.003-04:00

We started very early this morning. I was up and out of bed at 5 am!! Tim and I went to the Hosanna Central church and led devotions at the school of ministry for their pastors. Tim preached a powerful message and it was awesome! Then we had the staff devotions at 8 am with all of the workers at the church. I was supposed to have the team their and I was planning on using two of the team members to help me speak to the staff. Long story short the team didn't get their until after I was already finished speaking. I talked about how God has a purpose and plan for each of our lives and He will provide for our future. It went very well considering I had to scramble a little at the last minute to figure out what I should say exactly.

From the church we all left for a school by the garbage dump. We got there and some 200 kids were there waiting for us. We purchased two pinatas for today and tomorrow to share with the kids there. We shared a short program with them and then had the pinata beating outside. They all had fun whacking it with a broomstick, until it finally fell and the kids went wild!!! They all dove into the pile and started tearing the thing apart to get to the candy. It was insane!! We then went back inside to pray for the students and the staff. It was a good time of healing and blessing for the staff!

We left there and traveled a few blocks to the garbage dump. We drove into the dump and were completely overwhelmed by the sights. People on top of the garbage picking through it. Garbage is on fire there all of the time. You can see smoke from the dump all over the city and even from the plane when you take off and land. We saw kids and adults living there completely surrounded by garbage. It is the definition of poverty. There is now real way to describe it all with words, but those images are forever burned into my mind. As we drove away tears rolled down my cheeks as I wondered what I could do to help one more child from that aweful place. It changes the very way that you think about life, and it's one of those things that you cannot fully understand or appreciate unless you have seen it for yourself.

Ironically, we came back to the hotel to eat after that. Our spoiled American life was quickly re-established. I am not saying that we shouldn't eat or that we should not give God credit for blessing us. I am just so upset that more people don't do something for those that are in such desperate need.

We left our hotel at around 1:30 pm and headed for a school in an area that we had never been to before. We ended up getting lost on the way and came to a part of a dirt road that was washed out. There were some large chunks of concrete in the middle and we were pretty certain that the bus would bottom out if he tried to pass through that spot. We all decided that it would be better if we would back up and turn around so that is what we did. We quickly got back to paved roads and right after Tim said, "it is good to be back on paved roads again" we were on another dirt road heading up a pretty steep hill. There were places where the road was somewhat washed out but nothing like the other road we were on. We went probably 4 miles or so going up and winding around. It seemed like it took us forever to get there. After we arrived there, we just had a sense that the students were really not into this meeting. There was a definite spiritual battle that was taking place as we ministered to 150 or so teenagers. As we closed I invited them to come to the front to be prayed for. It was silent and then they actually started just talking out loud to their friends like there was no one their talking to them. It was a weird feeling standing there and it seemed like they were mocking and making fun of us. Our interpretor actually spoke to them to try and get them to settle and they did, but just for a short time. 5 or 6 people responded to the altar and we prayed for them then we closed. We handed every student a tract about God's love and after the principle asked us to pray for that school we were on our way back to the hotel to change and get ready for the evening service.

We went to a church that was very close to the garbage dump. The entire sanctuary probably seated around 75 or so. We started worship and the place went crazy. They were having so much fun just worshiping God. After worship Kristi P. Whittany H. and Jenessa W. all sang a song and then Tim led a song from the keyboard. As he did there was an incredible sense of worship that came over the place. As he came down off of the platform he made an altar call. Anyone that wanted to be free come forward. As he did a lady in the back of the church began weeping. He called her to the front and as she came it was obvious that she was experiencing the presence of God. As we began to pray for her, she began shaking violently and her head smacked off of the floor. I put my hand under her head as we prayed with Holy Spirit Fire. She shook violently for a few more minutes until a calm peace came over her. She had obviously been healed from something, and it seemed a demon had come out of her. She later shared of how she had been mean to her kids and husband. She didn't know why she had been so mean but now she was filled with peace. She committed to changing her ways as she knew what it meant to serve God. It was awesome to see her testify about what had happened to her.

Another lady had come forward at the end of the service and she could barely walk. She shuffled her feet because her knees were so bad. We began praying for her and you could see the healing take place. She began dancing and jumping and praising God!! She was doing what looked like the chicken dance and was filled with laughter!! You could not help but watch as the joy of the Lord filled her life. There were more testimonies but the hour is late and I will write more tomorrow!! Blessings, We will be home soon!
I can't wait to see our kids and our friends!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Monday

2008-07-28T21:12:00.005-04:00

What a fantastic day of ministry we had today. We are all so very tired but is has been so very worth the efforts that we have put into it!! Today we started out our day at Hosanna central's Christian school. we had a great time with the students there as we declared what it is to be a part of God's army. They responded very well and had a great time.

