Although my kids have outgrown Veggie Tales, I picked up a copy of the latest Christmas release to see how everybody’s favorite talking cucumber and tomato would handle the tension that exists between the story of the real Saint Nicholas and the more popular Western (mostly North American) myth of Santa Claus.

I guess I was mostly concerned at looking this hypothetically from the point of view of a parent of children for whom the Santa Claus thing is — rightly or wrongly — quite ingrained.    Do the Veggie people just tell the truth and leave the kids crying?

I can’t answer that for every household, so I don’t profess to know what pieces some parents have had to pick up afterward, but in my opinion, the answer to the crying question is:   No.   If the kids are catching it all, then they are let down gently.   The VT writers handle this remarkably well.

What did surprise me was the unmistakable Christian message in the 46-minute DVD.   As stated, my kids are getting well outside the Veggie demographic, so I haven’t tracked the series lately, but my understanding was that with the wider appeal — and distribution — VT has been having, the message might be somewhat watered down.

Not so.    This is still unmistakably Christian product.   I also watched the interview Matthew West and Amy Grant did about the making of the song that appears on the closing credits.    This song — and the whole movie — reinforces the idea for kids that it’s not about what you’re getting but about what you’re giving.

That in itself is enough to shift the focus away from the jolly fat man in the red hat.

Here’s a bonus link from this blog to Jelly Telly; Phil Vischer’s latest venture, a great gift for your younger kids for only $4.99 per month.

By the way, if you want to get a good book for Christmas for a businessman (or woman) you can’t do better than VT founder Phil Visher’s Me, Myself and Bob. Excerpt from back cover: “This is a story of dreaming big and working hard, of spectacular success and breathtaking failure, of shouted questions, and, at long last, whispered answers. …From famed creator to bankrupt dreamer, Vischer shares his story of trial and ultimate triumph as God inspired him with one big idea after another.”

Sunday.  It was quite a day and I was hoping it would go easy and it started off good and ended up kind of on the bad side.  I got up at six-thirty this morning because I had to be to church quite early this morning.  I’m normally required to be at church at eight-thirty on mornings that I am running the sound board, but considering everything that had to be done, I decided that I needed to be at the church by eight o’clock.  So, we scrambled to get the kids ready and we were all off to chruch by quarter till eight.  It was a miracle that we all got showers on time and got out the door on time.

I got to church and set things up and started running all the CDs.  I was there no more than five minutes and had a reques to run a CD solo, but I had to get done what I needed to do and finally put things together and practiced with about five groups before church even began.  I was able to practice on my trumpet briefly before the service started, but I didn’t didn’t have a lot of time to get ready.  I worked hard throughout the entire service and I think things went well and I think that the service was great!  It was awesome to see all sorts of music in one service and it really was a celebration of all the talent we have at our church and the variety of the service was spectacular!  It was a great service overall and I was so glad to be a part of it all.  We got done with church and went downstairs for some social time and then the kids went to Sunday School.

Heather and I went out for a date at Wendy’s and got some lunch.  We talked to some of the employees about the remodel and even had a nice talk with Corey, the store manager.  The store looks great and I can say that I may actually enjoy going to work this summer because the restaurant came out looking great!  It no longer looks dirty and has a nice feel to it.  While we were there, we got a phone call from the kids saying that they were done.  We raced back to church and picked up the kids and then came home.  We dropped off the kids and they watched the new Veggie Tales movie “Saint Nicholas” while we went on an errand to A.C. Moore and Lowes.  We got to A.C. Moore and Heather was looking for battery operated tea candles, but we struck out at A.C. Moore.  They didn’t appear to have any.  So, we went to Christmas Tree Shop and scored there and got some other minor things for the house.  We then stopped at Lowes and got some things to fix Heather’s snowmen lights from last year.  We found some stakes that would work to put them into the gound and came home.

We got home and I got to work right away and started to cut the stakes down and worked on PVC glueing them to the tubes.  I had to wait a minimum of two hours, so I started to work on some other things and the kids worked on dusting things down in the basement while Heather and I took a quick afternoon nap.  Not too long after, Austin had to be at Boy Scouts, so Heather left to drop him off.  While she was gone, I checked I checked the device I made to put out her snowmen lights and it seemed okay.  I went outside and put my prototype in the ground. Everything was working fine till my wife had decided that she didn’t quite like the way it looked and wanted to “adjust” the light fixture.  Instead, she broke everything I had worked on all afternoon.  I was furious!  I’ll also admit that my Irish temper got the best of me and I came inside and smashed the rest of the lights with my hammer!  I was so mad for her breaking what I had worked all afternoon long.  I went downstairs and watched TV for a little bit.

