the light

God is the light, He is the truth---true that!

It's been a long week---which is better, much better then a short week!

I am always searching. Searching for a way to spread the news. The news of LIFE. Life not as we know it, but life after life. The life we can't imagine, can't fathom, can't comprehend....how do I tell others----the way to let others know is by living and breathing Christ. By allowing Him control of your life. When He has that control...when you've given it up to Him and only then....then others will see Him. His brightness through the life you live will be blinding. Those that meet you will not help, but to see Him....shine...go ahead and S H I N E !

a very good christian friend of mine....let me rephrase that...a true brother, a man who has impacted my faith like few have...well this friend writes music and YOU should check it out.

'nuff said::::: go chk the link http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=102388048

listen loud.....but listen.......



just check the link----thanks!

camp starts

On Sat. camp started with staff decked out in
C A R O L I N A B L U E.
There were newcomers to camp and the tried and true camp rats.
I was jealous---in attendance for the Challenge Course (formerly know as low ropes) and here were people ready to start living at camp for the next week! WOW! A solid week of camp---that is amazing! I am jealous in a good way.....happy for them, excited for staff and campers alike to be ready to experience a solid week of Jesus Christ!

Highlights of the 1st day of camp (for me)

a. A certain staff member biked 83 miles to get to camp. this person left their home @ around 5:30 AM and we seemed to hear a yell of accomplishment around 11:00ish.

b. Seeing a co-staffer that I have not seen in around 3+ years and hearing about a year spent abroad in Africa doing mission work.

c. Observing the most creative hairstyles at Senior High.....they wear their hair 'da BEST!

d. Eating lunch in the Dining Hall

e. Having a slushie on a hot day and getting serious brain freeze

hope you have planned a week of camp....if not what are you waiting for?

Name your all-time favorite campfire song....

what song is your absolute fave?

which one could you sing at every single campfire forever?????

First Look!

For all of you regular visitors to the blog----YOU get the first peek @ some new stuff!!

The fabled Carolina Blue w/Navy font staff shirt and a brand new never seen before ROCKIN' toddler tee.

Camp is ready.....canteen is ready....low ropes are ready....you of course are always ready for camp.....just like God is always ready for you.

<<>> for you tried and true let me say the carolina in the blue does not seem very true. the shirt appears to be more of a light blue and about the only thing we will get out of the color mishap if in fact it is a mishap are some dollar savings in canteen purchases.....not for you silly for camp....stop thinking about yourself all the time ;)

So....apologies to all the peeps who voted Carolina Blue---we got blue, and it's close.

(and for you real troopers---I chose the brightest pic)

things are coming together

the slushie machine is coming on friday....WOW!

i am thinking of the many people and the memories i have from camp--

Carl the older staff guy from Vineland
when one of my campers wrote ( i know) on the wall that
camp was F A M I L Y
giving a director the hardware from the flag we burned @ campfire
courtney telling me they made our shirt (God is Good---All the time) and me just smiling
all of my campers dressing up
Brandon the perfect surfer guy-----
saying heavy metal like it was meant to be said
my campers imitating me
hugs
lots and lots of hugs

did i say HUGS----Hugs,hugs hugs
and then more hugs
hugs that mean LIFE
because they are hugs of life
hugs of Christ
hugs of life
Karen---you not coming this year has broken my heart
Mary and Mike---1/2 a week!! What gives!!!
debo----Christ in the flesh if ever there was
and sarah----there are no words for you---YOU are that beautiful!!
Lynn Evans---Mark---Manny/Becky your week rocks

its about people---stop and see them---talk to them---KNOW them

givegivegivelovelovelovelove

and when you are done
give some more
and love some more

people are looking for purpose

the purpose is Jesus

I'm back

FINALLY


people
people
people
not things!

everyone....everyone

hearing you
seeing you
loving you
loving me
these are the highlights of camp manatawny

The begining of CAMP!

Camp starts on June 21st.

are YOU ready?

is CAMP ready?

there is nothing that compares to a week of Camp Manatawny!

see you there!

changing the world

How do you change the world?

Does the world need changing?

Do we need changing?

C-H-A-N-G-E

what...truly WHAT will you have done by the time your life is over?

How do we truly "get happy"?

GOD---listen closely....pssst.....shhhhh listen to the whispers.

God is really REAL---He really is! Jesus is the son of God! He really is!!!!
How do I know????? I have looked for Him.....and I found Him. He is right there.....see Him, feel Him, touch Him....love Him ....He already loves YOU......He already knows you....OPEN your eyes-ears and let Him show you the truth.
when your life is done....over what will you have really accomplished?

There is NOTHING---NOTHING you can do in this world that will stand the test of time other then inspiring others to love God.

