The Power of Praise

A number of years ago, when the Holy Spirit was so powerfully blazing in Toronto (circa 1991), I would on occasion attend conferences there, and, from time to time, just visit there with some friends for a time of prayer and intercession.  One on such occasion (when traveling there with two friends to pray and intercede), we stopped on the way at a large church where a conference was taking place.  There were several hundred in attendance, and at one point in the conference we entered into a time of tremendous praise and worship.  To my great amazement, as we worshiped I had an open vision in which appeared in sharp relief an intricately constructed city with buildings and spires of near eastern design (very Islamic) -having an extremely large bridge leading to its entrance. The entire construction of these edifices was constructed of what appeared to be a black and white material -similar to what extremely compacted salt and pepper might look like. As the praise and worship continued this entire vast and complicated city collapsed and vanished under the power of praise being offered to the Lord. I wondered what it could mean. Today, many years later, I believe I better understand the meaning of this vision. Definitively, no ideology or philosophy inconsistent with the revelation of God's true nature -as revealed through his son Jesus, no matter how intricate it may be, can ever withstand the assault of true praise and worship offered by God's children to the glory of God. In the case at hand, other worshipers were not aware of the loosing of God's power on their behalf to destroy the false and intricate works of the enemy intended to enslave them. Yet, God did, and does, know. In my opinion, never in contemporary history has there been a greater need for times of such prayer and intercession than now. I pray that it may begin -and begin very soon.

Where is Hope Found?

(An audible experience)

Your Are Their Only Hope

This is difficult to write.  Years ago while in the shower I was thinking about a couple I knew who were not Christian, but with whom I interacted from time to time when I heard the Lord speak audibly and directly to me the following words: "You are their only hope."  This was a stunning revelation as the Lord knew I was concerned about them, and this included a concern regarding their salvation. More stunning was the phrase "only hope", as I as first found it inconceivable that the Lord could not accomplish their salvation without my help and that others were not praying for them. (As I write this, I am reminded of a statement attributed to Mother Mary during one of her many apparitions: "Many souls go to hell merely because they have no one to pray for them.")

From that point on I began to pray for them and to practice -when I could, friendship evangelization.  I, along with my wife Suzanne modeled for them our Christian ethic by regularly attending church and having meetings of youth and adults at our house for bible studies and worship and other similar events. We were openly Christian and showed our love for the Lord by the way we lived our lives.

Yet, moving forward to the current day (9/11/11 -the ten year anniversary of Ground Zero), I am saddened to report that this couple is now divorced with the wife having left the husband after thirty (30) years of marriage. Reflecting upon this it seems that I did not take this word of knowledge as seriously as I might have. I believe that I may have failed the Lord in that I did not undertake a prayer assault for this couple including a time of fasting and intercession. I did what I could, but I did not go the extra mile.

Lesson Learned:  To him to whom much is given much is expected.  The Christian walk is not a cake-walk and the battle for souls is not bloodless or without labor.  While this couple is now divorced I continue to pray for them for all things are possible with God. But, I must do my part and this includes a willingness to suffer for the sake of the Gospel.  I am almost seventy years old as I write this and I know God's love for me and his heart for the lost. So, I pray, help me Lord, to bring them to your altar.

Infant Baptism - 1963

1963

In February of 1963, while serving as a young Lieutenant JG Naval Aviator with Patrol Squadron 23 (VP-23) at NAS Brunswick, ME, I received a call from my sister Pat asking if I would be willing to be the God Father for her new baby girl Laurie. I quickly agreed, and on a cold Sunday afternoon made the long four hour trek (in my Navy Blues) to Sacred Heart church in Waterbury, CT (which was also my birthplace). Upon arrival it was very dark and dreary, and when entering the church I could not help but reflect upon the years spent earlier at Sacred Heart High School immediately adjacent to the church itself.

Then, after gathering around the baptismal font, the young priest performing the baptism asked me to hold Laurie's tiny hand as he poured the baptismal water and recited the baptismal formula. Somehow, I thought this a strange request, but readily complied. Then as he began to pour the baptismal water over the Laurie's small infant head and to recite the baptismal formula: 'I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit' -a powerful charge of electricity entered into the child and traveled through my hand and up my left arm. I immediately knew I had just experienced a manifestation of God's power, but quietly sequestered this experience to the realm of mystery wondering what it all meant.
As I indicated earlier, I sequestered this experience away for many years, and only much later in life when I had a deeper understanding regarding the power and effect of the Sacrament of Baptism, did I share this experience with a young woman named Laurie now a mom in her fourties.

