Rapture

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

1 Thessalonians 4:17

The rapture of the church is one of the most debated concepts in any discussion of Revelation.  While there is no specific chapter or verse that specifically mention a rapture, there are a handful of verses that can lead to the interpretation of a time where believers are "caught up" or raptured in the air.  The general accepted idea of the rapture is that there will be a time in the future where the trumpet will sound and all believers, both living and dead, will be called up in the air to meet with Christ, thus physically uniting Christ and the Church and removing the Church from the world. 

The main question regarding the rapture is usually one of timing. When exactly does the rapture occur with regard to the other events of the Revelation.  One of the most widely held beliefs is in a pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture. This means that the rapture would occur at the beginning of a seven year period of great turmoil called the tribulation, followed by the millennial rule of Christ, all before the ultimate final judgment.  First proposed and popularized by John Nelson Darby in 1827, this is the view of most Evangelicals.  This particular view has been further popularized by the Left Behind series, as it is the main view of the rapture where the events of Revelation start with a great disappearance of all the believers.  Great for dramatic tension.

In our journey through Revelation, our pastor touched the first verse of chapter four which can lend to this interpretation of the rapture.  "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.  And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.'"  In this passage, John seems to be referring to a separate event from the initial vision in chapter one.  In chapter one, John heard the voice like a trumpet, turned around and started seeing the visions of Jesus and the seven churches and seven spirits.  Here John hears the voice again, the sound of a trumpet calling him up to heaven.  This interpretation goes that this sound of a trumpet is the one that will call up the believers to heaven prior the the events of the tribulation unfolding ("what must take place after this").

There are many other interpretations of when and whether the rapture will occur.  Ultimately, it is a mystery and a non-essential for a believer.  There is room for disagreement and lively discussion among believers, because there are only passing references to it in scripture.  At the end of the day, when the rapture occurs is the least interesting question about the rapture.

The more interesting question, the more cutting question about the rapture is the one that is most often unaddressed.  From the beginning of Stonepoint's series on Revelation, we've had a motto for the undertaking of this study.  "Don't be mesmerized by Jesus' second coming if you're not going to tell people about His first coming."  The question relating to the rapture is similar.  The pastor discussed how after the rapture of the church, the world would see what happens when the influence of the church and the Spirit of God are removed.  I agree that the world will be dark indeed when the influence of the Spirit of God is removed, but I wonder about the church.

If your church disappeared today, would the community even notice?  Would anyone other than the members notice if your church just stopping meeting tomorrow?  Would the influence of the church be missed?

Even worse, has the church been such a damaging presence that the community would be better off without it?  Has the church hurt so many people that it has done more harm than good?

These are the tough questions.  It is wonderful to know where you stand on when and if the rapture will occur as described.  To be prepared for that future day.  But it's more important to be a beneficial influence on your community.  To be the salt and light to the world around you. 

Don't wait so expectantly for a rapture that you miss being a servant today.

Nine Years

Nine years ago today I married my soulmate.  I don't use that term lightly, as there can be wont to do.  At the time we got married, we both had nearly settled in to being single.  We were both self-sufficient, independent, and fairly content in the lives we led. 

But I can tell you, she is my complement, my helper, my cheerleader, my conscience, my love, my friend, my companion, my match.  And I am hers.  Though there have been challenges and we have faced trials of various sources, each day with her in it is better than any before.

I love you Gorgeous! Bigger than Godzilla, all the way to the moon, to infinity and beyond, to the ends of the earth! 

The first nine years have been great.  Let's have many, many more!

To new adventures!

If I Were Disney CEO Part 12 - Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, EPSN Wide World of Sports, and Fort Wilderness

Welcome to the Vacation Kingdom of the World!

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In this post, I will address the other attractions and offerings of the Walt Disney World resort.  Particularly, the water parks Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and Fort Wilderness.  These options represent the wide variety of activities and settings that had prompted Walt Disney World to tout itself as the vacation kingdom of the world.  It was more than theme parks and shopping.  It was more than the hotels.  It encompassed a wide variety of adventures and activities that would appeal to the widest demographic.  And it is this type of branding that I would love to return to.  To market to all ages and a variety of vacationing types.  To appeal to people who would never set foot in one of the theme parks, or perhaps only minimally.  After all, they are well-enough attended already.

As none of these locations within the resort require as extensive of an expansion as the parks, I'm going to address each location briefly, instead of fully walking around each water park and location.

Typhoon Lagoon:
Typhoon Lagoon was Disney's second water park, after the now closed River Country.  Added at the height of the Eisner era, it represents one of the best themed spaces in all of Walt Disney World.  Modeled after a Pacific beach location after it has been hit by a typhoon, the water park is littered with beautiful touches and sight gags.  While it does not have the most thrilling water slides that have been invented, it does have a great assortment of water rides including the very inventive Miss Adventure Falls and the Crush n Gusher water coaster.  While the park is very well fleshed out, I can envision two additions and would like to address one area where I feel it could use some improvement.

Typhoon Lagoon overview and noted expansion ideas

The Miss Adventure Falls ride replaced the Shark Reef snorkeling section.  While I might leave the sharks out of the new addition, I would like to see a new snorkeling reef added in the expansion land between Miss Adventure and Crush n Gusher.

Further, within the Miss Adventure Falls slides, I would love to add a flowriding surf attraction, a la Boogie Bahn for those that have been to Schlitterbahn.  Given the Pacific/surf theme, an actual surfing attraction, beyond the wave pool which does not allow boards, would be a great addition.

I would also like to add a little variety to the menu of the various eateries in the park.  The food generally has an American/theme park food flare to it.  Given the setting, I would change the menu a little to focus on Californian and Hawaiian food offerings.  There can still be recognizable options for those picky eaters, with a bit more of a location specific menu.

Blizzard Beach:
For Disney's third water park, they went for a really different park concept.  An Alpine Ski village where the snow is melting rapidly, lending to the conversion to a water park.  As such, Blizzard Beach is one of the most unique water parks in the world, and probably the only water park with a working ski lift in it.  The park is likewise well developed, but I would propose a similar improvement and one addition (potentially at the expense of a fan favorite area).

Blizzard Beach overview and Winter Summerland replacement

Like Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach could use a greater variety in it menu.  While the food options have traditionally been better here, there is still room to tighten the offerings.  Given the Alpine like setting, I would focus on BBQ like options (as one of the greatest meals we had in Switzerland was the hotel owners having a BBQ for us).  Definitely would bring back the ribs.

In terms of attractions, I would absorb the Winter Summerland miniature golf course into the park proper.  While I know the mini-golf course is enjoyed, the space can be greater utilized as park of the water park itself and there are better places within the resort for the courses.  My plans have already replaced the two existing courses that I have removed with locations at Disney Springs and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (discussed below), and I could envision additional courses throughout the property.

I would replace the golf course with a tornado funnel slide.   Disney's water parks have generally stayed away from enclosed tube slides, as they necessarily are difficult to theme to anything other than a water park.  I do feel the melting ice motif gives Blizzard Beach a little leeway to theme the tornado funnel into an ice bank/formation. If the material could be semi-transparent, it would be all the better.  If not, blueish-white would definitely work.  The Winter Summerland space would likely be large enough for additional expansion as well.

