On Saturday, June 12, my family and I made a trip to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando. Yes, everybody told us how hot and crowded it would be and why going in June for only 1 day was a total waste of time. You know what, those people were wrong. My family had a wonderful day. Here are some of the highlights.
Attractions
Usually what people want to know first is what attractions we were able to experience. So, let me get that list out of the way with a comment or two as appropriate.
Park Opening Ceremony – I had no idea that they actually put on a show to open the park. This was very special. I still can hear the sound of Josiah shouting “Mickey!!!” when he caught his first glimpse of the big mouse in the opening number. If you’re going with kids who love the characters, don’t miss this as all the characters show up.
Dumbo’s Flying Circus – the ride is dull for adults, but my kids loved the fact that they could use the stick to make Dumbo fly higher or lower.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic – One of the best ideas a parent can have is to take their kids on attractions that involve air conditioning. This is a 4d experience. Kids watch the movie with 3d glasses and puffs of air and sprinkles of water add feeling to the experience. Josiah was jumping up trying to catch the flying instruments as this show was taking place.
Breakfast with the Princesses in Cinderella’s Castle – This was just Abigail and Mitzi. At the end of the day, Abigail told me that this was her favorite part. She took pictures with Cinderella and met Bell, Ariel, Snow White, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty).
Peter Pan’s Flight – there are several experiences at Disney that involve slow moving rides that take you through a theme. This is one of them. These rides are things that don’t scare the kids, generally, and which are inside in the cool air.
It’s a Small World – see Peter Pan
Mad Tea Party – My mom wanted to ride the tea cups, so , we road them while waiting on the kids to come out of something else. Yes, just me and my mom.
The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh – See Peter Pan
The Haunted Mansion – It was too scary for my kids, but it’s so fun. They seemed to get over the fright. Otherwise, see Peter Pan.
The Show In Front of Cinderella’s Castle – This show was wonderful. Several characters, both good guys and bad guys, showed up for this one. Josiah told me when he saw the characters, “Maybe I should go over and meet them.” (
Dumbo’s Flying Circus (second time)
Pirates of the Caribbean – See Peter Pan
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin – This ride is Dumbo with a different theme. But there was no waiting, so we rode it.
Chef Mickey’s (Dinner with characters ) – Holy cow! Worth the time—no question about it. Mickey, Mini, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald were all there. Each character came to our table and interacted with the kids. The food was pretty good, too. No, it’s not cheap.
Light Parade – Very nice, but it was crowded. Get a spot early, at least 45 minutes before parade time.
Fireworks – the fireworks above the castle are breathtaking. They have music and character voices that make this much more than a fireworks display. Tinkerbelle actually flew over the castle during the show (a real person on a wire).
Other Observations
My kids were absolutely wonderful—no melt-downs, no real wining, and they were very happy and excited all day long.
I can’t believe how happy it made me to experience my kids being happy. I almost cried at the opening when Josiah saw Mickey—ditto the show in front of the castle and Chef Mickey’s. I’m not weepy, so if you know me, you know this was special.
Accessibility was excellent. The park gave me a device that gave me audio descriptions of many of the attractions. I’ll describe that later.
I haven’t been that hot and stinky in a long, long time.
Fast pass is wonderful. We would have never made it on so many attractions without it.
Accessibility
As I mentioned, the park gave me a device that was a little larger than an old video IPod that I wore on a lanyard around my neck. When I entered an attraction, let’s use for example It’s a Small World, the device told me what was going on through a pair of headphones. So, as I got ready to get on the boat, my headphones were describing to me the look of the room and the size of the boats. It even told me that diners in a particular restaurant had a view of us as we got on board. As we sailed through the ride, the headphones described for me the different children in their costumes and what they carried or did. Clearly the device was activated by sensors in the ride, so it never got ahead of itself, even when the boats seemed to sit still for loading.
This device also told me what happened on the movie screen in Mickey’s PhilharMagic. It talked me through Peter Pan’s Flight, Pooh, the Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean too. I was truly able to enjoy the rides with my kids, talking with them about things they saw or should look for.
The park staff was also extremely nice and helpful to me as I got on and off of rides like Dumbo with just myself and Abigail or Josiah.
Most Important Thought
The Bible tells us that every good gift comes to us from God. Yes, I grasp the materialism and self-focus that is often present in the Disney experiences. I don’t know that we will ever spend money like that again for a theme park. But I also know that God, out of his grace, gave me a nearly perfect day with my family to laugh and enjoy the park together. I am grateful to God for that kindness, and would be remiss if I did not make this the most important point of my experience.
