Miles -what it means

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Hand of GOD
"Hand of GOD"                                                                                                                                                  

Sunday, June 29, 2014

June 29, 2014. Eureka Springs, AR. Happy Born Again Day

On June 27, 1999, I became a Christian and my life has not been the same since. I never could have imagined then what path we would be on 15 years later, and certainly didn't envision then how straight and crooked, mundane yet varied, the road would be. The night I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior is etched in my memory because I was part of a Sunday night Praise in The Park worship event in Fort Collins, Colorado where I was in a crowd of thousands, but felt as if I was alone with God and being spoken to personally and privately. There have been many times since where I have felt the same way, and as I post this blog, I am by myself in a cast dressing room doing laundry and relaxing from a 5 performance week with a similar week ahead. The Passion Play will be starting its third month of the season with four full months still to go. We don't know yet how long we will stay here or where we go next, but we trust God for the plan and His revealing it to us.
Karen flew back to Colorado four days ago for medical appointments, taking care of damage to our house from the recent hail storm, selling a vehicle and buying another, I am guarding the traveling house, supporting the Passion Play ministry and performing in the Play. I have the easier duties and am grateful that Karen can be in Colorado to do the "dirty work" and also have time with her sister and our family back there. I miss her already, but we have spent a lot of time together these past 6 1/2 months on the road and it will be good, not great, to have time apart. Hopefully she will be back in Arkansas by mid-July and we will make plans for our ministry and travel plans, with God the final and deciding voice in the matter.
It's such a blessing to be where we are in our spiritual journey. Our 15 years of following Jesus and His presence in our life even before we accepted Him have been evidence that we are loved, protected and provided for. Thank You, Lord, for this anniversary and for the promise of infinitely more to come. To You be all praise, honor and glory.


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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

June 25, 2014. Eureka Springs, AR. Focus

We learn a lot when we look at life from a perspective different from the way we normally look at it. Monday night was one of only two Monday "play days" we have this season here at TGPP. It was also the wedding anniversary of one of our regular Disciples and his wife who is part of the "Mary" group. They decided to take a "watch night" which meant they could take a night off from performing in the play, enjoy the buffet dinner and be in the audience to see the play rather than being in it. It had been an overcast day, with intermittent periods of fairly heavy rain. When performance time arrived, it was misty and cooler than usual. There was no threat of lightening, so the performance began as usual with a small but enthusiastic audience. All was going well, until the final scene, The Ascension. As we gathered around The Christ figure and heard the final monologue, someone sitting on the damp ground behind him excitedly said there was a snake heading from the foot of the Cross toward Aaron and James and a few us on "stage left". While we tried to focus our attention on the Ascension which was going to take place in a matter of seconds, we were concerned about those of us who would be "left behind" for the final few minutes and have to contend with a potential encounter with what appeared to be a copperhead. All came out well, and as we walked off the set there was an admonition to keep focused on exiting the set in the usual manner. We found out from the play couple watching from the audience and others who are assigned to usher, prayer and various other audience duties that there was no indication of anything out of the ordinary. How we see the same incident depends on our perspective, our position and our focus. The potential for danger, the fear of the unknown and our relationship to it at the moment determine the focus we give the moment. By the way, the couple said the play was really good and better than the one they took a "watch day" to see last year. It's good to have a good review from your peers.
Right now, I'm in a very unusual situation as I blog. I try to blog when it is very quiet and I can focus on one thing.......the blog. But in the last few minutes my focus has been shattered. Karen woke up, her phone was buzzing excitedly as it revealed a series of pictures of our hail-damaged house in Colorado, the Gospel music at the ticket office up the hill from us came on with louder than usual and "busier" music, Karen has been talking with friends and family at home about the hail storm and we are getting ready to take Karen to the airport in Branson to fly home for a series of doctors' appointments and medical tests. Needless to say, my focus on being focused has been destroyed. What started out well, like the play on Monday, has turned into a jumbled mess. Thank You, Lord, for Your sense of humor and for giving me a topic which we all can relate to in our too-busy and too-multi-tasked world. I hope this makes sense..........I can't go on.......I've lost my focus. See you in a few days when the focus returns, maybe.........


