Each of the lands of Disneyland is unique and tells its own story. But of each of the lands off the Hub (Main Street U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland), one is missing something that each of the others have. Adventureland does not have something that all the others do. The most obvious example of this “missing object” is Sleeping Beauty Castle.

What’s absent from Adventureland is a “weenie”.

Walt Disney described it this way: "What you need is a weenie, which says to people 'come this way.' People won't go down a long corridor unless there's something promising at the end. You have to have something the beckons them to 'walk this way.'"

A "weenie" is a visual icon in a Disney theme park that draws the guest in, and it’s something all of the other original lands have.

• Main Street U.S.A. – Sleeping Beauty Castle
• Tomorrowland – The Astro Orbiter (when it was up above the PeopleMover track, not so much where it is now)
• Fantasyland – Depending on what direction you approach from, this could be the Matterhorn, the Carousel (seen through the castle), or even Dumbo
• Frontierland – The smoke stack on the Mark Twain (especially before the trees grew up as much as they have.

Part of the purpose of the weenie is to give guests an idea of what they’re going to experience in that land. It gives them a visual cue as to what they can expect. Adventureland doesn’t have anything like this. The Tiki Room has some visual interest, but it sits at an entrance, and can’t be seen from the other side. Tarzan’s Treehouse is similar. There is nothing that gives you a clue about what you’re going to become a part of once you cross the bridge. There is nothing that beckons you forward, except the promise of adventure. And some of what you see can even seem menacing at first.

But there’s a good reason for that. Urban Planner Sam Gennawey (as well as a blogger, published author, and speaker at the Walt Disney Family Museum) explains it this way: “If you knew what was coming, it wouldn’t be an adventure.”

I’ve written before about the adventure of the Christian life, but it bears looking at again. You see, when we think about what we most want out of life, one of the first things that comes to most people’s minds is security, or safety. But that’s not what being a Christian is all about. Sure, we know that heaven is our ultimate future, but between now and then, life is pretty unpredictable. We’re never promised the long view. We often get only the next step.

Paul (Saul at the time) experienced this:

“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:6, NIV)

Abram didn’t get much more:

“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’
“I will make you into a great nation
   and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
   and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
   and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
   will be blessed through you.”
So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.” (Genesis 12:1-4, NIV)

God does guide us (when we’re open to receiving it), but one step at a time. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105, NIV) A lamp illuminates only a small distance in front of us. We get a flashlight, not a floodlight.

When you first step into Adventureland you know only what’s right in front of you, or right next to you. As you explore further, you get to see more and more of it, and wonderful adventures await you. But you would have never known them had you not gone into the place you didn’t know to find out what was there—with only the promise of a sign to guide you.

As you follow God and His will and desires, you get to see more and more of what He has for you—and the farther in you get, the more you can look back at the adventure you’ve had.

It’s not easy sometimes, but God never promised it would be. He did promise peace and security, but only in Himself. Sometimes following Him feels risky, but it’s never as risky as not following, and just “playing it safe”. And to really follow Him into this adventure means to do it completely, with everything you are. With all your heart, mind, soul, and strength (to paraphrase the context a bit).

It means loving, and risking hurt and separation (as when someone dies or moves far away). It means serving, and risking being taken advantage of. It means giving, sometimes out of great abundance and sometimes when it seems like there’s nothing to give. It means following, even when the way seems unclear, and we feel woefully unqualified to do what He is calling us to. And it means being true to who He made us to be, living our own adventure, not someone else’s.

There is sacrifice, but there is joy in the journey. The adventure is always worth it. Often we won’t have the “weenie” drawing us in and telling us what’s to come. We have only a sign, a bridge, and the willingness to explore in faith. As we do, we discover that adventure, a great adventure, really is out there, and we wonder why we spent so much time avoiding it.


Question: How have you experienced God leading you into adventure recently—and what are you doing to follow Him? Talk about it in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.

One of the “hidden in plain sight” gems of Main Street U.S.A. is the Main Street Cinema. An Opening Day attraction, the Main Street Cinema shows (in black and white) six animated shorts from the early years of Mickey and the gang while a recorded musical accompaniment plays.

As of now, the six shorts that are playing are:

• Mickey’s Polo Team
• Traffic Troubles
• The Dognapper
• The Moose Hunt
• Steamboat Willie
• Plane Crazy

The Main Street Cinema is a great place to get out of the sun (or rain) and enjoy some classic cartoons. It also contains something that most people aren’t aware of, and it’s here we find our lesson.

Of the six cartoon shorts playing, only one is playing its own soundtrack. All the rest have the musical accompaniment playing throughout the room as their only soundtrack. The one that plays its own? Steamboat Willie.

What makes this interesting and significant to me is that you have to really be paying attention to even notice that. The music playing in the room is good, and it fits the Cinema, but it’s relatively loud. The soundtrack for Steamboat Willie, by comparison, is quiet. You have to be standing right in front of it, and you have to be paying attention to notice it. If you don’t listen for it, you probably will miss it. Only Steamboat Willie has its original soundtrack, but you must listen carefully & filter out the other (good) music & sound to hear it.

