We are called to play many roles in life, to do many jobs, follow others and be leaders when the opportunity presents itself. We don't always have the proper training, credentials or licenses required to do the job we are asked to do, but in some cases we ignore the "law" and do the job anyway. In other cases we are fully educated, licensed and experienced, but choose to step away from serving and wait for someone else to step up and take charge and assign the duties needing to be done.
Here at the Passion a Play, Karen and I have a variety of responsibilities but find ourself pressed into service when there are gaps in the work force or people just don't do what they are supposed to do when they are supposed to do it. In some cases we play multiple roles and it's hard to know who we are and whether others see us as that character or someone totally different. When I walk into the Holy Land in my costume, I hear people call me Joseph, Moses, Noah, Jonah or one of Jesus' disciples. In the Play, I have been one of seven Disciples, a crowd character calling for Jesus' crucifixion, a witness against Jesus before the Sanhedrin, a disciple on the road to Emmaus, a leper and a priest blowing the Shofar. It's hard to come up with a consistent identity and in some cases our identity is not who we are, but who people think we are.
In all this, it's important to remember that we are called to be Christ-followers first, last and always. We are called to be living sacrifices, servants, witnesses, good stewards, faithful, loving, trusting and obedient. None of these are easy, but try we must. Today was a tough one for me. I played a role, but didn't really have the right attitude for that role, yet did the best I could to tell the story with honesty, sincerity and gratitude to God. I pray our nearly 300 Holy Land guests were not short-changed by my effort.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Saturday, June 25, 2016
June 25, 2016. Eureka Springs, AR. Simplicity isn't Simple
A while back I blogged about the book I was reading, entitled "Freedom of Simplicity".
I'm still reading, have about 50 pages to go, before starting the book over and trying to really understand what the author is trying to convey to the reader. This search for a simpler life in a very complex world is not all that simple.
Today my cell phone decided to lock up and stay locked up. Nothing I tried would unlock it. No calls out, no calls in, no way to get off the screen displayed, and no idea what that screen was. Karen has had problems with her phone too, so she took both phones to the Verizon store in Berryville, eight miles away. We have no way to communicate when she does get there, since I have no phone, and I can't even call her to tell her we need milk unless I walk up the hill and borrow a phone or use a Passion Play land line. It's not simple when we have grown to depend on complex "machines" to do virtually everything. We rely on the Internet or satellite signals as our source for information, news, and weather forecasts. We use GPS devices to get directions and calculate when we will get where we are going, and without a cell phone or Facebook we can't keep up with who is doing what, where and when they are dong it. It's far too complicated and that simplicity thing sounds awfully good, if I can just understand what the guy is trying to say in that book I am reading.
I miss my phone.............
Sent from my iPad
I'm still reading, have about 50 pages to go, before starting the book over and trying to really understand what the author is trying to convey to the reader. This search for a simpler life in a very complex world is not all that simple.
Today my cell phone decided to lock up and stay locked up. Nothing I tried would unlock it. No calls out, no calls in, no way to get off the screen displayed, and no idea what that screen was. Karen has had problems with her phone too, so she took both phones to the Verizon store in Berryville, eight miles away. We have no way to communicate when she does get there, since I have no phone, and I can't even call her to tell her we need milk unless I walk up the hill and borrow a phone or use a Passion Play land line. It's not simple when we have grown to depend on complex "machines" to do virtually everything. We rely on the Internet or satellite signals as our source for information, news, and weather forecasts. We use GPS devices to get directions and calculate when we will get where we are going, and without a cell phone or Facebook we can't keep up with who is doing what, where and when they are dong it. It's far too complicated and that simplicity thing sounds awfully good, if I can just understand what the guy is trying to say in that book I am reading.
I miss my phone.............