An Interesting Take on Affliction (Psalm 119:71, 75)
Psalm 119:71
It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
How often do we assume that the only good thing for God to do for us is to keep us from affliction? As several people have pointed out over the past few weeks, our prayers are too often that God would keep us from pain instead of to make us more like him. Psalm 119:71 gives s a better way to think about our afflictions than we often recognize.
David, writing in this glorious psalm in praise of God and his word, says that it is good that he was afflicted. Why? How could being afflicted or troubled ever be good? David says that being afflicted helped him to better know and love the law of God.
John Piper, at T4G 2008, pointed out that he has never met a person who says that the time they grew the most or went the deepest with God was during the time of ease. Piper pointed out that it is in the dark times, in the troubled times, in the times of near despair that many people find their faith growing the most and being the most strengthened.
How do you respond to adversity? Do you assume that troubled times means that you are in sin and being chastised by God? Do you assume that something has gone horribly wrong? Can you stretch your mind around the possibility that God could have a plan for your affliction? And is your faith strong enough to acknowledge that growing closer to God and loving his word more is reward enough to say that it is good that you were afflicted? David said being afflicted was worth it so that he might love God more through his word. We too should have that kind of attitude toward our Lord.
[Update[
Add this verse from the next day’s reading:
Psalm 119:75
I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous,
and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
Gospel and Wrath (1 Kings 9:6-9)
1 Kings 9:6-9 (ESV)
6 But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.’ ”
The gospel seems to find its way into every book of the Bible. In fact, one can come across the gospel in the most surprising of places.
Take as an example the above passage. As God answers Solomon’s prayer for his blessing on the people and on the newly built temple, we see something of how God will judge people rightly. God told Solomon that, if the people of God are faithful to worship him, he would bless them. If, however, the people of God turned away from him and chased after false gods, God would destroy the temple. All who saw the ruin of the temple would know that what God had done was right, for all would know that for a person to turn away from the living God is to earn for one’s self the wrath of God.
How is this the gospel? What we see here is the perfect wrath of God. When men turn away from God, they will find their souls eternally ruined because of their refusal to come to God and serve him.
But wait a minute, isn’t the gospel all about people coming to God through saving faith in Jesus. Absolutely it is. For all who come to God through saving faith in Christ, their eternity is glorious. For all, however, who turn their backs on Christ and choose to find their own way—to worship their own little false gods of self-sufficiency, money, power, etc.—they will find that rejecting Jesus is rejecting God. God will always do justice. He will always give right recompense to all who turn from him and to false gods. The only way to come to God rightly is through Christ. Anything else is a false god.
The way that I can say that the gospel is in the above passage is that it shows yet again that God has a way to please him. To reject God’s way leads to death. However, it is also well-known that to come to God in his way, according to his terms, leads to eternal blessing.
Counterfeit Gods – A Review
Idolatry is at the heart of every evil action or evil inaction of our lives. Tim Keller makes that point very well for us in Counterfeit Gods. As Keller exposes the idols behind the idols of sex, money, power, and all the rest, he also faithfully challenges Christians to not only identify, but to replace their idols with righteous alternatives.
Positives
Keller’s delving into what he calls “deep idols” is an extremely helpful point in this work. What are deep idols? Deep idols are the driving sins behind the surface sins in many of our lives. For example, a person’s financial greed is often driven by something else. A greedy person might be driven by a desire for control. Another greedy person is driven by a desire for the pleasures that the money may bring. Another might be driven by the feeling of superiority that a financial fortune brings. The major point is that addressing the idols on the surface will not change the deep idols, and those deep idols are what we must address to truly repent of sin.
I also very much enjoyed Keller’s insightful handling of many of the biblical stories. Whether dealing with Jonah, Naaman the Syrian, Nebuchadnezzar, or Jacob, Keller brings narrative passages to life for his readers in a way that helps them to find solid application as they grasp the biblical meaning in the story.
Finally, Keller rightly handles the issue of repentance. Far too many authors tell Christians that they need to stop certain activities in their lives without giving them help to do so. Keller is among the few insightful souls who tell people to defeat their idols by replacing them with Christ, the righteous alternative. The replacement concept in repentance is very much refreshing in a modern work.
Negatives
The only negatives that I found myself pondering as I read through this work were generally quibbles. For example, I’m not fond of the frequent references to psychological concepts. I also would also occasionally question some of Keller’s smaller conclusions that he draws from various texts.
Recommendation
Keller’s book is worth the read. He’s insightful, easy-to-read, and helpful for believers of any generation or culture. I’d recommend you give this one a chance. No, don’t expect an earth-shattering paradigm-shift. Just read this for a faithful walk through the concept of idolatry in our lives.
