Certain things in life are predictable, even when we don't understand how they happen.....or why. The swallows return to Capistrano, salmon swim upstream to their spawning grounds, there is a vernal equinox and another in the fall........and those pesky, itchy, nearly invisible, infernal chiggers come our to torment and cause me to scratch and scratch and spend a fortune on remedies which never seem to work.
As warm, no, hot weather has come to Eureka Springs, so have the nasty "c" creatures and their signature bumps and welts. For some people it is almost unbearable as the critters work their way up from the feet to places higher up on the body. Everyone seems to react differently, with some never bothered at all while others are in torment worse than Job. I thought the lye soap I started using was the cure-all, but it is not and the Benadryl, Calamine, deodorant, window cleaner, bleach, rubbing alcohol, blah blah blah blah, blah blah all have minimal to no impact. Spraying with products containing Deet work a little, but it is so oily that it attracts a lot of dirt and makes your legs and socks look like Pig Pen from the Peanuts comic strip has taken up residence in your body.
There is also the concern that with the chiggers come ticks and mosquitos and all the diseases associated with their bites. Some people attract ticks, but not chiggers, others chiggers but not ticks, some mosquitos and others poison ivy, oak or sumac, and some get them all. I guess with the unique finger prints for every person, there is a unique critter-susceptibility and we don't get much choice in the matter. Karen (who is totally unaffected by ticks, chiggers or mosquitoes), heard about some new concoction the campground up the road is selling for chigger control, so we will give it a try and if it works, it works, and if not...........Scratch on. Maybe one day we'll know...........why?
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Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Saturday, May 26, 2018
May 26, 2018. Eureka Springs, AR. One of Those Days
Ever have one of those days when you just had a feeling things were not going to go as smoothly as you wanted them to. I had that feeling yesterday, and other than a few issues with the pre-Play weather, difficulties with the lighting at the start of the Play and loss of sound during the Last Supper scene, it was an okay day. But today, I had that same trepidation, and it turned out that God had to work overtime to see us through the day.......so far.
I won't go into detail, but here are the highlights: a group of 5 guests with very demanding transportation needs which had to be modified because of excess weight and a flat tire on their golf cart; a "copper penny" (a copperhead snake) at our Bethlehem venue, requiring the elimination of the intruder; a loaded 46 passenger bus which lost power and brakes on the trip up a windy and steep part of our Holy Land Tour and had to be very skillfully guided backwards into a ditch, preventing it from crashing over a slope into our "Dead Sea" area; diverting one of our busses to the Jesus Parade in Eureka Springs, causing extra logistical issues to handle the guests in our Holy Land; a heat-related emergency which required the quick transport of a guest out of the Holy Land to the hospital to receive treatment.
As of now, it seems that there were no injuries, the health issue was resolved and other than some people who rode in, but had to walk out, and some delays in the Holy Land Tour, all matters are under control. The Sheriff's Deputy who responded to the bus accident, was one of our Roman Chariot drivers and has also played Pilate in the Play in the past, so we had a person familiar with our ministry and some of our unique issues. And most of all, God was watching over us, seeing us through and providing the right people at the right time to resolve each matter. In about ninety minutes we will begin tonight's Play, tomorrow we will have our first of two Sunday Performance Days, as we pray for God's continued favor for this ministry and the Gospel message we present to a nation and world which needs to hear it now.......more than ever. We press on. Thank You, Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
I won't go into detail, but here are the highlights: a group of 5 guests with very demanding transportation needs which had to be modified because of excess weight and a flat tire on their golf cart; a "copper penny" (a copperhead snake) at our Bethlehem venue, requiring the elimination of the intruder; a loaded 46 passenger bus which lost power and brakes on the trip up a windy and steep part of our Holy Land Tour and had to be very skillfully guided backwards into a ditch, preventing it from crashing over a slope into our "Dead Sea" area; diverting one of our busses to the Jesus Parade in Eureka Springs, causing extra logistical issues to handle the guests in our Holy Land; a heat-related emergency which required the quick transport of a guest out of the Holy Land to the hospital to receive treatment.
