Servanthood... As Told By Ginger

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." --Matthew 6:33

I finally was able to find time to make a video tribute that I have been wanting to make for quite sometime, and that is one for Ginger Foutley and Darren Patterson from the classic cartoon "As Told By Ginger."  This video gives a special sense of nostalgia to me because of the song I used for it, being the Daniel O'Donnell song, "I Can See Me Without You."  Growing up, my sister saw Daniel O'Donnell very much when he would appear on PBS, since my grandparents enjoyed his Irish singing (and dancing! :) ).

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The relationship between Ginger and Darren shows the importance of trusting in the Lord and His plan when we fall on the road of life.  As the hospital worker wisely states at the end of the video, "He did finish it, it just doesn't have an ending."  The Lord has a perfect and good plan, and though we are promised to experience hardships, we can "take courage" and "be of good cheer," for our Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33) and He gives peace not as the world gives (John 14:27).

The world talks of peace while the nations arm to the teeth and wage war.  Living in such a world can easily give one a sense of hopelessness, but through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection in victory, we have a blessed hope that is assured!  It is this that we are to seek above all else:  to seek the kingdom of God and not our own selfish desires (Matthew 6:33; 16:24).

There was nothing in the series that could keep Ginger and Darren apart, yet in many instances they were torn apart.  They only were brought together at the end of the series when they were able to live happily as they were:  single.  This is very reminiscent of the apostle Paul words, who said, "But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk.  And so I ordain in all the churches" (1 Corinthians 7:17).  Though this show is not inherently Christian by nature, this moral principle can be paralleled to say that whether one is single, dating, or married, they need to walk for the Lord right now in that particular station, not becoming worried over changing it.  As my favorite verse says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understandings.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Remember, Jesus was exalted to the "name above all names" through "emptying Himself" and "being born as a human being" and "dying a criminals death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:7-11); we are to have that same mind that was in Him (Philippians 2:5), for glorification only comes through servanthood, for the first shall be the last and the last the first (Matthew 19:30).

Marriage is a great responsibility for two people to take part in, for they are to become and work together as ONE FLESH (Genesis 2:24).  It is much easier to walk for the Lord as an individual than within the marriage relationship, as Paul eloquently described in 1 Corinthians 7:32-34), yet he also stated that he was not wanting to "cast a snare" on anyone (v. 35).  Whether one is single or married is irrelevant, for both can serve the Lord equally well, but while one is single, they have far less distractions in their lives.  Yet, at the same time, how glorious is the relationship of marriage when a husband and wife understand the concept of Oneness and are walking for the Lord in accordance to His plan!!

Merry Christmas From 90s Yesteryear Today

Merry Christmas everyone!  I made the following video a few years back using an episode from the classic cartoon Rugrats, "Babies in Toyland" (watch episode on the Rugratsfrankie13 channel).  I also used various episodes from the spinoff show, "Rugrats: All Grown Up."  Both classic cartoons based from the 90s.

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Anyway, I posted another Christmas video last year to my YouTube channel, but this one is probably my favorite that I made.  (Watch my Christmas Playlist on YouTube!)  It depicts how Christ is the One who should carry us each Christmas as we shine the JOY of the Saviour to the world.  Nostalgia can be amazing, but we must remember that it is in the past.  The future is where we all are headed towards, and we are who we are because of that Nostalgic past.  Even if we had a hard life growing up, that is part of who we are, and it can be used in a mighty way by the Lord to impact the future of this world.

After all, it is all because of what Jesus Christ did for us 2000 years ago, being born in a lowly manger (though He was the King of kings), then dying on the Cross and rising again in total victory, that makes life today worth the living!

Today is December 20, 2012, which marks FIVE years since I attained Eagle Scout back in 2007.  Today is a big day for nostalgia to me, but only in terms of my future.  I attained Eagle Scout, but that is not the end of my journey; with the Lord's help, I am only beginning my journey and what I have achieved and the nostalgia joy I have in my past is what helps me impact the future in a mighty way.  I don't necessarily know all the details that the Lord has planned for my life, but He will take of it and guide me if I trust in Him:

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understandings.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths." --Proverbs 3:5-6.

Use your past, whether it is good or bad, walk for the Lord right now where you are and charge into the future with success in Him.  Do not be concerned with the world's standard of success, but be concerned with what He thinks of you!  Remember, it is better to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

"But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk.  And so ordain I in all churches." --1 Corinthians 7:17.

The Halloween Nostalgia Blast

Happy Halloween to all my 90's readers and all my readers who simply love nostalgia, no matter the generation.

"The memory of the just is blessed:  but the name of the wicked shall rot" (Proverbs 10:7, KJV).

