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	<title>Visioneering Studios Travelogue</title>
	
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		<title>Parkology: Coney Island-the first theme park?</title>
		<link>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=1053</link>
		<comments>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=1053#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:52:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mel Mcgowan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=1053</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; (park·ol’·o·gy) n. 1. The systematic study of the art and science of the theme park, especially the study of the origins, organization, development, and nature of said art form. 2. The indulgent ramblings of an industry veteran trying to make sense of it all &#160; also,  park·ol’o·gist n. &#160; Welcome to Parkology. As both [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1050" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 710px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Nyc10795u.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-1050" title="Coney Island-Where it all started" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Nyc10795u-1024x829.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="566" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Coney Island-Where it all started</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>(park·ol’·o·gy)</strong></p>
<p><em>n. </em></p>
<p><strong>1. </strong>The systematic study of the art and science of the theme park, especially the study of the origins, organization, development, and nature of said art form.</p>
<p><strong>2. </strong>The indulgent ramblings of an industry veteran trying to make sense of it all</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>also,  <strong>park·ol’o·gist</strong><em> n.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Welcome to Parkology. As both a fan and a designer of themed attractions, I’ve been asked by <a title="Blooloop" href="http://www.blooloop.com">Blooloop</a>, the leading theme park industry website, to create a space to explore the history &amp; future of the form, as well as to reflect on what they mean. Such musings have largely been limited to the Disney Parks in the blogosphere. However, I believe that each theme park has its own story to tell, and that the impact of “Walt’s Revolution” reaches far beyond the landscaped “berm” designed to keep the “real world” out. We’ll also explore how the design of themed attractions have influenced the world that we live, work, worship, and play in.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>From Luna Park to Virgin Galactic’s <em>Spaceport, </em>the themed attraction is a unique cultural art form, with its own heritage, trajectory and extremely large canvases!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Houston, we have liftoff!</p>
<div id="attachment_1042" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 760px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Spaceship.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1042" title="A Spaceship Named &quot;Luna&quot;" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Spaceship.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="562" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A Spaceship Named &quot;Luna&quot;</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Luna Park</strong></p>
<p>Contrary to popular opinion, it didn’t start with a mouse. It also didn’t start with Walt sitting on a bench at Griffith Park eating peanuts while his daughters rode a carousel. Although Knott’s Berry Farm has hung its cowboy hat on being “America’s First Theme Park,” I’d give the plaque to Luna Park.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_1058" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 710px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/s_great_pleasure_resort_from_Robert_N._Dennis_collection_of_stereoscopic_views1.png"><img class=" wp-image-1058" title="Stereoscopic (prehistoric ViewMaster) view of Luna Park" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/s_great_pleasure_resort_from_Robert_N._Dennis_collection_of_stereoscopic_views1-1024x507.png" alt="" width="700" height="347" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Stereoscopic (prehistoric ViewMaster) view of Luna Park</p></div>
<p>Luna Park was actually built on the site of the first gated <em>amusement</em> park on Coney Island New York, Sea Lion Park. One of its founding partners Fred Thompson, knew enough about architecture to be dangerous.  The Chicago World’s Fair’s “White City” was a neoclassical vision of Heaven by day and an electric “city on a hill” by night that burned itself into the collective memory of 27 million of Americans that witnessed it during its 6 month run. Its “Midway Plaisance” international amusement zone established the linear mall layout that has been emulated hundreds of times around the world.  It served as the model of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition which featured one of the first “E-Ticket” attractions: “A Trip to the Moon.” The runaway hit was inspired by the silent film of the same name by George Melies (whose amazing talent and story is featured in my favorite film of the year, “Hugo”).</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_1043" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 710px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/1901-Pan-American-Exposition-Midway.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-1043" title="1901 Pan-American Exposition Midway" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/1901-Pan-American-Exposition-Midway-1024x749.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="512" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">1901 Pan-American Exposition Midway</p></div>
<div id="attachment_1059" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 709px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/le-voyage-dans-la-lune-georges-melies-1902-tableau-6c1.png"><img class=" wp-image-1059" title="Melies' Le Voyage Dans La Lune" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/le-voyage-dans-la-lune-georges-melies-1902-tableau-6c1.png" alt="" width="699" height="525" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Melies&#39; Le Voyage Dans La Lune</p></div>
<p>Rather than simply fusing the “Midway” layout with the neoclassical architecture of the White City (like dozens of uninspired copycats from neighboring Dreamland to the dozens of Electric Parks and White Cities across the US), Thompson intentionally designed the first gated theme park around his “E-Ticket” attraction…and what a theme it was: a city on the moon!  “A Trip to the Moon,” was an extravaganza that was not surpassed until Walt Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” six decades later.  In a precursor to the motion simulators and 4D theaters of today, your Victorian spaceship seats pitched as painted scenic canvases rolled past portholes simulating a fantastical space voyage. Upon landing you exited the spacecraft and were greeted with sensual “Moon Maidens” offering a taste of cheese pulled off the cavern walls. Talk about a multi-sensory experience!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_1044" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 514px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/A-Trip-to-the-Moon-interior.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1044" title="A Trip to the Moon &quot;post show&quot;" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/A-Trip-to-the-Moon-interior.jpg" alt="" width="504" height="600" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A Trip to the Moon &quot;post show&quot;</p></div>
<p>Like today’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the anchor attraction was embedded in an immersive environment which extends the story beyond the ride time. Outside “A Trip to the Moon” the fantasy continued with a lunar cityscape consisting of hundreds of towers and minarets described by visitors as an “electric Baghdad by the sea.” Rather than choosing a known historic geography or even directly interpreting a known media property (Melies’ “A Trip to the Moon” silent movie, the first “sci-fi” blockbuster), Thompson and his business partner “Skip” Dundy, loosely appropriated exotic architectural details from throughout Asia and the Middle East in a wholly original composition, using sophisticated scaling techniques such as forced perspective. Entered from an iconic gateway on Surf Avenue, the vista was closed by deflecting the linear “Midway” axis, creating a sense of discovery. Multiple levels included elevated terraces and promenades culminating in the iconic “Shoot the Chutes” ride (the first flume ride, one of the few holdovers from Sea Lion Park).</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_1049" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 543px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/lu-nightview.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1049" title="&quot;Electric Baghad by the Sea&quot;" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/lu-nightview.jpg" alt="" width="533" height="349" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">&quot;Electric Baghad by the Sea&quot;</p></div>
<p>At the scale of just one of Disney’s “lands” (22 acres), Thompson &amp; Dundy had elevated the pleasure garden and amusement park into an wholly immersive, multisensory environmental experience which transported visitors away from the grim urban reality of turn of the century New York. A new art form had been invented: the theme park.</p>
<div id="attachment_1061" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 711px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/re6yuers5yes5ry5ry1.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-1061" title="Luna Park's Midway" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/re6yuers5yes5ry5ry1.jpg" alt="" width="701" height="569" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Luna Park&#39;s Midway</p></div>
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		<title>Destination: Knott’s Berry Farm</title>
		<link>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=1007</link>
