Submitted by lisacoldiron on Sat, 01/28/2012 - 16:32
I am reading the book, "The Lord is my Shepherd" by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, and was struck by these words that he wrote in regards to children and security... he writes, "Psychologists tell us that young children have a 'morality of security.' 'Good' is anything that makes them feel safe; 'bad' is anything that makes them feel anxious.
God and parents are important in children's lives because they help children feel secure in an insecure world." Today, our children need this more than ever! They must have the security of knowing that an all-knowing, all powerful God is watching over them; that He loved them into being, and will forever be with them. He will not leave them alone ever....not even for one single minute! He goes on to say...."I often think of it as the spiritual equivalent of a night-light, letting us close our eyes without worrying about the dangers that might lurk in the darkness. Worrying about them is God's job." Wow!! I started to smile as I read this, because this is what our own little AJ tells Howard when Howard confesses to being afraid of the dark... AJ tells his buddy, "Howie, you don't gotta be afraid. You gotta remember what Jesus said, man, He said don't be scared of the dark, cuz I'm here and I'm the light bulb of the world, the night-light of life!"
The wisdom here is for all of us... God is in charge and He truly is the Night-Light of life... He can carry it, He can direct it, He can heal it, He can change it, He can forgive it, He can guide it... whatever it is that you or your child is carrying or worrying about, put it in His hands and let God be God. It's His job!
The following is a short video clip from a very wise little one who has obviously been given the beautiful guidance that her God can handle whatever comes her way...even though she is young, she understands that letting God be God doesn't mean she can sit back and not do the work, but she knows that with God by her side, she can face anything! He is her night-light... She will never ever have to face anything alone. Unless you become like little children....
Submitted by lisacoldiron on Mon, 01/16/2012 - 09:53
...but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." After He placed His hands on them, He went away." Matthew 19:14-15
And do not prevent them....
Jesus said, "Let the children come to me..." Why? Because He knows that He is the only one who can give them all that they will need to make it in this world. And what does He give? He wants to give them peace... (the kind that passes understanding, Phil 4:7); He wants to lighten their load, help them carry their crosses (come unto me all who are weary...Matt 11:28); He wants to carry their worry about the things they may need or want, (Your heavenly Father knows what you need and will provide, Matt 6:25), He wants them to know that He loves them with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3); and He wants them to know, KNOW, KNOW that He will NEVER, EVER leave them or forsake them, even unto the end of time. (Matt 28:20) Don't we want our children to have and know this security?
Sadly, we have given them a world that does not allow them to call on their heavenly Father in public... they will not hear the adults in their world praying for them or with them in any public forum... it will be reserved only for the privacy of their homes, or in their churches, temples or synagogues. And we wonder why our children are anxious, sad and worried. We have taken their safety net away...
That is why we do gpk... that is why it is so important to us... so that today's children will know that they have a Creator.... that He loves them and that He wants to be a part of every single thing in their every day lives...
"Dear Jesus... today, we bring you all the beautiful little children of the world... we bring them to you in prayer... so that you may lay your holy, healing hands upon them. We will not prevent them from coming to you, we will not be afraid to say your name, we will bring them to you to receive the peace, love, healing and protection that only you can give. We thank you heavenly Father for hearing us and for your many blessings." Amen...
Submitted by lisacoldiron on Fri, 12/23/2011 - 12:43
Christmas... it's almost here! You can feel the frenetic energy everywhere you go! The shopping, the wrapping, the baking, the decorating, the cleaning, the visits to Santa, the Elf on the shelf, and somewhere tucked quietly away, is the Christ child in the manger. Somehow... I think this is where Jesus is happiest... tucked quietly away deep within our hearts... never forgotten, but never calling loud attention to Himself either. Look at the way He came... so quietly, unassumingly. Our King and our God hidden away in an obscure town, in a poor and unknown cave or manger and yet He forever changed the world. Jesus...holy one, healing one, blessed one... how easily we forget you, and push you aside as we choose more new "toys", loud music, more parties, more, more, more! And there you are... quietly and humbly waiting for even the shortest visit from us... even just the most minute raising of our hearts to you brings You the greatest joy!
