2022 HERE WE COME!

      This is NOT one of those "2022 is going to be amazing" blogs. It's so common to look at a brand new year and say "Hey, it's a brand new start. Things are going to be different this year etc. etc." I recently heard on TV people asking each other "What is your New Year's resolution this year?" Some people want to lose weight, get in shape, treat others with respect or maybe spend more time in prayer. The New Year is always an opportunity to start over, make things right in your life and look for new opportunities for changes in our lives. Let's be honest. 2022 will be a great year as long as we approach the new year with a positive attitude. The sun will rise on January 1, 2022 and it will set on December 31, 2022. What happens in between is up to us. We can have a great attitude and look at the positives in life. Or, we can have a lousy attitude and only look at what is going wrong. I have decided I want to remain positive. I'm going to put God first and continue to be a "light in the darkness" wherever I am. I want to make it a point in this New Year to tell people how much God loves them. To let then know there is a heaven to gain as long as you accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior. 

     So, how about it? Let's make 2022 a great year. Let's pray that it's NOT 2020 II BUT 2022!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!

       

NO ROOM!

 

     It's December 26th. Christmas 2021 is over officially but I realize some families will be celebrating it throughout the week. Kids are playing with their Christmas gifts, Dad's are probably still putting toys together and families are eating some of the yummy leftovers from Christmas dinner. I hope everyone enjoyed your day and time spent with your families!

     There is one part of the Christmas story that has always intrigued me. When Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem with Mary very pregnant sitting on a donkey, they need a place to stay. They approach and Inn and ask the Innkeeper if they can have a room.The Innkeeper looks at them and tells them "We have no room!" So Mary and Joseph have to settle for a stable and we know the rest of the story. Jesus is born in a stable and his tiny body is placed in a manger, the very place where animals eat their food out of. Our savior is born! We celebrate Christmas for that reason and that reason alone! 

     Imagine being that Innkeeper after he died and facing his creator? I can't imagine the guilt he must have felt. Here are the parents of the Son of God and he refuses to give them lodging. Maybe there really was no room? Maybe their were other reservations that were made and Joseph and Mary never made them ahead of time. Yes, I realize they couldn't call ahead for reservations or go on Hotels.com and reserve a room for themselves and parking for their donkey. But to say "We have no room" reminds me a lot of the world we live in here in 2021 ans even many years before.

     Our world told God "We have no room" in the 1960's when they took prayer out of schools. Before June 1962, every student in America would say a short prayer. It was taken away and removed and has not returned! Slowly we are seeing God being taken away from our country. There has been a fight about taking the phrase "In God we trust" off of our coins. Our Government no longer puts God first and in my opinion it would love to see churches shut down. They are telling God "Sorry, but we don't have any more room for you here". Let's face it friends. We need God more NOW than ever before. 

     My conclusion is simple. We need to make room for God. We need to let our world know there is a God who loves us more than anything. He is bigger than Covid-19 or any sickness that can ever be thrown at us. It's time we make room for God and if you're a Christian, it's time we continue to go and support our local churches and continue to pray for our pastors. It is time friends to make room for God. Don't shut him out. Make room in your heart for Him!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!!          

PRAYER

   

     2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

     I have read this verse a thousand times. I have used during a devotional before I have had the privilege of leading a Prayer Meetings. I have heard a few sermons preached on it. Go back now and read it over at least three more times. I believe this is the key to what Christianity is all about. Prayer! 

     These past few weeks, the Lord has been working on my heart. Of course I know He does all the time but this last few weeks has been different. He really convicted me about prayer!. Every morning I have my routine. I set 3 alarm clocks. My Google Home, my cell phone and my digital clock I put across my room. I usually wake up at 5:15 a.m. My routine is normally I'll go downstairs and make coffee and a bowl of cereal then after eating I'll grab my One Year Bible and try to stay on track by reading each day. Then I'll read my devotional book "Daily in Christ" by Neil T. Anderson. Then I spend time in prayer. At this point I'll look at my clock to see what time it is and how much time I have n prayer. Some days I have plenty but to be brutally honest most days it's a very quick prayer. I'll then shower, put on my Chick Fill-A uniform and do my best to get there by 7 a.m. to set up the restaurant for the day. As many of you may know, I do love to exercise. I go for walks, ride my bike, occasionally go the gym and lift weights among other things. I want to lose some weight and I try to stay in shape. It's a challenge. I felt very convicted by the Lord one night while I was walking. He said "You spend so much time trying to stay n shape. What about spending more time with me in prayer?' His voice in my heart was not mean, nasty or degrading. It was soft yet firm. It was direct and to the point. I felt challenged and realized I needed to make some changes. Needless to say God got my attention. More so this past Tuesday. If you also know me well you know I have had back issues for years. Last Tuesday I woke up in a lot of pain. The pain was on my spine area. I went to work but was sent home early around noon because of my pain. I'm a trooper and would have worked at least 7 hours of my 9 hour shift but my leaders were worried about me so I went home. The next day I went to Urgent Care and after my examination the Doctor told me I should go see an orthopedist. Needless to say God has my attention. I can't exercise for a while but I can do one thing. Pray! I am off until Saturday and I am spending my 2 days off in prayer. I realize since I'm not supposed to be lifting heavy things,I might need to reduce my hours at Chick Fil-A or find another line of work. Stay tuned! 

    Prayer is so important but why do Christians ignore it and not take advantage of it. It's talking to God! Can you imagine what would happen if we really prayed I mean really prayed? If we all really agreed together in prayer for our world, our nation and our neighborhoods and communities? If we really prayed for our churches, our pastors and fellow congregants? Maybe the world would be a better place? I have noticed one thing these past 8 years. The Prayer Meetings in churches are a thing of the past. Whatever happened to Wednesday night prayer meetings or early morning prayer? I realize the world is a different place and we are all busy but read the verse I posted above one more time. We need to humble ourselves, pray, seek his face and turn from our wicked ways. It needs to start NOW ladies and gentlemen! The scripture goes further. Then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. This coming Sunday, ask your pastor "What is your vision for prayer in your church, Pastor?" I would love to know what the responses are. Sure, if you advertise and potluck dinner, hundreds of people attend. If you advertise a Prayer Meeting you will have the die hard's show up ready to pray. But most of the time it's only a few people. Friends, we need to start praying and start praying real hard. We can't take this lightly. If you ever watched the movie "War Room" you saw the main character develop a strategy for prayer that changed her life and restored her marriage. What is our strategy? Are we really taking the time to spend time alone with God? I was going to blog that we should start really praying hard in 2022 but I am changing that. It needs to start today and it needs to start now. Pray for our world, our nation, our communities, our families, our pastors and our children! Let's begin now!!!             

 

A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER

      I rarely get the opportunity to blog lately. Work has been insanely busy due to the fact that no one wants to work but a lot of people want to eat chicken sandwiches!! Go figure!

