What We Have Learned

I would like to list here the things I learned yesterday:

1. Pub is short for public house.
2. A publican is someone who runs a pub - either that, or a taxcollector in the Roman empire.
3. Phil Vischer no longer owns Big Idea.
4. Discernment is a spiritual gift, not an inbred skill.
5. ATM machines are difficult to find.

I learned lessons 1 and 2 from reading "In Darkest England and the Way Out" - William Booth's scheme for saving the poor and outcast of London. It was long, but very educational and motivational. It is also free on the Jesus Army website.

I learned lessons 3 and 4 from reading "What Happened to Big Idea?", which was probably the longest 'article' I have ever read. It basically explained how the company started as one of God's big ideas and how eventually, Phil Vischer decided to make it his own bigger idea until it exploded. The company nearly went bankrupt to keep up with Phil's bigger idea, so he was forced to sell out to a larger company. In case you're a Veggietales fan and you're worried about the voice of Bob, Phil still does voices and writes for Veggietales, but he doesn't run the company anymore. Although it's run by a secular company now, some of its most blatantly Christian movies have been made under its new direction. The main thought I took from the article was that ambition, even with good intentions and God in mind, is God-less. Decisions and plans need to be soaked in prayer, and God's will should be sought before God's service. We can do everything with Him and nothing without Him.

I learned lession 5 the hard way.