{"id":30273,"date":"2018-10-24T09:31:59","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T14:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mbcpathway.local\/?p=30273"},"modified":"2018-10-22T09:41:59","modified_gmt":"2018-10-22T14:41:59","slug":"branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/","title":{"rendered":"Branstetter devotes life to sharing God’s light with boys, girls"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n

JEFFERSON CITY \u2013<\/strong> The stage is dark. Rick Branstetter appears before the audience, garbed all in black, sporting a tall black hat with a large red band and a black cape with red lining. He holds a large book with two words emblazoned in brilliant gold letters on its front cover: \u201cHoly Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the beginning, it was dark,\u201d he says. \u201cThe Bible tells us it was dark. God looked around, and God said, \u2018Let there be light!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Branstetter shouts these last words. Stunned, his audience snaps to attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd ever since then,\u201d he continues, \u201cthe Word of God has brought light to men. Men, who are living in darkness, look to this light. They want to see. They want to learn about the light.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact,\u201d he adds, \u201cthe prophet Jeremiah tells us, the Word of God is like fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

With these words, flames shoot forth from Branstetter\u2019s open Bible.<\/p>\n

This gospel-magic act has opened many of Branstetter\u2019s performances throughout Missouri. Although his shows are aimed at entertaining and evangelizing people of all ages, his flair for gospel magic is rooted in his love for children and his desire to share with them the light of God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Branstetter, who attends Concord Baptist Church here, has been ministering to children since he was 18 years old. This ministry hasn\u2019t been continuous \u2013 being broken, for example, by a year-long stint in Vietnam, where he flew in some 300 operations as an Air Force pilot; however, his ministry to children has been consistent through the years.<\/p>\n

He began using gospel magic while teaching Sunday School to fifth-graders in Chicago, where he taught none-other- than the young Kirk Cousins \u2013 the NFL quarterback and outspoken Christian who signed with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this year after three consecutive 4,000-yard passing seasons with the Washington Redskins.<\/p>\n

But Branstetter takes no credit for Cousins. In fact, as he remembers the boys he\u2019s taught throughout the years, his mind often goes to a little boy who \u2013 far from ending up as a Christian witness with a national spotlight \u2013 landed instead in prison several times. The boy was in one of his first Sunday school classes, and he was a trouble-maker. Frustrated with his disruptive attitude, Branstetter \u2013 who was then only a college student \u2013 asked that he be removed from the Sunday school class. It\u2019s a decision he\u2019s regretted ever since.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

\u201cIn hindsight,\u201d Branstetter said, \u201cI should have said, \u2018I want the rest of the kids gone, and I\u2019ll keep him so I can work with him and help him.\u2019 … That probably set the tone for me from then on.\u201d Since that time, he\u2019s committed to finding ways to reach out to boys who are disruptive or hard to reach for one reason or another.<\/p>\n

But his ministry to children extends beyond the Sunday School classroom. After retiring from a business career, he spent five years teaching Middle School children in Jefferson City about the dangers of meth. Using this drug, he told the teenagers, is like plugging a TV into the 220-outlet commonly used for ovens, dryers or other high-powered appliances. \u201cThe TV will come on and then be destroyed immediately,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s scary. You want them to be aware that it is available and it is free \u2013 the first time. It will work, and you will be hooked. And your life is over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Branstetter and his wife have also fostered 22 children for the past 15 years, and have served as respite care providers for other foster parents.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

