Some serious blogging- my first book recommendation

I have some serious blogging to do! Or, at least some serious catch-up to do! I've been working on a blog about a particular topic (it's a secret...) for what seems like forever now... and in the meantime other topics keep piling up. So let me at least get caught up with the books I've read recently! First, there's "Me, Myself and Bob" by none other than Phil Vischer. If by now, you don't recognize the name of "Bob" or "Phil Vischer", then you need to stop here and go rent "Dave and the Giant Pickle." If, however, you do like to waltz with potatoes, you WANT to read on! When I was in the store, I saw a tomato on a book cover and thought "it couldn't be!" But it was- Phil Vischer wrote the story of VeggieTales! What was even more intriguing, however, was that the book promised to explain not just the creation of VeggieTales, but also the downfall- I remember the sense of disappointment when we learned it was to be sold. This wonderful strongly Christian ministry had such a HUGE impact, so far reaching- and with it being sold, I somehow knew the Christian message would be tarnished- likely to be "watered down" by a different company- and then that opportunity to influence not just the church but the lost would be lost. I remember at the time hearing people say "they got too big too quick, mismanaged money..." Well, having read the book, I can say "yes... but no." The first half of the book is fascinating- did you know Larry came first? Do you remember the early days, when we all knew why the characters were vegetables? Do you know how Silly Songs with Larry came about? Or how the first episode was made- literally copied- and how orders were taken? That part of the book is also wonderful for encouraging anyone with a God-given dream to have the courage to recognize and pursue it, and it makes it so clear how God can take very diverse interests, talents and experiences within one life and use them all together for an amazing purpose. But as the story moves along, Phil is so honest, so transparent. He doesn't just explain how VeggieTales went bankrupt, he gives a very thoughtful analysis of why it happened. He examines himself- his motives, his misconceptions, his very personal experience of tremendous success and utter failure. And it's one of the best books I've ever read about facing failure and understanding why God allows us to go through such dark times even when we've had "the purest of motives"- all within a book about people who are made happy by squash! If you've ever failed- or feared failure, if you've ever had a dream and feared or dared to pursue it... or if you've ever wondered how a vegetable can walk without feet and hold things without hands- then you must read this book! Some websites you might want to check-out are http://www.philvischer.com/ and http://www.jellyfishland.com/about/default.html This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.