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex:
The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a well used, but little known part of the Walt Disney World Resort.  Anyone who has competed in a runDisney event, or been part of a Pop Warner, Cheerleading, Little League, or similar event has been here, but most guests probably have never set foot in this space.  According to Disney, "The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex can host more than 60 sports across ten world-class venues designed to give every athlete the best possible competition experience.  It's the pre-eminent mult-sport facility of its kind in the world."  The space can house baseball, basketball, cheer & dance, cross country, field hockey, football, gymnsastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball events, and many, many more.  The facility is also the home of the Atlanta Braves during Spring Training.

While the space is definitely utilized during events, I would focus on additions that could make it a year round draw.  Particularly positioning specific additions in a way to create a continuously open thoroughfare, leaving the specific fields and tracks open as needed.

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex - Year Round Segment in Red

The new additions will be added on existing parking, requiring the expansion of parking options outside the traditional box the complex has been confined to.  As indicated above, there are several options that could be developed, all of which are still close to the facilities.

The goal would be to make the center spine and main entrance a segment of the complex that has continuously open options for merchandise, dining, event tickets, and sports recreation available for guests.

This section already houses the Box Office, ESPN Clubhouse Shop, Information Booth, Playstation Pavilion, ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill, Custom Tee Center by Champion, and Welcome Center.  It is also adjacent to the Champion Stadium (home of the Braves spring training and minor league Gulf Coast Braves regular season), HP Field House, and Visa Athletic Center, all of which will be most likely first used for events.

To these options, I would add a set up for batting cages near the Visa Center (identified in orange above) and a golf option (identified in green above).  The golf option would come with a specific entry and ticket kiosk and a separate pro shop.  Both batting cages and the miniature golf or driving range option would be the most likely used recreational sports venues.  For the golf option, I can see going one of two ways.  First, a miniature golf course designed to represent a series of eighteen putting greens.  Since this complex is designed for true sporting events., focusing on the true sport of golf would be the best method.  So no ramps or clown's mouth style holes, instead a collection of putting greens of various complexities.  The other option would be a driving range, and potentially a stacked driving range like Top Golf.  Given the size required for a driving range and the presence of Top Golf in Orlando already, I would imagine the putting course would be a much more desirable option.

I would further add a permanent runDisney store, providing sale of the branded shoes, attire, and other branded accessories.  runDisney is becoming such a large part of the Disney experience, a permanent store in an appropriate facility would a boon.  It would also be a great space to house permanent information and on site registration for the event.

Additionally, I would look to add an indoor facility for sport climbing.  Climbing gyms and recreational climbing are both increasing in popularity.  A facility for such activities would be another space that could be marketed and continuously operated.

Further down the road, I would like to see Disney include a new building for swimming and diving events (dedicated professional level pools) and to go forward with the professional bowling center previously filed for (though in a new location).  Both would open up new options for professional and amateur competitions furthering the use of this great complex.

An ultimate goal for this venue would be to expand the type of sporting events that are housed here.  If nothing else, the Summer X Games should have a permanent home at this facility.

Fort Wilderness:
Another area that most guests forget still exists.  An amazing place where you can still camp in the Walt Disney World resorts, whether your idea of camping is a tent, a trailer, or a cabin.  Fort Wilderness is also the place in the resort where you can unwind and enjoy a variety of recreational activities, from walks through nature, tennis, archery, playgrounds, bicycling, fishing, sand volleyball, basketball, tetherball, and arcades.  The space has two pools, and access to bay lake with boat rentals, watercraft, water skiing, wake boarding, parasailing, and specialty cruises.  The Tri-Circle-D Ranch is here, housing the horses of the resort. From here you can enjoy pony rides, carriage rides, watch a blacksmith affix horseshoes, or take a nightly wagon ride.  (During Halloween the stables also house a viewing of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with a nice encounter with the Headless Horseman).  Chip and Dale also host a nightly campfire program with a sing-along, marshmallow roast, and outdoor movie screening.  And there is always the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, a long running diner music theater show.

In many ways, a visit to Fort Wilderness is like a visit to a long past vacation.   A slower pace, an older selection of offerings.  It's amazing to look at how large of a portion of the Walt Disney Resort Fort Wilderness encompasses.

Fort Wilderness Overview

The image above shows how far I had to zoom out to get a complete picture.  You can see it butting up to parts of the Tranquilo Golf Course at the Fourt Seasons resort.

There really is not much I would add to Fort Wilderness.  I do not really want to disturb much of the natural beauty that makes it a wonderful place.  If anything, I would simply change a visual aesthetic, embracing its 1970s campground roots.  Disney has done this magnificently with the new version of the Chuck Wagon used at the campfire.  Instead of mimicking a real chuck wagon, the new food truck is a great looking 1970s camper.

In all its self-referential 1970s glory

This is a great addition and a great clue for how to approach the visual identity of the area.

I do know Disney is looking to build a new resort past Pioneer Hall and the Mickey's BBQ pavilion, with an addition that would span the old River Country property.  Hopefully they can build a resort that will fit in this king of theme, a bit of a rustic, campsite theme.  More refined than the timber log Wilderness Lodge, but less polished than the Arts and Crafts Grand Californian.  Probably somewhere close to the low country Hilton Head resort.  Hopefully no larger than five stories.  And since it is encompassing River Country, it would be nice to see nods to River Country in the pool and water features of the resort.

A rough approximation of the new resort location

This could be a great resort and a great additional to the overall property if done well.  One further addition I would fight for is to develop a narrow gauge railroad train that would connect the new resort with the Wilderness Lodge - the Wilderness Express.  Disney is known for its transportation methods - the monorail, the buses, the boats, the soon-to-be gondola.  Having the train used in very appropriate resorts would be a great benefit to both.

Wilderness Express

All in all, each of these properties makes the Walt Disney World resort a location like no other.  I want to see each of them reach their full potential and to be developed in the best possible ways.

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Thank you for reading.  Next up, the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels.  Nearing the end of Walt Disney World.  Two to go.

Seasons of Love

This hits close to home.  It shows the power of teaching and the power of theater.

I do not know how many people watched the Tony's on Sunday.  One of Jamie's former students had the fortunate pleasure of getting to watch them live.  We were appropriately jealous.

During the award ceremony, the Tony's recognized Melody Herzfeld with the 2018 Excellence in Theater Education award.  Herzfeld is the theater teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.  During that horrific school shooting, Herzfeld hid 65 of her students in her office for two hours until authorities could lead them to safety. 

Since the shooting, she has had many students who have felt compelled to speak up and use their voices.  "Every piece of beautiful theater is truth and I think that when a child or a student that is 14 to 18 years old is given permission to tell their truth, they'll sing it from the top of the car and they'll sing it from the top of the roof."  She has further seen how the students she has worked with over the years have turned to art and music for therapy, to help them navigate through the tragedy.  And she was instrumental in encouraging her students Sawyer Garrity and Andrea Pena to finish their song "Shine," which has become an anthem for the response, performed at the CNN Town Hall meeting organized in response to the shooting and at the March for Our Lives Rally in Washington, D.C.  "They have to do service hours, they have to be philanthropic, they have to dedicate themselves to a cause.  This is what we do not in America.  So it was very natural for them to cling to this idea that we can be healed through the arts."

