Christian Ventriloquism in the New Jersey Star-Ledger

This afternoon my cell phone rang...nobody calls my cell phone on Sunday. The number listed was coming from New Jersey, well I only know one guy in New Jersey, it had to be ventriloquist pal Doug Nearpass.

A few weeks ago I had received a call from a reporter asking about Doug and his ministry. Apparently Doug was going to be featured in an article that is about intersting people in New Jersey. A few weeks later I was with Doug at one of our puppet festivals and he told me more about the article. Well, today the article appears both in the paper and online...here's a link: I am New Jersey - Doug Nearpass

It turns out I am quoted a few times in the article, and they actually got it right. Doug is pleased with the article and so am I. Often reporters think doing a story about a Christian puppeteer or ventriloquist would be interesting, but they often try to take a humorous angle. I mean, it's weird enough that we play with puppets, but that we tell people about Jesus with them is just icing on the cake, right? Anyhow, this article is well written and presents Doug and his ministry in a very respectful way. Go check it out!

The Gospel According to Droopy

A few weeks ago I was at a prayer meeting at 6:30 AM…that's worthy of a blog post for me right there. I don't do 6:30 in the morning without a little extra effort, brothers. At this meeting my associate pastor felt led to read a passage that was on his heart from the book of John. Chapter 10 verses 1 -4 says:

"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."

He continued reading through Chapter 10, on into verses 11-13, which says:

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep."

My pastor shared that what was on his heart was that too often we are the "hired hand." The wolf is coming and what do we do? We scatter, we care nothing for the sheep. Christ is the shepherd, and we are the sheep, but we are called to be more like Christ. We are striving to be like the shepherd. So when trouble, the wolf, comes, do we act as the shepherd would or do we act as the hired hand would.

Of course, in my deep theological mind this took me to images of a Droopy cartoon, 1958's "Sheep Wrecked." In this short, Droopy plays the shepherd as the Wolf (voiced by the great Daws Butler) is trying to get in and get himself a meal. That's really all there is to plot, it's just a set up for numerous gags where something blows up in the Wolf's face. But it is interesting to note that Droopy, like Bugs Bunny or the Road Runner, isn't just playing defense here. By the end of the movie, it's clear that he's the one playing offense as he turns all the wolf's plans back on himself. This reminds me a great passage from Mark Batterson's book "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" in which he describes coaching his son's basketball team. These fourth-graders were still learning the fundamentals of the game, so at times they didn't know if they were on offense of defense. Batterson often found himself yelling from the sidelines, "You're on offense! You're on offense!" Batterson then writes, "Sometimes I wonder if the cloud of witnesses sitting in the celestial bleachers is yelling "You're on offense! You're on offense!"

I'm so glad we have a shepherd, not a hired hand, and that he's on offense.

Super Mario Bros. Theme Played with Bottles and an RC Car

Ok, I have a small brain. I'm easily amused. If you are too, you'll probably love this video of the theme from Super Mario Bros. played with beer bottles and a remote control car.

Image of Stars Wars Muppets Released

A few months ago it was announced that some figures of the Muppets playing different Star Wars characters were on the way. Some concept art has been available online for awhile, but today an image of the figures popped up over at starwars.com. So check out the link and see Kermit as Luke, Miss Piggy as Princess Leia, Fozzie Bear as Chewbacca, Gonzo as Darth Vader, Beaker as C3-PO and Rizzo the Rat as Yoda.

Here's the link: Star Wars Muppets

These will only be available at Disney Theme parks...Grrr. So if you're Magic Kingdom bound you know what to bring back for me.

Return of the Rockafire Explosion

This video is just too fun to pass up. When I was a kid, the cool place to go was Showbiz Pizza. Mediocre pizza, skeeball, video games, and an animatronic animal band...who could ask for more? Well apparently there's a guy out there in the land of the internet who has a collection of the animatronic figures from Showbiz, and he's taken it upon himself to re-program them to perform some more recent tunes. So here's the Rock-afire Explosion performing the remake of the Genesis classic "Land of Confusion" by Disturbed. Since I have fond memories of Showbiz, love cover songs (BTW check out the Coverville podcast), and am a huge Genesis fan...this was just plain cool.