From there we moved to a school in the Second largest city in Nicaragua, called Masaya. There we first held and assembly with school students from 1st-6th grades. They were so excited to see us and I am so glad that we were there with them. The building that we were in was packed with maybe 250 kids and probably 95 degrees inside and no breeze. There we presented the gospel to those kids with excitement and love and probably close to 100 kids raised their hands for salvation. It was awesome!!

Then we ushered those younger kids out and in ten minutes we were looking at 250 teenagers. We had a rap group come with us today and they sang one song and then James shared his testimony. Then the group came back again to finish up. Andrea then came and shared about God's favor on her life and how her Biological mom made decisions that God was in control of. The altar call was given and over 90 teens gave their heart to God. We stood there in amazement as God poured His love out all over them. We prayed for them and were overwhelmed by everything that happened. God is so good and these testimonies are all for the glory of God!

Pray for us as tomorrow we have a very busy day. We start at 6:10 am and don't stop until probably 8 pm. We really need your support and strength.

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Sunday

2008-07-27T19:39:00.003-04:00

Today was a little bit lighter as far as the type of ministry. First we were up early and were at the church at 8am. We shared 5 kids songs and danced around for a while. It was a lot of fun. Then we sat in on the 11 am service in the main sanctuary. The church Hosanna Central has three Sunday services 8 and 11 then at 5pm. There are around 7000 people every Sunday that attend the church. They start their services on time and there were probably 200 or so people in the auditorium that seats 3000. They filter in throughout the first hour and pack the place out! It is like this for every service that we attend.

Then we adjusted our schedule for our new found friends. Our interpretor Pastor Abdias and his wife Amy (who is 8 months pregnant) are in the process of moving into a new home. So we canceled our 5pm gig and helped them move all of their large furniture. They were so very blessed and overwhelmed. It was great because they are such great people. Abdias is the son of the General Superintendent of Nicaragua. We also saw the AG headquarters. They own 30 acres of great property with some great new buildings and an open air tabernacle that seats 5000. It was great to see it!

Thanks for praying for us, the team is getting weary!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Saturday Night!

2008-07-27T01:35:00.002-04:00

We just got back to our hotel it is now 11:30 pm. We attended a youth service in Masaya a nearby town. It was great to worship with a great band and then Tim Ministered the word along with James sharing his testimony. We had around 10 first time decisions for Christ!! It was outstanding! Then as the Holy Spirit led a call was given to any and all who had dealt or been dealing with depression or thoughts of suicide to come and be freed from those burdens. The altar was then jammed with many young people crying out and seeking God for a solid half hour or so. It was a powerful moving time for all of us!

After the service we enjoyed a great chicken dinner at a restaurant called Pollo's Narcy and we ate for about $4.50 Per person. A full meal of two pieces of chicken cole slaw, french fries and, of course, rice!! What a great day and a good night. God is so good and so faithful!!

God bless you all and have a great church day tomorrow,
Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Friday and Saturday!

2008-07-26T17:31:00.002-04:00

We had a great trip yesterday into the northern country area that surrounds Managua. We went to an orphanage that is run by Metanoia Ministries. There we spent close to 24 hours with some of the most precious kids I have ever met. They were all so warm and welcomed us with opened arms we loved them and they loved us. One of the most touching moments was when they shared some of their testimonies. Most of them had come from the garbage dump where they searched through garbage all day for their families. Some worked on the streets selling whatever or washing windshields for change. What an amazing place. One of the other highlights happened in the afternoon when we got to play soccer with the kids. Tim was an all star forward and James missed more times they he connected. They all ran circles around us!! It was so much fun!! We spent the night praying for sleep and God helped each one of us. We were so touched by the kids it was incredible. Lastly, they wanted to pray with us... First we laid hands on them and then they laid their little hands on us and powerfully prayed God's blessings on our lives. Wow, talk about overwhelming... It is one of those times when you don't dare look around for fear of bawling your eyes out!! What an awesome work that these people are doing down here.

Currently it is raining and about 88 degrees that means 100 percent humidity and when it rains the breeze stops blowing!!!! That is a small thing in comparison to all the things that we are seeing! God is blessing us with the people here. Continue to pray as tonight we have another youth service where James will share his testimony! Looking forward to it!!

