Drama Update!

Our first weekend of performances is now past.  Our God has worked wonders and planted so many seeds!  A total of 15 precious souls were added to the Christian family, with 48 re-dedications.

Praise to the King!

Our next show begins this Friday, with two more (possibly three, depending on how fast we fill seats) following on Saturday, then Sunday.  If we have to, and it's a great problem to have! a 3pm matinee will be added to Saturday, but so far, hasn't happened yet.

A huge thank-you for your prayers!  They are surely felt and so happily appreciated.  =]

Here are a few pics from pre-production and behind-the-scenes, that I'd like to share with you:

I don't remember if I had mentioned this before, but our stage has expanded considerably.  This season's production is at the local Middle School, and what a blessing it is!  Where our church's sanctuary can hold a cramped 200, the school auditorium can seat 800.  That is roughly FOUR performances at the church!

This is the stage we are used to. . .

(As a side note, I apologize in advance for some of the pics.  They may be blurry and/or fuzzy due to lighting in the room, but worth sharing anyway.)  =]

. . .and this, is the stage 

A huge difference!

The rest of these pics are from a couple practices where we were at the local elementary school, located just down the road from the church.  This was before we were able to set up at the Middle School.  Using the gym was to give us an idea of the size of the stage.  It helped tremendously.

In the pic below, our director is giving his announcements, the night's schedule, and what-to-do's and what-not-to-do's.  =]

During this practice, those not in the current scene waited on the sidelines, watching.

All in all, I believe we had about 80 members involved as the cast and crew of this drama.

Can't do a play without sound and music, can you?  Well, this is the guy.  Don't know what we would do without him!  Both for this drama and at church!  He serves as the office administrator and the praise band director (plays electric guitar in the band, but also rocks on the piano and drums).  And, we only recently found out that he's not a cyborg!  (I apologize, dear readers, inside joke!  He's a cousin, actually, of my dad; and, with all that he can do, he could be a machine!)

Our director, Dr. R.  I had to share this pic.  Couldn't help but laugh at the rooster in the background!  (Props for a nativity scene.)

This photo just shows how much devotion and work our director put into this production.  And not just him!  Our construction crew, costume ladies, and backstage guys, put in countless hours to make this drama happen.  

Heh.  =]  I like this one.  That's our brother, Jamin, peeking from the curtain.  He was a huge part of the four-man team that worked backstage.  Can you tell what his shirt is?  

Ah, yes.  Can't forget this lady.  She's crazy!  This is Amy (another cousin, though we hesitate to claim her. . . [I'm kidding!] You just have to know her to understand.).  ;D  She is the self-proclaimed senior demon director.  In charge of the demon characters of the play, making sure they screamed on cue.  

Note:  No innocent lambs were harmed in the making of this show.  Good gravy, that lamb wasn't even in the play!

Here we go!  These surly gentlemen are three of the four members of the backstage crew.  Jamin on the right, C in the middle (another cousin, by the way.), and B on the far left.

And here's all four of 'em.  Uncle C (our daddy's younger brother) is the team leader.  He's always on the move!

Haha!  The guy behind Jamin portrays Jesus in this drama.  And, as Barney on The Andy Griffith show says, "He's a nut!"

N is also a member of the praise band, on the drums.  He's good.  And I mean, really good. 

Jamin didn't know he was there at first.  It was just like a turn-and-somebody's-in-your-face kind of thing.  XD

Jenny and Dad hanging out backstage.  They are waiting to go on.  Dad portrayed the Holy Spirit, and Jenny was Beth, sister to a main character.

This is Mr. D, playing Michael the Archangel, and L playing Rachel, a confused teen.

N again.  I guess this is his version of "cheese!"  Random note: he's going to be a daddy soon!  His wife is expecting their first, a baby girl.  ^__^  Bless her heart.

This is part of the Judgment scene.

Well, hello!  Below is B, the preacher's youngest daughter.  =]  And C, son of the director.  He has an important role as Michael, another confused, messed up teen.

