I'M NOT A FAN OF HALLOWEEN!

 

     As a kid I always loved Halloween. Growing up in New Jersey the first 9 years of my life, Halloween was a big part of my life. This was before parents had to worry about sexual predators or kids being kidnapped, the good ole 1970's. In New Jersey, we would go trick or treating at night. I remember one costume I had was a clown. Our streets were packed with kids of all ages with bags filled with candy going up and down streets going door to door. In New Jersey, they would call the night before Halloween "Mischief Night" where kids would put toilet paper in trees and put shaving cream all over each other. I guess in New Jersey everyone felt the kids needed to "Let it all out." I remember one year my mom took us to the local high school as a bunch of kids put toilet paper in a tree. It actually looked amazing. 

     I had no issues with Halloween growing up in NJ, but things did change for me when I moved to New York when I was 9. I remember being in 4th grade and when I told one of the kids in my class that we would be going trick or treating at night, he looked at me like I was insane. "Are you crazy Harff? If you go out at night you will die. They will kill you! You have to go during the day!" During the day? That is no fun. But as they say, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do!" That same kid told me I would be chased by kids who would throw eggs at me, and I would be covered in shaving cream. He made it sound like trick or treating would not be fun at all. He was right So I put on my football player costume and my brother, and I ventured out going door to door with our first New York Halloween getting candy. There were kids in the neighborhood who did not care about getting candy. They were more interested in having "fun" as they called it. My only true memory of that first Halloween was being chased by a kid who wanted to hit me with an egg. Thank God he missed, and I went home very upset. "This is not Halloween?" I told my parents. I only went trick or treating a few years after that. 

     I did not have any issues with Halloween when I became a Christian. I didn't know any better. Even in high school I have memories of my friend John dressing up as a nun on Halloween. Even in Bible college we did trick or treating in our dorms for a year. We didn't think anything of it. We were not educated on what that holiday really stood for. My breakthrough came in 1988. My church wanted to do an alternative to Halloween which they called "Praise Fest '88." We had crafts for the kids, and I was asked to do a puppet show for the kids. During one of our planning meetings, I was handed a pamphlet by one of the leaders. It was very eye opening for me as I read about the history of Halloween and what it really stands for. I was shocked to read all about how evil that day really is. I could write a blog all about the history of Halloween and how it is truly a Satanic high holy day, but I don't feel led to do that just now. 

     When I became a children's pastor, I set a goal to create an alternative to Halloween for kids. I created Fall Fun Fest which we had every October 31st. I could not believe the complaints I got from people. "How could you even mention that evil day. You should do nothing." NOTHING? I explained that this was an alternative to Halloween to provide a safe environment for kids. I will never forget my first ever Fall Fin Fest. It was October 31, 1992. It was a Saturday, and we held this event outside. A family from the community walked in wearing costumes. the dad wore a black cape with a pumpkin on his head. I instantly had people all upset complaining and telling me to ask him to leave. I looked at them and told them, "No! He is the type of person we want here so we can minister to him." I hosted Fall Fun Fest for 20 years. We never mentioned the word Halloween and every year got better and better. We had bounces, carnival games, face painting and more. It was the highlight of our year.

     Please don't get me wrong. I am not "Anti Trick or Treating." We gave candy away to kids at church every year. My kids never went trick or treating because they were at church at our Fall Fun Fest. It's fun seeing kids dressed up in costumes. Personally, I do love wearing costumes, even at 61 years of age. I have dressed up in church as a costume character for kids as a nerd, boxer, carpenter, doctor and professor. Even at the Chick Fil-A I worked at in New York I dressed up as Ed Norton from the Honeymooners, a doctor, Napolean Dynamite, Captain Crunch and a referee. I won a contest as Captain Crunch a few years ago! I just don't like what Halloween stands for. 

     Every year in October I can sense the evil that is taking place in my community. I have been told that several witches reside on Long Island, and I would not be surprised if they came to our Fall Fun Fest to try to cause a disturbance. Lately I have looked forward to October 31st being over. This year is no different. At the Chick Fil-A I am not they do not recognize Halloween and I was told that not very many kids go out door to door. Many churches here do something called "Trunk or Treat" or have Harvest Parties. Ever since 9/11 and since the pandemic we see less kids going out trick or treating. Maybe the holiday is dying?  Since I'm not such a big fan of Halloween that would be very nice!

CHUCK NORRIS WAS RIGHT!!