     It's December 10, 2021 at 9:26 a.m. as I get to sit and blog. It's December! So hard to believe! in 15 days we celebrate Christmas Day. We all have our traditions and we all look forward to spending time with family. As a kid, Christmas had two meanings for me. There was the "religious" part. I put religious in quotes because truthfully I was following a religion without realizing I could have an amazing relationship with my savior! The religious part was going to Catholic mass on Christmas Eve. I'm not sure how long the service was but it felt like it was four hours. I can't tell you anything the priest said but I did occupy my time counting the lights in the church and looking at the stained glass and statues in the building. My creative mind went to town during that service.  

     I knew Christmas was the celebration of the birth of Christ but what always confused me was what the second meaning was to me. There was Santa Claus, presents, stockings, Frosty the Snowman, Christmas trees, house decorated with lights and shopping malls packed with people buying gifts, It seems as though someone had a brilliant idea that money can be made during this holiday season. It also seems as though our world has pushed the Birthday of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and has replaced it with everything else. Please don't get me wrong! I realize all of the Christmas festivities are loads of fun.What bothers me is that we have pushed aside the real meaning of the season and refuse to honor the guest of honor ... JESUS! People get offended if you say "Merry Christmas", we call a Christmas Tree a Holiday Tree and you hear less Christmas songs on the radio that refer to the birth of Christ and more about Grandma getting run over by a reindeer! Our world is pushing God away from everything and every situation. As a result, look at the condition out world is in!! I often wonder how an atheist or an agnostic celebrates Christmas? I guess in their eyes it's just another Saturday!

     My challenge to all of us is to make this a December to Remember by remembering the real reason we celebrate Christmas! So with all that said ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!! 

       

      

LET'S BE THANKFUL

 

   

     It's great getting back to what I love to do...Blogging!

As we all know, Thanksgiving Day is coming this Thursday. I always feel that Thanksgiving Day is the "Rodney Dangerfield" of holidays. It gets no respect! I remember last year when I worked at Home Depot. The day after Halloween, November 1st, all of the Christmas decorations were put out and there was no trace of anything for Thanksgiving. Christmas commercials this past year have been on TV on every channel and of course, The Hallmark Channel has been showing Christmas movies 24/7. So why do we all feel that Thanksgiving is being skipped over? Why can't we all be thankful for what we have and for how God has blessed us?

     In 1994, I went on a week long Missions trip to Mexico City. It was my first ever trip and only trip to a third world country. I saw poverty at it's worst. Some peoples homes had holes in their roof. The streets were all dirt roads. I had to use the bathroom while we were doing kids ministry and when I went into their bathroom it was literally a hole in the ground. The kids we ministered to lived right by a garbage dump. The smell was horrible. When I returned to New York after this trip I discovered how selfish I was. I complained when I had no hot water, when my car didn't work and even complained about my living arrangements. I learned to be thankful for everything God gave me. Each morning to this very day, I would thank God for giving me air to breathe, that there was a roof over my head, that I have food to eat, a job and a car to get around in.I learned to be thankful! I would like to encourage you to not only be thankful on Thursday, November 25th, but all the 364 other days of the year. Let's be thankful!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!! 

     

OCTOBER

     At first I wasn't planning on writing a blog this week or for some time. This has been a tough season for me in my life. I decided to go for it in spite of my frustrations. It's not going to be a long blog but as always, it's me sharing and bearing my heart!

     Historically, October has not been a good month for me. It really started in 1992 when I started doing a huge festival at my church on Halloween that we called the Fall Fun Fest. Our goal was to make it an alternate to Halloween and allow kids to come to our church in a safe environment. We had castle bounces, face painting, carnival games, we gave away free candy and door prizes. We also sold food and had a Bible character costume contest. That always made me laugh because I never knew Scooby Doo was in the bible! There are many churchgoers who did not agree with us hosting this event. "Why are you recognizing a Satanic holy day? Halloween should not even be celebrated by Christians!" The complaints never stopped! We simply told these folks we were just trying to create a safe environment for kids and what better place than our own church property. Yes, I do agree it is a Satanic holiday. If you did the research you would see that it's true. Running that event was a challenge. I can't begin to tell you the attacks I had from the enemy on me, my family and my marriage. It was endless. My kids got sick some years, and other years the town made is take our signs down promoting the event. One year our sign was stolen. In my heart, I could just sense the evil that surrounded that month and what lead up to October 31st. Many years ago, The head of the Satanic Church moved to Long Island and planted Satanic Churches. That's disgusting but true. I ran the Fall Fun Fest from 1992 to 2011. I always had a sigh of relief when it was over but I always had joy in my heart knowing that lives were touched and parents and kids were happy.

     This October has been a rough one as I said. As I share this, please know I am not looking for sympathy nor am I crying the "Poor me's." I am heartbroken. I found out via an email that my ex wife and 4 kids are moving to Florida. I don't want to get into the legalities of it all. It's a reality. And ironically, you guessed it. they are moving on October 31st. All I can say is that for the past 7 weeks since I have heard this I have been extremely sad, hurt, speechless and discouraged. Some days after waking up I don't even want to get out of bed or go to work. I have been forcing myself to keep busy knowing that this is reality. Trying to pray is hard but I force myself to pray. I do feel like I'm in an episode of the Twilight Zone. I'm going to miss my kids A LOT! My only hope before they leave is to be able to meet with my two older kids who still do not speak to me. 

     On November 1st things will be different. I realize that. It's time for me to focus on myself. I have some huge decisions to make. One big decision is getting out of New York. I was only here because of my kids. Although I do like the church I attend, I'm not on staff with them. I know I can get a job at any Chick Fil-a or Home Depot. My goal is by next spring. I don't know where yet but I do believe my time here in NY is coming to a close. In spite of all that I am going through, I do have a peace. Like I told one of my dear friends."If I didn't know the Lord,I would probably be a resident at Pilgrim State!" I know God is on my side.I appreciate family and friends who support me. My dear Mom is my biggest cheerleader!

  I will not be blogging for the next month and I will be taking a break from social media for a while. I might post the costume I am wearing at Chick Fil-a on October 30th to work but that's it. I need a break and  need to focus on me. Thank you all for reading and I will blog again mid November!   

CHATHAM, NEW JERSEY

     The first nine years three months and thirteen days of my life were spent living in an amazing town named Chatham, New Jersey. I have so many great memories with my family growing up in Chatham. To say that I was upset about moving to Long Island is an understatement. I know I can also speak for my siblings as well. June 1, 1973 was the day the moving truck pulled away from our house at North Hillside Avenue and the day life as a New Yorker started for me. The transition was rough for me as a nine year old but maybe I'll blog about that some other time. 