Remember the days of your childhood, back when life was brighter and the grass was greener?  Remember when the problems you faced were nothing compared to problems you now face as a young adult, even though you swore to your parents then that you "just can't wait to grow up"?  Remember those days?  If you don't, then just read my previous blog entry and the poem I wrote and it will all come back to you.  :-)

On this blog you can go back through time and remember those days, for those days are a PART of you!  Those days make you who you are today!

Me as Popeye for Halloween 2011 being kidnappeed
by a Werewolf who teamed up with Jason!

Currently, many young people are hyped up on Nostalgia during this Halloween of the year 2012, as the 90s Are All That Twitter Page is receiving pictures of many very creative 90s Halloween costumes.

I wish I had thought of something like this sooner, as this is quite possibly one of the few things I would consider getting a costume for, being that I was Popeye last year.  :-)

Some people this year have shown a lot of creativity, and just as soon as my video-computer is fixed and returned from HP, I will be posting another Classic Cartoons Report to the YouTube channel!

If you are wondering what to do for Halloween, you could dress up as a classic, blast from the past, 90's character!  Or you could watch a special, classic film from 1977, "Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Meet Dracula."  That's Nostalgia for the older audience, and Nostalgia for those of us in the 90's who grew up on HerInteractive's Nancy Drew games!  Everyone wins with that Halloween film!  :-)

Or you could watch the Nicktoons Halloween 90s Shows that the Cartoon Guru himself, Rugratsfrankie10, uploaded into a special Playlist!  Watch Nicktoons Halloween Now! ... Or perhaps, some Are You Afraid of the Dark would be perfect?  Watch "The Tale of the Dark Dragon" and "The Tale of the Final Wish."

Here are a few of my favorite costumes that people have chosen to be for Halloween 2012.  The first costume is quite possibly my favorite for its Epic-ness!  But the Rocket Power one is awesome too.  Each person is named by their Twitter account below the photo.  Click each photo to enlarge!

"I'm Penelope Taynt, and I'm Amanda's Number 1 Fan, Please!"
@la_petite_morte

And with that first picture, here's a special Halloween Clip of the Amanda Show, featuring Judge Trudy!!  (also played by Amanda Bynes as well as Penelope).  :-)

"Look, I know the score, he egged my house 'cause it's Halloween."

"I'll Hallow Your Ween!"

Rocket Power!
Twister, Reggie, Otto, and Sammy!
@mattrosenman

Rugrats!
Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Tommy!
@soxgrl46

Legends of the Hidden Temple!
The Red Jaguars, The Purple Parrots,
The Blue Barracudas...
And a Temple Guard!
@kleebenz

Doug!
Skeeter, Quail-Man, and Patti!
@Noodlesmichael 

Catdog!
"Alone in the world is a little Catdog!"
@julietmenz

Rugrats! The Whole Gang.
Including Stu, Didi, Susie, and Angelica!
@TwittalessPat

So, what was your Halloween Costume?  Comment below with a link to YOUR Twitter Photos from Halloween!

Which of these pictures is your favorite?

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Romans 7:4, KJV).

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1, KJV).

God bless everyone, and Maranatha!

Tommy, Phil and Lil, Angelica, and Chuckie.
"A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do!"
@lilyreyes

The 90s Are Truly All That!

For those of you who have been watching the new programming block on TeenNick, I present to you, the 90s Are All That Anthem!!  Yeah, yeah, it's been out for like a year and I never posted the Anthem.... I kept forgetting.  I did report on the new block a few weeks before it came out though.  See that blog entry by clicking here.

Ah, so many memories, Clarissa explained so much.... Except the reason why no one on Legends of the Hidden Temple could figure out the 3 piece Silver Monkey.  But Summer Sanders did "Figure It Out!"  Man, it's been so long!  By the way, if you have yet to do so, please Sign the 90s Are All That CHANNEL Petition.  Yes, the Petition for Nick to add an entire channel dedicated to the 90s; this way, we won't have to stay up late every night just to have Nostalgia moments!  ATBGrewind began the petition, and AsToldByMaddie2, Rugratsfrankie10, and myself have all gotten behind it 100%.  The 90s Truly Are All That.  I worked on the Southern Baptist Convention Registration Team in New Orleans this year, and a group of us got to talking about the 90s.  One on the team wasn't born until about 1998 or so and didn't even know what Kel loved!  As we talked on the Riverwalk while we ate lunch, one of the teammates made a good point about that, that is a deprived childhood! lol.  Hey, it's nothing personal! (view picture). ;)

But seriously, the 90s is the only decade that has received so much support from everyone that grew up then!

