20/20 VISION FOR 2020

     I must confess this will be a short blog. I have been battling the flu for the past 3 days and had no energy whatsoever to write. I have spent my time resting and trying to get better, I am about 80% there. I barely have a voice!

     Well in less than 6 hours as I write this, we will be starting a brand spanking new decade. 2020! When I think of 2020, I actually think of a different 20/20. 20/20 vision! For the majority of my life, I always had good eyesight. In fact it was 20/20 vision until 2005. It was right after my 41st birthday. I was on the church platform doing a Baby Dedication and I discovered that I had trouble reading my small print Bible. If I held my arm out far away from my bible, I was able to read it perfectly. Someone in the congregation suggested that I purchase an "arm extender" so I could read the scripture better. WISE GUY! It was time for me to go to Dollar Tree and buy a pair of cheap magnifiers. After my purchase, it was amazing that I was able to read. A few years ago, I had to purchase glasses that I now wear all the time!

     So in 2020, what is your 20/20 vision for the New Year? What goals are you setting? It is my prayer for you and for myself that we all keep our eyes on the Lord and allow Him to work in and through us!

    I wish you all a blessed New Year and God's blessings for you and your families!!

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS

     In only 8 days we will be celebrating Christmas. It's so hard to believe how fast this year breezed right by. Right after Halloween, families put their Christmas lights up on their homes and started decorating. Stores began displaying Christmas items and of course, Black Friday was it's usual nightmare. Ahh, Christmas 2019!

 

     As a kid, Christmas had two meanings for me. Being raised Catholic we had our Christian side of it. My brother and sister all knew growing up that the real meaning of Christmas was the birth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Our Family displayed the nativity and of course we went to Catholic Mass on Christmas Eve which was probably and hour long but felt like 8 hours. Since I wasn't allowed to talk to my brother during mass or whisper loud, I used to count the number of lights the church had or I would look at the stained glass windows and pretend my friends were on the windows not St. Joseph or St. Luke. I would also daydream about what Santa was bringing me for Christmas. Our family joke was always that I asked Santa for a Lite Brite in 1st grade and he must have made a mistake and gave it to some other kid. My brother kindly gave me one recently to amend the bad error by Mr. Claus.

    

     The second meaning was always the fun part. Santa Claus, decorations, lights, shopping last minute and of course watching every possible Christmas cartoon or show usually on CBS or ABC right after the Thanksgiving holiday. Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer, The Year without a Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is coming to town and of course...A Charlie Brown Christmas. I must have watched these shows a gazillion times and I have many of the lines memorized. I always made the excuse that as an adult I watched it because my kids were watching it. Of course being a children's pastor I did have to relate to all kids! 

 

     A Charlie Brown Christmas has always been a special show for me. It was first aired when I was 1 years old so I probably first watched it when I was 4 or 5. Out of every single Christmas cartoon or show, this cartoon is the only one that ever mentions the "Real" meaning of Christmas. In one of the last scenes, Linus gives a speech and in it he quotes a scripture which is in Luke Chapter 2 "For unto us is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." I don't know a whole lot about Charles Shulz, the creator of Peanuts. All I know is that in 1965 when he created this Christmas cartoon he wanted to be sure that everyone knew what was the real meaning of Christmas. A Savior Jesus has been born to us this day. 

 

     Please don't get me wrong I am not saying we should ban every other Christmas cartoon. What I am saying is we need to remember the guest of honor and who's birthday we are really celebrating! Merry Christmas everyone!! Happy Birthday Jesus! May God bless you and your families!!

 

p.s. I will not be blogging next week and will try to squeeze in one more blog before New Years Day 2020! 

BE A VOICE!!

      This past October I began working a third job. I am a Personal Aid to a handicapped college student who is 17 years old and a college freshman at a local university here on Long Island. I work about 17 hours a week and on Wednesdays I get him out of bed, shower and dress him and take him from class to class. He is in a wheelchair and I do all I can to help him. I’m also with him on Saturday evenings.

      About a month ago he told me that he had to attend a mandatory meeting that all Freshman HAD to attend. It was in a lecture hall and he was not allowed to miss it. The speaker who did the lecture was a transvestite who was a man and he now felt the need to dress as a woman. All freshmen were forced to hear his/her story about how this came to be. They were not allowed to miss this lecture and from what I am told it would affect their grade.

      My heart sank as we walked over to this lecture hall. I was very happy that I did not have to attend. As I sat and waited for well over an hour for it to be over, I started praying some radical prayers. "Hey God, please let this individual lose his voice. Please let the sound system go bonkers. Let the power go out!" I realize those prayers are not very nice but I was not very happy all these freshmen had to hear this garbage. It made me think of something real cool. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone in the freshman class had to listen to Franklin Graham or Frances Chan? They would have to hear the gospel and have no choice whatsoever. They would have to hear about the life changing message of salvation and about how much God loves them.

      I realize in today’s day and age that lectures such as this transvestite is more common than not. I have heard that local libraries are allowing Drag Queens to read stories to children. I heard it said recently that since they cannot reproduce, they will do everything possible to recruit. I think it saddens me that many Christians will not take action or be a voice. We just sit back and expect others to handle it. I will just say boldly that I am appalled at what is happening in our world. God did not create man and decide "Oh wait, I made a mistake. You were supposed to be a woman. My bad!!’ He didn’t create Adam so that he could be Andrea or Eve so she could become Eddie! He created man. He created woman. End of story!

      I just want to encourage Christians everywhere to be a voice and to take a stand. We can’t allow lectures like this at local universities or Drag Queens in the libraries to continue. One of my goals in 2020 is to develop a library program on bullying. I am not planning on making it preachy, but I do want to be a "light in the darkness." Come on everyone! Let’s take a stand for the truth!

UNTIL NEXT WEEK!! HAPPY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!

THE FINISHED PROJECT...OR IS IT?

    

     Last July I wrote a blog about a house being built vs. our lives being built by God. Recently I walked past that house on Hetty’s Path that is one block away from where I live and I took a quick picture. Here it is pictured above. The house being built on the left and the same house that is completed pictured on the right! Or is it?

      In 1973 my parents purchased the home I grew up in which is in Smithtown, NY. If my memory serves me correctly, they were the second owners. My parents quickly made changes to the house. For starters, they replaced all of the carpeting in the den, living room, dining room and the upstairs staircase and hallway. Through the years they replaced the kitchen floor, bathroom floors and the walls were painted many times in or bedrooms. They even took down the very much out of date paneling (remember paneling?) and replaced it with sheet rock in the early 1990’s! So many changes through the years yet they could never say the house was finished.

