My Resume From Salvation To The Present

Why a resume? ​I don't know​ about you, but if I was going to trust anyone to assist me in my life as a believer I would want to know as ​much 

about them as possible. I would not want a novice (someone new or weak in faith) to be the person teaching me about eternal things. Their full background (before salvation, salvation, ministry experience and family life) would be important to me in determining what level of faith I would have in their teaching.

If anything good comes from this site and ministers life to others, then the most important purpose of creating it will be fulfilled, which purpose is that God is glorified above all and that those visiting will be drawn to him above everyone and everything because he alone is worthy of all glory, honor and praise for any good that comes from anyone both now and forever.

2/19/1974 – Gloriously delivered from a life of sin. Five major habits taken from me in a moment of time: 17 years of smoking, 12 years of alcohol often heavy drinking, 6 years of drug use, many years of strong lust and a very vile mouth and heart that cursed God and Christ every day.

2/20/1974 – Taken out on a street corner with a Bible in my hand and told to witness to the people who passed by. Saved 10 pm and witnessing approximately 8-9 am the following day with no knowledge of scripture. There is much to tell here that space won’t allow. The story is here.

2/20/1974 – March 1975 – Traveled with a tent ministry called Christ is the Answer and evangelized every place we set our feet down. We went from state to state and town to town. We ministered on beaches, in bars, outside of topless bars, on street corners, inside and outside of shopping malls, in homosexual districts, to pimps and their prostitutes that worked for them and anywhere else where there were people. For our efforts we were jailed twice on false charges  and God used us in the prisons to minister to the inmates including leading two men to Christ who were up for murder. Many others were touched by the Lord there including those who ran the prisons.  After a little over a year with this ministry I returned home to Sunbury, PA and started looking for work. I had just lived an amazing adventure as a new Christian!

March 1975 – 1977 – Worked a job and came home from work, ate and then hit the streets and evangelized, sometimes until the early hours of the morning.  Also did prison ministry with the Yokefellow Ministries.  I encountered students from Teen Challenge Institute on the streets and went to services there and eventually God provided for me to attend college there through some miraculous intervention.

1977 – Fall 1980 – Attended Teen Challenge Institute where I met and married Beverly, my very special wife and now Mother of seven very special children and grandmother to our thirteen wonderful grandchildren.

Ministries during college included: Staff member at Cincinnati Teen Challenge on semester break over the Summer where I was used of God to minister to addicted people, do some street evangelism, preach in the street and cast out demons from one of our program residents with the assistance of other staff members.  In addition, I was involved in many class activities including VP, Sec-Treas, Student Council Rep, Assistant Dorm Dean, Leading prayer groups and acting as student leader of street evangelism and coffee house ministries, ministry to mentally challenged people, traveled and sang with the choir and served on the promotions committee.

Bev and I also ministered in New Life Community Church in Aberdeen, Maryland for about seven months. I graduated twice from Teen Challenge. The first time I graduated was with 1 1/2 years of studies. I wasn't going to return, but circumstances at the church were such that I knew I needed to return for the other year and a half of schooling.  While we were at the church we headed up the youth group, did door-to-door evangelism and street evangelism to drunks, drug users, pimps and prostitutes, visitation, and I led the song service during church.  Due to

financial constraints and failure on the leadership to fulfill their obligations toward us I returned, with Bev, to finish Bible college. She was offered 

a position on the college staff and I was a student again.

I want to share a little more extensively concerning the church we ministered in where we were told we would get housing and food and a reasonable salary.  In return, we led the youth group, I led song services, we went door-to-door speaking to people and bringing them to church, spent many evenings ministering to drug addicted people, alcoholics and pimps and their prostitutes on the street as well as military men and we also did some neighborhood evangelism on our own. The church all of a sudden withdrew all support from us except for our place to live.  

I don’t remember why, but I know it wasn’t right.  In spite of this some church members brought us food and money when they could and God used the people in the neighborhood that we had been ministering to provide the rest of our needs without any prompting from us that I recall. The thing that impressed me most about this is that God didn't allow Beverly and I to become bitter or resentful during this time, and eventually we returned to college where I finished up my studies and received a diploma in missions.

