Phil Vischer, the creator of Veggie Tales, wrote an engaging book telling that story – Me, Myself and Bob.
This article provides a helpful summary of his journey – losing Big Idea Productions very suddenly in 2003, wrestling with God for a year or two, then moving in a new direction with Jellyfish Labs.
“Make no small plans,” a 33-year-old Phil Vischer, creator of VeggieTales and founder of Big Idea Productions, advised a WORLD interviewer in 1998. At the time, the animated vegetables famed for their funny songs, witty banter, and Christian-themed stories were winning fans young and old all across the country. Sales of VeggieTales videos reached 7 million in a single year and company revenues hovered around $40 million. Big distributors came calling, as did Hollywood.
Through it all, Vischer told himself to make no small plans and pursue a “Big Hairy Audacious Goal,” a phrase he’d borrowed from the bestselling motivational book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. The goal he finally settled on-he would become the next Walt Disney…
You found a huge audience, yet somewhere things went wrong. What happened? Left to my own devices, I will do everything in a garage with 10 bucks and whatever resources I can find. But suddenly we went from having no money to having more money than we knew what to do with. And I went off track. Rather than seeking God and asking Him, “How do you want me to move forward?” I did some spiritual math and said, “OK, how could I have more impact? By just making my films or by building the next Disney?”
Today when I talk to people, I spend a lot of time trying to get them to consider what is driving them. Why do you want to do what you say you want to do? Do you have peace in your life? Because if you’re stressed, if you’re worried, if you’re anxious, something ain’t right. Those aren’t the fruits of the Spirit. I wish someone had sat me down at some point and asked me those questions.
How are you applying your experience with Big Idea to your new venture, Jellyfish Labs? My new company is called Jellyfish Labs because jellyfish can’t locomote. They can’t choose their own course. They can’t go from point A to point B. They can only stay in the current and trust the current to carry them where they need to be. Looking back on Big Idea, I was conceiving of myself as a big studly barracuda saying, “All right God, here’s what I’m going to do for you. Now you just stand back and bless it and watch me go!”
If you haven’t yet seen What’s in the Bible, check it out today through Right Now Media. Phil has gone on to produce tons of new content for kids.
All of it is overtly Christ-centered and Phil works to keep in step with God’s daily direction to him.
Let’s learn the lesson from Phil – It’s not about the dream. Don’t “follow your heart” and do whatever YOU want for the Lord. Wait on the Lord. Listen to Him. Be a jellyfish – trusting the Lord to move you where He wants you. Then step forward in bold faith to do the work God leads you into!