 

     As a children's pastor I used to love experimenting in the ministry to children to see what worked and what didn't work. It was always fun to implement new ideas. I always loved thinking "outside the box" with a new game show idea or new method of teaching the bible. Change was always good and I always welcomed it. After a season I would stand in the back of the gym during Kidz for Christ on Sunday mornings and would be in awe. I would say "Wow! Things are really going so smoothly. There's no need for any changes." Of course after I would think of that in my head the church leadership would always throw me a curve ball and either change the times of services or the age group I was responsible for. So many changes through the years yet I could never say the ministry was completely finished.

     After looking at this new home on Hettys Path its obvious the house is not 100% complete. I'm  sure  a nice family will move in and through the years they will make changes to the inside as well as the outside. They will have great memories and will probably paint their rooms just like my room was painted many colors!

     This also makes me realize that God is not finished with us. He is making changes in us on the inside as well as on our outside. He is working deep in our hearts and He is molding and shaping us into the people and Christians we need to be. I may not understand everything He is doing or what He is changing. All I know is that I need to keep my eyes on Him, let Him lead and I need to put my trust in Him! One day we will stand before Him as His finished project where He will say to us "Well done good and faithful servant!"

 

UNTIL NEXT WEEK!! BE BLESSED EVERYONE!!

 

BEING THANKFUL PART 4: GOD IS AMAZING

 

     Well here it is! Part four! This final installment is the easiest because it's the biggest reason why we celebrate Thanksgiving. We celebrate it to give thanks to God! Not just for how He blesses us or what He does for us. We thank Him for being who He is!

 

     God is amazing! I can honestly say I can't live without Him. I am so thankful that God sent His one and only son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. It's because of that old rugged cross that Jesus shed His blood that I can receive His free gift of eternal life! He died, rose again and now lives forever! Thanksgiving never gets any respect. Here in New York a local radio station started playing Christmas music on their station a few weeks ago. So many of us are in a rush to get Christmas started early. What ever happened to giving thanks to God. This blog is very short but an important one. I want to say very simply "Thank you God for everything! Thank you for never giving up on me, for loving me and for your will in my life. I love you God and I will always be thankful to you!"

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FRIENDS & FAMILY!!      

BEING THANKFUL PART 3: WHAT GOD HAS PROVIDED

 



      In my third installment of what I am thankful for (again, in no particular order) I would like to share about something we take for granted! I am grateful for what God has provided for me!

      Living here in this great United States of America I have to confess…we are spoiled. I have only visited one third world country in my lifetime in 1994. It was Mexico. I saw poverty at its worst. I actually was near an area in Mexico City known as the garbage dump where I saw people’s homes that looked like shacks. It made my childhood fort I built look like a mansion. My heart broke for those people and gave me an appreciation for how God has blessed me.

      Food – In my lifetime, I have never gone hungry. There was always food at my table from my childhood through my adult years to this very day. God has always provided for me.

      A roof over my head – In my lifetime, I have always had a roof over my head. Whether it was in Chatham, NJ; Smithtown, NY; my parsonage on Brooksite Drive or the various apartments I have lived in, I am grateful and thankful that there has always been a roof over my head and a pillow I could always rest me head on.

      A vehicle – Since 1984 since I bought my first car, a 1972 Pontiac Ventura that was an obnoxious green color, God has always blessed me with a car to drive. I think about the first ever car I bought brand new, a 1988 Mazda Pickup truck as well as the many mini vans I owned and now a 2007 Honda Civic that just reached 100,000 miles. God has always blessed me with great cars. Sure, they have broken down and I have had my share of flat tires and had an accident in one minivan in 2010. I am thankful for the cars I have driven that have gotten me safely to where I need to be!

      Jobs – Since 1982, I have always had jobs and I am grateful that I have ever been unemployed! My first ever job was at Sunken Meadow State Park. I have had many interesting jobs. A security guard, a messenger, floor refinisher, Chick Fil-A Manager, a limo driver and salesman for Tru-Green just to name a few. Today I am working 3 jobs and yes, it can be tiresome. I know God has plans for my life and right now I am waiting to see what that is. In the meantime, I am searching for just one job that pays well with health benefits and other benefits as well. I am grateful and thankful that I can pay my bills and supply money for my two younger kids.

     Psalm 107:1 says "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING A WEEK EARLY!!

BEING THANKFUL PART 2: FRIENDS

      In my second installment of what I am thankful for (again, in no particular order) I would like to share about a group of people who have stick by me through thick and thin…MY FRIENDS!

      I could go on and on about the many people I have had and still have as friends but this blog would end up being a book thicker than the book "War & Peace" so I will not go crazy (although I would like to). Since my childhood in New Jersey, moving to New York in 1973, meeting many amazing people at Northeastern Bible College, my amazing friends I grew up with at Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle, the friends I made working at Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle, the friends I made at both Chick Fil-A’s I have worked at, the friends I have made after I resigned from SGT and my awesome friends I made at the bible study I teach on Tuesday mornings. I am thankful for you and I also hope I covered all the bases! It is said that you always know who you true friends are during and after you go through a tough time. I can honestly say that is so true. I have had so many people who have stuck by my side, who prayed for me, who were my biggest "cheerleaders" who cried with me, laughed with me and gave me a listening ear. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

      Through the magic of this thing called Facebook, I am able to stay in touch with people I have not seen in thirty plus years. I have watched their children grow up. I have watched, for some of them, their hair get gray (just like yours truly) even though I have not physically seen some of my college buddies, friends and fellow classmates. I for one believe friends are so important. I have had in the past some "not so good" friends who God has basically removed from my life. They are considered people who were not supportive and were a negative influence to me. With all that said, I would like to say to all my friends how thankful I am that you are in my life and how grateful I am to you for your love, support, prayers and putting up with my jokes!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING A FEW WEEKS EARLY FRIENDS!!

BEING THANKFUL PART 1: FAMILY

      In the next four weeks, I would like to focus on what I am thankful for. It is in no particular order but is coming from the heart. In the past several years, I feel that the Thanksgiving Holiday has become "The Rodney Dangerfield of holidays." It gets absolutely no respect. This past week I was appalled when as I was watching television, a Christmas commercial came on. A young lady was brought outside with her eyes covered to discover someone bought her a brand new Lexus. Christmas music was playing during the commercial. Seriously? Why is it that as a country we ignore an amazing holiday like Thanksgiving and try so hard to push Christmas right after we go trick or treating? I worked retail in 2015 at Kohl’s and had to work Thanksgiving night. I was amazed how many people were there at the doors at 6 p.m. and came charging in like "The Running of the Bulls!" Trust me! Very soon you will see department stores opening the day before Thanksgiving and all day Thanksgiving day. It’s just my opinion!

