We did start the Play on Saturday and as the screaming crowd started up the Via to the crucifixion, the rain started falling in torrents and there was lightening and thunder in the immediate vicinity. The music score abruptly stopped and the Play was over. Jesus wept, many of the cast wept and I'm sure many in the audience, who would not be able to come back on Sunday night or later in the season, wept.
It's sad when we have to cancel a performance because it means plans made need to be altered, a long-anticipated experience becomes a disappointment, or a chance to change a person's spiritual direction is derailed or possibly lost. The Passion Play is a powerful depiction of the last week of the life of Jesus Christ. It affects people deeply, even those of us who have been part of it for many years. My life has been transformed by our decision to volunteer here in 2014, 2015, 2016 and again this year. We have acquired new skills, made close friends, grown in our faith and watched others grow in theirs. We have ministered to others and been ministered to by them. We see God from a new and different perspective, and feel that He has turned our ideas of "retirement" upside down, so that we have put our plans in the background and moved His to the forefront. At times we think we have a "better plan", but in every case we step back and let Him take the lead.
We've had a group of young people and their leaders from New Albany, MS here since Sunday and they have been helping us with a variety of projects. Two of our young adult interns are getting to supervise some of the work projects and many people are learning new skills, making new friends, growing in their faith and watching others grow in theirs. Sounds like something I've said before........
God's plans are so much better than our best plans. His impact on our life and the lives of those around us are so far superior to anything we can imagine. If we just accept His love, freely receive His grace and mercy, rest in the peace of His presence and the gift of His salvation.......the best is yet to come. Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
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Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Saturday, May 27, 2017
May 27, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. On The Edge
It's been beautiful today. Warmer and more humid, but still very pleasant. But now, storms are popping up to our north and the prospect is for possible severe weather within the next few hours. The radar looks pretty "red", but the weather radar is quiet. Play or No Play? No decision yet. The lightening display during last night's performance was impressive, but there was no rain or imminent threat. Tonight seems different.
We'll stay tuned, watch the sky, the radar, the TV, and the weather alerts before heading to the set in about an hour. It's sure been a wild weather ride here this spring, as it has been in many parts of the country. More to follow.
Sent from my iPad
We'll stay tuned, watch the sky, the radar, the TV, and the weather alerts before heading to the set in about an hour. It's sure been a wild weather ride here this spring, as it has been in many parts of the country. More to follow.
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
May 24, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. Four In A Row
Four days - four performances. The pace will definitely quicken as we have four performances in a row and seven over the next ten days. We also have our Team Effort kids starting their mission trips, arriving Sunday and here over the next two months. They stay for a week, help with any number of projects on the PP property, get to be in the Play and may even assist in The Holy Land. It's good to have high school and college age "missionaries" since we tend to attract an older audience and these younger people are able to have more in common with the church youth groups who come to experience The Great Passion Play.
With the more intense performance schedule of the next two months, it's hard to do a lot of the routine clean-up, maintenance, landscaping and other necessary duties, so the Team Effort kids are a big help. You never realize how much it takes to run an "operation" like this until you see it all from the perspective of doing it all. Weeds don't pick themselves, or trash bags just walk by themselves to the dumpster and I've yet to see the cast costumes parade to the washer, then hop in the dryer and hang themselves up in the correct dressing room for the next performance. It's a lot of work by not a lot of people.
It's still a joy to be part of this ministry, to tell the story of the last week of Jesus' earthly ministry, have people visit our Sacred Arts Gallery, the Bible Museum, tour our Holy Land venues and Moses' Tabernacle in the Wilderness, shop in our gift shops, eat at the buffet and concession stands and see The Christ of the Ozarks statue, 67 feet tall, in its fifty-first year--most impressive. And it all kicks into higher gear tomorrow. Five performances down with 76 to go.
One day at a time, every day a new experience, for some it's opening night, for others an encore performance, a great way to be in the presence of God and hopefully impact people in a positive manner with Christ in me, and me abandoned to Him and His call. To Him be the Glory.