With the award, Herzfeld also receives $10,000 prize for her theater department and she was able to see her students receive a standing ovation for their performance at the ceremony.

On the recognition, Herzfeld stated "During a normal given time, I would say that I am truly humbled and grateful for this recognition for the work I have done, however the way that my students have taken to action through speech, performance and passionate honesty it now means so much more.  My work is being reflected through my students, as it is every day with every arts teacher around the world."

The theater students chose "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent for their performance at the ceremony.  The song is a perfect choice for our current times, as it is an anthem of love from a musical about resilience.  Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes.  That's all we have.  The number sounds huge, but they fly by more quickly than we could ever imagine.

Why not fill them with love.

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Watch the students' performance here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srkj63VBSHM

And watch Melody Herzfeld's acceptance speech here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=oO6rs9H3soI

Bring tissues.

Happy Birthday Avalyn!

i will tell you, my daughter
of your worth
not your beauty
everyday.  (your beauty is a given, every being is born
beautiful)
knowing your worth
can save your life.
raising you on beauty alone
you will be starved.
you will be raw.
you will be weak.
an easy stomach.
always in need of someone telling you how beautiful you 
are.

nayyirah waheed

To my daughter worth more than any precious metal or gem, happy birthday!  You cannot know how much you have made our lives better.

06.11.14

A Thorough Doxology

Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run; 
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise,
To pay thy morning sacrifice.

Thy precious time misspent, redeem,
Each present day thy last esteem,
Improve thy talent with due care;
For the great day thyself prepare.

By influence of the Light divine
Let thy own light to others shine.
Reflect all Heaven's propitious ways
In ardent love, and cheerful praise.

In conversation be sincere;
Keep conscience as the noontide clear;
Think how all seeing God thy ways
And all thy secret thoughts surveys.

Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart,
And with the angels bear thy part,
Who all night long unwearied sing
High praise to the eternal King.

All praise to Thee, who safe has kept
And hast refreshed me while I slept
Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake
I may of endless light partake.

Heav'n is, dear Lord, where'er Thou art,
O never then from me depart;
For to my soul 'tis hell to be
But for one moment void of Thee.

Lord, I my vows to Thee renew;
Disperse my sins as morning dew.
Guard my first springs of thought and will,
And with Thyself my spirit fill.

Direct, control, suggest, this day,
All I design, or do, or say,
That all my powers, with all their might,
In Thy sole glory may unite.

I would not wake nor rise again
And Heaven itself would disdain,
Wert Thou not there to be enjoyed,
And I in hymns to be employed.

All praise to Thee, my God, this night
For all the blessings of the light!
Keep me, O keep me, King of Kings,
Beneath Thine own almighty wings.

Forgive me, Lord, for Thy dear Son,
The ill that I this day have done,
That with the world, myself, and Thee,
I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

Teach me to live, that I may dread
The grave as little as my bed.
Teach me to die, that so I may
Rise glorious at the judgment day.

O may my soul on Thee repose
And with sweet sleep mine eyelids close,
Sleep that may me more vigorous make
To serve my God when I awake.

When in the night I sleepless lie,
My soul with heavenly thoughts supply;
Let no ill dreams distrub my rest,
No powers of darkness me molest.

O when shall I, in endless day,
For ever chase dark sleep away,
And hymns divine with angles sing,
All praise to thee, eternal King?

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him aboev, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Thomas Ken, 1674.

If I Were Disney CEO Part 11 - Disney Springs

Disney Springs is a themed retail, dining and entertainment center inspired by Florida's charming waterfront towns, historic architecture and natural beauty.  The sprawling promenade features 4 distinct neighborhoods - The Landing, Marketplace, West Side and Town Center - built around bubbling springs.

Official Description

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Disney Springs refers to an area of the Walt Disney World Resort that has gone through a variety of identities.  It was the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, the Walt Disney World Village, the Village Marketplace, and Downtown Disney.  It opened in 1975 shortly after the opening of the resort, as a shopping and dining district; part of the Vacation Kingdom of the World approach that Disney presented in Florida.  There were additions, with Pleasure Island, a night club and entertainment district, and the West Side, an expansion of entertainment offerings.  

This area has recently gone through a thorough re-envisioning to transform into Disney Springs.  The area is still a shopping, dining, and entertainment village; the goal with the transformation was to bring the disparate sections together under one unifying identity: that of a classic Florida town centered around a bubbling natural springs.  The different sections (the Marketplace, Town Center, the Landing, and the West Side) all represent the growth of this community throughout the years.

Though it is not another theme park, Disney Springs serves its intended purpose very well.  It is a draw to Orlando natives and for many is a separate planned day of the vacation.  There is, though, room for purposeful expansion and adjustments.

Primary Goals:

• Disney Springs needs more experiences to draw people to the area.  The shopping and dining are well rounded out, but the space could use things to do in between eating and shopping.  Well positioned activities or combinations (like bowling at Splitsville or the VOID VR experience) could encourage guests to make Disney Springs a cannot miss stop in their vacation plans.
• Disney Springs needs to utilize the lake for night time entertainment.  It should not be as extravagant as a nighttime spectacular in the park, but something to appeal to the crowds at night would have a great benefit to the area (and beyond).
• Disney Springs needs to take greater advantage of the connections to Saratoga Springs.  That is a built in audience as close as possible in Disney property.  Expansions and offerings that consider both properties would be wise.

There is no need to address each section of the Springs as has been done with the theme parks.  In large part, the renovation and remodeling into Disney Springs has taken care of a lot of preexisting issues.  It will be simpler to approach the Springs as a whole and talk about specific additions individually.

Overview:

Disney Springs takes up the south side of Lake Buena Vista at the southeastern edge of Disney property.  While the Springs are expansive, there is room for expansion to the northwest, past the Cirque du Soleil theater in the West Side.   Most of my comments will focus on this expansion.

Disney Springs Overview

The expansion will require the construction of a new parking garage to account for the spaces that will be lost from the Strawberry Lot.  I would propose the new parking garage take on the Grapefruit lot name (with Strawberry and Watermelon going away).  That would make the garages Grapefruit, Orange, and Lime with the preferred lots as Mango and Lemon.  On the current flat Grapefruit lot, I would change that into a Minnie Van/Uber/Lyft pick-up and drop-off section.  (Perhaps the uses for the Mango and Grapefruit lots could be reversed).

