Children probably love Christmas more than anybody and that makes Christmas the time to reach children with the true message of Jesus' birth. For a fun time for children of all ages, don't miss the next HAVEN Today. Charles Morris is joined by the creators of Kid's Praise on a program called "Psalty's Christmas Calamity".

November 28, 2005

Psalty’s Christmas Calamity

Welcome to Haven Today. I’m Charles Morris and last summer on this program we did some special things for children, children of all ages. We had with us in the studio, Psalty the Singing Songbook. Well, have I got something in store for you in the next few minutes. We said to Ernie Retino at the time, if he’s available and if people really enjoyed him in the summertime would you come back? And he said yes and people did enjoy it. So in the next few minutes we’re going to be joined by Psalty the Singing Songbook, we’re also going to be joined by Mrs. Psalty, Psaltina as well. It’s Christmastime and let’s get started with the music of Kid’s Praise Kids singing from “Psalty’s Christmas Calamity”.

Song: Joy to the World
Performed by: Kid’s Praise Kids

What a way to start Haven Today, the music of “Joy to the World” sung by Kid’s Praise Kids, singing from “Psalty’s Christmas Calamity”. With that, let me introduce the 2 people sitting across from me. Actually there are only 2 human beings but there are a lot of people sitting across from me right now. Let me introduce you by your human names, first there is Ernie Retino, welcome Ernie, welcome back to Haven Today
ER: Thank you Charles, it’s nice to be here.
CM: And Debbie Retino who didn’t get with us last summer, you were gone somewhere then. Thank you for joining us.
DR: Oh, I’m so delighted to be here. It’s wonderful. You’ve got a great staff and we got to meet them too.
CM: Well, we did we had a great prayer meeting
DR: Yes
CM: Just a few minutes ago, didn’t we with the staff and volunteers who are stuffing envelopes today. Well, we wanted to have you both here and I’m glad you both could be here on the program today because –
PS: Ah, excuse me Charles!
CM: Uh-oh, somebody just came in the room.
PS: Excuse me Charles, are you going to mention that I’m here?
CM: I think I’d better.
PS: It’s me, Psalty the Singing Songbook. Hi everybody, I’m here too and look at, here’s my wife Psaltina!
PSA: Oh, I finally found you! Oh Psalty, I’m so glad I finally am here to see you.
PS: Oh, Psaltina, I love you so much! And you know what Charity Church Mouse is here.
CM: You said somebody else is here too.
PS: Yes, Charity Church Mouse.
CC: Oh, Hello! Oh, Charles I’m so delighted to be here on Haven.
CM: I’ve been waiting years to meet you.
CC: Oh, it’s me, Charity Church Mouse
PS: Charles, you’re getting red!
CM: I never thought I’d get this way when I met Charity Church Mouse finally!
CC: Oh, Charles.
CM: Well, you guys have been singing for Jesus for years. What was born out of an idea of just do a children’s album with children’s music on it actually gained some personality and just sold in the millions and then became history, didn’t it?
ER: That’s right, that’s right. 1980, Psalty was born. And it just kept going on. I think now we’ve recorded, oh, probably over 35 albums.
CM: In fact you were telling me something earlier, from I guess from the Christmas Calamity album about some guy went to Africa who had been on that album. What’s that Debbie?