Guilty Pleasure 5: The Wiz

Like so many others, my earliest movie viewing memory is watching "The Wizard of Oz" on one of it's annual showings on CBS. I tell my kids about this and they can't even fathom that we could only journey to Oz once a year. I love "The Wizard of Oz!" If there is such a thing as a perfect movie, Oz is it. I also have a deep appreciation for L. Frank Baum's original book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." A couple of years ago my daughter and I read through the book as our nightly bedtime story (I had read it once as a child as well) and it led to us tackling all 14 of Baum's Oz books. The world Baum created shows a man of amazing creativity, and I love watching the various interpretations of his most famous Oz story. The original book has been in the public domain since 1956, so many different versions have come out since that time. Which leads us to one of the most well known, "The Wiz."

Originally a Broadway musical, "The Wiz" debuted in 1975 with the film to follow in 1978. The film, which takes place in an urban Oz, differs greatly from the stage version, which was set in the same time as the original book. I actually find the urban setting to be intriguing, but it doesn't exactly make Oz into a fantastic place where you'd actually want to stay.

This is actually an odd time for movie musicals, "Grease" was released earlier in the year, and ended up being the highest grossing movie of 78. But "Grease" was also the last great movie musical before the long dry spell for the genre. So, in a sense, "The Wiz" is the genre's last gasp.

Watching the bonus features on the DVD actually offers some interesting insight into how "The Wiz" made it to the screen. Apparently a producer acquired the rights to the musical and was working to bring it to the screen when he received a call that singer Diana Ross decided that she wanted to play Dorothy in "The Wiz." First mistake, right there. Ross is all wrong for the role of Dorothy. Sure she can sing, but her Dorothy is whiny and irritating as opposed to the wide-eyed girl she should be. The rest of the casting is inspired, though. Michael Jackson, not quite as notorious in those days, is great as the Scarecrow. Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, and Richard Pryor (as the Tin Man, Lion, and Wizard respectively) are no slouches either.

The film was directed by Sidney Lumet, who helmed films like "12 Angry Men," "Serpico," "Dog Day Afternoon," and "Network." So what happened here? OK, I'll just say it, "The Wiz" is not a good film. It lacks the sense of awe and excitement that should be present on any visit to Oz. So why do I list it as a guilty pleasure. I guess it ranks up there as an odd curiosity for me. Some of the songs are real downers, but I just can't resist some of the more upbeat offerings like "Don't Nobody Bring me no Bad News," "Ease on Down the Road," and "Everybody Rejoice/A Brand New Day." Though, I must admit, when the Winkies suddenly transform into the Solid Gold Dancers during that last song, it's a little creepy. I guess part of it is also just seeing a different interpretation of a favorite story. I'd love to see somebody take a stab at "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," in the vein that the recent Lord of the Rings and Narnia films have followed. I doubt it will happen, though. Still, "The Wiz" is fun to drag out every now and then.

Puppet Ministry on the Children's Ministry Talk Podcast!

"Children's Ministry Talk" is a great podcast produced by Dick Gruber and Jason Rhode that covers all areas of children's ministry. The most recent episode, posted today, is on puppet ministry, and I was thrilled to be their guest on the podcast along with Puppetrylab.com brainchild Amy Harder.

It's my first time being on a podcast, so check it out! You can subscribe to the podcast through services like iTunes, and here's a direct link to the podcast at childrensministrytalk.com: Puppet Ministry Principles and Practices

Thanks Dick and Jason for the opportunity to be on the podcast! It was fun!

Loss of Imagination

I just read a very interesting little blog post over at Mark Batterson's blog Evotional.com. Mark is one of my favorite recent authors. I'm on my second read of his book "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day."

Anyhow, he spoke at an event called "Awaken" where each speaker was only given 10 minutes to share. He decided to speak about "one of the greatest dangers we face as leaders." Here's what he had to say:

"Neurological studies have shown that over the course of time, there is a cognitive shift from right-brain to left-brain. And if we don't find a way to stop the shift, memory overtakes imagination. We stop creating the future and start repeating the past. We stop innovating and start imitating. We stop doing ministry out of imagination and start doing ministry out of memory."

Oooh, that hurts. I've certainly been guilty of looking at a new opportunity to share a puppet program and thought, "Hmm, what can I do that won't require me to make any new props, or plan any new choreography." Or thought, "These kids have never seen me perform such-and-such before, I'll just do that." God may be presenting me with new opportunities for innovation and imagination, and I opt for the easy route. Ouch, ouch and double ouch Mark!