"Oh dear Jesus... may we, as we go about the busyness of this season, carry You, and hold You in our hearts remembering that only in You is our true joy to be found, only in You will we be healed of all that is wrong within us, and only in You will we be forever changed for good. This Christmas, may our gift to You be the gift of our whole self with complete trust. Thank you for your humble birth... thank you for the peace, thank you for the love! We love you, Jesus! Happy Birthday Lord."
May God's blessing be upon each and every one of you during this most holy season!
Submitted by lisacoldiron on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 22:11
Yesterday, Brian, Jimmy and myself met at Brian's apartment to talk tech (well, I can't talk tech, but they sure can!!). Jimmy is the one who has done the majority of the underscoring for our gpk webshorts. He is amazing!! Jimmy is a recent grad from Berklee with more gifts and talents than I can name! We are so blessed that he is a part of the gpk family. His degree is in Film Scoring, but he is also a drummer, piano player and composer, just to mention a few! He just finished underscoring "Follow Me" for us, so that episode is now ready for release. We did a short interview with him so that you could see for yourselves exactly what underscoring is, and all that it involves. The underscoring truly finishes the work... it is not complete without it. It is the icing on the cake!
We hope you all enjoy our newest webshort... "Follow Me." It is based on the gospel account of Jesus calling out to Peter and the other soon to be disciples to "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." I must admit, this command always intrigued me... this itinerant Rabbi walks along the shore, and calls out to a bunch of fishermen and they drop their nets and follow... just like that!! What a man this Jesus was... And, because they did, their lives were completely and forever changed for good.
In today's world, there are many, many voices that call out to our children and say, "Come, follow me." It is our job to teach them that the one true voice to follow is the voice of our Creator. No matter what comes their way... if they follow the quiet, gentle, humble voice of the Creator, they will be given the grace and strength to see through whatever comes their way. He promises this... nothing else in their life can or will every make that promise.
Submitted by lisacoldiron on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 14:41
Those of us on the east coast have just experienced two unusual events... an earthquake, followed just a few days later by a rather large and ominous hurricane. Thankfully, in both cases, the damage was minimal considering what might have been. Throughout the experience, I kept thinking about how many times our Lord asked His disciples, and the crowds that followed Him, "Who do you say that I Am?" or "Who do they say that I Am?"
Job learned this lesson and was mightily humbled when our Lord answered his questioning with three chapters of "tongue-lashing!" Job responded, "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know..... and I repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:2-6)
I think we are reminded of this when things like: earthquakes, hurricanes, a medical diagnosis we don't wish to hear, sudden death etc. enter into our lives in a profound way. We are very suddenly... OUT OF CONTROL!! For all of our abilities, high-tech equipment, medical advances etc., there are certain things that remain totally out of our control and beyond our understanding. God is in charge. And so now we return to the question, "Who do you say that I Am?" Who is this Almighty God, the one who is in charge and in control of every single thing that happens... who is He to you? Is He God of power and vengeance, or is He Abba, Father? And, this is so difficult to grasp at times, because since He is God, He is everything! He is God of power and might, as well as God of simplicity and quiet. He is mightier than the greatest hurricane, or earthquake, more gentle and tender than a newborn infant and quieter than the very air that surrounds us. He is everything. And this great, great everything tells us, "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) I guess this earthquake/hurricane experience has just reminded me of this. He is in charge, and He is mighty!! But just as importantly, He wants us to always remember who He is, "Fear not; I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you." Isaiah 41:10 and "For I am the Lord, your God, who grasp your right hand; It is I who say to you, "Fear not, I will help you." (Isaiah 41:13) He is in charge, and if we truly, truly trust Him, than we have nothing to fear. Difficulties will come and go, challenges will rise up, but God is still God, and He is in charge, AND... He is holding our hand. He is with us. He is in control.
Remember Julian of Norwich? She said, "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
Hello! My name is Vickie Bigliano and Lisa asked me to submit a blog about all the work and fun that goes into designing and creating a set for Grace Place Kids! So, here goes! First off, let me say how lucky I am to be working with such creative people. Over the years I have taken my training as an Interior Designer and Illustrator and put them to use creating a virtual 'home' for Howard, Lenore, Gladys, AJ and Drucilla - it has been a challenge and a great learning experience.