I was so furious, the kids and Heather stayed away.  They decided to go to Lowes and take back the stakes I had not worked on yet.  I decided to meet her there once I calmed down to see if we could find some lights there to replace the ones I smashed.  Not much there (apparently the stores are running short on Christmas lights).  So, we headed to Vestal to look at their Lowes.  We found a set of blinking stars that were also at the Front Street store, so we bought the floor model at Vestal and then went to Front Street to do the same thing.  I came home and installed the new lights which look cool, but we are missing some strings.  Could use two or three more, so Heather called the Norwich store and had them set aside their three sets that Heather is going to go pick up tomorrow night.  I then got a call from Austin saying he needed to be picked up.  I got to the church and found out that Austin wasn’t quite done, so I tried to help clean things up and then we came home and I ate dinner.

After dinner, I finished cleaning the basement with some help from the kids and then worked on more of this blog.  That took up most of my night as I watched the finale of “Survivor”.  I was really upsed that Russell didn’t win.  He played the best game yet and I think he’s even more coniving than Richard Hatch.  He got robbed!  I then watched “Van Wilder” a little bit on the Comedy Channel before going to bed.  Three days of school this week.  Let’s hope that we can keep the chaos to a minimum.

Okay, so let’s talk about Part 1 of Chapter 27 of “Star Wars – Medstar I:  Battle Surgeons, A Clone Wars Novel” by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry……Chapter 27 (Part 1):  Bleyd used the situation to delay his departure from Rimsoo Seven for a few days.  His reasoning was that the Hutt was murdered and he needed to be sure that his personnel was safe and since he was an admiral no one would question him.  But his real reason for staying was to find the person who had the moxy to spy on him.  They put together a basic command module with some simple furniture  and Bleyd thought that was enough.  The morning after Filba’s death, Bleyd was waiting fro th ehead of his security unti and he was late.  There had better be a good reason.  As he strode through camp, he noticed one of The Silent moving in his direction.  As they passed, Bleyd couldn’t help but notice the wonderful aroma that members of The Silent seem to evoke as they walk around.  He put it on the back of his head as something to look into later as he didn’t have time now.  Bleyd met with his Vunakian Colonel Kohn Doil who had a high threshold of pain with no pain killers used in his sacrification ceremony.  Doil got off the transport, saluted, and apologized to Bleyd for his lat arrival as a vortex storm hit the main camp just before he left.  Bleyd said there was no neeed to apologize about the weather and got straight to the point saying he knew the Colonel had all the files, but Bleyd wanted to debrief him personally…..

Title: Veggie Tales: Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving
Running time: 45 minutes
MPAA: Not Rated
Release date: October 6, 2009
ASIN: B002FOFX6U
Studio: Big Idea
Review source: Special Ops Media
age range: 2-5
Rating: B

In Veggie Tales: Saint Nicholas, Laura Carrot is worried that she might not get any gifts this Christmas because her dad might lose his job. Junior Asparagus and his friends learn of Laura Carrot’s woes and all come up with their ideas of the meaning of Christmas. Much of it is done through entertaining song. Veggies Tales is nothing if not engaging and rather hypnotic and full of tons of singing—all things that toddlers adore to watch. Finally, Bob the Tomato asks the Veggies if they know who Santa really is. “Have you heard of Saint Nicholas?” he asks. And soon back in time we go to tell the story of the Birth of Christmas and how a little boy became Saint Nicholas. It is all done through song and a simple story that children can understand and enjoy. Veggie Tales: Saint Nicholas has a bit too much God and religion involved for my liking but I suppose Christmas is a Christian holiday and that must be included.

Bonus Features:
“Give This Christmas Away” Operation Christmas Child music video
Behind The Song with Matthew West and Amy Grant
Art Gallery
Audio Commentary
Sing Along with Larry
Discussion Guide
Family Activity – “Bob & Larry’s Sugar Cookies”

The following Christmas-related items are currently on sale at Books From A Rose:

I think we, myself included, do our very best to complicate theology to our detriment. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for precision, but there are times when simple is better.

I was introduced to Veggie Tales a couple of weeks ago – my wife bought The Libster a DVD. And now that we’ve watched it a thousand times, I’m amazed by both the simplicity and profundity of something like the song “God is Bigger (than the Boogie Man)”.