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Saturday, June 21, 2014

Whirlpool Galaxy

See Louie Giglio for more images of this 
Galaxy over 23 million light years from earth.  How great is OUR GOD!
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June 21, 2014. Eureka Springs, AR. Light

I have gotten into the habit of posting an entry on our website every three or four days. I begin thinking of a topic to write about the day before I actually sit down to compose it, sleep on the idea and usually wake up with the title and a first sentence. And then the words just come out and as Pilate says at one point in The Great Passion Play script, "what I have written, I have written". I proofread for spelling, but edit very little, if at all. Two days ago, I began to think about "light" as a topic, because we were approaching the summer solstice and the day when we have the most daylight of the year. But the topic took on a different slant as Karen and I took a ride at sundown that evening into The Holy Land and saw a host of fireflies flickering in the approaching darkness. It has been many years, 19 in fact, since we last recalled seeing fireflies on the Ole Miss campus in Oxford, MS. What a peaceful sight those little flicks of light are as they flit about and light their immediate area but can be seen and enjoyed from a distance. Remember how we used to capture them in a glass jar, poke small holes in the top and try to appropriate some of that light more closely to us?
Last night, as we were performing the crucifixion scene of the Passion Play, there was a lightening display visible to us on the set and directly in the sight line behind the three crosses on Calvary. The audience was treated to a light show only God could have staged and timed as it was. The God of Light creates the tiniest of light in the firefly, the light of our longest day of the year, and the spectacular lightening of a breezy, rainless evening in Arkansas.
After finishing my daily reading this morning, and before sitting down to blog, I looked in my mini-concordance for an appropriate scripture about light and settled on the entry "1Jn1:7 But if we walk in the light......" and when I turned to it in my Bible, I noticed that it was highlighted in yellow, but was not the entire sentence, so it was obvious it was yellow which had bled through from the other side. And when I turned to read the sentence I had highlighted, I found 1John 2:17. "The world and it's desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever". Interesting how God calls us to a verse, which bleeds through to a call for each of us as Christians, which came from a topic for a blog which originated from one of the smallest sources of light which God created. Praise You Lord for Your creation and Your creatures. Help us to truly do Your will, to be the light you call us to be and to know that this may be our home for the moment, but we have so much more to look forward to. This will all pass away, will be a fleeting memory in the light of eternity and we will live with You in that eternal light in new and glorious life? Praise You and thank You, Lord.

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Wednesday, June 18, 2014

June 18, 2014. The Great Passion Play, AR. Back on the Boards

When we came to Eureka Springs to volunteer at TGPP, I was prepared beard-wise and with longer than usual hair to be part of the cast of The Play, but my heart was telling me no. For three weeks we were part of the "up top" volunteers and were busy with a host of chores and tasks necessary to make sure the grounds were in good shape, visitors were transported to the various venues and our Play duties were not in the "talent" realm. But things changed when one of the "Christ figures" a 25 year veteran of TGPP, asked me to use my former acting gifts as part of the cast. I thought I would be put into a crowd role or some minor part, but was surprised on that very day to be cast as the disciple Nathanael with a few lines of dialogue. Since that first appearance, I have been cast as Phillip, Thomas, Jimmy(James the Lesser), a witness against Jesus before the Sanhedrin, a leper healed by Jesus, always doubling as a member of the crowd at the trials before Pilate and Herod. I have had the responsibility of being the "right arm take-down" man on several occasions , also carrying Jesus to the tomb. Tomorrow I will be cast as Andrew and will have the "left leg take down" duty.
It has been a real honor to be part of the cast, to be given such roles in my first year in the Play. Most of the cast has many years of experience, and almost all are paid for their participation. Karen and I have always served in ministry as volunteers and our service here is no different. There are a total of 84 performances this season and I have been in 15 of the 21 already completed. The cast members are a joy to be around. They range in age from a month old baby to a 91 year old crowd member.  I have learned a great deal about large scale productions and what it takes to make this a professional quality presentation. I am the oldest disciple by four years and with the size and steepness of the set, the physical nature of the roles, and the heat and humidity, it is not unusual to be pooped out at the end of the day. We are trying to cut back on our heat of the day duties, and it helps to have Team Effort young people to help the past two weeks and for the rest of the summer to handle some of the ongoing chores. Some of our volunteers who left will be coming back, and we still hope for additional workers for the harvest to arrive. Even though the play days increase from now thru the end of July, we should have a lighter load than we have carried so far.
It has felt good to relax with my feet up the past four hours after a morning of getting caught up the my riding-mower duties, to look forward to a watermelon party this evening with our fellow volunteers, and have a real non-play "easy" day. Yesterday was a rough day and tomorrow will be busy again, but for now it feels great to sit in our "house" watch the temperature outside rise, see the lush trees rustle in the wind and be blessed by our presence here at TGPP in the service of our Lord. And how abundantly blessed we are.

