Veggie Tales Made Me Cry
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That’s right. I’m a softy.
Yesterday I was watching a Veggie Tales Christmas theme with my daughters. I don’t know what it was called. Anyway, I was hit like a sack of potatoes dropping on the floor. Let me share the scene.
Bob the tomato and Larry the cucumber were putting on a play. Bob’s character wanted to put on a play to teach the people of London how to love. Well, it turns out that everyone who said they would come canceled because they like the star of Christmas the church used in their play. So, Bob ended up convincing Larry to go with him and steal the star from the church. They stole the star, took it back to their theater, and rehearsed the play. During their rehearsal, the lights sparked and caught the theater on fire, thus ruining their chances for the play.
The police came and arrested Bob and Larry for stealing the star. As they sat in Jail, they met a man in their who was a long-time prisoner. He helped them understand what real love was, even though he didn’t believe in it. To their surprise, the church Pastor and his son came to bail Bob and Larry out, because they thought it would be loving to not let them stay in jail on Christmas eve. Bob and Larry were super thankful. Thus, they all went to see the church play together.
Now, this is the part that really got me. After the play, Bob and Larry went to visit the prisoner they had met in jail. They brought him cookies and milk on Christmas eve, and a Christmas reef. I don’t know why, but when Bob and Larry visited the prisoner, and the joy in the prisoner’s face, I couldn’t help but think of how real it is that God visits us. All of the sudden I had a moment of intense realization at how real God’s nearness is to us. It was quite overwhelming to say the least. I sat there next to my daughters and just wiped tears from my eyes.
I know, a little kid’s story that’s suppose to be entertaining made me weep like a baby. Oh well. I guess I’m sharing this with you because I’m a little taken back over the nearness of God, and how He came and visited us when we did not deserve it. To top it off, He found joy in visiting us, and in His joy He set us free. Yes, I am taken back.
I don’t know, maybe this will cause you to think about the nearness of God. And maybe you will sense His presence in an overwhelming way. Or maybe you want to share your story here in the comments.
I welcome them all!
—Jonathan
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I cried the first time I saw Bambi
lol. Were you a child?
So here I am, cruising through Sorting Beans for the first time, and within minutes I just about fall out of my chair laughing. Oh yes, I teared up at the end of "The Star of Christmas" too! At least, until the loud guitar-howling rock-music version of "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel" suddenly blew out my speakers. Weapons-grade buzzkill!
haha! Yes, I can be a sap at times. I couldn't remember the name of that movie. Thanks: "The Star of Christmas." Veggie tales are awesome.
Thanks for stopping by!
I just regret not having come here earlier!
I remembered the movie's name because we had just bought it ourselves, and watched it on Christmas Eve. It certainly explains some of the back story on "An Easter Carol," which we had picked up and watched several months earlier (take a wild guess when…).
I loved Veggie Tales before I even became a Christian. We had become disgusted with what passed for children's entertainment on television, and after eliminating the proverbial idiot box from our lives after the birth of our son we were suffering from a dearth of "mainstream" kid's programs that satisfied us. My sister-in-law introduced us to the Veggies during a visit and I was HOOKED. The Silly Song was "Belly Button," and it's still my all-time favorite Silly Song! We ran out and bought as many of the DVD's as we could afford. Even when I was in the JWs I couldn't stop watching them, even though they were branded as "heretical"…
In the end, I honestly believe that Bob and Larry and a motley troupe of fictional produce were responsible for blowing away the final resistance that stood between me and my Savior.
Yep, you heard me right. Veggie Tales brought me to Christ.
Ha! "Proverbial idiot box" . . . . I love it! Your description, of course… not the box. lol.
You were a JW, eh? How long?
And if it was Veggie Tales that brought you to Christ, that's just all the more proof that God uses the simple to shame the wise. Like the rest of us, you were wise in your own eyes, but apparently you could not resist the simplicity of a motley troupe of fictional produce.
Beautiful, isn't it?
I was in the JWs for about three years, and within a few months of being baptized. I would have BEEN baptized if it hadn’t been for a crushing case of depression and the Pharisaical rules the organization has set up for its initiates and members. The depression was because of subtle doubts that had begun to creep into my thoughts, and one stupid word threw them into sharp focus. Right as I was puzzling these doubts over, the glorious overnight transformation of my unbelieving husband into a deeply spiritual Christian blew away the fog of lies in my head and caused me to turn my back on the Watch Tower. God’s timing is impeccable!
