IRVING SERRANO AND CARMEN RIVAS WIN THE GALA AWARDS FOR 2013

FLASH- The Gala Foundation announced the Gala Award winners for 2013 today as preparations were underway to showcase each of the recipients on their recognition during the month of January. It is a tradition to announce and present the Awards before the year is out. A Gala Award is presented to Irving Serrano Sr for his Outstanding Service and Devotion to the cause of the Gala Foundation. Irving has been a faithful contributor to the Foundation since its infancy. He has written numerous columns on the Gala publications. His brother Noel asked him to join the Administrative board in 2010 and serves as an Associate Administrator

for the Foundation. A Special Gala Award will be presented to Hna Carmen Rivas for Lifetime Achievement and an outstanding Service and Devotion to the ideals and vision that is so inherent in our Organization. Carmen is a Godly Woman who has tirelessly served the Lord and is an example of perseverance ad fortitude in the midst of great challenges. we honor these two during the next coming weeks with Feature articles and Biographies that will serve to inspire us all to live a noble and Selfless life and to be an example to others.

JUST CALL ME RUDOLPH!

Well here we are. Christmas, just a few weeks away. The inspiration of this message comes from the song; Rudolf, the red nosed reindeer. This song speaks about a Deer, who apparently was different from the others around him. I am quite certain that anyone reading this, will agree. It is difficult when your in a situation where others around you bully, make fun and criticize you. Simply because you are different. All through out our lives, we face this. Since our Childhood years in school, right up to the present as growned up adults. Even more so, if you were raised up, as a Christian. Even as Kids, we tend to imitate our Parents. We speak differently, we conduct ourselves with patience. We are in most cases tolerant, or forgiving of unfairness, or injustices sent in our direction. Of course if you are still imitating your christian Parents? The Apostle Paul, once said "be imitators of me". (1st Corinthians 11:1) This he said because he made it a practice to follow and teach Gods, word to the people all around Him. He was a good imitator of Jesus Christ. And we all know they laughed at Him, just like they laughed at Jesus Christ. Where ever He found himself, he would always be an example of the teachings of Christ. We as Christians, appear to be different to non-believers, as well as those who know about God`s love. Yet still remain on the fence, as to committing to a one on one relation with Christ. They may know the story of Jesus. From His birth, right up to His crucifixion. Yet, they still have not asked Christ, to be their Lord and Savior. For some it may be simply because they have not been approached correctly. But there are others that look at the behavior of so-called believers, and their turned away because of language or behaviors they witness. This hits home to me. Though I was raised with sound Christian Parents. I strayed off the path of Christianity. I knew of certain people in the church, that spoke one way and acted another. At the time, my attitude was; " If I'm going to do wrong or be different, well I won`t do it flying a Christian flag". Ultimately I learned that this was just another trick of the Enemy (satan). He`ll put it in your head that Christ will not listen, or answer your prayer. But Satan is a lire. If he can get you to think like that. He can get you to stop praying! All through the History of the Bible, and in this world. Everyone who has ever called out, on the name of Jesus, has been heard. And has been answered. But tit for tat, you must be different. ( Proverbs 4: 14) Say`s; Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Several of the modern English versions, say; Oh, the joy of those who do not follow the advise of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. Other translated versions use the words scornful, or scoffers. A cross reference to this subject is found in (Psalms 5:9) " not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies". A very heartfelt thing is when a true born again believer, is treated as a non- believer. In the end, only God can, and will be the judge of all man. I remember once being called an ' halle-lu-ya'. I laughed right along with the person who said it. What tickled me the most, at the time was the love God, placed in me to be forgiving of the other persons ignorance. The old-Me,,, would have knocked him out. God`s word tells us; " Be not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power unto salvation, for the Jew, and the gentile. So you don`t want to be like Rudolf ? Getting picked on? People laughing, or making jokes. Remember the facts! In the song, Santa say`s;" Rudolf, with your nose so bright, wont you guide my slay tonight". Remember the facts! In this life, God say`s, He picks you! He wants to do for you. (2 Corinthians 6:2) For He say`s; " In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God`s favor, now is the time of salvation". This is the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas a few days away. But a New beginning with Christ can start, RIGHT NOW! (2 Corinthians 6:3) We put no stumbling block in any one's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way; in great endurance, in troubles, hardships and distress, in beatings, imprisonments and riots, in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger, in purity, understanding, patience and kindness in the Holy Spirit, and in sincere love. In truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet unknown,dyeing, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything". In short, this is the life of a Christian. I hope to erg you to take a closer walk with Jesus. I know He can change your life. Look if you step outside thinking your gonna trip and fall. That is exactly what will happen. Many say, Oh God, help me out of this mess, but refuse to go in the direction He has chosen for you. I'm going to close with a passage from 2 Corinthians , ' Blessed be the God of OUR Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of MERCIES, and God of ALL COMFORT, who comforts US, in ALL our TRIBULATIONS, that WE may be able to comfort THOSE in ANY TROUBLE, with the comfort with which we OURSELVES, are comforted BY GOD". I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and I pray you make Christ, center in your life. God bless, love always, Irving Serrano Sr.