There's Amy again, and her choir of "demons."  (Excluding the older man in the bright yellow hoodie.  Another actor.  He, too, is a "nut!")

Mrs. S, who plays a elderly grandmother.  Amy is cheering her on as she goes to be "judged" in the Judgment scene.

Director shouting directions.  In a wheelchair, commandeered from Mrs. S.  O_o  Sometimes you just gotta sit down, you know?

And here is the final picture, as well as the ending of the last scene.

Hope you enjoyed looking through these!

Blessings,

Sarah

It Begins!

Tonight marks the first performance of this season's production of Lucifer's Lies.  We are super excited!  It will be a long weekend, but totally worth it in the end.  =]  Please remember us in your prayers!

As of yesterday, we had 2,730 reservations booked for both weekends.  And it is expected to increase a good deal after these first three performances.

Make-up call (for us) at 12pm.
Dress Rehearsal begins at 2pm.
Dinner, with devotions to follow, at 5pm.
First performance time, 7pm.

A bonus!  Our local Christian radio station (J103 -- 103.1FM) is coming for interviews as well as to assist in spreading the word of the drama to the whole of the listening community.  This was a bit of a surprise thanks to an anonymous donor who made it possible for the station to come to the school and give us the chance to speak out.

Time is closing in!

Thank you for your faithful prayers!

Blessings,
Sarah

Happy Sunday!

Hello, dear readers!  Happy Sunday!

Please excuse the lack of activity on our part in the blogging world.  Due to our church's drama, whose first performance is this coming Saturday, we have not had the time to post anything.  In the near future I plan to share some photos of our day trip to the Alvin C. York homeplace, which we journeyed to this past Friday.  It was incredible!  Living history.

If you will, please remember us and our family and church as we take this opportunity to spread the love of Christ to our community through this drama.

If interested in attending, see this post or click here to get online reservations.

Have a blessed day!

Lucifer's Lies [Church Drama]

After a one year break, our church is now nearing the first performance of six (maybe seven) of a drama production called Lucifer's Lies.  This is our sixth season in producing this particular drama, which has evolved year after year.  In the 2011 post, I remember saying that it would be the best of all, but now I find myself repeating the exact same -- this will be the best.  =]

As the poster above says, Lucifer's Lies is a spiritual warfare drama depicting the physical and spiritual battles that rage for the precious souls of the lost.  I cannot wait to see the results of our work!  Please note: because of the intensity of this production, we do not recommend children ages ten and under to attend.  We have limited seating, so you are required to have reservations.  

Also, it is FREE!  Admission is of no cost whatsoever!  But you must have reservations.

The performances are:

Friday, October 19th @ 7pm

Saturday, Oct. 20th @ 3pm & 7pm

Friday, Oct. 25th @ 7pm

Saturday, Oct. 26th @ 7pm

Sunday, Oct. 27th @ 3pm

Please don't miss out!  You will be blessed!

This all takes place at the Athens City Middle School (200 Keith Lane, Athens, TN 37303).

Contact Clearwater Baptist Church at their offices, (423)744.7147 or make online reservations at the church website, here.

If you are even in the least bit interested, call now!  Seats are filling up fast.

We are so excited! My sisters and I are performing as our "dance" group, Undivided, among other various mini parts--Bible characters, speaking part (Jenny), and fill-ins.  So, if you attend, look us up!  We hope to see you there!

Blessings,

Sarah

Easter Story - Part 2

Sorry for taking so long to post this next part!

In case you are wondering, this story does not end on Resurrection Sunday, and I will post the next few parts when I can, as they do take place after the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

This part introduces my second character, Eitan, a young Jewish temple guard.  He and his two fellow guards have been assigned the duty of guarding the tomb of Jesus of Nazereth.

My reasoning for portraying the guards as Jewish, as opposed to the traditionally portrayed Romans, is that Pontius Pilate, when asked to provide security for the grave, told the elders that they "have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how." (Matt. 27:65)  When the guards reported back after the resurrection, they reported to the Jewish elders instead of the Roman authorities.  For this reason, I decided to portray them as Jewish.  This does not, of course, mean I am right, but I think it is a plausible reasoning.

