Opening Night

Well, here we are! Less than two hours to show time. The banquet is being set (as I write) and the cast is getting into costume and make-up. It's going to be good. I'm looking forward to what God is going to do tonight. I'll let you know how things go later.

"Four Tickets To Christmas" Is Here!

It's D-Day! The production begins in eight hours. We've been working on the last few details this morning... it's going to be great. Call the office... get a ticket if you are coming to the dinner... if not, the play begins at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday, 6:00 PM on Sunday.

Thursday Rehearsal

Well... Rehearsals are over! No more practice... we do it for real from here on. Tomorrow is opening night and we are expecting a crowd. The cast is ready. They have been doing an incredible job this week. Tonight was rough on the audio side. We had wireless mics popping and swishing... being very tempermental, but our sound man (Doug) has worked hard to fix the problem. We also are running the soundtrack through the computer and that was a little different tonight, but efficient. New challenges, but it's going to be great. I know God is going to honor the time invested. If you haven't planned on coming... it's not too late. Friday and Saturday begins at 7:30 PM and Sunday is at 6:00 PM. See you there.

Hawkins Pep Rally

I went to the Hawkins Middle School Pep Rally this afternoon. You won't believe how loud 6th, 7th, and 8th graders can become. They had some guys dressed up as girls take on the 6th grade cheerleaders in a tumbling contest... funny stuff! They lost of course. The girls basketball team beat out everyone else to win the spirit stick... amazing!

Anyway... it's amazing how everyone comes together for a common task... to cheer for an upcoming game. There are no labels... no clicks... no exclusive groups... they are ONE school cheering for ONE team. Why can't life be like a pep rally? Why can't we cheer for everyone to succeed... to win... to triumph in life? Why can't people come together at work... at church... in society... politics and go after a common goal? I know there are many answers to those questions why there is such a separation, but are they really valid? Something to think about.

"Two bits, four bits, six bits... a dollar...."

From the Mouth of a Twelve Year Old

A youth staff member sent me this via e-mail. It's a phone call from a 12 year old boy to a Houston radio station on KSBJ 89.3 FM. So profound, the radio station has it posted on their website. Click here to listen to the radio spot (the download is slow but worth it). It's very encouraging.

Wednesday Rehearsal

Well... Wednesday rehearsal is finished... one more to go... THURSDAY! Great rehearsal tonight. It's coming together quite well. Final dress rehearsal will be tomorrow night and then... D-Day... Friday! If you haven't gotten a ticket... you have less than 48 hours. Make sure you come and watch the play. It's going to be great!

Wednesday Is Here!

Well... it's Wednesday morning. I'm looking forward to meeting with the students this evening. We have to shorten our service because of play practice, but some time is better than no time.

We finished play practice last night at 10:30 PM. We are inching closer to opening night... just about 58 hours to go. I have to re-program a few light cues and I think I will be finished with my part... Hallelujah! If you have not gotten your ticket... get one! Four Tickets packs a great message for the Christmas season. You will laugh, laugh some more, cry, and be challenged in your walk with Christ. Make sure you are there!

Tuesday Rehearsal

Here we go... Tuesday night dress rehearsal. The day has been filled with light cues and errands for the production. The cast is tired, but you can see the anticipation as they prepare for practice. I'm looking forward to opening night and closing night at the same time. Regardless of how we feel... we are believing God for lives to be touched by the performance.

Monday Rehearsal

"Four Tickets to Christmas" is in full swing. Tonight was the first big rehearsal of four going into our performance. I have the privilege of running lights for the production... so... I've been watching the production and playing with the lights. I'm making notes for my cues so I can program the lights tomorrow. It's been a long day and the week is not anywhere being over... So it begins!

Sunday

Sunday! A day set aside to gather, be with other believers and to be challenged and uplifted by the Word of God. I don't know if you have a place that you call "home" as it pertains to a local church, but if you don't... let me encourage you to find a church... a good Bible teaching church. God has called no one to make it by themselves. He has given us each other... people who believe in Jesus Christ... for the purpose of fellowship, accountability, and purpose. Ask God to give you a "home" to allow your faith to grow and invest in the work of God. Just a thought on this Sunday morning.

Cleaning The Gutters!

Have you ever cleaned out gutters in the rain? Neither have I, but I almost did... today! After play practice this morning I went to my dad's house to help clean out the gutters. When I arrived, my older brother had already cleaned out all of the gutters except for about fifteen feet. Needless to say, I was a little late... so while he finished, I raked leaves out of the shrubs/flower beds. While we were finishing up, it began to rain. We did not get all the raking finished, but my brother did finish the gutters.

As I was going to my parents, my understanding was there was no one there to help. What a blessing to find that not only was someone there, but they had also finished the job. What am I saying? Don't forget to acknowledge the small blessings in life that we seem to overlook. If I had started the project when I got there (with no help) I would have been rained on and the job wouldn't have been completed (Kudos to my brother!). There are little blessings all around us and many times we forget to acknowledge them. The Bible says all good and perfect gifts come from above... God! Make sure you count your blessings... and you can't do that unless you recognize they are there. So... thanks God... not for the gutters being cleaned out... but for my BROTHER! I am thankful that he is in my life.

