An overflow crowd showed up for Kirk Cameron’s reading of his children’s book As You Grow at the Scarsdale (NY) public library on Friday, Dec. 30. Other public libraries had refused to allow Cameron to read his book.
In Scarsdale more than 400 people were turned away, although Cameron and a team of staffers from publisher Brave Books held two sessions of 170 people each in the room they had rented.
The publishers reportedly asked if they could extend the room rental beyond the hour originally booked to accommodate the crowd, which began to gather at the upscale community library as early as noon for the 3 p.m. ET event. Library leadership, who originally had denied Cameron’s request to host a reading, declined to extend the rental, despite not having another booking for the room.
The Scarsdale event followed immediately upon the heels of a reading in Indianapolis, IN, which attracted more than 1,000 people, with many hundreds waiting outside the library.
A dozen police officers, including county sheriffs, were on hand in Scarsdale for crowd control. No one protested this event.
The Scarsdale crowd was comprised of families and individuals of faith and patriotism, and included many homeschoolers. Most people had children in tow, and many indicated a desire to support Cameron’s efforts. At least one family drove five hours to attend the reading, while many parents took off work in order to bring their children.
Children were eager to interact with Cameron, whose parenting experience with six children and easy manners served him well as he read the book and solicited engagement. Cameron opened by thanking the crowd for attending, saying:
As some of you know, I’ve tried to go to a lot of different libraries to read this new book, which I can’t wait to share with you guys….But some libraries didn’t want us to be there. And I’m so thankful that we got to come here, together with you. And I just wanted to say that, for anybody who’s curious,…why are we all here?
We’re here because we love God.
We love our families and our children. We love our country. And we love Scarsdale Public Library, and we’re so grateful that we get to be here and read this story, and I hope that you all like it too.
As Cameron read the story about a little acorn that grew into a big tree, he engaged the children with questions about the pictures, the story, and related subjects, such as pets. He related the tree’s growth to the children’s growth, saying, “Okay, I’m going to read you the story about Sky Tree. As seasons change, you will grow. Spread your branches and put down roots like this story of Sky Tree. And as you do, let your fruit be sweet.”
At one point, Cameron explained his home state California doesn’t have fireflies, and he asked the children to describe them. One child said the flying insect was a mosquito that glows, and a little girl said the insect was like a beetle that flew and “on its booty, it has fire!”
Cameron continually pointed the children to God, saying at one point that just as Sky Tree pointed up, “You were made to point up to the One who loves you best.” Later he told the children “Love is always worth the try,” “Always take time to enjoy the little things,” and “Because you’ve been cared for, care for others.”
As the seasons passed, Sky Tree begins to house a number of animals. Cameron’s lesson for the children was “When you’ve grown big, be excited to join something even bigger than yourself.”
When great misfortune falls upon Sky Tree, Cameron said, “This is a very sad day for Sky Tree. Sometimes you will be sad and afraid. But brokenness is never the end….Remember the greatest sorrow can also lead to the greatest joy.” About a plot twist that restores the tree, Cameron told the children, “Remember to grow in your love for God, love for your brothers and sisters, your mom and dad and your friends, and love for your country, and learn to comfort people just like they comfort you.”
Cameron closed the first of the two sessions in Scarsdale by thanking the parents, teachers, and librarians. He also opened that session up to questions. One child shared he had light sabers, with which the dark side and the light side always fight, but the light always wins.
Most of the adults thanked Cameron for doing the reading. One woman suggested she might do similar readings at her local library, an idea Cameron encouraged for several reasons, saying:
We have these beautiful libraries like this — that have an opportunity for us to gather together — not just to hear a story. To meet each other.
Doesn’t this feel good to be together with people and say, “I’m not alone. I’m not going to be just sort of pushed into a corner because I love God and my family and this country.”
…. This is a chance for you to connect. And this is a chance for you to talk about how to take all these beautiful things that you know and love and raise your family with and bring them to others [in] your community.
Cameron addressed the difficulty of these times, saying:
We don’t live in unexciting times. And history really is His story, as some have said, and we’re somewhere in the middle of the book. And the very best books have dark times, they have challenging times. And I think we’re in one of those chapters where it’s a nail biter right now, but we can trust the Author, because He knows how to write the best stories. And what’s necessary is men and women, young men and women, older men and women of faith and character, who do the right thing over the long haul, even when the odds are against them and they’re under pressure. And that’s when He multiplies the light, and the good. And that shines in the dark, as my little buddy over here always says, and that’s what you’re doing by being here. And so in this critical moment, keep up the good work. And you’ll be rewarded.
One woman thanked Cameron for not writing off New York, a progressive enclave. Cameron said:
And I’m so thankful when people come to California, with good things to share with us because people write us off on the West Coast out there. And here we are reaching across the entire country — California to New York. And this is exactly what we need to see. And us gathering is sending a message all across the nation to all 50 states that what we’re doing is really, really important.
Cameron encouraged parental involvement with their children’s education:
And it’s a chance to remember that God gave your children to you — not to the government — and you’re in charge of teaching them and their education. However you decide to do that, nobody is better qualified and loves your children more than you. And I thank you for taking up that mantle and that sacred duty to invest your time and your resources into the hearts and minds of the future leaders of our country.
Cameron quoted from Founding Father Samuel Adams, who said — about standing up to an oppressive government — “It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”
Cameron said, “This afternoon, we are setting brushfires of faith, family, and freedom here in Scarsdale, New York— yesterday in Indianapolis, and it’s happening all across the country. Because we’re getting involved. We’re standing up and speaking up, and I hope that it spreads across the entire nation.”
Cameron encouraged the group to mingle. ‘There’s more of us than we thought. And there are millions who want to go this way in our culture and in our nation, but they are often afraid, and they’re silenced, and they feel alone,” Cameron said. “So take advantage of the time to make new friends and have contacts and get together for coffee. Schedule your own story hour in this library and others, and we’ll watch and see what this…does.”
The final question was a request that the crowd sing God Bless America. The group lifted up the song as if it were a prayer.
Lord, use this movement to start brushfires of faith, family, and freedom. Convict the many who have allied with evil that they might repent and turn to You. Stir the millions who have been cowed into silence to stand up, speak out, and pray for Your blessings upon America once again. Save the children from the evil agendas of Satan and the people now in his thrall. In Jesus’ Name.
To get a free book from Brave Books, use coupon code: AYGFREE.
To hear from some attenders, click here. To hear a prayer by the Swingles prior to the event, click here.
Post your prayers for blessing America in the comments. How might you start a brushfire of faith, family, and freedom?