”Open Our Eyes” Part 1- Christmas 2019
Christmas. 2019 was a monumental Christmas for me. I've been going through the Patch Club books and they use the KJV Bible and I didn't have one. My parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said I wanted two creative journaling Bibles.
One KJV and the other NLT (mostly for the pictures)
This is huge for me because it shows where I am spiritually now compared to where I was spiritually 2 ½ years ago.
2 ½ years ago I would never have wanted bibles let alone read my Bible. I hated reading my Bible and I hated Bible studies. It was meaningless. It didn't apply to me. It was just busy homework. That's a frustrating and devastating place to be in.
But in March of 2018 all that changed.
As I mentioned in earlier blog posts, in Jan of 2018 the Lord brought Ron Hamilton and Majesty Music back into my life.
In March of 2018 the Lord gave me a very special opportunity. He opened the door for me to see Ron Hamilton at a Patch Live! Ocean Commotion concert in Sandiego!
After the Ocean Commotion concert I ended up buying all the Patch adventures! Little did I know how life changing that would be for me!
As soon as I got home from the Patch Live! Concert I started putting all the Patch adventures on my phone and mp3 player.
I remember I was working on the Ocean Commotion sketchnote for my sketchnote book and I was listening to the adventure in the shower and in the adventure they are talking about how Noah felt when he was building the Ark.
Earlier in the adventure "Alberta Einstein says: those people weren't very nice.
Pistol: Why were they so mean?
Patch: Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth and don't want help. But we still need to help them if we can.
Alberta: But why won't they believe us?
Bootstrap Ben: They believe the lies of Wise Guy, Alberta, and they are afraid.
Sissy Seagull: It's kind of like what happened when Noah was building the Ark. No one believed him when he said a storm was coming.
Alberta: They probably called Noah crazy too.
Sissy: Or a cuckoo bird.
Pearl: Or a troublemaker.
A few minutes later in the adventure Patch says: It can be hard to stand up for what's right when people are laughing at you, and there will often be people who mock you when you speak the truth."
Listening to this I had the biggest light bulb moment!
It dawned on me that the stories in the Bible aren't just stories like I thought they were growing up.
These are stories of real people with real feelings who got bullied, made fun of, and went through trials and had to trust God just like me. At that moment the Bible became real, personal, relatable for me for the first time! This was real!
That changed everything!
Listening to the Patch adventures I had 2 big ah ha moments!
- That the Bible is real stories of real people with real struggles.
- That the Bible is stories, pictures (metaphors), wisdom and instructions for how we ought to live.
Here are a few of the Patch adventures that really stood out to me.
- Ocean Commotion
Not only is the "Ocean Commotion" Patch adventure the story of Noah but it's also a picture of how God is our refuge.
Psalm 18:2
“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust;”
Song: You Are My Refuge
The door on the ark is representative of how God is the only door to eternal life.
”The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."
I love how picturesque that Psalm is. God is the Good Shepherd and we are his sheep. God will protect us against the enemy.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
That adventure goes through Psalm 23.
Song: Still Waters
"Giant Killer." It's the story of David. David was a Shepherd.He was Faithful in the little things so God gave him bigger tasks.God took a lowly shepherd boy and made him a king. 1 Samuel 17
- Song: Shepherds To Kings
David had to trust God that God would help him defeat his giant Goliath. Just like David had to trust God to help him defeat his giant Goliath, we need to trust God to help us defeat the giants in our lives. If we're Faithful in little things God will give us bigger responsibilities.
Song: Giant Killer
”Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
is about Hebrews 12:1-2. That passage is a picture about the Christian Life being like a long distance race.
Song: The Victor's Crown
If we look to Jesus we can follow in the footsteps of other faithful men.
Song: Faithful Men
In the Christian life, we all hit trials and storms of some kind of another. But God can give us peace in the midst of the storms of life.
The song "Peace Be Still" from the Patch adventure "The Calliape Caper" is about the story of how Jesus commands the wind and the waves to be still.