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Sunday, June 15, 2014

TGPP




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June 15, 2014. Eureka Springs, AR. 6 months

Exactly six months to the day and date we began out Ministry of Miles journey. No one could have predicted or orchestrated where we have been, what we have done and the "coincidences" we have encountered except the Almighty Travel Agent and His Co-Agents.
Our blog has recounted only a few of the highlights, but there have been so many more and we cherish the entire experience and are excited about where we will be called to go or where we will be called to stay.
Our time at The Great Passion Play has been our longest time without adding miles to our vehicle. The odometer has read 18,158 and has remained there for the past 50 days and we have traveled just over 5,500 miles in six months compared with nearly 7100 miles on our 42 day trip last July and August in our SUV. How blessed and protected we have been and how grateful we are for God's grace and provision. We have made some friends we will have for years to come and have learned so much about living on the road, gained new mechanical and technical skills, been able to make friends with camels, donkeys, sheep, dogs, cats, horses and endure the critters of the South and Southeast. We have learned so much more about obedience, faith, love, contentment and each other. God has been so Good, and even though there have been rough times, expenses we had not anticipated and some injuries, sore bodies and close calls, we have always felt God's presence and peace and give Him all the glory and praise for our past six months and all that preceded that and has brought us to this time and place.
Pray for God's favor for The Great Passion Play ministry and all the staff, paid employees, volunteers and attendees. I've mentioned how much this area needs this ministry to continue and to prosper. There are so many needs in order to bring it back to the place it enjoyed in the '80's and '90's and allow more people to be blessed, as nearly 8 million have already been, since it began in 1968. We'll visit again soon. Bless all of you, and thank you for your prayers and support. You have blessed us tremendously.
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Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Praise The Lord




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June 11, 2014. Eureka Springs, AR. Work hard, Play hard...always ministering

Today was a work day, and work we did. On non-performance days we catch up on all the housekeeping chores on the Passion Play grounds, things which can only be done when there are no visitors to the Holy Land Tour, the Bible Museum, the Sacred Arts Gallery, or the Passion Play. We fix broken machinery, do groundskeeping chores, repair damaged structures, take advantage of a day without rain and visit with people who wander onto the grounds thinking they can see the play or visit the other attractions, when this is a non-play day, so we drop what we're doing and visit with them, take them on a mini-tour, tell them what they would see if they had been here yesterday or stay until tomorrow, and hope they will come back in the next three days or later in the season to have the "total experience". Whether we work or Play, the ministering goes on. People are hungry for conversation, someone who will take time from what they are doing to meet their present need.
Those of us who are working or volunteering here are really in full-time ministry, whether it be TGPP, Campers on Mission, Team Effort, Gospel Station Network, Ministry of Miles or a host of other affiliations. We are preachers and doers of The Word, In God's service, and seeking to spread The Good News through our words and our actions. Sometimes it's harder work than the physical chores we undertake, or the dramatic efforts of the cast and crew of the Play, but in all our efforts we seek to be Jesus to the believer, the non-believer and the unbeliever and also realize that they may be ministering to us as much as we are ministering to them. We've heard some amazing testimonies and been witness to some miracles only God could have orchestrated.
It feels good to be where we are. It feels good to be able to meet Vietnam (and other) veterans who visit TGPP, to work with some of them here, to share our experiences and help each other through some of the physical and emotional issues which still affect and plague us all these years later. Thank You, Lord for calling us to this time and place, for the peace we have and the grace You heap on us every moment of every day. Our life has been transformed. Tomorrow we Play.

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Sunday, June 8, 2014

Arkansas friends




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June 8, 2014. Eureka Springs, AR. Critters and chiggers and ticks, OH MY...

