When I was 14 years old, I had a huge crush on Sam Combs. Sam was so smart and witty. He was a skinny guy with glasses and taught himself to play the guitar. I was just amazed by him. I was friends with many boys throughout my youth/young adulthood, but had very few actual crushes or boyfriends, (I would say 3, counting my husband). Sam was basically nothing like the man that God gave me as my husband, who is quiet, Haitian, and into body building. However, he represents a special place in my heart you could say – a smart, talented, guitar playing white boy.
Shortly
after George Floyd, I saw a video shared by one of my friends on Facebook
called Race in America. It was by Phil Vischer. It was brilliant. It put my
heart on the issue into intelligent words and provided historical stats with
simple graphs and images to back it up. I was so impressed and grateful.
Someone shortly after shared the same video in a group I am in called Mommas
Against Racism. But she introduced it by saying that Phil Vischer was the
creator of Veggie Tales.
Wow! I had
watched Veggie Tales since I was a kid and shown it to my kids as well. What a
creative program that taught about God in a completely loving way. And its
creator is a smart, sensible anti-racist? Who knew?
I ended up
researching Phil Vischer and learning how Veggie Tales came to an end when he
was sued by someone he did business with, causing him to lose all that he had built. He had dreamed of being the
Christian Walt Disney. But after Veggie Tales ended, he continued to serve
God through cartoons for kids and podcasts geared toward adults. All of his cartoons,
songs, and family based Bible studies are available at Mr. Phil TV, which someone
can subscribe to for a small fee. I did, and this has basically replaced our
children’s church, which closed permanently due to the pandemic. (It was run by
missionaries who went back to the U.S. for good, which is why it was a
permanent close).
I highly
enjoy watching the children’s programs with my kids, but I am very intrigued
by the podcasts. It used to be called Phil Vischer Podcast, but now is Holy Post. He has some sidekicks who are with him often, who share his views and
have valuable input. He does silly things like a great Irish accent when reading the
Irish constitution in a discussion about how Ireland legalized gay marriage, and
an impressive deep South southern accent when reading a politician’s quote from the Southern states
in the mid-1900s. He writes songs to summarize topics that are discussed during
the podcasts and sings them, while playing his little ukulele. I just love it!!! As you may have guessed, he reminds me a bit of my old crush Sam!
After
reading so many posts and memes that seem to be based on misunderstandings, I
wish there was a way to require American citizens to watch these posts and
podcasts as part of a course or something. I have no power to do that, but I
can share them on social media and promote them in conversations and in this
blog post.
In
conclusion, I would suggest that we vote Vischer 2020, but in reality, I think his
presidential duties would take up important time that he spends creatively teaching about
Christian living. I know not everyone is a Christian, but honestly, he showed
us in Veggie Tales how applying Jesus’ teachings are good for everyone. Veggie
Tales was a Christian show that I don’t think any parents felt threatened by,
no matter their religious affiliation. So perhaps he could be an advisor? Anyway, if you haven’t checked him out yet,
please wait no longer!! Prepare to be enlightened!
