The Dippin’ Dots Generation

I was probably ten or eleven the first time I had Dippin’ Dots.  We were on a family vacation to Tennessee to visit family and my parents took me and my brother to Opryland USA, a now defunct amusement park in Nashville, TN.  We were walking around the park riding rides and eating over priced food when we happened upon a little cart selling ice cream pellets.  They were described in the graphics as “Ice Cream of the Future” and besides the fact that it looked cool it was the future of ice cream so we HAD to have some.

After my Father shelled out $314.17 for four tiny bowls of Dippin’ Dots, we were all mystified at the little frozen ice cream balls that magically turned into regular ice cream in your mouth.

I am now almost 29 years old.  Dippin’ Dots has been the “Ice Cream of the Future” since 1988.  When is the future going to arrive?  It now costs $532.78 for four tiny bowls of Dippin’ Dots.

I went with my wife and three others tonight to see the new Hillsong United movie.   Near the end of the movie one of the members of Hillsong United makes a statement that really struck me.  I will paraphrase: “We are told that we are the future but don’t forget we are the present, too.”

Those of us born after 1979 have always been told that we are the future and we seem to keep waiting for the future to get here before we will help the hurting, before we will feed the hungry, before we will deny ourselves and take up the Cross of Christ.  We put off until tomorrow because we are the future.

As if to say, “We are the future and when the future comes, then we will act.”  All the while forgetting that we are living in the present.  Without action now we will not be ready to lead when the future comes.

Just like I wonder about Dippin’ Dots ice cream, hurting and broken people around the world and in your backyard are asking, “When will the future arrive, we need someone to love us, too.”