Yesterday, I met Bob the Tomato. And Mr. Lundt. And Pa Grape. Any American Christian with kids my age, probably knows those names. They may even know the name Phil Vischer, the founder of Big Idea.
At the Religion Newswriter’s Association Conference last night, Big Idea and Lovell-Fairchild previewed The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything. There’s an embargo on reviews, so I’m not going to review the movie or share spoilers.
But I can say there are…
- Some really dangerous cheese curls
- Three very funny (and funkified)Â pirate songs
- And a hysterical bonus spoof on 80s punk during the credits
After the viewing, my friend, Nancy Lovell, gave me a Pirates T-Shirt for my little pirate at home. And I was struck by the movie’s tagline: “The hour is near, the call is coming.”
Hmmm. As senior editor for TheHighCalling.org and FaithInTheWorkplace.com, that got my attention. “The call is coming.â€
From a marketing standpoint, the call will arrive January 11 in a theater near you. To hear the call, just go buy a movie ticket that day for your family. You won’t be disappointed.
From a theological standpoint, we all have a calling, but we can’t just buy a ticket to learn about it.
And that’s the point, Phil Vischer said during the Q&A after the film.
He described the film as a parable. It was “something I wanted to communicate about the Bible—we are all wired to be heroes. As kids, we strap on swords and tie on capes, but then we become adults. Mortgages and jobs and routines get in the way, so our desire to become heroes comes out sideways. And we end up worshipping the wrong things, the wrong heroes.†(That quote may not be verbatim, I was taking notes as quickly as possible.)
Vischer then quoted Paul. We were all created for good works from the beginning. When we do those good works, we are heroes, he explained. “We are called to be heroes.†The help seeker, a mysterious blinking and beeping mechanical device in the movie, represents God calling us to do what he needs us to do.
I have to be frank. Sometimes God’s call feels like a mysterious blinking and beeping in my life.
But let’s not miss the real joy of what this movie is trying to do. Vischer is adding epic language to the high calling of our daily work. It’s not just “our purpose in life to answer God’s call.” God doesn’t just care a little bit about our daily work. That kind of language doesn’t really capture the wonder of the fact. The God and Creator of the universe cares about what we do everyday. Think about that for a minute. It’s astonishing. To be blunt, it’s a little hard to believe.
But I believe it is true. Our daily work should be heroic.
A godly politician is ripping the arm off the evil demons in politics… for God.
A godly medical researcher is seeking the holy grail to bring healing and renewal… to the kingdom.
A godly teacher can literally share Christ’s profession… teaching the future with compelling stories and compelling characters that express the truth.
After viewing the film, Vischer said Universal said, “We really like it—but do you think it is Christian enough?â€
The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything isn’t a straightup Bible story. There’s no altar call—or else the B52 spoof is the weirdest altar call I’ve ever seen.
No, Vischer and Big Idea have presented us with a much bigger challenge.
“Let’s grapple with life from a Christian worldview,†he said. “Let the Bible illuminate our stories.â€
I say, let the Bible illuminate our work. Let the Holy Spirit into our work. We do have a high calling, and when we answer the call, we are signing up for heroic work for a heroic king.
Are you a work at home parent? Are you a writer? An editor? A lawyer? A business owner? A cashier? A salesperson? A custodian?
When you answer God’s call for your work, you are a hero in service of the king.
So here’s a question for folks: Do you view your work as heroic? Or is this just a christianized spin on the army of one?
{ 6 comments }
Good thoughts. Great reminder. Thanks.
Sometimes I feel like my work is a Christianised spin on the army of one. And not so much heroic.
Hey – I think I just read an ESI post on your blog – when did he become an editor?
Seriously – this is a wonderful post and a great encouragement! It is why I do what I do – why I go back to the lab yet again when the data have made no consistent sense for a year, why I keep reading the scientific literature, keep writing grants (very much like Medieval torture for me) and curriculum and trying to learn to be a better teacher.
If I don’t investigate, I may never answer a question that benefits people, if I don’t teachwell, not only do I not impart the information they need, I don’t build the relationships I need so that even earn the opportunity to give them a glimpse of the Christ that I know!
Here I go recommending another book. But Me, Myself and Bob by Phil Vischer is a wonderful book about the start, and demise of Veggie Tales. It is a great testimony for sure.
O.K., no more book recommendations today.
Mark — I LOVE this post, and will have to catch this movie at some point.
I just went to a four-year-old’s superhero birthday party a couple of weeks ago, and though I didn’t have a costume on myself, I kind of marvelled at how these young children who’ve never watched a full-length super hero movie resonated with the idea of having extraordinary power to save people from evil. As all the little superheros were saving the pinata from the villain (my friend’s brother-in-law bearing a striking resemblance to the joker), I even commented that the party had turned in to the epic struggle of good versus evil.
I like this more nuanced thinking about superheroes, however. That doing something extraordinary is about answering an extraordinary call. Which is nothing short of the call Jesus makes on all our lives through his blood.
On an interesting side note, one of my roles at my work is to be the super-user of our database system. I’ve always joked with my boss that I’m still waiting for my cape. Now, thanks to your post, donning a cape and mask at work has taken on a new meaning.
Somehow I missed all of these comments! It’s been a crazy week. (The conference, then my wife got strep, then she got tonsilitis!) All is better now. Mostly.
Tanya, thanks for the kind words.
Jenn, good to hear from you! I much prefer the army’s old slogan, “Be all you can be.” But I struggle with the same problem in my work. Trying to take on the world, and not in a heroic way.
Susan, that is such a beautiful comment. I won’t mess it up by adding anything to it. Thanks for your wonderful thoughts.
ESI and I go back a ways. I even know his real name! But I’ll never tell. He and I definitely see eye to eye.
Carl, I’ve been meaning to read that book for some time now. We’ve got an interview coming up with Vischer on TheHighCalling.org (in December, probably). I guess I should use that as an excuse to read the book. Also, your recommendations are always welcome!
Charity, so good to hear from you again! Your comment reminded me of the funniest book promotional video I’ve ever seen over at IVP. Comic Book Character. Too bad it’s not embedable.
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