Bible – Valerie's Voice

“For such a time as this” is, to me, the mantra of the book of Esther, in the Bible. The phrase means we are in this moment, at this time, for a reason…for such a time as this. I have stated this phrase several times over the years, in different situations.

I was excited to have the opportunity to go see the play Queen Esther at the magnificent Sight & Sound Theater, near Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

In front of the Sight & Sound Theatre in Pennsylvania,.

This theater performs Biblical plays in an amazing venue using extensive set designs and costumes, and professional actors/actresses, with wonderful music and singing. We always plan to attend a production at this 2,000 seat theater when we visit Pennsylvania. They opened another theatre in Branson, Missouri in 2008, and we have seen a few productions there also.

The theater was started by Glen Esheleman, a former member of the church where Gary grew up in Lancaster County. He initially started out by showing nature photographs set to beautiful music in a surround-sound setting. I remember going to one of these first productions called, The Living Waters, back in the 70’s. The theater is still in the family, and has grown into the successful and grand venue it is today.

Although Glen has retired, his family is still involved in the theater.

We enjoyed the tale of Queen Esther, along with our brother and sister-in law, and our friends from New Hampshire. It lived up to the theater’s reputation…a grand production of one story from the Bible. Afterwards, we went out for dinner at a small Amish-run diner for a delicious meal. It was a delightful afternoon/evening.

A couple years ago I bought Children of God Storybook Bible at the annual Hospital Auxiliary book sale in Northfield. The two-piece set included a book that was beautifully illustrated, plus the complete book on two Audio CD’s. I also liked the fact that Jesus was not “white”, a feature I look for in picture book Bibles.

This set sat on our bookshelf for a year or two. When preparing for our son’s move to Colorado, I went through our bookshelves to pass along some books and rediscovered this set. I looked it over and decided to listen to the CD’s on our drive out West. I would be driving alone in our car, the last vehicle in our three-vehicle caravan. It was a great way to start each day.

The author of this children’s Bible is the Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. Desmond Tutu also narrated his book on the CD’s. It was wonderful to hear his voice reading his beloved stories. I felt the love of God through his words, and could only image his simple stories appealing to children all the while bringing the good news about God’s love. And, each story ends with a simple question. I was really impressed.

I left the wonderfully illustrated book in Colorado with our grandchildren, but I brought the CD’s home with me.

A partial quote about the author off the information sheet in the set reads: “Archbishop Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his lifelong struggle to bring equality, justice, and peace to his native country of South Africa. In 1986, he was elected Archbishop of Cape Town the highest position in the Anglican Church in South Africa…… He is known for his great love for children, as well as his powerful and profound understanding of the message of Jesus Christ…….”

The book was published in 2010.