Why Does CastMaster Ministries Give Away So Much?

When we open The Retreat, we will strive to exceed expectations of superior quality in every area of service at The Retreat.  We intend to be known as a ministry committed to biblically ministering to the body of Christ. 

Our Minister’s Retreat is a free gift to full time ministers and their families and to displaced ministers and their families.  The dual purposes of relaxation and restoration ministers to ministers and their families is ways never imagined.  Our guests will relax in world-class accommodations while staying at the Minister’s Retreat while having complete access to the facilities of The Retreat.

Our Missions Training area is designed to train individuals and corporate bodies to minister to those in their communities who need God’s love demonstrated to them.  The first part of training is making wood furniture to give to local residents who need beds, tables and other household items.  This first part of training also includes quilt/blanket making to give to families in desperate need of a warm quilt/blanket throughout the year.  The second part of the training is to teach participants how to construct energy efficient, environmentally friendly homes for local families in need of a blessing from God.  One month during the spring of each year our plan is to build a home in the Austin area while training these missionaries.

Our ministry to underprivileged children in the Austin, Houston, San Antonio triangle is one of our most anticipated ministries.  During the Summer we will have one week where we take 600+ teens and bring them to The Retreat for a free week.  We also plan on bringing 500+ children and teens to The Retreat on two different weekends at Christmas.  While they are at The Retreat they will experience God’s love by having gifts lavished upon them.  What they will not know, is that their family members will also be receiving Christmas on those weekends as well.  The furniture and quilts/blankets made during missions training is delivered to their homes while they are at The Retreat.

Why does CastMaster Ministries want to give away so much?  We want to be a picture of what God did for us.  We want to demonstrate God’s love for us in that while we were still sinners, He died for us.  We want to give because God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever would believe in Him would have everlasting life.  Why do we give, because God gave.

CastMaster Ministries is Ready to Proceed

At CastMaster Ministries, we have completed our planning and are prepared to tell the world that we are ready to raise the funds to build a Christian Camp in the Central Texas area. We have spent more than six years doing research, planning, preparing and counting the cost of having a vision that we believe is about to become a reality.

We have researched population growth areas, population bases and population trends. We have taken an equation that we learned about from Christian Camping International (CCI) and have applied that equation all over the United States. After conducting country by county population growth and projections we have determined that there are two locations which actually exceed the population needed to provide an adequate population base with which to draw from to maintain a year-round Christian Conference and Retreat Center. We placed a template over each major population base in the United States. We knew we had to be within 2 – 2.5 hours drive time from a major base of population to provide for a year round weekend retreat center. We also knew we had to be within a 6 – 8 hour drive time from a major base of population to provide for year-round, weeklong conference center. We found two areas that exceeded our predetermined requirements. These locations are in Central Texas and Southeast Tennessee.

We have chosen the Central Texas area to focus upon because of our contacts within the state of Texas. When we researched to population base, we were completely surprised by what we found concerning the age of the population and the continued age of the population over the next 50+ years.

We found that there Senior Adult population is a growing and vital population, but an almost unserved population in the Christian Camping community. We have postulated that service to Senior Adults, median aged adults, young adults, college aged adults, and teens will allow us to provide ministry to underserved groups as well as traditional camp and retreat age groups. We also determined from our research that when Senior Adults chose a facility to attend, the facilities must be of exceptional quality, the food must be exquisite and the service must exceed the expectations of each guest.

This caused us to rethink every aspect of the Christian Camping experience. We decided if we were going to minister to multiple age groups we had to provide world-class experiences to maintain our ability to continue to minister to multiple age groups year after year. That is when we determined to talk to other ministers and determine if their adults and Senior Adults would attend such a facility. We received an overwhelming yes. The more Senior Adults we spoke with the more excited they were about going to a Christian Conference and Retreat center that would rival many other destination locations.

CastMaster Ministries has counted the cost of such a place and now we are beginning to tell people about our vision and ask them to support us financially and with prayer. There are two main financial needs right now. First, we need to raise $25,000 by May 28th, to hire a Capital Fundraising Consulting firm to conduct an initial survey to determine if we have a network of family, friends and acquaintances who can give the $25M to build our vision. Second, we need an additional $85,000 by the end of June to pay the consultants for the first year of services. If God is laying this ministry on your heart as a ministry to give to, you can contact me for more information concerning this ministry. My personal e-mail address is http://jimmiekersh@castmastercamp.com

CastMaster Ministries Biblical Christian Worldview Camp

Biblical Christian Worldview Camp by CastMaster Ministries

Each year during our Summer Sessions there will be a Biblical Christian Worldview Leadership Camp. This two-week camp will consist of 40 hours of Biblical Christian Worldview education as well as all of the other things that make the camp experience worthwhile. During the first week, each evening meal will consist of formal dining training sessions taught by an etiquette expert. Each camper will learn formal dining skills and etiquette for attending formal political and social gatherings. During the second week, each camper will learn three basic dances for use at formal balls. During the final two nights of the Biblical Christian Worldview Leadership Camp, there will be formal balls for each camper to display their newly acquired skills. During this two-week camp, campers will spend individual time with nationally know speakers, thinkers, leaders and theologians. Each camper will get the opportunity to spend a two-day, intense, small group time with men and women of national renown.