      Okay, so now that I got that off my chest, let me share with you what I am thankful for in installment number one….MY FAMILY

      I am the lone family survivor still living in New York on Long Island. I drive on the Long Island "Disstressway" 6 days a week. I am here mainly because my children live here and hope to one day leave for greener pastures (unless of course the Lord opens a door for me at a church). My family all live in Pennsylvania. My Mom, My sister, brother in law and my 3 nephews. My brother, my sister in law and my nephew. Being on staff at SGT, I only really got to see my family during Thanksgiving and around Christmas time. Being a Pastor I work on Sundays obviously so getting off for holidays was always rough. Since I resigned at SGT, I have had more opportunities to see my PA family, although not as much as I would like to. So with all that I said, I want to share that I am very grateful for my family.

     My Mom: I am thankful for a godly Mom who prays for me and supports me through thick and thin. She told me if I ever need someone to talk to she is always there. Thank you Mom for your love, support and prayers. You’re the best!

     My brother Mike, sister in law Monica and nephew Jared: I am thankful for my brother who I will have to say has always been my best friend. He is also a huge help as he is a CPA and has helped me with taxes and the challenges of the IRS. I am thankful for his wife Monica who is a big support to Mike. Since I resigned at SGT I have been privileged to get to know my nephew Jared more. Not seeing him a whole lot I know he really didn’t know me but now when I walk into his house he gets excited when he sees me. That blesses my heart!

     My sister Paula, brother in law David and my nephews Josh, Seth and Zach: I am thankful for my sister who may not realize it but always says the right thing to me. So does her husband David. I know they pray for me and are always encouraging. I am also grateful that I have gotten to know my nephews and wish I could see them more. I know the three of them will do well in life!

     My two youngest children Tyler and Kassie: I am very proud of my kids and know they will go far in life. My youngest daughter Kassie wants desperately to be an actress and is praying for her next big break. She is amazing on stage and is presently in 3 plays! My son Tyler has come a long way as I know he struggled in school but he too loves the theater and does an amazing job. He also has a great sense of humor. My prayer for my two oldest children Jordan & Kaylee is for reconciliation. I am not giving up and I’m praying for a healing in our relationships.

     Well, that’s my installment for the week. Until next time!

EXERCISE

 

     As a kid I loved sports and loved playing hockey, football, baseball, basketball and playing tennis. I loved riding my bike as well. Like any normal kid growing up on Long Island, I dreamed of hitting homeruns like Reggie Jackson, throwing a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl like Kenny Stabler, making a save as a goalie in the Stanley Cup Finals like Eddie Giacomin or scoring a basket like Walt Frazier. I even had the dream of being a professional tennis player but my dreams were shot when I tried out for the High School Tennis team and got cut. The reason? My tennis racquet broke! How embarrassing! If my Dad bought me a Wilson racquet instead of the K-Mart one maybe I would be a Wimbledon Champion? Well…let’s just go with definitely not! However, I learned at a young age the importance of exercise and taking care of your body, even though I was always a tall, skinny kid!

      In the past eight years, I have become a big proponent of exercise. It started for me in the spring of 2011. With my busy schedule as a pastor and trying to support my family, I didn’t even know what a gym looked like. The extent of my exercise was shooting baskets with the preteens on Wednesday nights, playing indoor soccer with them and my favorite, playing hockey. The rest of the week I did absolutely zero. My biggest weakness was drinking soda. My favorite beverage besides coffee was a Pepsi. I would make frequent stops to the SCS Teachers lounge for my daily dose of Pepsi Cola. This once skinny kid was starting to gain weight! I got up to 244 lbs! It wasn’t until someone who I respected called me "Big Daddy" that I had my wake up call. Although they were trying to be funny, I didn’t take it that way so I decided to do something about it. Never in a million years did I ever think I would have a weight problem (especially those of you who knew me before 1992). It was time for me to get exercise! But how? When would I have time to run to a gym? It then dawned on me that my best bet was to go running. But where? How long? Was I insane?

      It all began for me on a beautiful June morning. I decided to wake up at 5:30 a.m. before the kids were up and were getting ready for school that I went for my first run. I ran from my back yard through the church parking lot and around the baseball field once then back home. I thought I was going to die! When I made it to my back deck I thought I was going to pass out. I realized I had to start somewhere! As motivation on my laptop I created an exercise file I called "Big Daddy" as motivation. I was determined to lose weight! One day at church I mentioned to a guy named Andy about my new running fascination. He and a guy from Island Christian Church who was also a fellow children’s pastor named Phil joined me. After a few years of running I was up to running a little under 7 miles! Of course I was always in the rear when we finished since Andy and Phil are much younger than I am. I was able to get my weight down to 215 lbs. It felt great and running gave me a lot of energy during the day. We even ran in the winter! One time it was 10°!

      After I resigned from Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle I went into a depression and worked crazy hours so for about 2 years I did very little by way of exercise and trust me, I felt the distance. When I worked for TruGreen in 2015, we were required to knock on doors so I walked about three miles a day! Again, being very busy I was not able to join any gym. As a prize, because our TruGreen Company in Yaphank, NY won the sales competition, I won a bicycle! When I moved to Port Jefferson Station later that year, I started riding my bike. I also joined a gym, Planet Fitness. Today, I try to exercise as much as I can. Although I don’t go for runs much, I do go for walks along with going to the gym, I occasionally ride my bike and I also purchased a Simply fit board.

      I believe we should all take care of the bodies God gave us. I am a huge fan of exercise. I realize that I am certainly not an amazing athlete and I don’t plan on looking anything like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. I do feel that exercise gives us energy every single day. There are some days after working a gazillion hours that the last thing I want to do is either go for a walk or go to the gym. But I realize that I do need to take care of the body God gave me.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!!

HALLOWEEN

Halloween. It’s celebrated every October 31st. We all have our opinions of the so called holiday. For me, growing up in New Jersey then moving to New York, I looked forward to it. I had so many great costumes. A clown, a football player, a television! In New Jersey it was a nightly event. My brother and sister and I went house to house on North Hillside Avenue in Chatham, NJ receiving tons of candy. (We never did like that old man who gave out scooter pies!) In New Jersey, the night before Halloween was called "Mischief Night" when "those teenagers" would put toilet papers in trees, spray shaving cream all over the place and try to cause "innocent havoc" so to speak. Halloween was fun as a kid. When my family moved to Long Island when I was 9, it had a different feel. I remember asking my fellow 4th graders if they went trick or treating at night. They all had the look of horror. "Are you crazy Harff? Do you want to die? You will have eggs thrown at you!!" they said. Sure enough even going out in the afternoon after school I did have a kid chase me down the block trying to throw an egg at me. Ahh, the memories of growing up in Smithtown, NY. Instead of enjoying that day, it always confused me why kids had to be destructive. I remember when a kid in Jr. High told me that he and his brother would go out on Halloween and knock down mailboxes with a pole. That’s supposed to be fun?