		<comments>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=1007#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:06:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mel Mcgowan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=1007</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I had a chance to take our family (kids 4-14), including our newly adopted son for the first time yesterday. Knott&#8217;s has changed a lot since I first went there as a child, but here is my take: • Size: I appreciate the compact, walkable scale of the park, especially for a family with young [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Small.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1028" title="KNOTT'S PRESERVED - 66" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Small.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="467" /></a><br />
I had a chance to take our family (kids 4-14), including our newly adopted son for the first time yesterday. Knott&#8217;s has changed a lot since I first went there as a child, but here is my take:<br />
• Size: I appreciate the compact, walkable scale of the park, especially for a family with young kids.<br />
• Layout: What Knott&#8217;s is missing in terms of an easily oriented &#8220;master plan&#8221;, it makes up for in a casual, organic meandering layout that makes it easy to get around &amp; meet up.<br />
• Attractions: If you look hard enough, there really is something for everyone here, which is more than you can say for most non-Disney American theme parks.<br />
• History: While the claim &#8220;America&#8217;s 1st theme park&#8221; might be a stretch, I&#8217;ve always been inspired by the very real story of the struggles &amp; success of a dirt farmer and his wife. Their handcrafted and sometimes hokey but always heartfelt gratitude and tribute to the founders of their country and to their pioneer grandparents come off as more sincere and authentic because of it.</p>
<div id="attachment_1034" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 710px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Knotts-1971-small.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1034" title="Knotts 1971-small" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Knotts-1971-small.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="575" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The Knott&#39;s map from my first trip</p></div>
<p>Many long-term residents are saddened by the changes that have transpired since the shift from family ownership to the Cedar Fair corporation. Whether it is Knott’s Lagoon, the Church of the Reflections (when it actually was reflected in the lake), Knott’s Bear-y Tales, El Camino Real, and (for those of us Gen Xers) Studio K, many “lost” attractions all bring back fond memories. My generally positive perspective on Knott’s might surprise some. Part of it is because of the recent hiring of Matt Ouimet as President of Cedar Fair, the company that owns the place. Matt has a great reputation as the former President of Disneyland as well as President of Starwood Hotels (my favorite hotel chain, which includes Westin and W Hotels). The other reason for my outlook is the critical mass of “good bones” that still create the foundation for a unique experience that has carved a “true survivor” spot between Disney’s immaculate conception, Universal’s “Intellectual Property” extravaganzas, and Six Flags’ iron ride marathon. As a theme park designer, I have to respect the truly designed spaces that talented Art Directors like Paul Van Klieben, Rolly Crump, Robin Hall, and Eddie Sotto have brought to Knott’s over the years. Many of them did their jobs so well, that most people assume that their creations are real.</p>
<div id="attachment_1026" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 650px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/3056563067_465e603e03_z.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1026" title="3056563067_465e603e03_z" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/3056563067_465e603e03_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="396" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Paul von Klieben&#39;s &quot;Main Street of Ghost Town&quot;</p></div>
<div id="attachment_1025" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 430px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/3666027372_0789672fbf_o.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1025" title="3666027372_0789672fbf_o" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/3666027372_0789672fbf_o.jpg" alt="" width="420" height="661" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Church of the Reflections</p></div>
<p>The biggest problem/challenge of Knott&#8217;s is that it is really easy for all of its &#8220;special sauce&#8221; to get lost beneath the new steel and iron layers of coaster tracks and thrill structures that either oppress or impress (based on your perspective). So here is my top 10 &#8220;not-to-be missed&#8221; list for Knott&#8217;s in no order:<br />
1. The food: the wait for Mrs Knott&#8217;s biscuits, jams, boysenberry juice and chicken dinners are the entire reason for this place being anything other than a berry patch. Fortunately, the food (and unfortunately the wait) is still there. Add to that the ability to belly up to an incredibly realistic bar at Calico Saloon for a cold Sarsaparilla, the insanely good funnel cake/ice cream combo and the recent addition of Pink&#8217;s dogs, and you rise above the (admittedly low) bar of theme park fare.<br />
2. Hidden treasures: Too many to list individually, from the hand-carved mannequins, animated Ghost town interiors, to the nooks and crannies such as the alley that leads to poor ole Sad Eye Joe and the first &#8220;interactive&#8221; theme park attraction. See if you can find the lil&#8217; devil responsible for the hand sculpted volcano!<br />
3. Getting held up in a &#8220;tax audit&#8221; as you ride the real Rio Grande railroad trains<br />
4. Glimpsing the &#8220;Glory Hole&#8221; on the immersive Calico Mine Train, Knott&#8217;s first &#8220;E-Ticket&#8221; ride.<br />
5. The Timber Mountain Log Ride went on to inspire copycat rides around the world, including Disney&#8217;s own Splash Mountain, but it is still one of the best all-ages family rides around.<br />
6. Camp Snoopy was the first and still one of the best theme lands in the world specifically focused on kids. In addition to the pint-sized rides and Peanuts characters, this one stands out for its High Sierra landscape features and setting, including barrel bridges, waterfalls, shady trees and multiple levels.<br />
7. Independence Hall: This lovingly authentic, brick by brick replica of the original in Philadelphia is amazing in how far off the radar screen it is to the average Knott&#8217;s visitor.<br />
8. Mystery Lodge: My jaded teenager (who has been to many of the top Disney/Universal theme parks in the world) could absolutely not figure out how they pulled off the special hologram effects in this jewel of an attraction capturing the spirit of a Native American &#8220;campfire&#8221; tale.<br />
9. Ghost Rider: Since this list is starting to make me sound like a Grandpa, it should be noted that Knott&#8217;s management has stayed competitive by adding a decent roster of thrill rides. This classic &#8220;woodie&#8221; uses the old &#8220;Pan for Gold&#8221; area for its entrance and integrates into the theme and edge of Ghost Town far better than the Silver Bullet suspended coaster on its opposite side.<br />
10. The LA audience: Other Cedar Fair parks tend to be in relatively homogeneous population zones where the primary non-white color is sun-burned red. Because of its aggressive discounting and relatively urban location, the Knott&#8217;s audience represents the &#8220;stew&#8221; that is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the world. The crowd of blacks, whites, Muslims, and Latinos learning to line dance to hip hop music in Calico Square last night was a highlight. It got me thinking about joining in the line dance someday in the City where “all the colors will bleed into one.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/5924623127_61d00aa7a7_z1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1031" title="5924623127_61d00aa7a7_z" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/5924623127_61d00aa7a7_z1.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="426" /></a></p>
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		<title>Destination: Visioneering Studios West</title>
		<link>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=994</link>
		<comments>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=994#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:09:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mel Mcgowan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[architecture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Idea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design Intervention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Interior Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Irvine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[play]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Themed Entertainment Association]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visioneering]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=994</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We recently had a chance to host our first-ever “open-house” of our new Visioneering Studios-West location. However, rather than a familiar crowd of family and friends, we opened ourselves up to the “friendly fire” of some of the top international theme park &#38; attraction designers in the world. We hosted the Themed Entertainment Association, what [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1008" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 810px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_2726_1.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1008" title="The Garden" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_2726_1.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="533" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Visioneering Studios West</p></div>