LIVING A LIFE OF THANKSGIVING TO THE LORD

By Evelyn Melendez

 

 For God's people, Thanksgiving is far more than a special day on the calendar. The Bible urges us to live a life of thanksgiving each day. Being thankful to God for all of His blessings is truly a mark of the Christian. ...

The Bible says, "Make a joyful shout to the LORD" (Ps. 100:1). In the Bible, shouting is associated with great achievement or joy. Joshua told Israel to march around Jericho for six days and on the seventh day to lift a great shout. When they did, the walls fell down (Josh. 6).

When you are thanking and praising God, don't be afraid to be a little loud. God loves to hear our praises, and it will also make you biblical!

We should be grateful every day for what God has done for us. Let's make it our determination to praise and worship God this holiday season!

A SON'S BEST FRIEND

There once was a service in a Church, where a prominent Pastor was speaking. Suddenly the Pastor changes the subject, as His eyes focus on someone in the crowded church. He goes on to say how he recognized an old friend. He also felt so compelled to cut his own message short. And he went on to introduce his friend, as he invited him to come up to the alter, and share some words with the church. An elderly man comes up, and very eloquently starts to introduce himself. He thanks the Pastor for the moment, as He says; I want to share with you a Testimony. You may be looking up at an old run down man. "Old" yes, but not run down. I have been around for a lot of years, and I was blessed because I got to know the Lord Jesus Christ, since I was a small boy. Many years ago, when I was much younger I went on a fishing boat. I only had one Son, and He came with me , along with a friend of his. My Son, would always be close to me. It did not matter if we were going to Church, or if we were playing ball, or going fishing. My Son and I, were always together. You see, my Son Loved the Lord also. This was supposed to be a day trip. Our schedule was to have us back to the dock, before nightfall. But the unexpected happened. A tropical storm hit us by surprise. Everyone had to real in their lines, and hold on. As the sky grew darker, and the waves started pounding the sides of the boat. It was not a small boat,on someone in the crowded church. He goes on to say how he recognized an old friend. He also felt so compelled to cut his own message short. And he went on to introduce his friend, as he invited him to come up to the alter, and share some words with the church. An elderly man comes up, and very eloquently starts to introduce himself. He thanks the Pastor for the moment, as He says; I want to share with you a Testimony. You may be looking up at an old run down man. "Old" yes, but not run down. I have been around for a lot of years, and I was blessed because I got to know the Lord Jesus Christ, since I was a small boy. Many years ago, when I was much younger I went on a fishing boat. I only had one Son, and He came with me , along with a friend of his. My Son, would always be close to me. It did not matter if we were going to Church, or if we were playing ball, or going fishing. My Son and I, were always together. You see, my Son Loved the Lord also. This was supposed to be a day trip. Our schedule was to have us back to the dock, before nightfall. But the unexpected happened. A tropical storm hit us by surprise. Everyone had to real in their lines, and hold on. As the sky grew darker, and the waves started pounding the sides of the boat. It was not a small boat, but it felt small in comparison to the size of the waves swelling up. The boat would be facing down, the next second. , it would be facing up. Suddenly a huge splash comes crashing over the front of the vessel taking with it several people. The sky`s are dark, the rain is falling. The wind is hitting us with all it`s got. And the ocean is violently trying to consume us. There is yelling and screaming all around me. When I was able to clear my vision. I realize that both my Son, and His friend were also taken over board. I ran to get a