     

     Every once in a while I always like to return to Chatham to walk around the town and reminisce. Chatham is located in northern New Jersey. Whenever I spoke at the Sunday school seminar in Hawthorne, NJ several years ago I would try to make my way to Chatham to see our old house, walk around the park that was across the street from our house and see my old grade school. This past March I spent an entire day walking around my old neighborhood and spending time prayer walking, reminiscing and clearing my head. Last July when I was in Pennsylvania celebrating my Mom's birthday, my brother told me he was driving my Mom to NJ for her high school reunion in September. He wanted to walk around Chatham. My brother also makes a point of visiting our hometown when he can. The date was September 18th, a Saturday. I took the day off and met my brother behind the library and at the old park. We had an amazing day walking around town, trying to figure out where some of our friends lived, walking around our old grade school Milton Avenue and sitting in the park and talking. We even ran into an old neighbor who still lives on our block after all these years. Chatham has always held a special place in my heart. It's my hometown. It's where life started for me. In 2016, my brother and I were able to see our old house. The present owners allowed us to have a tour. You have no idea how many memories flooded my mind as I walked from room to room. Growing up in Chatham, I have great memories of riding my bike all over town, playing with my friends in the park, playing hockey in our driveway, walking to school, walking home for lunch, walking back to school then walking home! Swimming in the "Park Pool", the 4th of July parade and listening to the Morristown Militia are other great memories I have as well as many others. We had family meals, we celebrated Christmas and I still remember running into the living room Christmas morning seeing all the gifts. The one thing I have always had no matter where I live is a family who loves me and we all get along amazingly! 

 

     I'm sure I will never live in Chatham, NJ ever again. It has become a "Yuppie" town. The sights, the sounds and "smells" (The Pizza Parlor) will always be something I will remember. Sometimes in life it's nice to look back and remember your roots. Just remembering where life began for all of us. In looking back,I have been looking forward a lot lately. I believe 2022 is going to be a great year for me. Personally I do have a lot of decisions to make. Regardless of that it was nice to look back,spend a day with my brother and to see the person I have become. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I didn't move to Long Island. What would my life look like if I stayed in Chatham. I know my kids would have never been born and I don't think I would have served at Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle as a Pastor. God had a plan for my life and it's my goal every single day to follow His will even though sometimes I might not understand it. Thank you Chatham, NJ. You will always have a special place in my heart.

     

"STAY CONNECTED TO GOD!"

      I was blessed 2 weeks ago! A Spanish church in Farmingville, NY blessed me by GIVING me a sound system! I had asked to borrow it for my Saturday ministry in Ocean Grove, NJ and the Pastor of the church Reuben Cruzate told me "It's yours to keep!" He asked me to come to his church on September 12th to do a program for the church family. On September 11th, I texted asking him if it was still on and I didn't hear from him until late that night that when he texted "Yes, we would like you to come and minister."  I will be brutally honest and tell you all that I felt very empty! With A LOT of personal issues, stitches on my thumb and just being so tired from working, that night I felt like I had nothing to give that wonderful church family. I thought "Maybe if I sleep it off, I'll feel much better in the morning. 

   I open our Chick Fil-A every morning (except Sunday of course) so my body is used to waking up at 5:15 a.m.n that Sunday sure enough I woke up at 5:15 a.m. I tossed and turned for 3 hours and something happened to me that I have not experienced in quite a while. God spoke very strong to my heart! Let me explain that I am not the kind of guy who believes God speaks to me every day or tells you "Eat that Cheeseburger" or "Go over to that man and tell him..." NO! But that morning it was different. I heard God speak to my heart by saying "Stay connected to God." That was all. I heard it over and over and over. All morning I heard his voice. It was not audible but it was in my heart. That emptiness was still there however. I went into the room where I have all my children's ministry supplies and puppets. I prayed "God, what am I supposed to do today for this church? I don't feel anything! I grabbed Grandpa Lou and Shelton the Shark then I realized I need some teaching materials. So I quickly grabbed my Stiff Rope trick and my Holy Bible trick. I was ready but truthfully I still felt empty yet I did still God's still small voice telling me "Stay connected to God." I tried praying and I cried out to God saying "Lord, I need your power right now! I feel empty. I am trying to stay connected to you. I need your help Lord!!" Still nothing! 

     I loaded my car with my stuff and prayed the whole way to the church.It's a little storefront church in Farmingville, NY about 10 minutes from where I live. The church is very narrow with folding chairs and a small platform. I walked in, left my stuff by the door, greeted the pastor and his wife and sat in the back. I prayed "Lord, I still feel very empty. My spiritual gas tank feels like it's on "E." I need a word for these people Lord!" It was then and there that I felt God's presence and heard his still small voice tell me "Tell them they all need to stay connected to me." 75% of the service was in Spanish  and if you know me well you know I don't speak Spanish. The Pastor shared for a bit they had an awesome time of worship all in Spanish. it was my turn. All I can say I felt God's presence so strong and although there were 5 kids siting on the floor in front of me while I was on the platform, my message was really for the adults who were there! They loved the program I did! I was glad! God was doing all the work. It certainly wasn't me!

     We need to stay connected to God! Our world is spiraling out of control! Our Government, our society, our families and the Body of Christ! We all need to stay connected to God. I have felt a lot of sadness in my own personal life. Things I don't want to get into. There are only a few things in my life I am happy about. One of them is my relationship with Jesus Christ. Without Him I can do nothing! Absolutely nothing! Let's stay connected to Him!

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE

     

     This past week has been a tough one. Last Sunday I received an email that will change a lot of things in my life. Let me stress to you all a few things. First, I am okay and I'm healthy. Except for an accident I had at work with my thumb getting in the way of a sharp box cutter I'm doing well physically. I have 4 stitches that will remain for another week. It's never a dull moment! I don't want to share exactly what was in the email I received. I'm not looking to spread my "laundry" on every blog I write. I have seen one thing these last 8 years. You know who your real friends are when you go through tough seasons in your life. I have noticed people who say they will pray for you many times don't.  They just want to know the latest gossip in your life. I don't want sympathy. I need prayer. I need to know what God's will is for my life. 

     I am not going to lie. I am hurting. After reading the email I received I was numb. I still feel numb. One day I will disclose to you all what was in the contents but right now is not the best time. One thing I have learned since my resignation from Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle has always been to put God first and keep my eyes on Him! It reminds me of a story in 2 Chronicles 20 about King Jehoshaphat. He had 3 armies coming against him and he prayed a simple prayer by saying to God "I don't know what to do but my eyes are on you." God spoke to him and told him that this battle he was facing was not his but God's. Jehoshaphat then had all the people begin to worship God and they were able to defeat their enemy. The opposing army even started destroying each other. 

     I could ramble on and on about the situations I have faced these last few years. In closing I will say that in spite of frustrations and disappointments, I will never give up on God. He has never give up on me! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO BUT MY EYES ARE ON HIM!!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!!      

