In Gennesaret

Look at this tree. It lies out here in a field near the route to my favorite nature trails by my house. It’s a sad sight, yes? I mean, it’s completely uprooted. Completely dead . The first time I saw it, I had to wonder what in the world killed the poor thing. And I couldn’t help but contrast this arboreal corpse with the beautiful forest I walk through with the dog every day. I have to admit: it looks like the grim reaper has visited there, too. The lower half (or more) of most of the trees are just gray, ashy-looking branches extending all directions, branches that would probably easily snap if I tried to break them. But the trees are still standing. Standing strong. What’s more, when you look at the very tops of the trees, there is green . New growth sprouting out in response to the sunshine that reaches the tippy-tops up there. When I was first exploring these new stomping grounds a year ago, I found myself relating to those trees. I suspect I’ve got some deadness underneath...

 I spent the last two weeks mentoring three student directors as they directed a dozen student actors in plays written by two student playwrights (who I also mentored in a playwriting class last spring). It was exhausting. And it was fabulous. CSDC’s New Play Festival is probably the best thing we do, in my opinion. Not because of the great show it produces (although it was a good show), but because of the great work it does in our students. If you’d been hanging out at our studio and observing closely, here are some of the things you would have seen happening there in the last couple weeks: -         Actors did exercises to practice speaking loudly and clearly . . . and learned that their voices deserve to be heard and understood. -         Students completed a cleaning job every day before leaving the building . . . and learned to serve others without complaining or arguing. -     ...

  PROOF TEXTING: taking isolated quotes and establishing a position that may not be the author’s original intent. As a long-time student of the Bible, I try very hard not to do this. When I feel like God is speaking directly to me through scripture (which I do, occasionally), I hold that message lightly, just in case it turns out I’m reading my own desires into the words or something. I’m well aware of the dangers of looking for “hidden messages” in scripture or applying a passage to a personal situation where it may not apply. Nevertheless . . . I find it astonishing how often Bible verses have popped up out of nowhere and been specific (sometimes word for word ) answers to questions I was having or prayers I’d been praying – especially during the most trying and difficult times of my life. In particular, God used a certain motif to communicate with me throughout the struggles I was having with my marriage: the image of wasteland becoming fertile ground. Over and over and ov...

Who’s watching The Chosen ? Yes, I see those hands. The rest of you need to get with it: this is an awesome show. I’m on my third viewing of each episode – one time on my own, another with my daughters, another with my guy. And of course, I notice more details each time. Right now, I’m particularly paying attention to the prayers the Jewish characters say. Like, there’s a scene where Jesus, James, and John are sleeping in the same room, and they all close their eyes and say the same prayer before they get out of bed. Not in unison, like drones, but it is the same prayer, so it must be a prescribed formulaic thing. One of those rituals Baptists hate. I grew up Southern Baptist, so I had definite ideas of how prayers were supposed to go, when they were supposed to happen, what they were supposed to sound like. But then that’s how it is for everyone, right? We pray the prayers we hear – at least at first. That seems right and righteous and good. If someone had told me in high school t...