28 years ago, my parents asked me to help with something called Vacation Bible School.  We had never been on a family vacation, but I was well-acquainted with the Bible and everyone knew I loved school. Additionally, this Vacation Bible School had a VeggieTales theme, and so I agreed to help out,  particularly since I could do a near-perfect voice impersonation of Junior Asparagus in the late 1900s.

Junior Asparagus and his sing-song soprano fell victim to a phenomenon called “puberty” at the close of the 20th century, so I graduated to being Larry the Cucumber with his lilting lisp. And for many years, we ran, jumped, laughed, sang, worshiped, and slid down the World’s Greatest Slip ‘n’ Slide.  And the kids told their parents that “At VBS, we have the REAL LARRY!  He does the voice and he wears a Larry shirt… that’s how we know!“

Years passed. Kids got older…it’s debatable whether or not I ever truly aged. But eventually they realized I wasn’t the “Real Larry.” I was just some guy named Josh who wore a green shirt most of the time. And eventually the Larry shirt disintegrated into smithereens of fermented sweat, so then I just wore an orange Bro Tank. There’s probably some sort of deep life metaphor in there somewhere.

But you know what WAS real? The love. The joy. The energy. The beauty of 160 voices and hands raised in unified exultation singing, “Our God is an Awesome God.” The unchanging Truth that transforms hearts and changes lives for eternity. ALL OF THAT was real…more deliciously real than anything I could ever imagine.

I never thought a lowly vegetable would get to see so much of God’s glory on this side of Heaven. But for anyone who got to share in the indescribably epic heights of Vacation Bible School these past 28 years, I know you know.