<p>We recently had a chance to host our first-ever “open-house” of our new Visioneering Studios-West location. However, rather than a familiar crowd of family and friends, we opened ourselves up to the “friendly fire” of some of the top international theme park &amp; attraction designers in the world. We hosted the Themed Entertainment Association, what I jokingly refer to as the “ex-Disney/Universal recovery group.” <a href="http://www.teaconnect.org/">TEA</a> represents the “creators of compelling places and experiences.”</p>
<div id="attachment_1009" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 810px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_2721_1.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1009" title="The Garden Room" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_2721_1.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="533" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The Garden Room</p></div>
<p>It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with old friends and industry alumni, as well as to announce the launch of our very own VSI Leisure Group, a studio within Visioneering re-focusing on the industry that was our “training camp.”<br />
I personally enjoyed walking guys that “Imagineered” EPCOT through our space, which was designed to be a metaphoric walk from the “Garden” to the “City”, following the story arc of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Upon entering our lobby, visitors enter a “spa-like” lobby with exotic hardwoods, and exotic curios collected from our Third World community development projects.</p>
<div id="attachment_1010" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 810px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_2715_1.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1010" title="Uptown &quot;Corporate&quot; District" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_2715_1.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="533" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Uptown &quot;Corporate&quot; District</p></div>
<p>The journey progresses towards towards a more “corporate district” made up of cooler tones. We ended the evening loitering in Visioneering’s SoHo lounge, representing the cultural creative bohemian downtown district.</p>
<div id="attachment_1011" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 810px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_2735_1.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1011" title="SoHo Lounge a.k.a. &quot;my office&quot;" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_2735_1.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="533" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">SoHo Lounge a.k.a. &quot;my office&quot;</p></div>
<p>“Everyone was overwhelmingly impressed with your projects and facility…We appreciate your participation in TEA and look forward to another successful “Behind the Orange Curtain” event soon”.<br />
-Lynn Allmandinger, TEA Western Division V.P.</p>
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		<title>Destination: Portlandia</title>
		<link>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=990</link>
		<comments>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=990#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:52:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mel Mcgowan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=990</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was honored to be invited to speak at Q in Portland, a &#8220;Ted&#8221; style gathering which focuses on &#8220;Ideas for the common good.&#8221; I had 9 minutes to cover urbanism from our American &#8220;City on a Hill&#8221; to suburbia to the redemption of cities &#38; space as evidenced in Portland. As I mention in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_992" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 754px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/priest1.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-992" title="&quot;Like describing the ocean to fish&quot;" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/priest1-1024x611.jpg" alt="" width="744" height="443" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">&quot;Like describing the ocean to fish&quot;</p></div>
<p>I was honored to be invited to speak at Q in Portland, a &#8220;Ted&#8221; style gathering which focuses on &#8220;Ideas for the common good.&#8221; I had 9 minutes to cover urbanism from our American &#8220;City on a Hill&#8221; to suburbia to the redemption of cities &amp; space as evidenced in Portland. As I mention in the clip, I felt that it was a bit like trying to explain the ocean that we all move, breathe and live in, but are largely not that aware of.</p>
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		<title>Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men (Used to) Tell Tales</title>
		<link>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=979</link>
		<comments>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=979#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:00:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Randy Crane</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dead Men Tell No Tales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disneyland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Envy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gluttony]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Orleans Square]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pirates of the Caribbean]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pride]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seven Deadly Sins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sloth]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[On July 24, 1966, New Orleans Square became the fist new “land” added to Disneyland since park opening, though Imagineers had been working on concepts for it since 1957. The first attraction to open in the new land was Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean opened on March 18, 1967 and was the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-m-NDI0x-KSE/Tjs5aMK1nbI/AAAAAAAAAe0/npAOZ38Cwbg/s1600-h/100_18524.jpg"><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;"><img style="background-image: none; display: inline; margin: 3px 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-width: 0px;" title="100_1852" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-r17b3yktuwc/Tjs5aZl_0sI/AAAAAAAAAe4/B1exLrmcY6s/100_1852_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="100_1852" width="644" height="484" /></span></a><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">On July 24, 1966, <a href="http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/new-orleans-square/" target="_blank">New Orleans Square</a> became the fist new “land” added to Disneyland since park opening, though Imagineers had been working on concepts for it since 1957. The first attraction to open in the new land was <a href="http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/pirates-of-the-caribbean/" target="_blank">Pirates of the Caribbean</a>. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;"><strong>Pirates of the Caribbean opened on March 18, 1967 and was the most advanced, elaborately-themed attraction that had ever been built. </strong>Over 60 Audio Animatronic human characters, around 50 Audio Animatronic animals, and rich detail made this 16-minute attraction an instant and perennial favorite.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">It’s also <strong>the last attraction that Walt Disney personally supervised and oversaw</strong>. New Orleans Square opened about 5 months before he died, and Pirates opened about 3 months after. Major work was complete by the time he passed away on December 15, 1966, 10 days after his 65th birthday.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xfqEJYND-30/Tjs5bJdjW9I/AAAAAAAAAe8/003FeH5oZ2M/s1600-h/talking-Skull2.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; display: inline; float: left; margin: 3px 17px 3px 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-width: 0px;" title="talking Skull" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kMsel6m8Tx0/Tjs5bX1TXzI/AAAAAAAAAfA/t84DCDwi-9I/talking-Skull_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="talking Skull" width="244" height="184" align="left" /></a>Pirates of the Caribbean has seen two major changes over the years. In 1997, the ride was closed for about 2 months for an update that included modifying a scene where pirates were chasing women so that they would be chasing food instead. The dialogue of the only pirate that speaks in this scene (sometimes unofficially known as the “Pooped Pirate”) was also changed to conform to the new scene. <strong>This update led to what showwriter Francis Xavier &#8220;X&#8221; Atencio referred to as &#8220;Boy Scouts of the Caribbean&#8221;</strong>.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;"><strong>In 2006, Captain Jack Sparrow and others from the Pirates of the Caribbean films (which were inspired by the attraction) were added. The storyline was also changed significantly </strong>at that time, but it seems few are aware of the magnitude of the change. Originally the story surrounded random pirates looting and pillaging a town, but now the pirates were searching for Jack Sparrow. Most importantly (to me, anyway) the last scene was completely overhauled.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Let me back up for a moment. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">As the ride begins, we are warned that “<strong>dead men tell no tales</strong>”, and then we plunge down two waterfalls into <strong>a grotto that shows the skeletons of pirates</strong>, some mid-battle, one piloting a shipwreck, and a couple having a drink (or trying to—it’s tough with no insides). We float through the Captain’s Quarters, where we see the captain—as a skeleton—admiring the treasure piled up around him. We again hear a disembodied warning that “These be the last friendly words you’ll hear. You may not survive to pass this way again&#8221;.” And with that, we pass through fog and into a battle between the pirates and a fort. <strong>Suddenly everyone is alive </strong>and shooting, or drinking, or chasing, or burning, or whatever. After passing through all of the town scenes and a final shootout, we arrive at the hill that takes us back to the dock, and it is here that the most significant story change has occurred. </span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Originally, and up until the addition of the movie characters, the final scenes consisted of two pirates trying to drag a huge haul of treasure up the hill, escaping from the city with their riches. A short distance farther up the hill we see the pirates, now as skeletons and with one attacking the other, but still clutching the treasure chest as the ghostly voice again echoes, “<strong>Dead men tell no tales</strong>.” Now, in that same space Jack Sparrow lounges in a room full of treasure and gloats about his success.