The past few weeks have been "early to rise and late to lie down" with long hours of activity in between. The evenings have been a little cooler and the night time cooler still and my joints seem to ache more than usual. The combination is reminding me that something needs to change or I will run out of steam before the end of the 2021 season. I'm not the only one being affected by it.
Covid is still a present threat, and as the attendance increases for these next few weeks, we are more susceptible to exposure from guests and our own people who are out in the public at school, work and in their normal activities. With so many news reports, so much conflicting information, it's hard to separate fact from fiction and make informed decisions. But we need to stay strong, be alert and trust God for his continued protection and provision. "Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, My Savior and my God." Thank You, Lord.
Sentx d with crowdsfrom my iPad
.
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Saturday, September 25, 2021
September 25, 2021. Eureka Springs, AR. Habby
Our newest Petting Zoo donkey. A future Christ donkey for TGPP?
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
September 22, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. Fall 2021
Time marches on. Like clockwork we move from summer to fall, shorts to long pants, 90 to 50 and from air conditioning to letting the outside air come in through open doors and windows. But like everything that changes, it may not change for long. Be ready for a return to the 90's in a few days.
Monday we were anticipating rain through the night, and it came, but only about half an inch, our only moisture for the month and according to the forecast, the last rain until at least the second week of October and temperature back in the 80's. It looks like Fall will have to wait for a while. Put away the long pants and keep the shorts front and center.
Our Passion Play crowds look like they will be bigger as we head toward the end of the season, and we are grateful for that. We're here to tell His story, plant seeds, and encourage believers in their faith. Rain or shine, hot or cold, no matter the season…….that is what we will do, and let God determine the results……..To Him be the Glory.
Sent from my iPad
Monday we were anticipating rain through the night, and it came, but only about half an inch, our only moisture for the month and according to the forecast, the last rain until at least the second week of October and temperature back in the 80's. It looks like Fall will have to wait for a while. Put away the long pants and keep the shorts front and center.
Our Passion Play crowds look like they will be bigger as we head toward the end of the season, and we are grateful for that. We're here to tell His story, plant seeds, and encourage believers in their faith. Rain or shine, hot or cold, no matter the season…….that is what we will do, and let God determine the results……..To Him be the Glory.
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, September 18, 2021
September 18, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. the promised land
When we bought our cabin last June, I thought it needed a "name"; it seemed like God had given us all we had ever wanted in a home, even beyond our house in Lakewood, our two houses in Fort Collins and our motor home. From 1977 to 2020 we had a place to live, were comfortable and satisfied, but we never felt like we had a home until we found our promised land. No, it's not The Promised Land, but it is as heavenly an earthly home as we could ever want.
We have made some changes, and more are being planned, but to me this is as close to heaven on earth as we could want. It has its quirks and little foibles, but it is such a blessing and such a joy, that coming back to it from work at the Passion Play or just doing chores on the property is priceless to me. We feel this is where He wants us to be as we serve Him.
There's no way to look beyond the moment where God is concerned. What lies ahead…….only He knows. But whatever it may be, we trust Him, praise Him for what has been, what is and what is yet to come. And for all this we say………Thank You……Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
We have made some changes, and more are being planned, but to me this is as close to heaven on earth as we could want. It has its quirks and little foibles, but it is such a blessing and such a joy, that coming back to it from work at the Passion Play or just doing chores on the property is priceless to me. We feel this is where He wants us to be as we serve Him.
There's no way to look beyond the moment where God is concerned. What lies ahead…….only He knows. But whatever it may be, we trust Him, praise Him for what has been, what is and what is yet to come. And for all this we say………Thank You……Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
September 15, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. Rain, Rain Gone Away
It seems like we are in a feast or famine situation. The Gulf Coast and much of the Northeast are getting more rain than they need, while most of the Southwest and West Coast are dry as a bone. We have been without rain for most of July, August and half of September. The prospects for "Fall Colors" look pretty bleak and the rain we were supposed to have overnight failed to materialize. We did have some rain during one of our Labor Day performance days, but the Play went on as usual to a sea of blue ponchos in the audience and the cast enduring about 15 minutes of showers.