Bev and I both graduated with honors and a Diploma in Missions after three years.  Bev and I were married on January 7, 1979 and are in our 41st year of marriage.   We've been richly blessed with seven children and all seven have come to know Christ as their Savior, and some have been on missions trips and ministered in other ways.  Our family now has grown with two sons-in-law and two daughters-in-law.  Each of our 

oldest two daughters have children.  Kristine  has a three daughters and a son, Abigail has two sons and one daughter, and our daughter in law, Emily has two beautiful sons with a precious little baby girl born in November of 2014.  Our other daughter-in-law, Nancy has a beautiful little girl and two sons. Three of our sons graduated from college: one of them graduating magna cumme laude with two degrees, one graduating with one degree and then our youngest son graduating with honors as well.  As anyone can see, we are richly blessed!

In December 1980 I interned at Indianapolis Teen Challenge where I wore several different hats including Intake Coordinator, Dean of men, and Academic Director.  I also worked with boys from the age of 11 to 17 and girls as well in that age range.  Duties included counseling and teaching, disciplinary action when necessary, Supervising junior staff, office work, bus driving, and working with teachers from the community.  Our first son, Samuel was born there.   Beverly worked with the girls program at the same time counseling and ministering to them.  Our time in Indianapolis brought some strong pressure on me, and I began to have doubts in myself and wanted to run from ministry.  Bev didn't try to stop me, and we ended up in a bad situation where we were forced to look for another ministry quickly.  This running from ministry caused an extended time of 

going through more difficult issues until finally the Lord removed me from ministry altogether for a time of dealing with motivation and attitude and 

a lot of other things I needed to face up to.  Praise the Lord for this because that period beginning with the Kentucky Teen Challenge and ministry at His Farm Fellowship caused me to mature quite a bit and learn to deal with adversity and keep on fighting.  There is so much to tell about the lessons I learned during this period of time. 

In May of 1982 Bev and I ministered in Kentucky Teen Challenge with teenage girls. My duties involved teaching, counseling and acting as director in the absence of the director when he went on vacation and then after that until the program closed.  I also worked with the church that was the main support for our ministry. I also supervised staff as well.  Our second son Christopher was born during this time.  The director, who said he hadn't had a vacation for a long time, took off with all the money and left us to run the ministry with no income.  By God’s grace 

a church took the ministry under its wing, paid off all the bills and then Beverly and I stayed long enough to sell off the assets of that ministry, receive our back pay and then move on.

In February of 1983 Bev and I ministered at His Farm Fellowship in Berne, NY.  I was teaching the school curriculum to students of varied ages which included the Pastor’s children, did ministry at an outreach for street people and preached in the prisons. We also had some prisoners come 

to live on the farm and I ministered to them. This lasted until my birthday on September 27, 1983 and then I came back to Sunbury, PA where I sought employment and a place to live.  My wife and children remained in New York for two months while I did what I could to locate a job and home so I could finally get them to Pennsylvania with me.  Once again a ministry that we trusted let us down in a big way as written below.

We went to the ministry agreeing to only receive housing and food.  The Pastor housed us in a very small room with cramped space, and we 

had two children at the time. We ate our meals at the Pastor’s table and had access to his bathroom facilities.  Later we were scheduled to 

go to Jamaica and minister there, but a friend of the Pastor showed up and was given our place on the mission to Jamaica. The friend got 

ordained through the church, and then he packed up his family and left in the middle of the night, and my wife and I never got to go to Jamaica.  After some time we were given a bigger apartment that had rats visiting our kitchen at night and mice running through the walls and bees 

coming down through a vent in the ceiling.  In spite of that we didn't complain, and the issue with the mice, rats and bees continued.  Then 

the Pastor determined to move someone into our place who offered to pay rent and told us we had to leave if we couldn't pay rent.  Since we 

came to work in the ministry with no salary, we couldn’t pay rent, and so I was forced to leave and look for work in Pennsylvania for two months while my wife and children stayed where they were until I could come for them or send for them. 

October 1983 through August 1989 – Moved my family down from New York and worked whatever jobs were available to me and went to all kinds of auctions and sales and purchased and resold items. At one point we went through two years of unemployment, and because of the size of our family, ministries would not hire us.  It was particularly discouraging to me because I strongly believe in supporting my family. God had me in a place where he could deal with my character and motivation, and he provided our needs in many different ways.   At that time our 

family had grown to five children.  This was a trying time for us but God was faithful to keep us.  

August 1989 to 1995 – I ministered at Teen Challenge Institute which later became Teen Challenge Institute of Missions.  My duties were director of the men’s home, and creating and running a program to help college students pay for their education. I also taught one college class 

in Systematic Theology during that time.  After a time the school was renamed Youth Challenge International Bible Institute.