Black Friday

It's easy to get caught up in Black Friday. Everybody is shopping for deals. I have found myself looking for a certain item all over town. I've been on the internet, calling stores, the whole drawn out process. Maybe I will get lucky and find it... if not... it's not the end of the world. The ability to have things is not the meaning of life. The ability to know and love Jesus should be life's central focus. When "things" start overshadowing the Savior, we have focused our attentions in the wrong direction. Seek Him first and the Bible says all the other things will be added. God doesn't want us to go without things... He wants you to put everything in its proper order. Happy shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's always nice to spend time with your family. I had Thanksgiving at my mom and dad's in Springfield. My younger brother was in from New York along with my older brother and his family who lives in Barren Plains. I don't have the opportunity to spend a lot of time with my family, so I value the time I have with them.

I hope you had a wonderful time with your family or friends this Thanksgiving holiday... cherish every moment.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Life of Thanks!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. What are you thankful for? I believe Thanksgiving should be lived everyday. Why should we live with ungratitude? We shouldn't. Before you go any further in your day... stop... think about something you are thankful for. You will find when you think about it, you always find something to give thanks for. Let gratitude be a lifestyle not a holiday.

Christmas Play Prep!

Another day of working on "Four Tickets to Christmas". We've been hanging lights for the production. It is amazing what goes into a performance of this size. Musicals don't happen because someone builds a set... there are lines to be memorized, props to track down, lights, sound, and on and on it goes. It never ceases to amaze me on opening night how everything comes together. It's just a reminder... anything worth doing takes effort. Work hard in life.

Four Tickets to Christmas

We are heading into Christmas production time. We have eleven days until opening night of our Christmas Musical... "Four Tickets to Christmas". The staff worked all day on the set. We painted, painted, and painted some more. The cast have been working since September on their performance. They are all doing a great job. Our prayer is that someone finds Christ through this dramatic musical. Performance dates are November 30th - December 2nd. If you are in the neighborhood, come on by. If you like Broadway... you'll like "Four Tickets to Christmas".

Every Day Deserves A Chance!

I've been reading "Every Day Deserves A Chance" by Max Lucado. A very thought-provoking book on how to approach every day. Do we face our day with joy or do we face our day with fear, worry and doubt? The direction we choose to go determines our level of success. Understand... this is the day the Lord has made! Let's rejoice IN the day!

2007 Tennessee Youth Convention

I had the privilege of taking some of my students to the Tennessee Youth Convention this weekend. What a great convention. It's awesome to come together with churches from all across Tennessee and worship together. It's a great opportunity to make new friends and visit with old ones.

This year's speaker was Chilly Chilton from Detroit, Michigan. He did an awesome job at communicating with the students and connecting them to God's Word. We had hundreds come forward on Friday night for salvation, not to mention the majority of the attendance responding on Saturday to become a missionary to people everywhere. God moved!

Friday night, following the service, we had Tim Hawkins, a Christian comedian. He was hilarious. I laughed until I cried. If you have not heard him... check him out at his website. It's nice to hear clean comedy. Clean comedy is appreciated and admired in this day and age.

Kudos to TYM and all their hard work in making the event quality and effective for the Kingdom.

The Golden Compass Review

There is a new movie coming out called "The Golden Compass". The movie is very anti-God and anti-Christian. I wanted to attach a review that gives you the skinny on the dangers of this movie and the doctrine they are pushing. I can't tell you what to watch or what to support, but I can give you a resource to help you as you make those decisions. Choose wisely!

Nothing Like Vacation!

Vacation is awesome. We had the privilege as a family to stay in Gatlinburg this past week for vacation. We rented a cabin in the Smoky Mountains from Gatlinburg Falls. A very good company to work with. They have over a hundred cabins to choose from and they are all new. They sleep from two people to 50 people. Any size group you can imagine, they can cater to.

Anyway... the best part was being with my wife and kids away from the everyday grind. It was nice to rest and refresh. We went horseback riding at Lil' Ponderosa in the mountains... way cool! We did a little go-cart racing, we visited Wonderworks (sort of a science museum), and we ate and ate! We even caught a show at the Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge. If you haven't seen it, you need to go... it's some funny stuff... plus, it's clean! Clean is a rare commodity these days.

But the highlight... the grand of the grand was Jenny and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary while in Gatlinburg. I could not ask for a better wife. She is truly a gift from God. I am blessed. He that finds a wife, finds a good thing (Proverbs 18:22).

Tomorrow... it's back to work... which is bitter sweet. Bitter because vacation is over, sweet because I love what I do. If you haven't had a vacation in awhile... take one! Everybody needs to refresh. Later.

Post From E-Mail

This is pretty cool. I can send an email from my inbox and publish it to my blog. I know what you are thinking. I am behind the times. Well... maybe... but I'm enjoying the journey of learning at my pace. I'm having fun.

New Blog

This is a new blog for me. My original blog is www.hsym98.blog.com. I am trying to switch over but I haven't been very successful in doing so. This is my second post in almost two monthes. Don't give up. I will be posting to this blog more often. Hey... it's part of the journey. The journey is not always easy. Keep checking back and visit regularly.