Sent from my iPad
With the more intense performance schedule of the next two months, it's hard to do a lot of the routine clean-up, maintenance, landscaping and other necessary duties, so the Team Effort kids are a big help. You never realize how much it takes to run an "operation" like this until you see it all from the perspective of doing it all. Weeds don't pick themselves, or trash bags just walk by themselves to the dumpster and I've yet to see the cast costumes parade to the washer, then hop in the dryer and hang themselves up in the correct dressing room for the next performance. It's a lot of work by not a lot of people.
It's still a joy to be part of this ministry, to tell the story of the last week of Jesus' earthly ministry, have people visit our Sacred Arts Gallery, the Bible Museum, tour our Holy Land venues and Moses' Tabernacle in the Wilderness, shop in our gift shops, eat at the buffet and concession stands and see The Christ of the Ozarks statue, 67 feet tall, in its fifty-first year--most impressive. And it all kicks into higher gear tomorrow. Five performances down with 76 to go.
One day at a time, every day a new experience, for some it's opening night, for others an encore performance, a great way to be in the presence of God and hopefully impact people in a positive manner with Christ in me, and me abandoned to Him and His call. To Him be the Glory.
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, May 21, 2017
May 21 2017 Eureka Springs, AR Blog Lost Somewhere.
Thursday, May 18, 2017
May 18, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. 85 degrees and Snowing
Hard to believe, but at the very same moment it was 85 degrees at home while snow was falling in big flakes and accumulating on bushes and the lawn at our house. That seems like an impossibility, but it's true and both Karen and I were witnesses to it. Many of you might have the apparent dilemma figured out, but for those who don't, the answer is: it was 85 degrees at our "motor" home in Arkansas where I am, and snowing at our house in Colorado, where Karen is on "sabbatical" for medical appointments and being with Her sister, Jinny, who had surgery yesterday.
Words, when not fully explained or taken out of context, can lead us to wrong conclusions, cause confusion or anxiety and if passed on before being substantiated, can lead to fear, panic, mass hysteria and action being taken which cannot be reversed or undone. The "War of the Worlds" radio panic of 1938 is very easily revisited in our time by the ability we have to rapidly disseminate "news" by a wide variety of mass media, social media and broadcast media sources. We have the very real capability of jumping to conclusions too quickly based on what may be unreliable, fabricated or even intentionally repeated false information.
The facts of our 85 and snowing story: both situations are true and in the area between Arkansas and Colorado at that very same moment was violent weather, including tornados, thunderstorms and heavy rain and hail in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas. That system is the tail end of a system which brought that same weather as far north as Wisconsin yesterday.
We live in difficult times, but probably no more difficult than any other time in history. Opinions are strong, people are on edge with all their different beliefs, prejudices, pet peeves and social agendas. There seem to be any number of straws which can break your camel's back and we face tipping points at every turn. We all need to lighten up, take a deep breath, cool our heals, look at the glass half full, turn off the national news and talk radio for a while, chill, relax and be thankful for all we have and know that there is a better tomorrow waiting for us......God is not surprised by what's going on, never was surprised by what has already happened and has the future in His complete control. And all we need to do is seek His Truth, and.........Rest In Him.
Sent from my iPad
Words, when not fully explained or taken out of context, can lead us to wrong conclusions, cause confusion or anxiety and if passed on before being substantiated, can lead to fear, panic, mass hysteria and action being taken which cannot be reversed or undone. The "War of the Worlds" radio panic of 1938 is very easily revisited in our time by the ability we have to rapidly disseminate "news" by a wide variety of mass media, social media and broadcast media sources. We have the very real capability of jumping to conclusions too quickly based on what may be unreliable, fabricated or even intentionally repeated false information.
The facts of our 85 and snowing story: both situations are true and in the area between Arkansas and Colorado at that very same moment was violent weather, including tornados, thunderstorms and heavy rain and hail in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas. That system is the tail end of a system which brought that same weather as far north as Wisconsin yesterday.
