Saturday, December 5, 1998

Popular gift items have a religious message

By LORETTA FULTON

Senior Staff Writer

Larry the Cucumber, The Prince of Egypt, Max Lucado, or the FROG.

You can't go wrong with any of those when shopping for a Christmas gift with a spiritual message.

Yes, Larry the Cucumber and the FROG have a spiritual message, although it helps to be a youngster to grasp it. FROG or Fully Rely on God is the latest in the acronym craze, following on the heels of WWJD -- What Would Jesus Do -- that was so popular a year ago.

FROG, which can be found stamped alongside a picture of a frog on everything from bracelets to T-shirts, isn't expected to be as big as WWJD, but its creators must be jumping with joy that the slogan has caught on quickly with children and teens.

Even with the FROG's popularity, nothing has come along to match WWJD, said Donna Harwell, owner of Bible Book Store.

"Last year we just never could keep it in stock," Harwell said of WWJD merchandise. "There hasn't been anything that has flown out of here like that this year."

Stores that specialize in Christian books, music, and other merchandise are expecting a booming business this Christmas season, and all point to the same items as being on the "must have" list.

Joining WWJD and FROG in acronym popularity is TGIF -- Thank God I'm Forgiven. That expression can be found on the very popular lanyards, a shoelace-type necklace with a clasp on the end for holding keys.

WWJD seems to have run its course, Harwell said, although there is a new game out based on the principle. WWJD The Game was developed with the help of a Toledo, Ohio, priest, the Rev. John Graden, who served as its theological consultant.

WWJD The Game presents 600 scenarios that challenge players to consider how they would respond, and what Jesus would do in the face of modern moral dilemmas.

Also expected to be as welcomed as manna from heaven this year is anything with "Prince of Egypt" on it. And that is just about everything, from three CDs featuring the soundtrack and music inspired by the movie to sing-along books and tapes to sticker and picture books.

The movie, an animated depiction of the people of Israel being freed from the house of bondage, is set to hit movie theaters Dec. 18 with all the force of Moses parting the Red Sea.

Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks is expected to reap great rewards from the movie and all its accompanying paraphernalia, but Christian leaders such as James Dobson and Chuck Swindoll have also endorsed it as being spiritually on the mark.

If animation is to your liking, VeggieTales has a new video, "Silly Songs II" featuring Larry the Cucumber and all the gang.

"It's just a bunch of real silly songs -- it's not Christmas oriented at all," said Mark Murray, senior sales manager at Family Christian Stores.

But that doesn't mean "Silly Songs II" won't be the most popular stocking stuffer you can buy this year. Created by Phil Vishcer for Big Idea Productions, the VeggieTales videos have taken the children's market by storm.

The videos use animated vegetables to tell Bible stories in a modern way. Even though the videos are silly by definition, their message is always biblically based.

"There's a biblical core to the stories we tell and people have to know that will always be there," Vischer said in an interview for Scripps Howard News Service.

At The Love Shop in the Mall of Abilene, framed messages printed in calligraphy are as popular with the more mature set as VeggieTales are with children, said Greg Pace, owner.

"That's probably our biggest selling item," Pace said, following the animated vegetable videos. "The hottest thing is VeggieTales."

For those shopping on a budget, The Praise Mart located on South 11th offers damaged books from the factory at a reduced price.

"We're able to price it almost half the price of what normal bookstores sell it for," said Susan Blocker, manager.

The Praise Mart also carries "Scripture promise" checkbook covers which are proving to be popular stocking stuffers this year, and some videos, music, and books on tape.

Any book with Max Lucado's name on it, damaged or not, is a "can't miss" Christmas present. Lucado, who holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Abilene Christian University, is even one of the contributors to the Prince of Egypt book, Destiny and Deliverance.

His newest book, Just Like Jesus and his The Christmas Cross are also good bets for Christmas gifts.

Other gift items most often mentioned by store managers include:

-- The Message, by Eugene H. Peterson

-- Bibles, including the New Living Translation, NIV Study Bible, and Life Application Bible

-- The new Doubleday Bible Commentary paperback series

-- Broadman and Holman's or Zondervan's "thinline" Bibles and reference books, especially popular with students.

"They can stick them in their backpacks real easily," Harwell said.

-- "Adorenaments," tree "ornaments to delight your children...a message to touch their souls" with accompanying activity book.

-- Mary Did You Know? gift book with CD

-- Homecoming video series by the Gaithers

-- Left Behind, a novel about the rapture by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins