It's Over

Welp, Pageant is officially over as of tonight. I got home at about 9:30 from an afternoon/evening of wrapping things up. I have to say that I'm relieved (the stress is gone! particularly after Scott showed up 45 minutes late to makeup today!) but I'm still kinda sad - it's been really cool to get to serve. Praise You, Father! and thanks! :)

Easter, more real than ever before

Tomorrow is Easter. That's right - bunnies, Easter eggs, baby chickens, chocolate, Jesus resurrection. Whoa! That's right. This is about Jesus, isn't it? I'm helping out with the Easter pageant at Central this year. It's been an interesting experience but one that I wouldn't trade for a million dollars.
I guess I should begin with a confession. I auditioned for the Easter pageant back in December, actually at the request of the pageant director. Needless to say I was rather shocked, angry and disappointed when I was not offered a part when the cast was announced. Basically my attitude when into the depths of crappy – if they didn’t want me to have what in my mind was an “important” part, then I would just not be involved at all.
Suddenly, far into the endeavor, they realized there was no one to do the Jesus makeup. James, who knew my background with theater, mentioned my name as a possibility. But honestly, when they asked, I really didn’t want to help. I was holding on to my bitterness and pride. But, as He often does, God had other plans. He revealed to me that this was where I could give and use the talents and skills He has given me. I could give my time to impact the pageant in a way that was probably far more important than the brief monologue I would’ve had otherwise.
But this still didn’t come without a cost. I am used to being in the spotlight – at the center of things, the star of the show - never the behind the scenes man who does things that a large majority of the people don’t ever know I’ve done. It is here that God has taught me so much, and so much of it through watching and working with Scott, the guy who's playing Jesus. His spirit is so humble and his countenance so sweet. And the man has got to be, no doubt, the most patient person I've ever met! He's been such an amazing example to me and I have learned so much through him.
All that to say that this Easter is more real than an Easter has ever been before. Sure, it's always been about "Jesus" but it's really been about the chocolate eggs and Easter basket. Not this year. Making a man look beaten to death, night after night, and still knowing that it looks nothing even close to as bad as what Jesus would've really looked like as he died for me has not come without its own emotional cost. It's difficult, particularly when I return home, completely physically and mentally exhausted from a day of school, work and then two and a half hours of makeup, an hour and a half performance and an additional thirty minutes to an hour of makeup removal. It is then that I am truly amazed and truly thankful for what Christ endured for me. It is then that I find myself almost in tears imagining what Jesus really endured. How can I even begin to repay the extreme sacrifice and suffering that Jesus went through even if I were the only person on the planet. That's how much God loves me - He was willing to let His son die for me. That, my friends, is incredibly cool and something that I will never fully comprehend.


Thank you, God, for the opportunity to serve you in the Easter Pageant this year. And thank you for all that you have taught me through it, through Scott and through the others that I am privileged enough to work with. But most of all, thank you for the vivid and real reminder of the sacrifice that you made for me on that first Easter and even more so for the glorious image of your Ressurrected body on that third day. That, God, is why I celebrate Easter this year more meaningfully than ever before.

My roommates

Can I just say that I love my roommates. All of them. I really do. I don't even know what I'm going to do when they're gone next year - it's gonna suck! James is my cynic buddy, Charlie's my little talker, Todd's my thermostat buddy and Tommy is my confidant - I had a sweet prayer time with him tonight - I am far too blessed to have such a Godly guy to share my room with.

I love life.

that's all.

The BIRDS!!

There's a stupid sparrow (and I mean that literally and figuratively) that built a nest in the potted ivy that I hung on our back porch after my roommate accused its soil of being bug infested. I was going to repot it and then bring it back in...but that never happened. Guess I waited too long - it went to the birds - literally. I discovered this tonight when I went outside with my roommate to look at the weed that was supposedly as literally as tall as I that has grown in our back yard (we REALLY need to mow!). It was true - the weed was tall, but on the way I stopped and said - "something weird is going on with this plant - the soil's all puffed up weird." Then I reached to pull at the "odd puff" when I saw something move. I thought it was a toad, and then remembered that toads can't climb ropes, nor jump 5 feet into the air. And that's when it flew out...the scary bird. It tried to attack both me and Tommy, repeatedly. And then it perched on the rope, and then climbed the string the poat is hanging from and stared us down...daring us to come back over there. Then it left, and we made a run for it. We're safely back inside and I think we'll be left alone.

Moral: Don't leave hanging plants on the porch, and leave the birds alone, very alone.

that's all.

PAGEANT!!