SITCOMS

 

          Last week I watched a documentary on the History of the Sitcom. They started the documentary with sitcoms that started in the 1950"s like "I Love Lucy", "Father Knows Best" and "Ozzie and Harriet." These shows were wholesome and pure and gave us all the impression that everybody was respectful to each other. Kids said "please and thank you" to adults and they respected their elders. Many said during the documentary that it was very plastic and it did not show what life was really like in the 1950's. Television knew it needed to change and as the 1960's approached changes would be made. Silly shows like "Gilligan's Island" and "Green Acres" appeared on family TV screens as well as family themed shows like "My Three Son's" and "Leave it to Beaver," Then the 1970's began and television really I mean really made changes. A show called "All in the Family" made it's debut on CBS and became the number one show in America. The days of respecting your parents and respecting race , color, creed and other religions went out the door. Other shows promoting violence, sex and more sex hit our airwaves and television screens each week. There were fun shows that in my opinion made absolutely no sense like "Happy Days" (it started out about life in the 1950"s but ended up having nothing to do with the 1950's). I can go on and on about sitcoms in the 80's and 90's but I won't.The point I wanted to make was how much sitcom's have changed from the 1950's to the 2020's.I was appalled when this documentary showed a scene from a sitcom that is now on live stream. It showed a daughter and her Mom driving in a car. The Mom was in the driver seat and the daughter who was probably 17 was in the passenger seat. During their dialogue, the daughter and her Mom had a very bickering discussion and the scene ended with the daughter telling her Mom "How will I ever make it in this world if I don't get high or if I don't get laid?" Seriously? This is comedy? This is a situation comedy we would be watching with our kids? That was supposed to be funny? Call me old fashioned and that's okay. I would rather sit down with my kids and watch a classic TV sitcom from the 1950's or 1960's any day. In my opinion that's when television was really television and sitcom's were sitcom's. This generation of sitcom's is for the birds!! That's just my opinion and I am sticking to it!

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!!           

THE FUTURE

     I realize my blogs have been far & few between! I have been working so much that I forget what day it is sometimes! I did take today off to catch up on a few things as well as sleep which I don't get much of. My body is so used to waking up at 5 a.m. that even on my day off I still woke up at 5 a.m. and then went back to sleep! I also realize I have been blogging a lot of things about my past. It has been good therapy for me I must say. It has helped me heal as well as given me a chance to do a lot of soul searching. I realize that I can't ever redo any part of my past. What has been done is over and done with. For example, what ever transpired in my life on July 22, 1989 is past history. It's time to look ahead. It's time to reflect on the future!

     If you think back to where you were 10 years ago, did you ever think you would be where are? I do  remember August 4, 2011. I was on a Mission Trip in Friend, Nebraska helping a church run a Vacation Bible School. Being there was very peaceful and quiet. If you told me "In 10 years, you are going to be a manager of a Chick Fil-A in Commack living by yourself and no longer in full time ministry" I would have said you were nuts and needed to check into Pilgrim State! I was in the prime of my ministry career! I thought I was going to be in ministry forever! God had other plans. Last week I went for my daily Prayer walk around my neighborhood. It is a little over a mile where I pray for myself, my future, my children and my family. As I was in my last 3/10th of a mile one night, I asked God what was in store for my future. I began to feel an excitement I had not experienced for quite some time. God spoke to my heart about writing. I'm sure you can tell from my blogging that I love to write. It is something I have been doing since I was in third grade. I am looking in the next few months of doing a study on forgiveness and then working on an idea for a book. I have been on an eight year journey of learning how to forgive and my goal is to put it in writing!

     Our future can only be as bright as we can make it. We have a choice. We can either take up space on a couch, be lazy and waste away. Or, we can make things happen, work real hard, have fun and make a difference in this crazy world we live in. I want to choose the latter. I know God has a plan for my life but I also know I have to do my part and not allow the enemy to try to steal my joy. The bible tells us in Nehemiah 8:10 - "The joy of the Lord is my strength". Our future can only be bright as long as we put Jesus first!!

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!!         

20 YEARS OF GRANDPA LOU!!

      I realize that not all of you who have known me for years may not know the Dave who is a puppeteer and ventriloquist. Maybe you have seen pictures on Facebook of me and wondered "Why in the world is this guy holding a puppet and how did this all get started?" You all know I served as a Children's Pastor and I have recently been trying to start a ministry as "The Puppet Guy." It all started as a total accident and it was never my intent whatsoever. Pull up a chair, sit back, relax and let me tell you how this journey started 37 years ago. 

     It was the fall of 1984 and I was in my 3rd year as a student at Northeastern Bible College. Every student was required for credit each semester to do something called "Christian Service." It could either be helping at a church youth group, teaching Sunday School or doing Evangelism Explosion. Everything I signed up to do was taken and I had to look at other options. One of my fellow students, Sandy Thomas approached me about joining a brand new Puppet Ministry that was just formed. Puppet Ministry?Me? I wanted to be a missionary, not some guy who worked with children! Back then I was not very fond of working with kids. I thought they were the most annoying creatures on the planet. I would soon discover I was totally wrong. God had other plans for me. Sandy told me, "Just do it for one semester and after that you will never have to do it again!" Boy, was she wrong! The only thing I knew about puppets was that Oscar the Grouch came out of a garbage can. That was it! My college (NBC) had just formed a new puppet ministry called "The New Life Puppeteers" and the plan was to travel to various churches in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. Each week we would practice our puppet skills. The director noticed I was pretty good at doing it and saw some leadership skills in me. He asked me to be the assistant director. I soon found out a few weeks later it meant I would be directing this group. Due to circumstances beyond my control, he bailed out on our group so I was left to lead our team. I had no clue what I was doing and we got through that Fall 1984 semester. We used rod arm puppets and all our music and scripts were on cassette tapes. I was asked to lead this puppet team in the Winter semester of 1985 as well. Little did I know it would eventually become my life calling.

     1985 was NOT a very good year for me. Let's just say that I took my focus off the Lord and I was headed down the wrong path. Thank God for a praying Mom! I had to leave Bible College abruptly in the Fall of 1985 due to health reasons. I believe God did this to get my attention and to lead me to my life's calling!. I was able to take a course at a local community college and received my Associates Degree at NBC in May 1986. 3 weeks after my graduation I had the privilege of going on a three month missions trip to England. While I was there hoping to begin my career as a missionary, God had other plans. The kids from our local neighborhood seemed to gravitate towards me. All of the guys from my team lived in a small townhouse or as the British would call it a "Flat." The kids would ask if the "American" would play Cricket with them. I was a kid magnet even in good ole England. That mission trip hanged my life and I returned home hoping to possibly return to the mission field with Operation Mobilization on one of their Mercy Ships. God had other plans! 