~*~

     Pale, silver light radiated from the waning, full moon, painting the land with the mysterious, delicate hand of night. Eitan's brown eyes slowly swept over the scene before him as they had all night long; faint, dappled shadows, cast from the shade of the olive trees, patterned the garden ground and seemed to morph and meld with the slightest breeze.

     The young man shifted his rigid stance and glanced at his fellow guards, resting by the warmth of a small fire not ten feet to his left. With a quiet sigh, he rolled his stiff shoulders and adjusted his grip on the shaft of his spear. Nahash glanced up from the fire.

     “What? You're not tired yet, are you?” he questioned dryly, breaking their two hours of silence. Eitan cast him a wry look.

     “You're not ready to take my place yet, are you?” he retorted. He felt a chill run down his back and glanced over his shoulder at the cold, unmoving tomb behind him. Yawning and stretching, Nahash stood to his feet while Kalev, a middle-aged man and the eldest in their group, settled back against a tree, catching Eitan's wary motion.

     “That great rock took seven men to push it in place,” he spoke, his low, gruff voice startling Eitan. “They even put a seal over it. So, no one will be getting out.” At the last statement, he folded his arms across his chest and gave a tired half-smile. Eitan stepped over to the fire as Nahash took his place before the tomb, managing a weak chuckle at his elder's comment. Nahash shuddered visibly, standing before his post and staring at the tomb.

     “Ugh.. Don't speak such things!” he frowned. “Surely you've heard what the people have been saying...” Eitan sat down by Kalev then turned his gaze back to Nahash, curious. Kalev snorted derisively.

     “Hah! Those tales are nothing more than worn nerves!” he spoke sharply. Nahash crossed his arms and shivered, ignoring Kalev's outburst. The older man sat up and stared into the fire. “With all that happened yesterday, people are easily frightened-- and provoked.” He narrowed his eyes. “A Roman probably put that in their minds, anyhow.” Eitan glance from one man to the other.

     “What are you talking about?” Nahash turned to him in disbelief.

     “You haven't heard?” Warily, Eitan shook his head. Settling back again, Kalev closed his eyes.

     “Get ready for a wild, new 'wives' tale,'” he remarked sardonically. “And, you,” he pointed at Nahash without opening his eyes, “do not forget that you are on watch.”

     “You remember how the earth shook yesterday.” Nahash did not have to ask; Eitan nodded. “Some people claim that, when the earth shook, some of the tombs opened.” He glanced at the stone nervously.       “They say the dead were raised. Different people, all through the city, say they have seen the dead among them.”

     Eitan felt a thrill of fear at the mention of such strange, unbelievable happenings. Kalev opened his eyes and rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully.

     “A lot of things happened yesterday,” he spoke, his fiery tone subdued. “I think we ought to simply do our best in the service of our God, and leave such things to Him and His priests.” At that, the three fell silent, each lost in his own thoughts.

     Shifting his position so he rested on his elbow, Eitan stared out past the fire, returning, in his mind, to the great temple of Jerusalem. It had been the day of Pesach, the Passover, and Jews from all over the Roman Empire had migrated back to the city of Jerusalem to observe this feast in the land of their ancestors. For days, the city had been swollen by the great number of the faithful and, then, the temple and it's courts were flooded with the presentation of the Pesach sacrifice: the perfect, unblemished lamb.

     Eitan recalled the scene without trouble; the great din of bleating, shouts, and cries had overwhelmed his senses while the harsh, metallic scent of blood rose steadily as lamb after lamb was slain. However, this was a relative peace compared to what happened next. Everything seemed magnified as the very foundations of the earth began to shake; screams of terror sounded amidst the now startled bleating while people and sheep alike ran for cover. It was then that Eitan turned. He did not remember what prompted him to look behind him, but when he did, he saw something that he would never forget.