(c) Disney

With the garage completed, the more exciting expansion can occur.  I would call this section The Grove, with the back story that this land used to be an orange grove near the Springs that was expanded into in the 1960s after the Exposition Center that became the West Side.   This section of the park would be focused on adding experiences.  While additional shopping and dining will naturally be a part, the focus will be on adding things for guests to do.  Specifically I would add:

• Mini-golf - The Fantasia Gardens and Winter Summerland courses are in locations that would be much more valuable as expansions to the Swan and Dolphin and Blizzard Beach respectively.  Mini-golf would be a good family activity to add to the springs. I would theme it to the Magic Kingdom Mini-Golf, like the previous Disneyland Hotel Miniature Golf course, with landmarks of Disneyland park.
• An arcade bar - An arcade bar is what it sounds like, a bar filled with various arcade games.  It's an interesting combination money maker.  This bar here could be a Barcade brand, as that is particularly a regional chain mainly in the northeast.  Of if Disney wanted to operate one, they could make Flynn's Arcade from Tron.  The latter would be my preference and recommendation.
• Go-Karts - larger and faster than the ride in the Magic Kingdom, with no middle guiderail.  Though not a direct correlation, these would be to offset the loss of the race car driving experience from the track close to the Magic Kingdom.
• Zip-line - could set up a zip line tower over a remaining portion of the citrus grove.  Or go all out Disney and send a zip line through a highly decorated segment.  Full on Fantasyland zip line?
• A small amphitheater - Different from the one in Marketplace, this one would be a small amphitheater facing Lake Buena Vista, perfect for smaller entertainment acts.  Very similar to the one highlighted in the Hyperion Wharf concept art.  The amphitheater would also be useful for the night time show on the lake.
• A second World of Disney Store - World of Disney in Marketplace is one of the most crowded businesses in Walt Disney World.  Given the distance between the two ends of Disney Springs, a mirrored store at the opposite end would seem to be a boon to the Springs as a whole.
• Distinct playspace equipment for children - Not all additions need to be things that will be charged for.  This expansion should also have objects and play equipment that children can climb on, play on, and explore.  A place for kids to burn off their energy.
• A second play fountain/splash pad/puddle park - again a space for kids to burn off energy, particularly on the sweltering summer days.
• A Disney Music Emporium record store - themed to a classic record shop.  Records in crates, vintage offerings, exclusive pressings from the Disney library.  With vinyl having a resurgence, this could be a very fun store.
• An observation tower - like the Florida Citrus Tower.  Disney Springs is far enough away from everything that an observation tower would not visually intrude into any space.  This would be a great opportunity to offer views of all of Disney World.  Particularly lucrative during fireworks viewing times.  If Top of the World had not been reinstated with Bay Lake Tower, this would be a perfect spot to use the name.
• Some kind of Googie architecture roadside statue - to fill out the theme, there needs to be some sort of giant statue, roadside attraction type offering to flesh out what you would expect to have been built in Florida in the 1960s.  World's largest grapefruit, or some such.

The list above is just a sample.  The space should continue to be filled out with unique options for activities, as well as shopping and dining.  Shopping and dining choices should be scrutinized to ensure they are not simply options that could be found at any upscale mall or lifestyle center.  Ideally, the choices should be completely unique or at least specific regional options that cannot be located anywhere near Orlando, Florida.  A current example would be Uniqlo, a Japanese store with minimal locations across the United States.  To illustrate further, it is why for fast burger chains, In and Out would be preferable to Shake Shack.  In and Out locations have been limited to the west coast and a strip in Texas/Oklahoma.  A location in Florida would be very, very unique.

Infrastructure:

The expansion would require to specific infrastructure additions.  First, a fourth boat dock for the water taxis would be needed.  This way a fleet of water taxis could just circle through the various Disney Springs locations. 

Second, there should be a another bridge built to connect the new end of Disney Springs to the Saratoga Springs resort (identified in yellow in the overview image).  This would connect Disney Springs very closely to the main buildings of Saratoga Springs, furthering the connections between the resort and the district. There is an existing bridge a little past this end that can achieve this, but it involves accessing an in-use cart path for the Lake Buena Vista Golf course, which can be tricky.  This new bridge would be a dedicated foot path access only.

Nighttime entertainment:

While there are many options for unique night time entertainment at Disney Springs, from the adult, upscale Edison to the Cirque du Soleil show and the movies at the AMC, the night time entertainment I am referring to here is something closer to a nighttime spectacular in the parks.  When Pleasure Island existed, every night was New Year's Eve and there was a brief fireworks and confetti display at midnight each night.  While I know this is some what problematic (as the Saratoga Springs hotel did not exist for much of that previous time), some form of broadly visible night time entertainment could be a boon to both Disney Springs and the Saratoga Springs Resort.

Given Lake Buena Vista as a centerpiece between the two locations, I would move an upgraded Electric Water Pageant from the Seven Seas Lagoon to Lake Buena Vista.  The Electric Water Pageant is a Walt Disney World classic that would fit in perfectly with the classic Florida theme.  Further, the view of the pageant would be a great plus for the Saratoga Springs Resort, which is generally one of the least crowded resorts.  Viewing for the pageant could also be utilized for specific dining packages at Disney Springs.

The Electric Water Pageant is really the simplest offering that Disney could add to the lake that would still be a bit of a draw.  If Disney could go extravagant to make something that was a "can't miss" option, then something like Tokyo Disneysea's Fantasmic or BraviSEAmo!  These would be much more expensive options for what would essentially be a free show, but they would also be much more likely to be significant draws for guests, making Disney Springs a must at night.

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Those are all my thoughts on Disney Springs.  As always, thank you for continuing to read through this series.  Next up in the series, the water parks and ESPN Wide World of Sports.

#ChurchToo

The church has a problem that needs to be addressed.  Quickly and severely.  I echo what Sam Ranier wrote on his website, "For far too long, we've been wrong.  We were wrong about slavery.  We were wrong about Civil Rights.  Now many of us are wrong about the #MeToo movement.  The Southern Baptist Convention has been wrong about horrifying sins.  Obvious sins.  Massive sins affecting generations.  Right now, we're a dumpster fire, and we keep fueling it with shovels of manure.  We're full of it, and the world is watching.  That's not hyperbole."

We've seen flare ups regarding long problematic civil rights issues with the ridiculous circus at the Southern Baptist Convention over condemning the alt-right.

Now, the curtain is being pulled back on how bizarre and misguided theologies surrounding women and their roles leading to the covering up, excusing, and outright enabling of physical and sexual abuse.  The scandal with former Southwestern Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson is just an exemplar.  In his tenure, he terminated a highly acclaimed Hebrew professor because she was a woman and "indulging in the exposition of the scripture."  Patterson stated a "woman should never go to court with marital problems" even if those marital problems included physical abuse.  If you want to be sick, listen to his advice to victims of domestic abuse.  Patterson further ignored reports of twenty-five women who claimed they were sexually molested or harassed by Darrell Gilyard.  And more recently convinced a rape victim to not contact the police and shamed her for letting the attacker into her home. 

It seems to be the only conclusion we can draw from these actions is the one that Wade Burleson reached on his Istoria Ministries Blog "A woman divorcing a man is far worse than a woman enduring physical abuse.  A single woman inviting a man into her apartment is a far worse sin than a single woman being raped by the man she invited over."

We could see this as just one person, just one instance of a leader in power abusing that power, but that ignores the response to his actions.  Once Patterson's actions were brought to light and scrutinized, he was demoted and removed from his active presidency, but the initial decision of the trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary allowed him to remain as President Emeritus with compensation and was allowed to live on campus as the first theologians-in-residence at the Baptist Heritage Center.  It took another week for there to be a sufficient outcry and petition for him to be fired.

