SNOW

 

     Today is Saturday, January 29th. I found out yesterday that our restaurant would be closed which meant I had a day to sleep in! It felt great. Some time during the night it began to snow here on Long Island. In my lifetime I have lived through many blizzards. I remember vividly the Blizzard of 1978. It was on a Monday in February when the snow began to fall. I was very happy school was canceled because I was scheduled to give an oral report that day in health class on Cirrhosis of the liver. I was in 8th grade and let's just say I was in no way Pastor Dave back then. Talking in front of a group of people was not my thing. I was shy and quiet back in the day. We were out of school during that blizzard which was actually many snow storms if I remember correctly. I didn't have to do my oral report until later in February! I also remember the Blizzard of 1996. I was a Pastor then and a father of 2 kids at the time. We had to cancel our Sunday night service and the snow began to fall that evening. We lived in a condo on the top floor and watching the snow fall was beautiful from our living room window. We had a great view of the church parking lot and field. I will never forget watching our youth group return from their Winter Retreat later that evening. What was supposed to be a 3 hour trip was 6 hours. Parents came to pick up their kids and you could see the snow getting heavier. 

     Snow can be great, annoying, fun and messy! During my day off today I had a chance to watch the snowfall. The snow looks so clean and it can be peaceful watching it fall. Yet it can also be very annoying. How many people do you know who like to shovel snow? Or how about drive in the snow? I know when I was a kid I loved going sleigh riding and I loved playing in the snow, especially playing football in the snow in our backyard with my brother. I do have to admit that when snow melts it can be very disgusting. After the roads are salted and sanded, it always seemed to land on my car! One thing I do love about the snow besides the fun you can have with it is simple. We can be clean! Isaiah 1:18 tells us "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow." Snow resembles purity. When it falls it is clean and very white. It is pure. Sin can be messy. The bible tells us in Romans that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory. It is a comfort to me to know that although in my lifetime I have sinned and messed up, Jesus washes away my sin. I am forgiven and my sins are washed away and clean. Not because of anything I have done, it's all because of Jesus and what He did for me on the cross! So during our next snowstorm and blizzard, remember to thank God for washing away your sins and making them as white as snow. 

Be safe everyone and if you live in Florida or down south, come up north for a visit. The snow is waiting for you!     

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE NICE!"

          It was a typical busy Saturday on a cool November at Chick Fil-A. The restaurant was very busy with guests sitting at tables, many were lining up in front of our counter and our drive thru was as usual lined up around the block and Door dash drivers were sticking their phones in our faces anxious to get the food they need to deliver to their clients. Our team members were taking orders, delivering food to tables, making drinks and shakes, bagging food and calling out names hoping people hear their names so they can get the correct food they ordered either mobile orders or at the register. Speaking of mobile orders, we always encourage our guests to download the Chick Fil-A One app. Each time they scan their app when they order they accumulate points which they can get free items off our menu. On this particular day, I heard a phrase that not only made me laugh but made me think a lot about the current state our world is in...BEING NICE!

     One of our guests walked up to the counter to order lunch. He was a man who didn't smile and was in a hurry. Our team member noticed when he scanned his app, his name didn't come up. She asked him for his name and he proceeded to argue with our team member. Each time she tried to explain why his name would come up he got madder. She tried to tell him there was a glitch in the system. She got frustrated with him. He got madder During this time I was busy trying to refill lemonade and sweet tea. With my back turned to the discussion happening, I heard a phrase I will never forget. The guest said to my fellow team member "You're supposed to be nice!" I honestly almost burst out laughing. Here is a man getting angry, yelling at a fellow team member over his name not appearing after he scanned his app and he wants to know why people aren't being nice to him? Seriously? 

     Many people who I meet at Chick Fil-A love coming because we are a company who thrives on great hospitality. When we were trained, we were taught something they call the Core Four. 