Now, about set design! As you can see in the pictures the set arrives as unfinished wood - mostly plywood - to my garage. It is large so it won't fit into my house! I did some sketches to show Brian and Lisa how it would look and after approval sent it off to a Carpenters Shop to make all the pieces. In set design you have to think of many things - like.....
What do you want it to look like? How will the puppets 'interact' with the set? What does the camera see? etc. So...we put together a street scene with windows and a door, a low wall the puppets could work behind and made it long enough that the camera could take different angles. I am still learning! The actors were scrunched at our first filming behind the low wall so next time we will 'pick it up off the ground'.
Ok, some pictures! What you see in the pictures is the progress the set is making along the way from unfinished wood to painting it like a street scene...it was fun, took about 7-8 solid days of painting and really gave the neighbors something to talk about!!
Submitted by lisacoldiron on Fri, 07/22/2011 - 12:58
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?" Matthew 6:25-30
I think we probably need to read this most meaningful passage every single day; (I do anyway!) commit it to memory in both our mind and our heart! Recently, the Lord so gently and graciously reminded me of this in my flower pots on my back deck. See, I love my flowers...I love picking them out, planting them, watering and fertilizing... I even like weeding! But, most especially, I love watching them grow. Just walking past them as I enter my home gives me great joy! I usually pick out the brightest colors that I can find and fill my walkway and back deck with them. This year, however, I was only able to plant them in the front of my house. I didn't have the time, or even the finances to buy so many flowers this year, and so I let go of the back deck. My beautiful deck pots sat empty and dried out. Every time I looked at them, my heart sunk, and I allowed a bit of "self-pity" to overtake me.
At the same time, my beloved father was very sick, and in his last weeks and so I headed to my parents home a few hours away to help my mother with the care of my dad. It was a most extraordinary time... a time of great, great grace, as I was able to spend the past few weeks with both of them. What a gift! After my father returned home to our Lord, I headed back to my own home to get things in order. Waiting for me, on my back deck, were my pots beginning to fill with the most beautiful hot pink flowers... my last years annuals had re-seeded themselves, and despite not being watered, and totally ignored for over a month, they returned to bless me! WOW!!! I immediately thought of the passage from Matthew's gospel about the flowers, and our dear Lord's reminder that He cares for us always and as He says over and over again...do not worry... I will take care of you... I am with you... I love you! What a God...
"Dear Lord, over and over again you amaze us and bless us with the beauty of creation...your wonderful reminders that you are always with us. Your extravagant, abundant, over-flowing love is always evident if we but open our eyes and heart. Help us, sweet Lord, to never miss you, to see you in everything that is good and to be thankful, and at peace. Amen"
"Lord, your love reaches to heaven; your fidelity to the clouds. Your justice is like the highest mountains; your judgments, like the mighty deep, all living creatures you sustain, Lord. How precious is your love, O God!" Psalm 36:6-8
Submitted by lisacoldiron on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 15:17
Yesterday, the GPK family had a very busy and wonderful day! A few of us gathered together at the studio to film with Howard and Gladys (aka Brian and Amanda), with Emily right arming Gladys, Vickie tweaking and checking out her newly designed and built set, Darryl (aka AJ) stopped in to lend a hand with sound, Gillian right-arming Howard, and myself behind the camera.
It was hot, the lights were casting shadows everywhere, the sound was "echoing"...by and large, nothing was working! As the day wore on, I wondered if were going to get the filming done that we had planned! On one hand, it was frustrating, on the other, it was truly a blessing to watch and listen as everyone offered suggestions and thoughts to help make things come together, and, of course... it did! We couldn't fix or change the heat, but we didn't let it wear us out...the sound? we decided to dubb over it at Brian's apartment later...the shadows?...well...we turned the offending lights off and...shadows gone!! It all came together, and it felt ... hmmmm....right!