Blessings,
Hold us up!!
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Thursday night!

2008-07-24T23:14:00.002-04:00

After lunch we went to another hospital and prayed for sick kids in a burn unit. It was a smaller area than this morning, and we were only there for a short time. It was very exciting

The food at the house that we are staying is incredible. All of the cooks are local that can cook!!

What a great service we had tonight. Before the service we got to see one of our interpretors from our last trip. We got to meet his wife and he was very excited to see us. He then interpreted for Tim as he preached! It was really amazing. First, Andrew shared his testimony and then Jenessa shared. What a great job they did. We ended the service with a time of prayer and it was amazing. One guy who was in an accident and even in a coma was there and we prayed for healing for his eye and by the time we were finished he could read a bulletin board in the back of the church. Awesome!! We were so excited!!

We are happy to be back at a decent hour tonight. I also wanted to let everyone know that we will not be in contact for at least 24 hours because we will be leaving here tomorrow morning and will be staying over night at an orphanage. It is a little over an hour away and so our ministry will go late there and we will have a blast with the kids there. We are going to try to get to the mall Saturday afternoon or Sunday afternoon so that everyone can call home!

Thank you all for your prayers, continue to hold us up you are our hands and feet!!

What a day!!

2008-07-24T15:24:00.002-04:00

Last night (Wed) we went to Hosanna Central in Managua to a youth service. They had a band there that led a few worship songs and then several other songs for about 1 and a half hours! Then Pastor Tim got to preach. He spoke for about 30 minutes and gave an altar call. We had an opportunity to pray with 40 or so students there. We finished the night with Pizza and got to bed around Midnight! We were up and running at 6 am this morning and we had our devotions with James Nutter leading. We left here at 8:30 am and headed to a local Children's Hospital. This is where all of the sick kids come for specialized treatment from all over Nicaragua. We started in the cancer ward. We were given instructions on how to approach people to pray for them. Some of the kids that we prayed for were just holding onto life. All of our lives were changed in just a few hours of ministering to these people. We went room by room all over the facility for about 1 and a half hours. Then we met in a central courtyard where we shared a few songs and gave a clear presentation of the gospel. 30 or more people accepted Christ into their lives for the very first time. It was amazing. After that we filtered through the crowd just praying for people that had sick kids there. It was extremely emotional and powerful. After that Pastor Tim and I went into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to pray for sick kids there. Almost all of them were on ventilators and were very sick. We quietly prayed for 20 ish kids there and it was very moving.

After that we went across the street and prayed for kids that were being treated for cancer. They live at this house and go to the hospital for treatment whenever they need it. We had a good time of prayer with each child there. Then we returned to the house for lunch.

In a little while we will leave here to go to another hospital. We will be praying for the sick and ministering to them similar to how we did this morning. Then tonight we will have a church service. We will be tired later I'm sure. Pray for strength for us as right now we are all pretty emotionally drained.

God Bless You,
Pastor Carl

We Covet Your Prayers

2008-07-23T19:17:00.002-04:00

Let me begin by letting you know that your prayers have already been felt. If we would have left Pittsburgh a day later we may have either been stuck in houston or our flight would have been canceled due to the hurricane. We had some bumps in our flights as it was, but it was not too bad. Some of the team was a little queezy by the time we got on the ground in Managua, but were alright.

We hit the ground and got settled into our rooms just in time for an amazing Nicaraguan dinner. Then we went to our first ministry sight. It was a school with around 60 students. The children attend school all year round down here. We had a great time with the kids and the our students did a great job considering they had been awake for 20 some hours. We went to the Gallaria (Mall) Last night to eat and then back to our hotel for bed. Most of the team slept great last night.

This morning we started with breakfast at 7am and team devotions at 7:30 We left here at 8 and went to a large school with around 300 students. Our team did a Great Job and had a great opportunity to pray for students with needs. Then we went to a pre-school about 45 min away. The kids were adorable. We only had about 30 min to spend with them but it was a great time. We then traveled a short distance to a city called Masaya where we met a group of young people that were a part of a rehab program that a local youth pastor ran. After introductions, James Nutter shared an abbreviated version of his testimony and then we layed hands on the kids and prayed. We traveled back to the hotel for lunch and by 5 min into the trip almost everyone was asleep. We ate lunch and then went to a local hospital where we met with the director. He explained exactly what they do and how they run things. It was really a small clinic and they are responsible to take care of an estimated 80 thousand people. The Government subsidizes all of the work there. He then took us on a tour of the facilities and then we gathered in a room and he had his entire staff come in so that we could pray for them!! What a time it was. Tim just spoke to the staff with the power and authority of God. We all laid hands on them and prayed and when we were finished they clapped and some were crying. It was really a moving experience. What an opportunity!! We went from there and met with an organization that helps enable handicapped people here. They provide wheelchairs, crutches and whatever other aid is necessary. We then had prayer for them and their organization. Handicapped people here have no rights. They cannot see a doctor, they cannot work or go to school like everyone else!! It is really a different world here. We have no idea how blessed we are!

