How a Jewish school teacher from Brooklyn moonlighting as a male stripper ended up as a Bible study teacher, minister of the gospel, and end times book author.
AS DIFFERENT AS NIGHT FROM DAY
Weekdays during the school year I taught health and physical education. As a physical educator I wore a t-shirt, work out pants and athletic shoes. When P.E. class began, I would lead a gymnasium full of students in stretching and calisthenics. After school and weekends, other teachers might supplement their income by tutoring or waiting on tables. I, on the other hand, spent 2-3 nights a week dressed in a tuxedo emceeing an exotic male dance revue. I stood on a runway above hundreds of women who were out for a good time. After the other performers finished their sets, and before the show finale, the audience would scream, “Take it off,” and I would gladly entertain their wishes as the DJ played “The Stripper” by David Rose & His Orchestra. This was the double life that I lived for over ten years.
WHY AND HOW I BECAME A STRIPPER
I had been married to a Jewish woman for ten years. We had a son and a daughter and lived in a moderate house in a nice neighborhood on Long Island. I taught health and physical education in a New York City middle school and worked part-time selling real estate on Long Island. By the age of 32, I thought I had fulfilled the “American Dream.”
Then the unexpected happened. Perhaps I was too busy mowing the lawn between jobs to notice, but my wife wanted out of the marriage. She wanted to do her own thing and move to Manhattan, and she did. Our house was sold and, as was common in those days, she was awarded custody of the kids.
I decided to do my own thing also. A former student of mine and championship wrestler had become a bouncer in New York City's most glamorous nightclubs. When he invited me to be his guest one night at an exclusive disco, I readily accepted the invitation.
When I entered into this famous New York City nightspot, I noted that there was a line down the block of people waiting to try and get in. Not everyone made the cut, but those who did willingly paid a steep cover charge. Inside, it was all lights and tempo. In addition to the admission charge, the drinks were priced at a premium. I also noticed a number of performers dancing in cages above the crowd. That's when I decided that I wasn't going to pay for my nights out; they were going to pay me. I was going to be a male exotic dancer.
Although I was in decent shape, I had no formal training as a dancer. But my lack of training and experience didn't stop me from calling the biggest dance club on Long Island and leaving my name and telephone number. A short while afterwards, I received a call from a booking agent who was looking for dancers for a new show in Westchester. He had called the Long Island club and they didn't want to give him any of the phone numbers of their regular dancers, so they gave him mine.
I met the agent and another male dancer at a diner in Queens. We shared a bite and then all drove up to the show together in the agent's car. Since I had never even seen a male strip show before, let alone perform in one, I devised a plan. I explained to the other dancer that since there were just two of us in the show, I would let him go on first. Then after my act, he could join me for a finale. This way, he could collect tips twice. He readily agreed, and I got the chance to watch his act before I had to perform.
The rest, as they say, is history. Not only was my first attempt at male dancing successful, but I was booked at least a couple of nights dancing and then emceeing for the next ten years. After a year or two on the circuit, getting married again was the furthest thing from my mind. I didn't have to go and meet ladies. After each show, there was always someone who would want to buy me a drink. At some shows, we had our fans that would be there every week and sometimes buy the dancers gifts. It was a fantasy life filled with fleshly pleasures.
TRADING IN MY G-STRING FOR THE GOSPEL
A teacher in my school and I became good friends. He was always trying to fix me up with his neighbor who was a beauty contest winner. I really wasn't interested. But one Saturday afternoon, he was holding a reception for his son's bar mitzvah in his backyard on the water and he had invited his attractive female neighbor too. He suggested that I go get her and escort her over to the party.
I climbed up the back stairs and knocked on the sliding glass doors. The doors opened and there she was, not quite ready yet. She looked at me dressed in a bathrobe, curlers still in her hair, and she had applied make-up to only one of her eyes. She had the most beautiful clear blue eyes that you have ever seen. Then and there I decided that I was going to marry her.