I would have to say during High school and college I didn’t think much about October 31st. I know one year in Bible College we all did get dressed up in costume and even some jobs I have had for fun we wore costumes. This year at Chick Fil-A I dressed up as Ed Norton from the Honeymooners! In 1988, a group of ladies in my church asked me if I would help them plan an alternative to Halloween. We called it the Praise Fest. It ran for two years and involved food, crafts, candy and I was asked to put on a puppet show. I don’t remember if kids wore costumes or not but I remember one particular lady telling us how evil Halloween was and how she would let her kids even go to school that day. She even said she always prays for a rain downpour every year. I was always oblivious to the history behind Halloween until I watched a video about the history of it. It was created as a Satanic Holy day and I will not get into specifics because it is very disturbing. Even a simple thing like a Jack O Lantern has an evil meaning. I am amazed how many people decorate for this holiday. Tombstones are on front lawns next to dragons, ghosts, vampires, bats and orange and black lights all over.

When I was hired at Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle in 1991, one of my goals was to offer to our community an alternative to Halloween. A year later in 1992, the Fall Fun Fest was born. That year it was on a Saturday and crazy me had it planned from 12 noon to 6pm! We had carnival games, food, face painting, spin art, free candy for kids, a bible character costume contest, a program in the Auditorium we called "Walk Thru the Bible (it turned out to be a disaster) and we gave out door prizes. Admission was 2 cans of non perishable food for the needy. I did however get some opposition not from the townspeople but some church people. They were upset we were even recognizing the day, that we even called it a carnival and felt we should just ignore that day altogether. I will never forget when some big guy walked into our Fun Fest wearing a real pumpkin on his head with a black cape. People raced over to me telling me we should ask him to leave. I said "No way. He and his family are exactly who we want here and they are welcome." Our Fall Fun Fest was held every year from 1992 to 2011 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 pm. The vision I had for it was to be not only an alternative to Halloween but a very safe place where parents can bring their kids. At the end of the night we would assemble either in the auditorium or the sanctuary and present a gospel program either by myself or a special guest. I felt not only was this event very important, what was more important was it needed to have the gospel presented to children and parents in a creative way without a doubt. One year we did a Puppet Musical! It was a tremendous success.

So what is my opinion of Halloween? I am not opposed to kids wearing costumes and truthfully see no harm in Trick or Treating. I will say it is definitely a very evil holiday and is a great opportunity to educate your children about it. Truthfully, my children have never gone Trick or Treating simply because they we always at church on that day! I will say as a Christian man and as a pastor I do sense a lot of evil during the month of October especially here on Long Island. I know there are Satanic Churches in Stony Brook, NY and I can remember one time at my church we knew that a couple sat in our balcony who were witches praying against what the church was doing for the Lord. I truthfully look forward to November 1st and love it when the Halloween decorations come down. But I do see a great opportunity for Christians to be a "Light in the darkness" on a very dark day. Instead of boycotting the day, use it to share the Good News with parents and their kids! I know one children’s pastor in Pennsylvania who does a mini carnival on his front lawn every year! He is truly spreading God’s love to his neighborhood.

Be safe everyone and hopefully no one will chase you down the block with an egg

A GOOD REASON TO BAN TBS

   

A week ago I took my two younger kids out for pizza. We went to a tiny little pizza place that was in a huge shopping center. There was a tiny dining area in the back. The restaurant was very narrow and looked like it hadn’t been refurbished since the 1970’s. We ordered our pizza’s and headed to the back dining area to wait. Over the back door that said “Employee area” there was a TV on. It was on not very loud but enough for us to hear it. It was around 4:00 pm and the show “American Dad” was on. I am not a big fan of these “adult cartoons” at all and I don’t think I have ever watched an episode of “The Simpsons” since it started airing 30 years ago or so. What I had to listen to and see on that television screen appalled me. That cartoon made fun of Christians from the beginning to the end. They mentioned the rapture, Jesus coming back and being “left behind.” At one point I even heard them say Jesus was at a Civic Center speaking and one of the lady characters was dating him. I tried so hard to ignore it but could feel myself getting mad. Apparently the creator of the show who also is the creator of “Family Guy” has been known to poke fun at Christianity and Jesus. In that show he depicts Jesus working in a comic book store. Folks, that’s supposed to be funny??

  This made me think of a few things:

1.      Would the Muslim or Gay Community stand for this? You don’t think they would all start a fight? How many of us remember back in the late 1980’s when Salman Rushdie wrote the book “The Satanic Verses.” The Muslim community wanted him assassinated! If the creators of “American Dad” poked fun and the gay and lesbian community, don’t you think they would speak out? You bet they would!

2.      Why are we as Christians so afraid to be a voice? In the early 2000”s I was getting ready to watch an episode of “ER” and in the opening scene they showed 2 women in bed together. I immediately changed the channel and then wrote a letter to NBC (National Broadcast Company not my beloved Bible College). I told them how I was offended and I got absolutely no response.

     If you are a Christian you know we are living in the Last Days. I don’t believe Christians should be sitting on their hands and hoping “someone else will do it.” I believe we need to be a voice. Recently here on Long Island, Drag Queens are now wearing their ridiculous outfits and going into many libraries sharing “Story Time.” The sad part is PARENTS ARE BRINGING THEIR KIDS TO THIS!!! I say we take action. We need to begin by banning TBS and telling them through letters that unless they take shows like “American Dad” and “Family Guy” off the air that mock the name of Jesus, we will ban their station and not watch one single show unless they take these shows off the air. Are you all in agreement? I am working on a strong letter to the Turner Broadcasting Station and telling them how I feel. Even if I get no response my goal is to be a voice and let them know this is NOT okay in my book whatsoever! It’s time for Christians to stand up and take action! 

     I truthfully don’t watch a whole lot of television. Mostly sports, old television shows and of course my favorite “The Honeymooners.” All of my teams are doing terrible so watching sports can be painful! Many shows today have tasteless humor and try so hard for us to accept that life should be one way when we know life is all about serving and loving Jesus! I often wonder if the creator of “American Dad” is searching for the Truth and maybe he knows Jesus is the Only Way so instead of accepting it, he pokes fun at it! We live in very sad times people that’s why we need to be strong for our Lord!  