I think this is a notion we give intellectual assent, but rarely employ in practice. We like the idea of having a big God, but we don’t like the responsibility of having a big God.

For example, I like the idea that God is bigger than the Boogie Man, but what happens when I meet the Boogie Man face-to-face (or, insert scary thing of your choice). I can think back to instances where I’ve cowered, forgot how big I thought God was, or simply realized that I didn’t believe what I thought I believed. Thankfully, there is grace for those situations, and, slowly but surely, I’m learning that God really is that big.

I’m not on the lookout for Boogie Men or Women, but I believe my God is bigger.

5 Minutes for Mom is offering one lucky (make that very lucky!) reader their own Veggie Tales collection. There are 30 dvds and it ends on the 4th. So hurry and enter!

If you’re a fan of Matthew West, he’s all over the place lately. Here are the different places you can see him on TV in December:

Today’s selection is a from Veggie Tales. Enjoy!

This season is by far my favorite time of year!  I love all the fun Christmas activities and decorations!  They are so much fun, but when it comes down to it what is Christmas really about?  That’s what I really want to show this month, after watching the awesome new Veggie Tales movie “Saint Nicholas, A Story of Joyful Giving” I’m ready to give this Christmas away!

So this entire Month I’m going to be talking about what Christmas is all about, as well as counting down the days and sharing fun holiday facts!

• The idea for using electric Christmas lights came from an American named Ralph E. Morris in 1895.  The new lights proved safer than the traditional candles, which often started fires by falling in the dry Christmas trees.

• The use of a Christmas wreath as a decoration on your front door, mantel or bay window symbolizes a sign of welcome and long life to all who enter.

• Today poinsettias are the most popular Christmas plant and are the number one flowering potted plant in the United States.

• The poinsettia, a traditional Christmas flower, originally grew in Mexico, where it is also known as the ‘Flower of the Holy Night’. Joel Poinsett first brought it to America in 1829.

The Real Deal From Luke 2

It’s About A Child

Jesus, God’s Son, was a child and his earthly parents brought Him to the temple in Jerusalem because of their faith’s tradition.

It’s about Seniors

Simeon and Anna were elder members in their faith communities and they knew their time on earth was nearing an end.

It’s about God Speaking

The Holy Spirit rested on Simeon and let him know he’d see the Messiah before he died.  We don’t know how Simeon died after seeing Jesus, be we do know his words have lived on for more than 2,000 years.  God still speaks to us today about amazing things.

Start a new family tradition by having everyone in your family write a Christmas letter to each other.  Encourage family members to each write or draw a picture of what they love most about the person they are writing to, such as how a brother is kind to his sister or how Mom makes special breakfast for everyone on the weekends.  Conclude each letter with a personal prayer, thanking God for that family member!

Tell everyone to decorate the envelopes and place them in Christmas stockings or under the tree.  On Christmas morning family members can read their letters aloud or in silence.  These can become a tradition to build on each Christmas!

The following VHS Tapes are currently for sale at Books From A Rose:

The following CD’s are currently for sale at Books From A Rose:

SOLD OUT!!

Name: Phil Vischer

Location: Wheaton, IL

Website/blog: www.philvischer.com

Claim to fame: (source: wikipedia.org)

Phil Vischer (born 1966 in Muscatine, Iowa) is an American voice actor, writer and filmmaker. He is well known for co-creating the award-winning VeggieTales with Mike Nawrocki the co-founder of Big Idea Productions. Phil was eight years old when he made his first animated film.

He has been working with Big Idea Productions since 1996. He has worked as writer, producer and voice actor for the series. In 2003 Big Idea Productions dissolved and was sold to Entertainment Rights. He still works on the Veggietales videos with the new company, Big Idea, Inc. Since leaving Big Idea, Vischer has started a new creative shop called Jellyfish Labs where he and a small team work to produce faith-based media for children and families. Vischer and Jellyfish are based in Wheaton, Illinois. As of 2009, he also still works with Big Idea on a contract basis, writing scripts and performing many of the voices for new VeggieTales productions.

He is currently working in Wheaton, Illinois as founder and owner of JellyTelly and Jellyfish Labs where he is working as President of the company that produces Christian products.