There’s a lot of “noise” in the world today, and not all of it is bad. There are some worthwhile movies and TV shows. There are countless good books. Thanks to Live365, Pandora, Spotify, and other services there is almost no limit to the music you can listen to. With iTunes, Podcatcher, and other services there are thousands of podcasts on almost every conceivable subject.

There is a lot to listen to, and a lot of it is encouraging, fun, entertaining, educational, and even valuable. But it’s easy to get caught up in the noise, and when we do, we miss the sound that’s constantly playing in the background and easy to miss.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
     ~ Isa. 30:21, NIV

We make time for our favorite TV show (or shows, the average person age 15+ spends 2.7 hours per day watching TV—that’s 19 hours per week, or 983 hours per year, almost 41 days!), to listen to our podcasts, to go to movies, go to parties, etc. But how much time do we spend listening to God? Reading His Word? Praying? Spending time in natural surroundings and listening to Him speak through His creation?

This isn’t about guilting us into action (or inaction, as the case may be), it’s about helping us to become intentionally aware of our priorities and encouraging us to listen better. His voice is always there, but we miss it through the noise of life, or because what we’re listening for (i.e. the solution to a troubled relationship) isn’t what He’s saying (“Let Me work in your heart and change you.”).

Listen carefully. Filter out the noise—even if it’s “good” noise. His voice is there.


Question: What is one way you can filter out some of the noise in your life and listen for Him? Talk about it in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.

When we think of what makes Disneyland—and all the Disney parks—special, a number of factors may come to mind. Maybe it’s the rides, the shows, the themeing, the food, the atmosphere, the fireworks, or the parades. maybe it’s a particular one of those that holds a special memory.

All of those are valuable, and they do all work together to make these places unique. But there’s something else, something without which the rest would be nothing. The Cast Members.

Walt Disney said, “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” That’s really true. I’ve been to many places, and while each of them have good people, the level of quality, service, dedication, and show provided by Disney Cast Members is second to none anywhere that I’ve ever found.

Disney Cast Members are special group of people. And, as Christians, so are we.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12, NIV)

Look at what it says about us: we are God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved. let’s look at each of those a little more closely.


Chosen
Disney has a careful selection process when it comes to hiring Cast Members. It used to be even more stringent than it is now, but it still holds true that not just anyone can walk in off the street and work for Disney. And the really good ones remain there for years. One Disneyland Cast Member, Oscar, just celebrated 55 years of service at Disneyland. Disney Cast members are chosen.

“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will—to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.” (Ephesians 1:4-6, NIV)

We, too, have been chosen. We have been adopted into His family. We are His chosen people.


Holy
The Greek word for holy means, when applied to people, “to be set apart for a specific purpose”. Cast Members certainly fit that description. They are set apart for a specific purpose: to be employed by the Walt Disney company to operate the park in their various capacities. Each has their own role to play. Walt Disney said, “Disneyland is the star, everything else is in the supporting role.” Being hired as a Disneyland Cast Member means being set apart for a purpose, as one with role to play.

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (I Peter 1:13-16, NIV)

To call a person holy is to say that they belong to God, they are used in His service or dedicated to Him, or in some special way are His property. Nothing, except for God, is holy of itself or by nature. It becomes holy by being dedicated to God and His service. (See this devotional for more on holiness.)


Dearly Loved
The analogy breaks down a little here, but not because of an inherent flaw in it. It happens because of how rarely Cast Members get shown much appreciation.

I don’t know how recognition works inside the company itself, but I so often see Cast Members get criticized, yelled at, or even insulted by guests for doing their jobs. I do see some guests thank them, and that’s always encouraging. Most of the time, what I see is guests ignoring them, as though they were just part of the scenery.



My wife and I always thank Cast Members for doing their job, whether it’s directing us to a line, giving us our food, or helping us onto or off of a ride. (We do need to get better at thanking custodial Cast Members, though.) One step we have taken to really show our appreciation is with autograph books.

Of course, we have one for the characters, but we also have a separate one for Cast Members. We carry it with us to the Disney parks as often as we can, and if a Cast Member does something that makes a magical moment for us, or that just shows an extra reminder of what Walt wanted his people to be, we ask them to sign our autograph book.

You should see the responses. They are always touched, and a couple have been near tears. No one has ever asked them to do that before. I don’t understand why, though. They are such an important part of our trip that I can’t imagine Disneyland or Walt Disney World without them.

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2, NIV)

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, NIV)

We are dearly loved children of God.


Here’s the bottom line:

Cast Members are chosen, set apart, and appreciated & valued. What they do comes from that identity, and the more they grasp it, the better they tend to be as Cast Members. It’s not hard to tell which ones really “get it”.

We are God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved. Who we are comes from our identity, and right there our identity is summarized. The more fully we understand and internalize this, the more we live out the characteristics in this verse—and His love. It’s not performance, trying to earn His approval. It’s a natural expression of who we know we truly are and we do it out of love and gratitude.



Question: Have you taken time to intentionally show appreciation to a Disney Cast Member? What did you do, and why? Talk about it in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.