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
June 22, 2016. Eureka Springs, AR. Settling In
We've been back from Colorado for a week, but it feels like we never left. We accomplished a lot while we were away, and the Passion Play seemed to do okay in our absence. All our duties were handled by others and we both came back to a lighter work load and with the weather being so hot, that has suited us well. We are going to try to pace ourselves better, leave the heavy stuff for the younger folks including the Team Effort kids who come here on weekly mission trips during June and July, defer some duties to new volunteers here for summer, and take more time to explore the area and enjoy some of the entertainment up the road in Branson, MO.
We will also be taking on some different roles from our prior years, including my Holy Land presentations as a "Moses-ish" character. That will require more study of the Bible and other materials relating to the first five books of the Old Testament. So far, I have enjoyed that new role and welcome the opportunity to really interact with the visitors to the Passion Play.
We are getting set up with the Fayetteville VA Medical Center and that will make my follow-ups and medical treatment much more convenient and close-at-hand. I keep saying how good the VA health care has been for us and the current cooperation between Fort Collins, Cheyenne and Fayetteville has been first rate. How blessed we are to have this benefit from my military service. Today we have been relaxing, and this evening we will renew our root beer float tradition from last year with Isy and James. Some things just have to stay the same.
Unfortunately, one other thing has stayed the same, and that is the plague of the chiggers. I must be a chigger magnet because they have returned with a vengeance and parts of my body look like a dart board and itch like the dickens, and I don't mean Charles. Last year's remedies don't seem to be working, so back we go to the Internet and a host of new ways to fight them or deter them before they can attack. i've already put out the first line of defense against the horde of ladybugs which overran us here last year and tormented us after we went to Georgia. Hopefully we will get the upper hand on both these critters before they settle in on our settling in. In any event, it is good to be here and part of this Passion Play ministry. Abundantly blessed.
Sent from my iPad
We will also be taking on some different roles from our prior years, including my Holy Land presentations as a "Moses-ish" character. That will require more study of the Bible and other materials relating to the first five books of the Old Testament. So far, I have enjoyed that new role and welcome the opportunity to really interact with the visitors to the Passion Play.
We are getting set up with the Fayetteville VA Medical Center and that will make my follow-ups and medical treatment much more convenient and close-at-hand. I keep saying how good the VA health care has been for us and the current cooperation between Fort Collins, Cheyenne and Fayetteville has been first rate. How blessed we are to have this benefit from my military service. Today we have been relaxing, and this evening we will renew our root beer float tradition from last year with Isy and James. Some things just have to stay the same.
Unfortunately, one other thing has stayed the same, and that is the plague of the chiggers. I must be a chigger magnet because they have returned with a vengeance and parts of my body look like a dart board and itch like the dickens, and I don't mean Charles. Last year's remedies don't seem to be working, so back we go to the Internet and a host of new ways to fight them or deter them before they can attack. i've already put out the first line of defense against the horde of ladybugs which overran us here last year and tormented us after we went to Georgia. Hopefully we will get the upper hand on both these critters before they settle in on our settling in. In any event, it is good to be here and part of this Passion Play ministry. Abundantly blessed.
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, June 19, 2016
June 19, 2016. Eureka Springs, AR. Dueling Shofars
As I was winding down for the final few groups to come through on The Holy Land Tour, I was surprised to see a large Black man wrapped in a prayer shawl, carrying a triple-twist Yemeni shofar approaching the Passover House venue. My first thought was to welcome him and his lady companion with "Shalom, mishpuchah" (hello family member, in Yiddish) to which his reply was a simple "shalom". After a rather long and informative conversation and a demonstration of his impressive shofar-blowing ability John Brown, his fiancé Doris and I decided that he and I needed to do a "call and response" shofar sounding before the evening's Passion Play.