CastMaster Ministries Camp Information

CastMaster Ministries is multi-dimensional 501(c)3 religious non-profit specifically developed to minister to the corporate body and individual believers.  Thomas Cotter IV, James D. Hughes, Jimmie W. Kersh and Kyle A. Patterson founded and serve as the executive directors of CastMaster Ministries Inc.  The CastMaster Ministries umbrella covers three separate and diverse ministries:  First is the Conference and Retreat Center Ministry that includes the Minister’s Retreat Ministry.  Second is the Publishing and Production Ministry.  Third is the Ranch Ministry for troubled youth.

 

The purpose of CastMaster Ministries is to expose children, teenagers, adults and senior adults to their immeasurable worth and identity in Jesus Christ to empower them to impact their community with the life changing love of God.

 

The philosophy of CastMaster Ministries is to provide ministry tools that will accomplish our purpose. We will equip individuals and organizations with biblically sound, relevant resources to retool and refocus their ministry efforts. We will be the outfitter of choice for churches as they seek to provide the highest quality materials for the teaching and training of their membership.

 

The vision of CastMaster Ministries is to outfit believers to “fish”  in every mountain stream, pond, lake and ocean so that every person will receive a presentation of the Gospel.

 

The mission of CastMaster Ministries is to be the premier outfitter of the church, the saints and Christian organizations by providing the highest quality facilities and services.

 

 

Camping Ministry

The Retreat is the centerpiece of the Conference and Retreat Center Ministry.  The Retreat  

is a high-end resort-style Christian Conference and Retreat Center based in the Austin, Houston and San Antonio, Texas triangle designed to accommodate more than 864 guests.  The Retreat has a projected cost of approximately $25 million.

 

The purpose of our Conference and Retreat Ministry is to outfit individual believers and the corporate body to fish in every mountain stream, pond, lake and ocean in a setting that promotes community and safety.  The goal of the CastMaster Ministries Conference and Retreat ministry is to be a self supportive environment where believers and non believers can come together to experience the love of God in a natural setting which promotes community in a sanctuary of safety.  

 

The Retreat is specifically designed for year-round, multi age, multi group usage allowing the most feasible use of the facilities as possible.  The design of the facilities allows for multi age group usage including children, youth, young adults, median age adults and senior adults.  The design of the facilities also allows for multi group usage allowing up to six groups to use the facilities at the same time. 

 

The Minister’s Retreat is a gift to Christian ministers. The Minister’s Retreat has two main purposes:  First, renewal is for full time ministry staff and his immediate family. Our gift includes up to 7 nights of lodging and meals as well as the use of all of the facilities and amenities of the Conference and Retreat Center. Minister and families are also welcome at all of the evening worship services during their stay. Because The Retreat is centrally located near three of the largest cities in Texas, we are a great hub for day trips for the minister and his family if they so choose to venture out for site seeing.  Second, restoration is for ministry staff who are recently terminated or forced resignation and their immediate family, whether or not they have chosen to rejoin full time ministry. We are committed to minister to ministers and their families. Our concern stems from our own personal experiences with the trauma of ministerial termination and we understand the uncertainty associated with this upheaval. Our gift includes up to 12 weeks of lodging and meals as well as the use of all facilities and amenities of The Retreat.   Restorative counseling services will be provided during these stays.  Contacts for church ministry service will be given upon completion of restorative counseling.  

 

 

The Publishing and Production Ministry

The Second Phase of CastMaster Ministries is the publishing and production ministry.  We will be placing this ministry on the property with The Retreat.

 

The CastMaster Ministries team is blessed with writers who put together exceptional materials to equip the local body and believers to fish in every mountain stream, pond, lake and ocean so that every person will receive a presentation of the Gospel.

 

CastMaster Ministries also wants to train and develop the next generation of writers, musicians and producers to prepare them for their ministries that lie ahead.  We will be a publisher for new and emerging talent wishing to minister to the body of Christ.  We will focus on a variety of materials for every aspect of corporate and individual Christian life, whether in evangelism, discipleship, worship, Christian educational materials for homeschool and private school, ministry leadership training, marriage and family, youth and children as well as church and ministry consulting.  