It further ignores the preponderance of the evidence. We could also talk about Illinois megachurch pastor Bill Hybels and the lewd comments, unwanted kisses, and invitations to his hotel room that led to his early retirement.  About Bill Gothard.  About the cover up and excusing of Josh Duggar. 

How the Southern Baptist Convention Mission Board allegedly covered up for a man with a history of sexual assaults overseas, who would repeat his offenses back in the states when he returned home.

How the Sovereign Grace Ministries on the East Coast allegedly failed to report sexual abuse claims in the 1980s and 1990s, causing secondary trauma through pastoral counseling.

If you really want to feel the weight, search for #ChurchToo on Twitter.

We could get more personal and talk about how in our various home Bible studies we have heard at least two personal stories of elders/deacons that were known to be sexually abusers and whose actions were covered up by the local church.  The fear of exposure for the church weighed greater than any concern for the victims.

We will continue to have more and more of these stories come to light, like in the #MeToo/#ChurchToo movement, where more and more people feel empowered to have their voice be heard.  We have an epidemic that needs to be dealt with. 

Sam Ranier proposed four actions that are required:

• We need repentance, not excuses
• We need humility, not charisma
• We need to care about character as much as we do about doctrine
• We need new earthly heroes

I would propose a fifth:

• We need to care about being holy more than we care about being right.

I've written about this before, but the desire to be right above all is an adventure in missing the point.  I wholly believe it is one of the most detrimental instincts in the church.  It is at the root at a number of church splits, putting doctrinal interpretation over discipleship.  Any number of horrors can be justified under the banner of being "right."  After all, the Southern Baptist Convention believed it was right when it believed slavery was justified, when it believed segregation was appropriate, when it believed in the "Curse of Ham," when it opposed interracial marriage.  It would shock most modern Baptists today to know that the Convention believed it was right when it supported abortion in 1971 and 1974.

Let's be holy instead.  Let's put aside divisions and improper distinctions.  "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."  Galatians 3:28.  And may we approach these issues with humility, the victims with love and support, and each other always with grace.

The Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Comm'n Compromise

The Supreme Court decided Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Comm'n this week in favor of the baker who refused to bake a cake for a gay couple's wedding on the basis of his religious beliefs.  The baker had also argued a free speech component, that his cakes represented his exercise of free speech and he should not be compelled to write anything he does not with to.

It's important to note that the Supreme Court decided the case on a very narrow basis.  It did not address whether someone can refuse to comply with a law that forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation because of a free exercise or free speech argument.  This means that this type of argument will arise again and will likely be brought before the Supreme Court again.  Justice Kennedy even alluded to this in his opinion.  "Given all these considerations, it is proper to hold that whatever the outcome of some future controversy involving facts similar to these, the Commission's actions here violated the Free Exercise Clause; and its order must be set aside."  584 U.S. ____, 3 (2018) (emphasis added).

The Court decided the case on the narrow procedural grounds of the particular facts of the case, here noting the hostility to religion in the comments of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission.  While there are persuasive statements in Justice Kennedy's opinion regarding the interaction of the law and religious freedom in general, the controlling language pertains to this Commission and the various steps they put the bakery through.  Justice Kennedy wrote that the owner Philips was entitled to a "neutral and respectful consideration" of his case before the Commission, which he did not receive.  The Commission instead was impermissibly hostile toward the sincere religious beliefs that motivated his objection, often "endorsing a view that religious beliefs cannot legitimately be carried into the public sphere or commercial domain, and implying that religious beliefs and persons are less than full welcome in Colorado's business community."

In short, the Supreme Court concluded that the Commission acted improperly in its decision making process, not that exactly that it reached the wrong conclusion.  It's a compromise decision, punting the ultimate Constitutional issue down the field a little farther.  There will be another case like this, and this debate will continue.  Hopefully, there can be a little more love and grace all around as we continue to work towards a resolution.

If you would like to read the full decision, it can be found here.

If I Were Disney CEO Part 10 - Disney Animal Kingdom

"Welcome to a kingdom of animals...real, ancient, and imagined: a kingdom ruled by lions, dinosaurs and dragons; a kingdom of balance, harmony and survival; a kingdom we enter to share in the wonder, gaze at the beauty, thrill at the drama, and learn."

Michael Eisner, April 22, 1998

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Disney's fourth theme park in Orlando is truly one of the greatest achievements in theme park design.  It is certainly the prettiest theme park in Florida and has some of the greatest examples of themed design in its lands.

With the addition of Pandora: The World of Avatar and Rivers of Light, the park has transformed into a full day experience with attractions that make the park even prettier at night.  The continued development of this park should follow the care and attention paid to Pandora and Rivers of Light.  From there, the park can become one of, if not the, best park in the Disney portfolio.

Primary Goals:

• The park does need a few more attractions.  There is plenty of space in the park to expand and the park should fill out with a variety of experiences still centered around its core theme.
• The park needs more interior spaces.  The park has a lot of shady spaces but precious few interior spaces.  This is most felt in June, July, August, etc. where the heat can become unbearable.  Even more than the other parks since there is no air conditioning to escape to.  While it should not be over done, a few more spaces to cool down in would be welcome.
• There are a few spaces that should be fully utilized throughout the day.

With these goals in mind, I'll walk through each land in the park and discuss the updates.  I'll be walking through the park clockwise from Discovery Island through Pandora, and around to Dinoland U.S.A.  This is generally the approach we take in visiting the park, so it makes the most sense to me to approach it this way in addressing the parks needs and changes.

Discovery Island:
The expansion of Discovery Island and the addition of Tiffins has greatly improved this section of the park.  Further, the Tree of Life Awakenings projections on the tree have added a great atmospheric show for the island after dark.  The only thing I would add to this section of the park was to bring back the Discovery River Boats.  These boats were an original attraction of the park, designed to be transportation from a dock on Discovery Island, then to a dock on Asia and back around.  The boats were discontinued because they had very little to see, but were drawing longer lines as the first ride available.

Discovery Island with Reinstated River Boats

I would bring back the boats, adding a dock in Africa, and the a new location for a dock in Asia.  I would also add a few scenes that would make the river more exciting as it winds around.  Outside Pandora, I would replace the old attempt at a dragon in a cave with a water banshee or similar from the world of Pandora.  Something to peer out of a cave and add excitement.  In Africa, I would add a Jungle Cruise boat docked on the side opposite the boat dock.  Around the bend, across from the UP! Bird Show, I would add a phoenix.  Around in Asia, I would add a Kraken or Loch Ness like monster that pops up of the water outside the boat.  Finally, back around Dinoland U.S.A. I would add an Allosaurus.

Discovery Boat Route

Pandora: The World of Avatar:
Pandora has been a great addition.  It is truly a breathtaking land and a pinnacle of imagineering.  With the addition of the MECH armor walk-around and drum show, the land is very fleshed out.  I would not add anything.