Ah, where does all of this lead? Well, this revelatory experience deeply positioned in my conscious awareness the unqualified conviction that infant baptism -rejected by many Christian traditions as unnecessary, is vital and essential to the spiritual well being of a new born child in ways we can neither perceive or know.

In the intervening years since this event I have on several ocassions attended in Protestant churches the dedication of an infant child wedded to the joyous celebration of the Christian community surrounding the event itself. Yet, at such times, I have also been saddened and troubled aware that the work of Christ on the Cross gained much more for the infant child -a restorative gift through the power of the Holy Spirit. For, in the pouring of the water and in the pronouncement of the words of the baptismal formula original sin and sin itself is remitted and the child is strengthened and opened to new life in God.

It has often been said that no one can take away your personal testimony of what God has done for you and what God has allowed you to experience and know. You know what you know. Yes, one can wait until adult maturity to receive the grace of baptism -but, this is not necessary. The better order of things is to offer to infants baptism and allow the child to be confirmed in the Christian faith of their own volition and at a mature age.

I want to end this narrative with another perspective as well. Given the transformative power of infant baptism, it is not a sacrament that should be offered to families of children unwilling to raise their children in the Christian faith. Too often, business as usual and what I term 'maintenance theology' leads pastors to baptize infants in cases where parents are not committed to Christian community and the rule of life Scripture demands. This can lead to scandal and weakens the church. So too, it this true regarding the Rite of Confirmation where the issuance of this sacrament is often akin to awarding a merit badge, but not a badge of honor and distinction.

PEACE

Getting Back To It

To My Friends:

I am going to begin to use this blog to post some material from my personal diary.  My mother also left behind a few writings which I will also share. These materials will speak to some people and perhaps alert and inform their spirits and help prepare them for the days ahead.

I hope they bless you.

Peter

Salta, AR The Final Conference with Catholics

In this third and final post, I have the privilege of reflecting upon the last Global Alpha Training conference given by the team which was presented in Salta, AR. This was an all day and early evening event given in a lovely new retreat house just outside of Salta. This event was attended by an enthusiastic group of young adults. There, we were introduced to Padre Angel, a man with a great heart and a deep love for the people he serves. Padre Angel oversees over 30 barrios and 46,000 parishioners.

The team worked hard not only to provide meaningful teaching, but following the talks diligently modeled Alpha ministry with the guests who were unfamiliar with the Alpha process. This allowed time for the guests to practice ministry with one another in a very practical manner. The team found this necessary as most of these young Catholics were very inexperienced when it came to minstry -but they proved to be very quick learners.

The homemade meals and hospitality of the sisters at this Catholic retreat center eased the twelve hour day, and the fact that each table received a bottle of 'Dalton' wine with each meal was a big hit with the team. (One of the team member's name is Dalton!)

We also had the privilege of meeting with the Archbishop of the Diocese of Salta who said to his little flock attending this conference 'I want you to do Alpha,' which a very great encouragement to us. Below you will see our picture with Arzobispo Monseñor Mario Antonio Cargnello, Arzobispado de Salta.

On Sunday the team attended Mass with Padre Angel and visited four of the churches he oversees. Padre Angel's hospitality extended to a Bar B Q held at a friend's home and extensive sightseeing. On Monday we headed out for the journey home. We were all overjoyed that we could be used of the Lord in such a fabulous way. What a gift and wonderful opportunity -to preach and teach the saving Gospel message of our Lord through preparing many evangelizers who the Lord can use in Argentina for many years to come.

Deo Gratias!

Peter Carpentier

Director

North Shore Christian Ministries

Cordoba to Salta-The Evangelical Conference

In our earlier post, we were leaving Pablo's house (our host in Cordoba who we named the 'Alpha Man") for the overnight bus trip to Salta. Pablo and his wife Fer exemplified the gentleness, love and compassion which seems to be rooted in the Argentinian people and which so deeply touched all of us.

[In this picture you will see Pablo and his wife and children along with Suzanne and myself.]

