GOD CLOSES 2 DOORS AND OPENS 2 DOORS

      FALL 2018

      What always amazed me about the Christian life is how God is always on your side. I have seen him repeatedly open and close doors for me. The very first door he closed for me during this past Fall season, quite honestly, was the door he closed at Cheeburger Cheeburger on August 24th. I was very happy to leave that job but was concerned about my finances. That job at Cheeburger did pay me more than Chick Fil A, yet I knew God would open a door and yes He certainly did. The first door he opened came out of nowhere. A friend of a friend told me about a job opportunity. The crazy thing about it was they had no clue what the job was and said it was temporary. I figured I should check it out and could always so no if it was illegal or against the law so to speak. I was given a phone number of a gentleman named Fred and when I called him he said "Do you have any idea what this job entails?" I said, "No, but I just wanted to explore and options. I'm looking to make extra money." It turned out to be a Company called George Thomas Brass & Bronze Works, a machine shop in Bay Shore, NY. Fred invited me to come down and check it out then he said, "It's only temporary!" Hmm....temporary...I've heard that statement many times. My mind drifted back to 1984 as a Northeastern Bible College student. "Just help with this puppet ministry for one semester. You will never have to do it again!" I ended up doing it for a year!! Fast forward to 1987 at Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle. "Just lead our puppet ministry for a season." I ended up not only leading it but becoming the children's pastor 4 years later and lasted there for 22 years!

    I met Fred at his company which was very small. He showed me the his shop and told me what the job entailed. The job was basically placing parts in a machine cleaning them off then placing them in a second machine. Very easy! What was an even greater blessing was the pay! Much better than Cheeburger!! And also what turned out to be temporary is actually not. I started there in August and I am still working for Fred as I write this!

The Second closed door was actually very bizarre. Fred from Taylor Brass (I actually have two bosses named Fred, the other is at Chick Fil A) knew I worked at Chick Fil A and he told me about a friend of his in the machine shop industry looking for a "Plater." At that point, I was wrestling with my future career wondering if the restaurant industry was for me and trying to survive on this expensive region we call Long Island. I called his friend John and set up an appointment. John sounded like your typical gruff New York businessman. We set up an interview for September 11th. John's company was also small with only 5 employees. When I pulled up to his building it was pouring rain and maybe I should have seen that as a sign from God. I actually never interviewed with John. He was very distracted trying to fix a problem with a computer. He had me meet two of his workers who showed me what the job entailed. Being a visual learner I tried my best to grasp what it was about. It was nothing like the machine shop and was mainly working with chemicals. While being there I really honestly wrestled with if this was for me but knew I needed health benefits and more money. After seeing what the job was about I went in to talk to John. All I can say is that he was very cold and very distracted. I tried to make small talk with him. He had Mets and Rangers paraphernalia in his office so I told him I like the same teams. He truthfully was so distracted and told me he was on his way to a Mets game that night. I asked about what he would pay an hour then told him I could start September 24th. He apologized for not speaking with me longer and left. I truthfully walked out of that company confused. For one week I wrestled with if I made the right decision. The next day I told Fred at Chick Fil A I would only be working there part time starting September 24th. He had no reaction whatsoever so I thought maybe that is a sign that this is from God. You would have thought that after my disastrous Cheeburger experience that I would have learned about having a peace about a work environment. NOPE! I remember waking up in the middle of the night feeling uneasy and just prayed, "Lord, show me if this is from you or not." This decision also affected my Bible study that I taught on Tuesday mornings. We were all set to change it to Friday nights.

The second open door was a blessing! Fred for Chick Fil A asked me to meet with him. He looked me in the eye and said without hesitation "What can we do to keep you here! We love your work ethic and appreciate your positive attitude and want you here." I told him it was the money. I was struggling financially and I was also honest with him. I told him I was wrestling with my decision to leave. He told me he would speak to the Owner/ Operator of the restaurant Bryan. What happened next was amazing. While I was on my break, Bryan spoke with me and, let's just say (I'm going to sound like the Godfather) he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. The door was wide open for me to stay at Chick Fil A Commack with the goal of allowing me to join there leadership team in due time. That next day I called John to tell him I would not be working for him. Let's just say he responded the way I expected. He was rude but it was all good. God closed 2 doors for me, but He also opened to amazing doors for me and I praise Him for that!!

UNTIL NEXT TIME               

REFLECTIONS OF THANKSGIVING

     I just wanted to take a break from my crazy soap opera life to reflect on a great holiday...Thanksgiving. Lately I have felt that Thanksgiving is the "Rodney Dangerfield" of every holiday. It simply gets no respect. In fact, I noticed driving home just a few days after Halloween that not only did stores have Christmas items for sale, people in my neighborhood had Christmas lights set-up outside. It almost seems like we all want to rush into the Christmas season and forget Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong, I know that Christmas is fun and we all love lights, Christmas trees, gifts and enjoying that wonderful Christmas spirit but what about Thanksgiving? What about taking time to thank God for what you have and for how He has blessed you?
    