A Bug's Land:
While bugs are represented in the Tough to Be A Bug show in the Tree of Life, there is space to add a version of the land from California to the Animal Kingdom park.  The land would add several attractions that are good for the little ones, along with a little puddle park to help cool down.  It continues the theme of celebrating animals and would add another section of attractions that could be continuously open to the front of the park.  One modification from the California Adventure version that I would make is to change Heimlich's Chew Chew Train to be a ride that circles the land, passing over the entrance and behind the other attractions.  This lengthens Heimlich's ride, one of the most common complaints about the attraction itself.

An Added Bug's Land

Should there be a need to reroute the back street and push further into the parking lot, a bug dark ride could be added to the back half of the land.  This land would be a little cul-de-sac off the path from Pandora into Africa.

Africa:
Africa has gone through great growth as well.  The theater district and the Harambe Market area has created one of the best thematic lands in North America.  And Kilimanjaro Safaris is one of Disney's best and most unique attractions.

I would add a dark ride to the land, next to the Harambe Theater. Ideally the ride would be a Lion King dark ride, but would not be one that re-told the story, instead focusing on explaining and exploring the circle of life, with a James Earl Jones narration.  If the push is for a "book report" style attraction, I would make it a Tarzan attraction.

Dark Ride in Africa

While discussing a ride with animatronics, I do want to discuss their broader use in the park.  Animatronics should be used only to bring to life mythical, extinct, or cartoon animals.  They should never be used to replace extant, live animals.

Conservation Station/Rafiki's Planet Watch:
Conservation Station plays closest to the park's message, allowing for animal interactions and learning opportunities.  I would keep the message of Conservation Station, but explore bringing it more in line to the parks existing aesthetics.  This would potentially mean changing the station to a specific location.  For this I would focus on a national parks approach, with J. Audubon Woodlore as the face of this section.  If not national parks, I would go for perhaps a farm approach. Just a change of decor really.

Conservation Station and Expansion

The location of Conservation Station also opens up the expansion area that has already been cleared.  I would adapt this expansion area into South America, to continue the themes the park has established.

South America:
While part of the expansion pad would be used to push out Asia, the majority of the expansion would house a new South America land.  Like the other lands in the park, South America would be modeled after a particular small town/village on the edge of the Amazon.  This section would house a new table service restaurant, a counter service option, a market area for shops, and a signature ride attraction.  Given the prevalence of the Amazon, I would love to develop a true Jungle Cruise.  A Kilimanjaro Safaris-like boat ride, from which you saw real animals of South America.

South American Expansion

This would open up into the Asia section of the park.

Asia:
Asia likewise has developed into a great land in the park.  Expedition: Everest and the Yak and Yeti have fleshed out the land well.  It could though use a redevelopment to open the land up to the expansion.  To achieve this, I would push the Maharajah Trek back as indicated above, to open Asia into the expansion.  This expansion would free up space to add a Harambe Marketplace-like section to Anandapur and a Jungle Book ride in a abandoned temple section.

Asia and Lagoon

The rest of the land works.  The only thing I would add is to try and find a daytime use for the lagoon and the seating built for Rivers of Light.  For this, I would pull out the plans for the Andrew Lloyd Weber Noah's Ark show meant for the EPCOT hotel lagoon.  It's a shame something like that was buried in the vaults.  It may need a once over, but that subject matter would be perfect for the setting.

Dinoland, U.S.A.:
Dinoland, U.S.A. is a land of contradictions.  A purposefully cheap and tacky appearing roadside carnival in Chester & Hester's Dinoland, and a more intentional Dinoland with a excavation site and Dinosaur Institute.

While I am surprised that I would defend Chester & Hester's, I think it fulfills a specific purpose in demonstrating one of the ways we interact with animals.  If anything, I think the sub-land suffers for being under developed, only having carnival games, a spinner, and a wild mouse roller coaster.  To remedy this, I would fully expand this sub-land, adding three rides and expanding out the amount of land this sub-section takes up.

Chester & Hester's Expansion

To accomplish this, I would move the carnival games to the side near the Theater in the Wild, placing them more in a line like a midway.  I would also remove the Primeval Whirl track on that side, reducing the ride down to one track, but allowing for an expansion area opening up to add a dinosaur dark ride.  This dark ride should look specifically like a dark ride at a state fair, utilizing ultraviolet lights and plywood like cutouts.  It should be very, very indicative of a classic Fantasyland dark ride, only with cartoon dinosaurs.  The entrance/exit to the ride should look like a trailer, though the larger show building could be hidden by trees and landscaping.

Behind the Primeval Whirl, I would add Chester & Hester's House, a lps ride like Mystic Manor.  Instead of going through various artifact rooms, it could go through various time periods in the paleolithic ages, revealing bones and artifacts uncovered from various dig sites.

On the Dinoland side, the land needs one final attraction.  I would build a version of the initial planned Excavator roller coaster, where the roller coaster is going through a dig site, with various fossils.

Dinoland Excacvator

I would place this attraction to the west of the entrance side of the Dinosaur ride.  This would place the roller-coaster, Dinosaur ride, dig site, and garden with Dinosaur statues all within the more accurate Dinoland..

Seasonal Overlays:
Of all the parks in Walt Disney World, Disney Animal Kingdom lends itself the least to seasonal overlays.  The modest decorations on Discovery Island would remain.  Likewise, A Bug's Land would lend itself to the oversized decorations that California Adventure has used.  Otherwise, understated will be the watch word here.

Parades and Nighttime Spectaculars:
While Animal Kingdom has previously had two parades (March of the Artimals and Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade), there is not a current parade.  The pathways no longer are conducive to a traditional parade, so I would recommend a boat parade on the Discovery River.  Perhaps it could be combined with the daytime Noah's Ark show - a parade of the animals coming to the ark.

While Rivers of Light is a beautiful nighttime show, it has underwhelmed some viewers.  It needs a final punch, and since fireworks are not exactly possible in this particular park, I would implement drone floating lanterns.  The drones could launch from a barge in the center of the lagoon.  The flying drones would give height to the visuals and fill in the show where it is perceived to lag.  All in a thematically appropriate manner with the lanterns.

Cartoon Mascot:
For the cartoon mascot of this park, I would select J. Audubon Woodlore.  As a park ranger, Woodlore embodies the spirit of man's interaction with animals and the protection of the same.

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As always, thanks for sticking through this with me.  Next up in the series is Disney Springs.

The Autocrat Tweets

As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2018

Once again, we are  presented with a situation that should give even the most ardent supporters pause.  The President is threatening to abuse his power by pardoning himself.  Preemptively it would seem, as he tries to assuage us that he has done nothing wrong.  Methinks he dost protest too much.

While it is an interesting legal question, whether a President could indeed pardon himself, it reveals a shocking amount of chutzpah to even suggest that such a power would be used.  It's fitting that Alexander Hamilton, himself, would voice the Founders' fears regarding a misuse of the president's power to pardon.  "The reflection that the fate of a fellow-creature depended on his sole fiat, would naturally inspire scrupulousness and caution.  The dread of being accused of weakness or connivance, would beget equal circumspection, though of a different kind."  It seems the founder's fully believed that the fear of the appearance of an abuse of power would be enough to temper any concerns.  They never anticipated a truly shameless president.