On at least a weekly basis, he also mentors boys, many of whom don\u2019t have father-figures in their lives. Public school teachers or leaders at the local Boys & Girls Club would sometimes contact him to tell him about a boy who needed a mentor. On one occasion, a single mother called Branstetter, asking him to mentor her son. Unfortunately, he already was mentoring another boy and prefers not to commit to two boys at once. So, at first, he had to tell her, \u201cNo.\u201d But after some time, she called him back with a specific request: \u201cI don\u2019t know how to teach him how to shave,\u201d the mother said. \u201cWould you teach him how to shave?\u201d So he did. Then, later, she called back with another request. But by that time, Branstetter was open for mentoring her son.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it keeps on coming,\u201d Branstetter said. So far, he has mentored eight boys. Alongside this ministry, Branstetter continues to teach children at the Mothers of Preschoolers ministry at Concord Baptist Church, Jefferson City. In each class, Branstetter uses a marionette rabbi to teach them words from the Hebrew Bible \u2013 like \u201cShalom\u201d \u2013 and to help them understand how they can become disciples of the Rabbi Jesus, the Messiah. And, of course, he often uses his gospel magic tricks to entertain and edify the children. During the first class of the year, he amazed his young audience as flames shot forth from his large Bible. But, more importantly, he displayed for them the life-changing light of God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JEFFERSON CITY \u2013 The stage is dark. Rick Branstetter appears before the audience, garbed all in black, sporting a tall black hat with a large red band and a black cape with red lining. He holds a large book with two words emblazoned in brilliant gold letters on its front cover: \u201cHoly Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":30274,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[177,41,8,17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nBranstetter devotes life to sharing God's light with boys, girls<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"JEFFERSON CITY \u2013 The stage is dark. Rick Branstetter appears before the audience, garbed all in black, sporting a tall black hat with a large red band and a black cape with red lining. He holds a large book with two words emblazoned in brilliant gold letters on its front cover: \u201cHoly Bible.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Branstetter devotes life to sharing God's light with boys, girls\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"JEFFERSON CITY \u2013 The stage is dark. Rick Branstetter appears before the audience, garbed all in black, sporting a tall black hat with a large red band and a black cape with red lining. He holds a large book with two words emblazoned in brilliant gold letters on its front cover: \u201cHoly Bible.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pathway\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/mbcpathway\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-24T14:31:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-10-22T14:41:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Rick-Branstetter.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"682\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Benjamin Hawkins\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mbcpathway\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mbcpathway\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Benjamin Hawkins\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/\",\"name\":\"Branstetter devotes life to sharing God's light with boys, girls\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Rick-Branstetter.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-24T14:31:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-10-22T14:41:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6ab6fdc0c1a067bbccb9f4e5d3bc0b4d\"},\"description\":\"JEFFERSON CITY \u2013 The stage is dark. Rick Branstetter appears before the audience, garbed all in black, sporting a tall black hat with a large red band and a black cape with red lining. He holds a large book with two words emblazoned in brilliant gold letters on its front cover: \u201cHoly Bible.\u201d\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Rick-Branstetter.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Rick-Branstetter.jpeg\",\"width\":682,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"JEFFERSON CITY \u2013 Rick Branstetter shows children a magic trick \u2013 not really magic, he clarifies, but an illusion \u2013 for the Mothers of Preschoolers class at Concord Baptist Church here last month. Pathway photo.)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Branstetter devotes life to sharing God’s light with boys, girls\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/\",\"name\":\"Pathway\",\"description\":\"Baptist & Christian News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6ab6fdc0c1a067bbccb9f4e5d3bc0b4d\",\"name\":\"Benjamin Hawkins\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/177270e223a386ae94fe0e2affbdb233?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/177270e223a386ae94fe0e2affbdb233?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Benjamin Hawkins\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/author\/benjamin-hawkins\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Branstetter devotes life to sharing God's light with boys, girls","description":"JEFFERSON CITY \u2013 The stage is dark. Rick Branstetter appears before the audience, garbed all in black, sporting a tall black hat with a large red band and a black cape with red lining. He holds a large book with two words emblazoned in brilliant gold letters on its front cover: \u201cHoly Bible.\u201d","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Branstetter devotes life to sharing God's light with boys, girls","og_description":"JEFFERSON CITY \u2013 The stage is dark. Rick Branstetter appears before the audience, garbed all in black, sporting a tall black hat with a large red band and a black cape with red lining. He holds a large book with two words emblazoned in brilliant gold letters on its front cover: \u201cHoly Bible.\u201d","og_url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/","og_site_name":"Pathway","article_publisher":"http:\/\/facebook.com\/mbcpathway","article_published_time":"2018-10-24T14:31:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-10-22T14:41:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":682,"height":1024,"url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Rick-Branstetter.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Benjamin Hawkins","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@mbcpathway","twitter_site":"@mbcpathway","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Benjamin Hawkins","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/","url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/","name":"Branstetter devotes life to sharing God's light with boys, girls","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Rick-Branstetter.jpeg","datePublished":"2018-10-24T14:31:59+00:00","dateModified":"2018-10-22T14:41:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6ab6fdc0c1a067bbccb9f4e5d3bc0b4d"},"description":"JEFFERSON CITY \u2013 The stage is dark. Rick Branstetter appears before the audience, garbed all in black, sporting a tall black hat with a large red band and a black cape with red lining. He holds a large book with two words emblazoned in brilliant gold letters on its front cover: \u201cHoly Bible.\u201d","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Rick-Branstetter.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Rick-Branstetter.jpeg","width":682,"height":1024,"caption":"JEFFERSON CITY \u2013 Rick Branstetter shows children a magic trick \u2013 not really magic, he clarifies, but an illusion \u2013 for the Mothers of Preschoolers class at Concord Baptist Church here last month. Pathway photo.)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2018\/10\/24\/branstetter-devotes-life-to-sharing-gods-light-with-boys-girls\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Branstetter devotes life to sharing God’s light with boys, girls"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/","name":"Pathway","description":"Baptist & Christian News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6ab6fdc0c1a067bbccb9f4e5d3bc0b4d","name":"Benjamin Hawkins","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/177270e223a386ae94fe0e2affbdb233?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/177270e223a386ae94fe0e2affbdb233?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Benjamin Hawkins"},"url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/author\/benjamin-hawkins\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30273"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}