Meet Mr. Bean, my sourdough starter

During the pandemic and lockdown - Ahh, remember that!  Good times!😒 - many people started making sourdough as a way to pass the time.  But I was too busy watching/reading Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and reading many biographies on C.S. Lewis.  (Love it!)  

But I have recently jumped on the sourdough bandwagon too, and I'm totally loving it!  

Years ago, I tried to start a sourdough starter from scratch but totally failed (I realize now that I was adding way too much water, drowning it).  And so I gave up for years.  But then after hearing a friend rave about how much she loves her sourdough starter (named Calico the Wonder Horse) and loves making sourdough bread, I decided to try again this past January...

Just the other day...

 

It happens more than you'd think

 

"American Noise"

A Skillet CD (yes, I still listen to and prefer Cd's.  I'm that old!) is in the player of our van right now.  And because I hate switching CD's if I don't have to, sorting through dozens of them, trying to find one I'm in the mood for... I leave the Skillet one in the player and just keep listening to the same song over and over again (with a few other songs thrown in too): American Noise.  

I really like this song.

Anyway, it made me think of the post I wrote about it 5 1/2 years ago on my other blog (wow, time flies!).  And after re-reading that post, I decided to print it again, because it stills fits.  In fact, there's even more noise in America now - in the world - than there was then.  (Anyone else getting sick of it all too?)

So here it is, the previous post on it:

I was driving the other day, and this song began playing from a CD my husband had in the CD player.  I had never heard it before, but for some reason, it struck me.  I don't know why, but it did.  It struck me ... and it stuck with me.

Skillet - American Noise

I don't know ... maybe it's about a sense of hope in the middle of the chaos.  The fact that things are going to be rough, but that there is still good there and good can still come out of it all.  

It got to me. 

I think sometimes we all need a little of that hope and love that cut through the American Noise.  

At least, I know I do!

I vote for ...

Here in America, it's election day again.  And I think we can all agree that it's a super-emotional, super-heated, super-critical election this time around.  Everyone's fighting over it.  Everyone's demonizing the other side.  Everyone's absolutely certain that their candidate must get in or else the country's going to go to hell-in-a-handbasket.  (Actually, I bet we're all thinking it's going to hell-in-a-handbasket anyway, no matter who gets into office.)

And as I walk around the neighborhood every day on my prayer-walks, I see all the political signs in people's yards:  Harris!  Trump!  Vote for love and truth!  Don't vote for hate!  Make America great again!  Take back America!  Vote like your daughter's rights depend on it!  Trans-rights!  No one is illegal!  Hate doesn't live here!  Blah, blah, blah.

But in all the political noise, I saw one sign that made me say "YES!":

Jesus 2024 - Our only hope!   

Can I get an "Amen"!?!  

Scariest Halloween decoration ever?

 So it's Halloween time again, huh?  Is it just me, or has there been a big increase in the amount of Halloween decorations in people's yards?

I don't decorate for Halloween, nothing more than maybe a few pumpkins.  But a neighbor and I were talking the other day, and she inadvertently stumbled on what I think would make the best Halloween decoration.  Something truly terrifying.  And if I had more guts, I'd maybe consider doing it someday.

She was reading out loud some reported quotes from famous atheists just before their death, and I thought Now that would make a scary Halloween display in your yard, a collection of tombstones with atheist quotes on them!  

Quotes such as these:

"A gun to my head... I knew I was going to die" (Renee's testimony)

 A dear friend of mine from another state gave me her testimony.  She printed copies of it to share with others in the hopes that sharing her painful story would help others who are hurting too.  It's such an amazing, beautiful testimony that I asked her if she'd like me to share it on my blog, and she said yes.  So here it is, in Renee's own words.  I hope you find encouragement in it like I do.:

Hardest Spiritual Lesson #2: Prunings

 [This is similar to #1 ("Let go"), but a little more specific.]

Throughout our lives, we will find ourselves being pruned over and over again as God continues to weed out anything that doesn’t bring Him glory, doesn't fit His purposes for our life during the season we are in, and isn’t for our best.  And this isn’t always easy.  In fact, it seldom is.  

We like things to be our way.  We like having the control, following our own wisdom, relying on ourselves and our strength, holding onto the things we want.

Well, we like it until we see what a mess we've made of things... and then we cry "O God, why did You let this happen!?!"