Only God Knows the Hearts of Men (1 Kings 8:39)
1 Kings 8:39
then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),
There are two points that have my attention as I look at this prayer of King Solomon. First is the fact that only the Lord truly knows the hearts of men. So often we see people acting this way or that, and we make judgments. We assume that we can figure out why it is that people acted. We think we know what was in their hearts.
However, God reveals to us here that only he knows what is in the heart of a man. Only God can tell the motivation of a person. Only God knows why people do the things that they do. Only God can see past a person’s actions to see the why of those actions.
Now, think about that truth as you consider how you make judgments. Do you often think to yourself, “I know what he was really thinking?” Do you ever assume that, though a person says they did something for one reason, you know that they really did it for another reason? Only God can see into their hearts, so be very careful assuming you can see where only God can see.
Now, let’s see one more point—a theological one—that is very significant. Only God can see into the hearts of men. What then do these verses tell us?
John 2:24-25
24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
Matthew 9:4
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
Luke 9:47
But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side
Only God knows the hearts of men. Jesus knew the hearts of these men. Jesus knows what only God knows. Jesus does what only God does. Jesus is God—not less.
So, you do not know the hearts of men, because you are not God. Jesus knows the hearts of men, because he is God. Do not assume you can judge the motivation of others, because you cannot see into their hearts. Know, however, that Jesus can see your heart, so do not think you can fool him at all.
A Priceless Shopping Experience
On Friday, I found myself at a department store looking for a gift for my wife. Some friends were helping me in the process, and my three-year-old son, Josiah, was along. While conversing with a nice lady on the other side of a jewelry counter, I told her that our family was going to soon take a trip to Disney World in Orlando. Wanting to involve Josiah in the conversation, I instructed him, “Tell her what you are going to do at Disney World.”
You must understand, at this point, that what I expected was for Josiah to tell her that he was going to see Mickey Mouse, ride rides, or something like that. We’re looking for what kind of thing has him excited about going to the happiest place on earth.
Imagine, then, my fatherly pride when my boy piped up and told the saleslady, “I’m gonna tell Mickey Mouse that I can pee-pee in the potty.”
Gift for my wife: $$$
Dinner: $
Gas for the trip: $$
Hearing my son tell a jewelry department lady that he is going to converse with a stranger in a costume about his ability to pee-pee in the potty: Priceless
A Better Way to Discern Your Spiritual Gifts
I’ve never liked those spiritual gift inventories. They just seem far too unspiritual, unbiblical, and unhelpful to me. One need not be a Christian to take one of those tests and have a score that would indicate a particular gift in his or her life, even if one is not yet filled with God’s Spirit through his saving grace.
Instead of spiritual gift inventories, the church should be affirming spiritual gifts in one another through simple encouragement. Ponder the following paragraph from Ed Welch:
“One of the bad fruits of an ‘I’ church is that we don’t tell people when they bless us. If someone has taught Sunday school and helped us understand a passage of Scripture, then we should tell the person and encourage his or her gift. If worship leaders left us rejoicing that we have been with God’s people in his presence, then thank them for the specific ways they blessed you and the church. No one should have to ask what their gifts are; we should tell people their gifts as they minister to us.” (Edward T. Welch, When People are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1997), 205.)
Welch is right on the money. The way that one identifies his or her spiritual gift is not by taking a personality type test. Instead, the way to know what your gift is would be for you to serve in the local church and allow others in the church to let you know, to affirm for you, how it is that God uses you.
Think it through. A man does not find out his gift is preaching by the result of a test. Instead, he opens the word for people, and the body of Christ tells him that, when he speaks from the word, they understand it better, they are challenged, and they learn and grow. A person with a gift for leading worship is not going to find this out in a lab. No, a gifted worship leader will find this out through experience and through the clear affirmation of other believers.
If this is true, if we learn our gifts through the affirmation of the body, then it would also be true that you, as a believer, should be communicating your affirmations to others in the church. If a Bible teacher makes the word clear to you, let him know. If a worship leader helps you to approach the throne of God, let him know. If a friend praying for you truly encourages you or comforts you, let her know. If a couple has shown you genuine hospitality, let them know that you sense what God is doing through them. This is not for the purpose of patting somebody on the back, but to rightly affirm the way that God is using people in his church.
Whose gifts do you see? Out of love, tell them. Help them to know how God is using them.
Trophies of Grace (Ephesians 2:7)
Ephesians 2:7
so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness
toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 1:1-1-0 is a glorious passage in which every Christian finds his or her personal testimony written in the Scripture. Verses 1-6 have shown a picture of us in our sin, dead to God, and how God then made us alive in Christ. We saw that God saved his children out of his love, which is one of the reasons for our salvation, though not the only reason.