Think About This:

The following are some shows that most of us would consider fairly RECENT, as they are newer than most of the shows discussed on this blog.  But, they aren't really that recent:

Shrek 1 - Came Out 11 years ago.

Monsters Inc. - Came Out 11 years ago.

Dylan and Cole Sprouse - 20 years old.

Miley Cyrus - Engaged.

Hillary Duff - Mom.

That's So Raven - Been Off TV for 6 Years.

Lizzie McGuire - Ended 9 Years Ago

Powerpuff Girls - Came Out 14 Years Ago.

Kim Possible - Last Episode Was 7 Years Ago.

(source)

Feel Old Yet?  I do!  Life surely is but a vapor, here a little while and gone!  (James 4:13-14).  Let's remember these great classic cartoons, let's remember the past for the past always will rule, it makes us who we are TODAY.  The 90s Are All That!  Even if you had a bad childhood, use that as part of your testimony to change someone's life in the present!  And if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to believe on His name and trust in Him TODAY.  Now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2), not tomorrow or later.  I wrote the following poem a while back about my childhood!  Enjoy the poem, and enjoy the Anthem!  (now, go sign the petition at the link!  The Goal is 1000 signatures; there's only 229 so far.)

The Silver Lining Remains

by Michael W. Kelley the Classic Cartoons Guy

The past falls to the present,

The future rises from the ash.

The Golden years forever gone,

Leaving but a Silver lining of memories.

The days of the child were free,

He swung from the swing down the hill.

He entered the Narnia land,

That magical land of intrepid imagination.

Trees she climbed, Queen of Archenland,

And ran through the great forest of corn did they.

Turnips and okra of the garden of Pawpaw,

Pears and apples picked fresh to eat as they play.

Life is but a vapor indeed it is,

But the innocence of childhood comes roaring back.

Lunch did they eat; at house, of Meemaw, of Pawpaw;

GooGoo Cluster, and Peanut Butter and Banana the sandwich.

Fried Bologna did she prefer,

Watching on VHS did they and playing with the tape-door.

Life was so full and All That it was,

Learning the love of reading on the lap of Mommy.

Books of Disney they read about great giants,

And longed for taste of Kel’s orange soda.

Watched Amanda of the Bynes grow and live,

Entertained did she, placing her own childhood into many.

Slime Time it was Live as they watched and Clarissa explained,

As channel changed from classic to classic, of Scooby and Rugrats.

The happiness and joy; more, more happiness and joy,

Let it come, let it come, let it come!

Sickness or health, spankings or hugs,

Life was vibrant and full of color it was.

Imagination soared in crafts at the church they loved

And Stick Stickly formed of popsicles and the channel Nick.

The football he tossed with Daddy and Uncles,

All in the world was bright and full and fun.

Family felt as heaven as they played,

And knives he collected and guns received he in joy at Christmas.

Life has changed since the time of then,

And who can say it is better or worse.

Life moves and just is,

Always changing everything forever.

The pain of discipline, the fun and play,

They each have now begun to fade but linger as shadows of us.

Off the bus they Zoom to channel 10 in the kitchen of Meemaw,

For Arthur and Wishbone, the Rainbow of Reading they see.

Newsletter began for church even then,

And each two encouraged so in the things of eternity.

The church of Eads, it was small but great in heart,

It made them each feel as a part under the Pastor J.C. Fuller,

and before even with J. Sanders.

Brother Don of McMinn sang the praise from Korea,

And Mister Larry of the Hill sang his two weeks… of years.

Even sickness kept not us then from the Bible,

Opening at home to watch the Pastor Rogers of Bellevue.

The body, it is small but full of kindness,

And Mistress Albie of Patterson given to our discipleship.

The church, it united every part,

It brought the childhood all together.

The past is gone but the Silver lining remains,

For memories make us who we are today.

The past is gone but it will rule alway,

As we press on toward new discoveries in Jesus the Lord.

In college the fun and play have begun to fade,

But the 90s will always be All That to me.

Just Another Day

Well, one of my all-time favorite television shows, Eureka, on the Syfy channel, has just ended.  The series finale, "Just Another Day," aired last Monday, July 16, 2012.  They wrapped it up nicely, with all the relationships happy and Zoe (played by Jordan Hinson), Sheriff Carter's daughter, makes a reappearance.  In the end, we find out that she will be graduating from Harvard as a Summa Cum Laude; as Carter (played by Colin Ferguson) is driving her back to the airport, they see a strange occurrence as they pass by a car in the opposite lane with themselves from the Pilot episode when they first came to Eureka (obviously before the crash).