We devised a simple blowing strategy, got them some tickets to the Play and agreed to get in our "positions" just after the singing of the National Anthem. I took my usual position on the roof of the Sanhedrin, while John was stationed at the top of the 40-row amphitheater behind most of the audience. The resulting duet was wonderful. The tekiah's, shevarim's, teriah's and a mIghty tekiah godol flew back and forth and it was exhilerating. . For the first time since I have been blowing the shofar before the start of the Passion Play, there was a spattering of applause, comments from the cast of "what was that?", and a feeling that God had really given a new spin to a more than 3000 year tradition. Once before in my time at the Passion Play was I blessed to share the shofar "stage" with a co-blower. This time tied for first place.
I've been in more than 150 performances of The Great Passion Play and each one is unique, even though the words and music are always the same. There is some line, facial expression, hand gesture, audience reaction or "blooper" which makes each night's presentation a special occurrence, and last night with the "duel" was special for me and a lot of others. Thank You, John for being part of TGPP. I hope we meet again, but if not, we will certainly get to call and respond when Jesus returns or calls us Home. God Bless you, John and Doris, my brother and sister in Christ.
Sent from my iPad
We devised a simple blowing strategy, got them some tickets to the Play and agreed to get in our "positions" just after the singing of the National Anthem. I took my usual position on the roof of the Sanhedrin, while John was stationed at the top of the 40-row amphitheater behind most of the audience. The resulting duet was wonderful. The tekiah's, shevarim's, teriah's and a mIghty tekiah godol flew back and forth and it was exhilerating. . For the first time since I have been blowing the shofar before the start of the Passion Play, there was a spattering of applause, comments from the cast of "what was that?", and a feeling that God had really given a new spin to a more than 3000 year tradition. Once before in my time at the Passion Play was I blessed to share the shofar "stage" with a co-blower. This time tied for first place.
I've been in more than 150 performances of The Great Passion Play and each one is unique, even though the words and music are always the same. There is some line, facial expression, hand gesture, audience reaction or "blooper" which makes each night's presentation a special occurrence, and last night with the "duel" was special for me and a lot of others. Thank You, John for being part of TGPP. I hope we meet again, but if not, we will certainly get to call and respond when Jesus returns or calls us Home. God Bless you, John and Doris, my brother and sister in Christ.
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, June 16, 2016
June 16, 2016. Eureka Springs, AR. It's so hot...........
How hot is it? Johnny Carson jokes about the heat are funny even on Antenna TV reruns; but the heat we are experiencing since our return to Arkansas, is no joke. It is only 84 degrees at 11:00am, but the "feels like" temperature is at 100 heading toward 108. On Tuesday, I jumped back into the Play and it was hot and humid, a far cry from the temperatures and humidity we had in Colorado during our stay there. The next three days will require a lot of liquid and staying in the shade to avoid heat "issues".
Officially it won't be summer for another five days, but that doesn't seem to matter. Hot is hot, no matter whether it's late spring or early summer, and this is as hot as we have experienced in our three years in Arkansas. My Holy Land duties will keep me outside the next three afternoons, and the Play involves a lot of physical movement, so this will be a test of my use of skills learned in my cycling days, long ago. Interesting that the Race Across America which we were part of in 1983 and 1984, began its 2016 race two days ago in Oceanside, CA.
It's good to be back in Arkansas. We were warmly welcomed (no pun intended), glad to be back in our familiar RV spot, level on the second try and have our air conditioning working. There are are some new volunteers on board to help share the load, some new projects already in the works, and we look forward to the tasks we will be part of as we serve the Lord, minister to others and be ministered to in return. Hot in service to God.
Sent from my iPad
Officially it won't be summer for another five days, but that doesn't seem to matter. Hot is hot, no matter whether it's late spring or early summer, and this is as hot as we have experienced in our three years in Arkansas. My Holy Land duties will keep me outside the next three afternoons, and the Play involves a lot of physical movement, so this will be a test of my use of skills learned in my cycling days, long ago. Interesting that the Race Across America which we were part of in 1983 and 1984, began its 2016 race two days ago in Oceanside, CA.