This time of ministry included teaching a special curriculum to the men, working with junior staff and supervising them, dealing with discipline problems in the home, preparing the reports on the ministry, handling some aspects of the finances for the men, teaching and preaching, preparing men for and taking them to a second phase program and some other administration activities. In 1995, due to financial constraints, the men's program and the college closed down and did not reopen.  Bev and I were forced to return to the job market.   Since we had seven children at this point, ministry was out of the question.

The wonder of all this is that God has never allowed my wife and I to get bitter through all these experiences.  We got angry sometimes, but I believe our anger was justified.  We knew that the Lord remained in charge no matter what men may do, and we believe that to this day and

hold no attitudes toward anyone.  We are certain nothing touches our lives that God doesn't first approve and isn't necessary to our spiritual growth.

It was difficult for me to get employment in 1995 when we left the ministry because I had no previous job experience other than ministry.  I was able to land low paying jobs, one good job with the state government, and I delivered pizza for five years before physical limitations forced 

me into retirement.   I have been retired since April 30, 2004.  Since my 62nd birthday I have tried to gain some proficiency in various online business pursuits which I failed miserably at, and ministered out of our home and in our home as the Lord gives me opportunity online and offline.  

I have also learned to build websites like this one to minister to those who come and this site is averaging about 9000+ page hits a month for 

which I praise the Lord because that means people are being ministered to through this site.

In January of 2008 I was able to publish my book "From the Heart of a Servant"  with the pen name C. (see) R. (our) Lord. This name was given to me by the Lord after I prayed and asked him to give me a name that would point people to him.  Praise is his and his alone!​​​

Today we have raised our seven children and they are doing well and walking with the Lord, and those with children are teaching them about the love of Jesus, and that is the greatest ministry and satisfaction that we could ask for.  Three of our grandchildren have come to know Jesus as 

their Savior already.   Bev and I believe that we have been richly blessed above many in this world and God continues to give us more of his blessings as we seek to serve and honor him above all else in life.  Praise His Holy Name!

On September 27, 2017 I was 75 years young.  Most people who guess my age guess that I am 58 to 64 years old which is a heritage that passed down through our family, of whom few show their age. Our family has had many members with long lives extending into the mid eighties through the early to mid nineties and none of them showed their age. 

December 2013 Update - Our youngest daughter, Sarah moved to Kentucky to be with our oldest daughter, Kristine while her husband, Jon is in Afghanistan​​ as a helicopter pilot in a war zone. She is the last of our children to move away from home, and hopefully she will find a place and a good job there and establish herself as an independent young lady.

Since this writing Jon has returned home safe from Afghanistan in spite of a very real possibility of being killed.  Two rockets were set at a certain height to destroy two trucks that Jon and other soldiers were in, but the truck Jon was in was switched to a shorter truck and the rocket set for 

his truck passed over.  Unfortunately the first truck was hit.  Jon returned home in September 2014. We praise the Lord for his safe return and the miraculous way he kept him in Afghanistan.

August 17, 2014 Update - Sarah returned home and got a job within about a week or so caring for mentally challenged people.  She will be staying with us until she is able to manage getting her own place. 

March 21, 2016 Update - Our son Richard (Richie) moved back from Kansas City, Mo. Currently he is staying at our house and working with mentally challenged people in a different company than Sarah.. Along with some of our other children he is helping us to learn about healthy eating due to my high cholesterol, and I am doing much better there. I was able to lose 42 pounds and reduce my waistline from 50 to 42.  

Ministry is still my goal, and I am waiting on marching orders from the Lord.  

July 30, 2016 Update - Our youngest son, David, moved home from Carlisle, PA after he left a job he was doing well at in order to prepare 

himself for another job that he had some hope of getting with an airline. The airline job didn't pan out but David was also able to secure a job 

with the same company as Richard caring for mentally challenged people.

I almost feel as if God is gradually bringing our family back together for some reason that I have yet to understand.  Our two oldest sons are about 1 1/2 to 2 hours away, our second daughter is about eight blocks from us and our three young adults mentioned above are living in our home 

for now.  The only one who isn't here is our oldest daughter because her husband, Jon, is in the army right now and is stationed in Georgia.  Even then we are always in contact with her on the internet so that we are not separated by anything but space.  Skype has been a good part of that staying in touch as well as our phones and occasionally Facebook.  The Lord alone knows if this time for a special gathering of family for some purpose or not.  We will see what He has in store for us.