Veggie Tales played a part in that, by gently planting theological truths in my head that ran contrary to the lies the JWs push in their agenda. You’re absolutely spot-on about how God uses the simple to shame the wise because at the time, I was the darling of the Kingdom Hall. I was ever-so wise and ever-so promising. All the while, my son’s goofy show was planting the seeds of truth in my mind…
Oh yes, God’s work is so beautiful! I hope I never become so jaded and Laodicean in my thoughts that I ever see His shepherding as run-of-the-mill!
Wow. Overnight conversion. That's awesome.
You are full of interesting stories! And I'm glad you made your way out of the JW's. They've came by my home a few times. I told them that I'm a bonified Jesus Freak, then I offered that they come in and chat with me…. but they had "other" neighbors to visit. I bet if I told them I was interested in their religion they would have came in.
They are trained to avoid entering the house of anyone who makes a solid statement of their faith in Christ, especially on the first visit. They've taken Psalm 1 to an extreme conclusion and will politely turn down refreshments or hospitality from anyone that isn't in the Organization. But if you take the literature and ask for them to return, they will usually do so, though they keep the visits very short unless you explicitly show interest in studying with them.
The best tactic I've used is to show politeness and openness, and then after they're comfortable talking to you, ask them a crucial question like "I'm given to understand that you believe that Christ Jesus is not Almighty God. If that is so, how do you explain Jesus's ability to forgive sins, when God Himself has explicitly stated that He 'will not share His Glory with another'?" And a big guarantee that they'll perk up and listen is if you use the name Jehovah instead of God, since they're taught that that is His supposed "true name."
Wow, thank you for such a sweet compliment! I nutshelled a much longer story when I talked about the overnight conversation…I just didn't want to write a novel in your Comments section since Lord knows, I do that often enough at Demian's blog… I'd love to share it with you sometime, if you want. I just get a worried that I'll start talking too much about myself, and not about Christ and Him crucified. The temptation is great for this wordsmith to forget just Who keeps the forge hot!
Thanks for the insight to JW's. I think I will try that tactic next time. I've pointed out a few things to them that they can't seem to answer. They are
- If Jesus didn't raise from the dead physically, then how do you explain his visit where they "touched" him and where he said, "a ghost/spirit" does not have flesh and bones like he does (Luke 24:39), which is in their Bible also.
- If we don't have a spirit/soul to us, then what gives us personality? They say the soul is the body. But the body alone cannot give personality because it is simply material. They say the Holy Spirit is the "spark" of life, but it is impersonal, so that eliminates the Holy Spirit from giving personality. So what, then, gives personality. So far I have not found a solid answer to this from the JW's.
- In relation to the above, how do we inherit eternal life? For "flesh and blood" will not enter the Kingdom (1 Cor. 15:50).
- Faith without works is dead, but salvation is not by works, lest anyone should boast. Therefore, we work for our salvation, yet it's not by works. I am still without a solid answer from the JW's on this answer.
These are just a few dialogs I've attempted to have, yet unsuccessful in them with regard to reaching a solid conclusion.
I would love to hear more about your conversion and your husbands. I am especially interested in your JW days. Have you blogged about it on your blog?
We've touched on it frequently in the past, but we've been too busy with family and faith life to do much blogging…though after a series of very interesting conversations with God I'm seriously considering dusting off my blogging fingers. Blame yourself and Demian!
Do you have my email address…? Please feel free to drop me a line whenever you feel like it, I like having mature Christians to chat with! We are unfortunately living in an area that is suffering from a spiritual drought; a whole lot of "churching" and very little Church.
Well, quite honestly, some of your comments could be blog posts! lol.
But we like that!
And thanks for such an inspiring comment, that God would use me to be a part of your returned blogging extravaganza!
Hee hee, thanks, Jon! xD
I'm giving serious thought to a post right now, though I'll have to wait until Eric starts his "weekend" this Wednesday to post it. I'm so rusty on HTML, I need him to refresh me…yeah, I know, it's embarrassing to admit… I don't know if you've been to Demian's but apparently I got looped into a verbal wrestling match with a commenter we are both familiar with. It's left an itchy little sand grain in the oyster of my mind, and you know how that gets taken care of…