It's good to be back in Arkansas. We were warmly welcomed (no pun intended), glad to be back in our familiar RV spot, level on the second try and have our air conditioning working. There are are some new volunteers on board to help share the load, some new projects already in the works, and we look forward to the tasks we will be part of as we serve the Lord, minister to others and be ministered to in return. Hot in service to God.
Sent from my iPad
Monday, June 13, 2016
June 13, 2016. Wellington, KS. From Home to Home in Our Home
Yesterday we left behind our Colorado home in our road home, and hope to be in our Arkansas home tomorrow, setting up our road home there for a four-and-a-half month stay at The Great Passion Play, our home for the third season. It's always fun to talk to people about our various homes, the various ministries we serve and the faith we have in the call God has placed on our lives.
We know that every home we have ever lived in has been a temporary one, whether it was an apartment, a house or our current motor home, and that we are preparing for and being prepared for an Eternal Home and an Eternal Life beyond the one we now enjoy. God promises us a place which He has gone to prepare for us, and while our current place is pretty good, the one to come is going to be spectacular and beyond anything we can imagine. For now we move from place to place, opportunity to opportunity, serving him and doing the work He calls us to do. We have no idea what each new day will bring, but are thankful for His grace, His provision and His love and committed to trusting Him whatever may come. Homeward bound.
Sent from my iPad
We know that every home we have ever lived in has been a temporary one, whether it was an apartment, a house or our current motor home, and that we are preparing for and being prepared for an Eternal Home and an Eternal Life beyond the one we now enjoy. God promises us a place which He has gone to prepare for us, and while our current place is pretty good, the one to come is going to be spectacular and beyond anything we can imagine. For now we move from place to place, opportunity to opportunity, serving him and doing the work He calls us to do. We have no idea what each new day will bring, but are thankful for His grace, His provision and His love and committed to trusting Him whatever may come. Homeward bound.
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, June 11, 2016
June 11, 2016. Loveland, CO. Yes......No.....Maybe
Life is funny, with funny being a word of many meanings. We look for certainty in our plans and our dealings with others, and many times that certainty never comes, or we get mixed messages, and even uncertainty. We came to Fort Collins nearly three weeks ago with a definite set of appointments and scheduled activities and will be leaving tomorrow with most of the appointments completed, most of our goals realized, but the certainty we sought, not achieved.
My primary care doctor at the VA for the past seven years, is now retired. Karen and my primary care "civilian" doctor will be retiring at the end of this month and the stress test(s) I took at the VA to resolve my main health concern, came back yesterday with conflicting reports. The cardiologist wrote the word "not" in one place and left it out in another, so the interpretation of the test(s) is unclear and will not be resolved until he returns to work next Tuesday, by which time we will be back in Arkansas and possibly in the hands of the Fayetteville VA for a resolution of the matter. In the "old days" I might have been upset by this situation and created more of a stress on my heart, but I am okay with the situation, because I know there is nothing I can do to change what has happened and worry or anxiety will only make me feel worse.
Life is just a series of events we cannot predict or anticipate and if we try to look for certainty we will usually be disappointed. How we react or respond to each event determines how we succeed or fail and how we feel at the end of each day when we lay down to sleep and whether we sleep and get rested, or restlessly sleep. Life is just a series of yes, no and maybes and for the most part it is out of our control.
Our time in Colorado has been pretty good. We had fun times and sad times; will leave with some matters unresolved, some people we were unable to hook up with, our future still in question, as it was when we arrived.........but the path before us is still firmly in God's hand and under His control. For all these things we are thankful and contented........as committed as ever to ask, seek and knock and trust God for the results. See y'all in Arkansas.
Sent from my iPad
My primary care doctor at the VA for the past seven years, is now retired. Karen and my primary care "civilian" doctor will be retiring at the end of this month and the stress test(s) I took at the VA to resolve my main health concern, came back yesterday with conflicting reports. The cardiologist wrote the word "not" in one place and left it out in another, so the interpretation of the test(s) is unclear and will not be resolved until he returns to work next Tuesday, by which time we will be back in Arkansas and possibly in the hands of the Fayetteville VA for a resolution of the matter. In the "old days" I might have been upset by this situation and created more of a stress on my heart, but I am okay with the situation, because I know there is nothing I can do to change what has happened and worry or anxiety will only make me feel worse.