     While the rumbling earth, crying people, and vocal beasts almost drowned it out, Eitan could still hear the ripping of the great, purple veil that hung before the Holy of Holies. In a moment of stark terror, the young temple guard had dropped to his knees and covered his head, realizing he had seen within the holiest place on earth, the place where the presence of God Himself rested. The very thought filled him with a terror that chilled him to his soul.

     “Eitan?”

     With a start, Eitan met Kalev's eyes. The older Jew eyed his fellow guard uncertainly.

     “Are you well?” he questioned slowly. Eitan lowered his eyes quickly and sought to calm his pulse; he swallowed, then raised his head with a nod.

     “Yes... I'm fine.” He exhaled quietly. “Just... I just need to rest.”

      Turning away, he raised his gaze to the night sky, praying for the day to come.

~*~

We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ with their friends and family.  Don't let the true purpose of this holiday be lost amongst the chocolate bunnies and colorful eggs.

Here is a song our church is singing on Easter.  May these words always be on our hearts, all year long!

"Why do you seek the living One among

among the dead?  He is not here, but He

has risen."

~Luke 24: 5b-6a

Jen's Trick!

Adventures, traveling, far away lands.

What makes you think of these words? I think of trains, which leads to Arizona and the western states. Driving through those states you see many trains.

What about books? I bet you think of those when you hear the word 'adventure'.

 I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy a while back. And the urge to travel and explore filled my heart. Ah, to travel to Middle Earth, to go on adventures! How I longed for an adventure.

Well, I got my wish.

I didn't go to a far away land for it though. I went on a walk with my grandparents, then I went with them to an elderly friend to help fix her tractor. That led to helping her locate a cow that had been attacked by some dogs. We were joined by a vet and took off hunting for the cow. That took a bit of time. After a half hour or so, give or take a few minutes, we found the wounded bovine, who was not about to get caught. I, my grandparents, friend, and the vet ran all over that farm, chasing the cow.

That was an adventure! We finally caught the cow gave her some antibiotics, then took her to the barn.

Then, exactly a week later, at the Upward Awards Ceremony night, this happened:

Adventures! Ha! They're everywhere! You don't have to watch a movie or read a book to have your own adventure.

All you have to do is say 'yes'.

I did, usually without knowing what's going to happen, but that's the beauty of it.

Let it take you by surprise! In doing so, you make the most wonderful memories. Memories that will last a lifetime.

I hope you enjoyed my post, I know I enjoyed reliving them!

Have a blessed day!

P.o.t.W.

DeviantART

No Longer a Flame

Prayer of the Lukewarm Christian

written by Sarah

In days gone by, I was a light;

On fire for God, His image and delight.

A burning flame without a care,

Sent to spread His love everywhere.

But as days went on, trial to trial,

My flame slowly faded, no longer a fire.

I wonder, what do people see?

When they look through the window at me?

Is it a true Follower, who would give their all?

Or the shell of a mask, like a beautiful doll?

Through the motions I went every day,

On the outside, the perfect Christian in every way.

Thoughts would come, which I dismiss.

Then a passage I heard, said this: 

      "Neither hot nor cold, are you,

But wretched, poor, and blind is true.

Buy from Me the purest gold,

Dress in the white garments I hold.

Open your eyes to the poison-deceit;

Fall on your knees, fall at My feet.

For I stand and knock at your door;

Pay attention! Listen! I shall settle the score.

If you will hear and answer My call,

A crown you shall wear, riches and all!

With the right to My throne, a victor you'll be,

Just as I Am also, having won the Great Victory."

As I pondered these words,

New hope sprang forth as a bird

And soared so high, I could feel the wind

Like a breath of love from Heaven's skin.

I see now, O King, the mask I've lived:

To myself, for myself - alone - I've give'd.

Accept my apology, I repent.

From now on, O Lord, I'm all in!

Light my candle, once again;

Mold me, use me more - amen!

Forgive me, Lord, I take the blame;

Ignite a fire, feed my flame!

----------------------------------------

Click here to read the story behind this poem at Sarah's blog.

Long Week & What's Goin' On

Greetings, dear friends!  Don't worry, we're still here!  

