New church sign!

Well, there wasn't really anything wrong with the old one.... (well, except somebody'd shot a hole clean through it!) Anyways, insurance came to the rescue and helped us get this new one!

(Photos and movable character ideas courtesy of Stephen Raub) :)

Junior Camp 2010 - Misfit Pirates!

Here's a portion of a skit video from Pleasant View Baptist Church's Junior camp- themed the Old Ship of Zion! Starring: (in the order of appearance) Caleb Waycaster as Captain Courageous, Lee Wynn as Prankster the Pirate, Pastor Stacy Shiflett as First Mate 'Lick the Plank' Nate, Anthony James as Stump the Sailor, and Derek Gazaway as Captain Cook. Enjoy!

Kids for Christ

Just sitting down on a beautiful Saturday evening and putting down a few of these thoughts about this weekend. We got a bus! The first ever bus ministry here at Pleasant View Baptist Church. From bus calling today, we've got plenty of riders lined up and ready to go! So excited about what God is doing through us! It's all because of Him.

Well, first of all, I'm excited that one day, I might be walking down the street, and get stopped by a middle aged man who shakes my hand and says, "You brought me to church on that little yellow bus. And now I'm a pastor. Thank you so much for doing that for me." I may take a missions trip to the Philippines and meet a missionary's wife and she might say, "Thank you so much for taking me to church on that bus every Sunday morning." Awesome thought, huh?

Like our bus captain says, I want to see the church auditorium filled with snot-nosed kids running around in blue jeans, baseball caps and rock-n-roll t-shirts. I want to love them just the way they are. Because I want to see all that potential realized in every one of their lives! Just think of the impact it could make in our community!

I'm thinking about Gaven, not even eight years old yet, and he's already brought more visitors to church than I have this year. And I'm thinking about little 'Bam'... the kid that knows everybody in town and is a better 'inviter-to-churcher' than I am. I want to see them in them grow up here. In church.

Yes, yes, yes, it takes up almost half of my Saturday and half of my Sunday. But who said they were 'my days' anyway? Besides, it's more enjoyable and far more satisfying to me than anything else I've done on a weekend to date.

I say bring it on! Bring on the blue jeans. Bring on the ball caps. Bring on the rock t-shirts. I want to see that little bus filled with kids for Christ!

God Leads His Dear Children Along - Ellie Lewis

A great song sung at Vernon Baptist Church in Tunkhannock PA by a friend of mine's mother. Her daughter Kristi is accompanying her on the piano. Enjoy!

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What's up!

Hey Ya'll! Its been a while! I've been, as everyone else has been lately, extremely busy, and being tied up is, for me, a good thing.

Right now I am in Taylors, South Carolina going to Pleasant View Baptist Church! They've been very gracious to let me stay with some folks in the church while I teach in the Christian School, work with the boys in the boys home, or just be an elbow-grease lackey! Pastor Stacy Shiflett is a blessing to be with. It's been an exciting spring!

I'm praying about where God would like me to be for the next little while, so if you think about it, pray that God would give me wisdom & discernment to recognize his will. Don't want to miss out on the next cool thing that God has for me!

Moving a shed

Working with some folks at Pleasant View Baptist Church to get ready for camp meeting in June!

awesome backporch view

Beautiful, huh? This is just a little bit of the view from the porch of a house that we were staining the decks of...

Sunday, April 5th, 2010

Here's a video from Easter Sunday that I took of the bus kids at Central Baptist Church of Hattiesburg, Mississippi doing their Easter egg hunt! Enjoy!

Pics from Bayou Drive Baptist

Just thought I'd put a few pics from my stay in the Houston Area... most are from the winter revival. Enjoy!

Pastor's Training School

Just got done with doing a pastor's conference here in Houston. Staying busy, praise the Lord! I'll try 2 post more later.

Let God Be Magnified!

What's happening with you, Stephen?

Ah, the question of the hour. I am (1) busy, (2) in Houston, (3) involved in pastoral internship at Bayou Drive Baptist Church! I'm truly sorry about the radio silence... I'll try to post pics and such as I have the time. Definitely enjoying myself! I'll be here Lord willing until around the beginning of March, so I'll may be hit and miss until then... but thanks for stopping by the blog! Slip me a comment and let me know what's happening, eh?

the old man

Here's a little something to brighten up your day... be glad I'm not turning 50 in a few days!

