I recently read this little gem of a book entitled Me, Myself, & Bob by Phil Vischer. Phil Vischer is the creator of VeggieTales and was the founder and CEO of Big Idea Productions. Most of us parents of small children know about Bob the tomato and Larry the cucumber and have seen a VeggieTales video which retells a Bible story (or a fictional story based on a Bible verse) using computer animated fruits and vegetables.
Honestly, I've always had a love/hate relationship with these little vegetables and all their Silly Songs.
I've liked them on the one hand because they teach children Bible stories and Biblical principles.
I've hated them (okay, hate might be a strong word)...I've disliked them and cringed many a time when they either focus on morals (to the exclusion of Christ) or when they represent particular Bible characters in tactless ways (really? The daughter of Pharoah has to talk like a 1980's valley girl and say such lines as "LIKE...I'll name him, like, Moses, because I drew him out of the wa-ter..."...ugh)
But by far the most fascinating thing about VeggieTales to me is the story behind VeggieTales and the intense struggle Phil, its creator, endured as he desperately tried to follow his dream to build--then witness the disastrous fall of--a new Christian media empire. In this book, Phil discusses just this question...What does it mean when God gives you a dream, and He shows up in it and the dream comes to life, and then, without warning, the dream dies?
And the guy is hilarious...making this a most enjoyable read as well!
Let me just give you a few excerpts from this book that were, frankly, just glorious...
"The more I dove into Scripture, the more I realized I had been deluded. I had grown up drinking a dangerous cocktail--a mix of the gospel, the Protestant work ethic, and the American dream. My eternal value was rooted in what I could accomplish. My role here on earth was to dream up amazing things to do for God.....The Savior I was following seemed in hindsight, equal parts Jesus, Ben Franklin, and Henry Ford."
Through the Scriptures (specifically the story of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4), several Henry Blackaby studies, C.S. Lewis, and his friend Rick, Phil became convicted of the truth of the gospel--it is all about GOD and HIS glory and HIS timing and HIS good works (that God has prepared us in advance to do, Eph 2:10)...and not the things WE can dream up and do for God.
In other words...
It is more about being in relationship with God than "doing."
It is more about waiting for the revelation of God's will for our lives than it is on accomplishing big things.
It is about walking with God.
He closes his book with an amazing chapter on dreams, and he makes this statement:
"As I write this, I am growing increasingly convinced that if every one of these kids burning with passion to write that hit Christian song or make that hit Christian movie or start that hit Christian ministry to change the world would instead focus their passion on walking with God on a daily basis, the world would change."
And that, as a stay-at-home, run of the mill mom of three little ones, just makes my heart sing.
Because as Phil points out, where does Christianity actually happen? Up on a big screen in a movie theater? On TV? No. In all the little moments of the day, in our daily interaction with others...that is where it matters.
And now Phil's life has completely changed. He doesn't need to have any impact at all. His needs are being met by the Scripture he is reading and the life of prayer he is developing. His passion has shifted away from "impact" to God.
In 2003, ten years after its creation, Big Idea Productions was bankrupt and sold by the courts to Classic Media (Note: VeggieTales videos are still being produced, but under different leadership and all the animation is outsourced). In 2005, Phil started a new company called Jellyfish, which puts out books, video series, and podcasts on a much smaller scale. Why the name? You see, jellyfish cannot move. They can't choose their own course--they move with the current. And similarly, without God, we can do nothing. We can't get anywhere. We are useless and spineless, without form. Phil has come to realize, "My ability to accomplish anything good is dependent on my willingness to dwell in the current of God's will. To wait on God and let him supply my form and my direction. Like a jellyfish."
Oh, how I'd encourage you to read this book, dear one! It is a great read and encouragement for you, especially if you are one who struggles to dream BIG for God and be influential for Him! One thing is for sure, I will never view another VeggieTales video the same again!
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