 

     I love watching documentaries. I recently watched one about the life of Gary Coleman, the child star on the show "Different Strokes." You would think that someone who makes millions of dollars and has fame and fortune would find happiness. Not so with Gary Coleman. He was tortured his entire life both mentally and physically. How sad. He died a miserable, unhappy man. That breaks my heart! The person I want to focus on is actor and tough guy Chuck Norris. There is a YouTube channel I enjoy watching called "God on the move." The channel focuses on the life of actors and actresses who are facing challenges because of their faith. Some have a very hard time finding work in Hollywood because they stand up for their faith in Jesus Christ. One actor in particular, Neal McDonough was fired from a TV show because he would not film a love scene with another woman and kiss her. He told them he would only kiss his real-life wife and no one else. He was instantly fired, but God opened several doors for him in spite of what people said about his decision. 

     Chuck Norris is now 85 years old and has a black belt in karate. He is well known for several movies he appeared in as a tough guy who would defend himself by using karate and Taekwondo. He is also well known for a TV show he starred in called "Walker: Texas Ranger." The show aired for eight seasons. Norris is Christian and is not ashamed to share his faith with others. As he was working on his "Walker: Texas Ranger" series he would put in many "Christian based" themes in the show. The producers asked him to please tone it down, but Norris refused. He said a quote that really touched my heart. He said, "I would rather stand with God and be judged by the world than stand with the world and be judged by God." WOW WOW WOW! Today, Norris writes Christian devotionals and openly shares his faith whenever given the chance. He is also quoted as saying "Real power doesn't come from being famous, it comes from fearing God." 

     You would think that someone like Chuck Norris would gloat and be obnoxious about their fame and fortune. He doesn't care about that whatsoever. He is more concerned about where he and others will be spending their eternity. He does not care at all what others think about him and he knows that his faith and walk with God is the most important thing in his life.

     So, what is important to you? Making a name for yourself? Being a good person? Living the best life ever with "things" that make you happy? Are we making sure people are impressed with us by our appearance and the things we have? Would you rather tell people how much money is in your bank account or tell them about your faith and how you are living your life?  Would we rather stand with God and be judged by the world, or would we rather stand with the world and be judged by God? This is all "food for thought" for all of us. Let's continue to live life the right way by pleasing God and not others!

Life is too short, but eternity is forever!  

TRYING TO AVOID THE "MILLI VANILLI" SYNDROME

     Real or fake? That is always a battle we face. Do we want to be genuine, or do we want to be Milli Vanilli? I will never forget when the news broke out about this musical group in the late 1980's. Who is Milli Vanilli? Let's take a look at this group...umm fake musical group.

     Milli Vanilli was a German R & B duo group from Munich, created in 1988 by Frank Farian who hired 2 lip-syncing performers whose names were Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Mr. Farian kept a secret from everyone that the actual singers on Milli Vanilli's albums were studio singers Brad Howell and John Davis. The group was known for two big hit songs "Girl you know it's true" and "Blame it on the rain." Mr. Farian admitted that he hired the two lip-syncing performers for their looks. They were two good looking Black German men who knew how to dance but were not known for their singing. Milli Vanilli sold well over 7 million records and won a Grammy award in February 1990 for best new artist. In spite of their supposed fame, the groups world came crashing down. At a concert at a theme park in Connecticut while on MTV, as they were singing a song, the "track" kept skipping. BUSTED! After a difficult press conference by Frank Fanan, he embarrassingly admitted that Milli Vanilli was in fact a fake act consisting of two lip-syncing performers. During that time, Milli Vanilli became the brunt of several jokes and the laughingstock of the music industry. Even thirty-five years later, whenever someone performs the National Anthem by lip-syncing it, Milli Vanilli references are always made. Many people believed in Milli Vanilli only to discover it was totally 100 percent fake!

     I believe this is a lesson in life we can learn. Do we want to live our lives being real and genuine, or do we want to be fake? Several years ago, I spoke at the Smithtown Christian School Elementary Chapel. I did my entire message on this topic. I started the message by telling the kids I was going to play my trumpet. I held the instrument correctly and had the sound person hit play on a CD of a trumpet solo. I pretended to blow into the trumpet very dramatically. I asked the kids if they thought I was really playing the trumpet. Some thought I did. My secret was simple. I have no idea how to play the trumpet. The saxophone? Yes, that I do know how to play. I was being fake, just like Milli Vanilli! Are we real or are we fake? Are we living our lives and being genuine, or are we being phony baloney's? When we are around other people, do we show our real side or are we great actors? When it comes to the Christian life we are living, do we want to please God or "just get by?" I believe in today's day and age we need to be genuine, be real and not be phony. We need to avoid the "Milli Vanilli Syndrome." In the beginning they got away with it. Later on, it destroyed them and their reputation. Friends, let's be real! Fake gets us nowhere. It only leads to disappointment, frustration and chaos. God is calling us to be the light in the darkness. We have the greater one inside of us. Let people see it is real...not fake. 