 

We also anticipate a Recording/production studio that will be provided at little to no cost as a ministry to up and coming artists.  We are committed to ministering to the whole body of Christ in any way that is possible so that we can equip the local body and believers to fish in every mountain stream, pond, lake and ocean so that every person will receive a presentation of the Gospel.

 

 

Ranch Ministries

CastMaster Ministries has long term plans to build ranches for troubled teens that will host up to 30 adolescents.  This working ranch will have therapeutic horse training and riding instruction, cattle ranching and farming.  Our ranch for troubled teens is an outdoor restoration ministry using horse training and riding, cattle ranching and farming to teach self-discipline and life skills.  We will use all of our other ministries to fund and develop this ministry.

  

 

We Need Your Help

We are currently beginning a Capital Fundraising Campaign.  We need to raise $100,000 to begin working with a Professional Fundraising Consultant.  We need to raise $25Million to open The Retreat.

 

 

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People

Have you ever asked the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” I have been asked that questions hundreds of times. Until recently, I have always answered it gently and politely with little quips that are actually fallacies based on the Biblical text. You want to comfort people and present God and life in the best philosophical setting so that their times of trial are softened somewhat by your answer. Nevertheless, in reality the honest brutal truth is more devastating that we actually care to hear.

Biblically speaking, there are none that are good, not even one. In Psalm 51 we are given great insight into the reality of our beginnings of life and where our nature is rooted. In Isaiah 53 we are told none of us are right before a holy God. We are all infected with a sin nature that alienates us from God from before birth. When we are conceived, we are already missing the mark before we are even born. When we are conceived, we are conceived with rebellion against God already programmed into our DNA at conception. The very second the ovum is fertilized, we are programmed to rebel against an almighty God. There are none of us who fail to qualify for that category.

Now when I am asked the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” I simply respond, “They do not.” I intentionally leave it there. I do not go any further than that in my answer. But, always without fail, I get drug into a deep minded philosophical and theological conversation. Many want to debate the theological implications of my answer and almost everyone wants to argue that God cannot be that calloused to the plight of mankind.

That is where I have them. They have fallen for the trap, they jumped right up on the trap and took the cheese. The lever has been sprung and now the full weight of their sin is about to collapse around them. They do not know that they have been sent for an appointment with their maker, not me, I am just the messenger. They have fallen into a philosophical and theological trap out of which there is not escape, their sin in the hands of an angry God.

The answer they do not expect is this: Who is good in the sight of a holy God? Who deserves to go to heaven without their sins being forgiven? Who places themselves higher than the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth? Either they are better than Jesus, and Jesus died in vain or there are none that are good?

Be prepared in season and out to share that our God is a holy and just God demanding perfection to stand in His presence. When you are asked the question, do not be afraid to let God be God, maybe He plans to use you as part of His plan to bring a friend or stranger into the kingdom.

Ethereal and Practical Collide

When and where do the ethereal and practical collide? At what point did American Christianity come to accept the platitudes and take the biggest of all pictures and reduce it to nothing more than a bad photocopy on recycled, wrinkled paper? Does not acceptance of the photocopy do nothing more than lower the level at which practical is acceptable?

When does the child who was left alone and abandoned ever accept its role as co-heirs to the throne once adopted. This child who was beaten, tarnished and abused had no hope, no future and no cognition of its state. This child wakes up one morning unwittingly accepting its beaten down life as reality. Twenty-four hours later when this starving child wakes up, it is startled by all of the clamor and commotion of a visit of the king. The child sees the king and the opulence associated with the entourage associated with the king. As the king moves past the child, the king asks the child about its parents. Sheepishly the child replies that he has no parents, he lives on the streets. Immediately the king grants to this child full adoptive status. The child is now co-heir with every child that the king has adopted.

The child does not know how to act or behave as a co-heir. All it has ever knows is abuse, angst, pain and fear. Who does this child relate and react in its new condition? Do the servants of the king try to change who the child is? No! The servants teach the child that it is princely. Who the child is is not to be changed, but the position of the child has already changed. How does this child react to love, kindness, and compassion? This child reacts just like it did the day before as someone who has been beaten, tarnished, abused and without hope. Does the destiny of the child change, yes, the child is now royalty. The child’s position has changed, but the child still reacts to its situation as it did the day before.