Verse 7 is yet another reason why God chose to do all that he has done for us. Ask yourself, “Why would God save me? Why did he raise me up? Why did he give me a place in heaven?” The answer to such questions is in verse 7, and it may be different than you think. Paul says that God did all this, “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” God saved you in order that he might demonstrate something. He wanted to demonstrate the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness.
Just imagine this for a moment. Two angels are walking around in heaven. One looks to the other and says, “How great are the riches of God’s love and mercy and kindness?” The other angel would turn to the first, and he would not have to say a word. He would only have to point. He would point to me. Perhaps he would point to you. And, by pointing us out, he would show the ultimate evidence for anyone to see that God is loving, merciful, gracious, kind, and good. Why? I am a sinner. I have failed God time and time again. For God to forgive me my sins is glorious. For God to give me a place in heaven, that is more than glorious, but I don’t have a word to express how great that is. His riches of mercy and kindness to me have been immeasurable. And, so if anyone wants to ask at any time if God is merciful, God need only point to me. I am a demonstration, a proof, an evidence of just how gracious he is.
Take a moment to ponder that for yourself. When a sports team wins a championship, the members of the team get medals or trophies. The trophy proves for all to see that you were a part of the winning team. You, if you are a believer, are a trophy. You will live as an eternal proof and demonstration of the great love and kindness that God has demonstrated in Jesus Christ. You, if you are saved, are a trophy of the grace of God.
Don’t Forget What Saved means (2 Samuel 22)
Has the word “saved” lost its luster in your eyes? When you, if you are a Christian, describe yourself as saved, do you feel truly saved, rescued, brought out of certain death? When you think of saved, is it a rescue, a heart-pounding, adrenaline-rushing, panting relief as you remember being delivered from certain death, certain destruction, certain ruin?
I can remember back to my teen years. There were times there when I did foolish things that should have cost me, at the least, great injury. There are times that I could have died. As I think through those scenes, if I will really let myself dwell on those moments, I can still feel the hollowness of fear in my stomach. I can still feel my face flush with the return of blood after it has drained of color. I can still feel my pulse quicken as I realize, without question, I could have been killed.
Have you lost that feeling when you look to your spiritual salvation? Has being saved become more to you about deciding whether or not to take upon yourself a certain religion? If so, you are either not saved, or you have allowed your mind to become dulled to the glory of what it means to be truly rescued.
Listen, if you will, to the words of King David. In this song, David describes being saved by God from physical threats. But the salvation language used by David should be the same language that we would use of our rescue in Christ. All the following verses come from 2 Samuel 22:
2 He said,
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
5 “For the waves of death encompassed me,
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
6 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 “In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears.
17 “He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
47 “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,
When, Christians, have you last exalted the Lord who is your true Rock and Salvation? When did you last allow your heart to pound in your ears as you see that you truly deserved God’s wrath, you truly deserved hell, and God, the very God you were rebelling against, chose to rescue you and make you his child?
Christians, let’s not stop using the word “saved.” IT is a very good word. But let us also not lose the meaning of the word. Hear your rescue in that word. Hear your soul being pulled out of eternal death by the only hands strong enough to bring you to life. Let us sing, shout, and rejoice that our God has truly, amazingly, graciously saved our very souls.
Tripp on Reasons to Work on Your Marriage
Paul Tripp has some excellent thoughts for us to ponder about how our lives as creations of God give us reason to continue to work hard in our marriages. The following comes from the end of chapter 2 of Tripp’s new book:
Tripp, Paul David. What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010.
Where will you find the reasons to continue working on your marriage
in those disappointing moments when those reasons are most needed? Well, you won’t find them in your spouse. He or she shares your condition; your spouse is still a flawed person in need of God’s transforming grace. You won’t find them in the ease of your circumstances. You still live in a world that is groaning and broken. You won’t find them in surface strategies and techniques; your struggles are deeper than that. You will only find your reasons to continue by looking up.
When your heart rests in the amazing wisdom of the choices of a powerful Creator, you have given yourself reason to continue. When your heart celebrates the myriad of careful choices that were made to bring your stories together, you have given yourself reason to continue. When your heart is filled with gratitude for the amazing grace that you both have been and are being given, you have given yourself reason to continue. You are not alone. Your creating, ruling, transforming Lord is still with you. He has brought your stories together and placed them smack-dab in the middle of his redemptive story. As long as he is Creator, as long as he is sovereign, and as long as he is the Savior, you have reason to get up in the morning and love one another, even though you aren’t yet what he created you to be.
Pastor Travis Peterson 