August 31, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. Hang In There

With all that's going on in the world, hurricanes, fires, Afghanistan, inflation, political unrest, Covid, mask mandates, vaccine conflicts, immigration policy, employment issues, violence, defunding of police, assaults on character of our public figures, social media, Olympics, Paralympics and just our day to day activities, it's becoming harder and harder to find a place where we can "get away from the noise" around us and find a safe, quiet place.
Our Passion Play schedule has given me Performance Days at the Play, while Karen is working on non-Performance Days. Sunday is for church and then both of us at the cabin. It's worked out okay, but it's hard to avoid the outside influences and the things which pop up and alter the schedule. Life has been different of late, more challenging as we try to keep up with all the changes and how rapidly they occur. All we can do is live each day as it comes, trust that God is still on His Throne and in full control of what is ahead for each of us..........and.........hang in there.

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August 29, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. We Don’t Know..........

In September, 2008, a Monday, I had a heart attack. I was testifying at a court proceeding for someone who had been helpful to me in our ministry efforts. Later that week, a church friend of mine had a heart attack after his morning run. He died on the floor of his house, never making it to the hospital.
This past week while I was mowing our lawn, and a church friend of mine was mowing his. He died of a massive heart attack never making it to the hospital.
Three men, similar age, doing life as they felt called by God. The result..........
We don't know.......but God does. We don't understand now , but one day we will.
God Knows.........
Thank You, Lord.

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August 24, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. Confused?

There was a time in my life when I thought I was fairly intelligent. I was able to read, comprehend, remember, learn new skills, memorize, debate, speak logically, communicate with people more educated than me and think about the future and be optimistic about it and feel I was going to be actively involved in it.
But, at some point along the "journey" (1958 or '59 rings a bell), I began to struggle with change, find that things were not as easy to understand as they had once been, wonder whether I was really as smart as people thought I was, and became concerned about my place in the world and what the future held for me.
Today, I listened to Fox News for about 10 minutes, CNN News for about 10 minutes and then turned on the TV and heard the President speak for about 10 minutes and to say I was confused by the things I heard...............well.............that would be an understatement. I think my ability to comprehend what is happening in our country and the world has flown the coop. I am more than confused by the state of current events, the people we have put in positions of leadership and what lies ahead for us. I have to admit, I'm trusting God, AND HIM ALONE, for everything that is further ahead than the present second in time. Help us all, Lord, every one of us. I don't think I'm the "Lone Ranger" in my current attitudes. Am I?

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August 21, 2021. Eureka Springs, AR. Anorher Beautful Morning At The Great Passion Play

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August 18, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. Over The Hump

With 32 performance days behind us and 30 still ahead, we are on the downhill slope of our eighth season at The Great Passion Play. When we came here in May, 2014 we had no idea our volunteer duty would last this long; and certainly no indication of the many experiences we were in for and the variety of people we would interact with.
We did spend three winters in Madison, Georgia at Source of Light Ministries International, but always felt our "calling" was here and thus we have been here on a year-round basis since February, 2018. When we sold our Colorado house in 2019, bought the cabin here in Arkansas in 2020 and sold the motor home earlier this year, it seemed that we were "settling down" and TGPP was the one constant which still remained. Now with the year winding down, it looks like we are slowing down in some areas, but not yet ready to "retire". Serving The Lord is still on the top of the list and with so much to be concerned about in " the world", we believe that we may be "in the world", but not "of the world" and will be guided by His plan and purpose for us and not what the world may try to lure us into.
We trusted God, and He led us here. We will stay here as long as God tells us to stay, and if and when the "cloud moves", we will follow it where God takes it and wherever that may be, we will continue to serve, praise and glorify Him. For now we seek to finish the 30 performance days of the 2021 season, and finish strong. Thank You, Lord.


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August 15, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. It’s Not MY Fault

It started in the Garden of Eden with the eating of a "forbidden" fruit. God had one rule for Adam and Eve. "She made me do it", Adam said. "The snake made me do it", Eve said. The snake just crawled away......gotcha.
It hasn't changed much in the thousands of years since then. God puts forth a plan for us to follow, we think we have a better plan, and when our plan falls apart, we find someone else to blame......"it's not my fault". Just in our own lifetime we've seen this scenario countless times (political finger-pointing, Vietnam, Afghanistan, immigration policy, Covid policy, global warming, Nixon, Clinton, Cuomo, Cosby..... Itseems that the history of the world is nothing more than the same comments made by different people, in different factual settings, with the same result......."It's not MY fault"; "I inherited a mess"; "Poor George", "the devil made me do it".
For once I wish someone would own up to their own mistake, to their own wrong decision, lack of ability, or just plain stupidity. Well.........don't hold your breath. Whoever actually said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it was right, but so many people have misquoted the original phrase, we don't actually know who originally said it, or what they said. Got me. I do know for sure........it wasn't me and it ISN't MY FAULT that someone else did. Enough, already.