life preserver, as I yelled for help. The currents were strong. I was only able to get one small life ring, attached to a rope. There was no time to spare, for you would see them one second, then they would appear to go under the next. I knew my Son cold swim, but this angry ocean could not be dealt with, by just a good swimmer. His friend on the other hand could not swim to good. I only had a few seconds to decide; To Who, do i throw this life preserver first. Was I going to sacrifice one person over the other? I knew my Son, was a saved Christian. And I also knew that His friend, still had not committed to accepting Christ. Was I going to deny him an opportunity? If he perishes today? The currents was pulling us farther apart. It was just a matter of seconds to react. I cried out, Oh God! As I threw the life preserver to my Son`s friend. We pulled and hung on, as hard as we could. We finally get this young man on board. And I immediately run to the edge of the boat, to see which way do I throw out again, to recover my Son. It was a sad moment, it had groaned darker, the ocean was not letting up. The rain was stinging my flesh as it pounded me. I looked, and I looked. Yelling out as loud as I could. But my Son would never be found. I was held back by other men, who would not let me enter the water. When these things happen, it feels like seconds. When actually minutes go by. Then when everything slows down to where you think it took a few minutes. It really all went down in the matter of seconds. The elderly man went on to say, though we may walk with Christ, we still have no guarantee when it`s time to leave this earth. Only God knows. Parents sometimes rebel against God, because they think He does not care. With out remembering, that it was God, who sacrificed His only Son, for all of us. It was God, who was with me on that terrible day. And it is God, who comforted me, and has been with me since that day. As the elderly man turns toward the Pastor. They embrace each other. They are both in tears. The Pastor tells the Church;....You better decide today! Oh, you better decide today. Today is the day of Salvation. This man, my dearest friend. He rapped it all up in a nut shell for you. No one knows what will happen to them tomorrow. There is never a day that goes by, that I don`t think about that day. Do you want to know why? I was His Son`s, best friend. I was the one pulled out of the ocean. God, saved me for a purpose. And I know He has a purpose for you my friend, After this an alter call was made, and many came forth to accept Christ, as their Lord and Savior. I hope this short story encourages you to take a closer walk with Christ. And be thankful for all He has done for you. May God Bless you. Love always, Irving Serrano Sr.

LIVING A LIFE OF THANKSGIVING TO THE LORD

By Evelyn Melendez

 For God's people, Thanksgiving is far more than a special day on the calendar. The Bible urges us to live a life of thanksgiving each day. Being thankful to God for all of His blessings is truly a mark of the Christian. ...

The Bible says, "Make a joyful shout to the LORD" (Ps. 100:1). In the Bible, shouting is associated with great achievement or joy. Joshua told Israel to march around Jericho for six days and on the seventh day to lift a great shout. When they did, the walls fell down (Josh. 6).

When you are thanking and praising God, don't be afraid to be a little loud. God loves to hear our praises, and it will also make you biblical!

We should be grateful every day for what God has done for us. Let's make it our determination to praise and worship God this holiday season!

REMEMBERING THAT SAD DAY IN NOVEMBER IN 1963

By Noel Serrano

This November 22 marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It was a traumatic experience for people in the U.S. and around the globe. Those old enough to remember can tell you the exact spot they were standing when they heard the news. Kennedy seemed to represent a new, vigorous leadership, after the gray Eisenhower years, committed to reforming American society and making a better  and peaceful world.