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6N-qdMilL-c/Tjs5b32gUHI/AAAAAAAAAfE/wmj_9xw92RI/s1600-h/pirates--end-22.jpg"><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;"><img style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 3px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-width: 0px;" title="pirates -end 2" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-n1uYUoZSz-c/Tjs5cNlKcHI/AAAAAAAAAfI/B4F1BC46Rcs/pirates--end-2_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="pirates -end 2" width="244" height="184" /></span></a><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Think about what the story <em>was</em>, because it is there that we have our lesson. <strong>We began at the end of the story, with pirates as skeletons, having not learned the dangers of their ways—that their path would end in death. </strong>This lasts all the way up to the dark grotto after the Captain’s Quarters, but when we pass through the fog we, in effect, step back in time to see the pirates as they were. We travel through and see them doing what they do, and it kind of looks like fun. They sure seem to be having a good time, anyway. But <strong>as we begin to climb the hill, we are both literally and figuratively back where we started, and we are reminded of the perils of being “rascals, scoundrels, and ne’er do well cads”. </strong></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Dead men have, indeed, told tales, and we are reminded of what Paul said in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6:23&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank"><strong>Romans 6:23</strong></a>: <strong>“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”</strong> The wages of sin here were, indeed, death. We may think it’s different for us, but while it may not be as obvious for us, the end result is still the same.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Do you see how dramatically the storyline has changed?</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">The lesson in the attraction has spelled itself out for us (though subtly enough that most people ride and completely miss it). But did you know it goes even farther than that? You may have heard of the “7 Deadly Sins”. It is not a biblical concept, really, but it does have its roots as far back as the mid 4th Century. <strong>All seven of these “Deadly Sins” are illustrated in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. </strong>Take a look:</span></p>
<table style="width: 522px;" border="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="102" valign="top"><strong><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Pride</span></strong></td>
<td width="416" valign="top"><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Most everything the pirates do is rooted in pride in one form or another. A couple of examples from the townspeople, too: “the redhead” (who looks pretty full of herself) and Carlos, who refuses to give up the location of the treasure, but seems to be doing so (at least in part) to impress his wife. </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="104" valign="top"><strong><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Envy</span></strong></td>
<td width="414" valign="top"><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">The pirates trying to get the location of the treasure out of the mayor. They want what he has. (This can also fall under greed.) </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="106" valign="top"><strong><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Gluttony</span></strong></td>
<td width="413" valign="top"><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">The pirates chasing the food. Before the overhaul, and even now, there are many scenes of pirates loaded up with food and/or alcohol. </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="107" valign="top"><strong><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Lust</span></strong></td>
<td width="412" valign="top"><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">The auction scene, in which women are being offered as brides for sale. Also the chase scenes before food was added. (The Pooped Pirate was lust at it&#8217;s most obvious.) </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="108" valign="top"><strong><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Anger/Rage</span></strong></td>
<td width="411" valign="top"><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">All of the fighting scenes, especially the battle between the ship and the fort. </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="109" valign="top"><strong><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Greed/Avarice</span></strong></td>
<td width="410" valign="top"><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">The Captain’s Quarters and the two pirates stealing the chest at the end are probably the best examples. </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="110" valign="top"><strong><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">Sloth</span></strong></td>
<td width="409" valign="top"><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">At least two pirates on the right side of the boat just lounging around (one with a couple of pigs interested in him the other trying to entice a couple of cats).</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">You may have thought of other examples. With the addition of characters from the movies, some of these aren’t there any more, but without much trouble you can probably find new examples to replace the ones that have been removed.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fmrXFM_mVzo/Tjs5cmSJ9QI/AAAAAAAAAfM/JQAeO-1I6Vo/s1600-h/pic862.jpg"><span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;"><img style="background-image: none; display: inline; float: left; margin: 3px 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border-width: 0px;" title="pic86" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-S0hVWgy9RA0/Tjs5c3AtWgI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/hRVunYcX_7c/pic86_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="pic86" width="244" height="184" align="left" /></span></a><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;"> </span> <span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: medium;">While it may be more of a movie tie-in now, Pirates of the Caribbean used to have its own story. Several remnants of that story can still be seen today. It’s a fun ride, but it’s also a reminder. <strong>Our actions have consequences, and whether we want to admit it or not, sin does lead to death (no matter how much fun it may seem like it is at the time).</strong></span><br />
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</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="”font-family: calibri; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Question</em></strong>: What “seemed like fun at the time” to you, but you’ve since realized was destructive in your life?</span></p>
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		<title>Destination: Las Vegas Mob Experience</title>
		<link>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=953</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:11:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mel Mcgowan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=953</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I had a chance to fly to Vegas to be interviewed by Martin Palicki and to tour him through our newest Visioneering / Plain Joe Studios collaboration: The Las Vegas Mob Experience at the all-new Tropicana. Martin is the Chief Editor of a leading industry magazine called InPark. The following is from Martin&#8217;s blog, where [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I had a chance to fly to Vegas to be interviewed by Martin Palicki and to tour him through our newest Visioneering / Plain Joe Studios collaboration: The Las Vegas Mob Experience at the all-new Tropicana. Martin is the Chief Editor of a leading industry magazine called InPark. The following is from Martin&#8217;s <a href="http://inparkmagazine.blogspot.com/2011/07/choosing-crime-in-vegas.html">blog</a>, where he  gets up close and personal with the new Mob Experience and returns to tell the tale &#8211;</p>
<p>I’ve been to Las Vegas dozens of times, both for work and for pleasure, and while I like to partake of many of Sin City’s delights, I can’t say that I often think of the town’s connection to the world of organized crime. I always sort of knew there was a correlation, but never really understood how Vegas was ultimately shaped by the mob. At least not until I took a tour through the new Las Vegas Mob Experience at the Tropicana Resort.</p>
<p>Housed in a former convention area that previously played home to the traveling Titanic Exhibit, the Las Vegas Mob Experience is a blend of live action, technology-enhanced choose-your-own-adventure and museum-quality archive.</p>
<div id="attachment_961" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 809px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_0036.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-961" title="Ellis Island Docks" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_0036-1024x680.jpg" alt="" width="799" height="530" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Ellis Island Docks</p></div>
