Who The Heck Are You?

One of the big reasons (excuses) that I always gave Dena for not going to church was that I didn't want to attend if I wasn't going to give 100%. Anybody who knows me, knows that I don't believe in half-assing much of anything. I mean, what's the point in going to a church service if you're just going to sit there looking at your watch the whole time? I didn't want to be one of those people who just show up on Sunday mornings to get their ticket to Heaven stamped for that week. After my meeting with Tommy, I decided to jump right in...

As a new and mobile church that meets in a high school auditorium, ICC needs all the help they can get with setting up prior to and breaking down following the service each week. It's a pretty big production setting up a reception/snack area in the lobby, a children's area, and the auditorium/stage area. I'm not exactly known for volunteering for anything but I immediately volunteered my services for the set-up team. I started out by helping to do just about anything and everything that needed to be done - setting up the reception and children's areas, assisting with parking, and taking the offering was my main focus each week until I was approached about helping with the auditorium/stage set-up, which I was very open to doing. Sunday mornings are usually pretty long for Dena and me, but busting my butt helping my friend Tommy get ICC rolling and doing it all for Jesus is way better than laying on the couch watching some stupid show on TV - did I just say that?

As the weeks passed, Tommy and I made it a point to get together weekly to discuss the Bible and become better friends. He provided me with assigned reading and then we would discuss what I had read. I'm not exactly know for being much of a reader but I decided to give it a try so we started with the book of Matthew. My experience with reading the Bible in the past was one of complete non-comprehension. It always seemed like it was written in a language that just didn't make any sense to me. With Tommy and Dena's help though, the messages started making a lot of sense to me. Even though a lot of what Jesus said through his parables can be confusing the main messages are quite clear. Even his disciples didn't always get it so I guess I'm not a complete moron after all. There's a reason why people study the Bible for years and years.

I wish I could say that I immediately bought in to everything I was reading and hearing but I still resisted for some reason. Life and work were still a pain in the rear end and I still made it a point to blame God when something went wrong. I'm sure I even considered chucking the whole church thing on a few occasions. I guess I was expecting some over-night change. I have to remember that living for Jesus is marathon and not a sprint.

This resistance came to an end in October 2007. I remember having a major breakdown after an electrical job I was doing didn't go quite as well as I hoped. I don't think it was a conscious decision, but at that point I gave my life up to Jesus entirely. Things started going better on jobs, I was working smarter, I was more patient when things did go wrong on a job, I didn't panic as much when work was slow, etc. Most importantly, I wasn't blaming God when things went wrong. I know I was getting better as an electrician through experience but something else was helping me get through the days...I had Jesus as my electrician's helper and from what I've seen of the electricians out there, he's way more reliable and hard-working than any of them.

I Meet A, Um, Holy Man

As I was saying, at the kick-off picnic (July 2007?), I had the opportunity to meet the man responsible for this new church, Lead Pastor, Tommy Duke. At first glance, Tommy isn't exactly your typical "holy man". At well over 6 feet tall and 300 pounds, he looks more like an offensive lineman, than a preacher. The bald head and goatee only added to this look. I only spoke to him (me in slight Pittsburghese, he in a Southern twang) for a few minutes that day, but I could tell that there was something very different about this guy. At least very different from any "holy man" I'd ever encountered before.

I don't remember the exact timeline, but Dena and I had the opportunity to meet with Tommy and other members of the church on a couple more occasions and attended our first service at ICC. At that service I showed an interest in pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ. The following week, Tommy contacted me about meeting for lunch. I hardly knew what to expect out of this - I certainly never met with a priest or other "holy man" in a social situation before, at least not voluntarily. The priests at my old church always seemed intimidating with their "holier-than-thou" attitude. In fact, I probably did all I could just to avoid them. I didn't hesitate in agreeing to this meeting though.

Tommy and I met at a nearby Subway, ate lunch and just shot the breeze about life, his vision for the church, and what it means to be a Christian. I learned that Tommy and I have quite a bit in common - we both played football, are both quick witted if not hilarious at times, have awesome wives, etc. I thought, for a "holy man", this guy is actually really cool. Of course, Tommy also used this meeting as a chance to request that I give my life up to Jesus if I felt I was ready to do so. I felt a little put on the spot, but I also felt I was up to that challenge. Dena's faith in God has never failed her and she is always strong even when the chips are down. It's something I never understood before but was always curious about. I figured I had nothing to lose so I agreed. We prayed together and ended our lunch.

That evening, I remember feeling pretty excited and energized about living my life - something I hadn't felt for a very long time. In fact, over the past couple of years, I had begged God on many occasions to just take me because of all the pain I felt in my life. That day though, at a small table in a Subway restaurant, something new was born inside of me and things began to change for the better...

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog. I don't really like that term "blog", so let's just call it my "on-line journal".

I am Bob Masterino. I'm 37 years old (next month) and live in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Been here for most of my life. I have been married to a wonderful woman, Dena, for almost 10 years now. Since I am the one who is the goofball in our relationship, she has added a bit of a serious side to me. In turn, I think I have helped Dena to take life a little less seriously. We are quite a complement to each other.

I was raised in a Roman Catholic home and hadn't attended a church regularly in more than 20 years. In retrospect, I have always believed in God, but I don't think I ever really took it seriously or even considered having a relationship with Him. I guess the only relationship I had with Him was as a scapegoat for everything that went wrong in my life.

Last summer, I quite literally received a sign from God in the form of a new church based here in the North Hills. "Iron City Church, More Jesus, Less Crap" is what the sign, posted less than a half-mile from my house, said. As we drove by, I said to Dena (who has always wanted me to attend church with her) that sounds like my kind of church. Dena did some research on Iron City and contacted them regarding their mission. They were having a kick-off picnic right up the street the following week so they invited us to attend.

With much resistance that evening - I'm sure I had a crappy day - Dena was able to drag my butt up the street despite the rain that was falling. We were greeted with smiles by everyone there and there was plenty of food to be eaten. That's when I met the most significant person who has come into my life in quite some time. I actually have to leave to meet him right now, so more about that later.

Bob