Carter smiles and just looks at her and says, "I'll deal with that tomorrow."  So the town has been saved from wormholes, a friend from 1947 buys the town to keep the doors open so the Government doesn't shut them down, Carter and his newly-wedded wife Dr. Allison are going to be parents again, and... this new problem arises.  It truly has been, "Just another day in Eureka."

To commemorate this great series, I have made a special tribute!  The song used is "Honky Tonk Floor," by Johnny Horton, and I myself, the Classic Cartoons Guy, make an appearance in the Tribute... gettin' my groove on. LOL.

The Rugrats Take Down the New World Order

The 90s have overcome!  Not just returning to television on the awesome 90s Are All That programming block, but the Rugrats recently, after being fed up with this faulty Administration for a while, took down the elitist cronies.  It all began one Fall day; a series of unfortunate events happened in the life of the Rugrats due to the policies of the current Administration.  The great Tommy Pickles once again took the lead, followed by his faithful camaraderie, Chuckie Finster, Phil Deville, and Lil Deville.

They began to put their plan in motion, yet the Bernanke-Pig came in and took Chuckie hostage.  The three others, lead his best friend Tommy, moved in to rescue their fallen comrade.  In the end, Betty Deville, head of the special operations division of the Freedom Fighters, lead Chas Finster and Stu and Didi Pickles to rescue the brave fighters.  Lou Pickles and his love Lulu eventually come to aide of the others and by some time by stopping the Presidential Procession, lassoing the driving Hillary Clinton.

The procession soon is overloaded, and the Obama-Rex explodes as its head fly's off, landing in the French Wasteland.  Betty quickly halts the Bernanke-Pig, rescuing the four brave fighters, and Ronald Reagan arrives to prepare the barbecue, signaling the end of the tyranny.  But don't take our word for it, watch the events below.  As Tommy has always said, "A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do!"

Song in the video:  "Freedom," by Joe Horn.  Episodes used:  "Acorn Nuts and Diapey Butts" and one scene from "Rugrats in Paris."

Power in Marriage and Relationships

Okay, I'm probably going to catch a lot of flack from the cartoon world for today's video.  The video depicts the classic cartoon Hey Arnold, yet instead of an Arnold-Helga relationship, which is the only relationship depicted amongst fans of the show just by a quick search for fan art, the video depicts a much better relationship which I have always liked for the show, and that is Arnold and Rhonda.  Yes, the rich girl, Rhonda Wellington Lloyd, not Lila, not Ruth, definitely not Helga, but Rhonda.  The episodes used for this video include, "Best Friends," "Cool Party," and "Rhonda Goes Broke" (see the past article, "The Root of All Evil" in the Hey Arnold category to the right!).  Article continues below video-tribute.

First of all, I probably will make an Arnold-Helga video for the majority, should I be requested to.  However, bear with me through this article.  Arnold and Rhonda may not be tight or close friends, but they definitely care about each other, and Arnold was seen trying to help her, like he does with many others, yet, he goes against his own nature by simply being straight with her in, "Rhonda Goes Broke," during a time in which she is struggling to cope with her parents losing everything.  She asks what the fun in life could possibly be, and he states, "Listen to yourself, it's pathetic.  Just because you're not rich any more doesn't mean you're a different person; you were Rhonda when you had money and you can still be the same Rhonda now that you don't."

Arnold was a true friend to her, and by his boldness, she was able to make do with what she had, sewing her own dress (which is seen at the end of the video-tribute) and gathering some produce for her school lunch from a small garden outside the boarding house.  Life is not all about money, and Paul stated to his young apprentice Timothy, "For the love of money is the root of all evil:  which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10).

The things of this world are passing away (1 John 2:17); instead of being concerned with how much we have temporally, we should set our minds on the things that are eternal.  The things that are eternal is where true life is found, even if it means living with less (Matthew 16:21-26), "for what doth it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"  Interestingly, when Rhonda learned this for herself, she was restored, much like Job.  That's not to say one will become rich here on earth by being okay with living without, but if we simply "trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understandings," then He'll work everything out in accordance with His plan and for our greatest good (Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 8:28).

Arnold and Rhonda greatly compliment each other, being strong where the other is weak.  Arnold understands how to get back up when life knocks you down, and Rhonda understands how to use wealth and resources when you have them.  It reminds me of the words of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians, saying:

"The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband:  and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife" (1 Corinthians 7:4).

Marriage may be two people, but those two make up a single entity, and it has been that way from the very beginning when God said, "and the two shall be one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).  I could very much see Arnold and Rhonda together, perhaps living in a foreign land using Rhonda's wealth to help others, being happy with their life together, helping each other should they encounter financial difficulty.  That thought of them living in a foreign land helping others sounds a lot like someone's parents from the show... oh yeah, Miles and Stella, parents of the football head himself, Arnold.