Many liberal Democrats also believe there was a deeper tragedy in Kennedy's death--that it literally altered the course of U.S. history. As they see it, the so-called "turmoil" of the 1960s--the ghetto uprisings, the war in Vietnam .--all would have been avoided if Kennedy had lived.

It was the fall of 1960. I was 4 years old, I used to spend a lot of time looking out the window of my mother’s bedroom and see the New York skyline. I loved watching the fabulous structure of the Tri-Borough Bridge and loved to watch the helicopters land on Randall’s Island. It was on a cloudy day like this that I gazed down the  wide New York streets and saw crowds of people flocking around a group of cars. It looked like a parade. There was much excitement for one of the long cars. They were waving and trying their best to reach out and shake the hand of a tall man with light brown hair. There was a roar of excitement as throngs would run and surround the car.  I did not know  what was the commotion and I did not know that  I was viewing the 1960 Presidential Campaign. This was the first time that I saw  the young man who would, weeks later, become the 35^th President of the United States. I can still recall the sound of the roaring throngs of friendly crowds and the long motorcade winding down from 7^th Ave and entering Spanish Harlem  the and enormous crowds of people surrounding the Limosine and running towards  the man that stood erect, shaking hands and waving to the adoring crowd. At that moment, I did not understand what I was looking at and I was too young to realize that I was watching history and yet, this view captivated my attention and it was seared to my memory. On November of 1963, I was 6 years old. It was a normal autumn day with memories of brown and orange leaves on the ground. I walked to the nearby grade school of P.S.123 in Queens, NY.  All the children at my first grade class were excited because we had a substitute teacher on that Friday morning of November 22, 1963. I glanced around the room and there was a lot of kids acting up and I remember feeling a little sorry for the Sub teacher trying to get the students attention to start the lesson for the day.  It seemed like a normal Friday and I was excited because Fridays meant that it would be the start of another weekend to play with my brothers. I recall great commotion in the early afternoon in that small classroom. The teachers seemed distressed as they asked all the children to form a line on the right hand side of the classroom , facing the doorway. The teachers frantically placed us all , row by row on the hallway, just outside of the classroom. I thought that maybe it was a special Fire Drill or even Assembly which was common on Fridays. I waited patiently as I leaned on the massive yellow brick wall  in the hallway  and gazed up at the dimly lit beige lighting fixtures  that hung from the ceiling. The children were fidgeting and occasionally a teacher would come and quietly nudge them to be silent. It seemed as an eternity, standing in that hallway.  I started getting a deep feeling that something terrible had happened but I did not know what t was. It was just a feeling. I remember the light at the end of the school hallway reflecting off the floor as word went round and the weight in the air the days after. Finally  we were allowed to leave to go home. My cousin Pecio came running to me and hugged me as was his custom. We quietly walked home  a couple of blocks away and went  to the kitchen where my father and his brother were talking about what had happened on that terrible November day.  Heard my Uncle say; “Did you hear that someone shot at the President today?” My heart sank and  at that moment in time I became  keenly aware  that someone had killed the Leader of our Country. For kids my age, it was like losing a father It was stunning and so awful. And so unreal. To have just seen the young, vibrant, charismatic president a few months before and now he was dead. A true pivot point in my life. Nothing was ever the same and the 60s were downhill from there. I always tried to imagine how the world would have been different had he lived. I don't believe he would escalated Vietnam, as his manhood was not open to debate with him being a war hero. I do wonder if he could have passed the Civil Rights legislation as effectively as President Johnson, but do think he would have tried. A huge, irredeemable loss from which many of us have never fully recovered. I was 6 years old on 11/22/63. Long after remembering the tears that were all around me shed on that day, I still feel haunted that somehow it could have been prevented. This event has followed me throughout my life. I'm a man that has stood by and often quoted from the Presidents most well written speech that will stand true for all of time. "Ask not what my country can do for me but rather ask what I can do for my country." We are so accustomed at doing just the opposite that we have completely stepped away from what once made America a great Nation. Can you only Imagine if every person that lives in the boundary of the United States of America would only adopt what President Kennedy echoed so long ago, how the lives of every American would literally take on a new meaning. America would return to the way America once was so very long ago. we have lost sight of what is really important, not only for us but more important, for our neighbors. He is perhaps one of the  leading visionaries from the standpoint of American presidents. His presidency presented international and national challenges that were up to that time, unlike never before. America I'm sure cannot help to wonder what could have come had this assassination never occurred. A certain second term of leadership and progress.  The 50th anniversary of J.F.K.’s assassination is both too much and not enough. The inexplicable loss, the unanswerable questions, the sense of history suspended—they’re all still being fed by the powerful charisma of the man who was America’s first Pop president. "He's frozen in people's minds at age 46," said Kennedy biographer Robert Dallek. "Kennedy still gives people a sense - to this day - of hope for the future."His appearance changed with his mood, strikingly so, and this made him always more interesting than what he was saying. He would seem at one moment older than his age, forty-eight or fifty, a tall, slim, sunburned professor with a pleasant weathered face. Five minutes later, talking to a press conference on his lawn, three microphones before him, a television camera turning, his appearance would have gone through a metamorphosis, he would look again like a movie star, his coloring vivid, his manner rich, his gestures strong and quick, alive with that concentration of vitality a successful actor always seems to radiate. Much of what people know about Kennedy comes from his inauguration speech, with its rhetorical flourishes that seem to inspire liberal activism.