We live in difficult times, but probably no more difficult than any other time in history. Opinions are strong, people are on edge with all their different beliefs, prejudices, pet peeves and social agendas. There seem to be any number of straws which can break your camel's back and we face tipping points at every turn. We all need to lighten up, take a deep breath, cool our heals, look at the glass half full, turn off the national news and talk radio for a while, chill, relax and be thankful for all we have and know that there is a better tomorrow waiting for us......God is not surprised by what's going on, never was surprised by what has already happened and has the future in His complete control. And all we need to do is seek His Truth, and.........Rest In Him.
Sent from my iPad
Monday, May 15, 2017
May 15, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. No News is Good News
The expression is supposed to mean that when we don't hear from a friend or relative, there is no bad news to report, so we will get good news from them sometime in the future. After listening to this evening's national news, I think the expression really means that no news on the broadcast was good news and we have to wait until tomorrow to maybe hear something good.
The reports tonight were about possible leaks of confidential security information to the Russians, repercussions of the firing of the FBI director and possible recording of conversations, cyber ransom demands on hundreds of thousands of businesses, interruption of medical procedures in England caused by hackers, a plane crash, a bus crash, police shootings of young people, protests and counter-protests over a Robert E Lee statue, a large family killed in a possible arson fire, North Korean missile tests, Syrian humanitarian abuses and possible mass executions, and a drug seizure harming a police officer. The broadcast ended with a 101 year old WWII veteran skydiving as a follow up to his skydiving on his 100th birthday and looking forward to a repeat jump on his 102nd birthday next year.
I guess that last story qualifies as good news, in light of all that preceded it. But then again there was a lot of good news within the stories reported. Our government with all its flaws is still the best in the world. First responders ran to the crashes including a group of police cadets in a bus behind the one which crashed. The plane hit three buildings, but no one on the ground was killed, There is sufficient good computer protection to prevent large losses of funds and interruptions caused by hackers. The seized drugs did not find their way onto the streets. Relief agencies are available and trained to help people in virtually every tragedy or dangerous situation. Yes, there was good news in spite of the "headlines". But, above all.......the truly Good News is that God is in control and when we rest in Him, the best is yet to come. I can listen to that Good News all day, every day.
Sent from my iPad
The reports tonight were about possible leaks of confidential security information to the Russians, repercussions of the firing of the FBI director and possible recording of conversations, cyber ransom demands on hundreds of thousands of businesses, interruption of medical procedures in England caused by hackers, a plane crash, a bus crash, police shootings of young people, protests and counter-protests over a Robert E Lee statue, a large family killed in a possible arson fire, North Korean missile tests, Syrian humanitarian abuses and possible mass executions, and a drug seizure harming a police officer. The broadcast ended with a 101 year old WWII veteran skydiving as a follow up to his skydiving on his 100th birthday and looking forward to a repeat jump on his 102nd birthday next year.
I guess that last story qualifies as good news, in light of all that preceded it. But then again there was a lot of good news within the stories reported. Our government with all its flaws is still the best in the world. First responders ran to the crashes including a group of police cadets in a bus behind the one which crashed. The plane hit three buildings, but no one on the ground was killed, There is sufficient good computer protection to prevent large losses of funds and interruptions caused by hackers. The seized drugs did not find their way onto the streets. Relief agencies are available and trained to help people in virtually every tragedy or dangerous situation. Yes, there was good news in spite of the "headlines". But, above all.......the truly Good News is that God is in control and when we rest in Him, the best is yet to come. I can listen to that Good News all day, every day.
Sent from my iPad
Friday, May 12, 2017
May 12, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. Life Goes On
Roll with the punches. Turn the other cheek. It's better to be right half the time, than half right all the time. If I were in charge. That's not what I said. It just came out of nowhere. Get a handle on it. Or else. Look both ways. There is more than one way to skin a cat. That's not what I ordered. The dryer shrunk my clothes. I can't believe I just said that. Life happens. Life goes on.