I'm reminded of Paul's discourse in Corinthian's about Spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12) and about one body with many different members. Things work when we listen to one another, when we allow each other to use their gifts for the good of the group, when we look to one another for support. When you watch one of the GPK web shorts that lasts 4-6 minutes long, you don't see all the intense work, love, and effort of so many, many different people, with such varied gifts. I am so thankful that the Lord made us this way...to need one another and mostly, to need Him. When we wrapped up filming, we were sweaty and tired, but very happy! We always are when we are together!
To cap the day off, we were treated to the most special evening! Elizabeth (Lenore) and her husband James, had us all over for dinner at their beautiful apartment! The food was amazing (Elizabeth can cook!!), and the fellowship was perfect. I felt our Lord's presence with us as we prayed together under Darryl's (AJ) direction. We talked a lot about our faith, and about prayer. And then....Brian unveiled the first showing of the newly edited up-coming, soon-to-be released, "Follow the Leader" episode!! He knocked our socks off the way he put the video together...it's awesome!!! We can't wait to share it with you all, but it still needs underscoring and such before we can release it. Just another day for the GPK crew, but a good day and I am so very, very thankful.
Submitted by lisacoldiron on Wed, 06/22/2011 - 12:24
The gpk family has been working on putting together some half hour episodes. This involves connecting some new podcasts together with a combination of puppets and "real live kids." What a joy this has been! We are filming candid moments of children: saying their prayers, talking about God, talking about lying, sharing (or not sharing!), being greedy and many other things. As we do this, it becomes more and more abundantly clear why our Lord tells us on many different occasions to "be as little children." The complete trust, the genuine faith, and the wide-eyed wonderment of their God is so beautifully evident! But, equally beautiful are the mommies and daddies who have been sharing their children with us! We all have been so blessed by what we have seen! These are parents who have clearly made the choice and commitment to put God first in their own lives, and are instilling this in the lives of their children. These children are all typical busy little kids with soccer practice, swimming, school, friends, even some are taking handwriting classes! But, these parents have chosen to teach their kids that God is first ... everything else follows.
In a world that teaches and encourages "me" first or body, appearances, and worldly success first, these parents are counter-culture. They are teaching their children (by their example and by their choices) that God, and the development of the spirit come first. Everything else will fall into place if they abide by this. It is truly beautiful to see! We know as children of God, as children of a crucified Lord, that our children will experience difficult trials in this life. We know that they will be called to walk through "thorny" paths at times, (and as parents this is so very painful) but if we have taught them to turn to their God, and trust in Him first before all else, we can know with full confidence that all shall be well. What greater gift could we possibly give them?
Thank you to all of the wonderful, beautiful families who have shared their children with us at gpk! You have blessed us greatly!
To all the parents who are working so hard to raise God-loving and God fearing children in this age and time...we pray for you and your children! At gpk, we are committed to helping families on their faith walk by bringing Jesus into the day to day lives of kids through our puppets, stories and songs. This is our mission, this is what we profess, this is what we believe.
Submitted by lisacoldiron on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 16:59
This weekend we began filming an upcoming episode titled, "Frogurt"... IN OUR NEW STUDIO in Brooklyn!! We are beside ourselves with excitement! Now, all our lights, sound equipment, computers, speakers, green screen, and most importantly... Howard, Gladys, Lenore, Drucilla and AJ have a home! The first thing that we hung on the wall was a picture of the "kids"! We are going to begin filming half hour episodes that will encompass "live children", our short podcasts as well as other outside visitors. Our own resident artist Vickie Bigliano is currently designing, building and painting the GPK set. The set will allow us to have a completely different look, more three dimensional. (She will share more on this later!) The set is the GPK street, where the puppet kids, and their "live" kid friends can meet, talk, share, laugh and sing together. Our mission and goal at GPK has always been to bring Jesus into the day to day lives of children. It is important to us to teach our children (as best we can) to not separate what being a child of God means from our day to day living. There is a responsibility to living a gospel, Christ centered life. Even as adults we struggle with this at times, but it must be even more confusing to our children who are bombarded daily with opposing messages. So, we ask that you please pray for us as we embark on this new challenge. Pray that we will be faithful to our Lord, and to our mission, and we in turn will hold each of you in our prayers, as you work and pray to live a Christ centered life too. May God bless you!