A CLASS ON LIFE!!

     In the last few months, I have had conversations with friends and co-workers about a certain topic. LIFE! No, not the Board Game pictured above but something that has always puzzled me in my 55 years on this planet. Why have the school systems of our nation never had a class on life?

     I attended school from 1968 all the way to 1986, from preschool all the way to Northeastern Bible College. I can honestly say I have used many things I have learned during those years. Math, English, maybe some science and some wood shop maybe. I can’t say I used any geometry, art and very little biology if any in my day to day duties. But in all my years, I was never taught how “Life” works. Simple things like how to budget money and time, how to deal with conflicts with others and difficult people, how to treat a lady I am dating, how to use proper manners, how to balance my checkbook, how to stay pure and avoid sexual temptation, how about the effects of alcohol and drugs on your system or even how to deal with road rage. Just think about it! In Middle School and High School it would be mandatory to take a class called “Life.” In order to graduate, you would not only need this class but you will need to pass it. If I were the teacher or the Principal in charge of any school, Christian or Public, this is what my class would look like.

BUDGETING MONEY AND TIME: Money does grow on trees. That’s the old saying. However, many kids today don’t understand what it means to budget their money because, quite simply, Mom and Dad give them what they need without teaching them how to not only manage their money but how to budget their money. What about time? I can’t say I was good at budgeting my time especially when I was in my early twenties. It took one of my bosses to straighten me out by saying “Get your butt here on time no more lateness’s, do you hear me?” This topic would certainly hit home with our young people today!

DEALING WITH CONFLICTS AND DIFFICULT PEOPLE: Ever since I was a kid, I have noticed television and the movies depict the majority of people as kind and compassionate. Of course we know there are Archie Bunkers out there but shows like “Leave it to Beaver” and “The Brady Bunch” make everyone look perfect in every way, shape and form. The reality is simple. There are people out there who love confrontation and, there are people who also love being difficult and for a simple reason. To get what they want in life. How about we teach our kids how to deal with both scenarios and prepare them for what is out there for, unfortunately, many years to come.

HOW TO TREAT A LADY/ OR GUY AND PROPER MANNERS: Do our young men today seriously know how a lady wants to be treated? Do they understand what she wants in a relationship? How many young men do we see hold a car door open for a lady or even a door to a restaurant? What about our young ladies? Do they treat a guy with respect? Don’t even get me started about manners. I can’t tell you how many times I have asked a Millennial “How are you doing” and their response is “Fine!” You would think they would ask you how you are doing back? Recently, a young lady who was looking down at her phone while walking toward me literally walked INTO me. I didn’t even get an “Excuse me Sir.” What I did get was a dirty look. We need a class on this! Kids today don’t say please or thank you. Rather I hear “Gimme that” or No thank you whatsoever.

BALANCING YOUR CHECKBOOK: I realize that checks are not used as much and we do get computer printouts from the bank but our kids do need to learn how to balance out their checkbooks!

STAYING PURE AND SEXUAL TEMPTATION: I realize that there are Youth Groups and churches that teach this and I applaud them for that. I also realize that many of our young people don’t realize the effects of premarital sex. Growing up in the 1970’s, very rarely did you hear the term “Child out of wedlock” or “Single Mom’. Nowadays we hear it every day. Do our young people realize the ramifications or premarital sex? Do they know how to control their bodies? Why not teach them this topic?

DRUGS & ALCOHOL: I will never forget a Health class I took in 7^th grade? It was taught by a nurse and she did a class on the effects of smoking on your body. She literally lit up a cigarette, smoked it in front of the class and told us how terrible it is and how it’s bad for your body and not to do it. “Avoid it at all costs” she said as she took a huge drag. In my opinion it gave her an excuse to smoke. I don’t think kids today understand what drugs do you their bodies. Almost every day at our drive thru at Chick Fil-A I will smell marijuana smoke from one or two cars sometimes more. Do our young people today understand what drugs and alcohol can do to your body? Do they understand how addicting it is? This needs to be taught in this class!

ROAD RAGE: This is slowly becoming a major issue in our nation. There are so many “Hot heads” on our highways and byways. I remember one time a lady screaming at me at a traffic light. She thought I cut her off. I kindly said to her “Ma’am you have the wrong guy. I just got on the road!” I believe we need to prepare our kids for this so they properly know how to deal with the Nimrods who operate motor vehicles who have some anger issues.

     I am sure there are more topics that can be discussed and maybe you have ideas as well. I realize I had to condense it all so that my blog didn’t become my latest novel. We need to pray for our young people and especially prepare them for what is coming up in the 2020’s!

GOD BLESS YOU AND ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL FALL SEASON!

I AM NOT GIVING UP!!!

     For the last several years, I have heard many stories of Christians who have walked away from the faith. Some are members of churches I have attended, others are popular preachers, authors and Christian musicians. It breaks my heart when I either read or hear about many who have decided that following Jesus is not for them and they choose a different path. As a Christian for well over 40 years, I can’t understand what would make someone decide to walk away. Maybe circumstances, trials, unresolved conflict or just simply the devil got a hold of them.

      When I first learned about this thing called Facebook, I was told that many celebrities had "profiles" and that you could "friend them." I started doing a search for members of some of my favorite Christian Rock Bands. I will not mention them by name of their band. I was very happy to write to one in particular to thank him for his ministry and how much his music blessed me during difficult times in my life. The response I received from him was not what I expected. This is a paraphrase "Hey Dave thanks for the note but I just wanted you to know my beliefs have changed from years ago. I am a freethinker now. I think out loud. I’m glad to have you as a friend. Peace!" A freethinker? I discovered that he was now an atheist and turned his back on God. Last summer I read on Facebook about a pastor and author who wrote about dating from a Christian perspective left his wife, children and church family to now join the LGBT community! No, that can’t be possible! Even here on Long Island close to home I am hearing of pastors being fired for bizarre reasons and some refuse to darken the doorstep of a church. So what in the world is happening? Why are so many walking away? Should we react like Flip Wilson did when he did his comedy sketch in the 1970"s as Geraldine and say "The devil made me do it?" One thing is for sure! We are living in the last days!