It takes years of love, compassion and care to change what we were. We often forget to look at the child for who it was and glory in the changes instead of who it is and expecting it to react accordingly. When this child was adopted, it was deeply scarred by its past. It may not be able to mentally or emotionally come to accept who it now is because of its past. Is this bad or wrong? No! It is reality when you are adopted.

American Christianity’s Compromise with Absolutes

For what purpose has absolutism been bred out of the soul of man? The very thing that God imparted to the Old Testament prophets that made them men of renown now condemns their contemporary counterparts as traitors to the species. Biblical Christianity’s American counterpart is so compromisingly corrupt that it has actually come to believe that it is absolutely superior to Biblical Christianity. The absolute desire to be accepted by those who hate them most has brought about their complete and utter compromised status to God.

The mindless, moronic miscreants of modern American Christianity are not Biblical Christians. They are not of the remnant. They are so absolutely compromised that their sophomoric stylings of clichéd culture demonstrates that their mind-numbed ignorance has allowed them to hold holy huddles of mass delusion without ever considering their absolute damnation.

These mental malcontents are nothing more than thoughtless purveyors of pious propaganda so void of substance that they starved to death spiritually. Their reality consists of nothing more that brotherly love and hopeless hope twisted by ear-tickling trumpeters of trivial self-worth slogans. They never knew agape love, but they are absolutely full of themselves when it comes to philadelphia and eros.

More to Come . . .

We Are Them

We set ourselves up for failure every time we try to do what is right, we get bashed by temptation and fall inline pitifully at its side. We place ourselves upon the throne of our soul when it never has been ours, I don’t know who you are, but we are them.
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We are them, we are them, I don’t know who you are, but we are them.
Crushed, beaten, bruised, torn apart cowering alone in our tears, I don’t know who you are, but we are them.

We are our old self when we try to do what is right. We are the drug takers, murders, liars, thiefs and sex addicts. We are what we claim to hate the most in the world. I don’t know who you are, but we are them.

We are them, we are them, I don’t know who you are, but we are them.
Crushed, beaten, bruised, torn apart cowering alone in our tears, I don’t know who you are, but we are them.

Why is it so hard to love them, are we afraid of who we really are? Are we afraid if they became believers they would expose our sins? We must rip ourselves out of our souls because we are them. We are them, we are them, I don’t know who you are, but we are them. Crushed, beaten, bruised, torn apart cowering alone in our tears, I don’t know who you are, but we are them.

The Gift Is Not The Manger, It Is The Cross

Why do we celebrate the birth of the savior? His birth is not the gift to mankind, His death and resurrection are the actual gifts to mankind from the Father.

Though His coming in and of itself was miraculous, never forget the truest meaning of the gift. Man is sinful in his nature and has no way to be accepted by the Father except for the vicarious death of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead that gives us eternal life.

Isaiah 6 HOLY

Isaiah 6
My Favorite Chapter in the Bible

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple.

The history behind Uzziah has to be as important as the fact that this also dates the book. Do not let the fact that Uzziah was one of the good kings be forgotten. He fought to drive out the Philistines and to rid the land of their presence. He was a great warrior and a good king, but will be remembered for what he did wrong. He was a political/military king and he offered incense to God in the temple, which was forbidden for anyone to do except for a priest. Because of his sin, he was struck with leprosy, sent outside the city and died miserably and lonely.

Ultimately, Uzziah died because he either simply forgot the rules in his desire to praise God or intentionally disregarded the rules about soldiers and politicians coming into the inner part of the temple. He was not allowed to enter in, but he did and paid dearly for it because he never entered the temple again. What should we learn from this example of leprosy and death? Have we allowed the politicians and warriors to inter into the inner part of the sanctuary? Have we not forbid their entrance? Are we not guilty before God as they are?

Now, back to Isaiah. He was a prophet and priest and was allowed into the temple. After Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord. In my imagination, I see him praying in the inner part of the temple and having this vision where he is called into the throne room of God, the Holy of Holies.

Isaiah saw God seated on His throne, high and lofty, high above all others in the throne room. And God’s robe filled up the entire temple. What a majestic scene we are allowed to have a glimpse of here as the prophet describes what he sees. This throne room temple, the very inner part of heaven revealed to us and God’s robe is as big as the entirety of the location. This is where we will be one day, this is where we will bow before the Father and give the crowns that we receive back to His son. This is the place of joy and worship and thanksgiving and praise.

2 Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

The seraphim, the keepers of the temple, the angels of the throne room, were standing above God, in positions of respect and honor and protection. These angels are special and they are assigned to be around God. Their wings covered their faces, and feet and flew. Take the symbolism and run if you want, but the magnificence of the scene is enough to elicit worship and praise and glory and honor.

