Friday, February 12, 2016

Mickey’s Toontown: The Message of Your “Home’s” Décor

By Randy Crane




Thousands of guests every day visit Mickey Mouse at his house, kids play in Donald Duck’s boat, and also stop at Goofy’s house to play around. It happens all day long inside Toontown at Disneyland. But have you ever taken the time to look at how they’ve each decorated their homes? In today's new article by Disney Avenue contributing writer Randy Crane, we'll take a walk through of each one and consider how they can encourage and challenge us in our own lives...








Mickey’s Toontown offers guests a unique opportunity not found anywhere else: to visit and explore the homes of some of the most popular Disney characters (except for Minnie’s house, which for some reason we can’t go inside anymore).




Disney artist Noah paints a 5 foot-tall Vinylmation Mickey for D23




When I interviewed Noah (from Noah Fine Art), an independently licensed Disney artist, one of the things he told me is, “What you have in your home is your museum about your life….If I’ve never met you, I can walk through your home and figure out what kind of person you are based on what you have in there. What you have in your life, your little museums, is your life story.” That’s why it’s such an honor for him when people choose to buy his art; they are making him part of their life story.

As you walk through Mickey’s house, Goofy’s house, and Donald’s boat, there is no doubt whose home you are visiting. The décor tells you not only the identity of the owner, but also a lot about their “character” (so to speak) and personality.




Goofy's home




Goofy is a sports fanatic, but is not very good at playing them. He values music and his friends. He also enjoys the outdoors, especially gardening. And he’s not a very good driver.




Donald's home




Donald has very few photos in his boat, but those few are telling. They show him with his friends Jose and Panchito, his nephews, Daisy, and there’s one with Walt Disney. Donald may put on a feisty exterior, but these are his friends and family. He really cares about them. And he has a special place in his heart for Daisy (he even named his boat after her).




Mickey's home




Mickey cares about his friends, loves Minnie and Pluto, is something of a sports fan, and is pretty organized. He makes movies and values learning, since he has so many books and has written at least one himself.




Mickey Mouse gets help from his best pals on building his house in Toontown




Now, this train of thought may not come as any new revelation to you. You may not have thought about it before, but on some level it probably seems obvious now that you think about it.
So let me ask you, what about God’s house? Not the church (at least not for our purposes), but the other “place” the New Testament says that He lives?

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. (1 Timothy 1:14)

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)

You are the dwelling place of the Living God. You are His house.








As Disney Artist Noah observed, “If I’ve never met you, I can walk through your home and figure out what kind of person you are based on what you have in there. What you have in your life, your little museums, is your life story.”








We can learn a lot about the inhabitant of a house by what is displayed there. What do people learn about God when they look at what is on display in His house? When people see you, what does that tell them about God?








Takeaway: If the message people get when they look at your life is not the one you want them to know, what is one thing you can do to “redecorate His house?”





******







Randy Crane is a highly-regarded speaker and author, presenting engaging and thought-provoking messages on a variety of topics. He has a natural rapport and connection with audiences that makes them relate well to him, engage in his presentations, and come away with a fresh understanding of the subject at hand. Randy is also the host of the “Stories of the Magic” unofficial Disney podcast, where he interviews people from throughout the Disney company, from front-line Cast Members to Legends. Randy grew up in the church, but—like many others—wandered away from the faith for a time in high school. Now, he is an ordained minister, with both a Bachelor’s degree in Church Ministry (emphasis in Preaching) and a Master’s degree in Congregational Leadership from Hope International University in Fullerton, CA. He has been preaching and teaching since 1998, and has been a drummer/percussionist on church worship teams since 1992. He married his wonderful wife Faye in November of 2000 and had their first child, a daughter, in April of 2015. Randy is the author of two books, Once Upon YOUR Time and Faith and the Magic Kingdom.

You can find all of Randy's articles here.



No comments:

Post a Comment