Life is just a series of events we cannot predict or anticipate and if we try to look for certainty we will usually be disappointed. How we react or respond to each event determines how we succeed or fail and how we feel at the end of each day when we lay down to sleep and whether we sleep and get rested, or restlessly sleep. Life is just a series of yes, no and maybes and for the most part it is out of our control.
Our time in Colorado has been pretty good. We had fun times and sad times; will leave with some matters unresolved, some people we were unable to hook up with, our future still in question, as it was when we arrived.........but the path before us is still firmly in God's hand and under His control. For all these things we are thankful and contented........as committed as ever to ask, seek and knock and trust God for the results. See y'all in Arkansas.
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
June 8, 2016. Loveland, CO. Winding Down
We just returned from Cheyenne and my final VA appointment. This was a stress test (nuclear) to follow up the test which was done a few weeks ago and concerned the cardiologist. We will have definitely results by Friday, but the cardiologist was pretty positive the results would be negative. That's good. Karen had all good reports from her tests and appointments, so we are counting this trip as a good one, medically and glad the appointments are over.
We have had many good visits with family and friends, with a number still to come, church on Saturday evening, and then the plan is to head back to Arkansas. The weather has been good, the living accommodations in the RV Park are comfortable and, all in all, it has been good to be back in Colorado. We are pretty sure that living in Colorado again is not in our future, but God may have other ideas for us. Never say never.
When all the hoopla started about the VA not doing their job and not serving the needs of the veterans adequately, we were surprised at the accusations against our own Fort Collins and Cheyenne facilities, since we had never had any problems with our care there. The past two weeks have done nothing to change our opinion about the VA and the excellent, personal, professional care given to me. We can't say the same for most of the "civilian" medical care we have received over the years, but we have been very fortunate to have health coverage and facilities which keep us pretty healthy and happy. We know that the Great Physician is watching over us, providing for every need and blessing us with the life He has called us to. We say it often, and it may seem like just "Sunday School" prayer, but we really mean it.........THANK YOU, LORD.
Sent from my iPad
We have had many good visits with family and friends, with a number still to come, church on Saturday evening, and then the plan is to head back to Arkansas. The weather has been good, the living accommodations in the RV Park are comfortable and, all in all, it has been good to be back in Colorado. We are pretty sure that living in Colorado again is not in our future, but God may have other ideas for us. Never say never.
When all the hoopla started about the VA not doing their job and not serving the needs of the veterans adequately, we were surprised at the accusations against our own Fort Collins and Cheyenne facilities, since we had never had any problems with our care there. The past two weeks have done nothing to change our opinion about the VA and the excellent, personal, professional care given to me. We can't say the same for most of the "civilian" medical care we have received over the years, but we have been very fortunate to have health coverage and facilities which keep us pretty healthy and happy. We know that the Great Physician is watching over us, providing for every need and blessing us with the life He has called us to. We say it often, and it may seem like just "Sunday School" prayer, but we really mean it.........THANK YOU, LORD.
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Fwd: June 5, 2016. Loveland, CO. Simplicity
> I always try to have a book to read in addition to my devotionals and The Bible. When we left Arkansas, I brought along "The Freedom of Simplicity" by Richard J. Foster. The book was in the free library at the Passion Play. I have read a little more than half the book so far, but have not really absorbed it fully. The first chapter, "The Complexity of Simplicity" was pretty complex. I read it twice, and will have to read it again, maybe even more than once, before I understand it.