<p>Groups start by choosing a mentor and receiving RFID-tagged lanyards inscribed with their mafia name. The attraction queue is a shipyard, detailed and dimly lit. Here, where organized crime arrived in America for the first time, groups learn about the real-life characters they are about to meet inside. Large monitors display information and photos on key mafia families. The technology is being set up to respond to the RFID tags and translate the text based on who is standing in front of the screen.</p>
<div id="attachment_956" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 808px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Mob3_Photo.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-956" title="Bootlegger's Alley" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Mob3_Photo-1024x639.jpg" alt="" width="798" height="497" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Bootlegger&#39;s Alley</p></div>
<p>Once inside, we are transformed into a cityscape, where our mentor greets us via video and hands us off to our first live actor. As we move through the streets, the lighting changes to follow us, and when we arrive with the first actor, he calls us by name – pretty cool.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Mob4_Photo1.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-959  alignnone" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Mob4_Photo1-1024x624.jpg" alt="" width="798" height="485" /></a></p>
<p>Without revealing too much, this first act of the experience allows us the opportunity to get involved with the Mafia, completing small but meaningful tasks that will affect the end of the experience for us. Unbeknownst to us, each actor has access to a hidden iPad that displays our names and allows them to rate us on our actions and words.</p>
<p>We start to learn more about the mob here, and learn about key players that helped to create what Vegas is today. This transitions into the second act, which is the more traditional museum section. Here, artifacts purchased and leased from family estates are displayed. Everything from personal letters to home movies is available for inspection, and the display monitors do a good job of correlating specific items to larger themes in the Las Vegas story.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Mob5_Photo.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-960 alignleft" title="Act 2" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Mob5_Photo-1024x644.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="502" /></a></p>
<p>In this section, you are free to move around at your leisure, spending as much or as little time as you wish.</p>
<p>The third act takes you through the demise of organized crime in Vegas, through realistic sets, projection and informative displays. But before the experience ends, it’s time to find out how your group did at “playing mafia.” This is where all the scores you received from the actors really matter. Your group is ushered into a back-alley room where you come face to face with the mob boss. The decisions you made in act one dictate your experience here. Naturally, since my group was made up of people who do what they are told (and who also lie really well!), we were welcomed into the Mafia family. Others might not be so lucky. Your group can also be arrested, put into witness protection, or, well….eliminated.</p>
<p>The entire experience was put together with the help of <a href="http://www.visioneeringstudios.com/home.asp">Visioneering</a>, a themed design and entertainment company with offices around the country and <a href="http://www.plainjoe.net/main.asp">Plain Joe Studios</a>, an attraction design firm. The attention to detail and the level of theatrical precision makes the experience realistic and enthralling. My mob knowledge was pretty much non-existent before taking the tour, yet it kept my interest and gave me enough information to help me understand what was going on, and to also want to learn more. My guest, on the other hand, claims to have some mafia connections in her distant family and professes a love of mafia culture. She was “fascinated” by the artifacts and depth of information available.</p>
<div id="attachment_962" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 812px"><a href="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_0038.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-962" title="Bugsy's Car on the Road to Vegas" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DSC_0038-1024x680.jpg" alt="" width="802" height="532" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Bugsy&#39;s Car on the Road to Vegas</p></div>
<p>Although there aren’t many entertainment venues in Vegas that attempt to educate guests, the Las Vegas Mob Experience does exactly that in a subtle and entertaining way, with enough intrigue and suspense to make even the most relaxed Vegas vacationer squirm, even if it’s only while “Big Leo” is watching.</p>
<p>Look for more on the technology and design behind the <a href="http://www.lvme.com/main.php?s=">Las Vegas Mob Experience</a> in InPark Magazine soon!</p>
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		<title>The Disneyland Railroad: Keep Your Level Full!</title>
		<link>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=946</link>
		<comments>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=946#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:00:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Randy Crane</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disneyland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disneyland Railroad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[God's Presence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Holy Spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Presence of God]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=946</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[﻿]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>﻿<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vveGr8hm1u0/Tgt1lZnZQuI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/UKuuPi2nMZc/s1600-h/IMG_0958%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Without special permission, you don't get to pass that gate." border="0" height="484" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-86muI8DoEqY/Tgt1mPX2-0I/AAAAAAAAAcU/vbHVwSnVniY/IMG_0958_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" display: block; float: none; margin: 3px auto;" title="" width="644" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">A few months ago, I had the opportunity to take a tender ride on the Disneyland Railroad, and </span><a href="http://www.faithandthemagickingdom.net/2011/02/disneyland-railroad-why-we-need.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">I wrote about a lesson learned</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> on that ride. Last week, I was able to take another tender ride, and learned another valuable lesson.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">There is a set of sensors that monitor the boiler water level, above the brakeman. On our ride, the fireman asked us, “<strong>On a steam train, which do you think is worse: the boiler having too much water or having too little water?</strong>” My friend and I thought about it, and both said, “Too little water.” That’s correct. If the boiler has too much water, it may not be able to heat sufficiently to generate steam. If it has too little, once it reaches a certain temperature the water will all flash evaporate at once and the boiler will explode.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">This is how the Ohio Valley Systems railroad explains what happens in their steam locomotive operations manual:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></p>
<blockquote><p>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Too much water in the boiler and it won&#8217;t heat up quickly enough to generate enough steam. It can also cause Priming (water collecting in the cylinders). Too little water in the boiler and the crown sheet (the top of the firebox/bottom of the boiler) will overheat and cause a boiler explosion. <strong>A boiler explosion levels everything within several hundred feet, starting with the engine crew.”</strong></span></span></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">You don’t get much worse than this in steam train operations. That’s why the Disneyland Railroad crew constantly monitors the water level and makes sure they are always operating with plenty of water in the boiler.</span><br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-AO7l3F5PYJw/Tgt1mtmbdOI/AAAAAAAAAcY/YcGIIOwTdEI/s1600-h/IMG_0947%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></a></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">In the previous post, I likened the boiler to our spirit. The same parallel applies again. Are you trying to work/minister/serve/live out of a full spirit or a dangerously empty one? </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Eph%203:16-19&amp;version=NIV" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Ephesians 3:16-19</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> says,</span></p>
<blockquote><p>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—<strong>that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God</strong>.”</span></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">We want the strength and power, and to really understand the scope of God’s love for us, but we usually want to do it ourselves. We try. We struggle. We fail and wonder what we didn’t do. We try to do it on our own. But…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></p>
<blockquote><p>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">This is what the LORD says: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; “</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Cursed is the one who trusts in man,<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; who draws strength from mere flesh </strong>&nbsp;&nbsp; and whose heart turns away from the LORD.&nbsp;<br />
That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; they will not see prosperity when it comes.<br />
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; in a salt land where no one lives. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; whose confidence is in him.&nbsp;<br />
They will be like a tree planted by the water </strong>&nbsp;&nbsp; that sends out its roots by the stream.<br />
It does not fear when heat comes;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; its leaves are always green.<br />