     In 1987, I wanted to get involved with my church. One of our pastors heard I had done puppet ministry and asked if I would be interested in 'Helping out." I said "Sure, let's see what it's about!" We did a few programs for our Children's Church and then it happened again. The director of the puppet ministry Ann was asked to be the Sunday School Superintendent so she asked me to direct this ministry. I felt like the Lord was leading me to do this so I said "Yes." It was then, after a series of events unfolded that I discovered that God was calling me to be a Children's Pastor. That's a whole other blog in the future! I started getting phone calls from other churches to come and do Kids programs. I called this Puppet Ministry "The Good News Gospel Theater." We used rod arm puppets and I wrote about 90% of the scripts. I needed a character to go out front with me. Someone from my church gave me a life size puppet they found in a closet. Although he was horrible looking, it was a start. I called him Barney Bagel (this was before the purple dinosaur was popular by the way.) I never tried doing ventriloquism and will admit my lips moved. The kids loved it although I will confess Barney Bagel was not exactly a nice looking puppet. a few years later after attending a Children's Pastor's Conference in Denver I bought a Donkey puppet with the hopes of bringing him out front. Denny the Donkey was born and he came out of an oat sack that I held with one hand. The word "Oats" was in front of his burlap sack. My lips also moved with  Denny and I had trouble getting the words out without moving my lips. Denny was a huge hit!

     In the late 1990's, I did a routine with Denny in front of my church. I was nervous because I was used to doing him in front of kids. Then it happened! After church that Sunday, a man from my church made fun of me. He thought he was being funny but I saw no humor in it. I felt like telling him "Why don't you go up there and do a routine in front of the church weisenheimer?!" I decided to put these characters away for a while and try to learn ventriloquism. I bought a Lion puppet I called Dandy Lion and tried doing ventriloquism with him but I couldn't get it right. The fall of 2000 was where things began to change in my heart. I asked the Lord to give me a new creative method to teach kids and my answer came in February 2001. I went to a Children's Pastors Conference in San Diego and would you know it but 3 of their speakers were Ventriloquists! Dennis Lee, Steve Taylor and Liz Von Seggen. One evening a got to speak with Steve Taylor and he gave me a VHS cassette on Ventriloquism. I believe it was God's way of telling me "It's time to get back to what you are good at!" After that conference I returned home and looked through an Axtell Expressions Catalog for a new puppet friend/ ventriloquist figure. What caught my eye was an old man puppet that they called Grandpa Floyd. After I ordered it and brought him home, I asked my kids what I should name him and they said "Grandpa Lou" after the Grandfather from the cartoon "Rugrats." I wanted time to practice and get this character down not jut by manipulating him but making sure the voice was consistent. I set the goal to premiere Grandpa Lou at Vacation Bible School. It was March 2001 and the first day of VBS was Monday, July 18, 2001. I had 4 months to practice. I practiced while I drove my van. I practiced in the shower, when I walked to work and when I took my dog for a walk. I will never forget the morning of July 18th. I was so so so nervous. What if it's a flop? What is I make a fool of myself? I wonder if their are churches looking for a Children's Pastor? Finally, it was my turn to go on. I nervously walked around the set with Grandpa Lou in our sanctuary and let's just say it was a huge huge success. So much so that my Senior Pastor asked me to do a routine on the Sunday morning after VBS was over! So it was 20 years ago this month where my ventriloquism journey began. Since then I have added Sonkist, Cry Baby, Shelton the Shark, Loudmouth, Buster the Basset Hound, Roscoe, Tiki the Toucan, Dennis Ball, Tony the Talking Pizza and Rocky among others. 

     So there it is. I haven't been able to blog as much since I work 6 days now so I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed going down "Memory Lane!"         

UNTIL NEXT TIME

 

I'M PROUD TO BE A CHRISTIAN!!

     I have been so busy that I have very little time to blog. Even though I'm down to one job I still come home very tired.I am grateful to be working!

     In February we celebrate Black History Month. I think it's in May we celebrate Women's History month and this past month we had Pride Month. Yet I have noticed one thing. We never have a month where we celebrate Christian Pride Month. I realize there is a good reason why. It should be celebrated every single day! I am not ashamed to say that I am very proud to be a Christian. As a quiet 13 year old, I made a decision to follow Jesus every single day of my life. It has not been easy and has had it's ups and downs. I have grown a lot in my teenage years and adult life. I have read through the bible many times and have prayed to God for many needs. I can honestly say He has never let me down. While many people are proud of their nationality, a sports team they follow, a lifestyle they live or a group they are in, I take pride in my walk with God. I am so proud to be a Christian. I know without a shadow of a doubt that if I die tomorrow, I am going to heaven. Not because of what  have done in ministry and not because I am a nice guy. I am going to heaven because I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and to come into my heart.I asked Him to be my forever friend. Jesus is my best friend and I am not ashamed to say that I love Him and want to serve Him. Some people might think I'm a Jesus Freak or out of my mind. I don't really care! I am proud to be a Christian!!         

 

A TALE OF 2 TIES

      Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there! Let me begin this log by giving a disclaimer. I am in no way looking for sympathy nor am I crying the "Poor Me's." I am merely expressing my heart as well as giving my opinion. If you have been praying for me, thank you! If I didn't know Jesus as my Savior and have great friends, I would have definitely been living at Pilgrim State or Bellview these last eight years. I appreciate it a whole lot. When you go through tough times, you always know who your true friends are! Thank you friends and family!

     Father's Day has been difficult for me since 1995. My father went to be with Jesus on Father's Day. I miss him! He had a great sense of humor just like mine. There are days I wish I could ask for his advice on things. Our family misses him dearly. Since then I have tried to celebrate that day with my kids and it has always been a struggle. Especially since 2013 when I resigned from Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle. I even spent one Father's Day 3 years ago in the ER with painful kidney stones. That certainly was not a fun day to remember. I have 4 kids as many of you know. After I went through my hell at SGT in 2013, my relationship with my 2 eldest kids went south unfortunately. Even writing about it hurts. I wish I could take a magic wand and heal it right away. There is a lot of hurt, anger and bitterness and I realize that takes time to heal. I really don't want to rehash the whole thing because quite frankly I am tired of rehashing my last 3 months at SGT. It hurts! It hurts me that only one leader there has reached out to me in 8 years. That hurts. I guess I should never expect that. It hurts that my kids were affected my my forced resignation. I think about it everyday and plead with God to remove the hurt. I can't even drive past my old parsonage without getting emotional. I have no desire to enter that church building or school. Recently, a friend asked me to watch part of the SGT service on You Tube and wanted my opinion. I'm sorry I did. I watched maybe 2 minutes and quite honestly I felt sad. Not because I'm not here anymore but because I felt the worship was depressing. I did not sense the presence of God whatsoever in any part of the service. I was creeped out. Just my opinion.

