On Tuesday we were told that the Holy Land Tour would be having 400 visitors today(Friday), we would be one bus driver and one presenter short and that 190 of those 400 would be arriving at the same time. Figuring our bus capacity and the usual logistics of "people moving" it was the unanimous opinion that "it can't be done".
Later, the estimate was reduced to 220 for the day, and it elicited a collective sigh of relief. As the day dawned today, it seemed that the lower number would prevail, and things were going very smoothly, until we heard that a group of 156 was still expected and it was nearing the 4pm cut-off time. Just at 4pm three busses arrived and it was time to see it we could really "git er done" and accommodate our visitors. As of the moment, it is getting done, the final number for the Holy Land appears to be 399 and once again, we have been impressed by God's ability to not give us more than we can handle. Nothing is impossible if we include God in OUR plan, so it appears that with God's presence at TGPP today our Holy Land Tour number is not 399 but 400, the number HE originally gave us. Never Say Never...........and Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
.
Friday, August 4, 2017
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
August 1, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. A Matter of Perspective
The Bible relates many events which happened on "the mountain". Mount Ararat, Mount Sinai, Mount Carmel, Mount Moriah, Mount Nebo, Mount of Olives, Mount Zion, Sermon on the Mount, Mount of Transfiguration, Mount Calvary and a host of other well known and lesser known mountains. We often seek that "mountaintop experience" when life gets a little hectic and we need to get away on a Retreat, a quiet place nearer to God or just a place to escape and be renewed or refreshed.
The Great Passion Play is a mountaintop experience for many since we are located on Magnetic Mountain outside Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Most of our guests come here to get closer to God, to hear, once more, the familiar story of Jesus' last week of earthly ministry, to use this venue as a mission trip destination to serve God through their labor, or even come to a faith they have never known before. But for the regular.workers and volunteers at TGPP, it is our valley where we do the nuts and bolts tasks of ministry, the mundane tasks of being a servant, the cleaning up of others' messes, doing whatever it takes (my last blog) and coming back tomorrow to do it all again.
Not every mountaintop generates a mountaintop experience and not every valley is in the valley. But we can all be blessed by what we have been called to do, minister to others and be ministered to at the same time. Where we are "elevationally" is not the determining factor for the mountaintop or valley, because no matter where we are, God is always there, too, if we just put Him and His plan ahead of our own.
Blessings come in many forms; the newly arrived animals in our petting zoo, a thank you from a guest we escorted on a Holy Land Tour, a different interpretation of a verse of scripture which causes us to reread, study and meditate on that verse, four newly born birds nesting in a fern we water every evening, a beautiful sunset or a welcome change in the temperature after weeks of heat and high humidity. A matter of perspective - seeing God in everything and knowing it is meant to encourage us to greater trust, belief and faith in Him. As I ended my last blog..........God Is Good.
Sent from my iPad
The Great Passion Play is a mountaintop experience for many since we are located on Magnetic Mountain outside Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Most of our guests come here to get closer to God, to hear, once more, the familiar story of Jesus' last week of earthly ministry, to use this venue as a mission trip destination to serve God through their labor, or even come to a faith they have never known before. But for the regular.workers and volunteers at TGPP, it is our valley where we do the nuts and bolts tasks of ministry, the mundane tasks of being a servant, the cleaning up of others' messes, doing whatever it takes (my last blog) and coming back tomorrow to do it all again.
Not every mountaintop generates a mountaintop experience and not every valley is in the valley. But we can all be blessed by what we have been called to do, minister to others and be ministered to at the same time. Where we are "elevationally" is not the determining factor for the mountaintop or valley, because no matter where we are, God is always there, too, if we just put Him and His plan ahead of our own.
Blessings come in many forms; the newly arrived animals in our petting zoo, a thank you from a guest we escorted on a Holy Land Tour, a different interpretation of a verse of scripture which causes us to reread, study and meditate on that verse, four newly born birds nesting in a fern we water every evening, a beautiful sunset or a welcome change in the temperature after weeks of heat and high humidity. A matter of perspective - seeing God in everything and knowing it is meant to encourage us to greater trust, belief and faith in Him. As I ended my last blog..........God Is Good.
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, July 29, 2017
July 29, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. Whatever It Takes
Christian ministry is not a 9 to 5 job; it is not supposed to be a "job description" we aren't allowed to deviate from; it should not be based on what we want from God, but what God wants from us; our comfort zone should never come into play; and overtime should be the norm rather than the exception.
We all fall short, at times, when we have "worldly" desires, have not had enough rest, get up on the wrong side of the bed or are just plain not in the mood. But when something needs to be done, we should step forward and try to do it; when someone calls in sick, we should see if we can take their place, when we commit to a task, we should do our best to see it through; and when we give our word, we should honor it with our action.
When we do it as it should be done, God is pleased, and we are blessed. When we do it as it should be done, others are impacted, and we are blessed, and when we do whatever it takes, even when we don't particularly feel like it, we will reap rewards beyond anything we can imagine. God is Good.
