"LITTLE PANDA's got BIG TASTE!"

Okay....okay.....it's out in the open! Pastor Wallace hits the Little Panda Chinese Restaurant in the Roanoke-Chowan town of Ahoskie, North Carolina at least once or twice a week!



Okay....okay....we'll get those numbers right! Pastor Wallace hits the Little Panda Chinese Restaurant in the Roanoke-Chowan town of Ahoskie, North Carolina at least two or three times a week! Okay....okay! So my math is not the greatest. What's the point?


The point is simple --


I like fresh food. I like it a lot.


I like Chinese and I like it hot.


Little Panda's the best that this little city's got!


Raymond's got the others beat whether you admit it or not!


Plus, he's a kind man who puts the customer first. Hey in this day and time it's hard to find good service, friendly staff, great food, and affordable prices. That's the "combination" plate you get every time at our great little Chinese Restaurant in Ahoskie town!


Pastor, what are you doing? Trying to get you a free meal? No....no...no.


I'm just affirming something that is a blessing to the people of our city. Everybody likes to receive some "flowers" once in a while.


Burger King said it a long time ago -- "Have it your way!" Little Panda does it just like you want. I know because I always order...."Mandarin Spicy Chicken, white meat, little garlic, no MSG, and no rice!"


Wow! Let me shut this laptop down and get down there. It's almost time for lunch. Little Panda's got big taste! Try it you'll see. And don't forget...if you think a lot of something or someone, let them know.


Proverbs 12:25 says it like this -- "....kind words cheer a man up!" Go ahead...speak something kind about someone or something you like today!



And when you're in Ahoskie, North Carolina check out the "Little Panda with the big taste!"

I'm Talking About A Classic!

Hey it's out! Have you seen it? I'm talking about somethin' that is 92 years old and still in style. It the classic Coca Cola shape that has made it to the big bottle -- the 67.6 ounce soda pop that is commonly called the "Two Liter".

Hey don't you remember the "little co'cola"? I mean if you say it fast like we did when we were comin' up, you kinda' leave the "ca" out of "coca cola" and just settle for "co'cola". Got me? Sure you do. You remember. I grew up on these things man. I remember when they were a quarter. That's right! One quarter....twenty five cents.....would get you an ice cold co'cola in the glass bottle.

And by the way, my mother-in-law said, "You can get a colder drink in a bottle than you can in that plastic!" You know what? She was right. Man she loved a drink, too.

Oh...........remember when the old fellas' used to open up a small pak of Lance peanuts and dump'em in the bottle. That was good too! I still like to do that. Something about that salt mixin' with that co'cola created an unforgetable taste. Then you had to turn that bottle up and beat in on the bottom to get those peanuts out. Now you need another co'cola to wash them things down!

I'm going back to classic! I'm likin' the "new OLD look" that's showing up on the 2 liter products from Coke! It's cool. It's big. It's classic.

Isn't it funny that "classic" just goes the distance? Simple. Not complex, just "classic". I guess we should be the same way. We should stop all this trying to impress everybody with new stuff. We should keep ourselves simple -- just a simple pair of blue jeans. Real blue, not washed out....beat up....ripped in the knees and selling for 5 times a much as a classic pair.

Keep it simple. Life that is. Keep it classic. Basic. Don't spend a bunch of time and money on yourself trying to be something that just doesn't impress. Go "classic"......like the Coke folks did. 92 years later....the Co'cola icon has made it to the big bottle!

Oh...one more thing. Did I tell you that I prefer Pepsi over Coke? It's the taste "born in the Carolinas".

Do Something Visible!

I saw an awesome ad the other day from a church. Big, bold letters stated the surprising line across a full page in the paper.....


I AM GOING TO QUIT GOING TO CHURCH!


Then, the next line at the very bottom of the page was the clincher -- It read, "I'm going to start being the church!" Wow! What a statement! I love it. It gave the church's name at the end of the ad.

Isn't it time that our society get the opportunity to come face to face with the church in reality? Isn't it time that we become the salt and the light that Jesus called for in the Sermon on the Mount passages? I think we should be the agency that seeks to be a blessing to our society by showing some love! Jesus said, "By this all men shall know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another" John 13:35

"Being the church" means that we are more than a building on the corner that hosts a service on the Lord's Day. Being the church immobilizes us to touch people with God's love on every occasion possible.


Carpenter's Shop Church is preparing to show some love to some families in our area of influence by taking a little financial burden off of parents as the kids prepare for "back to school". We are joining with musical artist, Mitchel Jon in his up and coming "Do Something Visible Tour". You can visit him on the web at http://www.mitcheljonmusic.com/ . His challenge to us was to do something visible in our community on that day.



What are we choosing to do?



The first 250 kids to grace our services on August 9th at Carpenter's Shop Church will receive a back to school bag in their choice of cool colors. The bag will have some of the back to school basics in it -- notebook filler paper, pencils, etc. Spread the word..."Carpenter's Shop Church is doing something visible on August 9th at the 9:30 AM service!" Attendees will enjoy an awesome time of praise and worship with Pastor Brandon Crawford and the CSC worship team as they back up Mitchel Jon. The Dance Ministry under the direction of Pastors Roland and Shirleen Garcia will engage the young people in some "full body worship".


Plan to be a part of our service on Sunday, August 9th at 9:30 AM. You'll love it. You'll feel the love of God....receive a little help with back to school items.....and experience a warm and loving body of believers who want to "do something visible" and BE the church.

Trash or Treasure?

