Disney and the Kingdom

I love Disney. My favorite part is the monorail. I am not sure if it’s the colors, I am not sure if it’s the cool design, or the face that I have ridden them since the early 80’s. In any case, I love Disney World. Orlando is defined by Disney. You cannot disconnect Disney from Orlando. And yet, about 100 years ago, Disney did not exist. Disney was swamp land, from what I hear. But the defining factor of Disney is not just its ability to entertain. It transports you into a new life. It is more than an amusement park. They don’t just take you to Germany, or give you an experience of South America. No. Disney has characters. Cinderella, Goofy, the Mad Hatter, and many others are people that inhabit this “dream world.” Disney actually propels us into another world. And the amazing thing is, they are successful. And even more amazingly, they do it seamlessly, starting with those slow monorails. And there is something in our hearts that long for this experience. Something is wired within our souls to long for “another world,” or for “tomorrow land.” My memoire, in all honesty, is an attempt to convince you this is God’s heart for us all. God wants us to join into a “new world,” or, a “new life.” In the bible, God calls this the “kingdom.” And this memoire is the story of how God got me into His kingdom, hook, line, and sinker.

The experience of being a dad has been like riding that monorail. It has been so surreal. While it is hard, and while I have wanted to pull out my hair at points, mostly, my adventure into being a dad has been an entrance into a “new creation.” Having my first child, was the impetus for writing. But then I have realized that having my first child was much more than that. My first child reminded me of the “new creation” that God had begun in me the day I was born again. At my “new birth,” I was ushered into the very life of God. Just like that monorail takes us into the magic kingdom,” the Holy Spirit of God literally moved me into the “kingdom of God.” Having Josie was a theological experience. Having Josie transported me back into the “kingdom of God.” I had grown lethargic, cold, and clumsy. Josie stiffened my lips, and Josie brought me back to my knees, where I belong.

But there is something different in having a child from going to Disney. Having a child is real. Going to Disney is a vacation. I am more interested in the entire life of transformation, not just a weekend of fun.