Within six months we were engaged. She did some modeling and acting, while I continued to teach during the day and perform two or three evenings each week. When my second wife became pregnant with our first child, there was a problem. I am Jewish and she was not. She said that if I wanted, she would convert to Judaism. But I wasn't being very Torah observant, working as an emcee for mud wrestling, foxy boxing, and male and female strip shows. Besides, my wife pointed out that I already had two Jewish children and she wanted to share her faith with our child, whatever that meant.
Her family stopped going to church when she was only five. All she knew was that she was Protestant. In order to learn more, she started to attend a Bible study at a local church. When she came back from her studies, I gave her a hard time. I asked her those difficult questions. You know the ones like, “If a person was all alone on an island and never heard …” She said that she was only just learning herself, and that I should go and ask the people at the Bible study those questions myself.
In a quest to prove that my wife was wrong in her pursuit, I started to delve into the Bible and study the New Testament for the first time. I also looked at non-Christian sources as well. The Qu'ran (Koran) said that Jesus was a prophet. To me that meant he spoke for God. The Talmud (rabbinical writings and commentaries), said that Jesus was a sorcerer and led his people astray. Well, even my non-believing Jewish brethren said that Jesus existed, performed miracles, and had a following! As I read more and more in the Gospels, I started to first respect and then love the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world.
One Sunday when my wife was away on a modeling job, I went to church by myself and accepted the Lord. When she came home, I told her what I had done. Her response was remarkable. She said, “How could you do that, I should have been first!” Two weeks later, she made Jesus the Lord of her life as well.
The following week, after my born again experience, I was sitting in a hot tub nursing a sore back at a hotel in Dallas. I also danced with a legitimate entertainment group and we had a show that night. I decided that I wanted to experience more of God's Spirit. Then and there, I contemplated immersing myself in an act of baptism. But, a thought flashed across my mind. How could I ask God for this gift, when I had a fund raiser the following Friday night? It was a male dance show that I booked and over four hundred women had already bought tickets. I could replace myself as a dancer, but I also had to run the show as the emcee.
Before the thought finished, the bubbles in the whirlpool stopped. I had my answer. I dipped below the surface and bang! It happened. When I emerged and the water had finished running down my brow, I looked and saw a crucifix around a man's neck. When I gazed on the figure on the cross, the whirlpool started up again. I had my solution. I would do the show as classy as possible and then announce my retirement from the world of stripping.
MY BORN-AGAIN BIOGRAPHY
Steven L. Sherman is founder and president of “Just Pray NO!” Ltd. Since April 7th, 1991 “Just Pray NO!” has sought to unite Christians from around the world in intercessory prayer on behalf of the addicted and their families. Mr. Sherman was born in New York City, where he has made frequent appearances on Christian radio and television to help promote his work.
The ministry of “Just Pray NO!” strives to spread the news of God’s deliverance from addiction around the world. We offer help and support to those who suffer from chemical dependency through our referral services, jail ministry and our quarterly newsletter, the Inside Ministers’ Journal. We also are blessed to support ministries in Kenya and Nigeria which are standing against the tide of alcoholism and drug addiction and who are caring for orphans.
On my website there are many articles available concerning Addiction Statistics, Biblical Insights into Combating Addiction, and Teachings on Prayer and Fasting. For more information concerning this ministry go to: http://justprayno.org.
As a Jewish believer in Christ, Steven Sherman understands the feasts, fasts, and festivals found in the Old Testament, which are most valuable in comprehending Bible prophecy. He is the author of THE LAST DAYS CALENDAR: Understanding God’s Appointed Times and THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST: Understanding the Apocalypse. Steven has had numerous radio and television interviews concerning his books including two half-hour interviews on the Herman and Sharron Bailey Show on CTN 22, as well as had his personal testimony of coming to faith featured on the “700 Club.”
For almost thirty years Steven has taught Bible studies and conducted seminars on The Feasts of the LORD and biblical prophecy. Many of his unique insights and teachings can be found on line at: http://lastdayscalendar.net.
I look forward to sharing my biblical teachings from both the Old and New Testaments with the steemit community as well as interacting with those who are gracious enough to comment on my posts.