     So what is my Tale of 2 Ties? When my 2 eldest kids Jordan and Kaylee were in Preschool, they gave me a Father's Day gift. Pictured above are tie bookmarks they gave me which I have held onto for well over 20 plus years. It has always meant the world to me that they took the time to make these for me. I also have a rock paper weight my son Tyler made for me and a Valentine's Day heart card my daughter Kassie made for me. Tyler's rock is by my TV and Kassie's heart is on my wall over my TV. As I mentioned before my relationship with my 2 older kids went south. We barely speak to each other. When we do it's awkward. I would do anything to see it healed. For many years I have kept their tie bookmarks in my devotional I read daily called "Daily in Christ" by Neil T. Anderson. They are tied together to always remind me to pray for reconciliation. I have held onto these bookmarks all these years and it's a reminder to me to pray daily for my kids. If they are reading this, I want them to know I love them and want nothing more to work out our differences. I miss them terribly. I pray every day for a healing in our relationship. Father's Day for me these last few years has honestly just been another Sunday. I am not looking for sympathy nor am I trying to cry on anyone's shoulder. I just want to see a healing in my relationship with my kids. Instead of taking out my 2 younger one's for dinner, I hope one day it will be all 4 kids. In the meantime, I will just continue to trust God knowing He will make a way when there seems to be no way. I will hold onto that promise as well as the 2 ties that sit inside my devotional. If there is one thing I have learned it is this. God is in control! He will never let me down! 

One last thing! If you don't have a good relationship with your Dad, make it right today. If your Dad is no longer with us, trust me when I say "I feel your pain." 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!            

THANK YOU HOME DEPOT

 

     Last Saturday around 9 p.m. I walked out of the South Setauket, NY Home Depot for the final time. It was my last day! It was bittersweet. I enjoyed my time with my fellow associates and loved the challenge of shopping for people as an OFA (Order Fulfillment Associate). Trying to find rare wood screws and garden tools as well as 12 foot two by fours was always fun and challenging! Working only one job now is much better not only financially but physically. All I can say is thank you Home Depot for 15 great months! Maybe one day I will come back if I need to but for right now I am grateful for my time there! Here is how it all started!

     In December 2019 before this annoying pandemic my job at the Machine Shop came to an end. No more jobs were coming in. I had 2 other jobs, Chick Fil-A and my job being a caregiver to a handicapped college student. During the month of January 2020 the college student I cared for was on break and returned home. I needed extra income so I saw a "Help Wanted" sign at my local Home Depot and applied online. I applied at Home Depot many times and finally I was granted an interview. I had a second interview and in mid February Home Depot hired me to work in the Garden Department. I started on February 29th. My hope was to work there Tuesday afternoons as well as Monday and Friday nights. That all changed on March 18th. The pandemic was starting and my college student job ended. His college was closing its doors and he had to return home. A few days later Chick Fil-A had to shut down for 3 weeks! One of our team members tested positive for Covid-19 so we were forced to shut down. The whole Covid-19 was all new to us and Chick Fil-A had no idea what was ahead. The one positive was that we did get paid during our layoff but I was only down to one job...Home Depot. Only being an employee there for a few weeks and working about 16 hours I knew it would be a longshot for them to give me more hours so I decided it wouldn't hurt to ask. The HR department told me "Yes! Please work! We are losing a lot of people. No one wants to work!" I was given anywhere from 32 to 40 hours! When Chick Fil -A reopened its restaurant on April 13th, I was not sure if they would have to close again so I decided to work full time at Home Depot and 2 days a week at Chick Fil-A. Yes, I worked 7 days! It was crazy but I needed the money. Since churches were not meeting in their buildings and only online I knew it would help me financially.

     I learned a lot working at Home Depot. I saw the "real world." I saw a lot of nervous, fearful angry people who had a lot of uncertainty of what was going on in our world with the global pandemic. I learned a lot about weed wackers, lawn mowers and fertilizer. We also had a limit of the number of people who were allowed in our store. People were not happy! The "New York Attitude" was at full force! I worked in the Garden Department for 5 months and was switched over to Deliveries (Order Fulfillment Associate) in August and worked there for 10 months. When Chick Fil-A promoted me earlier this year I decided to work at Home Depot only Saturdays and Monday nights. When CFA offered me a sixth day of work which meant good overtime, I had to grab it. So with all this said, I am grateful for my experience at Home Depot. I feel it is a great job for young college kids as well as anyone who needs a part time job. The pay is really not so hot but the work environment is fabulous. Home Depot treats their employees well. On holidays they provide food for their workers, we had Mr. Softee outside on the 4th of July and we had free ice cream All kidding aside they really respect their workers. I believe many other companies can learn from Home Depot how to appreciate their workers. Thanks Home Depot. It was a great 15 months!

SEE YOU ALL AGAIN SOON!       

WHAT'S YOUR OPINION??

     What's your opinion? Truthfully, in the last few years I have been afraid to share my opinion. it seems as though in this crazy world we live in, we have to be careful whenever we share our opinion. It's as if we need to give a disclaimer so that no one is offended. It doesn't matter what people group, what nationality or what religion. People get offended if you ever share your opinion. Just this past week, I read something on Facebook that really bothered me. I know that if that same thing were posted maybe 15 years ago, I would be able to express my opinion. But nowadays? No way! I miss the days when you can express your opinion without worrying about people being offended. The only thing I can say and will say (yes, my opinion) is that we live in a very difficult world. We live in a sad world that is spiraling out of control. It seems as though in the life of the church, sin seems to be sugar coated. It's as if many Christians feel they get a free pass when they are living in sin. The Facebook post I read did not imply this outright, but in my careful assessment all I can say, in my opinion, is that as Christians we need to discern what is right and what is wrong. As a 57 year old man who loves Jesus and is an ordained Pastor I need to focus on myself, keep living my life for the Lord and follow Him every single day. Yes! That is my opinion!    

 

LIFE

     It's been a while since I've had a chance to sit and blog. Life can get real busy. In these past few weeks I have had a lot of new and great things happen. I will be working at Chick Fil-A 6 days instead of 5. I gave my notice at Home Depot that I will no longer be working there. My last day is June 5th! And I also have 4 opportunities in the next 4 months to do ministry as "The Puppet Guy." I am a happy camper! Life is busy, life is good and most of all God is good! There are times in my life when things have made sense. There has been times in my life when things made no sense at all. My blog this week is not going to be long. Just straight to the point. Throughout my entire life I have seen God's hand over me. When I was 8 years old and I fell out of a tree. When I discovered at 26 years of age I had celiacs disease. When I resigned my position at SGT 8 years ago and went into a deep depression. God's hand was and is ALWAYS over me. We all go through ups and downs in life. Some seasons in life you feel like you won the World Series. Other seasons you might feel like you can never win and things never go right. The one thing i can say is how much I have grown going through adversity. It has given me the opportunity to trust in the Lord. Life goes on.....