It has been a crazy long week these past few days.  We, as in myself, siblings, grandmother, and great-aunt, were all hired as part-time employees to work inventory at a local tractor company.  From 8am to 5pm, we counted, numbered, and cataloged thousands of parts, which ranged from nuts and bolts to washers, belts to blades, and other such doohickeys/thingamabobs...  It was quite an experience, and we are definitely thankful for the [hard-earned] money.  Truly, it gave us a taste of how the outside world lives every hour to hour.

Our dear sister Julia is now in Arizona, visiting our mother's sister's family.  For practically the whole month of January, Uncle K, a professional musician, will be gone most every night playing gigs and such, leaving Aunt J with four kids under the age of nine, the youngest a Type 1 diabetic.  So, Julia flew out to help in any way she can.  We miss her!

Meanwhile, Jen and I are keeping busy coaching a 1st and 2nd grade basketball team for Upward - you may remember us mentioning this ministry our church hosts.  Already, we have a couple practices and one game under our belts, with another hour of practice tonight and game at 10am tomorrow.  I had forgotten how much I love doing this.  Our little team of nine, aged 7-8, are so precious!  I greatly enjoy seeing their smiling faces when they finally make a basket or react like so to our encouragement and cheering.  

On top of that, our church is starting a new semester of Kick It, beginning this coming Wednesday, and Jenny and I are also involved in that.  To explain, we, as a church, felt the need to do something different, something more than AWANA on Wednesday nights, and Kick It was the result.  Our church is located just a half-mile down the road from an elementary school, and for years we've hosted a kind of After School program in which AWANA was a part of.  A designated driver would go to the school, in our church vans and pick up the kids (with permission, of course) at 3pm, and bring them back for games, snacks, devotions, and AWANA starting at 5pm.  Now, we have, with Kick It, a new program, based on Centri-Kid camps.  The same thing happens with getting the kids, now in an old school bus, and such, but in place of AWANA, we have different tracts that the kids can choose to do, such as: a Creation "class", Footpraise (which my sisters and I lead, "dancing/interpretive movement/sign"), Cross Fit Ninja, Extreme Crafts, Sports, and maybe a few others.  Last semester was a kind of test to try out and see what worked and what didn't.  This time, we are adding other tracts and working toward our VBS program, which is going to be Answers in Genesis' The Kingdom Chronicles!  I'm so excited!  The crafts will be in charge of making, building, and painting the set, Footpraise will learn the songs, and so on.  It's gonna be great!

So, that's a little bit of what's going on with us.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings,

Sarah

Divided: Already Gone?

Ever been to Sunday School?

Ever asked yourself, "What did I really learn from that lesson last week?"

Or do you even pay attention to the lesson?  In the youth ministry, do you go just to hang out?  Or is it because they're always active and doing cool stuff like concerts, laser tag, or river rafting, etc.?

My post today concerns the reports and statistics that more and more each year of our young adults and pre-teen children are slipping away from the Christian faith.  At grade-levels of no more than 5th-6th grade, percentages show those kids are already gone.

Why?

My family and I recently watched a documentary called Divided.  It goes along with the brand new book written by Scott T. Brown called, "A Weed in the Church."  It is an excellent, well-made film by the Leclerc Brothers, in which one of the brothers, Phillip, takes you to places all over the US interviewing pastors, youth pastors, and young adults about their experiences with their own youth groups and youth ministers, as well as their opinions and sincere beliefs.

One question asked was whether or not the students believed in a young earth or an old earth.  It was so sad to see that the majority of those questioned answered with "millions of years," just because they simply don't know. 

Included in the documentary are speakers such as: Dr. Voddie Baucham, Paul Washer, Doug Philips, Geoffrey Botkin, Kevin Swanson, Scott Brown, and many more.

To see the film trailer, click here.  Or to watch the full, free movie (only available through Sept. 2011), click here.

Also, if you are interested in purchasing this incredible, eye-opening film, please click the icon Divided, located on the sidebar.

Seeker of Truth,

Elisera