It has no worries in a year of drought<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; and never fails to bear fruit.” </span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jer%2017:5-8&amp;version=NIV" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Jeremiah 17:5-8</span></a></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">We get into trouble when we try to rely on our own strength. We try to serve out of our own strength. We try to love others out of our own efforts. That works for a while, but <strong>eventually our levels get too low and we burn out, or we snap at people, or we may even blow up.</strong> What little we have left gets all used up and our “internal boiler” explodes. Then we feel guilty, ashamed, and maybe eve like we’ve let God down. We tried and we failed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">But the truth is usually that we didn’t allow ourselves the time to refill. We stay busy and don’t take time to spend with God. We think we know what needs to be done and when and don’t “wait upon the Lord to renew our strength.” We think we can do our part and then let God do His part. But in </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John15:5-6&amp;version=NIV" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">John 15:5-6</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">, Jesus said, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></p>
<blockquote><p>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; <strong>apart from Me you can do nothing</strong>. If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”</span></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “Apart from Me you can do some things”, or even “Apart from Me you can do a little”. The imagery is clear. A branch separated from the vine will live for a little while and have some strength, but it fades quickly. <strong>The attachment to the vine must remain.</strong> That’s why Jesus made a regular practice of spending time alone with His Father.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now this doesn’t mean that you have to have a 30 minute “quiet time” first thing in the morning, unless that is what works for you and your relationship with God. It&#8217;s not going through the motions or making the means the goal. But it does mean that <strong>prayer, time in the Bible, time with other believers, and rest must be a part of your “spiritual rhythm”. </strong></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-AO7l3F5PYJw/Tgt1mtmbdOI/AAAAAAAAAcY/YcGIIOwTdEI/s1600-h/IMG_0947%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><img alt="The picture's a little blurry since the train was in motion when I took the picture." border="0" height="184" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NNFVL7kOI8g/Tgt1nA__IoI/AAAAAAAAAcc/JsVcEhGnRwI/IMG_0947_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 3px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="" width="244" /></span></a></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">We need to keep a close watch on our levels and make sure that we aren’t running low. The Disneyland Railroad crew refills their train’s boiler when it gets down to about half full, so that it never risks getting too low. Our internal boiler needs the same kind of attention and refilling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><strong>Every puff of steam from the engine serves as a reminder of the water level in the boiler that created that steam, and as a reminder to not let our boiler level get too low, or the boiler could explode—with considerable damage to ourselves and those around us.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">How do you “refill” spiritually? Have you ever let your internal boiler get too low? How could you tell? Talk about it in the Comments below.</span></p>
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		<title>Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough: Rescued by Our Prince</title>
		<link>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=942</link>
		<comments>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=942#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 Jun 2011 03:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Randy Crane</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disneyland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fantasyland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[God's Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Salvation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sleeping Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=942</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last time, we looked at an often-overlooked detail in Disneyland. Today, we look at an often-overlooked attraction: the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough. Located in the southwest corner of the castle courtyard is a door that most people walk right by, even though there’s a sign above it indicating what lies within. Step through that door [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2N8_TQceXuo/TfplFVP__aI/AAAAAAAAAbw/n0ce6uW-4QM/s1600-h/IMG_0597%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 3px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="IMG_0597" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ctbB7KhGO2g/TfplGL8UC1I/AAAAAAAAAb0/l1EVl_mCp5I/IMG_0597_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0597" width="644" height="484" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.faithandthemagickingdom.net/2011/06/walts-apartment-never-will-i-leave-you.html" target="_blank">Last time</a>, we looked at an often-overlooked detail in Disneyland. <strong>Today, we look at an often-overlooked attraction: the </strong><a href="http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/sleeping-beauty-castle-walkthrough/" target="_blank"><strong>Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough</strong></a><strong>.</strong> Located in the southwest corner of the castle courtyard is a door that most people walk right by, even though there’s a sign above it indicating what lies within. Step through that door and you enter one of the world’s most photographed structures—Sleeping Beauty Castle—and step into the story of Aurora herself, told through illuminated manuscripts and dioramas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The story behind this attraction is fascinating (for example, did you know that the castle opened 4 years before the movie&#8217;s release, and the walkthrough opened 2 years before the movie’s release?), but <strong>for now we’re going to consider the story of Aurora, and hopefully see our story in that of the Sleeping Beauty</strong>. Even that we could go through in much more detail—it turns out the entire Sleeping Beauty story is a fantastic allegory for the gospel story—but for now we&#8217;ll just look at a summary.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the Disney version of the fairy tale, Princess Aurora is promised to Prince Phillip in a marriage arranged by their fathers (kings, of course). At her christening, she is brought gifts by the people in the kingdom, most notably by three fairies—Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. The gifts bestowed are wondrous until the evil fairy Maleficent arrives and pronounces a curse: On her 16th birthday, Princess Aurora would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fortunately, only two of the good fairies had given their gifts, and so the third one could minimize the damage caused by the curse. Instead of dying, Aurora would only sleep, until awakened by True Love’s Kiss.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JAly8XEvYFA/TfplGkt6l9I/AAAAAAAAAb4/6vbkMSwNPew/s1600-h/IMG_0606%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; display: inline; float: left; margin: 3px 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-AIpBOpmZAwA/TfplHNB8GjI/AAAAAAAAAb8/3OcRpXWb0IM/IMG_0606_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="" width="244" height="184" align="left" /></a>After this, King Stefan ordered that all the spinning wheels in the kingdom be burned. Aurora was hidden by the fairies until her 16th birthday, being raised as a peasant girl they called Briar Rose. When her 16th birthday came, they returned her to the castle to reclaim her inheritance (why they didn’t wait until the next day I don’t know—it would have been a lot safer), and Aurora was tricked into pricking her finger anyway, and she feel into a sleep like death. When she did and the good fairies found out what had happened, they put a charm on the kingdom, causing everyone to sleep until the curse could be broken.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">All seemed lost, but Prince Phillip came to her rescue! Captured by Maleficent, he escaped (wth some help), and battled her minions and demons, eventually facing the evil fairy herself, who had had transformed herself into a huge dragon. The foreign-born prince successfully slayed the dragon, though, and awakened the Sleeping Beauty to whom he had been betrothed with True Love’s Kiss.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With the curse lifted and the bride awakened, the kingdom rejoiced, and the prince and princess were wed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>A lovely story, but what does this have to do with us? I’m glad you asked. </strong>Consider the crucial elements of the story:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></p>
<ul><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A princess is betrothed to a prince in an arranged marriage.</span></ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The princess is cursed by evil, and is helpless to do anything to save herself.</span></ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The prince arrives, battles the evil one (who ultimately takes the form of a dragon).</span></ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The dragon is defeated.</span></ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The princess is awakened by True Love’s Kiss from the prince. (<strong>True Love’s Kiss in fairy tales is the symbol of the removal of the curse and the influence of evil being eliminated.</strong>)</span></ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The prince and princess are wed.</span></ul>
