July 30, 2019. Eureka Springs, AR. Communication

As I was listening to the chatter of our Holy Land bus drivers, cart drivers and various others who have access to Channel 2 on our Passion Play two-way radios, it became pretty obvious that without clear communication we would not be able to operate our Holy Land Tour. Monitoring the flow of our guests, controlling the movement of busses and carts on two-way-one-lane twisty roads, letting our venue presenters know when to expect their next "audience", and taking care of a host of other unpredictable situations in a timely, safe and courteous manner help all of us end each day with the hope that we did a good job, our guests had an enjoyable and memorable experience and that tomorrow we can do even better.
Communication is so crucial to the smooth operation of any organization. Every aspect of our lives is dependent on our ability to talk so we are understood, listen so we understand and keep our "cool" when the situations start to get "hot", but "warm" to the task of giving others a "warm" feeling when they recall the time we had in each others' company. How they communicate their experience to their acquaintances will impact how successful we will be with those who are still to come here so we can communicate to them, too.
All that made sense to me, and I hope I communicated effectively my thoughts on what we do when we present all the activities of the day here at The Great Passion Play. We tell an old story in a wide variety of ways and hope what we do will encourage our guests and our staff to tell others about the story we tell and the One we are communicating about. Keep at the task, keep the Faith, plant seeds, and keep communicating. Go and make disciples..........


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July 27, 2019. Eureka Springs, AR. A Day Off

There's always something which needs to be done here at the Passion Play. To have a day off is a rarity and I came about as close to having one today even though my "time sheet" will still show five or six hours of work. This is our last week of four performances, so our load does lighten after eight weeks of four-a-week performance days. We are some pooped puppies.
Today I had a few early morning clean-up chores, a two hour Tabernacle teaching for 40 people, cleaning up trash and pulling weeds in the Amphitheater and then a brief visit to my newest favorite donkey, Ruthie, in the Holy Land and the past two hours of sitting and relaxing in the motor home. In another two hours I will head down to the set for the evening Play performance. It really wasn't a day off, but it really felt like one in comparison to a normal work day.
Since we are "in the public eye" and "entertainment field" it takes a different attitude than many jobs I have had in the past. Plus, we are messengers, ministers and ambassadors for Jesus and that is a full-time-no days off effort and one not to be compromised. To be able to get behind closed doors, not be a "Moses", not be presenting, not listening to the stories and issues of others, is a time to refresh, renew one's strength and enthusiasm; have some time to "be in the Word" and be able to listen for God's voice and His guidance. Even a couple of minutes of such quiet can be a tremendous boost for me; an hour or two.....an indescribable blessing.
It may not have been a literal day off.......but it has been a day off, nonetheless. I feel like I've been on a week's vacation (not that we have ever really had one). My aching body has been rejuvenated . Amazing !!! Thank You, Lord.

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July 24, 2019. Eureka Springs, AR. What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

That seems to be one of the most common questions we were asked as we went through school and made plans for our future. It's also one of the most common questions we ask young people we meet when we don't know what else to say to them. Of course, every boy wants to a fireman, a Major League Baseball player or the President of the UnIted States. Every girl aspires to be an astronaut, a doctor or the first woman President of the United States.
I had dreams of being a musician, a baseball player, a translator at the United Nations, a millionaire, and retired, by age 50. My parents wanted me to be a Rabbi. I think my first Rabbi wanted me to be a Rabbi. I have played music, on and off my whole life, tried out for two professional baseball teams, studied Russian in high school and college but I never "made it" in those fields. I may have made $1,000,000 in my life, but I certainly didn't keep much of it, and at 50 I was still working and not thrilled with what I was doing.
But in 1999, just over 20 years ago, I came to faith in Jesus, and began what was a new journey toward what I wanted to be when I grew up. I'm still trying to find what the ultimate goal is, but I have given up trying to make that decision myself. God will reveal it when the time is right. I would never have dreamed we would be in Arkansas, volunteering at The Great PassionPlay for our sixth season and happy living in a 40'x11' motor home and about to be without a regular house with a street address for the first time in over 40 years.
Yes.........God has the plan........when the time is right...........