The bus trip to Salta from Cordoba is 11.5 hours, and while the bus was a sleeper bus, sleep proved elusive and we all arrived at the Salta bus terminal quite sleep deprived. Fortunately, we did have two days to rest at the house of Walter and Alejandra (our hosts in Salta) who were wonderful and gracious to us in every way. Upon arrival, much of this time was dedicated to meeting the local support and music teams (Salta was scheduled for two conferences) and working out logistical issues.

[In this picture you see the team eating at Walter and Alejandra's grand table with the local evangelical team.]

Before the commencement of the evangelical conference, some of the team did have the opportunity to travel with Walter (our host in Salta) to the foothills of the Andes were we saw the colored mountains ("de colores"), and visited an indian village. This was a breath-taking and awesome experience as we had the opportunity to witness the wondrous vista of the Argentinian countryside under a brillant azure sky.

The following day, we began the first of two back-to-back conferences, a two day conference with evangelical leaders and an extended one-day conference with Catholic leadership. The evangelical conference included the attendance of many pastors and leaders from local churches and outlying areas. There was a real hunger to understand the principles of Alpha and to gain an understanding of how Alpha could be used to evangelize the Argentinian people for the cause of Christ. Over the two days of this conference, rapt attention was given to all of the presentations, and during the times of Q&A there were many thoughtful questions regarding implementation, and a good discussion of many practical issues. In the end, there was no doubt that the principals of Alpha had been understood by all the attendees who were quite eager to begin their own courses. [Here, were having lunch with some of the attendees.]

In my next, and final Argentinian post, I will address the Catholic conference which was extremely encouraging, and the wonderful gift of Padre Angel who sees Alpha as a much needed tool and a gift from the Holy Spirit to all of the church.

Blessings,

Peter Carpentier

Argentina Global Alpha Training Initiative

The NSCM GAT team is back, and it can honestly be said that the training events held (2 Catholic -one Evangelical) were nothing short of amazing and deeply fulfilling experiences. We are all very tired (perhaps exhausted is more descriptive) as the overall schedule was gruling and very demanding. In fact, one of our team members became quite ill after the first training event, but recuperated in time to assist at the last training event and a follow up time of teaching at the evangelical church.

To give you a sense of things, the trip to Cordoba, AR, from beginning to end, took over 48 hours to achieve due to air travel delays, cancelled connections, and multiple transportation difficulties. We arrived in Cordoba, AR just in time to have team meetings, and then to commence the first training conference. We did get some rest, but very little, and to to say that we started 'tired' is probably an understatement. But, this only begins the travel saga, which became even more interesting as we moved to Salta, AR for the subsequent training conferences (more on that later).

The training conference in Cordoba was held at an old Catholic convent named "Convent of Divine Love" which was without heat and quite cold in the evenings. However, the attending audience was young, quite enthusiastic, and also included three wonderful priests who were a joy to work and speak with -especially as each of them spoke very good English. Yes, in case you are wondering, all of our talks were presented in English and translated by an interpreter as we presented the various sessions. To our great relief, this worked out very well, and the training time proved to be quite effective despite the language barrier.

On the second full day of this conference we decided to move the training outside where it was warm and sunny (70F) in order to escape the cold of the convent. Here, we presented the talk on 'How To Be Filled With the Holy Spirit' and prayed for all of the guests. This was a wonderfull and precious time full of genuine warmth for each other with an embrace from the Holy Spirit which we will all long remember.

Once we finished our training outside we all moved inside for a time of celebration and feasting. We soon learned that that eating 'pasta frita' and drinking coffee was an Argentinian pass time, and to be hospitable it was necessary to join in. There was never a lack of pastries or coffee and it soon became very necessary to restrict intake if you thought remaining 'thin' was ever a realistic option for you.

In all of our training events worship was very important, and we were very fortunate to have Josh Young along as our musician. Josh related to all the young Argentinian musicians in a wonderful way and he soon became 'famoso' werever he went. Worship was always intimate and personal as Josh with his genuine spirit of worship opened the door for the Holy Spirit to come and to minister to His people. This was always an amazing time. The adjacent picture is of Josh with some of the Argentinian music ministers from the Cordoba conference.

From Cordoba, AR, we first went to the home of Pablo and Fer and his family for the evening, and then on the overnight bus to Salta. But, that story and that post will be made tomorrow -please check back in.

Blessings,

Peter