We've been in Eureka Springs, AR on the grounds of The Great Passion Play for 42 days. That eclipses the length of our "reunion" trip last summer by 2 days and almost gives us resident status in Arkansas. This is a different environment from Colorado, for sure, and we are so blessed to have the opportunity to be part of the Passion Play ministry, to be able to minister to Vietnam vets through our Ministry of Miles as we meet them here on site or on our forays to Berryville or Branson or the other towns in the area and to visit with others who are ministering as God has called them. God is at work in so many ways and has "recruited" an army of workers to His harvest. Keep them coming and keep them strong, Lord.
When I say this is a different environment, let me throw out some examples. I'm a city boy married to a small town girl and we are now living in what might lovingly be called "the sticks". We are continually seeing and feeling new bumps, welts, and itches in places on our body where no respectful critter should ever dare to go. We have heat rash on top of insect bites.  We have red bumps between toes, under waistbands, behind ears and in places we would be embarrassed to show a doctor. We fidget and twitch, we scratch and swat. You'd think we were a third base coach giving signals, the way we jump around and react to all the gnats, biting flies, chiggers, no-see-ums, spiders, mosquitoes, beetles, bugs, ticks, creepy-crawlers, lizards, snakes, ants and a multitude of other critters I wonder why God created and Adam gave unusual names to. We have more lotions, creams, medications, and home remedies at our disposal and suggestions from the locals than you can shake a stick at and yet we still squirm and squawk and can't find relief. I've made friends with donkeys, camels, Jacob sheep, baby lambs, a Nubian wild-ass named CrossAnna, miniature horses, Earl the cat and have even made some new human friends too. But in spite of all the "gripes",,,...we love it here and feel so blessed to be where we are. No we're not in Colorado anymore, and like most places, if you don't like the weather, just wait 10 minutes and it will change, but we are adapting. There is beauty in the rolling hills, the lushness of the trees and the coolness of this morning after a few days of high humidity and intermittent period of pelting rain and threats of violent weather. We are blessed to be where we are and thank God for bringing us to this place, this ministry and this community of believers. Resist the urge to scratch, pass the calamine lotion and Praise The Lord.

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Wednesday, June 4, 2014

June 4, 2014. Eureka Springs, AR. If this were easy...........

Each of us is called to The Lord at different times of life for different purposes and to different ministry opportunities. The metaphor of "the play" is appropriate. For some the calling is in the limelight, on the stage, called to big things and public recognition and acclaim. For others the calling is behind the scenes, washing costumes, tending the animals, picking up their offerings, doing the mundane, dirty jobs. But each job is crucial to the advancement of God's jigsaw puzzle, and without every one, the play would not go on and the audiences would soon stop coming. Yet, sometimes we get tired and yearn for something different; a new role or a chance to branch out. Sometimes we get sidetracked by personal issues, worldly lures for material things or we just get physically or spiritually worn out. How we respond says a lot about our walk with The Lord and our faith, trust and belief in Him.
Jesus told us that following Him would not always be easy. His life and death, the lives and deaths of the first Disciples, the lives and deaths of the millions of martyrs of the faith and our own lives bear witness to the reality that being a devoted and committed Christian is not always easy. We just get plain tuckered out and need a time to recoup and recover. We all have occasional Gardens of Eden before the fall, but we also face Gardens of Gethsemane and need to know that each one is part of the journey and a place we can rely on God to be with us and uplift us. Press on, fellow ministers. My prayers are for each of you, for the strength to walk the walk, the strength to rest in The Lord when the burden seems too much to bear, and the strength to know that our weakness is the starting point of His power to work in us and sustain us. Be of good cheer, I am up to $61.33 and God is still on His Throne, and today Karen and I plan to start slow and slow down from there. Blessings and peace.

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Sunday, June 1, 2014

Pray that they will come - God provides

June 1, 2014. Eureka Springs, AR. God provides

It's the start of a new week and a new month. Karen and I have spent the past month volunteering at The Great Passion Play and have had a variety of ministry and personal experiences which have impacted us tremendously. The past week was a tough one for all of us. There have been a host of health issues, accidents, broken equipment, and other challenges, three volunteer couples leaving for other obligations and a four-performance week with less than encouraging attendance. I'm sitting in the Emmaus house on TGPP set looking out at the empty 4000 seat amphitheater after returning from church in Cassville, MO. The other day while walking the amphitheater to sweep it for the next performance I found $21 on the ground. The next day on the same sweep, I found $.07 and yesterday while picking up a bruised body after having an accident on the Zubota riding mower, I found $.26. Today while walking to open the gate to come down on the set I found a $20 bill lying on the ground. "Found money" has always gone into a jar at home to be donated to The Alpha Center, a Christian Pro-life counseling agency. The money I find now goes to this Passion Play outreach ministry. Every cent counts and I praise God for how He gives to us, that we may give to others. It may only be $41.33, but we serve a God who provides and multiplies, and can, and does, provide beyond anything we can pray for or imagine.
Karen and I have been drawn to this ministry and we pray continuously that people will fill the seats, support the vision to reach this area for Jesus Christ and encourage donors and sponsors to step forward with the funds and materials needed to prosper TGPP and bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to northwest Arkansas, southwest Missouri and beyond that to this whole country and even the world. We serve a Great God and when we ask, seek and knock with expectant faith, we will see our prayers answered and indeed know that are prayers are already answered. $41.33 tells me so. Praise The Lord.

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