But God wants more for us.  And He's got not just the here-and-now in mind, but also eternity, the things that will last.  And in order to help us have the best - the best eternities, the best now, the best relationships, the best Christian witness - He needs to prune us of the things that get in the way, that work against us, that hold us back, that dishonor Him.  And we need to let Him.

"Why does God care about who I sleep with?"

Considering the condition of the world nowadays - with its loosey-goosy morals and lack of a true, stable, meaningful foundation - I think a lot of people might find some encouragement in this sermon from Willow Creek.  For being such a sensitive topic, this pastor did a great job addressing it (though I agree with him that he could've spoken a lot longer and covered a lot more about it): 

"Why does God care about who I sleep with?" 

Hardest Spiritual Lesson #1: Let Go

 I wrote about some of the "hardest spiritual lessons" years ago on another blog of mine, but I am updating and reposting it here.  These are normal, typical (often painful) lessons that we will all eventually struggle with (it's okay to struggle) if we continue to walk with God and to chase after a deeper relationship with Him.  (And I know there are more than I've listed here.)  

In no particular order (and broken up into individual posts), here are some of the hardest lessons I've learned over the years when it comes to faith and walking with God:

1.  Let Go or Hold on?

Low-sugar Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Breakfast Cake

I realized the other day that I had a jar of peanut butter I had to use up soon.  And when I opened my freezer, I found three frozen bananas.  And that's how this cake came about.  It's a thick cake and sticks to your mouth, but it's filling and low-sugar, making it great for breakfast.

Grease a 9x13 pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a big bowl, mix these together:

3 mashed bananas

1/3 cup to 1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup to 1 1/2 cup water (I actually used an 11.1 oz. container of coconut water that I had to use up)
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup softened butter or oil (I used olive oil)

Then mix and add the dry ingredients:

4 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cocoa powder

1 cup chocolate chips

(Add a bit more water if too thick or a bit more flour if too thin, enough to make a thick batter)

Pour into greased pan, sprinkle a spoonful of sugar on top.  Bake for about 50 minutes or till done, covering with foil last 15 minutes if necessary.

Let it cool then eat (and store leftovers in the fridge).

Totally cool!

I just gotta share this one...

I have always LOVED watching baptisms (and even more so when people share their testimonies too).  It's a special once-in-a-lifetime moment when someone vulnerably stands up in public and declares their faith in Jesus.  And it's a moment we should all celebrate and feel honored to witness.

Well, today my neighbor - whom I've been doing Bible study with (along with her aunt) for the last few years after she became a believer in 2020 (see here) - decided (rather spontaneously) to get baptized during a church service at the beach.  

And not only did I, her aunt, my husband, and my son get to go with to support her, but I got to get in the water with her (in my jeans, because I didn't know this was going to happen), pray with her, and help submerse her in the water too.  

Totally cool!  And I am so honored and humbled to be a part of this amazing moment in her life!

(And now we keep praying for her husband.)

Two songs for the presidential election

I posted these for the 2020 elections too, but here they are again for this election season:

A couple of Tim Hawkins songs as this election season gets under way, just for fun:

Jimmy Buffet for President

The Government Can

If you can't do anything about it, may as well have some fun with it!

Those darn price-tag stickers

 

What's marriage like?

It's like this:

The wife goes to bed before the husband and is just falling asleep - perfect comfort, perfect temperature, perfect silence - when the husband finally comes to bed.  And while he's rooting around for his pajamas with his phone's flashlight, adjusting his blankets, and shaking the bed while getting adjusted, he wakes the wife up.  

And then, since his added body heat quickly causes the bed to get a lot hotter, the wife becomes overheated and has to throw the blankets on and off again until she adjusts to the temperature change.

And then as the husband falls asleep quickly, the wife - having been thoroughly woken up now - realizes she has to go to the bathroom.  And so she gets out of bed to use the bathroom, waking herself up even more, while the husband lays there asleep - perfect comfort, perfect temperature, perfect silence, snoring gently.

Yep, that's what marriage is like.

Okay, that's kinda cute

I'm no country music fan (no offense), but I just saw this video and gotta say that it's kinda cute and catchy and a whole lotta fun: 

Songs about Whiskey from Christian singer, Anne Wilson

Listen to it before you judge it.