1. Share a Smile 

2. Speak enthusiastically

3. Listen attentively

4. Give great eye contact

I try to do these everyday outside of my job! This past week I received many compliments from guests who love the fact that we are nice and we do thrive to give great customer service. I guess after hearing this gentleman make his comment, it makes me wonder why we all can't be nice. Maybe I am Mr. Naïve! Maybe being a Christian Man, I would love to see everyone in New York, in America and in the world being nice. Apparently that is not the case. On a typical day at Chick Fil-A I meet maybe 95% nice people and the rest are not very nice. You wonder why? You ask yourself what is going on in their life that they have to be so mean or nasty. You begin to understand that they are not really really mad because they ordered a sandwich with no pickles and their sandwich had pickles, there are other things going on in their lives. I would love to see a world where everyone is nice. I don't watch the news much anymore for the simple reason that it is depressing and truthfully you see a lot of nasty people on it. No, not the reporters but the people in the news. 

     I have been told many times I am a nice guy. In fact as a joke back in the late 1980's, a friend bought me a T-shirt that said "I'm not nice." After a few washings the N and O in "not" fell off so my shirt read "I'm t nice." They all said it was proof that I really am nice. So as we continue living life in this rat race we call life, let's all try our best to be nice and...don't fight with Chick Fil-A team members. They really are hard working kids!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!      

REMEMBERING GARY THOMAS

      In these last few weeks we have lost 2 NFL coaches, John Madden and Dan Reeves as well as two actors, Betty White and Sidney Poitier. I'm sure there are others I might have missed. At my job I have heard many say how sad they are at these recent deaths. We were all hoping Betty White was going to turn 100. She was 18 days short. The Fox Network had a Special about John Madden not realizing 4 days later he died suddenly. Death is always a shock to all of us. It is one thing that is guaranteed. One day we will die! In early December, I heard the sad news of a dear friend I met at Northeastern Bible College who died after a long bout with cancer. Gary Thomas. In this week's blog, I would like to honor my dear friend who went to be with his Lord in early December.

     I met Gary, or as we all called him"Brother Gary" in the fall of 1982 when I started as a freshman at Northeastern Bible College. If I could describe Gary in a few short sentences, he was the kind of guy who loved everyone and he sincerely wanted everyone to get along and like each other. He loved the Lord with his whole heart and he had a huge heart for evangelism. He started at NBC in the fall of 1979 and to be honest I think he was a senior for many years. Whenever he walked into a room or the cafeteria, the place would light up. He always always always had a smile on his face. I can only think of one time since I've known him when he lost his temper. It was at the end of a Talent Show our school had. Other than that he was always in a good mood and he loved making friends, meeting new people and most of all telling people that Jesus loved them. I remember one time I asked him if he could follow me to my Uncle's Service station in Madison, NJ. It's about a 20 minute ride from our college. I thought my Uncle would need the car overnight but he put my new tires on so I wouldn't have to wait. I apologized to Gary about his wasted trip but he was okay with it. He wasn't sure how to get back to the school so he told me he would wait with me. I went in to talk to my Uncle for a minute and I went back to Gary thinking "Hey, we can get a cup of coffee at Dunkin' Donuts!" I couldn't find Gary! I know he didn't leave! I looked over by the gas pump and there I saw Gary talking to the young kid who pumps the gas. As I got closer I listened to their conversation and realized Gary was sharing the gospel with this young kid. That was Gary! Always thinking about others. 

     Many times Gary came to my room to either pray or discuss sports. Gary grew up in Media, PA and I grew up in NY. He loved all the Philadelphia teams while I was a NY sports fan. When his favorite basketball team, the Philadelphia 76ers won the NBA title in 1983, he was the first person I thought of. I was happy for him. Gary graduated from NBC in 1985, He is the only student I ever knew to receive a standing ovation as he walked up to receive his diploma. I think deep down he never wanted to leave the school. I have not seen Gary since he graduated. Life gets busy and time marches on. Gary never got married and worked for a Medical Supply Company after graduating. Knowing Gary, I am sure he made it a point to tell everyone how much God loves them! Tomorrow is his funeral service and unfortunately I cannot attend since I have missed many days at work with back issues and being sick. I did want to blog about my dear friend and like many, I look forward to seeing him in Glory. I'm sure he is shooting baskets and smiling from ear to ear. Rest in peace my friend! You will be missed!