ahhhhh the joys of camp

how I miss walking down the gravel road

headin' to the dining hall or Garrett

or whatabout walking "home" to the cabin after camp fire---isn't that the best?

the people in your cabin, and the relationships you build with everyone, and most of all the relationships you build with God

Giving to the poor

sorry....(not really, sorry that is)

YET another post about the homeless.

C'mon people WHERE was Jesus? Who was he with?
Where did He hang?

with the poor.

sure it's their fault right?
I mean why else are they poor in AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL? Huh? Why?
If they can't get rich here they must be sluggards.....right?
(read major sarcasm throughout this post)
STOP!
STOP!
No....really....stop-

the homeless, the fake homeless and the poor of the world.

Please, please start to see them...Our Saviour not only saw them, but lived with them can't we at least give to them?
please
just a little
for your sake?

HELP!

Camp Manatawny is looking for more then just a few good workers. We are looking for hard working diligent folks who can get it done!

If you can give Camp Manatawny one day a month or maybe even one day every two months then please submit your name to -- pepperplanet@yahoo.com so we can submit your name to the construction dudes.

Camp Manatawny has all kinds of handy man things that need to get done and the more hands....the lighter the work.

So if you or someone you know can help out once in a while;
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???

Get your name submitted before someone else takes that spot.

Enjoy the day(s) till we blog again!

What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?

it is possible- PEACE~LOVE~UNDERSTANDING

with God, all things are possible.

thereisnothingfunny about peace, love & understanding

look to the light

the light of Christ.

He is real

He is the Son of God

no joking
no kidding

seek Him

andyouwillfindHim

look
He's always been there
ALWAYS!

Tonite I sleep in lower Garrett

NOTICE THE WORLD SERIES PHILLIES HAT IN THE PIC??
I am up @ Manatawny with a fire going in lower Garrett. I am playing my guitar a little bit and reading my bible in preparation for tomorrow's board meeting. I brought my tent to sleep outside, but came in Garrett instead....I love sleeping in Garrett hall. There is something peaceful about it.
Tomorrow is part of the annual DVCC board meeting. We met tonight as well and did what you do at meetings---talk and listen.
I much prefer action then meetings, but I guess to some extent meetings are important to figure out what the action should be...as long as that's what we do, figure out the action and then do it I am fine with meetings.

Tomorrow I make a presentation-

1,000 CAMPERS

that is THE goal

ONE THOUSAND CAMPERS IN 2009

The truth of the matter is....I am counting on YOU!

Each and everyone of you to help.

Are you game?

Are you in?

then---

pray pray pray pray pray pray pray pray pray pray

and don't stop

till our prayer is answered

the WORD

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Joshua 24:15

I recently visited a church far, far away in Pacific Grove, California and then I had recently visited another church two hours north of my home.

I get the same thing everywhere in these churches......they "talk the talk" of scripture---AMEN?
Sure AMEN!

But I think to myself....we all talk this talk of scripture, but do we walk the walk?

Do we actually and truly serve the Lord or do we just say we do?

It would be a no, no to accuse either of these churches or even my own church of being nothing, but words of the bible, but yet, this is what I think....they have the scripture down and they preach it aloud and they hold each other to it---

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
Book of James

Church you cannot ever get enough scripture and we NEED the word of God in our lives constantly, but we also need to be doers. We need to put action behind the words of God.
God expects it and demands it of us....

How do people know you are a Christian, a believer other then by your words?

Proverbs 6:30-32

do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry;

The thief mentioned above is stealing; why?
Is he stealing out of greed or need?

The verse continues on....
But when he is found, he must repay sevenfold; He must give all the substance of his house.

Ok....makes sense...right?
The verse continues on saying that if "one" commits adultery that he is lacking sense and that he destroys himself.

I see a classic case here.....the poor who beg and steal to live and survive we pass judgment upon and the wealthy who hurt and steal and cause corruption do so out of greed, but I am not so sure we see them as much of a sinner as the one who steals to survive.