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!

 

 

 

A TASTE OF HEAVEN

     When it comes to doing ministry, I love what I do. During the pandemic last year I was starting to wonder if I would ever do it again. If you cut me open, I will always bleed kids ministry. In 2020 I only had 2 opportunities to minister. One was at a local Christian school and the other was at Ocean Grove, NJ. Many churches weren't even open for services so the thought of bringing a guy in to do any kind of ministry was far fetched. I was so happy that West Sayville Christian School invited me back to speak at their chapel. It had been 13 months since I spoke at any event indoors and 7 months since I did any type of ministry whatsoever. Eight days after speaking at chapel I was asked to officiate a wedding ceremony. The bride is a young lady I had in my ministry when she was a little girl. She asked me to officiate her wedding last fall. We met for 12 weeks as I did a Marriage Enhancement class for them. The wedding took place on Saturday, April 24 at Sunken Meadow State Park. Raul and Dominique are now husband and wife. For many people a taste of heaven would probably be a trip to Bermuda or going on a cruise. For me it was eight glorious days of doing what I love. Doing ministry! It felt so good standing in front of an entire student body sharing God's word in a creative way. I was able to use my characters Grandpa Lou and Shelton the Shark as well as introduce a new one...Rocky (a rock puppet I made during the pandemic.) I also did some gospel illusions and used my house illustration to share the story of the Wise and Foolish builders. It felt like 10 years ago for me and truthfully I felt very comfortable. Eight days later I was privileged to officiate the wedding ceremony and saw some of my friends from my previous church. Many of them told me I looked so comfortable and that I was definitely "in my element." I know there is a calling on my life. I know one day I will be back doing what I love. Every morning I wake up thanking God for a new day and praising Him for being faithful to me. Each day has a new adventure and I always want to be prepared to tackle all the obstacles and rejoice with the victories. For me it's not about looking back but looking forward. There will be more "tastes of heaven" down the road. West Sayville Christian school invited me back on May 21st and I know there will be more down the road. It was nice to have a "taste of heaven" for eight days!!

 

   

     

 

SAY NO TO POT

          Smoking pot is now legal in New York and many other states. This really angers me! I have never smoked pot in my lifetime but unfortunately I do know the smell of it from walking outside in high school before classes started. There were also kids who lived up the block from me who hung out in the woods and smoked it after we played baseball. They asked me to join them and of course I said "no". I am very grateful that I have never tried it knowing how it affects your brain cells. Many people are happy now that it is legal saying that it relaxes them and it is for medical reasons. They can say that all they want. I say one thing. We need to say no to it. PERIOD!

     Every single day at Chick Fil-A I deal with people who smoke pot. They come through the drive thru and you can smell it. They come thru the mobile line and as soon as they open their window the smoke hits you like a tidal wave. Doordash drivers also come to pick up their deliveries high as a kite. Many of them can't even order their food because they can barely speak. I have seen carloads of young people totally wasted from this garbage. The smell of it smells like a skunk! I worry about the world we live in! We have people young and old operating motor vehicles driving on the Long Island Expressway who are under the influence of marijuana. You can't tell me that their coordination is okay. You can't tell me they are thinking clearly or they have the capability to drive. I worry about my own children who drive. I pray for their safety knowing who are driving around them. I have never met anyone who is high on pot who has it all "together." I realize we have people who drive under the influence of alcohol who do get punished by the law when they violate the law they are punished. I hope and pray that anyone who is under the influence of pot who violates this will also be severely punished. I don't see any good coming from this new law that pot is now legal. I worry about our world knowing our future leaders will have a history of pot addiction. They will not think clearly nor will their decision making be intelligent. I think a lot about the kids I knew in high school who smoked pot. Where are they now? How did it help them? What are they doing with their lives? We can debate this all we want and maybe you disagree with me. That's okay! If people only knew what really makes you happy. Knowing God and living our lives for Him! You can debate with me all you want about what makes you happy. Pot is not the answer but Jesus is!! 

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!

 

  

  

 

APRIL SHOWERS

 

     April has not always been the best month for me. The purpose of this blog is in no way to complain or search for pity or have anyone feels sorry for me . I am not planning on rambling on about my struggles or what has taken place in my life. If anything, what I have experienced in the last few years in the month of April has made me a better person. They say hindsight is 20/20 and they are so right...whoever "they" is! I have one happy day in April...My son Tyler's birthday on the 13th. There are other not so great days I don't celebrate and I do remember how painful they were. I still have dreams about those experiences...not good dreams. That is all in the past and I have embraced one thing. It is time to move on to better things. Let me share with you what I have learned during my yearly "April Showers!"

1. Put God first! - If it wasn't for my relationship with my Lord Jesus Christ, I would have never survived. I put God first in my life because I know He is going to take care of me. He has never let me down and has always met my needs!

2. Be positive - Nobody likes hanging out with someone who is always negative. I have discovered that when you have a positive attitude, it can be contagious. Complaining never gets you anywhere. Remaining positive is the way to go. I want to continue to be positive!

3. Take it one day at a time - I can't change what happened in the past but I can change me now. Although sometimes life feels like the movie "Groundhog Day" where you repeat the same routine over and over. Each day brings about new challenges! All I can do is take it one day at a time!

4. Don't be stressed - I have realized one of my biggest challenges is becoming stressed over little nitpicky things. It has been said "Don't sweat the small stuff." There is no reason to be stressed. Stress leads to sickness and worry cannot be in our vocabulary.

5. Laugh - I find humor in everything. Guests at Chick Fil-A asking for "Sawsses" with the lovely New York accent. Customers at Home Depot who want to know why we don't sell built in swimming pools.  love watching old comedies and I love cracking jokes at my workplaces. We need to laugh not just sometimes but all the time! The Bible even tells us "Laughter is good like a medicine. There certainly is humor in everything!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK FRIENDS!!   

 

 

I SEE A PATTERN HERE

     I see a pattern here. It's not a pattern I approve of. I have overheard many conversations about it at both my jobs and as I shop in stores and sometimes even when I'm walking. The subject is all about believing in God.

