Dr. Johan Gustavo. Of Switzerland.

Okay, we talked about the puppets in our series, but we also have some pretty fun costumes too.  Above is our friend Clint, dressed as a king crab.  He spends his time in the reef, and is one of the characters that was in danger this morning as the shark once again came calling.  The turnout was much different this time, as Madison and the rest of the kids saw the shark chase off Terrence the fish into an area filled with floating mines.  This did not work out so well for the shark.

The message itself featured probably the greatest under-the-sea story from the Bible, the story of Jonah. Here's what Daddy wrote up, the message we spoke today:

     The largest animal on the planet is one that doesn’t walk – it swims deep under the sea.  The blue whale is a most amazing animal, around a hundred feet long and simply beautiful to see.  This is a creature mentioned created by God in Genesis 1:21, a scripture that ends with these words:  “God saw that it was good.”

     Do you speak whale?  Hopefully so!  As we look into our Bibles, the most remarkable story to take place under the sea would have to be the one about Jonah.  The other main character in this is… a whale.  Marine biologists know a few things about whales, but there are a few things we can learn from whales as well.

     For example, whales obey.  Looking back, we can see that Jonah did not obey.  It’s a good thing the whale listened and obeyed God, otherwise Jonah would have perished.  Trust God.  If He is asking you to do something, there’s a very good reason you should obey.  Through reading His word and with prayer, you’ll know how to avoid situations like the one Jonah was hurled into.
      Another thing that whales famously do is sing.  And despite everything going on, deep in the body of a whale, Jonah sang a song of thanksgiving.  No matter your circumstances, be thankful for what you have been given.  Focus on the positive, and see God continue to bless you.  Sing a song of thanks, no matter where you are.
      Finally, whales carry.  What do they carry, you ask?  In the book of Jonah, that whale was carrying inside him a message of salvation for more than 120,000 people!  And yet you yourself have that same message inside of you, the hope and light of the world.  Don’t take that lightly. 
     Some have pointed out that it could have been a whale shark that rescued Jonah.  They miss the point, which is this:  we can all learn from the whales when we obey, sing songs of praise, and remember to deliver that message of salvation deep inside. 

     Do you speak whale?  Of course you do!

     It was all about the whale today - whales obey, whales sing, and whales carry.  There is of course some debate about a whale actually being the one to swallow Jonah.  There are suggestions that it could be a whale shark or even a great white.  The reason for this is the design of most whales' throats, something that makes it impossible for a human to fit in there.  But the scripture that should free you a bit is this one in Jonah 1:17, where it says, "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah."  The suggestion is that this fish was given marching orders, but an even further implication is that this great fish was even custom designed to carry out the Biblical mission.



Anyway, it was a good day overall - you can see Madison in the auditorium.  This photo was taken by a friend, and of course Madison is always ready for a fashion photo shoot.  We got home later today, working a bit into the afternoon and even doing a little planning for the upcoming series with LEGO bits.  Coincidence would have it that there is another church nearby that is devoting one day to that LEGO theme, this time for adults in their main service.  Mommy and Daddy got to watch a little of that, getting a few new ideas.  We have a lot already, but it is always good to keep adding ideas on to our current series, clicking them on like LEGO pieces.

Madison is anxious to earn her next reward - a ticket to see "Dolphin Tale 2."  We are planning on seeing that this week, but Madison has to earn a quite a few more points with her Scootpad practice, learning about yards, feet, inches and millimeters.  Why is it that we haven't adapted the metric system around here yet?  Are we still being stubborn, and not converting to that yet?  Really, I would be completely lost trying to estimate kilometers, liters or kilograms.  We are so accustomed to miles, gallons and pounds.  And part of you wants to resist the whole "new world order" feel of the metric system.  But it does make sense, doesn't it?  I mean a mile has five thousand, two hundred and something feet in it - but a kilometer has a thousand meters in it.  Which is easier to memorize?  Obviously the metric system.  So why haven't we gone there yet?  Who knows.  Again, it is fine with me either way, although I would clearly be lost figuring out liters of gas, or milage to destinations. Or weights.  Just how many kilograms do you weigh?  That number is certainly bigger than the number of pounds you weigh, right?

We watched a movie with Madison later on tonight.  There was popcorn, which makes everything better. But the movie is still a great one:  "The Game Plan."  It features football, which was good because it is football season, and I wanted to show Madison a little of what that is about.  This weekend was not a good weekend for football in Georgia, which at least puts in the position where our hopes are once again not too high.  Can't have that, can we?

Anyway, the movie also features ballet, which was something she enjoyed seeing on the big screen.  She liked the movie a lot, laughing out loud at certain parts.  It's cute, and all Disney.  And it features a reference to a specially designed $10,000 orthopedic bed designed by Dr. Johan Gustavo.  Of Switzerland.

Dr. Johan Gustavo.
Of Switzerland.

Daddy thinks this movie is a lot better than folks give it credit for.  And, it has bedazzling.  This is something I can see Madison getting carried away with, can't you?  Still, I might be looking into this sort of thing around Christmas time...

Tonight was Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. again, which was all after Madison's bedtime.  We did piano and other homework assignments.  We also had Madison take a bath, which was a bit overdue.  The great news, of course, is that Madison does not have any evidence of anything in her hair anymore.  All is calm and all is right with the world there.

We talked to Nana and Ba-ba again too, which was good for Madison.  We'll be seeing them soon enough, in about a month or so.  Can you believe all that mess is only a month away?  Wow, that'll be here before you know it.  But so is bedtime for Daddy and Mommy.

PS:  That's not really Dr. Johan Gustavo.  Of Switzerland.