      I honestly don’t like talking about the past because that past is over. It is much more fun to talk about what God is doing now and in years to come. I know in 6 ½ years I have been through a lot! Resigning from my church, being separated twice for my family and now being a divorced man. I have worked 7 jobs and served at a church for 8 months in 2017. In my lifetime I have been cursed at and I’ve been called stupid. I experienced depression and came close to having a nervous breakdown. I also have members of my family who will not speak to me unfortunately. I am here on this blog to declare that I am not giving up on God! I am not walking away from the faith! If there has been one "constant’ in my life, it has been knowing how much God loves me and knowing He will always be there for me. I admit, there are times I don’t understand what He is doing in my life. I stand behind the counter at a chicken restaurant wondering if I will ever stand before a church congregation as a pastor. There are times I would much rather sleep in on a Sunday then drive all the way to church. I know I need to be there. Even after I wake up, the thought of reading my One Year Bible is the last thing I want to do. Hey, just hit the old snooze button or tell Google to set my alarm for 4:45 a.m. I know I need to read my bible and I need to pray. I look at my bank account and wonder if I will have enough money to pay bills. God has ALWAYS supplied my needs! In a world where many want to throw in the towel, that does not include me. So on this rainy October Day, I am encouraging you all to do the same. And if by chance you don’t know Jesus as your Lord, savior and forever friend. Make the right choice now!

OVERCOMER MOVIE

 

     I am by no means a "Crier." It is not a "macho" thing for me I just don't cry. That all changed for me this last month when I saw the movie "Overcomer." In fact I saw the movie twice and ...you got it I cried TWICE!

     Overcomer is a Christian based movie that was put out by the Kendrick Brothers, the same gentlemen who put out the movies "War Room" and "Courageous." I won't tell you the entire story but will say that I felt like I could relate to the main character, John Harrison. He was a basketball coach for a Christian school who had high hopes. After a Industrial Plant in town began laying off it's workers, many students from the school began to drop out. His basketball team was losing players so the principal has a brilliant idea. She asked him if he would be willing to coach the school Cross Country Team. Cross Country? He could not understand what was going on. The problem was his team. He had one runner, a young lady who had asthma! How in the world would he ever be able to coach only one person?
    
     How many times have we been put in situations we didn't think we could handle. I know for myself in 2016 when I was asked to be the opening manager at Chick Fil-A I was very nervous. I had no experience whatsoever in the food industry. God put me in that situation to stretch me! I learned a lot! Just like the main character John Harrison who obviously had no experience in Cross Country coaching, he was stretched!

     Again, without sharing what the movie was about, what really touched me were 2 things. One was when the Cross Country runner, Hannah Scott gave her heart to Jesus. Hannah lived with her Grandmother who worked 2 jobs. Hannah had a history of stealing. After speaking with the school principal, Hannah gave her heart to Jesus. The second thing that touched me was when Hannah was reunited with her Father. Hannah was told that her Father was dead. Coach Harrison met Hannah's Dad in the hospital. He had diabetes and was blinded by the disease. To see Hannah and her Dad reconcile touched me deeply. I pray that will happen soon with members of my family!

     I don't know if "Overcomer" is still in theaters. If it is not, I encouraged you to watch it on DVD!
I realize this blog was short this week but I pray you will be blessed by it!!  

         

WAIT!!!!!

     Waiting! I don't know very many people who enjoy waiting. As a New Yorker, I can tell you that the word wait is equivalent to a cuss word. I have often said that the phrase "Patient New Yorker" is an oxymoron! But why don't people like to wait? Why are we so gosh darn impatient? Why do we want everything yesterday?

 

     Working at a fast food establishment I see impatience every single day. On the drive thru line people beep their car horns so we can speed up the process. After taking orders at the register, I have had people say "How long will this take I'm in a hurry." I wish I had a picture of the people who are standing on the side where they pick up their carry out orders. They all look so impatient and angry. No smiles! In my entire life, I have never heard anyone say "I understand I will have to wait for my Chick fil-a sandwich. I don't mind! I'll just stand over here and patiently wait for it." I would faint!!

 

     Recently I was on line at a Dollar Tree Store. There was only one register open. Many people behind me kept complaining. "This is ridiculous! someone must have not showed up for work! I can't believe this! How much longer are we supposed to wait? I'm going to complain to management!" Eventually another register opened and the huge line dwindled down.

 

     Isaiah 40:31 tells us in the bible - "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." What this scripture tells me is simple. When we wait, we become stronger! God is renewing our strength! Imagine of God was like the Genie from Aladdin. Every time we ask him for something, he grants our wish. I am very happy God has not said yes to all of my prayers! Waiting is a good thing. To be brutally honest, I'm not a big fan of waiting. But I am a big fan of seeing God working on my life. The second part of that scripture says that we will mount up with wings like eagles and not become weary running or ever faint as we walk. We become strong! So to all my friends who I see at Chick fil-a "Please be patient and wait with joy in your heart! Okay, I realize that's a miracle but as a Christian I know when I wait, I become strong!

 

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!!!   

PEOPLE WHO HAVE INSPIRED ME: MY TEACHERS

 

     It's been a crazy busy two weeks and I finally had a few minutes to blog. Since we are in the month of September and all of our kids are back in school, I thought it would be appropriate if I wrote about a group of people who have truly inspired me....TEACHERS!

 

    It has been said that the most stressful job in America is an Air Traffic Controller. I do feel it is stressful but I also believe those who are teachers also have a stressful job. When I was a kid, when a student misbehaved, the teacher would call the parent and the child was usually punished. In today's day and age when a student misbehaves, the teacher would call the parent and the parent would blame the teacher! You gotta love this new Millennium!   

 

     Growing up I had a lot of great teachers. And...some not so good. All in all the did their best to teach me even though I truthfully struggled. I had a crush on my 3rd grade teacher at Milton Avenue School in Chatham, NJ, Mrs. McMahon. We moved to Long Island when I was in 3rd grade so I was not able to complete that grade with her. I loved history, English and science. Math...not so much. I did want to honor 3 of my teachers. One from Middle school, one from High School ad One from College.

 

     MR, CRISCI - I loved being in the band at school. In 4th grade, I started to learn to play an instrument, the alto saxophone. I loved learning to play and continued playing for well over 13 years. When I was in 6th grade, my sisters friend Kristy who also played the alto sax talked a lot about her band teacher Mr. Crisci. Not only was Kristy in the school band, she also played in the Stage band. I thought that was so cool. That year the music department at Accompsett Junior High recorded their spring concert and put it on a record (remember those?). The following year I entered Accompsett but did not have Mr. Crisci for band. He taught he 8th graders. When I entered 8th grade I was thrilled to be in his band. Mr. Crisci was the kind of band teacher who paid attention to detail. He brought out the best in his group of 8th graders. He made is work and work hard. In January, he invited me to be in the Stage Band. I was thrilled! Our Stage Band played songs like "Time in a bottle" by Jim Croce, "Sonny", "I'd like to teach the world to sing" and "Theme from Rocky." That Spring we also had our concert recorded for a record that my Mom still has. I will forever be grateful to Mr. Crisci for instilling in me a passion for music and the drive to work harder.