Why We Care:

Phil took an idea and made it an iconic presence in the world of Children’s Ministry and Church Culture.
We take a giant wooden cut-out of Bob the Tomato to the LA County Fair every year and let over a thousand kids throw bags of candy through holes we cut into it.  Nobody, anywhere in the United States, is taking an idea I had and turning it into a carnival game.
Phil took a simple concept (communicating the Bible to children in a relevant and engaging format) and took it far beyond the cutting-edge Jesus flannel graphs that dominated Christian education in the 1980’s and are still found in Sunday School classes today.  I’d love to sit down with Phil and hear what he thinks is coming next and how we’re going to get there.  Have you heard of his new project – What’s In the Bible?  It’s genius.  I’ve seen a bunch of his JellyTelly stuff and, I have to admit, I’m a fan of what he’s got going on.  Swing by and check out The Pirate’s Guide to Church History.  It’s awesome.

—-

Where do guys like Phil fit into your list?  Any guesses what the chances are that I can run into Phil in 2010?
If you have connections that get me a coffee-date, I’ll make sure you get a shout out when I post about meeting the man behind VeggieTales.

“Jelly Telly” is Phil Vischer’s (aka Bob the Tomato, Jimmy Gourd, Pa Grape…) Christian alternative to the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.

We are not big fans of Big Idea.  There are a few stories we have enjoyed (“The Toy That Saved Christmas” for one…though even that one could be more to the point), but the ones that re-tell biblical accounts we usually pass on.  Someone bought us their version of Esther and I think my mouth dropped open when the main character (not really sure what kind of veggie she was) blatantly stated, “No, I’m not gonna!  No one asked me if I wanted to be queen…”  Yikes.  I will confess, though, that we liked a couple of the older “Silly Songs” (“The Hairbrush Song,” “Barbara Manatee,” and “The Water Buffalo Song” to name a few).  All that to say, we think Veggie Tales is more about “Saturday morning fun” than “Sunday morning values.”  But now Phil Vischer is serious about educating kids. Here’s what he’s thinking.

Thirty minutes a day can include characters (some puppets, some animation, some plain old people) sharing information about church history, theology, creation science and more.  A few minutes touring the site acquaints you with “Brother Louie,” who shares theology with “flair” (words fail)…a band called the “God Rocks” (just what it sounds like) offers musical …uh…stimulation as well as another couple of musicians called the “Bentley Brothers” (big hair, 70’s prom tuxes, and an attempt at retro sound).

So, if you are not a Veggie Tales fan, you’ll probably get indigestion from Jelly Telly for the same reasons.  Much the same flavor (pun intended).

Archibald (Mayor): I’m busy, busy, dreadfully busy
You’ve no idea what I have to do.
Busy, busy, shockingly busy
Much, much too busy for you.
Larry: Oh, I see.

Archibald and Doctor: We’re busy, busy, dreadfully busy
You’ve no idea what we have to do.
Busy, busy, shockingly busy
Much, much too busy for you.

‘Cause we’re busy, busy, frightfully busy
More than a bumblebee, more than an ant.
Busy, busy, horribly busy
We’d love to help, but we can’t!

Archibald: Ta ta!

If you haven’t seen Veggie Tales, you’re really missing out on great entertainment with a moral.  These are vegetables I actually like!

As you can see, I’ve had a few things to do and no time to post.  Dreadful isn’t it?

My one question to you:

ARE YOU DRESSING UP FOR HALLOWEEN?

Some fun character designs for a gardening company. Full color cartoon illustration created in photoshop.

Some exciting news about an upcoming project I’ll be working on:

Phil Vischer, the creator of VeggieTales (the best-selling direct-to-video series of all time) and of the kids’ media website JellyTelly.com has just announced a partnership with Focus on the Family to create a 13-volume educational DVD series called “What’s In The Bible?” The DVD’s will take kids through the Bible from cover to cover using a combination of puppets, animation, and live action to teach about the Bible and the Christian faith. The DVD’s will be released through Tyndale House publishers starting this coming Spring.

Announcement on Phil’s blog.

Press release from Tyndale

The best part (for me at least) is that I get to play a small role in the project. I’ve been hired to animate three segments, and if that goes well there will likely be more to come.

The DVDs are going to echo back to the spirit of the old Disney educational films from the 1960’s but with a modern, snappy sensibility. I’m a huge fan of the early Disney and UPA-style educational films (especially the work of Ward Kimball like the classic Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom – Amazon link). For years I’ve been thinking how cool it would be to use educational animation to teach the Bible and theology. Bible literacy is on the decline in America so this series will help fill a huge need. I’m thrilled to play a small part in it. Based on what I’ve seen so far, it’s going to be a very fun and quality product!

