Me and My Muppets

“I have a dream too, but it’s about singing and dancing and making people happy. It’s the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with. And I found a whole group of friends who have the same dream, and that makes us sort of like a family.” Kermit the Frog

In 1979, Kermit the Frog hopped away from the swamp he called home and headed to Hollywood with the dream of making millions of people happy.  As he treks across America, Kermit is joined in his quest by Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy and all the other Muppets we've come to know and love. Their shared dream of one day entertaining gave them an unbreakable bond of inspiration, joy and love; they became friends, and as Kermit said, sort of like a family.

Now my friends and I may not dream of singing and dancing, which believe me, everyone should be thankful for that fact!  But we do share a dream. We have this common goal of loving Christ and sharing Him with others. It really is the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with. We’re living out this journey of pursuing God, and along the way our paths have crossed and an unbreakable bond of inspiration, joy and love has stitched us together and made us family.

I was blessed to spend so much of this last week with my second family. After two months of mostly being on the road, gosh, I missed them! Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” That is exactly what this family does for me- they stir me to love and good works and they are constantly encouraging me.

Reflecting on 2013, I see how much we have honestly lived life together. It’s been so much more than sharing meals or going to church together (Acts 2:42).  We have been there to bear each others’ burdens (Galatians 6:2). We have lifted each other up in prayer; we have cried on each others’ shoulders and we have crashed on each others’ couches. We have celebrated each others’ victories together. Baptisms, additions to our families, even pointless, silly mirror ball trophies. We have pushed each other to step outside our comfort zones and grow in our faith, to use our gifts as we are called to do. I have been on the receiving end of all of this love countless times, and I have no idea why God has blessed me with such an incredible image of what His Church was meant to look like. Some of these friends are my Fozzies; we took the same fork in the road early on in the journey. Others are new additions, and though they hopped on our Electric Mayhem bus a little later down the road, they have contributed some great scenes, challenging me and encouraging me along our journey.

As I look forward to 2014, I am so excited for what God has in store for all of us. As for me, I’m looking forward to sharing our dream with more people. I want to grow our family and I’m so excited and encouraged knowing all of you do too. At the end of The Muppet Movie there are 250 Muppets in one shot… You know I love a challenge! Are you up for it??

Cheers to a new year and cheers to this family!

“I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.” Colossians 2:2