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July 21, 2019. Eureka Springs, AR. An Audience Of ONE

No matter whether the Passion Play has been performed to a sold-out Amphitheater of over 4000, as it was in the 1970's and '80s, an arena with around 500, as we do in our present season, or the empty amphitheater as visited by a few rays of the morning sun, we are blessed to do what we do.....for an audience of One.
Our life is not supposed to be a display, a performance or a show intended to impress vast numbers of people or bring attention to ourself. Rather it is supposed to be a witness to the One who gave us life, who sustains us in that life and gives us each day for an opportunity to tell others about Him and all He has done for us and all He promises to do for us as we serve and glorify Him. To that audience of One, I humbly say......Thank You, Lord.

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An Audience Of One

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July 18, 2019. Eureka Springs, AR. What Did You Say?

My memory has been good for some things and pretty poor for others. I have a lot of trivia-type knowledge, can do crossword puzzles, even the tough one, because my vocabulary is quite extensive and can recall obscure things I have read over the years. But when it comes to remembering what I have said, sometimes I can't repeat the last words which came out of my mouth.
Because of this, I never pursued the law career I was planning after completing Law School and passing the Virginia State Bar. A lawyer who can't remember what he says is not one anyone would want to defend him in court. And so I had to find other ways to earn a living and support Karen and myself the past 45 years. Fortunately we have done okay, and God has played a MAJOR role in that.
Now, I find myself presenting information to our Passion Play visitors. I teach about Moses' Tabernacle in the Wilderness, talk about Bethlehem where Jesus was born, the Upper Room where Jesus and His disciples celebrated the "Last Supper", and a host of other subjects from the Old and New Testament, and I have to listen to myself as I present, so that I can remember what I have said in case I am asked to repeat or explain what I have just said. Maybe, just maybe, I have overcome the problem which kept me from practicing law. But when I face the reality that I sometimes have difficulty staying awake during the sermon at church, or I see people starting to nod off during my own presentations, I still have a long way to go in being all God has called me to be. At least, if I want to know what I just blogged, I can always read it again.
What did I just say?









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July 15, 2019. Eureka Springs, AR. Sleeping In

I don't use an alarm clock except on those rare occasions when I have an early morning appointment such as a visit to the VA in Fayetteville. On most other days, I get up when I get up and still have time for my daily "quiet time" with the Lord, and then prepare for the activities of the day.
I have been very tired of late, and decided it was time to try to intentionally sleep later yesterday morning and today, as well. Since I normally get up around 6am no matter how late I get to sleep the night before, I was hoping for a wake up time of ........maybe 8 or beyond. That was the plan. I even decided that not planning to go to Sunday Bible Study and Church yesterday and making no morning plans for today would convince my body to sleep in both days. But, it didn't work out as planned.
Yesterday, I was up at my usual time, and today......the same thing. No naps either day, so the sleep "log" remains the same.....and I'm still tired. Tonight, I'm aiming for being in bed by 10pm, so a wake up at my normal time would still give me 8 hours. Let's see what happens.

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July 12, 2019. Eureka Springs, AR. You Want That....When?

If the answer to that question is "yesterday", there is definitely a problem, and no matter what I say or do, you will be disappointed, displeased and dissatisfied. Too often we face situations where what we want and what we need are different and the timetables do not portend a good resolution. What I'm trying to say, and getting too wordy about is: "You can't always get what you want"....but if you try sometimes you get what you need.
The Rolling Stones performed a song with that title in the late 1960's, just at the time The Great Passion Play was beginning its ministry in Eureka Springs. Although the song and it's lyrics were part of the drug culture of that time and the Passion Play was on the opposite side of the cultural spectrum, we had the song revisited in the 2016 Presidential campaign by the Trump supporters, much to the dismay of the Stones who did not support him.
Life is certainly a conglomeration of wants and needs, and while we may not always get what we want when we want it, I believe God gives us everything we want exactly when we need it, and that applies to every situation and circumstance; political..social..economic..spiritual..et al. And whether it be the 1960's or the present time.......God is in control and he will provide all that we want and all we need, in the necessary time frame, if we place our trust in Him, and believe in faith that IT WILL BE DONE. The Rolling Stones and The Great Passion Play are still in operation, and no matter which side of the spectrum we find ourselves on; God was....is....and forever will be....in control. Thank You, Lord.