> Karen and I HAVE simplified our life, but you would never know that by outward appearances. We have a house in Fort Collins, a very nice motor home with a host of complex systems, mechanical issues to contend with, ministries in Arkansas and Georgia that involve many people and many diverse components which need to work in sync to run properly. Our ministry to Vietnam Vets is not simple, because the issues of the Vietnam Vet and the dealings with the VA are not always a simple matter. Our life is far from simple, but far simpler than that of many of our friends and family with financial, job, school, health, legal, care-giver and other issues to contend with. I hope the book will shed some light on the subject, to help us with our life and also encourage others to simplify theirs.
> For the moment, we are down to two medical appointments remaining, one for Karen here in Loveland and one for me in Cheyenne on Wednesday. We will be seeing a bunch of our friends this coming week, will do some work at our house in Fort Collins and try to rest up for the drive back to Arkansas starting a week from today. Pretty simple plan with God setting the schedule and the details. With God all things are possible. Thank You, Lord.
>
> Sent from my iPad
> Karen and I HAVE simplified our life, but you would never know that by outward appearances. We have a house in Fort Collins, a very nice motor home with a host of complex systems, mechanical issues to contend with, ministries in Arkansas and Georgia that involve many people and many diverse components which need to work in sync to run properly. Our ministry to Vietnam Vets is not simple, because the issues of the Vietnam Vet and the dealings with the VA are not always a simple matter. Our life is far from simple, but far simpler than that of many of our friends and family with financial, job, school, health, legal, care-giver and other issues to contend with. I hope the book will shed some light on the subject, to help us with our life and also encourage others to simplify theirs.
> For the moment, we are down to two medical appointments remaining, one for Karen here in Loveland and one for me in Cheyenne on Wednesday. We will be seeing a bunch of our friends this coming week, will do some work at our house in Fort Collins and try to rest up for the drive back to Arkansas starting a week from today. Pretty simple plan with God setting the schedule and the details. With God all things are possible. Thank You, Lord.
>
> Sent from my iPad
Thursday, June 2, 2016
June 2, 2016. Loveland, CO. Snow on the Mountains
Summer in Arkansas. Winter in Georgia. We have spent the past two-and-a-half years bouncing back and forth from AR to GA with a trip back to Colorado in May or June to get our medical and dental brought up to date and get to see snow on the mountains. This year it seems that the lakes and rivers on the front range of the Rockies are full to the brim and the mountains still seem to have a lot of snow yet to melt. That's good news for the ranchers and farmers and water users on the plains and a beautiful sight for the front-rangers and visitors to the state.
For many years living here in Colorado, we saw the snow, shoveled the snow and at times were limited in our travel activities by the snow. Some winters we would have wished we had already been in Georgia, even though there wasn't even a glimmer of such a thing happening to us. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that there will be more snow yet to fall in the mountains, and it may yet hail on the flats, an ever present threat to roofs and cars. But, for now, we are happy to be able to see the mountains again, to enjoy the beautiful scenery to the west and just soak it in while we can.
Our appointments are winding down with a full day tomorrow and then only two for next week. We aren't wishing our time away, or planning our return trip to the Passion Play yet. Enjoy the moment, let the tests taken be evaluated. and have done what needs to be done, see some more of our friends and family........and enjoy the snow on the mountains while it lasts.
Sent from my iPad
For many years living here in Colorado, we saw the snow, shoveled the snow and at times were limited in our travel activities by the snow. Some winters we would have wished we had already been in Georgia, even though there wasn't even a glimmer of such a thing happening to us. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that there will be more snow yet to fall in the mountains, and it may yet hail on the flats, an ever present threat to roofs and cars. But, for now, we are happy to be able to see the mountains again, to enjoy the beautiful scenery to the west and just soak it in while we can.
Our appointments are winding down with a full day tomorrow and then only two for next week. We aren't wishing our time away, or planning our return trip to the Passion Play yet. Enjoy the moment, let the tests taken be evaluated. and have done what needs to be done, see some more of our friends and family........and enjoy the snow on the mountains while it lasts.
Sent from my iPad
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