The Love Bug (Herbie's Theme) by George Bruns from the 1968 movie The Love Bug starring Dean Jones
In
1968, an icon of the automobile world flashed, dashed, and skirted into
the hearts of millions of people. Herbie, the Love Bug raced onto the
screen as a lighthearted distraction from the turbulence all around the
world that defined the 60's. It was one of the first motion pictures I
can ever remember seeing. We saw it at the Joy theater in Bald Knob,
Arkansas. Long gone are the movies that were shown there but the
building still stands. I remember it with fondness as my father's
laughter resonated and seemingly became early surround sound for that
small theater by the railroad tracks. My dad's laughter was
infectious. The infection of his laughter competed with the equally
contagious personality of Dean Jones cool portrayal of Jim Douglas,
Herbie's driver.
Upon Herbie's arrival, Douglas' "normal" life of racing and crashing cars was thrown into chaos as the car that he got hustled into buying actually came to life. The chaos continues for 4 theatrical sequels, a 1982 5 episode TV series, and a 1997 made for TV movie sequel. The chaotic world of Herbie would continue for Jim Douglas in Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo and as a tribute to the original, Jim Douglas makes a cameo in the '97 TV movie.
Walt Disney himself recruited Dean Jones to be the foil for the Beetle with a personality. Dean Jones television show, Ensign O'Toole, was the lead in for Disney's Wonderful World of Color
on NBC. Disney then ordered prints of the Jones' previous film work to
preview for the possibility of a long term commitment. That commitment
was realized when Jones, who served in the United States Navy during
the Korean War, would be a recurring actor for a decade at Disney
Pictures after his starring role in the 1965 Disney classic That Darn Cat! The Love Bug, however, would be the film for which he was best known.
Off
screen, Dean Jones lived the Hollywood personality lifestyle until 1986
when he came to know Jesus as Savior. His life of chaos settled into a
world of peace. A recent Washington Post tribute article on Dean Jones details his convictions and charitable work after his conversion experience.
Tragically, Dean Jones died on September 1, 2015 at the age of 84 due to Parkinson's disease.
Dictionary.com has 7 definitions for the word "peace". The one that applies to most folks is, "freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquility; serenity". This
seems a difficult state of being for most people of the world. The
importance of an individual to have a sense of calm or peace far
outweighs any of the geopolitical aspects of what the word peace
describes. True peace can only come from one source...Jesus.
"Peace"
as a word is used 249 times in the New International Version of the
Bible. That makes it one of the most used words of the Bible. It is a
topic that our day and age so desperately needs, as hate seemingly is
having a field day in our culture. Jesus provides us with encouragement
as He tells his disciples what their lives will be like without Him
there. John 14 - New International Version of The Bible/The Message Paraphrase parallel
The overriding encouragement is that with the coming of Holy Spirit,
there is peace for followers of Jesus. It is not a peace that is
defined by the world, but one that was given from the foundation of
world. It is a peace that only those who follow Jesus can obtain, and a
peace that will be magnified exponentially in the eternal kingdom to
come.
A
"normal" life on this earth is replete with chaos. A "normal"
existence in heaven is replete with peace. As followers of Jesus, we
get to experience a taste of that peace amidst the chaos of this earthly
experience. THAT peace is reserved for those who are absolutely not
"normal"...
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
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