Jesus calmed a storm with the power of his words. - Mark 4:39
"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."
Just like Jesus that calmed that storm for the disciples, he can calm the storms in our lives.
Song: Peace Be Still
- "Kilimanjaro"is based on the book of Proverbs. This adventure talks about the power of the tongue,the power of our words and how God is always only good even through a dark night. with scary sounds
Song: You Are Always Good
Just like the Patch adventure "Kilimanjaro" talks about the power of the tongue, the Patch adventure "Down Under" talks about the power and consequences of our actions. "Your actions are like boomerangs and some day they'll come back to you."
Galatians 6:7 - "for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
Song: The Boomerang song
It's the story of the 10 Egyptian plagues.
I grew up knowing that story. I was always told that God sent the plagues to Pharaoh as a punishment for his disobedience to God when God kept telling him to let the Egyptian people go.
What I didn't realize as a kid and learned from Time Twisters is that God also sent the plagues to show Pharaoh his power, that He (God) is the one true God.
Song: Only One
The all powerful God of Wonders!
Pharaoh had to learn the consequences of his actions.
Psalm 77:13-14-"who is so great a God as our God?
Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people."
Psalm 90:1-2-" Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."
Song: God of Wonders
Song: Radshack, Meshack, Abendigo
Song: Daniel - Sing Along With Patch The Pirate
Song: Gideon- Patch Goes West
God showed his power through the lives of Radshack, Meshack, and Abendago, Daniel, and Gideon.
Song: God is Good- story of Joseph - Patch adventure: "Kashmir Kid"
In the life of Joseph God showed his power and how he can turn a tragedy into a blessing. Genesis 50:20
"The Misterslippi River Race" is a great example of how God always has a plan even if it's not our plan and how he can turn a trial into a blessing.
Romans 8:28 -”And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
There's a song in this adventure called "Trust in the Lord" and it's basically Proverbs 3:5-6 put to music.
I grew up knowing that proverb and could quote it verbatim but never understood what it really meant until I heard this song.
Our plans may not be God's plans and we need to trust him that he knows the best path for our lives.
When we run into trials or problems if we trust God, he can work all things together for good.
"God never moves without purpose or plan."
Song: Rejoice in the Lord
The Patch adventures have completely changed my perspective about the Bible.
They showed me how simple it is.
The Bible isn't this hard thing to understand like I thought it was growing up.
I see situations, Bible verses and songs very differently now.
One song in particular comes to mind.
"Mary Did You Know."
"Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.
Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God
Mary did you know? Mary did you know? Mary did you know?
Mary did you know? Mary did you know? Mary did you know?
The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb
Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?
That sleeping child you're holding is the great I am
Mary did you know? Mary did you know? Mary did you know?
Mary did you know? Mary did you know? Mary did you know? Oh
Mary did you know?"
"Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?"
Not only can God calm a physical storm but he can also calm the storms in our life. God can give us peace in the midst of storms or trials.
"The blind will see"
Not only did Jesus heal a blind man physically but he also opens our eyes spiritually. He gives us spiritual vision.
Fanny Crosby was blinded as an infant but went on to write so many of our hymns.
Fanny Crosby- "God gave me spiritual vision instead of physical vision, and what a blessing it's been."
Fanny tried to find the doctor that blinded her. She never was able to find him. People asked her why she wanted to find him. She said because she wanted to thank him for the way that God used him in her life. She said if she had had physical vision she would have been so distracted by the things of this world. But as it was, God instead gave her spiritual vision to see him, and what a blessing it's been.
"the deaf will hear"
Again this is also talking spiritually. God can open our hearts to understand things that we weren't able to understand or hear before.
"the dead will live again"
Not only did Jesus bring dead people back to life but he also gives us eternal life when we ask God to forgive our sins and accept Jesus as our savior.
"The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb."
For Christmas I got the two journaling Bibles that I wanted.
I love how even God uses stories and music to teach truth. God makes it simple, personal, and relatable.