As of now, it seems that there were no injuries, the health issue was resolved and other than some people who rode in, but had to walk out, and some delays in the Holy Land Tour, all matters are under control. The Sheriff's Deputy who responded to the bus accident, was one of our Roman Chariot drivers and has also played Pilate in the Play in the past, so we had a person familiar with our ministry and some of our unique issues. And most of all, God was watching over us, seeing us through and providing the right people at the right time to resolve each matter. In about ninety minutes we will begin tonight's Play, tomorrow we will have our first of two Sunday Performance Days, as we pray for God's continued favor for this ministry and the Gospel message we present to a nation and world which needs to hear it now.......more than ever. We press on. Thank You, Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
May 23, 2018. Eureka Springs, AR. May
The month of May in Eureka Springs is usually pretty mild, temperatures in the 60's and 70's with night time temperatures in the 50's. This year it has been a bit warmer with almost summer-like weather, daytime in the mid 80's and nighttime in the 60's and low 70's. We are even expecting weekend and Memorial Day temps to be in the 90's with feels-like over 100.
This is not what we would want to experience now unless there is a plan to make June and July cooler than it has been since we came to Arkansas and TGPP. Both June and July have been extremely hot and humid with the heat of the day extending well into the evening and Play-time. Of course, there's not much we can do with the weather, but push fluids and stay out of the sun. After living in Colorado for so many years we have gotten used to dry heat (high temperatures and low-low humidity), But, we aren't Deep South either, with feels-likes in the 110's. As bad as we think it is, it is always worse somewhere else. So, accept what we are given, do what needs to be done, and take each day for what it is, knowing God has a reason for what is happening and a plan to bring joy and peace from whatever conditions we face.
There's something brewing with the happenings on the Big Island of Hawaii and the sink holes in Florida and the wild weather of the past few months. But nothing surprises God and He is in control...............and we can rely on and be grateful for that.
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This is not what we would want to experience now unless there is a plan to make June and July cooler than it has been since we came to Arkansas and TGPP. Both June and July have been extremely hot and humid with the heat of the day extending well into the evening and Play-time. Of course, there's not much we can do with the weather, but push fluids and stay out of the sun. After living in Colorado for so many years we have gotten used to dry heat (high temperatures and low-low humidity), But, we aren't Deep South either, with feels-likes in the 110's. As bad as we think it is, it is always worse somewhere else. So, accept what we are given, do what needs to be done, and take each day for what it is, knowing God has a reason for what is happening and a plan to bring joy and peace from whatever conditions we face.
There's something brewing with the happenings on the Big Island of Hawaii and the sink holes in Florida and the wild weather of the past few months. But nothing surprises God and He is in control...............and we can rely on and be grateful for that.
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, May 20, 2018
May 20, 2018. Eureka Springs, AR. We All Hurt..........
..........but there is always someone who is hurting more. We all face difficulties in our life....... but there is always someone who has a burden far heavier than ours. We have all lost something of value in our life.......but there is always someone who has lost everything. We all think our situation is hopeless.......but there is always someone who has given up completely. And in every case, the "someone" is not just an individual, but a whole host of people, maybe even a whole community or nation group.
We tend to see our own problems as the worst thing in the world, and then we meet that person who doesn't even think they have a problem at all. And when we look at them, we can't imagine how we would handle that "problem" if it were ours. Here at the Passion Play we have many opportunities to work with others, interact with visitors who are facing, or have faced, major hurdles in their life and yet they are determined to be an example of how to face their issues with optimism, humility and even gratitude and thanks. I don't want to name names, but we have a number of people in our PP ministry who are battling serious health issues and yet are contributing to the ministry by doing what they can to present the message of Jesus, not only to our guests, but to each of us, and they do it with all the effort they can muster and no complaints or woe-is-meeing. And many of our guests are ministering to us by their desire to see all and do all the activities we have for them on the Passion Play grounds even when the facilities are not as "handicap-accessible " as we would want them to be.
Yes, we all hurt....... but think of our Lord and Savior......how He suffered......and how He bore the burdens of the whole world so that we might have life.......life with Him......now.......and forever. Thank You, Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
We tend to see our own problems as the worst thing in the world, and then we meet that person who doesn't even think they have a problem at all. And when we look at them, we can't imagine how we would handle that "problem" if it were ours. Here at the Passion Play we have many opportunities to work with others, interact with visitors who are facing, or have faced, major hurdles in their life and yet they are determined to be an example of how to face their issues with optimism, humility and even gratitude and thanks. I don't want to name names, but we have a number of people in our PP ministry who are battling serious health issues and yet are contributing to the ministry by doing what they can to present the message of Jesus, not only to our guests, but to each of us, and they do it with all the effort they can muster and no complaints or woe-is-meeing. And many of our guests are ministering to us by their desire to see all and do all the activities we have for them on the Passion Play grounds even when the facilities are not as "handicap-accessible " as we would want them to be.