We are continuing to have high 80's and low 90's with humidity for the past two weeks, but the forecast is for another hard winter in the Ozarks. Not much we can do but stay the course finish our final 20 performance days and hunker down for what is ahead. It has been a different year, with more Covid in our area, more visitors than last year and more confusion and information to digest on how best to "weather the storm". For now, we hope for more rain to keep the leaves on the trees a little longer, nurture the grass, plants and trees, and trust God for His plan for the Passion Play, the country and His Creation. It's all in His hands. Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
We are continuing to have high 80's and low 90's with humidity for the past two weeks, but the forecast is for another hard winter in the Ozarks. Not much we can do but stay the course finish our final 20 performance days and hunker down for what is ahead. It has been a different year, with more Covid in our area, more visitors than last year and more confusion and information to digest on how best to "weather the storm". For now, we hope for more rain to keep the leaves on the trees a little longer, nurture the grass, plants and trees, and trust God for His plan for the Passion Play, the country and His Creation. It's all in His hands. Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, September 12, 2021
September 12, 2021. Holiday Island,AR. It Just Isn’t The Same
These are unusual times. We are back in the throes of a pandemic, our nation seems to be at war with itself over almost everything and there is a general feeling that we need honest and believable leadership in every aspect of our political, business, religious, cultural and media spheres. People are confused, conflicted and distrustful of what we are being told.
Our flag seems to fly at half staff more often to mourn, rather than at full staff to elicit pride and respect. Our mood is more of doubt and discouragement than one of hope and optimism for the future. It just isn't the same when we wake up to face the new day before us. And sometimes when we go to sleep at night we think it might be better to "wake up dead" and be in the presence of the One who holds the key to an eternal future promised in His Inspired Word; His Holy Scripture.
I'm not wishing my time away, or giving up on our country or our ability to make a positive difference in our world, but I pray to God for His direction, His Will to be done and His plan and purpose for each of us to be revealed, realized and lived out for our good and His Glory. In Him we have our being, our redemption, our inheritance, our life, our hope...............in Him we have everything we need. THANK YOU, LORD.
Sent from my iPad
Our flag seems to fly at half staff more often to mourn, rather than at full staff to elicit pride and respect. Our mood is more of doubt and discouragement than one of hope and optimism for the future. It just isn't the same when we wake up to face the new day before us. And sometimes when we go to sleep at night we think it might be better to "wake up dead" and be in the presence of the One who holds the key to an eternal future promised in His Inspired Word; His Holy Scripture.
I'm not wishing my time away, or giving up on our country or our ability to make a positive difference in our world, but I pray to God for His direction, His Will to be done and His plan and purpose for each of us to be revealed, realized and lived out for our good and His Glory. In Him we have our being, our redemption, our inheritance, our life, our hope...............in Him we have everything we need. THANK YOU, LORD.
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, September 9, 2021
September 9, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. Playing Hurt
I've managed to watch or fast-forward through all the Olympic coverage I recorded from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. There were some outstanding performances and many of the athletes had recovered from serious injuries or were competing at less than full ability.
What is even more amazing is watching the Paralympics which I also recorded for play-back later. While many of us go on "the disabled list" with a sprained ankle or a hang nail, the Paralympics compete at unheard of physical levels while missing arms or legs, being visually impaired, having cerebral palsy, wheelchair-bound, or suffering from intellectual disability or spinal injuries. What's even more amazing is the joy they exude whether they win a gold medal or finish at the back of the pack.
We can learn a lot from them and the "never say never" attitude they exhibit in their training regimen, competitive spirit and love of life even when they have been dealt a less than ideal physical make-up. To do the best we can with what we have been given is a noble goal and we should all aspire to that end, with a minimum of complaints and a maximum of thankfulness to God.
Sent from my iPad
What is even more amazing is watching the Paralympics which I also recorded for play-back later. While many of us go on "the disabled list" with a sprained ankle or a hang nail, the Paralympics compete at unheard of physical levels while missing arms or legs, being visually impaired, having cerebral palsy, wheelchair-bound, or suffering from intellectual disability or spinal injuries. What's even more amazing is the joy they exude whether they win a gold medal or finish at the back of the pack.