<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lq4dM-_uDeU/TfplHsUozCI/AAAAAAAAAcA/QrKsDaVqwI8/s1600-h/IMG_0621%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 3px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZGoM8oHcnZU/TfplIKAU1EI/AAAAAAAAAcE/oo1KcGgS5I0/IMG_0621_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="" width="184" height="244" /></span></a><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is it sounding any more familiar now? No?</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I listened recently to <a href="http://groupthinkrescue.com/?p=166" target="_blank">the June 6, 2011 episode of the Groupthink Rescue podcast</a>. In it, Dan Franklin talks about the story of David and Goliath in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Samuel%2017&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank">I Samuel 17</a>. He said that we tend to misread the lesson of that story. We think it’s about David defeating Goliath with God’s help, but David doesn’t really enter the story until about 1/3 of the way through. It starts with Israel being afraid of this giant they are helpless to defeat, and David—the unexpected and unlikely savior—rescuing them and achieving the victory they could not. David wins the victory, but then all of Israel shares in that victory. <strong>it’s not a story of “I can do it with God’s help,” it’s a story of, “There is an enemy I can’t defeat, but Jesus Christ can defeat it and then I can share in His victory.”</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now does Sleeping Beauty sound more familiar?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>The Church is the Bride of Christ. </strong>We have been promised to Him, and it was an <strong>arranged marriage</strong>. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight…” (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Eph%201:4&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank">Eph. 1:4</a>). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>We live under a curse</strong>, though. Thanks to the sin of Adam and Eve, and our own sinful nature, we live under a curse, and <strong>we are helpless to do anything to save ourselves</strong>. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We were dead in our sins, but <strong>God sent His Son to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. </strong>(<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Col%202:13-15&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank">Col. 2:13-15</a>, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Eph%202:4-5&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank">Eph 2:4-5</a>) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Jesus is victorious over the enemy </strong>(<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2012:9&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank">Rev. 12:9</a> – &#8220;The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.&#8221;) through the Resurrection.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>The Prince of Peace frees His bride from the curse </strong>through the Resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit. (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2022:3&amp;version=NIV1984">Rev. 22:3</a> &#8211; &#8220;No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The story of Sleeping Beauty is a graphic depiction of our helplessness before enemies that we cannot defeat—especially the greatest enemy: death—and of the One who gained the victory for us, to bring us to Himself as His bride.</span><br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-17TJ-R7NFEQ/TfplIn9MOLI/AAAAAAAAAcI/xf5mGEVAONQ/s1600-h/IMG_0625%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 3px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="IMG_0625" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YqHTz7b3pTc/TfplIxQTVmI/AAAAAAAAAcM/XMuXCS1zVuc/IMG_0625_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" border="0" alt="IMG_0625" width="644" height="484" /></span></a></p>
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		<title>Rescue in Cebu</title>
		<link>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=935</link>
		<comments>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=935#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2011 23:37:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mel Mcgowan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=935</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[From International Justice Mission: This weekend, local police and the IJM team in Cebu conducted a long-awaited rescue operation at a major bar &#8211; securing the rescue of dozens of girls and women believed to be victims of sex trafficking. The prominent club has been operating since the 1990s, and the successful businessmen who ran [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="size-full wp-image-936 alignright" title="director-of-aftercare-cebu-1" src="http://www.melmcgowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/director-of-aftercare-cebu-1.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="361" /></p>
<p>From <a href="http://www.ijm.org/" target="_blank">International Justice Mission</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>This weekend, local police and the IJM team in Cebu conducted a long-awaited rescue operation at a major bar &#8211; securing the rescue of dozens of girls and women believed to be victims of sex trafficking.</em></p>
<p><em>The prominent club has been operating since the 1990s, and the successful businessmen who ran it seemed untouchable to many. But that changed on Saturday, when IJM and the police conducted a major operation there: Seven people are now facing charges of qualified trafficking, which carries a life sentence.</em></p></blockquote>
<p>Visioneering Studios has been working on the design for a pro bono third world missions  project in Cebu, Philippines. A church in Huntington Beach, California scrapped their own building plan in order to  build a permanent facility for these trafficked women and girls. The  church then partnered with International Justice Mission and the result  was ‘My Refuge House,’ which opened six months later.</p>
<p>Visioneering designed this city of refuge that’s done as a village  circle. Instead of a traditional institutional orphanage, it’s an  open-air village. It takes a 3-6 month window to detox the young women  from their old lifestyle—to keep the pimps out and the girls in. But God  provided the site for a 15-foot perimeter on the edge with these  open-air beach cabanas. They’re simple structures. The model is based on  a house parent living with the girls, four per bungalow.</p>
<p>This works as a transition house for girls to finish school and to go  to college. We’re continually trying to partner with ministries and  churches to get a church to fund each of these homes ($50,000 each).  These future homes are now under construction.</p>
<p>We are so grateful for these women to have a &#8220;refuge&#8221; to come to now that they are free!</p>
<p>(Photo courtesy of IJM. For more information on The Refuge House, please visit <a href="http://www.crystalssprague.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Crystal Sprague&#8217;s blog</a>.)</p>
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		<title>The Sword in the Stone: It’s not What Others Say or Do</title>
		<link>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=927</link>
		<comments>http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=927#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:00:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Randy Crane</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disneyland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fantasyland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[God's Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[King Arthur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sword in the Stone]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.melmcgowan.com/?p=927</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Have you noticed what effect your relationships have on how you view yourself and what you are willing and able to do? I know I have. Good relationships contribute to feelings of confidence, security, and love, and help me be more willing to take risks, because I know I have people who will do everything [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_hTDkGWX5cTE/TVyLe6XgmJI/AAAAAAAAAY8/SFPNG82dTp0/s1600-h/IMG_0042%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_0042" border="0" height="484" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_hTDkGWX5cTE/TVyLfaReGZI/AAAAAAAAAZA/VKOSt--fxWU/IMG_0042_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 3px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_0042" width="364" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Have you noticed what effect your relationships have on how you view yourself and what you are willing and able to do? I know I have. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Good relationships contribute to feelings of confidence, security, and love, and help me be more willing to take risks, because I know I have people who will do everything they can to support me and catch me if I fall. I am more willing to sacrifice for others because I know I have people who will sacrifice for me. <strong>I can love others (and myself) because I am loved.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">On the other hand, bad relationships can lead to fear, self-doubt, and even self-loathing. In some cases, we get so caught in these relationships that we either blind ourselves to the difficulty—even abuse—we receive, maybe because we think we don’t deserve any better, or can’t do any better, or just don’t have a frame of reference that it can be different. My capacity to love is squelched, or even smothered, because what love I have tried to show has not been returned, and has even been ridiculed (actively or passively) by those whose opinions matter most to us. <strong>Like a flower deprived of light and water, we wither.