Saturday, July 3, 2010

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall... Who Has the Truest Heart of All ??



The story goes like this . . .

Once upon a time, there lived a royal blueberry, a fair rhubarb maiden and a deceptive mirror! Sweetpea Beauty knows that what’s on the inside is what matters most, but insecure Queen Blueberry can not see past her own reflection! So, when a decree is handed down that only the most beautiful can rule the land, the Queen gets nervous and things turn ugly! Banished to the dark forest, Sweetpea’s future seems bleak until a charming prince, a band of merry minstrels and seven snow peas come to the rescue! Will Sweetpea and her friends be able to warn the Queen in time to save her from the clutches of the tricky mirror — or will the crumbling kingdom and the Queen’s own heart be lost forever? Find out in this fairy “Veggie” tale about the real meaning of true beauty.

My friends at VeggieTales are about to release a DVD with two beautiful stories, SweetPea Beauty and Snooderella. Both of these lovely stories were written while specifically focusing on the hearts of little girls. The relevant, yet very sweet stories answer two extremely important questions: What is the true meaning of beauty? AND, By whose standards do we measure our beauty?

In the main story, SweetPea Beauty, there are many exciting moments! Our heroine, Sweet Pea, played by Petunia Rhubarb, teaches the lesson: Beauty in your heart is much more important than beauty on the outside. Queen Blueberry finds this out, firsthand!!

Besides having some really lovely songs throughout the show,SweetPea Beauty borrows several fun elements found within some of the most loved princess stories: A charming Prince, seven "dwarfed" snow peas, a magic mirror, a queen of questionable character, apples...and a turkey dinner. OK, so a turkey dinner is a new twist, but tryptophan does play an important role!

The Bible verse referenced is, Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (NIV).  Most of us grown up girls know all about the Proverbs 31 woman.  While she can be pretty intimidating, we still desire to be her.  I really liked how the story's writer, Mark Steele, utilized this Biblical truth! Quite simply, it's what God's definition of beauty is that's important. We girls, of all ages, often lose that perspective! Therefore, this story holds within it a very valuable lesson! God sees what's in our hearts; that's the TRUE definition of beauty.

If you are a fan of the VeggieTales classic, A Snoodle's Tale, you will love the second feature on this DVD,  Snooderella.  VeggieTales co-creator, Mike Nawrocki, wrote this sweet story, using the same rhythmic lyrical (Suessical) style found in its predecessor.  It's a little it like Cinderella meets The Princess Diaries in Snoodleville.  The theme will touch your heart, whether you are a young girl or, like me, just a wee-bit older version of that young girl!  This story is one that all girls will easily relate to! The message clearly reinforces that our loving Creator cherishes each of us, loves everything about us (even the awkward parts) and reminds us that we are truly wonderfully made!

One of the neatest things that you will find on this DVD, is during the closing credits. Christian music super-star, Nicole Nordeman, wrote and performed "Beautiful For Me" for this VeggieTale. It's just wonderful! Her lyrics tie all the ends together, making for a very complete package to showcase how beautiful we girls are to our loving Lord and how much He loves us, just the way we are!

As you know, I'm the mother of two boys. There is absolutely NOT a SHRED of pink anywhere in my house! Most movies that I get to watch generally have super heroes, light sabers, or swords in them. My TV is usually tuned to ESPN, The History Channel, Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon or Disney. (OK...admittedly, I do sneak in my BRAVO shows when everyone else is in bed AND I like some sports!) But, quite literally, I live in a man's world! Be that as it may, I am girl through and through! I totally understand what our dear little girls go through in this superficial society we live; and yes, we adult girls go through similar self image problems, ourselves.

The thing that I love most about VeggieTales is that I almost always walk away from screening a show with a personal reinforcement of a Biblical truth! I'm grateful to the writers of these shows for keeping the story and the message GOD lays on their heart at the forefront of their art. It would be a lot easier to write for the secular audience and make an overall generalization of what it means to be beautiful. Instead the writers reference God's Word first, then create a story around that truth. And the Truth... well, it just works!

Isn't it just like our loving Creator to fully understand His softer, gentler creation would need to hear the words, "You are beautiful" and "I love you"? I find it spectacular to know we girls have that love letter, personally addressed to each of us, found within His Word.

SweetPea Beauty will be released to all major retailers and Christian retailers on July 31. But, if you go to the Big Idea web site, you can PRE-order your own copy of SWEET PEA BEAUTY today, which comes with a FREE bonus CD, "Songs for Girls", all for just $14.99.

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