Read the full post here.

unChristian

A few weeks ago I finished reading the book "unChristian" by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. This is a book that all Christians should read. The book has to do with studies conducted by The Barna Group about the perceptions young people (age 18 - 29) have about Christians, and more importantly, what needs to be done about it.

I fear that many people's reaction to this book will be to get on the defensive without even thinking. Perhaps without even reading the book. I've run across some bloggers and radio personalities who clearly have not read the book commenting on it. The book is not about changing the message of the Gospel to make it more appealing to the current generation. It is about how we as Christians often do not often approach things according to what Christ said.

My copy of the book is now marked all over with bright yellow highlighter. Here are a few items I highlighted, but I would encourage every disciple of Christ to tackle the entire book with an open heart and mind:

"We need to be more concerned about reaching those who need Jesus than 'proving' our faith to those who already claim to know Jesus."

"God wants to use us in the gritty and raw places of people's lives, but our usefulness is hindered if we are more concerned about our protection from sin than the effects of sin in the lives of others."

"When people say that America is a mission field, it would be more accurate to say it is many diverse mission fields."

"Rather than being known for criticism, let's learn to step in and work toward a solution for the problems we see. As Michelangelo said 'Critique by creating.' "

"With young people, how we communicate is as important as what we communicate."

"If our primary focus is on the sin, it is virtually impossible to demonstrate love to an individual."

"The reality is that if we do not demonstrate loving relationships within the church, it does not matter how much we display Jesus to outsiders."

Guilty Pleasure 4: Big Trouble in Little China

In 1986 the world just wasn't quite ready for Jack Burton. "Big Trouble in Little China" didn't exactly set records at the box office during it's theatrical run, so like many people, I didn't see the film until it became a regular part of the cable TV rotation a year later. Even then it just seemed like a weird action movie. But as the years have moved on, it is clear that this action / adventure kung-fu ghost story monster movie was ahead of it's time.


Director John Carpenter was most associated with horror movies, having directed films like "Christine," "The Fog," "The Thing," and the film that redefined horror for a generation "Halloween." So Big Trouble was a bit of a departure for him. Ultimately, the film is a comedy, but that was lost on most audiences in 86.

The story centers on Jack Burton, a tough-talking truck driver played by Kurt Russell. On a visit to San Francisco's Chinatown, Burton gets caught up in a strange battle between the forces of good and evil when the fiance of his friend Wang is kidnapped by the immortal LoPan and his three henchmen, the Storms. Along the way they encounter kung-fu battles, sorcerers and monsters.

Jack Burton is the ultimate non-hero. Though the lead in the movie, he is clueless to absolutely everything that is going on around him. He thinks he's John Wayne, but he reminds me more of Link Hogthrob, hapless captain from "The Muppet Show" sketch "Pigs in Space."

The story gets more ridiculous with every passing minute. Less than 15 minutes in we have kung-fu fighting street gangs and are well on our way to encountering 7-foot tall ghosts, a guy who shoots blue lightning from his hands, giant underground bugs, and a drooling hairy monster. By the film's climax we've progressed to a floating head with 20 eyes. In a way, Jack represents the audience when he reacts to this strange creature with, "My God no...please...what is that...don't tell me." Yet, everyone around Jack completely buys in to everything that's going on.

"Big Trouble in Little China" has to be one of the most bizarre mainstream movies of the 80's. A mix of action, comedy and hocus pocus that, as long as you don't take it too seriously, is more fun than a six demon bag.

Guilty Pleasure 3: Kung Pow! Enter the Fist

In 1966, Woody Allen took a James Bond style Japanese movie and re-recorded the soundtrack to create the comedy "What's Up Tiger Lily." As technology advanced, it was only a matter of time before someone took the next step, not just re-dubbing, but actually using digital technology to insert new actors into an old film. That's exactly what writer, director, and star Steve Oedekerk did with 2002's "Kung Pow! Enter the Fist."


Much of the footage for Kung Pow is taken from a 1977 Hong Kong martial arts film called "Tiger and Crane Fist." Oedekerk plays a wandering warrior called "The Chosen One" who must train in order to fight the evil warlord Master Pain, who early in the film decides to change his name to "Betty." In many instances, Oedekerk's head is digitally placed over that of actor Jimmy Wang Yu, star of the original film.