Jesus was with the poor quite a bit
There's a reason why

t w e n t y - f i v e c e n t s

1st let me say GO PHILLIES!!!

Gotta love this one!

2nd gas was 2.44 a gallon in good ole' NJ before I left for DC yesterday AM.

From the book of Proverbs chapter 24:

Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

I once read in Proverbs and James to pray for wisdom and understanding. To ask for wisdom from heaven and then as I continued to grow in spirit I would read more of God's word and I kept seeing God's instruction to pray for wisdom and to pray for understanding and I started to follow that instruction and the Lord considers wisdom to be far more valuable then gold and rubies so I pursue wisdom and understanding and I pray that God should see fit to bestow these things upon me.

As should you-

I was in Pentagon City mall yesterday doing what I do (work) and I was approaching an escalator going down as I observed a young 8th grader from Ohio ( my stores cater to field trip tourists and this young man was one of them) take a coin and roll it down the escalator to cause chaos and confusion to those riding the escalator to which it did....as the escalator carried me down I could see the coin at the bottom step getting pushed back and forth stuck at the end of it's ride. I was impressed to see that the coin was silver in color. Wow, I thought this young man tossed a nickel or dime and as I got closer I could see that it was much more then 10 cents! It was 25 cents....I was awestruck as my foot pushed the quarter out of the clutches of the escalator and pocketed it. What has become of us to throw money as if it were a stick?!

We, Americans are rich. The bible says the rich will have a hard time getting in heaven...Luke 3 says; "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." do me a favor, k? just don't throw your possessions down the escalator.

Today....

It was great to be at camp this past weekend....lots and lots of brothers and sisters in Christ were present. At camp everyone has the same purpose, everyone is on course with God.
Then we get out in the world and start to lose touch.

Surround yourself with like-minded people. People who LOVE the LORD.

...and also do this:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3

SYG Stand Your Ground

Greetings!

This Sat @ Camp will be the annual Stand Your Ground rally.

SYG starts @ 10 AM and goes till 8 PM.

This will be ANOTHER amazing day @ camp.

Whenever we have a gathering at camp it is an amazing time and this is no exception.

I will be there breaking down the canteen for the winter and my lovely wife will be preparing the food. Looks like TACO nite will be in full force a camp fave!

The speaker is Adam Ellis....it's going to be good I just checked out his blog---some pretty cool stuff check it out at---http://adamellis.blogspot.com/

till then---peace

Ted is gone...

I started formal guitar lessons Tues nite. By formal that means I pay someone to teach me to learn. We talked more about music theory then anything else and I really enjoyed it. I had to trek my acoustic guitar all the way to W Philly for the lesson.
I have become a public transportation junkie of late so that's what I did...

went to work from SOUTH JERSEY to Old City Philly---Old City Philly is near the river--think geography. Then about an hour before my lesson I left work, guitar in hand....I ran into Yolonda the homeless lady whom I talk too and she was impressed I played (she hasn't heard me!) and we found conversation on Ted the homeless guitar guy, it was common conversation ground. Well....she said...."they took Ted away yesterday." A warrant had been out for him and now he's gone. No one knows if and when he will be back and all I could think about was that he would now have a clean bed and daily food. Apparently being on the street must be better then prison food and shelter. Freedom is precious. I digress....I had been wanting to play guitar with Ted for a long time and I just never got around to it---now Ted's gone.
My opportunity has been wasted.

I then took the the Frankford El to 52nd street and walked the six plus blocks to 50th & Pine.
WOW....was I ever out of place walking here. I would like to think I have no fears when around people etc...but I was definitely out of my element and sticking out like a sore thumb....when I asked for directions the fella giving me them advised me to stay on the MAIN ROAD and not digress....he was trying to say----you will be much safer white boy if you stay in the public areas.
And this was during brite shining sunlight!
I took his advice and found my place of lesson and when the lesson was completed I added a new train to my repertoire----the TROLLEY of which the best part is the 1st trolley just passed me by and let me tell you---he KNEW I wanted him to stop...he just kept on trolleying so I asked a passer-by what I had to do to get the trolley to stop and he said "sometimes the drivers are just like ignorant like that". No worries...I caught the next one.