Calvinism for beginners

How do you help someone understand the errors, dangers, and cult-like tactics of Calvinism when they aren't even really sure yet what it is or what it teaches?  Where do you start?  

My kids know that my husband and I believe Calvinism is a corruption of God's truth and character.  They know because we left our church over it in 2019 - the church they grew up in for many years - and because we haven't stopped researching and talking... venting?... lamenting?... complaining?... about it since.

They know we want them to avoid it.  But I'm not sure how much they really understand for themselves what it is and why it's wrong... or if they would know how to recognize it if they encountered it unexpectedly in a church or book, if we weren't there to point it out and explain it.  

And so to help them (teenagers right now) understand for themselves what it teaches and why it's wrong, we recommended that they watch some Soteriology 101 videos about it.  But then after clicking on a few, I realized how overwhelming it could be to try to find clear, concise videos that would help a beginner understand the basics in a simplified, easy-to-understand-yet-comprehensive way.  Many videos about Calvinism online seem to jump right into the middle of it, assuming that you already know something about it, about its teachings, errors, use of terms/Bible verses, tactics, about what Scripture really teaches, etc.  

Stop!

I saw a meme like this the other day and thought it was great.  But they left out one of the "stops," and so I had to fix it:

For all hurting or ashamed people:

(repost) 

To anyone who's done anything they are ashamed of and who wonders if there's any hope for them ...

Come to Jesus!  Find the forgiveness and grace and healing that only He can give.  Others might turn on you and might never offer forgiveness, compassion, or mercy.  

But Jesus is running towards you, asking you to grab His hand, to let Him love you and forgive you and make you new.

(And to anyone who's been hurt by others, who's been carrying around deep heart wounds that need healing ... 

Come to Jesus!  He's waiting for you, to heal your broken heart, to give you peace and joy and life.)

Who else can you turn to?

Who else offers healing and hope like that?

Who else can fix what's broken in your life and heart and soul?

A taste of what we Christians believe

about God's grace and mercy, forgiveness and love:

Two inspiring testimonies: Jim and Rob

I found these while looking up videos on forgiveness for the next Spiritual Warfare post I'm writing (on my other blog), but I wanted to share these in their own post:

"Jim Carrey: Shocking Faith Testimony 'Suffering leads to salvation'" (5.5 minutes long)

"Comedian Rob Schneider discovers Jesus, forgiveness: 'I needed...to be home" (17.5 minutes long - Well said, Rob!)

And here's a bit more about Rob's journey, including two great comments he posted.

It's so wonderful to see hurting people come to Christ!

For my new friend who's struggling:

 Thank you so much for talking with me yesterday.  For sharing your hurts, losses, and struggles honestly.  It was a real blessing for me.  Honest, real, vulnerable people are my kind of people, the kind I respect the most.  😊

To you (and anyone else who's hurting or struggling), I dedicate some of my favorite songs, ones that help me when I'm hurting and struggling.  I've had many of those times myself.

(You might also like this post: Healing your soul from Calvinism's damage.)

From my favorite band, The City Harmonic - the band that got me through my hardest times.  Their words became my prayers when I was so broken that I didn't have my own words to pray anymore.:

Honestly (I understand this)

Fell Apart (My favorite opening line in a song, ever)

Oh, What Love (One of my all-time favorites - grace, forgiveness, mercy, healing, hope, purpose, all wrapped up in His amazing love!)

Praise the Lord (This is the key to getting through painful trials with our faith intact, even if it's a bit battered and bruised in the process.)

Here and There (My favorite line: "And if I'm barely hanging on ..."  I get that!  "Barely hanging on"... but clinging to the Lord with every last bit of strength I have.)

When Sunday Comes

 First: The last scene of the Passion of the Christ (7 minutes long) 

Today, let's remember why Jesus came to earth, died, and rose again:

“… ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the whole world.” (John 1:29)

"For what I received I passed onto you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures," (1 Cor. 15:3-4)

“Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.” (Romans 5:18)

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies," (John 11:25)

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’”  (John 14:6)

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”  (Acts 4:12)

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24)

"But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31) 

"if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.... ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”  (Romans 10:9-10, 13)

“For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already ...”  (John 3:16-18)

And remember that Jesus only came to earth as a baby once.  

Next time, He's coming as a lion, a King.  