We've already seen a lack of the "scrupulousness and caution" Hamilton believed would naturally occur in President Trump's previous pardons of Sheriff Joe Apiro and Dinesh D'Souza, as he completely bypassed the traditional presidential office responsible for evaluating petitions of clemency.

Whatever he does, he better do it quickly, as the one thing he certainly can not do is pardon himself from an impeachment.  If the Mueller investigation reveals grounds for impeachment, he is then at the mercy of Congress.  He best hope he has a correct pulse on the feelings of the nation should that be the case.

False Equivalencies (vulgarity and offensiveness <> racism)

We've really lost the ability to debate, haven't we.

I posted earlier on the Rosanne Barr issue from a slightly different angle.  But in the days since, my feed has been filled with other bad actor and false equivalency arguments.  "But so and so did this."  That kind of argument did not work when I was a child and it still doesn't work today.

So, today I would like to address a few additional thoughts on the controversy and surrounding issues.

It's funny to me the people who are now calling for Rosanne's show to be put back on the air - I remember when her show first aired how many of them thought it was trash and vulgar itself.  Shows how times and political allegiances change.

This was not the first time Rosanne had been in trouble for inappropriate tweets - Rosanne has a bit of a history of tweeting inappropriate things, enraging people, and then leaving the building.  The particular tweet here was part of a larger exchange with Chelsea Clinton regarding conspiracy theories on George Soros.  She had been apparently warned against any future offensive tweets, but had proceeded anyway.  This incident seems to be less a single tweet ending her career than a straw that broke the camel's back.

The particular tweet from Rosanne is inexcusable - The tweet in and of itself is inherently racist.  She compared an African-American woman to an ape, a common derogatory comparison used to demean African-Americans.  Her tweet also assumes Ms. Jarrett's religion and is Islamophobic as well.  Though it is widely assumed Ms. Jarrett is a follower of Islam, her religious beliefs are not truly known.  The meme that has been circulated on Facebook regarding her statement in a Stanford yearbook that she would make the United States follow Islam is, to put it in today's vernacular, "fake news" and false.

Her tweeting had already caused backstage turmoil - Whitney Cummings, co-showrunner left the show on May 18.  Wanda Sykes announced she would not be returning as a producer following the tweet.  Actress Emma Kenney stated that she had called her manager to quit when she found out it was cancelled.  It is likely that ABC was facing a mass exodus in response to the star's actions and the tweet.  Again, a straw that broke the camel's back.

Rosanne's tweet is not equal to The View, to Bill Maher, to Samantha Bee, etc. - This is where we start seeing the false equivalencies.  Everyone wants to point out apparent hypocrisies where shows that feature statements that are offensive to them get to remain on the air.  Certain groups of conservatives* wonder why The View gets to remain on the air when Joy Behar makes statements that show a lack of understanding of Christianity and are potentially offensive or when Whoopie Golberg or Joy Behar make anti-Trump statements.  They wonder why Samantha Bee's show is not canceled when she calls Ivanka Trump a "feckless c**t" in response to Ivanka's tweet as stories of separated immigrant families were coming out.  They do not understand how it is okay for Bill Maher to compare Donald Trump to an orangutan. 

Let's put aside the fact that pointing out someone else's bad behavior never justifies your own.  Put another way, regardless of what others have been able to do on air, Rosanne's tweet was still inexcusable and likely deserved whatever consequences it was going to receive.  Even removing that from the equation, the other situations that are pointed to have marked differences from the tweet at hand. 

To begin with, the three programs mentioned all focus on political commentary and often on political humor.  The View is a commentary and talk show.  It is designed to have a group of women discussing topics from a variety of viewpoints and has generally always had a token conservative or two on the panel (Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Candace Cameron-Bure, Paula Faris, Megan McCain).  The format of The View is specifically designed to bring those opposing viewpoints into collision; they want a conservative and a liberal to go at each other, because conflict brings ratings.  So, it should not be surprising that the most liberal panelists will make "shocking" statements that conservatives will not agree with and might find offensive.  That's the point.  What would be truly shocking to said conservatives is to realize that at least 50% of the population of America agrees with the co-hosts of The View more than they do the conservatives.  In other words, the show has a base that it definitely appeals to.

The analogy falls apart even further when Samantha Bee and Bill Maher are brought into the picture.  These two are comedians whose shows are specifically political satire.  Their flavor is political comedy.  The statements and comparisons they made were made as part of their show and in the vein of political comedy.  The comedy may be offensive and vulgar, but it is still comedy used to make a point.  Though Rosanne's show is a comedy, her tweet was made in her real life.  It was a personal tweet made revealing her inner thoughts and opinions.  If it was an attempt at comedy on twitter, it was not clear.

Further, Bee and Maher both targeted people in the public eye.  We always give comedians, pundits, media, etc. a wider berth when it comes to discussing and even ridiculing people who have placed themselves in the public eye.  While Ms. Jarrett had been an adviser to Obama, her time in the White House has passed and she is by and large a private citizen.  Generally, we recognize that if you have retreated out of the public eye, that privacy is to be respected (or we did).

Finally, vulgarity and offensiveness do not equal or even rival racism. We have reached a point in our society where we have deemed certain things patently unacceptable.  Racism is one of them.  And while we do find racism offensive, not everything that is offensive rises to that level.  Somethings can just be vulgar and offensive.  If we started punishing everything that any person deemed as vulgar or offensive, our televisions would be blank.

* - I'm careful to label this as certain groups of conservatives because I recognize that there are groups of conservatives that found Rosanne's tweet to be unacceptable and are just calling out apparent disparities or biases.  Truly calling out hypocrisy is a noble effort.  But if you are asking for Rosanne to be picked up by another network in one hand, while asking for The View or Samantha Bee to be canceled in another, I'm going to question your true motives.

Revelation

"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."

Revelation 1:3

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Our church is currently going through a Sunday morning summer study/sermon series on the Revelation of John.  It is an under-preached and under-studied book of the Bible, though interest in the book is always very high.

When our pastor started the series, he polled the congregation asking how many people had previously heard a sermon series on the book, fully expecting very little to affirm that they had heard such a series in the past.

Jamie and I had to smile, as though we may not have heard a specific sermon series, we have led a couple of Bible studies on the book, both in depth and very long lasting (perhaps a little too long).

Revelation is a very interesting book to read and to study.  Largely because of the symbolism, but I think also because of expectations.  There are certain beliefs as to what the Revelation contains that are not exactly true.  For example, most of the "signs of the times" that people are looking for in order to be able to determine when Jesus will come again are not in Revelation.  Those are in Daniel, in Isaiah, and in the Gospels.  Revelation is very much focused on that specific period of the apocalypse (or uncovering).

It's also very revealing to discover just how much the entirety of the book is focused on Israel and the surrounding region.  Put another way, it is heartening and humbling to know that America is not mentioned in the book in any way, shape, or form.  Very humbling when you consider that there is no guarantee America will exist in any meaningful way when the events of the Revelation occur.

What amazed me is how much the Revelation seems both historic and prophetic.  How it is very much tied to the destruction of Jerusalem, Nero, and other first century Jewish history.  And how the events can also seem cyclical, repeating throughout history in some form or another.  Little "a" antichrists leading to a final capital "A" Antichrist.