We can learn a lot from them and the "never say never" attitude they exhibit in their training regimen, competitive spirit and love of life even when they have been dealt a less than ideal physical make-up. To do the best we can with what we have been given is a noble goal and we should all aspire to that end, with a minimum of complaints and a maximum of thankfulness to God.
Sent from my iPad
Monday, September 6, 2021
September 6, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. It’s Not Easy Being........
End the sentence with any word you choose: green......me......rich.....poor......famous.....alone.......number one........unknown........
Life is not always what we want it to be or what how we planned it to be. Life can be monotonous or ever-changing. There are a lot of unknowns which we have to negotiate and often we "wear many hats" all at the same time and like the apostle Paul try to " become all things to all people". And then there are times we just want to be let alone, left alone or .......alone.
We live in trying times. There are challenges and obstacles around every corner, or right there ahead of us in the road. Many things and many people are clamoring for our time, our talent, our resources; and there are so many decisions we have to make to stay on the right course.
But in all the turmoil, there is one constant, and that constant is GOD. It's a simple statement to make, not an easy one to accept, profess and live out. It's not easy being abandoned, surrendered, obedient.......to HIM. If you don't have IT........try IT.......you'll like IT. THANK YOU, LORD.
Sent from my iPad
Life is not always what we want it to be or what how we planned it to be. Life can be monotonous or ever-changing. There are a lot of unknowns which we have to negotiate and often we "wear many hats" all at the same time and like the apostle Paul try to " become all things to all people". And then there are times we just want to be let alone, left alone or .......alone.
We live in trying times. There are challenges and obstacles around every corner, or right there ahead of us in the road. Many things and many people are clamoring for our time, our talent, our resources; and there are so many decisions we have to make to stay on the right course.
But in all the turmoil, there is one constant, and that constant is GOD. It's a simple statement to make, not an easy one to accept, profess and live out. It's not easy being abandoned, surrendered, obedient.......to HIM. If you don't have IT........try IT.......you'll like IT. THANK YOU, LORD.
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, September 2, 2021
September 2, 2021. Holiday Island, AR. Doing Life
Labor Day weekend is our second opportunity of this Passion Play season to have three consecutive performance days in a row. When we first came to the Passion Play in 2014 the schedule called for four performance days per week for most of the season with Thursday, Friday and Saturday each week except in August. It was a grueling schedule and took early season "training" to hold up for the full season.
But, age has a way of making even a three performance week a challenge and three days in a row is hard on my aging body. The past three weeks I have been back in the fitness center where I did my shoulder therapy earlier in the year, to be better prepared for this three in a row, and then the Tuesday, Friday, Saturday schedule for the rest of September and October. I hope it will pay dividends.
The Olympics and Paralympics have inspired me to do my best to try to stay fit, not to get back into any type of competitive arena, but just to be better able to do the usual activities of daily life, chores around the cabin, helping others with their chores, and stay healthy in an "out of shape" culture. I'm grateful for being able to do what I do, thankful to have been able to persevere through accidents, illnesses, weather challenges and any number of other obstacles. I read Psalm 139 this morning as part of my morning devotional time. Thank You, Lord, for Your inspired Word and Your guiding hand.
Sent from my iPad
But, age has a way of making even a three performance week a challenge and three days in a row is hard on my aging body. The past three weeks I have been back in the fitness center where I did my shoulder therapy earlier in the year, to be better prepared for this three in a row, and then the Tuesday, Friday, Saturday schedule for the rest of September and October. I hope it will pay dividends.
The Olympics and Paralympics have inspired me to do my best to try to stay fit, not to get back into any type of competitive arena, but just to be better able to do the usual activities of daily life, chores around the cabin, helping others with their chores, and stay healthy in an "out of shape" culture. I'm grateful for being able to do what I do, thankful to have been able to persevere through accidents, illnesses, weather challenges and any number of other obstacles. I read Psalm 139 this morning as part of my morning devotional time. Thank You, Lord, for Your inspired Word and Your guiding hand.
Sent from my iPad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)