"And I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider was called Faithful and True.  With justice he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like blazing fire and on his head are many crowns.  He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.  He will rule them with an iron scepter.  He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."  (Rev. 19:11-16)

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)

Are you ready?

In the Sky (song by Carlisle, Cleveland, and Lee)

For more good stuff: 

Sermons: "The Death and Resurrection of Christ" and "The Real Meaning of the Cross" by Billy Graham

"The Journey - Resurrection Sunday", a 72-minute video from Tony Evans, on location in Israel

Songs: God's Not Dead by Newsboys, Oh, What Love! by The City Harmonic, and The Champion by Carman

My posts: "Atheism and World Religions" and "Starting your own relationship with Jesus"  

And I highly recommend finding and watching these two favorite movies of mine sometime (here's the trailers): Jesus Revolution and Do You Believe?

Have a great, blessed Easter!

It's Friday, but ...

Friday is the day of heartbreak and suffering and loss.

Saturday is the day of waiting and despair and hopelessness.

But Sunday... thank God ... Sunday is coming!

Hang in there, dear ones who are discouraged about life, who are exhausted from treading water, just trying to make it through, and who feel hopeless about the future.

Hang in there... because Sunday's coming.

Sunday's coming.

(Two great, encouraging songs for the hurting, exhausted people: Worn by Tenth Avenue North and Fell Apart by The City Harmonic.)

On this Good Friday

Take some time on this Good Friday to remember what Jesus went through to bring us forgiveness, to offer us all eternal life - and then thank Him for it.  

Some great songs and videos about it:

Jeremy Riddle's "Sweetly Broken" 

Cloverton's "Christmas Hallelujah"

Michael W. Smith's "Secret Ambition"

Crowder's "I AM"

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." (Romans 3:23-25)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us...." (1 John 3:16)

"Christ suffered for you... When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats... He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:21-24)

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the body, by made alive by the Spirit." (1 Peter 3:18)

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5)

"God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:21)

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)

"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2)

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all men..." (1 Timothy 2:3-6)

If you haven't done so already, come on down to the "Living Water" (song by Anne Wilson) and meet Jesus, who loved you so much that He died in your place for your sins because He doesn't want to spend eternity without you.

She hit the nail on the head! Amen, come, Lord Jesus!

 A neighbor just sent this link to me, a video clip (just a minute long) from a woman sharing how she is just done with everything, how she's on autopilot and just wants Jesus to come back again.

I absolutely get everything she said and have felt the same way for several years now.

Can anyone else relate?

Here's a transcript of what she said (I think she voiced what a lot of us have been feeling, like we've been treading water, just trying to get by until the end):

Do babies go to heaven or hell? A critque of Calvinism's answer

[This is an update of my original post on this topic.  I wanted to shorten it a bit, make it more readable, and add few notes, verses, and links.]

(Okay, so, I'm gonna try to contain my anger with Calvinism on this one, but I'm not going to do a good job of it.)

Let me start by saying that I believe that babies and mentally-handicapped people are not held accountable for being unable to trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  I believe that in their innocent state, God covers them with His saving grace.  As we age, though, we learn about right and wrong and become capable of making conscious decisions, and it is then that we become accountable for our decisions.

But Calvinism doesn't - can't - agree.  [Many Calvinists believe that babies who die go to heaven, but they are being inconsistent with their theology.  And I'll explain why later.]

I do not claim to know for sure what the Bible teaches about this issue or to be able to explain how everything works out.  This is just the best I understand it, based on what I believe the Bible says.  Also, please know that I've never lost a child, so this isn't coming from a place of emotional distress.  It's coming from a place of anger - righteous anger - for what Calvinism does to God's character, the Word, and people's hope, faith, and their relationship with God.

God's Greatest Priority (and why there's a hell)

Calvinists believe that God's greatest priority - His primary reason for making people - is to get more glory for Himself, and that He gets it through ordaining sin and predestining people to hell.  They think that this is why people are in hell: for God's glory, that He gets glory when He shows off His justice by punishing sin and evil.  And so He needed sin and evil and non-elect people to punish or else He couldn't fully display all His attributes to get praise and glory for them.  

[But remember that - in Calvinism - people don't actually get to choose whether or not they want to believe in Jesus.  God decides for them.  He decides who won't believe and prevents them from being able to believe, and then He punishes them for not believing, even though they never had the chance or ability to believe, by God's decree.  This is a far different kind of "justice" than punishing people who actually deserve it, who had a choice.  In fact, it's no justice at all.  It's injustice passed off as justice.]    

