So, our little family excursion to the Wonderful World of Disney started late Thursday morning. I went and picked up a prescription for Madeline and we were on our way. We had a good trip down south and stopped at Don Pablo's for dinner in Orlando. It was all I needed it to be. Enjoyable and Tex-Mex. After dinner we drove the rest of the way to our hotel. When I went in to register they had some trouble finding my name. I was a little concerned. They told me our room had been downgraded because all of the suites were booked. Now, I might mention that we purchased our room through Expedia, so that meant that we had already paid for the room before we ever got there. I was not thrilled, but they promised a 30% reimbursement for our trouble. That was fine. Only problem was we were put in a regular hotel room (nice enough) but it was right next to the interstate, so there was road noise all night. Let's just say, I bought some ear plugs for the next night's sleep.
Friday morning we made the decision to go to Disney's Animal Kingdom since we had never been there before (and we wrongly thought it might be a little less crowded than the Magic Kingdom on a Friday in early April). Can I tell you the place was packed? No, it was elbow to elbow most of the day and it did not start well. We got there early and went to "Camp Minnie Mickey." Well, there was nothing going on there at all and we had to wait for quite awhile for a Pocahontas show and then for the Festival of the Lion King. Both of the shows were well worth the wait. I can say that I was a little nervous and had Holy Land Experience flashbacks, but I was pleasantly surprised. There was definitely an environmentally friendly vibe throughout the park, with no plastic straws or lids and all the shows talked about conserving and poaching and all those mean things humans like to do to poor animals. There are not a lot of rides there, especially ones that are appropriate for little children, but we had a good time, saw a lot of animals on the safari (lions, elephants, hippos, and okapi or two, and many more), and had a good family adventure. All in all a good time was had by all.
Saturday we went to the World of Disney store at Downtown Disney and managed to leave without any major purchases. Thank You. Our trip home was uneventful for the most part and our house was still here when we returned.
Sunday was another one of those fun day without the predominance of my worship team at our 9:30 service. I am glad that Spring Break is over today. We had a special guest on the property today: a baby owl that sat up next to the window in our church lobby where everyone could see it as they entered the building. We expect mama owl to come claim the lost baby soon.
In other thoughts: I have been intrigued by this business with Oprah and her "church." Here is a link to a YouTube video about her beliefs and how they diverge from orthodox Christian beliefs. Most of them are things I have heard her say from time to time. Oddly enough, I think most people think Oprah is this great force for good (and she does some amazing things) and they equate this with being a Christian. Since she talks about God and spirituality we tend to think we know who she is talking about. But one thing struck me in particular. The folks who put this video together tended to lump the idea that God was bigger than any doctrines we might create with other more troublesome admissions, like the fact that Oprah does not believe Jesus is the only way. Seriously?
One of the greatest realizations I have had in my life is to finally come to terms with the idea of a God who is bigger than any denomination and more difficult to understand than any doctrinal statement. We try to compartmentalize God into a box we can understand, in terms that make us comfortable. But this is not who God really is, and the sooner we admit that we do not have Him figured out, the better we will be. This does not mean we cannot know Him, but it means we have to be honest with ourselves and admit that we cannot possibly have Him all figured out.
I also have a feeling there might be a hint of racism in the timing of this video, especially since they mention Barack Obama's presidential bid and Oprah's strong support for his campaign. Maybe I am reading too much into this, but I thought I heard: "Oprah is a New Age freak and she loves Obama, so what does this say about him?"
The pictures are from our trip. We stayed down the street from the big orange and we saw a skywriter writing I Love Jesus in the air above Kissimmee, Florida.
Friday morning we made the decision to go to Disney's Animal Kingdom since we had never been there before (and we wrongly thought it might be a little less crowded than the Magic Kingdom on a Friday in early April). Can I tell you the place was packed? No, it was elbow to elbow most of the day and it did not start well. We got there early and went to "Camp Minnie Mickey." Well, there was nothing going on there at all and we had to wait for quite awhile for a Pocahontas show and then for the Festival of the Lion King. Both of the shows were well worth the wait. I can say that I was a little nervous and had Holy Land Experience flashbacks, but I was pleasantly surprised. There was definitely an environmentally friendly vibe throughout the park, with no plastic straws or lids and all the shows talked about conserving and poaching and all those mean things humans like to do to poor animals. There are not a lot of rides there, especially ones that are appropriate for little children, but we had a good time, saw a lot of animals on the safari (lions, elephants, hippos, and okapi or two, and many more), and had a good family adventure. All in all a good time was had by all.
Saturday we went to the World of Disney store at Downtown Disney and managed to leave without any major purchases. Thank You. Our trip home was uneventful for the most part and our house was still here when we returned.
Sunday was another one of those fun day without the predominance of my worship team at our 9:30 service. I am glad that Spring Break is over today. We had a special guest on the property today: a baby owl that sat up next to the window in our church lobby where everyone could see it as they entered the building. We expect mama owl to come claim the lost baby soon.
In other thoughts: I have been intrigued by this business with Oprah and her "church." Here is a link to a YouTube video about her beliefs and how they diverge from orthodox Christian beliefs. Most of them are things I have heard her say from time to time. Oddly enough, I think most people think Oprah is this great force for good (and she does some amazing things) and they equate this with being a Christian. Since she talks about God and spirituality we tend to think we know who she is talking about. But one thing struck me in particular. The folks who put this video together tended to lump the idea that God was bigger than any doctrines we might create with other more troublesome admissions, like the fact that Oprah does not believe Jesus is the only way. Seriously?
One of the greatest realizations I have had in my life is to finally come to terms with the idea of a God who is bigger than any denomination and more difficult to understand than any doctrinal statement. We try to compartmentalize God into a box we can understand, in terms that make us comfortable. But this is not who God really is, and the sooner we admit that we do not have Him figured out, the better we will be. This does not mean we cannot know Him, but it means we have to be honest with ourselves and admit that we cannot possibly have Him all figured out.
I also have a feeling there might be a hint of racism in the timing of this video, especially since they mention Barack Obama's presidential bid and Oprah's strong support for his campaign. Maybe I am reading too much into this, but I thought I heard: "Oprah is a New Age freak and she loves Obama, so what does this say about him?"
The pictures are from our trip. We stayed down the street from the big orange and we saw a skywriter writing I Love Jesus in the air above Kissimmee, Florida.
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