4 Kids

It is Christmas! I am in Iowa with my daughter Sarah, her husband Tim, Asher and little baby Eva. I put a picture of them up above for you to see. We didn't have church today because of the snow storm. We did watch a puppet chapel video and played in the snow. I took this picture of a Christmas tree out in a field. I thought you would like it. I pray that you have had a very nice Christmas and that you remember all that Jesus did when He came to earth.

4 Others

It is still snowing. The wind is blowing. The snow if drifting. My son-in-law Tim just came in from shoveling again. We thanks God for a warm house, hot turkey dinner, and family to spend Christmas with. When flying here, I talked to a young soldier who was going home to spend Christmas with family before shipping out overseas. I have been praying for him. At this time when we are so blessed, remember to pray for those that are suffering or serving that we might live in freedom. God bless you this Christmas and give you wisdom when sharing that blessing.

I love the snow!

4 Kids

I love the snow. When I was a kid, we used to dig tunnels in the snow, build snow forts, and go sledding. We just had a big snow storm. Allot of adults got all upset about it. The streets were hard to drive on and the whole city slowed down. I liked it. The Bible says, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be whiter than snow. Every time it snows, I am reminded of the great sacrifice Jesus made so that we could be saved from sin. Have a great Christmas and if it is white, thank God.

4 Others

We did Christmas on Saturday with Aaron and Tim and their wives and kids because Darlene and I are going to spend Christmas with our daughter Sarah and her family. We had a record setting snow storm here on Saturday. 23 inches in Philly. I think we only had about fifteen to twenty inches in my neighborhood. The wind was supposed to come in and drift it, but we escaped that. I loved the snow. The neighborhood looked like God threw glitter on it. I got to serve my neighbors by snow blowing the ends of their driveways. What a blast! I am doing final packing for our trip. Got to go. Have a blessed Christmas. Did I mention that I love the snow?

The Shoes

4 Kids

Hi! First, I want to wish you a very merry Christmas. Kids call me PG. That stands for Pastor Gruber. When I was a children's pastor in Minnesota, two girls started calling me PG as a joke. Others picked it up and I have been called that ever since. I wear red Chuck Taylor high tops everywhere I go. I do have other colors that I wear, but most people know me for the red ones.

My office is even decorated with high tops. I am pretty sure someone will get me a new pair for Christmas.

So now you know, I am PG and I wear red shoes. These are both ways you can identify me. Another way is that I love Jesus and live for Him. I trust that at this Christmas time, you will be identified as a believer in Jesus. Sure, people identify you by your name or the kind of shoes you wear, but wouldn't it be nice if they also knew you were a Christian? Show that you love Jesus by serving others, obeying your parents, and playing nice. Some kids only do those kinds of things in order to get better presents on Christmas day. I know that you can live right just because you love Jesus.

4 Others

This year, at our faculty Christmas dinner, our college president and his dear wife gave everybody a high top Christmas ornament. (Each year they give us an ornament representing a place they have visited or something special that has happened at the school that year.) The high top was to remind everybody that our first Master's degree was awarded this year. Why the high top? Because I was the student that earned that degree. How cool is that? We all have a cute little high top as a memorial to this achievement. I am blessed.

The ornaments given each year have become a tradition among our faculty and staff. Christmas is a time when families, churches, and businesses practice a variety of traditions. Everything from sleigh rides to bonuses to acting out the Christmas story before opening presents is represented in these traditions. Before you get wrapped up in the tinsel of the day, stop and think about your traditions. Perhaps this is a good year to start a new one. Or maybe you should just reinforce the value of the long-standing ones. God bless you and your family this Christmas.

A shout out to Miss Maggie who is home from Africa for Christmas. God bless.

PG

Ah, Christmas

Our Daughter Sarah and Eva Marie

4 Kids and Others

Ah, Christmas. It is a time of excitement that far outweighs any other time of year. As the day approaches the excitement builds. For most it is simply excitement about giving and receiving gifts. There is much more to Christmas than that. Christmas is the celebration of God's great love for us. He loved you so much that He sent His one and only Son to this earth.

The Baby Jesus grew and lived just like you. He was tempted to do wrong, but never did. One day about 33 years after He was born, Jesus died on a cross for all of our sin. He was rich but became poor so that we also might be rich. I once heard somebody say, "Jesus came to this place, to take our place, so that we could go to His place."