</strong> And when (or if) we get out of those toxic relationships, rediscovering all those things that had been denied to us can be a difficult (if also exciting) journey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><strong>But what does that have to do with Disneyland?</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Over the last several months, we looked at many different kinds of lessons and reminders. About <a href="http://www.faithandthemagickingdom.net/search/label/Faith" target="_blank">faith</a>, <a href="http://www.faithandthemagickingdom.net/search/label/Adventure" target="_blank">adventure</a>, <a href="http://www.faithandthemagickingdom.net/search/label/Bible%20Study" target="_blank">Bible Study</a>, <a href="http://www.faithandthemagickingdom.net/search/label/Creativity" target="_blank">creativity</a>, <a href="http://www.faithandthemagickingdom.net/search/label/Music" target="_blank">music</a>, <a href="http://www.faithandthemagickingdom.net/search/label/Service" target="_blank">service</a>, <a href="http://www.faithandthemagickingdom.net/search/label/Unity" target="_blank">unity</a>, and <a href="http://www.faithandthemagickingdom.net/search/label/Christian%20Life" target="_blank">more</a>. But <strong>there is one truth we’ve so far not touched on, but it’s one of the most important. </strong>Without it, the rest loses much—maybe all—of it’s meaning. And we get our reminder of this truth at the heart of the Magic Kingdom.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Walk with me down Main Street U.S.A., pass the Partner’s Statue in the Hub, and through the Sleeping Beauty Castle forecourt. We’re not stopping yet, though. Cross the drawbridge and walk through the castle into Fantasyland. Continue straight ahead and the first thing you’ll run into (unless there happens to be an outdoor vending cart in the way), is a stone &amp; anvil right in front of King Arthur’s Carousel. A very special stone and anvil with a sword stuck in the top. <strong>Yes, our reminder is The Sword in the Stone, and what it serves to remind us of is the Love of God.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_hTDkGWX5cTE/TVyLf8VR7VI/AAAAAAAAAZE/e0w_pliAAGs/s1600-h/sword-in-stone%5B2%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="sword-in-stone" border="0" height="181" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_hTDkGWX5cTE/TVyLgBMmtpI/AAAAAAAAAZI/b5rJynLZc_U/sword-in-stone_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; margin: 3px 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="sword-in-stone" width="244" /></a>Consider the story of Arthur Pendragon, king of all Britain. As one version of the legend goes, after the King of England, Uther Pendragon, died, the &#8220;Sword in the Stone&#8221; appeared in London with an inscription proclaiming that &#8220;Who so Pulleth Out This Sword of this Stone and Anvil, is Rightwise King Born of England&#8221;. Nobody can remove the sword, which is soon forgotten, leaving England in a Dark Age.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Years later, Arthur (a.k.a. Wart), a 12-year-old orphan training to be a squire, accompanies his older foster brother Kay on a hunting trip. Through a series of events, he meets Merlin, who becomes his tutor and mentor. Kay treats Arthur very badly, though. He is mean, rude, and even abusive to Arthur. In fact, the only one who seems to care about Arthur at all is Merlin—because Merlin can see something in Wart that the others can’t…or won’t. Eventually (spoiler alert), Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, fulfilling the prophecy and becoming King.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">The Sword in the Stone that sits here in Fantasyland gave guests a chance to live that event for themselves, more or less. Merlin the Magician appeared several times a day to announce that the Realm was having a (temporary) leadership crisis, and needed a new (temporary) Ruler. But can someone be found who has the requisite courage and strength to be the new Ruler? Merlin selected several volunteers who attempt to pull the sword from the stone. (Typically a rather burly man will be the first selected, and will fail miserably, only to be shown up by a 5-year-old.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Arthur was destined to become King, but no one saw his worth except Merlin, and Merlin refused to give up on him. God does the same for us, because He loves us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Consider all of God’s attributes. Now consider that very few places in the Bible does it say that “God is” something, and one of those is that “</span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%204:8-16&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">God is love</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">.” This is one trait that more identifies and defines who God is than anything else. God gives grace. He gives peace. He creates. He administers justice. But He <em>is</em> love.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span></p>
<blockquote><p>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">“<strong>For God so loved the world </strong>that He gave his one and only Son,<sup> </sup>that </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (</span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%203:16&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">John 3:16</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">)</span></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span></p>
<blockquote><p>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">“The LORD your God is with you,&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; He is mighty to save.<br />
<strong>He will take great delight in you,&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; He will quiet you with his Love,&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; He will rejoice over you with singing.</strong>” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">(</span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zephaniah+3:17&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Zeph. 3:17</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">)</span></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span></p>
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px;"><p>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">“But <strong>God demonstrates his own love for us </strong>in this: <strong>While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.</strong>” (</span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rom%205:8&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Romans 5:8</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">)</span></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span></p>
<blockquote><p>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, <strong>nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God </strong>that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (</span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rom%208:38-39&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Romans 8:38-39</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">)</span></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span></p>
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px;"><p>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">“<strong>How great is the love the Father has lavished on us</strong>, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (</span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20John%203:1&amp;version=NIV1984" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">I John 3:1a</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">)</span></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for you, so that you can have eternal life if only you will believe in Him. He takes great delight in you. Nothing can separate you from His love. You are called a Child of God. <strong>He knows the value you have, and you have it simply because you are His child.</strong> It’s not because of anything you’ve done to earn it. And there’s nothing you can do that will make Him love you less. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Still, He won’t force Himself on you either. If you choose to accept Him, all of this describes you and you will have eternal life with Him. If you choose not to accept or believe in Him, He loves you so much that He will not force you to spend eternity with Him, and one place has been reserved where He is not. It is your choice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;">Wart was to be King of England whether anyone knew it or not. Before his true identity was revealed, some people treated him very badly. Even he didn’t see the potential he had, because he thought he was limited by his station in life and that what others said about him was true. And then he learned otherwise when he pulled a sword from a stone (which was sitting in a churchyard, incidentally).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><strong><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_hTDkGWX5cTE/TVyLgZ-PGlI/AAAAAAAAAZM/3oaZ4KZgyDg/s1600-h/God%27s%20Love%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="God's Love" border="0" height="181" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_hTDkGWX5cTE/TVyLgoGBRTI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/2N2X3HNu5es/God%27s%20Love_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 3px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="God's Love" width="244" /></a></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><strong>You are a child of God and He loves you. </strong>Others may treat you badly, they may abuse you, put you down, and try to extinguish the love you have for others and for yourself.You may believe that you deserve it, but you don’t. <strong>After all, who knows your value more than the One who made you? </strong>And He says you are worth more than you can imagine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><strong>Let The Sword in the Stone stand as a monument of God’s love for you. </strong>Just as the sword revealed Arthur’s true identity, let it remind you that you are a Prince or Princess-because you are a child of the King of Kings! Nothing anyone can say or do can ever take that away from you, and it remains true no matter what others say about you or how they treat you.</span></p>
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