These angels hid their faces and feet from God. In honor, these angels hid their faces from God not in fear of looking at God, but out of total honor and respect. They were not worthy to look upon God and they knew their place in heaven. They were demonstrating worship by hiding their faces. They hid their feet because of their being in the presence of God. God confronted Moses for having shoes on his feet in God’s presence.

3 And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of • Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth.

The Hebrew way of accenting a word is to have it repeated. In English we use exclamation points and sometimes two of them for extra emphasis. In Hebrew, this was accomplished by repeating the word.

The scene is one angel calling to another, with a voice so loud that it is almost destructive. One angel calls “HOLY!! is the LORD of the Hosts of Heaven, His glory fills the whole earth.” Then another angel calls out, “HOLY!! is the LORD of the Hosts of Heaven, His glory fills the whole earth.” Then another calles out, “HOLY!! is the LORD of the Hosts of Heaven, His glory fills the whole earth.” And other calls out, “HOLY!! is the LORD of the Hosts of Heaven, His glory fills the whole earth.” They continue for there is nothing else to say about God.

Of all of attributes of God that these angels can proclaim, they proclaim the most important attribute. Holiness is the attribute of God out of which all other attributes flow. Where does God’s love come from? His holiness. Where does God’s mercy and justice come from? His holiness. There is nothing that anyone or anything can do in the presence of God but to proclaim His holiness.

4The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.

The strongest and most sturdy place within a building is the doorway. The doorways of the throne room of God is shaken to its foundations by the power of the voices of the angels proclaiming the holiness of God. “HOLY!! is the LORD of the Hosts of Heaven, His glory fills the whole earth.” This throne room is The Throne Room, the great white throne room. This is the epicenter of heaven. This must be an amazingly large and spacious room. All of the peoples of all of the worlds history will be judged in this room. Even with its vastness, the foundations of the doorways in this room will be shaken.

When the angels make this proclaimation, smoke fills the throne room. The incense from the alter fills the room and the glory of God fills the room along with His holiness.

5 Then I said: Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, [and]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.

In Isaiah 5 Woe is used in verse 8, in verse 11, in verse 18 and in verse 22. The words in Hebrew are alas and touch, strike or to smitten.

Literally, we could read this as, “alas or then strike me or touch me or smite me for I have not spoken or remained silent, because I am a man of unclean speech and lips and I live in al land of people with unclean speech and lips, and because I have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.”

This can be viewed in two different ways. First, it can be interpreted as “strike me for I did not say Holy because I am a man of unclean lips and speech and I live in a land of people with unclean lips and speech. . .” The second interpretation can be, “strike me for I was silent among my people because I am a man of unclean lips and speech and live among a people of unclean lips and speech.”

I think it is appropriate to interpret it both ways at the same time. Both are sins in the presence of a holy God.

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs.

One of the angels charged with guarding the presence of God flew to Isaiah with a burning coal taken from the altar with tongs.

7He touched my mouth [with it]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, and your sin is atoned for.

The angel touched Isaiah’s mouth, his whole mouth which was unclean, with the burning coal. Now that the coal had touched Isaiah’s mouth and lips, his wickedness was removed and his sins atoned for.

There are two different things here which are vitally important. They are so easy to overlook and they are so vital to our understanding the role of Jesus’ death. First is having wickedness removed. This is where his guilt and punishment are being removed from his life. Isaiah has had the punishment removed from him by the cleansing. Second and possibly the most important is the propitiation of his sins through atonement.

Atonement or propitiation is a completely different aspect of the concept of forgiveness. Removal of punishment is good, but forgiveness which satisfies the holiness must be a blood sacrifice which not only puts aside punishment but makes righteous.

It is this dual concept which is vitally important to us as believers. Jesus not only puts aside punishment like the “scapegoat” of the Old Testament, but becomes the sacrificial blood offering only capable of being the propitiation or atonement of sin. The atonement or propitiation is the debt owed to make for a clean title for transaction to a new owner.

Those are shouting words. Isaiah could not do anything to have propitiation and neither can we, God brings about our propitiation through the atonement of the

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for Us? I said: Here I am. Send me. And He replied: Go!

Isaiah finally hears the voice of the Lord, only after he has been forgiven. God would not speak to Isaiah or even acknowledge him until he was clean. He was a prophet and priest, but God would not speak to him. He was preaching for God in the previous chapters but God would not acknowledge him. We must be clean when we come into the holy presence of God. We need both forgivenesses happening in our lives at the same time for God to speak to us.

Then when God speaks, He wants us to go. Here I am, send me. No excuses, no questions. Here I am, send me.