Archive: January 2010
Is God in this?
This morning in my devotions I was rereading the notes I had taken from Henry Blackaby’s study on the book of Samuel, and I came across this quote from Mr. Blackaby:
“To tell the people that He is with us in all of His power when there is no evidence of it in our lives is a betrayal to God’s people.”
This convicted me when I first read it 7 years ago, and it convicted me again this morning. It’s so easy for us as leaders to stand up in front and proclaim God’s awesome power. They hear it in our messages and our praise choruses. But do they see it in our lives? I mean, really? Is God’s power visible in our lives? Or is it just lip service?
I’m about to launch a series of DVDs that rather boldly proclaim God’s power. We’ve shown samples to the children’s ministry leaders of several denominations, and they’ve found it so impactful they’re looking for ways to use it across thousands of churches. One curriculum leader at a major denomination said, “There is nothing like this out there. There has never been anything like this out there.”
Wow. That’s pretty exciting to hear. It makes me feel like we’re on the right track – like we’re on to something here.
But… this will only reach its potential if God shows up in it. If His power is manifest in this work, and, more importantly, in my life. Am I just giving God lip service? Just repeating things I’ve heard in a million praise choruses? Or am I bearing witness to a God who has made Himself present in my life? Am I focusing on the work, or on God?
How about you guys? The world doesn’t need to see how clever we are. The world needs to see the manifest presence of God in our lives. The power of God. On the canvas of humanity. It doesn’t matter what comes out of my mouth, if it isn’t coming out in my life.
Thanks for the reminder, Henry.
The 1000 Challenge
We’re pretty excited about What’s in the Bible these days, and we’re willing to bet that if you are reading this, you’re probably pretty excited too.
We’re so excited that we want to share part of the first DVD with you! But we need your help first …
Here’s the deal: if What’s in the Bible gets
- 1,000 sign ups on our email list
- 1,000 fans on Facebook
- 1,000 followers on Twitter
We’ll give you a sneak peek of “In The Beginning” (DVD 1) exclusively on WhatsintheBible.com! You’ll get to see and share the first 10 minutes of the DVD long before it goes on sale (March 1).
So what are you waiting for? Follow us on Twitter and fan us on Facebook. Sign up for our email list by filling out the “Join our Newsletter” section of this page. Then tell all your friends to do the same.
We can’t wait to share What’s in the Bible with you!
Welcome to the start of something new!
20 years ago, watching a smiling, one-toothed cucumber take his first tentative steps across my computer screen, I had no idea what I was in for. The birth of VeggieTales® in my spare bedroom would lead to a wild rollercoaster ride over the next decade as we learned what an effective teaching tool limbless vegetables could be.
Throughout the 1990s, as the home video revolution swept Bob and Larry into households across America, we were able to bring key Bible stories and biblical values to life in a whole new way. But even at the peak of “veggie-mania” in the late 1990s, it was beginning to dawn on me that we were teaching Christian values, but not really teaching Christianity. We were teaching key Bible stories, but not teaching the entire Bible.
It was easy to present exciting, cinematic stories like Daniel and the Lion’s Den or Jonah and the Whale, but much harder to teach abstract concepts like, say, sin, redemption or God’s grace. Yet that is what we need most of all. Half of adult Protestants in America today can’t define the word “grace.” Christian colleges report that incoming freshmen – kids from Christian homes – know less and less about the Bible each year. Do they know the story of David and Goliath? Sure. They saw it in VeggieTales. But do they understand how the stories of David and Israel fit in to God’s redemptive plan for history – the one that they’re still a part of today? Not a clue.
According to the latest research, 65% of kids from Christian homes today stop attending church as soon as they graduate from high school. Our kids don’t find our faith meaningful enough to stay engaged into adulthood. Many experts believe real, meaningful engagement begins with a thorough understanding of the Bible – of why we’re here. The purpose of life. Knowing individual Bible stories is beneficial. But knowing the overall story of God and what he’s done for us through history is absolutely vital.
And so it’s time to start something new. It’s called What’s in the Bible? – and it is an attempt, over 13 DVDs, to walk kids all the way through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, creating a foundation for them to build on for the rest of their lives. Call it “Christianity 101.” The beginning of a lifetime spent walking with God.
It is, frankly speaking, the most challenging – and exciting – project I can imagine.
Welcome to a whole new way to pass on our faith to our kids!
