Veggietalization

By Art Fulks –

As a a father of four, I love being a Dad. When my kids were little, we watched all of the Veggie Tales videos we could find. With grandparents living far away, we watched (and I listened) to every song and line as we drove. We knew them by heart. Our children learned many of the great stories of the Bible, especially from the Old Testament.

Recently, I was teaching about the Great Flood in Genesis and a particular line really caught my attention. It said, “All flesh on the earth that moved perished,…and all mankind.” (Genesis 7:21) As I pondered this verse, I realized that all of the animated ark pictures with smiling faces emerging from under the frame of a rainbow were not realistic portrayals of what really happened. Imagine stepping off the ark after a year and being overwhelmed by the fact that you are one of only eight people on the face of the planet.

Certainly the faith and obedience of Noah teaches us a great lesson about following God. Surely, the grace of the Father was poured out on his family and the rainbow is an incredible reminder of God’s covenant to never destroy the earth by flood again. But if we allow it, we realize the serious nature of the holiness and judgment of a righteous God.

Every child is different and matures at varied pace. However, I have come to realize that as they grow up, we need to give them the most accurate pictures of God, our enemy, real life, and the cost of following Christ.

I still find myself at times humming the tune to: “O where is my hairbrush.” But there is no real Island of Perpetual Tickling as told in the Veggie Tale version of the story of Esther. The Jews were faced with imminent death. We want our kids to know that God is a loving Father. But I am learning to be careful about my characterizations of His nature.

God is not a Veggie Tale character. He is the glorious Creator, Savior, Judge, and King to whom we are all accountable. It is only when we begin to grasp His righteousness that we can see our sinfulness. And when we begin to recognize His holiness, we can experience His grace. That is an amazing story!

Starting With Graduation

By Hally Franz –

As May rolls around each year, I take an inventory of the graduations we will be celebrating. This is a light year with only four. In my rural community, the graduation party season is big. Starting by mid-May and running through most of June, graduating seniors spend several weekends on the party circuit checking in at multiple events in a given day.

My own son is graduating from eighth grade this year. I asked if he would like a party, but he declined. I do, however, see this as a major transition for him. He has attended a small Christian school since kindergarten, and he will enter a public ninth-grade building with over 500 students in August. It is a little scary for mom!

Graduations are about celebrating accomplishments and marking milestones. Little guys will stand for pictures on stage after surviving tear-filled days of preschool. Young men and women will cross stages to accept college degrees earned after countless long nights of study. Graduations also represent the beginning of something new. Perhaps it is simply an unfamiliar teacher or school. Maybe, it means leaving home and family to go to an unknown place. It almost certainly involves challenges and change. New friends, new towns and new jobs can all be frightening.

When we begin our Christian journeys, we don’t know what He might have planned for us. We celebrate our baptisms and commemorate the day that we became part of the body of believers. While that life-changing milestone in our spiritual life is joyful, it brings challenges and new territory to face. Like the child moving from one grade level to the next, believers are expected to grow in our faith. We are called to greater responsibilities to serve and witness to others.

As we recognize this year’s graduates, let’s applaud their successes and send them into the next life phase with our hugs, well wishes and prayers. And, when we celebrate with new believers, let’s give our Christian brothers and sisters the same support in their new journey.

Blessed be our 2012 graduates and new Christians!

PRAYER: Gracious God, bless this season’s graduates and new believers, and send them fearlessly into the world to do grand and glorious things on Your behalf.

“Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged”
(1 Chronicles 22:13 NIV).

Connecting the Dots

By Dawn Wilson –

Sometimes it’s hard for me to connect the dots of my life in the moment. One example of this disconnect occurred a few years ago while traveling in Paris with my husband, Bob, his sister, Jan, and her husband, Tom.

After several days of taking in many of the lovely sites around the city, we decided to visit the Eiffel Tower. There, near the top of the tower, I pointed out some of the places we’d visited days before: The Louvre museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysées.

But then I got frustrated. I moved along the railing slowly, all around the inner platform of the tower. I looked near and far, and started pointing and naming the sites again. “There’s the Louvre,” I said to my brother-in-law, “and there’s the Arc, and there’s the Cathedral … but where’s the Eiffel Tower?”

Tom’s mouth dropped open. “Dawnie,” he said with a chuckle, “You’re on it!”

As everyone around me burst into laughter, including a Frenchman who exclaimed, “Oh, you silly American!” I blushed to the bone! It was one of those “duh” moments when I didn’t connect the dots.

I find that this is sometimes true in my spiritual journey with God. I get so focused on looking around at the circumstances in life, or the culture or my own ambitions, and I lose sight of where and whose I am. I forget that I am secure in the family of God, with my identity and purpose firmly in Christ.

God spoke to me about this through Colossians 3:2. In The Message, this scripture reads, “Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.” In other words, look to Jesus, and He will help you connect the dots!

If our vision is not God-ward, our perspective may be skewed. In practical terms, our financial needs truly aren’t about the money; they are about whether we will look to our heavenly Provider. Our marital struggles aren’t about our spouse’s inadequacies or hang-ups; they’re about living biblically and learning to love, respect, and serve our spouse.

God desires that we will seek His perspective and then, gaining wisdom, trust Him for the outcome. Though we may not fully comprehend His will or the purposes in each situation—His thoughts and ways are beyond us (Isaiah 58:8)—we know that He will use our circumstances to conform us to the image of Christ so that we can ultimately bring honor to His name.

The simple truth is, connecting the dots of life begins when we connect with our Heavenly Father in prayer and in the Word, asking Him to open our hearts and minds and show us His will and ways.

Learning to Wade

By Heather Allen –

My first fly-fishing adventure was in the cool, hauntingly still Blue Ridge Mountains. Small shantys scattered along the dirt road followed the bends and twists of the stream, and had their own slow Southern drawl. It would not have been a surprise to cast in time with an impromptu fiddler. Or find myself trailed by an old, mangy mutt.

Yet here, clotheslines flapping, corked moonshine resting on wooden porches, I found a new kind of appreciation for my Maker. My hubby led me straight into this wonderful world of trout and entomology. He had me crawling on hand and knee to the banks so we would not spook fish out of a run. He had me flipping rocks and taking pop quizzes on what insect life I was beholding. And then he would take out a fly he had tied with feathers and thread designed to replicate the insect we looked at, tie it on, and catch a brightly colored Brook Trout.

If I did wade in to release a fish, or to climb one of the enormous boulders that shaped the stream I would be not much deeper than my knees. The river had deeper pockets but they were easily avoided. It was the perfect environment to learn: peaceful wading and stunning scenery.

But the day came when we would leave the South and fish new, fast flowing rivers and my belly kept me off balance. Seeing where I was placing my wader boots became tricky. One hand carried a fly rod the other protectively swaddled my unborn baby. And it felt new and scary and I stepped off a ledge. I bobbed around trying to get my footing. My husband’s ashen face as he ran down the bank trying to rescue me is as sealed in my mind as my own panicky thoughts. Months and an infant later I felt brave enough to try again. The waters were deeper, unfamiliar and fast. I knew I wanted to know how to maneuver through them, but I understood how fast they could take me down.

Jesus invited His disciples into a boat and into a storm and went to sleep. The waves rushed over and they woke Him and asked if He cared that their lives were in jeopardy. I know how those thoughts come when life seems to take a misstep and you fall off the ledge and cannot seem to find your footing. I have laid on my face seeking. Jesus knew there would be a storm. He speaks; the storm ceases. He questions their fear and faith. Wide-eyed and afraid the disciples question, “Who is He?”

And it all comes back to that. How deep I’m willing to wade, the lengths I’m willing to run, the journey I’ll follow Him on will flow from who I believe He is.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1 (KJV).

Too Much Baggage

By Rosemary Flaaten –

“I’m sorry you have more baggage than is allowed with this ticket.” These words, spoken by the airline employee, sent my mind racing. What would I leave behind? I surveyed the suitcases bulging with books and new purchases. Suddenly the term “carry-on” took on a whole new meaning as I envisioned going into the restroom to slip on another layer of sweaters, change my flats to boots and fill up my briefcase in hopes of falling within the allotted baggage allowance.

“Baggage” can refer to the suitcases we take on trains, but it also is a quasi-psychological term that refers to the emotional things that encumber us. It is our baggage that restricts our freedom, progress, development or adaptability. Let me retell a story from 1 Samuel 8 & 9 that attests to the ongoing struggle with baggage in our lives.

“We want a King!” demanded the Israelites. So, God gave them the desires of their hearts and chose Saul whose view of himself was, “I’m only a Benjamite, from the smallest of Israel’s tribes and from the most insignificant in the tribe at that.”

One would think that Saul, having been chosen by the most highly respected Prophet of the day, having been told that he was to become a leader for the people, and having experienced such personal transformation, would move into this new role with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way!

The people were assembled. The crown was ready. Saul’s name has been called, but where was he? Samuel can’t find him and so enquires of God. God’s response should stop each one of us in our tracks. God finds Saul, the man He has chosen and equipped to become king, “hidden among the baggage.” Saul’s sense of inferiority, based on his heritage, became baggage that impeded his movement into the role God had for him.

What baggage are you carrying around? How are your present circumstances constrained because of a habitual warped view of yourself? Are you carrying so much baggage from your past that you cannot take hold of the new opportunities God is bringing your way?

Learn to travel lightly.

PRAYER: Lord, help me see myself as You see me and to let go of the past.

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14 NIV).

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