 

     MR. SPIVAK - Although Mr. Spivak was not officially a teacher of mine, he did help me a lot! In 10th grade, I was struggling a lot in school and I was given an opportunity to receive tutoring. That's when I was told about a program at Smithtown High School West called "The Learning Center". Mr. Spivak was the director. There were 2 other teachers there but their names escape me. Mr. Spivak helped me by giving me confidence and teaching me how to study. He really took time with me and he believed in me. I will always be grateful to him for working with me and never giving up on me!

 

     MR. DAHL- As a freshman at Northeastern Bible College during my second semester, I took a class called "Old Testament taught by Mr. Dahl. This class was first thing in the morning at 8a.m. All I can say is Mr. Dahl was a ball of energy. He brought the Old Testament to life and taught me so much. I did take another class he taught "Manners and customs of Bible lands" that was also very interesting. I really appreciate Mr. Dahl's passion for God's Word!

 

     If you are a teacher, I take my hat off to you. Thank you for what you do and thank you for your hard work! God bless you!                    

WHEN GOD IS SILENT

 

     If you've been a Christian for along time, I'm sure you can say there are times in your life when God is being silent with you. It's not a bad thing, in fact I think it's a good thing. We try to figure out during these times why he is silent but also what he is trying to say in that quietness.

 

    I remember being maybe 7 years old. My Godparents (yes, I was Catholic) sent me an amazing gift for either Christmas or my birthday (I can't remember). They were Walkie Talkies. They were green and tan. I remember bringing them to my Grandparents house. They lived by a lake. My brother and I would talk to each other. Anytime we were too far away we could not hear each other. I knew he had the other walkie talkie but we were not able to communicate. I also remember being about 12 years old and my Dad had in his car a CB radio. For Christmas he bought my brother and I a CB radio we had in our basement. I guess he was tired of us using the one in his car! He had to back up his 1969 Ford Falcon Station wagon and by using his CB we used a lot of power from his battery. Many times we would try to call my Dad on his CB by saying "Breaker one two this is the Blue Dolphin looking for the Big Whale, what's your 20?" (His handle was Big Whale because he was a Life Guard as a teen and was known to be able to hold his breath under water for a long time). Sometimes we would lose contact or someone would interfere with our conversation. I knew my Dad was in his car, but we were not able to communicate. There was total silence on both ends

 

     Lately I have been wrestling with God's silence in my life. There were times in my life that I heard God loud and clear but in the past few weeks He has been silent. It doesn't mean He is ignoring me or bored with me but I take it this way. He is inviting me to stay close to him so I can hear His still, small voice. Here are 3 things I have done so I can hear his voice

 

1. I read His word daily. God's word is truth and He speaks to me through His word.

 

2. I pray to Him and communicate with Him. I ask Him daily to speak to my heart in his still, small voice.

 

3. I do all I can to stay close to him. I have met many people who are new Christians who walk away from God because they think God is ignoring them. Apparently they feel He is not working quickly enough for them. That is certainly not true! It says in Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God. God may be silent at times but it is during those times we need to get real close to Him so we can truly hear from Him! He will never leave us or forsake us!!

I know His plan for my life and yours is amazing. We just need to be still!!

 

I'll be blogging again in two weeks so I'll see you all the week of September 8th!        

WE ARE NOT IN A SPRINT.......

     My blog this week is better late than never and for a good reason. I spent my Monday morning in the Emergency Room with dreaded kidney stones. My 3rd attack in two years. I praise God all is well and I am back to normalcy. Now onto this weeks blog!

 

     Maybe 12 years ago I attended a Men's breakfast at my church. I settled at a table with a few other men and two gentlemen approached our table and asked if they could join us. One was a very wealthy man and the other a very prominent and well known lawyer. I was honored that they were sitting with us and we had a great time of fellowship. After we all went up for delicious scrambled eggs, we were encouraged to pray for each other around our tables. I will never forget the words that came out of the lawyers mouth as he prayed for me. "Lord, please let Pastor Dave know that in his life and in his ministry, he is not in a sprint, he is in a marathon." I thought about that prayer for a long time not only how it pertained to me life 12 years ago but also now. How many times have we tried to rush through life or rush through a circumstance like we are sprinting when we really need to slow down our pace like a marathon runner. So what is a sprinter when it comes to track and field? What is a marathon runner when it comes to the New York City marathon.

 

     The fastest 40 yard dash ever in the National Football League since 2006 took place in the year 2008 at the NFL Combine. It was Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans who ran the "40" in 4.24 seconds. Now that's fast! Mr. Johnson ran as fast as he could when he ran his very fast "40". He didn't take his sweet time running. He ran very fast and it went very quick. 4.24 seconds is certainly faster than I have ever run in my lifetime. In life we want everything fast. Every single day I deal with guests at Chick Fil-A who expect a $50 order to be in their hands in a matter of seconds. Sometimes we expect God to work that way as well. We want him to work as fast as possible. We want to sprint through every situation when it is his truthfully His will to take things slow and not be in a hurry. He wants us to grow and have faith in him.

 

     The New York City Marathon takes place every November and is 26.2 miles long. I attended that marathon in 2013 and helped a church in Brooklyn evangelize in front of their church. I saw thousands of people run. Some looked like they were in amazing shape. Others looked like they struggled and ran very slow. The main goal for probably 85% of the runners in that race was to finish. The odds of winning were very slim. They wanted to finish. In the history of marathon's, no one has ever sprinted an entire marathon. That is impossible! Each runner takes in slow. They run a steady pace. When they cross that finish line they are exhausted, but happy that they finished. They ran a race. They took it slow. A marathon is what we need to run in life sometimes. We need to slow down and not rush through life. We need to take it slow and realize that one day when we get to heaven we will cross that glorious finish line.

 

    So as our summer comes to a close, let's remember that life is not a sprint, it really is a marathon. Put on those running shoes!!    