I have shared about each place we have been so far, sorry that it is so long but I am unsure if I will be able to write later. We will be leaving here shortly to go to Hosanna Central the large church here in Managua. Tim will be preaching in the youth service there. Continue to pray for us as we need it so much.

We love you all, God Bless you!!

Pastor Carl
Currently in Managua, Nicaragua

Home Again, Home Again

2008-07-18T16:16:00.002-04:00

It is great to be away especially when doing ministry, but it always good to be home sweet home. Thank you all who prayed for us while we were away at kid's camp. What a great time we had. We had great times at the altar and in the rooms. We talked about everything from healing to sharing the gospel with our friends. I just love all of the activities and all of the fun that camp provides. I am thankful for a great District that provides these thing for our young people.

I didn't write the last day that we were there because the internet went down and never came on again. I suspect that while we are in Nicaragua next week we will see the same thing. The city of Managua is notorious for roving power outages and limited internet access. So we shall see have patience with me if I don't get to write each day. Pray for us as we finish up the last bit of preparation and finalize everything!

I shaved, then got shaved... kID'S Camp day 2

2008-07-15T23:55:00.002-04:00

Tonight I was shaved with water, yes water. I was nominated to have the shaving cream squirted off of my face with water guns as I stood there with my face through a tarp, all while the shavers were blindfolded. Our team won the competition, of course, because the team next to me was squirting me as well as were my own guys. It all worked out in the end. Everything is good at camp as long as the girls lose!!

We had a great service tonight on day 2. The kids were challenged to discover God's gift of healing. Some were weeping, some were praying quietly and some just didn't get what was going on at all... welcome to kid's camp. There are always a few that just want their snack and to get out of there. It was a great night and a fun filled day, but it is time for bed so that we can all do it again tomorrow!!

God bless these little ones and draw them close to you and speak into their hearts!

Kid's Camp #1

2008-07-14T23:19:00.002-04:00

Ok so we made it to kids camp without dying. The boys are helping me to write this blog to all of you readers. Noah R. says that the service was great. Sierra thought that the one guy acutually meant what he said? Michael thinks that today was "really great". His favorite part about the day was when we went down the big slide (inflatable) and the Obstacle course!! Darton's favorite part about the day today was the arcade and the pool. CJ says that ping pong and pool was the best. Alex said that his favorite part was when they knocked the tether ball off of the pole and it went flying across the playground! It was pretty funny!

Many kids were saved and rededicated their lives to Christ. That is what makes this so very worthwhile. I had the chance to share Christ with one of our kids and I was really led to give him my Bible so I did. He got choked up and really was excited. I love the way that God touches our kids at camp. I am expecting God to more cool things the rest of this week... stay with me!!

About Next Week...

2008-07-09T12:53:00.002-04:00

I was working on my calendar this morning just sitting here in amazement of all the things that I have planned for the next few weeks... I will have to reintroduce myself to my dog at the end of summer!! I will be blogging throughout my adventures so hang with me as I keep you all updated as to where I am and what I am doing over the next few weeks. Beginning next Monday I will be traveling to Kids Camp and will be there till Friday. After that I will be leaving on Tuesday, July 22-31 I will be traveling to Managua, Nicaragua for a 10 day missions trip. Then I leave for Charlotte, NC on Aug 4th till the 9th for National Fine Arts. Good knowing you!! I'll be in touch!!

Just Thinkin'

2008-07-08T09:12:00.002-04:00

I was just praying and thinking about our next few weeks coming up and I realized that even though we often feel so inadequate to do the work of God, He will still use us. It's in those precious moments where the Holy Spirit moves in someone's heart and they turn to Him to be the Lord of their lives that motivates and inspires me. We all have our passions and our own personal desires and agendas. Trust me we need agendas!! When God decides to give someone an opportunity to turn to Him it is a powerful, life changing, moment. We need to give people more opportunities to accept Christ into their lives, and stop worrying about what they might think or how it makes us look. WHO CARES!!! We need to get past our own selfishness and put the love of Christ in front of us to do His will!! The end!