     I was not planning on writing a long blog. With my new hours my time is limited to write so this will be short and sweet. Lately I have heard conversations from people about their belief in God or even how their family members feel about God. It's disturbing. There are many people who do not believe God exists and seem to have no problem voicing that. Even on social media I have read posts from people and have seen disturbing pictures posted. I made sure that the powers that be at Facebook know my disapproval! I even read somewhere that people blame God for the spread of the coronavirus and the start of the global pandemic. Atheism is spreading across the world. In the past we have read about Christian musicians, senior pastors and youth pastors all walking away from the call in their lives announcing they no longer believe in God. In my humble opinion, I believe Christians need to be in prayer. An atheist or agnostic might not want to hear us preach but they certainly cannot stop us from praying for them. In my jobs, I don't really have time to share. But what I can do is pray for my fellow co-workers as well as the "guests" and customers I deal with every single day. The one thing I notice about atheists is how much effort they put into trying to prove God does not exist. It says in Psalm 14:1 "a fool says in his heart there is no God." I hope and pray this pattern breaks real soon. God is real! I have experienced His presence and continue to experience His presence every day! I feel sorry for the people who don't believe in God. They must be miserable living with no hope. I hope and pray one day they will realize that the only hope we have in this world is knowing God, especially accepting His one and only son Jesus as our Lord and savior. There was a saying I heard years ago that still applies today. No God...No Peace. Know God...Know Peace. That sums it up friends!!

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!!  

  

     

 

REST

     Rest! It's something we all need. It is said that we sleep 1/3 of our life span. I am 57 so that means I have slept for 19 years. That's a long time. There were a lot of milestones I celebrated in the first 19 years of my life. I will not list all of them but I will say that each night before I went to bed I needed my rest and sleep. I don't know if you have ever tried to stay up all night without any sleep. I did when I was in my first year of college. It was New Years Eve. After our New Years Eve Watchnight service our church family would all go ice skating. We had the Ice rink to ourselves and we wouldn't finish until about 3 a.m. Usually afterward we would either find a diner that was open or hang out at a friends house. That night I went to bed at 6 a.m. Boy did I sleep all day! I also stayed up 80% of the night when I hosted a Preteen Lock in. It was January 1992. Although it was a great night of ministry, I was totally worn out after a night of games, basketball, more games, sharing with our 5th graders and more games. Both nights are nights I will never forget!

     The older I get, it seems to me the more I need my rest. I have to keep reminding myself I am 57 not 27! Both jobs I have are very physical and I am proud to say I have been keeping up with the "kids." The one thing I have learned lately is how much I need to not only rest, but to rest in God. Psalm 91 comes to mind especially verse one. "He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." God has been teaching me so much about how much I need to rest in Him. All I can say is that without his help and direction I would be lost. I love God so much and I am so glad I can always rest in Him! 

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!!

 

I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO GET AWAY FROM IT!!

     It's been a part of my life since 2015. I never expected to be a part of it. If you told me in 2011 I would be doing it I would have told you that you were crazy. I was pastoring in a large church so that thought of it never occurred to me. I didn't really know much about it. It didn't exist on Long Island until 2015. I saw it in Orlando and didn't really think much about it. Little did I know that it would become a huge part of my life. In reality, I just can't seem to get away from it! What am I referring to you might ask? Chick Fil-A!!!

     If you know me you know my heart is in ministry and serving God. My hope in 2020 was to start my own ministry but as we all know a year ago we were in the beginning stages of a global pandemic. I found myself working more at Home Depot and less at Chick Fil-A. Chick Fil-A was forced to shut down for 3 weeks because a team member tested positive. I honestly tried real hard to find another job besides Chick Fil-A. I felt as though I was going nowhere. It didn't seem as though the leadership there had any plans for me to advance in any way. I had my feelers out and was looking for a "new career." Churches were not hiring and I want so desperately to climb out of debt. I had a huge decision to make. My plan a year ago in February was to stay full time with Chick Fil-A and part time with Home Depot. Like I said before the pandemic changed that! By the end of 2020 I could not find any other opportunities or jobs that fit my gifts and talents. I was frustrated! January 2021 changed all that and I thank God and give him the praise.

     Every June and January, Chick Fil-A gives you a review. The owner/ operator decided he wanted to do my review. He gave me a good one then asked what my plans were as far as working at Chick Fil-A. I told him I wanted to advance with Chick Fil-A and was hoping to move up in the company. I have been with the company for over five years and served as a manager at the Port Jefferson store. I prayed and asked God to show me what His will was for my life. To be honest I was stressing out over it but deep down I knew God had a great plan for my life. I was not wrong! The owner offered me a leadership position full time with benefits, vacation and personal days and a pay raise. I accepted! So for the past few weeks I have been opening Chick Fil-A each morning with my new role as a Shift Captain! 

    So in conclusion, I just can't seem to get away from it. Chick Fil-A! Even when I try, God still has me serving and working there. I am not complaining because It has been a blessing to me. Maybe someday I will serve at a church, but in the meantime it truly is MY PLEASURE to serve at Chick Fil-A. I feel in my heart of hearts that 2021 is going to be a great year!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK! 

 

LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM NOAH

 

     I have read through the bible many times in my life. I enjoy reading the One Year Bible because it keeps me disciplined in reading God's Word. As I started 2021 and my reading plan, I noticed something in the account of the story of Noah that I never noticed before. I have read that story a gazillion times over and over. I have seen it on video and in the movies. I have read the story to my own kids as well as the kids in my ministry. I even use an object lesson in my programs called "The Noah Bag" to tell the story of Noah.

     Noah had an amazing journey. He was well over 500 years old when God told him to build an ark. The people were corrupt and full of violence. Sin was running rampant. God told Noah to build an ark and told him exactly how it needed to be built. So with the help of his 3 sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth they got to work. They gathered gopher wood and started building. God told Noah because of the sinful nature of the earth, He would destroy the earth with a flood. He then told Noah ne needed to gather two of every animal that has breath on place them on the ark. After the ark was complete, Noah was obedient and put the animals on the ark. Only Noah, his family and every animal were on the ark and then the rains came. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights. The earth was covered with a flood and mankind was destroyed. Noah, his family and the animals were all safe and sound on the ark. Noah was the only righteous man on the earth. We all know the end of the story how God saved Noah and allowed the ark to land on dry ground. We also know that God provided a rainbow as His covenant to say that He would never destroy the earth ever with a flood.

     This account is found in Genesis 6:9 to Genesis 10:16. What I never noticed before is a phrase that is mentioned twice. In Genesis 6:22 and in Genesis 7:5, both times we read "Noah did everything just as God commanded him." Imagine if Noah was lazy and never built an ark. Imagine if he was not obedient and only gathered animals he liked. I'm sure he would have avoided putting two skunks on the ark! Imagine if he stopped building the ark in the middle of the construction and gave up. None of that is true. Noah did everything he was told to do. In mentioning this twice, it is obvious that Noah was obedient. He did what he was told to do. In his obedience, he was rewarded. God protected him and his family! Noah was an obedient man. He was a godly man. 

     After reading this story for the one thousandth time, I realize in my own life I need to be obedient to God every single day. When God tells me to do something, I need to do it. I know God is certainly not calling me to build an ark but I do know he does have a plan for my life. I do know he wants me to be a light in the darkness in this crazy world I live in. Let's all continue to be obedient no matter what we face every day!!        

SEE YOU ALL NEXT WEEK!!