Digital technology is employed in several other bits as well, including a Matrix-style fight sequence with a cow. Since this film, Oedekerk directed the animated film "Barnyard," famous for it's male cows with udders (read my previous blog post on that here). The man is clearly obsessed with all things bovine.

All of the film's dialogue is dubbed over the original voices, both from the original Hong Kong film as well as Oedekerk's new footage. One of the extra bonuses of the DVD is the "What They were Actually Saying" audio track. So we're able to hear that in the final film Oedekerk's dubbed voice says a line like, "...and that day I vowed to find the man who killed my family. Can you help me?" was actually spoken on the set as, "My favorite pie is lemon meringue, can you serve it?" Oedekerk also performs almost all of the new voices himself.

Every time I watch this movie my wife walks in, shakes her head, and says, "Are you watching this dumb movie again?" You men out there be warned, your wife will hate this movie. Don't even try to watch it with her. Have her go to another room and watch "The Notebook" or something, she'll thank you.

There are a few bits of crude humor I could do without, but most of the movie is silly fun. Some of the jokes have me laughing uncontrollably no matter how many times I've seen them.

Ray Comfort Slams Children's Ministry

From time to time I'll listen to the Way of the Master radio program streaming over the internet as I work on other things. It's kind of odd because I really don't care for the program very much. The Way of the Master is famous for being the ministry that former "Growing Pains" star Kirk Cameron is the face of. Ray Comfort is the gentleman with the New Zealand accent that you often see with Cameron, and Todd Friel is the host of the radio program. Evangelism is the main focus of the ministry. Comfort is especially known as being a proponent of open-air evangelism. While the radio program does devote some time to evangelism, much of the broadcast tends to center on being a Christian watchdog. In other words, pointing out everything that's wrong with everyone else's ministry. In general, I find this kind of stuff to be counterproductive to the cause of Christ, and that's why I don't really care for the program.

Now that I've said all that, I'm going to do pretty much the same thing and point out a problem I have with a statement that was made on the program. As someone who works in children's ministry, this statement caught me completely off guard and I felt it was important to offer it up for discussion.

During hour 1 of the March 20, 2008 program (hear it for yourself here) Ray Comfort and Todd Friel called a man named Mickey at the request of a family member. Mickey is not a believer and, for the record, was expecting the call. Through the course of the conversation, it is revealed that Mickey actually grew up in a Baptist church and accepted Jesus at the age of six, but has since stopped believing in Christ. This eventually led to the following quote from Mr. Comfort:

"So God has given light to every man, you're without excuse, Mickey. What you've got to do is surrender and say, "Judge, I fling myself upon your mercy." Say that to God. And then God can forgive your sins because Jesus took your punishment. That's what you're supposed to learn when you're at a Baptist church. It's something you seem to have missed out on. Probably because you gave your heart to Jesus when you were six years old and had no understanding of what sin was."


As I'm sure you've figured out, it's that last sentence I'm having trouble with. What exactly is Ray Comfort saying? Is Mr. Comfort actually suggesting that children have no understanding of sin, or even worse, that they can't truly be saved at a young age because of it? In my experience, I've found the exact opposite to be true. I think children have a far better understanding of sin than most adults do. I mean, when my kids do something wrong they know it. I don't need to tell them and they don't need to tell me. I can see it in their eyes. I can see it in their posture. As we grow older we learn to make excuses, we learn to justify our sin.

You've probably heard the famous passage in Matthew 18:

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

I think part of what Christ is pointing out here is that understanding of sin that children have. The folks at WOTM are big on their belief that people come to Christ when they understand their sin and their need for a savior. And you know what, they're right about that, but to suggest that kids don't have that understanding is ridiculous. The Jan/Feb premiere issue of K! Magazine has fantastic article by my friend Alan Root that explores a similar issue, whether or not kids can understand the concept of being "born again." Alan sums up the article with the following:

"The point is kids can understand the basics of our faith better than adults can. Why? They don't have our baggage. They arrive fresh and full of trust, with a curiosity that is satisfied with God's short answers."

I hope and pray that Mr. Comfort simply mis-spoke. I must admit, I'm having a hard time giving him the benefit of the doubt. I'm curious to hear some thoughts from my children's ministry friends on this one.