Some would say that there are just 16 more shopping days until Christmas. I would say that you can celebrate Christmas every day. Jesus can be your Savior and friend. When you open presents this Christmas, think about opening the greatest gift of all. The Bible says that this gift is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. You open this by admitting you have done wrong, asking God to forgive you, and accepting Jesus as your Savior and Friend. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

I am also excited about visiting my children and grandchildren via Skype and in person. Sarah and her Husband, Tim just had a baby girl. Her name is Eva Marie and she is a beauty.

Merry Christmas.

Thanks-Living

4 Kids

Look for ways to live for God by serving others today. In children's church we talked about moving from a "Me" attitude to a "We" attitude. When you can learn to look beyond yourself and serve others you will be more content with who and where you are. The next time you see a Wii game system think, "It's not about me, it's about we."

4 Others

It's Monday and the leaves are clustered in gloopy piles around the yards. Still others remain clinging to their last hope as winter arrives with it's chilly fingers plucking them one by one from almost barren branches. I miss the crunchy time of just a couple of weeks ago when stepping on leaves made that distinctive crackle and crunch that calls out for us to stomp like little kids. Now the crunch is gone and leaves stick with soppy wetness to my shoes.

It's Thanksgiving week and I can't help but think that God looks for daily thanks. With Him, thanksgiving is not to be an annual event but rather a daily discipline. We are to be "thanks-livers." Darlene and I will make all of the traditional foods. This year we are adding Puerto Rican fare as well. Six to eight students are coming over along with our sons and their families. Holidays like this tug at my heart as I want to see all of my kids and grandkids. God knows when we will be with each other again. He is trustworthy and will fill any void left by those who are far away.

It has been a year since dad died. I received word right at Thanksgiving. We flew to Omaha for his funeral. I miss him. I miss his calls checking on my arrival after each ministry trip. I miss the gleam in his eye that I only see now in my grandchildren. It is a gleam of wonder at the world and a gleam of mischievousness that warns of impending creativity. I miss praying with dad and reading scripture with him. That's all for now. The good news is that grandpa Bob is sitting in the grandstands of heaven as part of that great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us. He cheers us on this Thanksgiving as we continue our faith walk.

Bad Sausage-Good Day

4 Kids

Had a blah morning. I wasn't feeling well, so I prayed. God has been helping me feel better. When you are sick or hurt, God will help you too. He's really good at this. He's been doing it a long time.

4 Others

I went to brekky with Josh Torres this morning and must have ate some bad sausage. No worries. It came up again within the hour. Isn't it great that God made our bodies to reject the bad like that? I know, feeling sick is a bummer. I drove home feeling like I was still going to hurl, but it didn't happen. So I slept for a while and Tim and Brit came over. Tim showed me how to Tweet. I'm on Twitter at here.

My Facebook Friend

4 Kids

Hey kids! Did you know that God has your profile on his Facebook page? Every boy or girl who has said yes to Jesus' friend request has their names written in his book of life. Jesus wants all children to be his friends, be forgiven, and spend eternity at his big sleep-over in heaven. You can say yes to Jesus today. Read more about this in the Bible.

4 Others

I went to Facebook today. I haven't been there since mid-summer. I only had 229 friend requests. I said yes to a bunch of them. I said not to those I couldn't remember. At my age that is a whole bunch. If you are out there and made a friend request, got rejected by me, and are plotting revenge right now, relax. Don't take it so seriously. I just couldn't remember. Either that or I hit the wrong button. Sorry. God has requested that you become his friend. He is waiting for your reply. Today would be a good day to say yes.

We went to Star Wars the Concert last weekend in Philly. It was incredible! Lights, fog. an orchestra, choir and Anthony Daniels. A good time was had by all. Two hours of overstimulation was just what I needed. LOL

Other than that, the sun is shining and God is still good. Have a great day.

4 Kids

I am having a great day! The Bible says, "This is the day that the Lord has made." Jesus made this day for me and you to enjoy. Look outside today and thank God for making trees and birds and other things you see. The puppets on this page are some that I saw at a puppet festival this weekend. They shine in black light which is pretty cool.

4 Others

Darlene and I enjoyed the One Way Street Puppet Festival last weekend in Lancaster, PA. It was a blast. If you have never been to one of these, do it. We met lots O people and learned new things about all things children's ministry. The longer I serve in this ministry the more aware I am that I need to learn more. I guess it would be boring to know everything about something and have no need to learn, discover, explore. So I keep going to seminars, reading books, listening to blogs. My favorite is www.childrensministrytalk.com. Probably because it is me and Jason talking about children's ministry. Hey, have a great day and makes some cookies.