Sent from my iPad
We all fall short, at times, when we have "worldly" desires, have not had enough rest, get up on the wrong side of the bed or are just plain not in the mood. But when something needs to be done, we should step forward and try to do it; when someone calls in sick, we should see if we can take their place, when we commit to a task, we should do our best to see it through; and when we give our word, we should honor it with our action.
When we do it as it should be done, God is pleased, and we are blessed. When we do it as it should be done, others are impacted, and we are blessed, and when we do whatever it takes, even when we don't particularly feel like it, we will reap rewards beyond anything we can imagine. God is Good.
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
July 26, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. Ah, The Simple Life
A home in the country. Forty acres and a mule. A house on a bus route. Guaranteed for life. Tax free. Sure sounds good. Ah, the simple life. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. In reality, it gets more complicated every day.
Karen and I are reasonably smart people. We manage to get along without a lot of the bells and whistles of the modern world. We don't Facebook, Skype, Instagram, Twitter, buy anything off EBay or use Craig's List. We don't use a Debit Card, get money from an ATM, use PIN numbers for anything, get any of the "but wait" offers from the TV hucksters, answer any of the survey questions on the phone, or have any frequent flier miles. When we had to replace Karen's phone this past Monday, because of a cracked screen, we saw a few new appliances at Best Buy which were beyond our imagination and far more complicated than we could comprehend. Her new phone, of course, required a new case, new screen protector, new charging cords, and is a little beyond our ability to operate and has a more complicated "rental agreement" with a host of documents we had to consent to even if we didn't fully know what we were consenting to. Our salesman, Luis, was a-third our age, more than 3 times smarter than us in the technical arena and made a complicated situation seem very simple. But simple it is not.
The world is moving at a dizzying pace and we can get caught up in the complexity of it and be overwhelmed by what we don't understand. Fidget spinners are the latest pet rock, hula hoop, mood ring, Rubik's cube, frisbee, hubba bubba, happy face, slinky, pacman, lava lamp, crocs, Elmo or a host of other fads which took our money and went away.
Just let me enjoy a simple life...........and let me be able to enjoy the screaming announcers and self-absorbed participants on American Ninja Warrior. Did any of this make sense?
Sent from my iPad
Karen and I are reasonably smart people. We manage to get along without a lot of the bells and whistles of the modern world. We don't Facebook, Skype, Instagram, Twitter, buy anything off EBay or use Craig's List. We don't use a Debit Card, get money from an ATM, use PIN numbers for anything, get any of the "but wait" offers from the TV hucksters, answer any of the survey questions on the phone, or have any frequent flier miles. When we had to replace Karen's phone this past Monday, because of a cracked screen, we saw a few new appliances at Best Buy which were beyond our imagination and far more complicated than we could comprehend. Her new phone, of course, required a new case, new screen protector, new charging cords, and is a little beyond our ability to operate and has a more complicated "rental agreement" with a host of documents we had to consent to even if we didn't fully know what we were consenting to. Our salesman, Luis, was a-third our age, more than 3 times smarter than us in the technical arena and made a complicated situation seem very simple. But simple it is not.
The world is moving at a dizzying pace and we can get caught up in the complexity of it and be overwhelmed by what we don't understand. Fidget spinners are the latest pet rock, hula hoop, mood ring, Rubik's cube, frisbee, hubba bubba, happy face, slinky, pacman, lava lamp, crocs, Elmo or a host of other fads which took our money and went away.
Just let me enjoy a simple life...........and let me be able to enjoy the screaming announcers and self-absorbed participants on American Ninja Warrior. Did any of this make sense?
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, July 23, 2017
July 23, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. Sabbath
When God created creation, He also created the Sabbath, a day He rested from His work of creation and asked us to do the same, Not all of us actually create anything, but we do do something and need to occasionally step back from doing it to renew our strength, rest our physical bodies and enjoy the "fruits" of our labor. Too many of us don't take enough time "off" and wear ourselves down, get tired of what we do and lose interest and sometimes even burn out and quit an activity we once enjoyed.
Today is the Sabbath. I didn't really rest very much today, but I did sleep an hour longer than usual. When I got up, I "picked up" the amphitheater, did some other Passion Play duties, came back to the RV and had my usual morning time with The Lord, journaling and reading devotionals and The Bible. By then it was too late to get to church. A Sabbath rest from church. That sounds like a bad thing, but sometimes we need a break from what is normally a good thing. I then did our family laundry and in the process finished up the PP cast laundry which was started by others after the performance last night. While that does qualify as work, it's not really strenuous, and does give a break to the others who work so hard during the week to keep our cast "in clean clothes".
Now it's time to blog, and I really don't know what to write about, so I'm propped up in bed, hoping to think of something to write. In the alternative, I may just close my eyes for a while and perhaps take a late afternoon Sabbath nap. The blog can always wait for later, but if I do fall asleep, I'll just post what I've written now and it can qualify as my scheduled blog. Writing can sometimes be hard work, especially on the Sabbath, when we are supposed to rest and not create, which is what a blogger does when he does blog. Yawn!!!