I just got home from Easter pageant rehearsal at church. I was there since 9:45 this morning. 11 hours in the church building is far too long. I have to say that when I was roped into helping with this last week, I was a bit skeptical - I had been asked to audition for a role in the cast and then wasn't given one. Needless to say I was a bit bitter - but leave it to God to teach me through this. Instead, as it turns out, they were in desperate need of someone to do Jesus' makeup (including all of the scourging wounds, etc.) Enter James, and volunteering me to do it since I'd done stage makeup in the past. So I reluctantly said yes, spent an hour and a half last Sunday placing my "makeup order" for the lady to pick up in Houston, and was on my merry way, with the understanding that I could not be at the dress rehearsal on that Tuesday because of Miss Saigon. After we finally convinced the director lady to let Jesus' dress rehearsal for makefup be at the Wednesday rehearsal instead, we were ok.
I'm finding myself with a tendency of being cynical about the entire matter...but God is teaching me so much...I came into the pageant idea expecting to have a major role. After all I was an all-state actor in high school. They saw otherwise...at least God did. Instead he is using my talents (which he so generously bestowed) to do somethign that is completely behind the scenes...where no one sees my face, but where I can make just as much, if not more, of an impact on the whole production. That's pretty cool, at least it is to me. I'm excited now...and that's a good place to be.

that's all.

One more thing...
My roommate Tommy talks in his sleep - A LOT - and just now he said, clear as day "I'm gonna tell you that thing...I'm gonna do it....I'm gonna do it" (add a bit of a texas accent to those last two phrases). This is nothing as funny as the time he was yelling out at the top of his lungs in spanish, but it's still pretty funny.

THAT'S ALL.

I just had to write this follow up to my previous post - about the importance of comma placement, because as I was reading it I realized that the sentence: "As I was checking out this guy behind me was buying two boxes of sleep aid, and no kidding..." could be completely and totally misread as me checking out the guy instead of me checking out my merchandise, with the guy in line behind me. Makes you think, doesn't it. so rest assured that "As I was checking out, this guy behind me was buying two boxes of sleep aid...

Sleep Aid

Ok, I have no business being awake and out of my bed this late - I am far too old, but I wanted to share a BRIEF comment about my night - I went to wal-mart after my "field model" (that's a WHOLE other blog) meeting tonight (around 10:30). As I was checking out this guy behind me was buying two boxes of sleep aid, and no kidding - he looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. that's pretty much the whole story...sorry, I thought it was funny. oh well. good night.

that's all.

Hobby Lobby hit

I totally tripped this girl up in Hobby Lobby tonight - not literally, but when I got to her register she was all fumbling around with the register keys, and the picture frames I was buying and just generally flustered. Who knew I could have such an impact on someone... I probably had a booger hanging out of my nose or was bleeding from the ear.

Oh well, it was amusing whatever the case.

that's all.

Junie B. Oh good gosh...

The good news is that the performances of Junie B. Jones this afternoon were awesome! I don't think I've seen an OPAS Jr. production by TheaterWorks USA that was any better - exceptional, really!

Which brings me to the rest of the shenanigans. First there was the mother who left her own (approx. 6 year old) daughter sitting in the dark theater while she took the girl's friend to the bathroom. Said daughter then looks around, realizes her mother is gone and then starts crying and makes her way to the top of the theater where she is intercepted by one of our guys - he tries to calm her to no avail, so i go over and offer to sit with her on the top step to wait for her mother to return. The mom finally does get back, and after realizing she's sent her daughter into a panic attack, apologizes and then sits with her kid for 5 minutes and then proceeds to go to the complete other side of the auditorium to sit on the empty front row...good grief.

Next, the friendly photographer. You see photos and recordings aren't allowed during a performance. This isn't because we want to rob our patrons of their memory making potential, or because we're just plain mean, it's because it's illegal. Let me repeat that - I-L-L-E-G-A-L. It's because all aspects of the show are copyrighted. As I informed the woman who was taking pictures the last 4 minutes of the show she was very surprised, and actually looked somewhat sheepish as she explained to me her "ignorance" in understanding that she thought that since the performance was over it was ok. It wasn't. Then I got to take her name and number in case the production company asked us about it...that was fun :P.

Which leads to fun time number 3. Let me just say that girl scout mothers are insane. And while that's probably sufficient explanation let me expound. Picture a group of 10 girl scouts, in full uniform, crowding (and trying to get onto) the stage. Said mother, at least 400 lbs, trying to take a picture of them, with HER CAMERA PHONE (which is really where the irony lies...it's not going to be a great picture from your phone, lady). I tell her she cannot do this, since usually the no pictures rule continues following the performance, and so she waits until I look away and then starts grouping them up for the picture again. Again I tell her no and she cops her attitude. Enter the actress who plays Junie who tells me that pictures are ok. So I politely tell the woman she can proceed...to which she replies in the most cocky, snide girl scout mother attitude laced voice "What a surprise...What do you know". I wanted to hit...but I didn't stupid girl scouts...keep to your cookies and stay away from me. (just kidding, mostly).

On a side note, the actors were so awesome - we all played with the OPAS puppets before the show started and got to visit between shows for a few minutes. They were so much fun and very friendly. Makes me want to go out on tour! :)

...what a day!

That's all.