Take advantage of time friend......who's your Ted? Mine's gone!

Thanks for reading.

Love, Tate

kids

kids, kids, kids---- w e n e e d y o u r kids!

Camp is about Christ and we need your kids this summer.


1,000 campers is the goal.


the tag line of "leave no kid behind" is easy.

we don't need no stinking tag line....we just need your kids, at camp.

send them
(it will change a life)

everybody----staff & board

get kids to camp.

steak & corn, corn & steak

it doesn't much matter....steak & corn or corn & steak. It's @ camp. The Booster Dinner starting @ 2:00, dinner @ 5:00 and ending at 8.

It's at camp....what else do you need to know.

Camp, camp, camp, camp.

c-u there!!!!

don't be square....be there!

homeless part 29

I am not sure why I blog so much about the homeless...

So I have befriended Ted....a guitar player. I gave him some strings and I love contributing to anyone playing...hearing their music kinda hits home for me....besides Ted plays a mean Old Love....which is a great bluesy tune.

So today I see Ted and say hi and his eyes kinda lite-up as he stops playing and he says; "do you know a woman", sure I say, my wife. Well I have stuff here she might kinda like as he pulls various weird stuff from a bag....stuff like a plug in deodorizer and hands me the stuff with this amazing happiness....'cause he is GIVING to ME.

I say it all the time. GIVE TO GIVE

when you give----it is a beautiful Christ like thing....and isn't that who we want to be like?

a day @ camp

The Booster Dinner is this Sat.

Since you ALL LOVE CAMP....this is a chance, an opportunity if you will to love camp back.

It starts @ 2 and ends @ 8 with dinner starting @ 5.

Lots of choices--right?

Well let me say this.....there is only one choice!

Where and what will you be doing on Sat? If you can make it I implore you to do so.

If anyone wants to go and does not have transportation....email me. I will make sure you get there.

I look forward to hugs and prayers and love abounding as we gather in the name of Christ for this meal....it's a long time till summer sessions begin next year....this will help tide me over.

Join me.

the exciting topic of V-i-s-i-o-n

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
daniel 12:2

OKAY---not the "vision" you expected is it???

Here is vision---knowing that when your physical body dies---your real ife begins.

quite simple, but then again Jesus Christ is simple stuff it's us men ( & women) that complicate it!

:)

having v i s i o n

stay tuned for this exciting topic.....

(while you are waiting...think about YOUR vision)

staying balanced

Here we are up on the Challenge Course on Manatawny Mountain or Rabbit Hill whichever you best know it by. We were trying to stay balanced on a very wobbly platform. There were many things going on while we were balancing making it more and more difficult.

Today I need to stay balanced. This morning I could not find my pocket bible----so I felt like I was going to miss my reading....then, then I remembered that the Internet is a wonderful thing and I clicked over to www.biblegateway.com and completed my reading.

Now---I have some heavy duty meetings today in DC---things that have been weighing on my mind and it is time to confront them and deal with the consequences. Folks--this is not going to be fun. So my mind and mental state have been not as confident as I would like (life's like that sometimes).

But just like balancing on that big platform with all kinds of things going on---STOP & focus---I did, I read Proverbs and then I reread my reading....then I talked with God and thought about what I read and wow....I am in a much better place.
You can be too.

read His word!!!!!!!

splendor of a King

Wow!! That special, incredible time we call camp has ended for '08. AND what makes it special?? YOU---the camper!!!

Well....we miss you already, all of you campers, WE MISS YOU!!!

thank you for making 2008' Camping Sessions the

BEST

EVER!

Camper of the Week

The coveted award of Camper of the Week!!!

Funny how those who don't covet winning Camper of the Week seem to win....

Anyway this is the Girls Winner---I think you can see why she won....

see it in her eyes

the joy of the Lord