Skyscraper Steve

Here's a cool graphic

that Sharon made a few days ago... love the perspective...

Merry Christmas Ya'll!

A belated Holiday greeting to everybody out there, and hope you all enjoyed yours immensely. I sure did! We're here in Harrisburg, PA, to visit with family & friends over Christmas and new years day. God is good; the whole family was here for Christmas.

But not anymore! Jon flew out to visit folks in Michigan for a couple of weeks just this afternoon. And I'm flying down to Houston before long to begin pastor internship at Bayou Drive Baptist Church! Wherever the Lord moves us, he seems to have plenty for us to do... we'll not be letting the dust settle, that's for sure.

I sure am blessed this Christmas, but then again, aren't we all?

Paris Mountain State Park...

...is a great spot to take pictures! Enjoy!

to the Bayou and back

Just got back from Houston, Texas! Pastor Shawn Nichols, of Bayou Drive Baptist Church, flew me down for the weekend to candidate for a short term pastoral internship. The flight down was uneventful, and got set up on Saturday for the Lord's Day. The morning services went well, Pastor Shawn preached on Mary's song out of Luke 1. It was a great message! Then they had good old fashioned food and fellowship after the service, then for the 'interrogation and torture' session with the men of the church. :)

Starting at 2:00PM and running all the way up to the evening service, we exchanged questions and answers regarding our specific beliefs and standards. It was great to help keep things fresh in your mind about what you believe! And it all went well. In the evening service, I preached a message entitled, "A passion for God", out of Psalm 42:1. As I expected I was more nervous about preaching than I was about answering questions!

But God is good.

On Monday, I was dropped off at the airport at 2PM, and because a series of mishaps, gate changes, terminal changes, airline changes, and departure time changes, wheels didn't leave the ground until about 10:30PM. Crazy. But I'm thankful to be back with my family here in Greenville, SC. I'll keep ya'll updated on the status of the Internship as things unfold. LGBM!

2 choices

A Marine's thanksgiving note

This morning I ran across these thoughts from A U.S marine, Staff Sgt. Mark A. Wojciechowski, concerning the Holiday that we call thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving often passes to some as another holiday: a day of food, family and football, with little more than just tradition and routine setting the tone. To some, it reminds them of the "American Heritage," the whole pilgrims came, made peace with the Indians, shared a harvest together -- and we still celebrate that today.

Thanksgiving is also, to most, a time to give thanks to the Lord, from which all things are made possible and whom without, there would be nothing to be thankful or unthankful for.

Perhaps it is now, [as] I am growing older and have a newfound respect for simpler and less tangible things, or the fact that I am unable to be where I would like to be sometimes, [that] I can describe what Thanksgiving means to me.

Obviously, Thanksgiving means being thankful for the things you have, but what does that include? I am thankful for being blessed with a wonderful family, a family that supports me in every way and is always there for me, even though I try not to need them as much as I probably should. I am thankful for health and well-being, not only my own, but the health and well-being of those around me which I love.

I am thankful for the society we live in and the comforts we take for granted each and every day. Although many will think our system is far from perfect, at least we can rest our heads each night without even so much as a remote worry of bombs being dropped, bullets being shot or poverty in our future.

Of all of the things I am thankful for, none of them would be as rich as they are without giving proper thanks to all of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, in wars past and present, to give me the liberty and freedom.

Even though I am serving in the military and will be spending this holiday away from my home and my family, I am thankful for all of my brethren -- the troops that are currently serving in harm's way. Not only are they away from their families, but they won't even have the pleasure of safety or rest this holiday weekend.

I hope you have a happy and safe holiday. After all, I think being together is one of the things people overlook. It doesn't mean as much until you can't have it.

As for me, my holiday will be just fine. I will be surrounded by a great group of guys, which I have come to love as brothers.

Staff Sgt. Mark A. Wojciechowski ("Tony Wojo"), was killed in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 30, 2009.