So many things wrong!

My 17-year-old son came into the kitchen the other day, pointed at his dirty water bottle on the counter (water bottles are the last dishes I clean, if I have time, because I hate cleaning water bottles) and said in a frustrated tone, "Mom, my water bottle's been sitting on the counter dirty for a month!  Seriously... a month!"

There's so many things wrong with this scenario that I don't even know where to start!

The 9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult (tiny version)

Here is the teeniest-tiniest version of my "9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult" post, the bare bones.  (For the shortened version, click here.  And here are links to the individual long chapters: #1 deception ... #2 hidden agendas ... #3 multiple layers ... #4 strategic tactics ... #5 isolation and control ... #6 fear/coercion ... #7 mind-control/thought-reform ... #8 gaslighting ... #9 authoritarian narcissists ... conclusion and links)

A Psychology Today article - Understanding Cults: The Basics - shares some characteristics of cults and how they operate (I've condensed some of them here to three main points): 

The 9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult (short version)

 Here is the shorter version of my "9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult" post.  I took out almost all the memes and quotes and my comments and the Bible verses and links, leaving just enough to give you a full-enough picture.  But I highly recommend reading the original version someday, if you haven't already, because it's quite eye-opening.  At least, I think so.  But it does take almost 3 hours to read, which is why I made this short one.  [And here are links to the individual long chapters: #1 deception ... #2 hidden agendas ... #3 multiple layers ... #4 strategic tactics ... #5 isolation and control ... #6 fear/coercion ... #7 mind-control/thought-reform ... #8 gaslighting ... #9 authoritarian narcissists ... conclusion and links]

A Psychology Today article - Understanding Cults: The Basics - shares some characteristics of cults and how they operate (I've condensed some of them here to three main points): 

1. No one knowingly, voluntarily joins a cult, but they are "recruited" into it by cult leaders who take advantage of the vulnerabilities of the recruits, using deception and manipulation to suck them in.

2. Cults use isolation, control, fear, coercion, mind-control, and thought-reform to enslave the members to the cult.  The members' "inner voices" are suppressed.

3. Cults are authoritarian (disagreeing with or opposing the leader is not allowed), and cult leaders are malignant narcissists.

And I think this kinda fits Calvinism, especially Stealth Calvinism.  And so, based on these, I came up with 9 marks that I think identify Calvinism as a cult.  Or more accurately, "cult-ish."  You decide if you agree or disagree.  

But don't take my word about any of this.  Who am I?  I'm nobody.  Don't trust me.  Dig into the research and Bible for yourself before forming your conclusions.  Be a good Berean!

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)

Say a prayer for Russell Brand

It sounds like Russell Brand is on quite a journey to find truth... actually, to find the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  He seems, to me, to be on the cusp of true believing faith.  He's at least on the right track, headed in the right direction.  Say a prayer for him.

Russell brand says Christ is becoming 'more important,' desires a 'personal relationship' with God 

Tangerine Dream: Loved by the Sun

I woke up this morning singing this song because I was singing it in my dreams for some reason (wish I could remember why): Loved by the Sun by Tangerine Dream, from the 1985 movie Legend.  

And so, of course, since I couldn't get it out of my head, I had to get online to watch the video.  Twice.  I have always loved this song, scene, and movie.  A favorite of mine since I was a kid.  

I've always had a thing for bizarre fantasy-type movies.  When I was a kid, my favorites were movies like Legend, Labyrinth, The NeverEnding Story, The Princess Bride, Flight of the Navigator, Dark Crystal, The Last Unicorn, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, The Little Mermaid, Time Bandits, The Great Muppet Caper, Sheena, Ghostbusters, Splash, Flash Gordon, Wizard of Oz (but Return to Oz was terrible, so terrible), Dragonslayer, The Beastmaster, etc.  Those fun (or slightly dark) fantasy kinds of movies.  

And I have recently, as an over-45-year old, began reading fantasy-type books too, such as The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The NeverEnding Story, The Princess Bride, Redwall, The Last Unicorn, The Narnia series, and others.  So much fun!  And a great break from the stresses and tragedies of real life.

Enjoy the song, a blast from my past!  

(Now I have to go watch the movie again too.)