     I have great memories as a kid on Thanksgiving. Growing up we would go to Grandma and Grandpa Harff's house in Secaucus, NJ. My Dad was an only child so we spent the day with my Grandparents along with my Dad's Aunt Gladys and Uncle Frank. Frank was my grandfathers brother. My Grandparents had a very small house. The houses on their block were separated by driveways and you felt like you were in Brooklyn. My Grandpa smoked cigars so the house reeked of them. I have great memories of watching football with my brother Mike, usually the Detroit Lions game at 12:30. I also remember my brother and I would sit at my Grandpa's bar in the basement and he would make us Shirley Temples or as he called them with his NJ accent "Shoiley Temples." We thought we were hot stuff sitting at the bar drinking them. While the turkey cooked, as appetizers, my Grandma made celery with cream cheese inside along with other "snacks.". My brother, sister and I devoured the celery/cream cheese treats and my Dad told us every year "You are going to spoil your appetites!!


     My Grandpa was a huge tease and loved teasing my brother and I calling us "Fair haired boys" and "Chizzler's." When we told him we played little league baseball he would always say "Nah. you play for the Bloomer Goils."  Although we knew he loved us, he was a very difficult man and we often wondered what my Grandma saw in him. She was the total opposite of him, a quiet, gentle lady. He loved to talk and didn't have a shy bone in his body. He told the same stories every year about how he and his friend Snarky went fishing and how strong Snarky was. We never met Mr. Snarky and I for one always wondered if he was real. We always enjoyed our turkey and I was a huge fan of the turkey leg. The only negative impact that holiday had on me and my family was my Grandpa's temper. He was known for fighting over the most ridiculous topics...Politics, doctors and grass....yes grass. It caused my family to shift the holiday to New York and unfortunately without Aunt Gladys and Uncle Frank. Through the years I spent Thanksgiving on Long Island, in New Jersey and in Pennsylvania. But every year I always gave thanks to God for the roof over my head, the food that He has provided, the jobs that I had, the car I drove, for my health and for my amazing family. But most importantly, I thank God for His one and only Son Jesus who died on the cross for my sins. I have never been homeless, never gone hungry and God had always taken care of me.


     So this year as you gather around your table with turkey, veggies, mashed potatoes, stuffing and an assortment of goodies for dessert, take some time to say thanks to God for all He has provided and done for you.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!                   

RETURN TO CHICK FIL A (May 2018 to present)

     Like I mentioned in my previous blog, things at Cheeburger Cheeburger were not going like I was hoping. I knew I needed a backup plan. In a perfect world, I would have seen a sign posted at a church that read "Help Wanted: Children's Pastor with A LOT of experience. Inquire within!" But we know the world is certainly not perfect and although that would have been awesome, there are many hurdles you need to go over to get hired at a church. Not too many churches will take a gamble on a children's pastor who is separated from his wife. I always knew that my experience at Chick Fil A would help me tremendously. The Port Jefferson location was the first to open on Long Island (in October 2015) but it was no where near the Cheeburger restaurant. Two other Chick Fil A's opened on Long Island in November 2016.....Hicksville and Commack. Hicksville was out of my way heading west and Commack was a perfect place to apply. It was right on my way home. On my way home I stopped by to speak with a manager and was told to apply online. Within a few days I received a call from a gentleman named Fred Winter. I met Fred and other Commack team members when they trained at our Port Jefferson location. Fred and I set up an interview and I was hired. My first day was May 24th.

     Returning to Chick Fil A after a two month absence was weird. I was hired as a team member not a manager and I was okay with that. I worked mornings because they knew I had experience opening. It was fun getting to know my new team members. I'm sure some of the kids wondered who this gray haired dude was. I worked mostly on register and dining room and sometimes window. I will have to admit I was surprised how much I forgot (like how to make a shake) but loved the challenge of working hard. I do want to say that working at Chick Fil A is a great job and if you have a teen in your home looking for a job, give CFA a shot. The core values are amazing as well as the amazing atmosphere. They will not only learn a lot about the restaurant business but will experience great life lessons. As I am writing this, I am now full time with this amazing company but I did come close to leaving in September. I'll keep you in suspense and share that after next weeks Thanksgiving blog! 

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN  

CHEEBURGER CHEEBURGER...A DISASTER DISASTER (March - Augsut 2018)

     It was early in March 2018 and like I blogged before I knew my season at Chick Fil A was over (so I thought ha ha). A close friend of mine told me about a restaurant in Farmingdale, NY called Cheeburger Cheeburger. Yes, not cheeseburger...CHEEBURGER! It was a takeoff from the old SNL skit form the 70's with John Belushi and Dan Akroyd. This restaurant was a chain that was started in 1986 in Sanibel Island, FL and this particular one was the lone surviving one on Long Island. I called one of the managers, Meghan for an interview and on a cold day I arrived at the airport plaza. The restaurant was very narrow and in the background you cold hear 1950's music being played. I was applying at this restaurant to be a manager and help build this restaurant and allow it to grow. It was foundering, so I had heard. My interview with Meghan was brief and we tried to figure out what days I could work. We agreed that I would be a manager Monday, Tuesday and Friday and on Thursdays, part of Fridays and Saturdays I would do deliveries. It seemed to me that this could work but I did grow concerned when Meghan said to me "Are you sure you want to do this?" I ignored that and was happy for a new challenge. I love challenges as you know. Meghan told me that we were going to have a meeting with all the workers on the Thursday before I started at night. There was a persistent problem with managers being disrespected, cell phone use and many callouts. When I arrived, I was anxious to meet the owner and thought he would lead the meeting. He was not there and I wondered why. I discovered during my 5 months at Cheeburger Cheeburger that this would be a growing trend with him unfortunately. All the workers signed a paper declaring they would obey all the rules listed. My brief Cheeburger career was about to begin. All I can say is "Wow!" What a disaster.

     My very first day was Monday, March 26th and I should have been alarmed on day one. We had 2 call outs!! Normally you would have two servers, one manager, two people in the kitchen, one person at the ice cream bar and a delivery driver....seven people. We had 5!!! Instead of learning how to manage, I ended up being the delivery driver for a day. As I got to know the staff, I realized that many of them were not happy. They had to work long hours with very little pay. Within the first 3 weeks I could see that this restaurant was run poorly. Many times supplies were low, there were a lot of call outs and truthfully, no one cared about the quality of service. Many of the young kids who worked at the ice cream bar quit to get better paying jobs. The interview process was awful. No applications, no background checks which resulted in terrible employees. It made for great comedy. One guy that they hired who worked in the kitchen could not read! He asked me whole weighing meat if the number n the scale was the number 7. I thought he was kidding but he wasn't. The kitchen staff could not pronounce his name so they gave him the nickname "Cookie" They hired one girl behind the bar who needed change, so she ran to the liquor store a few doors down and left the register open. When I confronted her, her answer was "Oops!" She did not last long. One of the delivery drivers was caught taking money. A server waked out mad about something and came back an hour later smelling like marijuana and high as a kite. One of the other managers came in for her shift reeking of alcohol. All I could say is "God, what did I get myself into?

     After only 3 weeks of all this, I knew I needed a backup plan so I contacted Chick Fil A in Commack and inquired about working there part time. I was convinced that Cheeburger (or as I called it Cheedungeon) would not make it through September. I knew the operations manager Fred from when he trained at the Port Jefferson CFA and he hired me even before I could utter a word at my interview with him. I started working at CFA Commack at the end of May and worked there part time in hopes to maybe get fulltime work which meant health insurance. When I told Cheeburger my plans to work more hours at CFA, they were annoyed. They even tried to talk me into working "off the books" and get health insurance from them claiming I was related to another manager. I did not want to lie or be deceitful. As I began to work at CFA Commack, it became apparent to me that that was where I belonged. I hated working at Cheeburger!! The restaurant was located in a shopping center and there was no drive to make improvements or advertise. What was glaring to me was the owner. He was never ever there during our hours of operations. I saw him sometimes before we opened. He would call around 4:00 every day and when we closed. All he cared about was what we made and are we cutting labor. The icing on the cake for me was when I had my kidney stone attack in the middle of me shift, I called him to tell him I HAD to get home as soon as possible to take my meds. He called me while I was driving in excruciating pain that I dropped the ball, I wasn't communicating about our staff etc. I was so angry but was in so much pain I just wanted to get home. Right above our restaurant at the shopping center were some FM radio stations on Long Island (B-103 and WALK). There was also a credit union/collections agency as well. The employees there were rude and obnoxious and many times I struggled to keep my Christian witness. They did things like demand a well done burger be cooked in 2 minutes, they questioned why during a special meal why the included drink was not a large, and they would tap their manicured finger nails on the counter while they were ordering. All they did was complain and it was getting to me! The communication at this restaurant was also terrible. We had specials listed on Facebook and Instagram that was not communicated to the managers. It was awful.

     In July, I knew it was time for me to phase out of this horrible place so I decided to work at CFA Commack Monday through Thursday and Saturday. I worked at Cheeburger Fridays. Many of the employees at Cheeburger, mainly the kitchen crew loved working with me and begged me to work 7 days a week at Cheeburger. I was flattered but knew I had to branch away from that disaster of a place. The restaurant was doing horrible and it was a matter of time that the doors would be shut for good. The was it was handled was terrible. I did not know that my last day would be Friday, August 24th. After my shift, the owner told me that another manager needed my keys. When I handed them to her, she said she already had keys. After my final shift I was so tired and thought nothing of it. What happened next was a horrible thing that could be done to employees and shows no class. The owner changed the locks on the door  and NEVER told anyone has was shutting the place down. Workers showed up Monday morning and a "closed sign" was on the door. No communication! He supposedly paid his employees for their final pay. As I am writing this I still have not received my pay!  

     I learned a lot from working this job...how not to run a restaurant....how people need to be treated  and how hard it is to be a light in the darkness. I feel sorry for the owner of this restaurant and pray one day he realizes happiness does not come with making lots of money, it comes when we receive Jesus as our Lord and savior. He makes all the difference in our lives!!