"10" PART TWO

 

     

     So, to continue this story from last week's blog, I discovered that working at a new restaurant, especially the only Chick Fil-A on Long Island at the time was hard work and very tiring. I do have to admit that I really loved the people that I worked with. I had A LOT of fun! I only lived one mile from the restaurant in Port Jefferson, and I was also back doing ministry to children. I helped a local church on Friday evenings with their Awana Club. I not only taught a class, but I also got to share a devotional with a group of kids at the end of the evening which meant I could display my puppet characters and object lessons. It was a huge hit! 

     I worked the early morning shift 5 days a week and on Saturday I worked at 11 a.m. It took its toll on me, but I was happy to be working. The personal goal I set for myself was to be back in full-time ministry in 2 years. I did not, however take into consideration the fact that I needed to heal. I had many wounds from the bad experience I had in my dismissal at SGT. I did help a church in Holbrook for a season in 2017 but that was short lived. I did have several awkward encounters with people from SGT as they walked in to order food. They would see me behind the counter and either say hello or totally ignore me. I even had one person mock me which really hurt. I'm sure they thought it was funny, but I wasn't amused. It hurt! We had several trainers from across the country come in and train us. This continued for about a month. I was usually on register and sometimes in the dining room. After 6 months, I approached the leadership about moving up in the company. They saw in me leadership skills they liked, so I was promoted to a managerial position in April 2016. I would open the restaurant 6 days a week. I had a crew of 3 others, and I have to say they worked hard. I would always laugh how different they all were, yet we all got along. I was trained on leading the shift, counting register drawers and running breaks. I learned a lot. It was certainly not like working in a church office! In the outside world, nobody cares if you are a Pastor, Rabbi or Priest. I got to see the ugly side of our guests. In 10 years, I have been cursed at, I have had bags of food thrown at me, I had a guy challenge me to a fight and I had a Door Dasher write a bad review about me (which by the way I had no idea or no recollection of any incident ever happening). Besides all of that, I really enjoyed working at Chick Fil-A Port Jefferson. I made a lot of new friends, and I was always blessed whenever I was away for a week and came back, my fellow team members missed me! At one of our Christmas parties, I was named "Funniest Employee" simply because I used to put a picture of our Front of House Director Eileen (a dear friend) all over hidden spots around our front counter. We had fun and I will always cherish those memories!

     After being there 2 1/2 years there were changes being made in leadership and I knew in my heart of hearts I my days were numbered. I was even told "You are supposed to be a children's pastor, not managing a restaurant." I decided to get out while the going was somewhat good so I took a job managing a restaurant called "Cheeburger Cheeburger" in Farmingdale, NY. The owner of that restaurant was very "Hands off" and would rather have others put out his "fires" when situations got out of hand. I knew I needed a backup plan so since I passed another Chick Fil-A in Commack, NY on my way to Farmingdale, NY I decided to apply their part time. I was hired instantly. I was only at Cheeburger Cheeburger for 5 months until the restaurant closed (with no warning of it closing) and I began working at CFA Commack Full time in August 2018. I ended up working there 6 1/2 years. Although I never made it as a manager there, I did work my way up to becoming a Shift Captain. Since they knew I knew how to open the restaurant, I was asked to lead the beginning of the morning shift until the manager started his or her shift. I always knew I was not in their plans to be a manager. The Owner was very big on training his younger team members to lead. I was not the oldest employee, but I knew I had more life experience to offer this restaurant. I was happy encouraging the younger team members and seeing them flourish. My main focus as a CFA Commack employee was to work and get paid. I did not see a future there. I didn't always agree with how things were going or decisions being made. I just did my job...period! In my 6 1/2 years I endured the pandemic season, which was not easy, taking orders outside in the snow and being off 2 months while the restaurant went through renovations. I told the leadership of CFA Commack I would be leaving 6 months before I left. My last day there was November 27, 2024. It was hard to say goodbye, but I knew moving to South Carolina was the best decision for me as I plan to one day retire there. Don't get me wrong, I did have a lot of fun at CFA Commack, and I became very close to Fred and Tina along with many managers there including Dan, Jenn and Sean. Tasia, one of the managers always loved my dad jokes!

     On December 11, 2024, I walked into Chick Fil-A Harbison in Columbia, SC as a new employee. Although the menu has never changed, I had to get used to how things were run differently as well as the southern accents and slow talking people. It's a whole new world here! I have been with this restaurant for 10 months. I am not sure if I am in their plans to be a manager, but I just continue to work hard and do my best. My 61-year-old body feels it after every shift. I have to remind myself I'm 61 not 21! I have fun at this restaurant also as we always tell jokes and enjoy each other's company. I work the early morning shift here but what is different is some of my fellow team members are close to my age. I am not sure how any more years I will be working at Chick Fil-A. It has been quite the ride.

     So, here's to 10 years as a Chick Fil-A employee. 3 different restaurants in 2 states! Thank you for reading all about my journey. It's been an amazing ride! It's been MY PLEASURE!  

HAVE A GREAT DAY FRIENDS!!