August 29, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. Picking Our Battles

As much as we each want to help others overcome difficulties in their life, we can't help everyone or solve every problem. We are prevented from doing so by time, resources, physical restrictions, usable skills and a host of other limitations. We choose where to spend our efforts, time and resources, but often we are a grain of sand on the beach, and feel helpless when we see the overwhelming needs of those who face unimaginable physical challenges or are impacted by accidents, natural disasters or crimes perpetrated against them.
The Evening News tugs at our hearts, the commercials plead for funds for a variety of causes and our church prayer lists are full of friends and family with health issues, loss of loved ones or financial needs which are beyond our ability to resolve. Our own needs and necessities seem insignificant in the larger picture, but they, too, weigh on us and cause us to wonder how they will be resolved.
We can't fix it all. But, God can, and we pray for His hand on each situation, for His will to be done in each and every circumstance. And, we trust that He will, in His timing, bring comfort and peace in each circumstance and show, once again, His control over everything we and others are facing. We pick and choose where we spend our time and resources, but we should never abandon Prayer and the hope and trust in God as our protector and provider and His desire to see His creation return to Him and His Kingdom.
As hard as it is to be "up", to see the glass half full, to look beyond the pain and sorrow of the moment to a brighter tomorrow, we need to pick the battle of faith, trust, belief and hope in the Three in One who have seen us through so much and will see us through so much more. Thank You......Thank You.....Thank You.

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A Cute Picture from the PassionPlay

     As we prepare to open our Noah's Ark Park Petting Zoo next weekend, here are a family of feral cats which will probably find their way into the menagerie of animals we  have gathered for the "voyage".

August 23, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. Leaves

For the past three years we have volunteered at Source of Light Ministries in Madison, GA. One of my duties there has been to collect the fallen leaves and build a mountain. When we return there after the Passion Play season, the mountain has disappeared and I begin to build a new one. I have often wondered how many leaves it takes to make such a mountain.
Today, Karen and I drove to the VA in Fayetteville. As we drove through the rural countryside, we remarked how green it was, how many trees there were and how many leaves there must be on each tree. That piqued my curiosity, and I took to Google to see if there was some estimate somewhere of how many trees and how many leaves there are in the world. According to one site; NPR estimates there are 400 Trillion (400,000,000,000) trees on earth with an average of 3.2 million (3,200,000) leaves per tree for an estimated total of 1.28 x 10 to the 18th power (1,280,000,000,000,000,000) or 1 quintrillion, two hundred and eighty quadrillion leaves.
That's a LOT of leaves........makes today's Lottery drawing look like chump change.

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August 20, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. A Day Off

We haven't taken much time off from our Passion Play duties this season. There is always something which needs to be done, a task which needs to be completed, people to talk to, stuff which won't get done because there isn't someone else who realizes it needs to done, and a host of other things which keep us close to "home".
But today, Jerry and Renee and Karen and I decided we needed to get away, help them celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary and just have a day off. So, we went to church, drove to Branson, had a leisurely lunch, went to a variety show with magic, singing, dancing, acrobatics, comedy and a patriotic finale, ate ice cream, and came home to our Passion Play home. We spent a few minutes feeding our petting zoo animals and are settled into our separate motor homes for the night.
It was good to get away. We met some nice people, weren't in any rush to do what we did do, laughed a lot, talked about the four years we've known each other, and some of our plans for the next few months. It was a good day. Tomorrow I will do the things I would normally have done today, knowing that no one else would have thought to do them, and that's okay, because they could wait to be done a day late. We all need a break from what has been a labor intensive season. A lot has been accomplished, with a lot still to do, but it remains a blessing to be where we are, doing what we do, knowing that God has it all under control and has a plan B, plan C, and a lot of other plans, when we decide to take a day off. Thank You, Lord, for the break.





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August 17, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. The Rest of the Story

As I finished my last blog, I felt good, was looking forward to taking a shower and relaxing in front of the TV with my usual Monday night show, American Ninja Warrior. As I got set to hop Into the shower, I turned on the bathroom light and noticed that there was no light illuminated. That is not a good thing, since it means something has gone wrong with our house batteries, our inverter or some other system of the RV which I don't really understand. A quick check of the four house batteries, revealed a cable so badly corroded, it had separated from the battery connection. That's not a good thing. We faced the prospect of no lights, no air conditioning, no generator to provide alternate power, no Ninja Warrior and who knows what else.
A quick call to Bryan, our RV mobile repairman, had him here within the hour and he was able to diagnose the problem, solve the problem and get the lights back on, restart the inverter, and give us some pointers on how to keep a similar problem from reoccurring. I was able to enjoy the last 15 minutes of my Ninja addiction, had a nice shower and was grateful for Bryan being nearby and willing to help us thru our ordeal. God is certainly watching out for us and we thank Him every day for His protection, provision and faithfulness. Thank You, Lord.
To the shower.


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August 14, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. August

August is supposed to be the hottest month of the year in Eureka Springs. Temperatures are supposed to be in the mid to upper 90's with humidity to match. At this moment (4:40pm) the sun has finally found it's way thru the clouds, the temperature is the highest (75 degrees) of the day and it is far from uncomfortable. August, so far has been absolutely beautiful, weather-wise, and our play schedule of only two performance days per week for the next two weeks gives us a chance to kick back a little, enjoy the mild weather and rest up for September and October and three performance days each week after Labor Day.
Last year, August was mild, too. Our first two years here, August was pretty hot, with one of those years bringing the ladybug onslaught which caused us grief here and for our entire time in Georgia that winter. It's still hard to believe we have been "on the road" since December, 2013. We have felt comfortable with the places God has taken us, the ministries He has placed us in and the places we have called "home" since leaving our Colorado home. We said yes to a different life style; yes to an uncertain travel schedule; yes to His plan when we didn't really have a plan of our own; and we have never second-guessed what the results have been. We continue to trust, obey and follow HIM, thank Him for each day, each opportunity and.......the August He is blessing us with.


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August 11, 2017. Eureka Springs, AR. The Zoo

The Great Passion Play has always had animals as part of the "cast" for the play; horses to ride and pull Pilate's chariot, camels, donkeys, sheep and doves (white homing pigeons) and this year a Pharoah Hound for Pilate's Porch. The animals add to the production and also the unpredictableness of working with animals and young children.
Last year the idea for a petting zoo was floated out, and work began to create an area which would house animals which were not part of the play, but would become a petting zoo outside the entrance to our Holy Land Tour area. And so, the idea began to take shape with enclosures, watering troughs, decorative rocks, plants and shelters for the animals. It took a lot of people, a lot of work and stick-to-it-ivness, and donations of animals, but the Noah's Ark Park Petting Zoo is now a reality. It has become home to Buddy the Llama, Simon the Wool Sheep, Cinnamon the Pigmy Goat, a number of sheep and lambs, butterball turkeys, Rhode Island Red Hens, Muskogee Ducks, two miniature horses with more animals expected Sunday afternoon.
It has been fun having this new addition to TGPP and even the groundhogs and feral cats have made our new animals feel welcome. Our visitors have enjoyed the attraction, the PP workers will need to sign on for feeding and clean up duties, but it's nice to know we won't have to worry about mowing the enclosures any more since the animals keep the entire area closely trimmed. I'll post some pictures soon.
I can't imagine what it must have been like for Noah and his family.

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