Yes, we all hurt....... but think of our Lord and Savior......how He suffered......and how He bore the burdens of the whole world so that we might have life.......life with Him......now.......and forever. Thank You, Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
May 16, 2018. Eureka Springs, AR. We Are All At Risk
Every time there is the prospect of severe weather, the national news seems to want to tell us how many people are "at risk" because of the oncoming storm. The number is usually in the millions, tens of millions or even as many as 50 to 60 million. Why the emphasis on the ominous potential impact, when in reality, we are ALL at risk, ALL the time because of the times we live in.
The moral fiber of our culture has deteriorated. The way many of us live invites dire consequences because we often don't take into consideration what the results of impulsive, rash, irresponsible or unthinking behavior may be. Advertising, peer pressure and pride lure us to spend more than we have, want more than we need and do things which may cause us and our family and friends harm or even death. In such behavior we put a lot of people, even innocent people, at risk.
There are too many people with guns who shouldn't have them, too many people who have guns but don't know how or when to use them and too many people in responsible positions who are there for the wrong reasons and putting others at risk because of their incompetence. Whether it is our technology which has gotten out of control, too much trust placed in people who shouldn't be trusted, or just plain greed or covetousness, we are at risk. Life has always had an element of risk, and it always will have, but it seems that there are a growing number of international conflicts, Kilauea-type natural disasters and wildfires, tornadoes and "breaking news" reports, private thoughts made public, hackings, bullying, body cam videos, leaks, political and religious bickering and a host of other behaviors which put us at risk.
It's high time we took a closer look at our lives, our attitudes and our actions, not what we believe and follow, but Who we believe and follow. It's high time we checked our moral compass, what we do with our time and our money and realize that risk can be overcome by faith, trust, belief and obedience to the One Who came to give us live, sustains us in that life and allows us to live with a peace, calm and contentment which this world, with all its stuff, cannot ever hope to provide. Yes.........Yes Lord........Yes Jesus.......Thank You for being our Risk Manager
Sent from my iPad
The moral fiber of our culture has deteriorated. The way many of us live invites dire consequences because we often don't take into consideration what the results of impulsive, rash, irresponsible or unthinking behavior may be. Advertising, peer pressure and pride lure us to spend more than we have, want more than we need and do things which may cause us and our family and friends harm or even death. In such behavior we put a lot of people, even innocent people, at risk.
There are too many people with guns who shouldn't have them, too many people who have guns but don't know how or when to use them and too many people in responsible positions who are there for the wrong reasons and putting others at risk because of their incompetence. Whether it is our technology which has gotten out of control, too much trust placed in people who shouldn't be trusted, or just plain greed or covetousness, we are at risk. Life has always had an element of risk, and it always will have, but it seems that there are a growing number of international conflicts, Kilauea-type natural disasters and wildfires, tornadoes and "breaking news" reports, private thoughts made public, hackings, bullying, body cam videos, leaks, political and religious bickering and a host of other behaviors which put us at risk.
It's high time we took a closer look at our lives, our attitudes and our actions, not what we believe and follow, but Who we believe and follow. It's high time we checked our moral compass, what we do with our time and our money and realize that risk can be overcome by faith, trust, belief and obedience to the One Who came to give us live, sustains us in that life and allows us to live with a peace, calm and contentment which this world, with all its stuff, cannot ever hope to provide. Yes.........Yes Lord........Yes Jesus.......Thank You for being our Risk Manager
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, May 13, 2018
May 13, 2018. Eureka Springs, AR. Get Rested While You Can
Each year at The Great Passion Play we start the season with three weeks of Friday and Saturday performance days as a way to ease into the "grind" of four-a-weeks in June and July. With the Memorial Day weekend, the kids are out of school, family vacations and church trips and group tours begin to escalate and the work load ramps up. This Spring there have been a lot of projects, repairs, new features and new faces among the staff and volunteers. We have all worked hard, but it's important to pace ourselves and realize that we are in a marathon, not a sprint.
Sometimes it's hard to sit still when there is something which needs attention and there isn't someone, other than oneself, to take care of it. If we have the proper attitude and are truly dedicated to making this ministry a positive experience for everyone, we just have to "git er done", avoid the "it's not my job" posture and DO IT. It really takes less effort to do it instead of trying to find someone else to do it; and to misquote a well-known euphemism, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission. To me, the main thing is to get it done, before the mess gets out of control or you have run out of time to do it.