DR: Yeah, well you know that theme of “Psalty’s Christmas Calamity” is that we need to trust God. That we can try and do everything in our own strength and our own might but we really need to trust the Lord. And Psalty has a problem, (we’ll talk about that in a minute –)
CM: Sure, yeah
DR: on “Psalty’s Christmas Calamity”, but God reminds him that it’s not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit. And the voice of God was played by a good friend of ours and he was in Africa. And he was standing outside in the middle of the bush someplace
CM: in a village, yes
DR: In a village outside a hut, just speaking and a little boy ran out and said, “I know who you are!” And he said, “You do?” And he said, “You’re God! I have your record!”
CM: Little did he expect to go that far away and find someone who’d heard him.
ER: I’m sure he did a lot of explaining though. “I’m not God. No, no, no wait!”
DR: Yeah, they were kidding, you know. He knew that, he knew that he just played God, but he was so excited that he met the actor that played God on this tape and he had the tape to prove it. And it was so sweet because it’s been fun that our records have really gone all over the world.
CM: And it’s interesting, isn’t it that what started, as I said a moment ago, as just straight children’s songs, all of a sudden took on a life of its own when you added characters to tell stories. And really that’s not just the way to reach a child’s heart for the Lord, that’s a way to reach any of our hearts.
ER: No, and it’s very biblical. Jesus did stories all the time.
DR: That’s right
Cm: Yes, yes.
ER: He did parables. And it’s one way to really make the Gospel very clear.
DR: Right.
ER: to get those underlying deep principles out there and “pshht” right into the heart.
CM: And that’s what you’re about and even to this day when there’s a Billy Graham Crusade somewhere there’s the children’s evangelism day and you guys are a part of that too.
ER: Absolutely, we are out here to preach the Gospel to families, not just children, but families. But we do it through the children.
CM: so you’re both evangelists and view this as very important.
DR: Right, right. And reaching families and kids by telling stories with music is a way that puts the message in their hearts that they can’t get it out. We have got just wonderful stories from people who write us from all over the world and just tell us about what God has done in their lives through the music because the music sticks.
CM: And one other thing too, you’re not just telling stories
DR: That’s right.
CM: or telling the story of the Gospel, you actually integrate the words of scripture into music –
ER: Right
DR: Absolutely
CM: and the stories.
ER: I think what’s really good is we have never compromised that. There’s been tremendous amount of pressure from record companies to –
CM: Yes.
ER: to take, actually take Jesus out of the whole thing. And put, secularize that message a little bit to reach a broader, secular audience.
CM: So it can sell more.
ER: Absolutely
DR: Right.
ER: because there’s a bottom line and we actually flat out said, “Sorry, that’s just not what we’re about.” And God has blessed that because of it.
CM: Well, we need to hear some music from you but first can one of you tell us in a bit of a nut shell this story, which actually I’ve heard people say that the “Christmas Calamity” album which you did a little bit later is probably the best story album that you ever did.
ER: Well, you probably heard that from me because I frankly think that it’s probably one of the best written ones that we’ve ever done.
CM: OK
ER: From a writing stand point.
CM: Yes, OK
ER: It’s layered. It has the message of Christmas, the basic traditional story. It has this underlying theme that Christmas is a time to love which is a message that we all really need to hear. And then it has a deeper message that we all need to trust God implicitly and not misplace our faith by putting it in, as Psalty will say later, in his pages. Or as God would say to Psalty, you put your faith in your pages. But did you want to hear what the - ?
CM: Well, yeah Debbie wrote the song, didn’t you Debbie? You wrote “Christmas is a Time to Love”
DR: Right.
ER: It’s a great song.
CM: Tell us about the song.
DR: Well, we were trying to really come up with one of the points in the album and I was thinking, “OK, what is it about Christmas? You know sometimes I can get so irritated.” And I realized, you know what, Christmas –
CM: I’ve been there, every Christmas.
DR: Yes, you know I think about the list, I have to go out to the mall. How many people do I have to buy for? And there’s these little gifts and stuff like that and I’m just, oh my goodness it just goes on and on and on. And I’m going to have to put up with people that I don’t want to be with, and they are annoying. Of course, I’m never annoying.
CM: No, no, not yourself, right.
DR: And you know I’m going to have to be in a space with them, and I think you know what? It’s not about me. Christmas is a time to love. Christmas is a time to reach out to others. That’s what the season is for, so we can express the love that God gave to us through his Son Jesus Christ, that we can express that to others by loving them. We don’t have to go on with great big preaching things. We have to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ and be the love of God.
ER: It’s putting the focus back where it belongs.
DR: That’s right, so let’s listen to a little bit of the song.