Look for the first two DVDs to be in stores in Spring of 2010. In the mean time, for samples of Phil’s latest offerings visit JellyTelly.com. Just what exactly is JellyTelly? Glad you asked.

I went to my first concert in  the 8th grade.  It was a Relient K, Audio Adrenaline, Kids in the Way concert.

A Christian concert; we had to buy our tickets from The Lighthouse.

Besides Kanye West and The Shins, the only other band who I can say that I own nearly every piece of music they’ve ever created is Relient K.

I used to shop The Lighthouse on the regular.  My recreational reading books came from there, I lived alongside Caitlin O’Connor as she went on her mission trips to teach the orphans in Mexico how to read and met, converted and married the beautiful Josh.  I laughed along with my friends as we skimmed through The Complex Infrastructure Known as the Female Mind.  I bought mood rings with my friends thanks to the Relient K song of the same name.

Along with the non-Christian literature I was reading at the time, these books helped me grow in different ways, and seek non-conventional answers to a lot of things that I was dealing with as I schlepped my way through the awkward preteen and young teenage years.

And the music that Matty T was writing at the time, it moved me in ways that I couldn’t describe until he sat on the stage, alone with his keyboard and sang these lines:

When I got tired of running from you
I stopped right there to catch my breath
There your words they caught my ears
You said ‘I miss you son. Come home’
And my sins, they watched me leave
And in my heart I so believed
The love you felt for me was mine
The love I’d wished for all the this time
And when the doors were closed
I heard no I told you so’s
I said the words I knew you knew
Oh God, oh God I needed you
God all this time I needed you, I needed you

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the stage as I watched him close his eyes and repeat those lines over and over again. And at the moment I became that girl that cries in the middle of a concert. Before this bridge he sings:

All of my escapes have been exhausted
I thought I had a way but then I lost it
And my resistance was once much stronger
And I know I can’t go on like this much longer

When I tell people that I don’t consider myself religious anymore, the more common reaction is one where the listener proceeds to list off all the things they find wrong with organized religion and congratulate me on “seeing the light,” whatever that light may be.

And that reaction completely misses the point of … well, everything. I went to Catholic school from preschool to my senior year of high school; in fact, I think even my daycare was Catholic. I can sing along to the Veggie Tales theme song–yes, I DO like to talk to potatoes and a squash taught me about forgiveness, conquering my fears, how to stand up for what I believe in, and that everyone is capable of doing big things.

How could I possibly condemn anything that taught me all that? And, to top it all off, my mother is deeply religious and the best friends that I’ve had through life thus far? All religious! If I were to shit all over something they believed in, that would make me a close-minded asshole.

The point is, Relient K shuffled onto my iPod the other day when I was driving around, and it reminded me of the purpose of beliefs/religion/philosophy–to find answers to important questions that every individual thinks about. We’re all different, and we all have different questions that we feel need to be answered, and I’m glad that I have been surrounded by people throughout my life who have let me seek out the answers in whatever way I see fit, and can understand that just because someone doesn’t think the same way they do, it doesn’t make their beliefs any less significant.

I don’t know why religious tolerance has been on my mind lately, maybe because too many people just don’t get how it works.

Here’s a confession: when I’m walking to my car late at night, and everything seems creepy, and every shadow dangerous and looming, I sing this song:

And it calms me down every time.

When I hear the title of that popular Veggie Tales movie many thoughts come to mind.  The first being a Dr. Seuss book called Are You My Mother? that I use to read when I was a child.  Which is about a baby bird that hatches while his mother is away and is searching desperately to find who his mom is.  Another thing that comes to mind is a favorite childhood show of mine called Mister Rodger’s Neighborhood.  I’m currently reading a book about Mister Rodgers called The Simple Faith of Mister Rodgers.

So all that being said, who is our neighbor?

Luke 10:25-37  NIV

²⁵On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.

²⁸“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³²So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

This is the exact principle that Mister Rodgers taught us, everyone is our neighbor!  The show focuses on not only Mister Rodgers but all of his neighbors.  Mister Rodgers always greeted T.V. viewers as his neighbors and friends.  Our neighbors are both good and bad, which Mister Rodgers realized.  He knew that each one of us are made in the image of God and should be loved and appreciated.  Each one of us should be valued as children of God.

So choose today to change the life of your neighbor!  It can be as simple as writing them a card of encouragement, or giving them a hug!  Start today to see everyone around you as Mister Rodgers did, a valued child of God who should be loved.  Make a difference today, in the life of your neighbor!

Welcome to my Neighborbood!