"They're no good for nothin'!" "They're just so bony they ain't worth messin' with!" "Oh man.....a gar!" or "Don't even pull him in, he ain't worth the trouble!" These are all the classic statements that you hear about the Gar; an elongated, heavily scaled, needle-nosed fish that inhabits the freshwaters of North America.

Recently my wife, Joy, and I were fishing in the beautiful Chowan River just outside of Edenton, N.C. We were going for White Perch on the bottom rig baited with shrimp. All of a sudden she landed a fish that undoubtedly was NOT a white perch. it took a few moments for her to get this one to the boat. His back and forth motion in the approach to the boat was joined with an occasional run the other way. In the words of Joy...."I think I've got a shark!"

She was so happy to finally land this fish to the boat and was amazed at his beauty and unique markings. She and I chatted about this "garfish" and what it's potential worth was if any. I made a quick cell-phone call to a fishing friend and he said what most do -- "He ain't worth nothing; toooo bony to mess with." So....we tossed him back after his razor-sharp teeth cut her line a moment or two later.

I took a moment to google the gar when I got to my laptop. One site said this --- "If you have never caught a gar, you have missed out on a thrill. They look like something out of Jurassic Park and have been around since prehistoric times. These fish have teeth that can shred your hand and lures and are inedible, from what I hear. I am not sure what they are good for."

Another site gave a different perspective. It stated that there was great value in the meat for eating. They said, "Gar don't tast fishy; more like lobster. They also can be a little chewier than most fish." They talked of how the gar were voracious predators that could kill smaller fish with a swift strike from the side of their sword-like bill. Finally, they said, " To most people they are considered a worthless 'trashfish' but to some they are considered a valuable sport fish."

Isnt' that just the way it is in our lives? Some people see great value in others, while some deem them as good for nothing. All of humanity has value. We were created in the image and the likeness of God. At least Adam was. But...he messed up in the Garden of Eden. He sinned against God. We are offspring of Adam. So we are created after Adam's own likeness. We are born in sin. But God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. Jesus Christ gave His life for all of mankind. We have value. We are not trash. We can be. We have the potential to live out our lives unregenerated by the blood of Christ. We then miss out on all that God has planned for us and we miss out on His eternal plan for us in His presence.

Our greatest worth is discovered when we come to Jesus. We find purpose and meaning in our lives to fulfill His purpose for us -- to house His presence and to be His presence in the earth. The enemy wants to "throw us back" because we are "worth nothing". But he's a liar! We have value. Trash or treasure? It's treasure...no doubt!

Oh and by the way....you ask Joy if the gar has any value. I'll bet she'll tell you that it's truly one of the greatest sportfish that you could ever catch. Go Joy! You are an awesome fisherwoman. Have a great week and stay in touch with us on the blog.

What is Ministry?

What comes to your mind when you think of the word "MINISTRY"?

*A man dressed properly in a suit and tie preaching a message from a pulpit?

*A notable figure reaching the masses in the context of a coliseum or convention center?

*A gospel singer packing out the biggest baddest building for miles around as thousands line up two hours prior to the event that was a sell-out?

I'm sure there are a host of things that come to your mind when you think of ministry. While all of the above may constitute ministry, I have come to the conclusion that most folk limit their thinking to the confines of their local church. But I'm also convinced that most of us need to think outside of the box and see what ministry really is.

When I think of ministry I think of the influence of a man who has taken an unconventional, creative, and label-free (in terms of denomination) approach to ministry. That man? Dr. Mark Muirhead. "Dr. Mark" is the host Friends Forever TV in the spicy land of Jamaica "mon". You can visit him on the web at http://www.atworldradio.com/ or http://www.friendsforever.bz/ .

Dr. Mark taught me a great understanding of the word "ministry". He said..."MINISTRY TAKES PLACE WHEN DIVINE RESOURCES MEET HUMAN NEEDS THROUGH CHANNELS OF LOVE FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!"

Why don't you commit that to your memory? Why don't you let that get down on the inside so it will directly affect what comes out of you as you minister?

God is the source! He is our resource for ministry. It has to be about Him....ALL ABOUT HIM. And He is all about humanity! "For God so loved, HE GAVE!" His resources are the only means of filling the emptiness of all of humankind! That's right....ALL of humankind. People just like you and people that are NOT like you.

In fact, John teaches us that love comes from God and He that loves knows God ..... and he that does not love, does not know God. That's deep! Jesus adds, "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another" (John 13:35).

So God is the source.....that meets the needs of humanity.....and the needs are met through the channels of love that He desires to use. That's us! That's you, too. That's ministry. And when that kind of ministry takes place, God is glorified!

So...is ministry a man in a suit and tie preaching? It can be. Is it a notable figure reaching the masses at the convention hall? It can be. Or, is it a gospel artist packing out the biggest baddest building to sell-out crowds who gathered in long lines? It can be. But....it can be outside of the box you've been livin' in.

Ministry is when you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to a person and you are sensitive to their personal need. You love them through Him. Even if it's one person. It may be the guy on the street who always seems to hang out and wait for a chance to get something to eat. It may be someone who has lost mom and dad and their placed in a home where there daily needs are met.

It may be the person you work with whose life is falling apart. It's definitely outside of the confines of that building we call the church.

Thanks Doctor Mark for teaching and living real ministry. Thanks for influencing my life. I've got everthing you ever shared with me in a folder. I've got every fax you ever sent. I read your emails. I listen to your program. I do it, because you understand "ministry". I salute you as "my friend forever". :)

Check him out at http://www.friendsforever.bz/ .