I SHOULD HAVE NEVER READ THE COMMENTS BELOW!

     On a rare, non busy night, I had a few moments to look at videos on YouTube. I find YouTube extremely fascinating. Whoever invented it is a genius. There are videos posted about everything. Talking parrots, car crashes and old TV shows. Being involved in children's ministry for well over 34 years, I started looking at old characters that were popular when I was a children's pastor. Three in particular were Psalty the Singing Songbook, Bibleman and VeggieTales.

         I always appreciated how the Body of Christ would work so hard and find creative ways to reach children with not only the gospel, but with solid bible lessons. The creators of these video series truthfully helped all children's pastors and directors in those times when we needed to show a video and have a "break" from our normal lessons. I am not saying that we should show videos every week, what I am saying is it was a nice treat every once in a while to show a Bibleman, Psalty or VeggieTales video.

     After watching these videos a few weeks ago and reminiscing, I decided to read the comments below. Wow, I wish I didn't. What I read truthfully broke my heart. Don't get me wrong, there were some nice comments, but there were a lot of nasty ones. Two groups in particular ripped apart these videos. The atheists and the young adults who grew up in church but left. Let's start with the atheists. In case you don't know, an atheist believes that God does not exist. Many of the atheist comments were saying things like "Watching this video proves God is dead...to...Anyone who watches this %$@# is brainwashed to believe God is real." My response is simple. If an atheist is taking the time to watch the video and taking the time to write a comment, they must be searching for God because they try so hard to prove he's dead. Right? So maybe just maybe these kid videos are truthfully speaking to them!

     My heart also broke when I read comments by some young adults who either grew up in church or had a relative who was a Christian. Many of their comments would say things like..."When I visited my Grandma she told me the Power Rangers were evil and made me sit and watch Bibleman. I had to sit and watch that &@#!$% every time I was at her house. I hated it." Another comment said... "My parents forced me to watch VeggieTales and Psalty. I was not allowed to watch any TV shows, only this Christian #$!#$. It was the most boring kid shows ever created. I wish it never existed."

     Wow! After reading those comments, it motivated me so much to do a few things. One...pray for all atheists that God would reveal himself to them. Two....to pray for those kids who grew up in church that they would have a desire to want to know God as a young adult and never lose any desire to know him more. And lastly...three...there are truthfully no Bibleman characters and no Psalty's. VeggieTales is still around but is now owned by a different company, not the original creator Phil Vischer. I had the privilege of meeting the creator of Psalty the Singing Songbook, Ernie Rettino as he was at my church 3 times. He is an extremely creative man with loads of talent. I also got to meet both Bibleman characters, actor Willie Aames in 1998 as he was at my church as well one time and the second Bibleman, Pastor Robert T. Schlipp. I am motivated to want to create a new character for the kids of today. I don't know the who, what, why, where or how. All I know is there is a huge need. Keep me in prayer for this!

           I will not be blogging until March 4th as I am taking time this week to spend in prayer and fasting as well. See you until then my friends!! 