I don't know if any of that made sense, and I think I got totally off the subject of this post, since I did spend about five hours today on a task that is normally taken care of by three of us, but I just felt like doing it and save you guys from doing it later. I hope you forgive me........I didn't mind it, and actually enjoyed it. Now you're free to hop on something else.......there's plenty of stuff still to be done. Believe it.
Sent from my iPad
Sometimes it's hard to sit still when there is something which needs attention and there isn't someone, other than oneself, to take care of it. If we have the proper attitude and are truly dedicated to making this ministry a positive experience for everyone, we just have to "git er done", avoid the "it's not my job" posture and DO IT. It really takes less effort to do it instead of trying to find someone else to do it; and to misquote a well-known euphemism, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission. To me, the main thing is to get it done, before the mess gets out of control or you have run out of time to do it.
I don't know if any of that made sense, and I think I got totally off the subject of this post, since I did spend about five hours today on a task that is normally taken care of by three of us, but I just felt like doing it and save you guys from doing it later. I hope you forgive me........I didn't mind it, and actually enjoyed it. Now you're free to hop on something else.......there's plenty of stuff still to be done. Believe it.
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, May 10, 2018
May 10, 2018. Eureka Springs, AR. Where is the Time Going?
When I woke up this morning and started my journal entry, I wrote a small "b" in the left-hand column to remind myself that it was a blog day. But, I got involved in doing research on the Sukkah, Feast of Tabernacles, Tabernacle in the Wilderness, Solomon's Temple and a number of other topics which popped into my mind; and before I knew it, I was getting a later-than-usual start to my work tasks for the day and at 9:15pm I was just getting back to the motor home and the "b" for the day had completely slipped my mind.
I can't believe how fast the time is going and how many things are forgotten in the course of my day. I make a list, but then don't take the list with me, and when I return to retrieve it, I sit down to take a drink of water, and find that a power nap has snuck up on me and I dash off to do something, but leave the list wherever I lost it the first time. I'm not sure if this is a case of not tolerating my new medication, really getting older too fast, or just trying to do too many things in a shorter amount of time. I know I'm getting less sleep than I was in Texas or when we first returned to Eureka Springs, or just trying to honor my early morning "b" at 11pm. In any event, I better wrap this late blog up early, so I can be ready to meet our guests for tomorrow's 10am Tabernacle Teaching. I think I just dozed off..........so good night. That last sentence took 15 minutes to write. Hopefully, see you in 3 days, or thereabouts.
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I can't believe how fast the time is going and how many things are forgotten in the course of my day. I make a list, but then don't take the list with me, and when I return to retrieve it, I sit down to take a drink of water, and find that a power nap has snuck up on me and I dash off to do something, but leave the list wherever I lost it the first time. I'm not sure if this is a case of not tolerating my new medication, really getting older too fast, or just trying to do too many things in a shorter amount of time. I know I'm getting less sleep than I was in Texas or when we first returned to Eureka Springs, or just trying to honor my early morning "b" at 11pm. In any event, I better wrap this late blog up early, so I can be ready to meet our guests for tomorrow's 10am Tabernacle Teaching. I think I just dozed off..........so good night. That last sentence took 15 minutes to write. Hopefully, see you in 3 days, or thereabouts.
Sent from my iPad
Monday, May 7, 2018
May 7, 2018. Eureka Springs, AR. God Is In This Place
The start of the season has come and gone, and it is exciting to be here. The past few days have been a series of God Moments and it would take more than a few posts to relate how powerfully God is in this place. I made a decision after two nights on "Tomb Duty" and all its attendant responsibilities, that it was not the proper place for me. With all the other things I am called to do, it was too much to take on the new role.
Saturday night I returned to "the stage" and was welcomed by all my scene partners who thought I had not come back this year. I felt bad about bailing so soon, but better now than when I might have left too little time for someone else to be trained in that job. I have tremendous respect for those who do so much of the backstage stuff and handle the responsibility of it. There's a lot of room for errors which can really affect the play.
In other areas, here are the highlights: the new donkey; a healing of a woman's knee; volunteer groups from Illinois, Oklahoma, Louisiana and couples from South Carolina and a couple of other states who completed a lot of projects and beautified our grounds, set and buildings; new employees who have filled some holes left by people who did not return from last year; new cast members fitting in; a new venue in our Holy Land; good first weekend attendance; Dick at age 90 still teaching in the Tabernacle; the Bible Reading Marathon being held at our Church in the Grove from May 3-10; five miles of mountain bike trails opened to the public; a new (used) bus for the Holy Land, two very mild-mannered one-year-old camels for the Play; a Jesus donkey that is rideable and a miniature cross-back donkey to accompany her onto the set.