OWS Puppet Festival

4 Kids

Hey Kids! I am PG. That stands for Pastor Gruber, Professor Gruber, People & God, Peace & Grace, or maybe Parental Guidance. I love Jesus and want to encourage every boy and girl to get to know him too. Jesus is a forever friend that never leaves you or lets you down. You can find out more about how to get to know him at the kid page on my website, www.dickgruber.com.

4 Others

Howdy! It is Friday and Darlene and I are going to the One Way Street Puppet Festival in Lancaster, PA. There will be several hundred puppeteers learning all about using these wonderful little friends in ministry in the church. We love going to this event because we meet new people, see old friends, and gain new ideas for our ministry to children. They also have a fabulous sales area. Have a great weekend wherever you are. I know we will. Remember, Jesus loves you and loves children more than we can imagine.

Hallow-what?

Hi. Me again. I wrote two blogs my first day and then forgot that I had this. That's my attention straying...

Did I tell you about Halloween? We had my front yard all set up with a puppet stage and games and the grill. We gave out candy and hot dogs and bottled water. Kids and parents began showing up around 6:00 and by the time it started pouring rain, 7:26, we had served 80 hot dogs and given away over 70 candy bags. I had some great help from about a dozen college students and friends. We had the opportunity to share with a couple of neighbors as their kids watched puppets. It was what I would call a successful night, rain and all.

I know some of you out there lock your doors on October 31, but it is my daughter Rachel's birthday and I want it to be fabulous for the neighborhood kids to honor her and God. By the way, this is the only night of the year that kids come to my house asking for something. I figure I can give them Jesus, put on a party, and make the most of it.

That's about all. Enjoy the pictures. The blue guy is my son, Tim. The Baby is not a puppet.

More about us

Hey! I've had this blog for less than and hour and I am already posting a second thing-a-bob. Here is more about us.

Darlene is my fabulous wife. Together, we began ministering to children in the spring of 1975. We began as bus ministry helpers. This led to our working in children's church and eventually becoming children's pastors. Darlene has been a wonderful minister along side of me all of these years. She is a great preacher and knows how to relate to kids of all ages. Her passion for children and ability to pull a lesson out of a mixed up dialogue with puppet or costumed character is an inspiration to me. We have served kids in Missouri, Minnesota, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. As camp and conference speakers, we have been across America and around the world. God is good. Darlene is an incredible wife and mother.

We have four children, Sarah, Aaron, Rachel, and Timothy. We are blessed by them and proud of what God has done in and through their lives. As of today, we have five beautiful grandchildren and two more on the way. We consider ourselves blessed by God to have been honored to serve as parents and now grandparents. These roles far outshine any other ministry function we have filled. Have we made mistakes? Certainly. Have we said wrong things? Of course. What parent has not? But through it all, God has given us wisdom and strength. His hand has and continues to rest on the lives of our kids. We pray every day for them and theirs.

The sons and daughters-in-law that God has teamed up with our kids are amazing. Sarah's Tim is a mighty man of God. He is steady, smart, and loves the outdoors. Aaron's Jenny is a very practical, super creative minister that has served to challenge and increase Aaron's ability to impact this world through children. She shops smart, actually finishes scrap booking pages, and is great with kids.

Rachel's Felix is a stable powerhouse for Jesus Christ. His spiritual and practical insights have blessed, challenged, and slapped me upside the head from time to time. He exhorts Rachel to deeper living with Christ and is a phenomenal father to his children. Together, they are powerful ministers to the youth of their area north of Detroit. Tim just married Brittany last January. She pushes him to greater commitment in Christ, perseverance in the workplace, and a deeper understanding of living out his faith. Brittany is smart, funny, and deeply passionate in her relationship with Christ. She is also a fabulous cook.

So that's more about us. Have a great day and remember, you can impact the world through impacting the children.

Hallo-What?

It is Thursday in Pennsylvania. The leaves are quickly soaking off of our trees (lots o rain), and the Philly's just won the first game in the World Series. I sit in my office at VFCC and thank God for the opportunity to train young children's leaders.

I am new to the blogging world so I welcome myself to my new blog. My hope for this blog is that family members, children's workers, and other friends, would be able to keep up with what is happening in the Gruber world.

Halloween is just a couple of days away and we will be setting up a carnival in my front yard again. For ideas on how to do this in your yard go to dickgruber.com and download the free booklet entitled, "Hallo-what?" We will have puppets, grilled hot dogs, and carnival games for the neighborhood kids. Lat year, we served and entertained over 100 boys and girls through this outreach. My college students will be coming out to assist with this and we will have a great time. I want my yard to be the highlight of every kid's night.

That's all for now. Remember that God loves you and you can make a difference in this world by touching the heart of a child.