N O T H I N G----Nothing you can do, but tell/show others the love of Jesus Christ.

absorbing the pain

this life....HERE----NOW

what is it's purpose---truly?

this week----what did you do for Jesus Christ---What did you do?

did you proclaim His name?

did you tell anyone about HEAVEN?

it is real....HEAVEN say it w/me

heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven

It is REAL---Heaven is REAL, it really is. See the "forever"

see FOREVER....FOREVER is REAL.

this life is nothing

nothing compared to HEAVEN

nothing compared to Jesus

Jesus a man

Jesus THE son of GOD

Jesus the truth, the light

the reason for life

my purpose is people

loving

caring

giving

showing

the truth

stop your desires

stop your pain

realize that He gives life

ETERNALLY

pushing

the envelope has been pushed

we are PUSHING forward to bring Christ to others

the letter has been written and will be sent to the churches

the GOAL is 1,000 campers

tell EVERYONE

we need campers!

know someone between the ages of 6-18 that are in school?

get them to camp

NO EXCUSES

PERIOD.

BAPTIZED!!!!!

boy oh boy, oh boy!!!! JB Ringler is going to be baptized tomorrow @ the Pitman coC!

I will try to get you some pics!!!!!

Acts 8
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

I just love the line----Why shouldn't I be baptized---

think about the gasp or the claps after a baptism---think about it, think about it---THINK!

Prince Caspian!

Wow! The Coll's church of Christ headed out to the local theatre for the showing of Caspian tonight! We musta had about 30+ people from church hit the show----it was great! SPOILER ALERT---sorry I am going to hit on some highlights of the show for me so if you don't want to know some of the movie things STOP HERE and move on!

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS!

My son Sean ( I seemed to miss this one) said when Aslan asked Lucy "why she didn't follow Him" she said "because the others didn't"

When Aslan made the call to people to start anew in a new world---Matthew 28. That was pure scripture for me.

When Peter left those who followed him to die because the gate crashed down and they were caught in the castle and left to die.......HEAVY METAL!

and then......when the foursome went back to the real world.....they were with Aslan and then back in the subway....just like real life.

it was a great movie due to the correlation with scripture and the movie--ENJOY!

if you died tonite....

would you go to heaven....or hell?

think about it.

hell scares me.

really, really scares me.

where will you go, where will you be?

will GOD know you when you die?

Only you and GOD know this answer.

there is no tomorrow, there is only today.

make the decision that will last for ETERNITY--- Meet God through His Son, Jesus.

search for Him and you will find Him.

the envelope

pushing the envelope

it's time to push the envelope
take the normal, the accepted and move it to the abnormal

dare I say....the unaccepted?

The question is...

ARE YOU READY?
ARE YOU GAME?
ARE YOU IN?

if so....stay tuned
we are about to change the world

o n e t h o u s a n d

this is a picture of 1,000 cars

imagine 1,000 CAMPERS

see the vision

articulate the vision

relentlessly drive it to completion

Sparkplugs!!

Hey if you bleed Manatawny green then I need your HELP!!!

We are looking for SPARKPLUGS you know 'em and MAYBE you are one!
The people who love and live for Camp Manatawny--- WHO ARE THEY?

We need to know who these SPARKPLUGS are so we connect church bodies into camp.
Go ahead and email me tate1963@gmail.com with the names of those who want to keep their church and Camp Manatawny connected!

The goal is 1,000 campers folks---- o n e t h o u s a n d c a m p e r s
last year we had only 700 :( and if camp is about any one thing it is campers!

Final Tally

and the winner is...

Carolina Blue w/Navy font by a landslide with twenty - one votes!

special thanks to Conestoga Valley coC for taking the vote over!


Road Crew Orange w/Black font - 10
Turquoise w/White font - 9
Lime Green w/Black font - 7
Navy Blue w/White font - 4
Chocolate Brown w/White font - 4
Brown w/Hot Pink font - 4
Black w/Neon Orange font - 3
Woodlands Camo w/Khaki font - 2
Hot Pink w/White font - 2
Blue w/Orange font -2
Light Purple w/White font - 2
Green w/White font - 1

FINAL DAYS

These are the final hours before the vote is over and 2008's staff shirt is decided. It really does not take a lot to make a color win. Figure Road Crew Orange is 11 votes down.....that's only 11 people voting and BOOM!!! Everyone a camp is in orange----or----- you can just sit back and chillax since who is EVER going to be able to get 11 people to vote??!!??

bLuE mOrNiNg

Blue is a beautiful color. It has many, many shades.

It is associated with boys. It's the color of the sky and the ocean

AND unless some Manatawny people create a coup.....

it looks like it will very well be the color of the

staff shirts for Summer Sessions 2008.

Tell everyone you know to vote,

unless of course you want blue on blue,

then just sit back comfortably.....or not.

Carolina Blue w/Navy font - 21

Road Crew Orange w/Black font - 10

Turquoise w/White font - 9

Lime Green w/Black font - 6

Navy Blue w/White font - 4

Chocolate Brown w/White font - 4

Brown w/Hot Pink font - 4

Black w/Neon Orange font - 3

Woodlands Camo w/Khaki font - 2

Hot Pink w/White font - 2

Blue w/Orange font -2

Light Purple w/White font - 2

Green w/White font - 1

Life in BLOOM

In the Sonora Desert

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land where there is no water

Psalm 63:1

think of being so thirsty that you cannot handle it

think of desiring water so bad that when you finally drink of it you are refreshed

think of desiring God in that way

think of pursuing God as a man longs for a drink

cry out to Him

He will make you bloom as the flower in the desert

even admist pain and suffering