All in all, it has been a good start. There were a few other things that were unusual and unexpected, but I'll leave them for another time. It's obvious that God is watching over this ministry, protecting us, meeting the needs we have and giving us the encouragement to keep doing what we are doing, giving Him the praise, honor and glory He deserves. As always......Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Saturday night I returned to "the stage" and was welcomed by all my scene partners who thought I had not come back this year. I felt bad about bailing so soon, but better now than when I might have left too little time for someone else to be trained in that job. I have tremendous respect for those who do so much of the backstage stuff and handle the responsibility of it. There's a lot of room for errors which can really affect the play.
In other areas, here are the highlights: the new donkey; a healing of a woman's knee; volunteer groups from Illinois, Oklahoma, Louisiana and couples from South Carolina and a couple of other states who completed a lot of projects and beautified our grounds, set and buildings; new employees who have filled some holes left by people who did not return from last year; new cast members fitting in; a new venue in our Holy Land; good first weekend attendance; Dick at age 90 still teaching in the Tabernacle; the Bible Reading Marathon being held at our Church in the Grove from May 3-10; five miles of mountain bike trails opened to the public; a new (used) bus for the Holy Land, two very mild-mannered one-year-old camels for the Play; a Jesus donkey that is rideable and a miniature cross-back donkey to accompany her onto the set.
All in all, it has been a good start. There were a few other things that were unusual and unexpected, but I'll leave them for another time. It's obvious that God is watching over this ministry, protecting us, meeting the needs we have and giving us the encouragement to keep doing what we are doing, giving Him the praise, honor and glory He deserves. As always......Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Thursday, May 3, 2018
May 3, 2018. Eureka Springs, AR. Opening Day Eve
Tomorrow we begin the 50th Passion Play season. There's an excitement which I have not felt before for what lies ahead. Today we experienced one of the hardest rainfalls I have ever seen. It came down so hard, you couldn't hear the person speaking across the lunch table and the waterfall at our Sea of Galilee was larger than ever before. The Dead Sea area, usually dry, has at least six feet of water in it. Amazingly, our set is unscathed because of the work we did last year to divert water around the set rather than see it run through it and cause considerable damage.
Most of us had projects to complete before tomorrow, so it was a get wet and stay wet day, but virtually everything will be ready. The gift shop people are still working to stage some merchandise, but the shops are well stocked, and looking good. As I mentioned, there is a positive attitude and I hope it is contagious for our new people and the guests coming to experience all that the Passion Play has to offer. It takes a lot of people to make this place operate and we are often called on to do things we have never done before. There's certainly a challenge and excitement to that, as well. At dress rehearsal, I was asked to learn one of the back stage-support roles which involved a minimum of on-stage time and a great deal of stuff which goes on behind the scenes, but is crucial for the scenes to play properly. I will still have my on-stage and shofar duties most of the time, but it is fun to help with some of the stuff which makes the on-stage things look good for the audience. All of us need to be flexible, team-oriented and willing to try something new when asked.
Keep praying for the Passion Play and Thank You, Lord, for the opportunity we have been given to serve You, present Your story and be part of Your family and your Kingdom now and forever.
Sent from my iPad
Most of us had projects to complete before tomorrow, so it was a get wet and stay wet day, but virtually everything will be ready. The gift shop people are still working to stage some merchandise, but the shops are well stocked, and looking good. As I mentioned, there is a positive attitude and I hope it is contagious for our new people and the guests coming to experience all that the Passion Play has to offer. It takes a lot of people to make this place operate and we are often called on to do things we have never done before. There's certainly a challenge and excitement to that, as well. At dress rehearsal, I was asked to learn one of the back stage-support roles which involved a minimum of on-stage time and a great deal of stuff which goes on behind the scenes, but is crucial for the scenes to play properly. I will still have my on-stage and shofar duties most of the time, but it is fun to help with some of the stuff which makes the on-stage things look good for the audience. All of us need to be flexible, team-oriented and willing to try something new when asked.
Keep praying for the Passion Play and Thank You, Lord, for the opportunity we have been given to serve You, present Your story and be part of Your family and your Kingdom now and forever.
Sent from my iPad
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