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

     If you know me well, you know that I am not a big fan of practicing. Not necessarily when I directed puppet ministries or Kids in Missions at Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle. I mean personally I hate it. If you ask my Mom, she could probably tell you I rarely practiced my saxophone. I started playing it in 4th grade and played up until about 32 years ago when I started getting more involved in children's ministry. Maybe if I did practice, I could have become a famous Christian Jazz musician. Probably not! One of my magician friends Magic Vinny and I were invited to share at the Smithtown Christian School Chapel about ten years ago. Vinny wanted us to practice the magic tricks. Practice? I said to him "Why, we can do this without practicing?" Vinny proved me wrong and sure enough I realize we needed to work on the timing of each magic trick.

     Recently I have been thinking about 2 very famous people who discovered how practice makes perfect. The first is the greatest basketball player who ever lived, Michael Jordan. He is also responsible for breaking my heart and always beating the New York Knicks! Anyway, when Michael Jordan was a freshman in High School, he was cut from the basketball team . He decided instead of pouting he would instead start practicing and getting better. His practice made perfect after he was cut. It didn't weigh him down! He worked very hard to improve himself and he would later win a National Championship in College and 6 NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls.

     The second famous person is none other than Walt Disney. in 1919, Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper staff and was told he was not "creative enough"...seriously? Walt Disney decided he wanted to get better and he worked on so many ideas through the years. In 1955 he opened Disneyland in California and in 1971 he opened Walt Disneyworld. The Disney name is famous all over the world. His practice also made for perfection!

     As I begin developing my new ideas for my new ministry as well as my hopes to go into libraries using ventriloquism and magic, I realize that the only way I will get better is if I practice. I have set time aside to do just that to see where I can improve. Many athletes, performers, dancers, magicians, singers and musicians will always tell you that they want to work on their weaknesses so that they can improve and get better. The only way we can get better is if we......PRACTICE!

 

SEE YOU ALL NEXT WEEK!    

WHAT WILL LIFE BE LIKE 50 YEARS FROM NOW??

     I recently had a discussion with a friend and we started thinking a lot about how life would be 50 years from now. I know, I do think of bizarre things! In 50 years from now it will be the year 2069. Unless Jesus returns or God allows me to live till I am 105, I doubt very much I will be here. It's scary to think that my oldest son will be 76 and my youngest daughter will be 63. I really do wonder what life will be like?

 

     You begin to think about what transportation will be like. Will we be in flying saucers like the Jetson's? Will the good ole Belt Parkway be in the sky and maybe just maybe there will be no traffic? Will we have robots working at fast food restaurants taking orders? Will we be taking trips to Mars like in the movie "Total Recall"? What about housing? Will we live in caves or luxurious homes that are high in the sky? What about IPhones? Will they be real small? How about hair styles and clothing? Will men have long hair, crew cuts or maybe the mullet will be back! I certainly hope not!

 

     In 2069 the New York Mets will be celebrating their 100 year anniversary of their first World Championship. Hopefully in my lifetime I'll get to see more championships from the Mets, Giants and Rangers! I just hope sports will not be decided by robots playing but real human beings!

 

     All I know is one thing will never change and that is Jesus! The bible tells us in  Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever." He was the same when I was born, when I was in high school, when I was a Bible College student and today while I was working. Although hair styles, clothing and culture may change, He never changes, Praise God!

IDEAS

     I love thinking of new ideas. As a children's pastor and now developing "The Puppet Guy", I am having a lot of fun trying to think of new ideas and new ways of reaching children and families through magic and puppetry. I am also looking to not only go into churches, but libraries as well with these creative methods. Through the years, I have had many great ideas, but I have also had some total bombs. Let me share!

 

     One of my greatest ideas I ever had, and I'm not saying it in a prideful way is developing Kids in Missions. This was a program God placed on my heart in 1995 after gong to Mexico with our Youth Group in 1994. I was looking to develop this program for preteen aged kids and teach them about missions by "doing missions." My idea was to teach them a class all on missions topics, then teach them how to minister by way of puppetry and drama. The only problem was I could not find a curriculum to teach these kids. It was then I decided to use my college textbook "Introduction to Global Missions" as a guide. In the fall of 1995 I sent letters out to many of our preteen aged kids expecting maybe 7 or so to sign up. On our first day of classes which was January 14, 1996, as I walked down the hallway to open up the classroom to begin the class, I had 18 kids ready to start learning about missions. The original name was Kids Mission Bridge which I had to change 2 years later. All I can say is this idea I had and started developing exploded. For 17 years I had hundreds of kids take this class, they all attended outreaches with me and various local churches in NY and NJ. While I acted as the emcee leading the outreach by doing my ventriloquism and gospel illusions, the kids would perform various dramas and do puppet songs. We did 4 summer missions trips. 2 to Friend, Nebraska one to Toccoa, Georgia and also to the country of Belize. I was also able to sell my curriculum on my website and share about it at conventions. It was a great idea that God put on my heart and I give him the glory for it. Truthfully, I miss doing it with the kids. We have more memories I believe as we traveled in the church shuttle!

 

    Now for a bad idea. This one I thought would work. My heart was to turn Smithtown, NY upside down with the gospel. I just returned from a Children's Pastors Conference and attended a workshop called K.I.D.S. an acronym for Kids in Denver Saturday. The couple who taught the workshop shared with the class how they had thousands of kids come to their church on a Saturday morning and they would do an entire program for the kids that included puppets, gospel illusions, crafts, games and snacks. I was hooked. I came back from that conference determined to make this idea work. I immediately signed the entire Fellowship Center out for 4 dates (September & November 1995, January & March 1996). I called it "Super Saturday." Other pastors and leaders were upset I had that area signed up but I was convinced this idea would work. There were some challenges! I didn't have my workers on board with me and secondly it seemed as though the kids & parents were also not on board. I was still convinced this idea would explode to the point that we would need to rent out the Smithtown Movie Theater on Main Street. The first event went well but I honestly did not need the entire Fellowship Center, I was convinced this idea would work so I started giving out door prize tickets for the second event we did that November. Again, it did go well but my biggest problem was I had no help. November was a challenging month because of Thanksgiving. A lot of my workers bailed out on me and I ended up being a one man show. I even had one worker say to me "Is this really worth the effort, Pastor Dave? Families are busy in Saturdays!" That was my wake up call and I decided to shelve my "Super Saturday" idea and put it to rest.

 

     Fast forward to 2019, I am having a lot of fun trying to think of new, creative ideas in my new "Puppet Guy" ventures. I will admit I do get ideas at the craziest times and places...driving in my car, at the gym, waking up at 3 a.m. and even at Chick Fil-A. My rule of thumb has always been there are no dumb ideas. You need to try it out and "test drive" it to see if it works. I am looking forward in seeing what God has in store for me as I "test drive" these new ideas!