Expressions we use say a lot about us and our attitude toward the events we face on a daily basis. There's not much we can do to affect someone's opinion or long-held belief, or turn them from a view contrary to ours and get them to agree with and support us. We just have to make the best of every situation, admit that I may be the person with the wrong answer, the wrong outlook and the wrong attitude. Life is so much easier when we determine to just along, let the insult go past us and leave the outcome in the hands of God. Learn to say grace before eating crow and be grateful that crow need not be a regular part of our diet, if we learn to "let go and let God".
Life goes on. God will even it all out, in the end, and we can enjoy the journey a lot more, knowing He is faithful, fair and still on His throne.
Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Expressions we use say a lot about us and our attitude toward the events we face on a daily basis. There's not much we can do to affect someone's opinion or long-held belief, or turn them from a view contrary to ours and get them to agree with and support us. We just have to make the best of every situation, admit that I may be the person with the wrong answer, the wrong outlook and the wrong attitude. Life is so much easier when we determine to just along, let the insult go past us and leave the outcome in the hands of God. Learn to say grace before eating crow and be grateful that crow need not be a regular part of our diet, if we learn to "let go and let God".
Life goes on. God will even it all out, in the end, and we can enjoy the journey a lot more, knowing He is faithful, fair and still on His throne.
Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
May 9, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. 10,000+
Since we started our website, there have been 10,137 visitors to the site. We haven't exactly gone viral or caused any major national or international controversy or uproar, but we have some loyal fans and we are glad you keep coming back and follow our exploits for The Lord.
Today I finished my eleventh journal notebook (each is 9"X11" with one hundred pages, written on both sides, with about 30 lines per page) of my prayers, praises, thoughts and devotional notes for the past 14+ years. That represents about 66,000 hand-written lines and nobody has read a single line of it. In fact, I have read only a handful of lines because I rarely reread anything I have written, including the blogs I post on the website.
I enjoy writing, certainly enjoy reading scripture and devotionals every morning, and read an occasional history book or biography, but don't read my own stuff once it is on paper or in print.
Maybe someday my journals will be "discovered" and become the Fort Collins/Eureka Springs/Madison "Scrolls" for someone to analyze and see how a Jewish boy born in Brooklyn and raised in Poughkeepsie and Schenectady, New York came to know and accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at age 53 and spent the rest of his days in service to Him. I pray my blogs are an encouragement to others in their Walk with Him, and my personal journals are deepening my Walk with Him. I Write On.
Sent from my iPad
Today I finished my eleventh journal notebook (each is 9"X11" with one hundred pages, written on both sides, with about 30 lines per page) of my prayers, praises, thoughts and devotional notes for the past 14+ years. That represents about 66,000 hand-written lines and nobody has read a single line of it. In fact, I have read only a handful of lines because I rarely reread anything I have written, including the blogs I post on the website.
I enjoy writing, certainly enjoy reading scripture and devotionals every morning, and read an occasional history book or biography, but don't read my own stuff once it is on paper or in print.
Maybe someday my journals will be "discovered" and become the Fort Collins/Eureka Springs/Madison "Scrolls" for someone to analyze and see how a Jewish boy born in Brooklyn and raised in Poughkeepsie and Schenectady, New York came to know and accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at age 53 and spent the rest of his days in service to Him. I pray my blogs are an encouragement to others in their Walk with Him, and my personal journals are deepening my Walk with Him. I Write On.
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, May 6, 2017
May 6, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. The Amphitheater
Eighty steps down, eighty steps up, eighty steps down, eighty steps up. That's the routine each morning after a Passion Play performance. Pick up paper, plastic bottles, coffee cups and pop cans, pick up food wrappers, spilled popcorn and uneaten food which the birds, skunks and squirrels don't find appetizing. Sometimes there are articles of clothing, wallets, cell phones, money, dirty diapers, ticket stubs, sunflower seed shells, travel brochures and the weeds which sprout in the cracks.
