THE SERENITY PRAYER

     The above prayer is known as the Serenity Prayer. It was written in the 1930's and authored by Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr. I can't honestly say that I pray this prayer, but lately I have been thinking a lot about it. When you read it over slowly, you can understand why many people pray this prayer The first line says, "GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE." There are things and situations we cannot change. It is totally out of our hands. But I have found the best thing we can do is put it in God's hands. Now I am not one of those Christians who says, "Let Go and Let God." Of course, we have to do our part which is to put our faith and trust in Him! The next line is "THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN." We do need to ask God to give us that courage that we need. We certainly do not want to "take matters into our own hands." That would not be good. Those things that we need to change in my opinion starts with us. Many times, we need to change!  The last line in the prayer is "AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE." We have to know when to accept the things we can't change but to know when we can change things. It has to be God leading us. There is no other way. I am facing a situation I cannot change. I wish I could. I have come to a place where I simply put it in God's hands and say "Lord, I give this to you! You need to do a miracle in this situation. You are the only one who can. I put my trust in you!" Just some food for thought on this fall Wednesday!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK EVERYONE!!    

 

LAUGH, CRY, DREAM!

     Several years ago, in a pastoral staff meeting, all the pastors were asked 3 questions

1. WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
2. WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
3. WHAT DO YOU DREAM ABOUT?

     Just to verify, when we were asked "what do we dream about", we didn't answer "Well, I once had this dream that I was being chased through an open field by a coalition of cheetah's so I decided I could fly so I jumped up and flew in the air like Superman and I avoided those hungry cheetahs!" No! No! No! We all have hopes and dreams. What are your dreams in life? What do you dream about happening?

     All three of these questions make you think. What is that one thing that makes you cry? What is that one thing that makes you laugh? And finally, what are your hopes and dreams? Here are mine! I'm sure yours might be different than mine because we are all different. Here we go!

WHAT MAKES DAVE LAUGH?

     I'm sure if you really know me, you know I have a crazy sense of humor. What makes me laugh is simple. I love classic comedy. Comedy that is clean! I often think I should have grown up in the 1950's era when comedy was clean and not "racy" like it is today. My favorite TV show of all time is "The Honeymooners"' I probably have watched all 39 episodes 100,000 times and know many of the lines. Growing up I used to stay up late and watch it on WPIX channel 11 at 11:30 p.m. on weeknights. It was on right after The Odd Couple and before Star Trek. I still laugh even after I've seen it many times. I sometimes use lines from the show at work. I also love watching Abbott and Costello as well as the 3 Stooges, especially with Curly. I laugh at deadpan and sarcastic humor, and I've been told I am the King of Sarcasm, especially at work. I also like to make people laugh with my remarks as well as with my ventriloquist figures. The bible even tells us in Proverbs 17:22 that "a merry heart does good, like medicine." Laughing is good for us and it's something I love to do. Not only doing it but also making others laugh!

WHAT MAKES DAVE CRY? 

     My heart breaks when I think about the millions and billions of babies who have lost their lives due to being aborted. When I hear "A woman has a right to choose" or "It's not really a baby" I get angry, but I also want to cry when I think that a life was destroyed. Man made a decision in 1973 to legalize abortion. That gave every couple who didn't want the responsibility of having a child to have that child murdered. Plain and simple! That's a crime and many people will need to answer to God about that! I cry when I think that those babies had no say in their future. They never got to see the light of day, learn how to speak or walk. They will never get to go to kindergarten and play Little League baseball. All because people are selfish! Yes, we have a right to choose but many of these women chose to sleep with a man! I know some would argue with me about rape victims or the mother of a child losing their life. Please understand, I realize those situations are extremely awful and traumatic. I would not wish that on anyone. Remember, I am a children's pastor. I love kids. I think a lot about the life of a child. Seeing any child get aborted makes me cry, plain and simple. 

WHAT DOES DAVE DREAM ABOUT?  

     There are several things I dream about, but I'll give you a few. I have always wanted to purchase a home. I have lived in parsonages working at a church, in apartments and I have rented rooms in houses I, of course did not own. I have always dreamed of being a homeowner and I hope one day that happens!

Secondly, in all the years I have worked in children's ministry, I have always dreamed of writing, producing and directing my own kid's Christian TV show just for kids. It would be a TV show for kids that would be similar to the old kids TV shows Mr. Rogers, Captain Kangaroo and Soupy Sales all meshed into one. The goal is simple. It would be entertaining but it would minister to kids on their level. It would feature puppet characters, costume characters, special effects, drama and a lot of fun stuff. I hope before I die, I can make this a reality! 

     So that is my list. What makes you laugh or cry? What do you dream about? I would love to hear your answers!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!! 

   
 

IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IN LIFE

 

     I woke up one morning with this thought. What is the only thing that matters in my life? There could be several answers to that question! I could say it's my girlfriend Laure. She knows I love her but there is more to it than her. I could say it's my kids which is nice but there is more to it than them. My ministry does matter both as a pastor and as a child evangelist. Those things do matter but that's not the right answer. My job is important, but I have had several jobs through the years. True, they have all helped me pay my bills and put food on my table but that's not the right answer. I have many close friends through the years. Some I have known since my youth group and coffeehouse days when I was a teen. I have friends from bible college as well as from church, from past jobs and from being in full time ministry. They are all special to me but truthfully, they are not the only thing that matters in my life. 

     

     I have met several people through the years who have very unusual priorities when it comes to what matters to them in life. Some people live their lives for a professional sports team, and they believe that is all that matters. They go to every game, which is fine, but all they care about is how their team is doing. Some believe their career is all that matters or making "6 figures." The more money you make, the happier you will be. Not necessarily! That is all that matters to them. Others will say it is family. Don't get me wrong, family is so important. I have seen dysfunctional families and dysfunction at its finest unfortunately, especially when I was on staff at a large church. Families need each other and need to stay close. Fighting with each other is no longer an option. Life is too short. I appreciate my mom, sister brother, their spouses and my nephews. I appreciate my kids. I am grateful that in my immediate family we get along wonderfully. But I also know they are not the only thing that matters in my life.

     My answer to this is very simple yet what I consider amazing. The answer is the only thing that matters in my life is pleasing God! In the bible, Colossians 1:9,10 says it all

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

This verse says it all. Our goal every single day should be to please God. We need to please him in our workplace, our homes, in our conversations and in everything we do. For me, that is truly all that matters to me in my life. That is what I shoot for every day. Yes, sometimes I fail, but it is a goal to shoot for every day! "Living a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing him in every way!" That's what life is all about!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK EVERYONE!!