Faith In Action: Tampa pastor born without left arm, right hand shares passion for faith and music

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa Bay area pastor is inspiring his congregation, filling the church with beautiful music and turning what some might consider a lifelong hardship into his strength. 

When Carlos Lara is beating the drums or playing melodies on the piano, he's praying, worshiping or giving thanks. He's not thinking about anything holding him back.

"I truly believe that God has been the one that helped me through all the things in life," Lara said.

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He was born in Guatemala without a left arm and full right hand. His mother was given a small leather strap to help him hold things. 

"They told her they don't know what it would be good for, so, just have it, you know? I used to pretend it was an airplane, because it was like the only thing I could hold on to," Lara said. 

By age 9, Lara realized he could use it to hold a drumstick. When he was 11, his mom moved them to Tampa to get prosthetics at Shriners Hospital.

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With dreams of someday working in music ministry, he started trumpet lessons at Oak Grove Church of God, learning to use his toes to press the valves and eventually, to play piano keys.

"Even more than learning how to play, it was just trying to get over the cramps I would get on my toes," Lara said.

He studied Practical Ministries at Southeastern University in Lakeland and later traveled to different churches, supporting their worship teams. But, his heart was always at his home church, now known as ALTAR Tampa.

Here, they say "This is familia."

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"We don't just say welcome to the family," Lara said. "We always say 'welcome to the familia,' because it is something that's happening here, and it's beautiful."

And, the familia has grown quite a lot lately, seeing upwards of 250 people at services.

"When I came in 2005, it was like 20 of us," Lara said. 

Along the way, he discovered a different kind of altar in social media where he can share the gospel and music. He's gained more than 30,000 followers on Instagram.

But after one of his drumming videos went viral, "I made the decision that, instead of showing my victories, I just wanted to show my weaknesses. I wanted to show how even through weakness, God can do something with that," Lara said.

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"I remember one video that I posted where I share how it was so hard for me to have friends in high school, how it was so hard, and I would actually go to the bathroom and hide," Lara said.

That's part of what makes him such a powerful Impact Pastor at ALTAR Tampa, whether preaching, leading music in the front, or running sound in the back.

"From the sound booth, you can see it's beautiful. It really is something beautiful," Lara said.

What some might view as a weakness or hardship, Lara sees as a blessing.

"I always share this story on how the reason why I was able to come to the U.S. was because I have no hands, because of Shriners Hospital," he said. "The reason why, when I finished school, I didn't have to pay is because of my disability, because I have no hands."

And, it's what brought him to where he is today. His unwavering faith is helping others discover their own.

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"God has really done something in my life," Lara said. "There's no one left out of his plan. I've realized that if we have life, it's time to get up and do something. If we wake up in the morning, that's another opportunity."

If you'd like to see Lara preaching or playing, ALTAR Tampa has two services on Sundays. The English service is at 9:30 a.m. and Spanish at 11 a.m. You can check out all their programs at ALTARTampa.org.

Do you know someone who's living out their faith and using it to make a positive impact? We are looking for "Faith in Action" stories all around the Tampa Bay area. Just send an e-mail to Haley.Hinds@fox.com.