Hello,
This week a new Wallace and Gromit exhibition is being showcased at the Harris Museum in Preston. Who would have thought that after 35 years we are still fascinated by the humour and charm of a plasticine man in a sweater and slippers along with his voiceless dog. In one fowl swoop (pun intended) its creator Nick Park changed the face of animation and made Wensleydale cheese world famous.
As he spoke about the exhibition, Park mentioned that his films were inspired by his family and upbringing. He said, ‘I used to draw from my own childhood a lot, and that’s what inspired me…I went to memories of my granny.’
It’s interesting to see the influence Park’s family had on his successful career, and it is a reminder that families are hugely influential in shaping the future of children, both physically and spiritually. Lois and Eunice were Timothy’s grandmother and mother, respectively, and in 2 Timothy 1:5, the Apostle Paul mentions their faith as the origin of Timothy’s own faith. It emphasises their role in his upbringing in Christianity and serves as a testimony of the impact of Christian belief passed down through family relationships.
Children notice what their parents and grandparents say, do, and how they live their lives; they pick up on the smallest of things. That’s a challenge and responsibility but it is also an opportunity to display and share our faith with them, even in small ways. As the character Norbot, Wallace’s smart garden gnome, says in the film Vengeance Most Fowl, ‘No job too small!’
In Christian love,
Barry Robinson
About the Writer:
Barry Robinson is the Deputy National Ministry Leader for GCI in the UK & Ireland