I am very much looking forward to continuing through this series.  To seeing what new information I can learn from former study.  It's the only book in the Bible with a promise regarding the reading of its words.

So, please do not let any preconceived notions or expectations prevent you from reading and studying this book.  It is worth the read and research.  And there are plenty of commentaries and resources available to help with any questions that you may have.   Don't be afraid to ask any that you may have here.  I may not know the answer, but I'll definitely help track one down.

To The Graduating Class of 2018

Generally, yesterday represented the end of the school year.  The last day of class and many graduations across the state and country.  And my thoughts go to the wisdom that many will try to impart last night and today through those ceremonies in commencement speeches, while the newly free minds will be focused on one thing and one thing only: walking across that stage so that everything is finally finished.

I know of no reason why I would ever be asked to give a commencement speech, but were such an occasion ever to present itself, this is what I was say.  (I should note, that the speech itself probably gives good reason why I'll never be asked to do so.)

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Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends, administration and faculty, graduating class of 2018, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you tonight.  I hope you know how much of an honor I consider this to be, to be given the opportunity to impart one more lesson on this special night.

Though I realize it was twenty years ago when I was in your position, that time seems to have galloped by.  And remembering how I felt that night, I will try to keep these comments brief, and hopefully a little entertaining, so that we can get to the part of the ceremony that everyone is truly here for.

Tonight is a moment of transition.  The point where a chapter closes and an entirely new chapter begins.  For some, that is continued academic pursuit through college or trade school.  For some, that means the enlistment in the service of our country.  For some, that means the beginning of their profession.  Many, many different chapters, different stories starting here.  Tonight. 

In that vein, I want to impart a few wishes for you as you new story begins.

First, I hope you fail.  Good and hard.  At something you really wanted to achieve and worked for.  

Because that means you stretched yourself outside the known and comfortable.  You tried something new.  And you cared enough to give it your all.  

It means you are growing.

Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper because "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas."  After that, he started a number of businesses that did not last too long, ending in bankruptcy and failure.  He lost his only creative success at the time to a rival, when Oswald the Lucky Rabbit went to Universal.  But he kept plugging away and found a recipe for success that worked, all thanks to a little mouse.  Walt would later state "It is good to have a failure while you're young because it teaches you so much...and once you've lived through the worst, you're never quite as vulnerable afterward."

And you can see this occur repeatedly in the lives of people that we find successful now.  Oprah Winfrey was demoted from her job as a news anchor because she "wasn't fit for TV."  The Beatles were rejected by Decca Recording because they "didn't like their sound" and stated that they "have no future in show business."  Albert Einstein's teachers said he would "never amount to much."  J.K. Rowling was rejected by publisher after publisher until she found one that would finally publish her little book series.

Failure is only a problem if you do not learn anything from it.  If you never try again.  So when you fail, approach it like a scientist.  That particular experiment did not work, so change the variables.  

Or approach it like an artist.  Revise and go back to the drawing board.  Or like an athlete.  Get back up off the mat and keep swinging.

Whatever metaphor works for you, use it.  Let it be your drive.  Try, fail, try again with changes from whatever you have learned.  And then repeat the cycle.  Just keep at it.

Second, I hope you get your heart broken.

Because it means you have one.

And this is not just about romantic love.  Far from it.  It's about being willing to be charitable and gracious to your fellow man.  To look for the good in those around you.  Being open and a part of the community around you, rather than an isolated individual.

People today are more connected to one another than ever before in human history.  We have so many communication tools that enable us to remain in contact on a global scale like never before.  But we are also more lonely and distant from one another in our unplugged lives.  

Human beings were not meant to function as islands.  We are social creatures - science shows we suffer greatly when our social bonds are threatened or severed.  C.S. Lewis described humanity as "one great need."  We are all apart of this need and we need each other more than we would care to admit.

I know there are many of you here tonight who have reason to be cautious, reason to be distrusting because of what has occurred in your lives.  I recognize and understand.  Do be cautious, do be measured, but please do not let your past and the bad actions of others completely isolate you from the world.  There are resources available that can help.  And there are avenues and causes to which you can contribute.

So care.  Be passionate and embrace your causes and those around you.  We've seen where division gets us.  Let's try a new approach.

Next, I hope you question everything you believe in.

Because only then will you know what you truly believe.  What you are willing to stand for.

Part of growing up is learning who you are.  Discovering you identity.  And what you really believe.  All to often we try to hold on to "inherited beliefs,"  those that were passed on to us by our parents, our teachers, or the community we grew up in.  The problem with "inherited beliefs" is that they rarely take root because they are not earned or experienced, just observed.

James Baldwin wrote "people are trapped in history and history is trapped in them."  Far too many people are trapped in the beliefs of others around them.  They live the lives they believe they are supposed to live.  And are doing so half-heartedly, at best, or begrudgingly at worst.

My hope is that from this day forward you start exploring the world around you in such a way that leads you to formulate your own firmly held beliefs derived from experience and knowledge.  And for you to keep refining them.  For you to read, read, read, read and explore any areas you have questions about.  For you to ask others and listen far more than you speak.  For you to continue to re-evalute, refine, and refresh your beliefs based on new information and experiences.

I hope you to travel.  Mark Twain put it best when he said "travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.  Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."  Go see the world and explore places you never thought you would visit.  Get to know the people there and let them inform your understanding of the world.

I hope you make a variety of new friends.  You do not need more friends that think and act exactly like you.  Make friends with people who challenge you.  Who disagree with you.  And who aren't afraid to discuss these differences with you.  Iron sharpens iron only when it meets at an angle; from a different perspective.  

Discover who you are and from here on, live life only as that person.

Finally, I hope that high school represents the worst years of your life.

Because, I hope, your best days are ahead of you.

I hope none of you have had any truly horrific experiences from these past four years.  To any that have, my deepest and heartfelt condolences.  I pray for healing and comfort for you and those affected.

I wanted to address this topic to specifically address a mindset that can become all too prevalent.  To view high school as "the glory days."  "The greatest years of my life."  

Your best years should be ahead of you.  Tonight should represent merely the closing of an early chapter in your book, in which I pray you have many, many more chapters ahead.  And that is where the plot should get really good.

I know some of you here tonight are waiting, almost impatiently, for something different than high school.  You never quite fit in, never felt you belonged, you were just ready to get out.  And I can say, that while somethings never change, generally, yes, it does get better.

For those of you that are not ready to leave this behind, let me challenge you to run toward the new opportunities in your path.  Remember, there are so many ways now to keep in contact with your roots here.  Cherish those connections, but make new ones as well.

And to those of you that feel trapped by your current circumstances, please know that it can get better.  It may take a fight and it may be long and hard fought, but there is a way.

Because truly, I'm counting on you all to make this a better world.  Your generation has shown a remarkable resilience and desire to change things for the better.  I need you to go out and do incredible things.  To make new inventions, to write new music, to make us laugh, to enact new policies and laws, to raise incredible children.  To protect us.  To defend us. To entertain us.  To correct us.  To lead us.

So go live your story.  And then tell us about it.  

I cannot wait to hear how it turns out.

Thank you.