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August 12, 2021 Holiday Island, AR. Prayer

Many of our friends and family are facing difficult issues. They may be facing operations or other medical procedures, going through treatment for a recent accident or illness, tested positive for Covid, or been exposed to someone with the virus. Some have elderly parents they are caring for, or children who are facing difficulties. Our prayer list at church is quite long and we add to the list prayer for neighboring churches, people in the military or working as first responders. Prayer is a major part of our Christian walk.
Today at our local Pastors' Association meeting the devotional spoke to prayer and the feeling that we may not be praying fervently enough because we are not seeing our prayers answered now as they seemed to be in Biblical times. Jesus withdrew from the crowds to pray and now we tend to hear about people wanting prayer and say "I'll pray for you" and we withdraw from the request and often don't present the need to God.
I plead guilty. I do pray, but not as much as I could or should, and yet I know that God hears our prayers, blesses us when we put Him first, has been faithful to Karen and me beyond our wildest dreams, and wants to be actively involved in our lives. Our country is floundering in so many ways and I do feel that God will intervene when we who call ourselves Christians heed the words of 2Chronicles7:14..............It's starting to get serious and we of His Church need to get serious about His Promise and how we see it fulfilled. PRAY.......PRAY.......PRAY.



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August 9, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. Keeping Up With Creation

What God created in six days, created a lot of work for us. I never really thought about it, but when we put out bird feeders, plant flowers and fruit trees, have a pet or two, buy a house with acreage, or have children we set ourself up for a lot of work in making sure all these things are taken care of and maintained.
While animals can find food in nature, many of them rely on their human "parents" to feed them, bathe them and get them treated when they are sick or injured. Right now it seems that we may be the hummingbird feeders for Northwest Arkansas. When God doesn't provide sufficient moisture for our plants, trees and lawns, we have to drag hoses, set sprinkler systems or do whatever is necessary to keep them alive. Karen and I see many of our friends with children they have "created" who have needed a great deal of attention not only in their young years, but after they have left the "nest" and later find their way back to it. Grandchildren, too are a joy for many, but sometimes an added responsibility for grandma and grandpa.
God's "weather" requires a lot of our time to shovel, divert excessive water or make repairs when the conditions get into the severe category or fire gets out of control. Sometimes we move into an area which was first home for bears, deer, raccoons, armadillos, moles, hogs and other critters which come to visit and make it clear that we have intruded on what God originally deeded to them. Loving your neighbor takes on a different meaning.
I'm really not complaining, just realizing that in many ways my time is not my own and I have to spend a considerable amount of it to be a good steward of what God has so abundantly blessed us with. With it all, I still thank God for it all and want to do my best to eventually receive a "well done" when I graduate to the final Home He is preparing for us. Still in His Service.



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August 7, 2021. Eureka Springs, AR. August

> The Passion Play schedule for August is only 10 performance days. Because August is traditionally the hottest and most humid month of the year, the thought is people don't want to spend too much time outdoors. I don't remember the August weather for our first four years at the Play, but the past three Augusts have been very mild, with July being the real bugger.
This year July was a mixed month with some tough days, and some not so tough. And so far the August weather has been been mild with today looking like the start of a rugged stretch. We can't do much to change what is to come, just do our best to adapt to it. It could be a lot worse, as many of our visitors tell us, so take it as it comes, stay hydrated and thank God for seeing us through it. One day at a time sweet Jesus.

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August 4, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. AdLibbing Through Life

Scripts are very much necessary in some jobs we undertake in our life. Rules, procedures, time limits, standardization, quality control, staying within the lines, speed limits, safety protocols. Without these elements in our life, there would be chaos and danger, injury and death. When we "go too far afield" we risk dire consequences.
But, ad libbing , marching to the beat of a different drummer, being spontaneous, being creative, pushing the limits, being the Lone Ranger or a free spirit or a loose cannon sets us apart from the humdrum or mundane and may be fun and exciting, but it may upset the apple cart and alienate us from the scripted folk. I tend to fit in this second group but have a lot of experience in the first.
With the current climate in our country and our world and the uncertainties we face, different "world views", political extremes and so many "agendas" it is hard to determine where we fit, who we rally behind and how many battles we dare to get into and how loud our voice should be. How many petitions do we sign, who do we support with our vote, our money or our time? Who can we trust? What are the facts? Life is more challenging; there are more invasions into our privacy, personal information is so available to hackers and undesirables and the internet is a minefield of way more advice, "how to" and do-it-yourself guidance than we could ever absorb or evaluate.
What are we to do? Will we ever be able to get the "right" answer, find contentment or be at peace with ourself and others? Personally, I have found that limiting my intake of national news, putting in ear plugs from time to time, picking weeds and doing chores at our cabin, avoiding added sugar, drinking lots of water, serving God at The Great Passion Play and praying God's will be done and accepting whatever comes my way as a gift from God and reason to trust Him, follow Him and ad lib my way toward His Kingdom on earth and His Kingdom hereafter. And for all of it, past, present and future.............Thank You, Lord.

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August 1, 2021. Holiday Island,AR. Time Marches On

With exact precision, we move from one second to the next. We can't speed it up. We can't slow it down. No matter whether time "stands still" or "flies by", a second is still a second and there is no difference. How many seconds, minutes, hours, days, months or years we are "given" is out of our control but what we do with them is really under our control. Time marches on.
We do give our time to others, sometimes being paid for it, sometimes not and our impact on others may be positive, negative or somewhere in between, but our time can be valuable or wasted. When we wait to see the doctor we often think of paying a high price for his time while they don't seem to have much concern for our time and how much it may be worth. But, time marches on, regardless.
In the final analysis, time can be on our side or against us, be the difference between winning and losing, or maybe even living and dying. One thing is certain.......every second we are one second closer to...............



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