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July 9, 2019. Eureka Springs, AR. In It For The Long Haul

Life has a way of slowing us down as we get older. We may try to delay the aging process by keeping at some of the tasks we have done all our life, by changing our diet or adding supplements to that diet, wearing the latest fashions or keeping the grey from overtaking our"natural" color", joining a fitness club or using anti-wrinkle cream or age spot removers. But try as we may, life around us goes faster, and we go slower.
The only way to survive is to accept that life is no longer a sprint (if it ever was) but a marathon.....and we are going to have to pace ourself to reach the end with any semblance of energy left. There is no fountain of youth, the golden years are really the olden years and no matter how may ads we see touting eternal youthfulness, we need to face the fact that we are one day closer today than we were yesterday to the end.......and the only way to get there is to slow down, lighten the load and admit that the person looking back at you in the mirror really looks as tired and worn out as the person looking at him.
As we start into the really hot weather, the heart of the summer and the busy tourist season, our duties at the Passion Play continue, the load stays heavy, the laborers seem to dwindle and we're still not at the halfway point of the season. Pray for our ministry, the stick-to-it-Iv-ness we need to stay the course for the long haul........keep the faith......and finish the race. With God's help...........it will be done.

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July 6, 2019. Eureka Springs, AR. By The Book

Most jobs have a routine or procedure, which when followed, allows the job to run smoothly. If we're all on the "same page" everyone is happy, problems are attacked in the same manner and nobody gets upset or injured. Life is good.
When we are given a different task to do, there is usually someone who trains us in the proper procedure and within a short time we get in the groove and no one knows a rookie has stepped in. Isn't it wonderful when this happens.
But every so often someone comes along who doesn't "fit in". They may not catch on to the way things are done, think they have a better way of doing the job, or are just plain cantankerous. I remember a manufacturing job I had years ago, where everything worked so smoothly it made the complicated job we were doing seem almost kindergarten-ish. And then Bob came along, and changed the age-old order of doing things on one of the production machines and the system fell apart. No one could budge Bob from his "improvement" and the only way to remedy the chaos was to relieve Bob of his job. Bob was relieved of his job.
In the Passion Play there are many parts which must come together to make the Play come off in a quality fashion. Many people, many roles, many people asked to perform multiple roles in the same performance and many people being trained to play parts they have never done before. A recorded script, limited time to move from one scene to the next or from one location to another, limited space in which to move and many people going in different directions in the same limited space. When it works as it should it's almost like watching a professional ballet. When it doesn't work as it should it's like watching a train wreck. With many things happening in the dark, on uneven surfaces, steep slopes or stairways there are plenty of opportunities for accidents and injury. If I change my normal routine, I may impact any number of people who will be forced to change their normal routine. I may find myself relieved of my job.
With all this being said, it is an exciting adventure and one well worth the effort expended. People of all ages and backgrounds, varying abilities, different ambitions or goals. Working together to tell a story which has the potential to change lives and impact our eternal destiny. By the book? Yes, the inspired Word of God....... played out in real time, by real people......for real people......for real.




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July 3, 2019. Eureka Springs, AR. Happy Birthday, America

Tomorrow we celebrate another birthday of The United States. We're a pretty young country, age 243, and there are many countries far younger than us. When you look at The Bible, you get an idea of how young we really are. Many periods of time in The Bible are far longer than the history of our own country. The descendants of Jacob lived in Egypt for 430 years, Noah lived for almost 950 years, the Tabernacle of Moses had a "life span" of about 440 years and Solomon's Temple, Ezra's rebuilding of the Temple and Herod's Temple thereafter, covered a period of over 1000 years.
By these standards, America is pretty young. We have accomplished some mighty things, had our hand in many of the major events of "modern" world history and been a power to be reckoned with in international affairs, but we are not without our failures, shortcomings and questionable actions at home and abroad. That being said, I am proud to be an American, served in the Armed Forces when called to do so, been blessed to have received a good public school education, allowed to pursue everything I have wanted to pursue and was paid well for the jobs I have held. I have also been free to worship in freedom, make choices about where to live, where to travel and what I wanted to purchase with the money I have earned or been provided with by the Social Security system or my military disability. We have been abundantly blessed.
I pray for our country, our leaders and the path before us. I pray for our world, the leaders of the countries of the world and the path before each of them. And most of all, I pray for God's healing touch on the issues which seem to divide rather than unify us. Happy Birthday, America and may our "present" be a truly United States of America and our future exactly the same. With faith in God and His will and way our will and way.......it will be done.

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