Sent from my iPad
Today is the Sabbath. I didn't really rest very much today, but I did sleep an hour longer than usual. When I got up, I "picked up" the amphitheater, did some other Passion Play duties, came back to the RV and had my usual morning time with The Lord, journaling and reading devotionals and The Bible. By then it was too late to get to church. A Sabbath rest from church. That sounds like a bad thing, but sometimes we need a break from what is normally a good thing. I then did our family laundry and in the process finished up the PP cast laundry which was started by others after the performance last night. While that does qualify as work, it's not really strenuous, and does give a break to the others who work so hard during the week to keep our cast "in clean clothes".
Now it's time to blog, and I really don't know what to write about, so I'm propped up in bed, hoping to think of something to write. In the alternative, I may just close my eyes for a while and perhaps take a late afternoon Sabbath nap. The blog can always wait for later, but if I do fall asleep, I'll just post what I've written now and it can qualify as my scheduled blog. Writing can sometimes be hard work, especially on the Sabbath, when we are supposed to rest and not create, which is what a blogger does when he does blog. Yawn!!!
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, July 20, 2017
July 20, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. How Hot Is It?
At 4:45pm in Eureka Springs it is 94 degrees (feels-like 100, with a feels-like high of 107 earlier today). We have been hot and muggy for the past few weeks and anticipate similar weather thru the weekend. Much of the country is hot and some areas are under heat advisories and also experiencing out-of-control wild fires. Unfortunately the hottest weather is yet to come for some areas.
The secret to surviving the heat is to convince yourself it isn't really as hot as we are being told. Some of us wear "biblical" garb during the day and everyone in the Play wears costumes which can be very uncomfortable or confining. The Roman soldiers, Temple and Sanhedrin guards and many of the priests wear bulky costumes and heavy headgear. For them, it is even hotter than for us in the "normal" roles. The lesson here is that as hot as it is, it is hotter for someone else, and as hot as is is now, it could be a lot hotter. After all it is 115 in Death Valley and we could be doing the Holy Land Tour in Furnace Creek instead of Eureka Springs. The best answer to the question "Aren't you hot in that costume?" is a simple "no" and then the caveat, "nothing compared to what we expect in August". Mind over matter and accepting what we don't have any ability to control.
And, by the way, we had our mobile RV repairman, Bryan, here today to service our RV AC and as I write it is a comfortable 78 degrees as I relax for this evening's over-90 start for the Play. How hot is it? It's "just right, thank you".
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
Monday, July 17, 2017
July 17, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. Who Is The Greatest?
The Twelve Disciples were an unusual and motley bunch. They were in the presence of THE greatest rabbi, teacher, leader, prophet, healer and man who ever lived and they often argued and fought over which of THEM was the greatest. Jesus must have rolled His eyes, took a deep breath and continued with His rabbi'ing, teaching, leading, prophesying and healing, hoping that one day His followers would finally "get it".
Here at TGPP, we have five current and former "Christ Figures", men with different personalities, different gifts and talents, different roles in the PP ministry, and each has a right to stake his claim as the greatest to portray The Greatest, yet there is an air of working to advance the whole rather than the individual and an uncommon humility in their manner. I work most closely with Joe, a veteran of over 30 years here at TGPP, and Kent who is not even 30 years old. They are a riot to work with because of their different "approaches" to solving problems, and their tireless devotion to getting those projects done. They are two of the hardest working people I have ever known and it is a hoot to be a "fly on the wall" as they discuss the means to use in solving the problem at hand. Their love for TGPP is beyond measure, and if we could bottle that "love" WE would be the greatest ministry ever created. I know God smiles when He watches those two at work and will someday greet them with the hardiest of "Well Dones" as they keep on serving Him into eternity.
What a blessing to do what we do, to serve where God has called us, to look beyond the politics of life, the politics of religion and the politics of politics and trust and believe in THE GREATEST, our Lord and Savior...........JESUS CHRIST. Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Here at TGPP, we have five current and former "Christ Figures", men with different personalities, different gifts and talents, different roles in the PP ministry, and each has a right to stake his claim as the greatest to portray The Greatest, yet there is an air of working to advance the whole rather than the individual and an uncommon humility in their manner. I work most closely with Joe, a veteran of over 30 years here at TGPP, and Kent who is not even 30 years old. They are a riot to work with because of their different "approaches" to solving problems, and their tireless devotion to getting those projects done. They are two of the hardest working people I have ever known and it is a hoot to be a "fly on the wall" as they discuss the means to use in solving the problem at hand. Their love for TGPP is beyond measure, and if we could bottle that "love" WE would be the greatest ministry ever created. I know God smiles when He watches those two at work and will someday greet them with the hardiest of "Well Dones" as they keep on serving Him into eternity.
What a blessing to do what we do, to serve where God has called us, to look beyond the politics of life, the politics of religion and the politics of politics and trust and believe in THE GREATEST, our Lord and Savior...........JESUS CHRIST. Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)