They are largely misinterpreted. It is a conservative, Cold War, anti-Communist speech. When Kennedy declared: "Ask not what you country can do for you but what you can do for your country," he wasn't asking people to go out and fight poverty, he was saying don't expect the federal government to hugely expand social welfare programs.

When Kennedy said, "Let every nation know...that we shall pay any price, bear any burden...in order to insure the survival and success of liberty," he was not talking about the U.S. defending the right of nations to self-determination but that the U.S. would intervene against any threats to its power, like in Cuba, that just had a revolution against a U.S.-backed dictatorship.

"We will not prematurely...risk the cost of worldwide nuclear war in which even the fruits of victory would be ashes in our mouths--but neither will we shrink from that risk at any time it must be faced," Kennedy declared in his address to the nation on October 22, 1962. The Russians didn't run the blockade and withdrew their missiles. And this is how the world came the closest ever to nuclear holocaust--under John F. Kennedy. When the truth is discovered, it becomes clear that far from being a progressive liberal, JFK was a moderate-centrist with viewpoints that were considerably to the right of the Democratic party's liberal wing. And if JFK was not truly "progressive" before or during his presidency, then the idea that he was murdered by reactionaries opposed to "progressive reform" loses all credibility. And who was JFK the Man, ultimately? A gifted speaker and eloquent communicator. A man who understood the pulse of the nation enough in 1946 when he positioned himself apart from the natural heirs to the liberal New Deal tradition. A man who recognized early the need for an assertive stance in the developing days of the Cold War, and who positioned himself perfectly within the framework of what Louis Hartz has called the "Age of Consensus." Part of the consensus on America's place in the world, and on the moral correctness of the Cold War struggle that would endure until the late 1960s. A man who understood the moral correctness of integration but who was reluctant to press too far in the struggle for racial justice. A man who as President, never forgot his roots and was an active Cold Warrior in the tradition of Truman and Eisenhower, and who in domestic policy kept himself positioned to the right of the Democratic party's liberal wing. Kennedy and his image of youth and vigor have not lost a hold on the American imagination. The five decades since Kennedy's murder have also seen a decline in respect for government in general and presidents in particular. Dallek noted that, since Kennedy's death, only President Reagan has been able to hold a large measure of affection from a mass of Americans.

"So many of the other presidents have fared so poorly," he said. "Kennedy and Reagan gave the country optimism and hope. They gave the sense of the country's best values."