2019: A New Years Resolution or Revolution?

     In less than 2 hours as I write this, we will be welcoming in a New Year. It's the final year of this decade I guess we call the "teens" or whatever we call it. So many people are making their New Years resolutions. Losing weight, exercise, paying off debts are just a few. I myself don't like to call them resolutions but goals I set. In 2013, in my previous blog, I said I wanted to run in a 5K, learn how to cook and teach myself to play the guitar. Since then I hurt my back so the 5K is out, I bought a guitar 2 years later and it's collecting dust begging me to strum it and I had no choice but to learn how to cook now that I am on my own. This year I have 3 goals I have set!

1. I want to discipline myself to exercise more. Get to the gym, ride my bike and take better care of this body God gave me. Being in shape is amazing. When you walk up your staircase and you are out of breath, that's not a good thing. Eating healthier is also part of this goal!

2. I want to set a goal where I do a "Random act of kindness" at least once a week. Working in a public setting, you meet all types of people. You meet some of the happiest but you also meet some grumpy. I want to show kindness in all kinds of creative ways this year!

3. I want to stay close to Jesus by reading His word, praying each day and sharing my faith. My relationship to Him is so important and I want to continue to strive to live for Him the best I can.

In closing, sometimes these resolutions can become a revolution or a war. Sometimes your body doesn't want to exercise, or wake up early and read the bible or even show kindness to a total stranger. Last year my exercise goal faded in June after my second kidney stone battle. This coming New Year, I pray I will be blogging on December 31, 2019 saying proudly that I reached each goal to the best of my ability. So, HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. May God bless you in the coming year!!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!! OKAY...NEXT WEEK!!   

I PRESS ON IN 2019!!

     I know we are in the Christmas Season and have 2 more days to celebrate. Lately I have been thinking a lot about 2019. Since September when I began this blog, I wrote to you all about my struggles and victories these past 5 1/2 years. I do believe we can learn a lot from our past as we gain life experiences and go through difficult situations. But I also believe we do need to look at the present and future and evaluate where we are at presently and where we believe God is leading us next. This past week, I have been thinking a lot about a particular scripture in the Bible found in Philippians 3:13,14. The Apostle Paul wrote "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

    

     From 2011 - 2013, I wanted to lose some weight so I started running 3 days a week. I would set a course and wake up before the sun set and run through my neighborhood, sometimes even when the temperature was in the teens! During my two year running season, I managed to get up to 6 miles! My season ended when I hurt my back unfortunately. I do remember trying real hard to push myself toward my final destination. I used to time myself and try to improve on my time. I pushed my body real hard and although my legs were killing me, I put a lot of effort into finishing the course I set out to complete. Oh, and I did lose weight which did make me happy. My point is simple...I pressed on!

    

     Each and every single day when it comes to the Christian life, I believe we have to press on and strive each day to live for Jesus! We also have to move forward and not dwell on the past but trust God and allow Him to direct us to where He is leading us. What happened in the past is over and done with. We can't change the past but we can change one thing...ourselves. So this coming year, I want very much to "Press on" in my relationship with Jesus. 2018 was a great year for me but there were challenges also. My health, finances, family issues and starting new jobs were a big part of it. But I realize one thing! I could not have done it without God's help. I am so grateful that I have a personal relationship with Jesus! Together with Him, I will continue to "Press on toward that goal" in 2019.

I PRAY YOU HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!!    

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME PART 2 (Offended by what?)

     I'm sitting behind my laptop on this rainy, wet Sunday and we have 9 more days until Christmas 2018! I love driving through neighborhoods and looking at Christmas lights people hang on their homes, the blow up Santa's, reindeer and even the Abominable Snowman guy from Rudolf the Red nosed reindeer is seen on Stony Brook Road. Families all have traditions when they decorate trees, open gifts and enjoy family time which is so important. These last few years, what has bothered me is that everybody finds something to get offended at. Recently, we were all told we had to call our trees "Holiday Trees" because it was offensive. We were also told saying "Merry Christmas" was offensive and people preferred "Happy Holidays" instead. Now I am hearing more nonsense like the nativity scenes that towns display in public are offensive and so is posting a sign that says "Merry Christmas." Or how about the latest? The song "Baby it's cold outside" which was written in the 1940's has been removed by many radio stations around our country because it is considered a song about rape. What is going on? Are we now a generation that gets offended over every single thing? I can think of many things we should get offended at both as a Christian and as an American. I'm going to list 6 but trust me there are many more we can list. Here it is:

1. PRAYER IN SCHOOLS

I am offended that on June 25, 1962, less than 2 years before I was born prayer was removed from public schools. The Supreme Court voted against prayer being allowed in schools in the case Engel vs. Vitale, unfortunately right here on Long Island in New Hyde Park. In the 1950's, the number one problem in public schools was chewing gum. After prayer was removed, the number one problem in public schools is...? Drug abuse. And it's getting worse. The argument has always been "it's a separation of church and state." Today we have to fight to get God back in schools. How sad is that? We need prayer back in schools and most of all we need God back in our schools!

