What have July 4th celebrations turned into? Usually you drive in the car to a nearby park or parking lot, look up at the sky and watch the fireworks go off. Then you pile back in the car with the kids and go home. Is that really all July 4th should be dumbed down to? It’s time to reconnect with the real story of America — as told like you’ve never seen it before. Glenn explains more about the ‘Man in the Moon’ production…
I remember about ten years ago I was at Disney, maybe longer, with my family and I had ‑‑ and Pat will tell you and so will Stu. They have worked with me now for 20‑something, almost 30 years, that I have had these ideas in my head forever. I’ve just never had the money to be able to do them. In fact, one of the things that Pat and I joke about all the time was I used to say, can you imagine if we had ‑‑ if we had money what we could do. And I’m blessed enough to be able to have the people around me now and the resources to be able to create amazing things. We’re in the midst of building a network and so many other things and at the same time I’m having a hard time, quite honestly, knowing what God’s will is right now because it’s easy when He asks you to do things that you don’t want to do because you know that’s from Him. You know because you’re like ‑‑ I mean, for the last five years I’ve been, “Oh, jeez, you’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t want to do that.” And it was tough. Now I’m worried that I’m off track or not doing God’s will because there’s so much of it that I want to do.
When I was at Disney about ten years ago, I saw technology that I had dreamt about and I thought, boy, if you could tell a story and you could use this kind of technology. About ten years ago I went into the ‑‑ I went into the Disney parks and I saw Fantasmic, and like a little girl I got all weepy because I saw this technology and I thought, “It’s here. Look what can be done.”
Two years ago I went to Disney California and I saw their California adventure and their Wonderful World of Color and that is also using the technology in the ways that I was ‑‑ had been thinking and ‑‑ but I watched that one and I thought the story, it’s ‑‑ all they are relying on is the technology. Where’s the story? Where’s the heart? All they are trying to do is get you to buy a plush toy.
I’ve known now for the last couple of years that I was supposed to pick up the storytelling staff, if you will, and start telling real American stories to not just entertain but enlighten and also to try to keep people awake a little bit longer, maybe awaken them, but keep the rest of us awake. And I’m working on some things that, I’m going to plant my stake in two holidays, July, July 4th and Christmas, and try to reel us back in to the core of those holidays.
We have for the last three years done an event in August, and I told you last year that that would be the last Restoring. We did Restoring Honor, Restoring Courage, and Restoring Love. But people come from all over the country to experience these events, and they are life‑changing to so many people. And the most exciting thing, for me at least, is that I see people that have met up and they are just seeing old friends. People, families now that are planning their vacations around these. And what it is is that we want to be around like‑minded people. We want to show our kids that it’s not all pushing and shoving.
When you experience one of our events, it’s different, and it always has been. I am the luckiest man on the planet because every theater I’ve ever performed at, every single time the management will come up to me and say, “Yours is the nicest audience we’ve ever had.” I’m so proud to be associated with you. And our summer events have become vacations, and so we are not going to be traveling internationally anymore on summers. We are going to begin a Fourth of July series, and this year it’s in one city. It’s in Salt Lake City, and tickets have just gone on sale at GlennBeck.com/ManintheMoon and this is a one‑time performance but it’s a three‑day event. You can join on any part of it. Part of it is service. Bring your kids. Teach them service. It is an upping of the ante of what we did last year with Restoring Love. Because service changes people. And people came from all over the country to serve and to help people that were ‑‑ I mean, I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time. I’m so blessed. I have a hard time with my kids.
My kid actually said to me over the weekend, “I hate my life. I just wish I had a normal life.” And I looked at him and I said, “Oh, you’re about to have a normal life.” With all the blessings that all of us in this country have, we have a hard time sometimes teaching it to our kids that service and there are other people in need. Service is part of it.
One of the main things that people are asking me is what do we do about education. We have an education conference that weekend where you’ll hear from some of the best minds around the country and you will see the beginnings of some of the things the American Dream Labs are working on. For those of you who are looking for what do I do if I don’t want my kids in public schools, what do I do if I have to have them in public schools; and how do I pick a college for my kids? What does the future of education ‑‑ it’s all going to change. We’ll show it to you, and it is uplifting. The message I think is really uplifting and really good.
And then the other one is, I don’t know what they call it, the Hope Through Truth. But the truth of who you really are. I like to call it Man Up. It’s an event. The tickets have just gone on sale for the first part of it, which is the Man in the Moon. They only have ‑‑ we only have 20,000 seats. Most of them are $75 and $35, and they’re great seats. The whole thing, great seats. There are some other packages up there. The, you know, bronze, silver and gold packages. Some of those are very expensive but that gets you into all kinds of additional stuff, not just the show. But I urge you to bring your family and join us, in the shadow of the Everlasting Hills. And celebrate Fourth of July unlike it has been celebrated in this country ever before, or at least in quite some time. Make new friends. Meet up with old friends. Plan your vacation. Come with us. Tickets are on sale now, Man in the Moon at GlennBeck.com/ManintheMoon, or GlennBeck.com/tour.
