veggie lessons

Though some argue that Veggie Tales are just for kids, I beg to differ. Yes, the presentation is geared towards younger audiences but the lessons are applicable to any age. I recently watched “Moe and the Big Exit,” a retelling of the story of Moses but as a western. Let me list a few differences between the Biblical version and this one:
~ Moses is depicted as a cucumber named Moe
~ Instead of killing an Egyptian, Moe pushes one of his brothers’ off a cliff into a river; ‘wanted’ posters are plastered all over the town, offering reward for Moe’s capture
~ When in the desert, God appears to Moe through a burning tumbleweed
~ Moe doesn’t stay away 40 years; when he returns, he’s wearing a black mask and referred to as the ‘Lone Stranger’
~ Moe’s rod is a stick of wood he calls ‘Sliver’
~ Moe rides back into town on a buffalo named Zippy

What I love about the movie is the message. At the end, Moe’s wife Sally tells him, “Moe, you did it!” Moe answers, “Nah, I just followed God’s plans.” Moe recognized that on his own, he was nowhere near capable of leading his people out of Dodgeball City; it was only through God working through him that he was able to obey. Our college group was discussing how God uses everyday people to accomplish His plans and an interesting point was brought up about Moses. Someone said that Moses didn’t become teachable until he was in the desert. It took him 40 years to unlearn everything he already knew and for him to be at the place where God could use him. We’re like Moe. We have many flaws and imperfections yet God can still use us if we’re willing. The amazing thing about our obedience is that when we do say yes, God comes in and fills in the gaps between our inadequacies and His perfection, allowing us to complete what He’s asked of us. Something else to think about. My pastor has said that for Moses to see the burning bush, he had turn from the path he was on. It wasn’t until he did so that God started talking. Had Moses kept walking, God wouldn’t have spoken. The next time you encounter a burning bush (or tumbleweed, whatever the case may be) don’t be too busy to turn away and see what God wants to tell you; you just might be surprised.

And, for the “with a side of laughter.” Since the inspiration for this post came from Veggie Tales, here’s the music video for the song “Belly Button” performed by Boyz in the Sink. Enjoy.

is it worth it?

I am absolutely in love with a new song called “Love is Not a Fight” by Warren Barfield. The song is from the soundtrack for the new movie “Fireproof;” a movie about a firefighter who must decide if his struggling marriage is worth trying to salvage. The song talks about love not being a fight but being worth fighting for. I think too many people today see marriage as being a trial situation. If things don’t work out, just get a divorce and find another spouse. I don’t want to come across as too preachy but what about the commitment to “love, honor, and cherish until death do us part”? Is there an escape clause I’m unaware of? I just feel like love and marriage are viewed as ‘phases,’ if you will, that we can move in and out of as easily as we slip on and off a pair of shoes. I understand there are grounds for divorce but how many Hollywood couples do we hear about that divorce after only a few months due to “irreconcilable differences”? I think marriage should be based on commitment because love can fade. However, if committed to each other, a marriage can last because the husband and wife are willing to work to keep the marriage strong and labor to rekindle the love that once burned brightly.

This concept can be applied to other areas of our lives. We all have dreams and desires that are so special to us but when we hit a brick wall, we abandon any hope of achieving them. If a dream is worth fighting for, we’ll not rest until we’ve attained it. We can’t give up just because things don’t go as we plan. We can’t let circumstances dictate how we’ll react in a given situation. The fact of the matter is that life isn’t always going to be easy but doesn’t that make the victories all the more sweeter? 2 Corinthians 1:5 says, “We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too” (Message). My point is that when we really want something, the desire so strong it’s an ache, we can’t give up just because life doesn’t cooperate. We can’t be afraid to step out because we may fail or fall flat on our face. Anything worth having is worth fighting for.

And, for the “with a side of laughter.” Here are some things we wouldn’t know if not for the movies:
~ The ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place. No one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any part of the building you want without difficulty.
~ You’re very likely to survive any battle unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.
~ Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it is not necessary to speak the language; a German accent will do.
~ A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.
~ If someone says, “I'll be right back”…they won't.
~ Computer monitors never display a cursor on the screen but always say: Enter Password Now.
~ A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.
~ If you decide to start dancing in the street everyone around you will automatically be able to mirror all the steps you come up with and hear the music in your head.

Here's the music video for the song "Love Is Not a Fight." Enjoy!

red lights

I once read that Americans will spend six months of their life sitting at red lights…waiting. That’s over 4,000 hours that we’ll spend just sitting! Imagine how much more productive we could be if we had those 4,000 hours to do other things. If you think about it, a large portion of our lives revolves around waiting. We wait in line at the drive thru, wait in line at the store, wait in line to use the bathroom, wait in line to use a dressing room; we wait when early for an appointment, we wait when others are running late, we wait to be seated at a restaurant and then wait to order our food and to get it. We wait for that new movie to be released, we wait for that expected letter in the mail, we wait for a special holiday to arrive, that promised phone call – we wait, we wait and then we wait some more! We also wait on God. We wait for Him to reveal His plans to us and we wait on Him to answer our prayers. Yet I’ve learned that we can’t merely do nothing while we wait. It was once pointed out to me that the word ‘wait’ is a verb, implying action. Waiting doesn’t mean we put our lives on hold until everything is aligned perfectly. Waiting means going through our day-to-day routines and in the back of our minds, we’re eagerly waiting in anticipation for that thing we desire. We can’t allow ourselves to become so wrapped up in waiting that we miss out on what’s right before us. If we are constantly saying, “Oh, I can’t wait for _________” then we’re wishing away the now in exchange for the later. We don’t want to wake up one day and ask ourselves, “Where did the time go?” We only have one shot at this thing called life and we don’t need to spend it living from big event to big event. In between those big events are little events called life and we need to savor those like our next breath.

I want to end each entry with something funny, hence the "with a side of laughter." We were talking about Chuck Norris the other day and here are some facts you may not know:
~ If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you.
~ There is no 'ctrl' button on Chuck Norris' computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.
~ Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.
~ Chuck Norris can eat just one Lay's potato chip.
~ Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table because he only recognizes the element of surprise.