2. CRITICISM OF OUR PRESIDENT

Okay, let me just say I am not one to discuss politics. But I will say that I am offended how much criticism and "poking fun" at our President I see, especially on late night television. Saturday Night Live is a huge culprit and I refuse to watch or support that program. As a Christian, I believe we need to pray for our President regardless of whether we agree with his decisions or not. I am offended that even on our news media, President Trump receives so much criticism. Let's pray for him! Okay, my political rant is over.

3. HOW WOMEN ARE TREATED

Working in a public setting, you see a lot of things. One thing I do see a lot of is how men treat women. I remember being on a crowded train and having to stand for the majority of the ride. I was shocked how not one man who was sitting offered his seat to a lady. Instead, they sat there and refused to be a gentleman. I also see men who won't even hold a door open for a lady. What ever happened to manners? Sure, people will say women want to be self sufficient but I was raised in a generation where you treated a lady with utmost respect...period.

4. HOW CHILDREN ACT TODAY (Parents are clueless)

Again, working in a public environment at Chick Fil-a, I am amazed of the lack of discipline children receive today. A parent will allow a child to scream bloody murder in public and not correct them. They will also let them run amok all around the restaurant and say things like "Hey Bud, come back to the table and finish your nuggets, sweetheart." No correction. No discipline. Instead of being a parent they would rather be a "pal" or "friend." It offends me because of the future. What kind of leader will they be as they grow up? I thank God my parents disciplined me!

5. PUBLIC BATHROOMS

This one is very disturbing to me, but I am offended that we now have stores that have Gender Neutral Bathrooms which means that if my daughter goes into a bathroom, there could be some man in a stall next to her? No way, Jose!! That is offensive. Bottom line is that God made man and God made woman. End of story. He never makes mistakes. I don't even like writing about this because it is creepy and I believe it's very evil how society has accepted this. Yuck!!!

6. DEMONSTRATING YOUR FAITH IN PUBLIC

As a Children's Pastor, I had many opportunities to share my faith in public. From 1991 - 2013 our church participated in the Town of Smithtown Memorial Day Parade. For 3 weeks before the parade we painted our float and then I had a group of  church construction guys come the Saturday before to assemble the float onto a trailer. The Knights of Columbus organized the event and in my opinion did a horrible job. They always put us in the back of the parade and gave us trouble. We were the only float in the parade after marching bands, the Boy scouts and other organizations. I always had puppets lip syncing to children's Christian music and every year we were told it was offensive. We even tried playing patriotic music mixed in with Christian Music but that didn't help. We also participated in Smithtown Festival Day and had a booth. We played Christian music there as well. I remember a guy walking over to me and saying "Your music is too loud. Turn down that Christian @$%#@." Meanwhile only a hundred feet away from us, a Classic Rock Radio station was blasting Led Zeppelin. What offends me is how the name of Jesus proclaimed in public is so offensive to people yet, it's okay to have fortune tellers and New Age garbage everywhere. That's okay in society. Jesus did say we are living in the "Last Days." Boy, is that ever evident!                      

     I'm sure there are hundreds of other things we can list that is offensive to us that actually makes sense and is not nonsense. Bottom line is during this Christmas season and during the month of December is Jesus is the Reason for the Season. So MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Enjoy this great season with your CHRISTMAS TREE and most of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!

Until next time! Be blessed today and always!

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME PART 1

     It's so hard to believe that as I am writing this, we will be celebrating Christmas in 15 days! I hope and pray that you and your families have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'm sure you are a lot like me when it comes to celebrating Christmas. I have very fond memories growing up celebrating the holiday with my family first as a boy in New Jersey then moving to New York as a 9 year old. Christmas had a double meaning for me. Being raised Catholic, I always knew it was the birth of our savior Jesus Christ but I was also raised to believe in Santa Claus...you know...that heavy set dude with the white beard who wore red, drove a sleigh that was pulled by reindeer and somehow in one night went to billions of kids homes going down the chimney and delivering gifts. I believed in Santa until about 4th grade when my world was shattered. I saw Santa smoking a cigarette and a local store and when in 4th grade during school, I blurted out to a classmate "I wish Christmas was everyday" and he said "If that were the case, your parents would be broke." I did get a lot of cool gifts as a kid and I am very grateful my parents didn't spoil my brother and sister and I. Christmas Eve we always attended Catholic Mass up until we all received Jesus in our hearts. As I grew up, I started looking at Christmas a lot differently. To me it became less about the gifts and more about the birthday of Jesus. It started to bother me how the focus was not on the birthday of Jesus but more on the other "things" the world would dwell on. Don't get me wrong, I realize that decorating your Christmas tree is fun, putting lights on your house looks amazing, singing fun Christmas songs is fun and watching Rudolf the red nosed reindeer, Frosty the snowman, the year without a Santa Claus and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a blast but seriously, the Christmas season cam be rough.