I usually carry a large black garbage bag and a small broom for the popcorn and seed shells. I don't mind the task and since I work by myself with only the birds watching and commenting, it gives me time to enjoy the early morning and ponder the imponderables. I think about those people who clean the big athletic arenas or theaters and what they think about the things they find and the people who leave their trash for others to pick up. Do the litterers complain when they walk into a messy venue, and cuss out those who have not picked up after themselves, not realizing that they are to blame themselves for the stuff they themselves have left behind?
I've been blessed to see that some items are able to be returned to their owners. The "key and lock" story from August, 2014 has "preached well" , having a valuable spiritual message for all of us. The amphitheater has been a very rewarding venue for me, where a menial task provides some profound answers to many of the things we do in service to The Lord.
One down.......81 to go. More lessons to be learned and stories to tell. As for today...no money...no items needing to be returned or placed in lost and found...one dirty baby bib.....and a lot of spilled popcorn.....maybe tomorrow there will be a story beyond this story....
Sent from my iPad
I usually carry a large black garbage bag and a small broom for the popcorn and seed shells. I don't mind the task and since I work by myself with only the birds watching and commenting, it gives me time to enjoy the early morning and ponder the imponderables. I think about those people who clean the big athletic arenas or theaters and what they think about the things they find and the people who leave their trash for others to pick up. Do the litterers complain when they walk into a messy venue, and cuss out those who have not picked up after themselves, not realizing that they are to blame themselves for the stuff they themselves have left behind?
I've been blessed to see that some items are able to be returned to their owners. The "key and lock" story from August, 2014 has "preached well" , having a valuable spiritual message for all of us. The amphitheater has been a very rewarding venue for me, where a menial task provides some profound answers to many of the things we do in service to The Lord.
One down.......81 to go. More lessons to be learned and stories to tell. As for today...no money...no items needing to be returned or placed in lost and found...one dirty baby bib.....and a lot of spilled popcorn.....maybe tomorrow there will be a story beyond this story....
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
May 3, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. T minus Two
We begin the season on Friday. A lot of projects are still in progress, we're not sure, yet, who is on board for many of our regular jobs, some of the roles in the play have only a few "understudies" and we used the dress rehearsals the past two evenings to accustom people to new roles they can work their way into. One of our new "Jesus" donkeys did well, but the other was a little temperamental and bucked Scott off. That was the second year in a row Scott was bucked off during dress rehearsal. No damage done.
Regardless of the uncertainties, we will start our season at 10am Friday with Dick teaching in the Tabernacle for the 29th year and looking forward to his 90th birthday in August. There is a lot of history in this place and we will be getting closer to welcoming the 7.9 millionth person to see the Passion Play since 1968.
We had another day of rain today, but we should have good weather the rest of the week and into next week. The rain has really filled out the greenery, but too many places in the area have streams and rivers that are over-filled and need a break from the rain. Not much we can do but keep the drains unclogged and fill in the places that wash away. Like most other projects, drainage is a work still in progress. In God's timing, we'll get all the projects done......and then find some more. The cow never stays milked.
Sent from my iPad
Regardless of the uncertainties, we will start our season at 10am Friday with Dick teaching in the Tabernacle for the 29th year and looking forward to his 90th birthday in August. There is a lot of history in this place and we will be getting closer to welcoming the 7.9 millionth person to see the Passion Play since 1968.
We had another day of rain today, but we should have good weather the rest of the week and into next week. The rain has really filled out the greenery, but too many places in the area have streams and rivers that are over-filled and need a break from the rain. Not much we can do but keep the drains unclogged and fill in the places that wash away. Like most other projects, drainage is a work still in progress. In God's timing, we'll get all the projects done......and then find some more. The cow never stays milked.
Sent from my iPad
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