FORGIVENESS

     During these past few weeks, I have been thinking a lot about forgiveness. Last fall, I shared my story with you all about how I was dismissed from my previous church almost 6 years ago. For quite some time, I have been in prayer asking God to help me to forgive those who hurt me from my previous church. To sit here and tell you it has been easy would be a lie. God has directed me to not only pray for forgiveness for them, but to pray for them. Boy, that has been hard. But, I have been doing it.
     We have all had to forgive at least once, twice or maybe one hundred times in our lifetime. I remember being a kid, getting picked on by other kids, even one kid punched me in the face. I remember thinking about ways to get even with them. Yet...I could never get even. However, I will admit that I did hold a grudge for many years against these kids. some of them were even in my neighborhood. If you think about it, holding a grudge does not help you in any way, shape or form. It plays with your head, affects you physically and is a total waste of time. The same goes when we have un-forgiveness. It plays in our heads majorly, it does affect us physically and what I have noticed in the past 6years is simple...it has been a waste of time.
           On October 2, 2006, our world was taught a valuable lesson on forgiveness. Five innocent lives were taken because of a schoolhouse shooting that occurred at the West Nickel Mines School, an Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County, PA. The Gunman was Charles Carl Roberts. He shot eight out of ten girls (aged 6–13), killing five, before committing suicide in the schoolhouse. The emphasis on forgiveness and reconciliation in the Amish community's response was widely discussed in the national media for many months. Even years after that horrible incident, we are still in awe of how the Amish community had a heart of forgiveness.
     Another lesson on forgiveness took place well over two thousand years ago. Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, in order for our sins to be forgiven was nailed to a cross made out of wood. Even before they nailed his body to the cross, Jesus was whipped, slapped, beaten, they pulled on his beard and placed a crown of thorns on his head. As Jesus was on the cross experiencing excruciating pain from the nails in his hands and feet, Jesus cries out, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." If Jesus can forgive, then surely I can.
     Mark 11:25 says - And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.      

'HERE, MINISTER WITH THIS BROOM!"

     It was 1982. I had just graduated High School and was spending my Saturday night hanging out at the Servants Quarters Coffeehouse, a coffeehouse my church, Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle had hosted for many years for the College and Career age group. The coffeehouse was a place I loved spending time at as a teen. Our group met at the school cafeteria and not only did we enjoy food and fellowship with one another, we enjoyed musical talent that came to us each week as well as the Word of God being shared. The Coffeehouse ran from 8 p.m. to midnight. The set up took some time as we had to make a school cafeteria look like a coffeehouse. The fun part of every meeting was the cleanup. Well...not exactly fun but it was hard work. At that point of my life, I knew I had a calling on my life for full time ministry and had already decided to attend Northeastern Bible College in New Jersey. Yet that night, I didn't realize I was about to learn a life lesson. As we were all busy moving tables and chairs and carrying them into a storage closet, as I walked out of the storage area, Keith, one of the other workers handed me a push broom and said," Here, minister with this broom." My first reaction was "How dare you ask me to sweep the floor! Who do you think you are talking to? There are many others who can sweep a lousy floor! Why ask me? I want to be a missionary!" As an eighteen year old, I never connected ministry as "sweeping a floor." Ministry to me was preaching, singing, sharing your faith with others and serving as a missionary in some foreign country. Definitely NOT sweeping a floor.

    That fall I entered Bible College and needed to find a job, preferably on campus. I was offered a job my Freshman year I the housekeeping department cleaning toilets and yes, sweeping floors. It was a job I had for the entire year. I can't tell you I exactly enjoyed it. IT WAS A JOB! I was very annoyed if anyone (an NBC staff member) complained that they didn't think the bathrooms were clean enough. I did try my best. One thing I did learn was that sweeping the floor, vacuuming, cleaning a bathroom or moving tables and chairs into a storage area are just as important as preaching or teaching when it comes to ministry. I learned that every church has a "Secret Christian." No, not a Christian who keeps Jesus a secret. A Christian who serves God and is not looking for credit or recognition. A Christian who is willing to sweep a floor and minister with a broom. Think about other "Secret Christian" roles we can play in church. The person who runs the sound, a nursery worker, those who set up coffee in the morning at church, those who volunteer by vacuuming, planting flowers or setting up the food pantry. Colossians 3:17 tells us

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." What we do, whatever it is, it is for the Lord. We might be called to preach, be a teacher, sweep a floor, hold a baby in the nursery, work a puppet, clean windows at your church or even drive a van full of kids to a camp. I remember being told to always be faithful in the little things. Because of that advice, I always made sure I gave 100% whether I was preaching to kids or sweeping a floor after an event. 

     So, in 2019, a day after Super Bowl Sunday, lets "Minister with that broom!" Its All for Him!!

Until next time!!