    

     I'm going to be truthful. Earlier in this decade I struggled in my own heart with Christmas and the month of December. With a struggling marriage and frustration in my ministry at my previous church, I started to seriously hate the holiday. In 2013 after losing my pastoral position, I even purposely worked on Christmas Day. In 2015, I saw the ugly side of the holiday. I took a seasonal job at Kohl's and had to work Thanksgiving evening. I will never do that again. I watched customers fighting over flat screened TV's, pushing people out of the way and fighting with you while you are on the cash register over 35 cents. Yes! 35 cents! The same people who drive SUV's!

     It is a known fact that there are more suicides in the month of December than any other month in the year. You look at peoples faces and all you see is frustration, anger and stress. Many are striving for that "Christmas Spirit" and looking for a reason to be "jolly." People spend hundreds of dollars on gifts, decorations, food and other "things." It seems that someone back in the day had a great idea that maybe just maybe if we market this holiday the right way, we can make lots and lots of money. They seemed to forget there is a Reason for the Season...Jesus...His Birthday. I also realize there are others who have it much harder than me. What about the homeless in New York City? What about the family who lost a loved one in 2018 and are trying to get through the season without that loved one? Or what about that person who may have lost a job in 2018 and are struggling financially?

    Lets remember what this season is really about! It's the Birthday of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ!!

UNTIL NEXT TIME!!            

SO, WHAT'S NEXT FOR ME???

     So, now that you have heard my life story, well actually my last five and a half years, I'm sure many of you might be asking, "So what's next?" There are 3 goals I have set for the future.

1. I WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP MY OWN MINISTRY!

If you know me well, you know I have a calling on my life to do Children's Ministry. I have been doing it for well over 34 years!! This past year I decided to take a break from it to focus on myself and to heal from many hurts I have encountered. It's the best decision I ever made. In October, I was invited to speak at a local Christian School and it was the first time in 9 months that I actually picked up Grandpa Lou and Shelton the Shark, two of my most popular ventriloquist figures. The day before my speaking engagement, a dear friend of mine asked me to take them to Lighthouse Mission in Bellport, NY so they could get clothing for a relative. When we walked in, Pastor Jim the director gave me a huge hug and introduced me to his staff. He asked me if I would consider doing a kids program on a future Saturday morning and I said "Absolutely!" He told me I was very gifted and a blessing to their mission. After we left the mission, my mind drifted to the many times I ministered at the mission, sometimes alone and sometimes with our Kids in Missions students. Although I seriously did enjoy my break from ministry during this past year, my heart has always been to reach children. That following morning, I spoke at the Emanuel Lutheran School Chapel. I was a little nervous speaking especially since it was something I had not done for quite some time. After doing my introductions, I felt comfortable. It was just like riding a bike! I did Grandpa Lou, Shelton the Shark, some object lessons and some gospel illusions.

     After that chapel, I spent time in prayer asking God if it was His will for me to be back in ministry and around Thanksgiving I felt I got a green light. So, I am happy to announce that I am planning on starting a ministry as a Children's Ministry consultant and a Child Evangelist in 2019. With my many years of experience as a Children's pastor, I would love to help other children's pastors and Children's Ministry  Directors establish a vision, give insight, be an "Aaron" to them as well as an encouragement. I have been in there shoes. I've been discouraged frustrated and have even knocked on the door of burnout. I know I can be a great resource. Second, I would like to travel to churches and do Kids Crusades and Children's programs using my puppets, gospel illusions and games. I am even thinking of developing a Game Show theme for families down the road. I would like to build this slowly, one step at a time and travel on Sundays, my one day off here in NY, NJ, PA and CT. I am asking for prayer warriors who will pray for me. We all know when you step out in faith, the enemy loves to attack. Would you be willing to pray for me? I tried doing this in 2013 but truthfully, I was not ready then. Now, I feel that I am ready to serve! I am excited about this new venture! I will be working on a website, printing business cards and, of course trying to think of  name for it. Stay tuned!

2. Secondly, I would like to use my writing talents for the Lord. My main problem is time! I do have some projects in the works...a children's book and another book. Getting books published is a challenge but I'm up for it. Finding the time to write while working 2 jobs is tough. It is a goal of mine to get my work published.

3. Lastly, without getting into every detail of my complicated life, I would like to see a healing in my family especially with my two oldest children. They are 25 and 24 and I am praying for reconciliation. That's all I will say about it. Please pray for me in this.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR READING MY BLOGS EVERY WEEK AND FOR YOUR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT