When Dreams Come True

Tonight our family was able to watch the DVD of Sight & Sound Theater's production of Joseph! It was amazing... Obviously, it had the theme "When Dreams Come True". I mean, with a story about Joseph, what else would it be about? But it also had other themes running through it. A major one was the them of character, of keeping your name.

Joseph's coat of many colors was a status symbol. That's why his brothers hated it so much. It showed everyone that Joseph was Jacob's favorite son. And it showed that he was heir of the promises of God. Joseph wore several other coats in the show. Potipher gave him a special coat, symbolizing the status and the favor he was shown in Potipher's house. He was also given another coat by Pharaoh himself, symbolizing his status as governor of Egypt.

But as important as these outward symbols were, they were not as important as the character that they symbolized. Joseph told Potipher's wife that he could not do this great evil against God. He could not lose his name. And as the guards were dragging him off towards the dungeon, Mrs. Potipher sneered in Joseph's face "You have lost everything". To which Joseph replied, "No! I have kept my name."

Later on, when faced with the appearance of his brothers in Egypt, Joseph was forced to face the wound that he had thought was dead and gone. The hurt that he had buried was now alive again, burning him intensely. But his wife was there to remind him about his life - and his dream. In his dream about the sheaves, his brothers sheaves all bowed to him, but only after he had stood upright. He had to stand upright, just as he had done in Potipher's house, just as he had done when approached by Potipher's wife, just as he had done in the prison, just as he had done before Pharaoh. And now he must stand upright again, keep his character, his name, and his brothers would bow to him.

Joseph did stand upright and his brothers did bow to him. And when his father was finally reunited with him, Joseph, sobbing, with his head buried in Jacob's shoulder, said "Father, I have kept my name."

That reminds me of another time, a time when we will be reunited with our Father. Will we be able to say on that day, "Father! I have kept Your name!" If so, that is when all our dreams will finally come true!

In The Beginning

Last night, our family was able to watch Sight and Sound's "In The Beginning" on DVD. I wasn't exactly sure how I would like it, because, to be honest, the creation story and Adam and Eve have always seemed so distant, so impersonal. Like, it happened in another time and place and I can't really relate to it. But it definitely surpassed my wildest dreams! It was so - real! I mean, a real God Who has feelings just like us made real people in His image to be His friends! Of course, I already knew this somehow, but it never seemed real to me before... How can I describe it? I mean, during the fall, when Eve and then Adam ate the fruit, Jesus was standing off in the distance, watching, yearning for them to make the right choice. And then to see the hurt in his eyes and the disappointment and sadness in his face as He turned away... And then a prayer Adam prayed soon after they had left the garden. He was crying, saying how much he missed Jesus and the angels and wondering how long it would be before he could see them again. And that's when it suddenly struck me. Jesus and the angels had become Adam and Eve's best friends! Their friendship was probably closer and stronger than the best friendships we have, and suddenly to lose it all! To be banned from seeing each other!!! Oh, the pain and hurt they must have endured! It was just overwhelming!

But then at the end, Eden is restored and Adam and Eve are once again reunited with Jesus and all their angel friends. Just to see them running through the garden again, looking young and happy, and most of all, enjoying every second with their Best Friend - wow... And then all the angels and the redeemed singing the finale song. Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee and then going into Holy, Holy, Holy. I must admit, I was crying by the end of it. It was just so moving, so incredible! I hope I never lose the feeling of longing I have right now, to go to heaven, to meet Jesus face to face, to feel His arms around me. To know that there will be peace forever. Life and love will never end. And there will be no more sad goodbyes... That is life, the way it was meant to be. That is what we were created to enjoy. Oh how I long to be home...

The Carpenter's Return

The Delta Christian Drama Association's Christmas play centered on the problem that most of us have.  We tend to let appearances dictate how we treat people.  We forget that Jesus said that when we help the least person out there, we are actually helping Him.  We can then look forward to the second coming, knowing that we will hear Jesus say to us "Come thou, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Here's the theatrical trailer for DCDA's 2010 Christmas performance, The Carpenter's Return. For more information as to how you can order a DVD, contact DCDA at: http://dcda.info/

Happy Birthday!

My dear sister Charity had her 13th birthday on the 21st.  It's really hard to believe that she's been with us for that long!  So many memories...  So much that we've done together.  I was so excited when she was born, because I finally had a sister, but I can honestly say that I love her so much more now than I ever have, and I love her more every day.

I went through a lot of our home video last week and put together a short film covering a lot of her babyhood and most of her birthdays since.  We don't have footage from her 4th, 5th, and 12th birthdays for various reasons, but every other birthday is documented on here.  I showed it at her birthday party yesterday, and everyone really enjoyed it.

So happy birthday, Charity!  And I love you! :)

Your brother,

Joel

The Image

"Hold an image of the life you want,
and that image will become fact."
~ Norman Vincent Peale

I thought about that quote for a few minutes while I was cleaning up from lunch yesterday, and then suddenly the deeper meaning sunk in.  Jesus is our pattern, the image of the life we want.  The longer we look at Him, study Him, and imitate Him, the closer our lives will mirror His.  Paul writes “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

So friends, I want to challenge you to hold the image of the life you want - the life of Jesus Christ - and little by little, that image will become fact.

Joy on the Journey

A good friend and I were talking the other day about how we seem to have this terrible habit of always looking ahead to the next thing we'll be doing.  Some of my thoughts currently are "As soon as I can finish editing this wedding video," "As soon as I finish post-production on The Revised Register," "As soon as summer gets here," "As soon as, as soon as..."  I think you get the picture.  I can never wait for the next thing to happen, for the next bend in the road.  And I am finding that, all too often, I fail to enjoy the journey.  It's the cares of tomorrow and the regrets from the past that often burden us down.  If we would focus our attention on the task at hand and learn to enjoy the scenery as it passes by, life would be so much happier!

Paul had learned this lesson.  In Philippians 4:11 he says “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”  Contentment begins with a state of gratitude.  If we would make a conscious decision to thank God for everything, we would soon see that even those things that we don't like and would rather forget about have a very specific purpose.  And even if we cannot see that at this time through our mortal eyes, we can learn to look through the eyes of faith and know that someday, all things will be made plain.  I heard an interesting thought at church a couple of weeks ago:

"It's easy to lift up our concern,
 It's easy to lift up our praise,
 But can we lift up our concern as a praise?"

Think about that for a moment!  Let those words sink in...  Can we truly thank God for everything?  It not only is a command to rejoice and give thanks in everything, but it is also a privilege.  So let's stop fretting about the past and worrying for the future.  Let's stop biding our time while we wait for something truly glorious to happen.  Because if we don't, we'll soon see that the glorious mirage we saw in the distance will all too soon become the very dull present, and another glorious mirage will be on the horizon.  I am going to start enjoying the gift of the present, how about you?

Four Days Late

Blog post

I have really enjoyed this rental vehicle we have during our stay here in Maryland. One thing I have really enjoyed is the satellite radio it has. I found a wonderful Southern Gospel music station the other day ~ XM34. Anyway, yesterday this song came on called "Four Days Late" by Karen Peck. That has become my latest favorite song. It tells the story of Lazarus dying and Martha sending Jesus the message and Jesus waiting four days before getting there. But the final words of the chorus were the ones that really grabbed me. "But His way is God's way, not yours or mine. And isn't it great, when He's four days late, He's still on time." Wow! How many times have we gotten discouraged because we don't have an immediate answer to our prayers? But think of it! God works on His time, not ours! His ways are perfect, and even when He's four days late according to our timetable, He is always right on time. Praise God!