Cool Gadget!

2008-07-05T11:01:00.004-04:00

Just a quick post about some cool gadgets that I ran across this morning. (Nothing spiritual or magical contained in this blog)

This little bracelet connects via bluetooth to your enabled cell phone and vibrates when you have a call or wander too far away from your needed device! Outstanding, I think I will get one for my wife then I can stop fussing at her for not having her cell phone at the mall!! Great deal for only $49.99 at: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/9e31/

Yet another must have:

Palm-Z Mini Indoor R/C Airplane

A couple of these planes could make your next ho-hum all-nighter into the humdinger of all nighting fun!! Dogfights, mad dashes, and length of flight games could add to the excitement of having all of your friends together! Anyway, here is the link!! Enjoy:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/rc/93cf/

Don't forget to see the video of the guy in the office flying the plane around as the master controller!! Classic!

Young People in Ministry!

2008-07-03T10:05:00.002-04:00

As I sit here this morning pondering last night's events and God's Word speaking to me this morning I am drawn back to think about Timothy in the scriptures. God's young servant full of the power of the Holy Spirit and inspired to do the work that God himself called him to do. It reminds me of my own testimony of how one day at an altar God chose to call me into His full time service. Me... he picked me?? I still have to ask myself why, and how, and what do I possibly have to offer Him. There must be someone better equipped, smarter, more talented than I.?? Right God? When I think about it I am always reminded that God doesn't need us for what we can do, He wants to use us for what He can and will do, and there is a huge difference there. I loved having Pneuma from VFCC last night in our church. They did a great job, and it was great to hang out with precious young people called by God to serve Him! It is refreshing to see that God is still working in the lives of our students. Support our schools and support the work of God!! Don't struggle with God's call on your life, simply do what He has asked you to do!!
Blessings,
PC

Back To Life

2008-07-01T09:42:00.002-04:00

This is the time to wake up and get back to reality. Our kids this morning didn't want to get out of bed and get going and neither did the parents! Our home and our bed felt so good this morning as we spent our first night home after a week of sleeping in our camper! See our pics on my facebook page.

It reminds me of the loving arms of Christ when we stray. What an amazing place we can be in if we choose to turn from our sin and come back (home) to our God. He will wrap his loving arms around us and we can live there, protected by Him the creator of the universe! What grace he has for each of us sinners! Wrap me in your arms God... makes me think of a song. I will play it now! Thanks for reading, and leave some comments, BE NICE!!

Wrap Me In Your Arms. Lisa Gungor

The Day After...

2008-06-22T17:24:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a great day to serve our God! We had our first annual gospelfest at a local elementary school. All was going great until... we looked at the radar map! Large clouds filled with rain and lightning were coming straight at us! We gathered the missions team together to pray and with their faith God held off the rain until 8:40pm. We started at 7 and had a great time. We had food, t-shirt sales, and lots of other stuff to buy! Our students worked hard and in the end we only had just a spritz of rain, even throughout the clean-up time! Finally hit my bed around 12:20 for what seemed like a short nap only to be back getting ready for Sunday morning worship. All in all a great day and a good time was had by all who attended!

Vacation this coming week!! We are wore out!!

Blessings,

PC

Traveling Chaos

2008-06-20T09:43:00.002-04:00

Ok, just a short blurb this morning as there is much to do for our upcoming gospelfest. Whenever there is chaos in our lives God gives His ever present help and stability. I love when He comes through for us, it somehow always shocks me like I didn't realize that He was still in control. I can think of many instances when God did something awesome in my life and I was shocked and amazed by His providence! Why, shouldn't I be expecting it? What a goof I am sometimes, I am so thankful that I serve a God who is absolutely alive and well and who is concerned about my needs and desires. Go God do it again, not just in my life but in others around me! Amaze me again! I love it! I love Him!
Thanks for Reading,
Blessings
PC

New to Blogging!!

2008-06-18T15:56:00.002-04:00

This is just my fist real attempt at blogging, so take it as you will. I am really getting excited about this "new" adventure for myself, and really unsure about where this will really land me according to society's standards. But I do know that as I write this my fame will be reached quickly by those who read and soak in the infinite wisdom that shall come forth according to the purposes that God has in store!! Sorry a little KJV slipped out of me!! Anyway, have fun reading and I'm sure that there will be some serious stuff... maybe!! Blessings! PC