Song: Christmas is a Time to Love
Performed by: Kid’s Praise Kids

Well if we were a TV program right now you would see my eyes glistening a little bit because I’m thinking of driving down the road in my Chevy Biscayne station wagon and three kids in the back seat singing “Christmas is a Time to Love” at the top of their lungs and Debbie thank you for writing that song that can so minister to people like me.
DR: Thank you, it actually blesses me to listen to it because I get convicted by the words, so yeah, it’s a heart song.
CM: It is, well especially, it’s a simple line, but the meaning behind why you wrote it that you shared just a moment ago makes it more impacting to me.
DR: Well, I’m glad you like it.
CM: Thank you very much. Now tell us a little bit more about this story line that you had in the Christmas Calamity project.
ER: Well, if I may dear, the story –
DR: Oh, go ahead honey.
ER: Thanks. It starts out with Psalty being invited to sing at the neighborhood church for Christmas eve with the kids. And they’re all excited and he has a bunch of Christmas songs in his pages and when they try them out, unfortunately the pages are dusty and some of the music just doesn’t sound right, which we make not sound right at certain points. And so then they decided they’re going to wash his pages, Psalty’s pages and they take them out –
CM: Uh-oh, it’s all coming back to me now.
ER: Yes, this is it, this is it. So they wash his pages and they get a tub and soap and there’s a whole song about giving Psalty a shampoo and then they take the pages out of the tub.
CM: Oh no!
ER: Oh no! They’re shrunk! Psalty says, “I’ve always had them dry cleaned!” And what are we going to do? Well, they put the pages back in and they try to sing and suddenly the music goes too fast. And we show you how that works.
CM: Sure, yes.
ER: And then now what are we going to do? And so then the kids say, “We’ll fix it Psalty. We’ll fix it!” And they try everything they can do to fix it. They give him a tonic, they’re going to make him eat a Christmas record, they’re going to, I forget something else, there’s a third thing and then, whatever it doesn’t work. Oh, they stretch him, that’s what it is, they stretch him
DR: Oh, yeah, yeah
ER: He actually literally stretches and when we do this on stage it’s so funny because Psalty has these long, long gloves that just, he just flaps around in the air like propellers, you know. Whatever they do doesn’t work. And now they are all discouraged, they’re going to have to cancel Christmas Eve service, their part of it and however, then he suddenly, the kids leave, and then God starts to speak to Psalty’s heart.
CM: And this is where the character playing God comes in.
ER: That’s right, that’s right
DR: That’s right, yeah.
CM: Your friend Bob.
ER: And God reminds him of the story of Samson and Delilah, where Samson puts all his faith in his hair, at least Psalty’s version is that Samson put his faith in his hair, and God says, “No you’ve got that wrong. Samson thought that his strength came from his hair, but it didn’t, it came, his strength came from me. He put his faith in the wrong place. And you’re doing the same thing. You’re putting your faith in your pages Psalty, when you should be putting your faith in me.” And so we deliver this third deeper message in here about trusting God implicitly. And that’s where this song comes in, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, sayeth the Lord.”
CM: This has ministered to literally millions of people in multiple countries all around the world and we’re going to get to hear this song out of the album in just a minute, but we’ve got Debbie and Ernie Retino on the program with us today. They are Psalty and Psaltina and if you haven’t been listening long. Let me just -
CC: And Charity Church Mouse
CM: Oh, yeah and Charity Church Mouse. And we’re going to hear more from Charity probably tomorrow I hope. But Debbie, what are you guys doing now?
DR: We are still very active in ministry. And we teach seminars and we do concerts and people can actually reach us at psalty.com.
CM: OK. And I mentioned Billy Graham connection a while ago too.
DR: Right.
CM: So people can actually see what you’re doing or get in touch with you by going to – and we’d better spell Psalty right.
DR: Oh yeah, P-s-a-l-t-y.com
ER: Like Psalter, but not. Psalty. It’s psalt, like the song book – right, right.
CM: Not Psalter, as in a singing book but psalty.com. Great, that’s great. This story, “The Christmas calamity” builds up to a height, and I guess probably this song that you just mentioned Ernie is really part of the climax of why you even did the project in the first place.
ER: Absolutely. It’s to get that underlying message that what we’re all about is trusting God, putting our faith in Jesus. And so that’s this song, “Not by Might, Nor by Power, but by My Spirit”.

Song: Not by Might, Nor by Power, but by My Spirit
Performed by: Psalty and Kid’s Praise Kids

The song, if you just joined us is from “Psalty’s Christmas Calamity”. It’s the Kid’s Praise Kids. We have Psalty and Psaltina, Mrs. Psalty with us Debbie and Ernie Retino in the studio today. And the song was “Not by Might”. You know, we’re out of time, but Debbie and Ernie it’s one of those kinds of things, we did this last summer, as you’ll remember Ernie. Would you guys come back again tomorrow too?
DR: We would love to.
ER: Absolutely.
CM: OK, you’re going to be blessed by coming back with us tomorrow so thank you both of you for being with us today.
ER: Thank you for having us.
DR: Thank you.
CM: Well, I must say until the last few minutes, I had forgotten the music from “Psalty’s Christmas Calamity” and of course that other Christmas album that I had forgotten about, but we had when my kids were growing up, “Psalty’s Family Christmas Sing along”. We have both of these written and produced by Ernie and Debbie Retino, Psalty and Psaltina. And I think this would make a special gift for someone, maybe in your home or maybe for some home that you know. There are a lot of kids and a lot of grown up kids too that would get a lot out of this. Well, we have the “Psalty’s Christmas Pack” both albums as our way of saying, “thank you” for your financial support this holiday season of Haven Today. You can go to our website, haventoday.org, that’s haventoday.org and there you can read about “Psalty’s Christmas Calamity” that you heard music from on our program and also “Psalty’s Family Christmas Sing along”. And while you’re there, if you didn’t get to hear those programs this summer, we also have Kid’s Praise 1 and 2 and the Kid’s Praise 1-5 Vacation Pack and those are at our Christmas story which you can go to at haventoday.org. You can also call us if you’d like and here’s our telephone number. It’s toll free in North America, it’s 1-800-65-HAVEN, that’s 1-800-65-HAVEN. We minister to you in the name of Jesus Christ and we sometimes do it through music and sometimes through books or other materials but let me just say this, if Haven Today is ministering to you, if it’s made a difference in your life, you actually look forward to listening to this program, would you please pray about supporting us with your financial gifts? I’m going to give you our mailing address. In the United States it’s:
Haven Today
Box 5100
Costa Mesa, CA 92628
And in Canada:
Box 6800
Vancouver, BC V6B4C9
And you can also give to us online at haventoday.org or by calling 1-800-65-HAVEN. And a lot of people get something from us but then they give a little above the suggested amount. I’m Charles Morris. Come back again tomorrow. The Retinos will be back with us. It’ll be another Psalty Christmas together on Haven Today.