kingdom travelin'

Not since “Twelfth Night” and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” at the turn of this century has so much frivolity, verve, great singing and fun visited the stage of the Covenant School as was seen at last night’s dress rehearsal of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance! Director Emily Hicks has assembled a cast, crew and team of choreographers and directors who have pulled off an amazing production which kept us smiling and laughing, clapping and shouting our approval at this, the most fabulous show at The Covenant School in years.

Harrison Hill was born to play Frederic, bringing energy and passion to a role just right for him. Jordan Jackson is the perfect Pirate King and Sarah Scott, Sarah Scott’s voice is surely bound for the Met and Covent Garden after her run here at the Covenant School. Erika Duerkson played the role of Ruth with poise and adaptability and the surprise treat is someone named Holly Sargeant playing the Sergeant of police… but in this critic’s opinion the man to see is the General, the Major General… a role nailed by Alex Merrill! time does not allow me to praise each memebr of the remainder of this great cast: the pirates, the maidens, the police were all simply great: singing and playing their parts with great poise and precision all of which make this production fit for viewing by Queen Victoria herself!

Emily Hicks and her team of directors have done an amazing job of preparing this cast to provide those of us in attendance with a treat which was enhanced by a stage, set, sound and lights by the amazing Cliff Wooley and crew, Covenant is truly blessed by the talent on display this weekend.

This morning we will all be treated to a couple of scenes from Pirates of Penzance during assembly time, but that cannot be enough, for you must return tonight or tomorrow night to see this spectacle, but I warn you, you better get here early, for if anybody in Charlottesville knows anything about the stage, the line to get in should reach out the front door and up the hill to Hickory Street! The plaudits of this critic to the Pirates!

I just visited a rehab center where a young man of 16 (today is his birthday) is recovering from a stroke. When I saw him last he was in the hospital and was not able to do or say much. The stroke was a serious one (the jury is still out on what happened and why this occured) and there were some very dark days for the mom and dad.

But today, just three weeks later, the change was just amazing. One of the hospital folks early on had used the word vegetable, but today I saw this young man in therapy, he is regaining control of his limbs to the point where he can walk a bit!

His intellignece level has gone from that of a 6 year old to that of a 22 year old (this rating is a relative thing). His mom and dad are praising God.

But they are praising God not just for the wonderful development of their son but for being there and getting them through the dark days they have been through… God is with us through it all. I’m glad to be His…

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(-Numbars 6:24-26, ESV)
What a wonder benediction… look inside this and see the Gospel, especially the last word… peace!
May we all seek peace through He who offers grace…

A friend and I are sharing some theological views with one another… in the context of double checking myself through the writing of others, I found this… (by Erickson in the 1983 ed. of Christian Theology p. 646)

“The person who loves the transient will also pass way. The one whose loyalty is to that which is permanent will also abide forever.”

For a good while now, I have enjoyed collecting coffee mugs… here is the coolest one I’ve been given in a while…

It was a surprise from Laci and Keri…

Here is the original… it is now a symbol of the

spirit of the people of Vukovar, Croatia…

My friend Mark, who travelled with me there last week, posted some resources to learn more…

On an unrelated note… I was fasinated to read about an atheist who went to church at a big “mega-church” near Chicago in the USA… his description is interesting

“A child saying a child’s prayer looks simple. And if you are content to stop there, well and good. But if you are not – and the modern world usually is not – if you want to go on and ask what is really happening – then you must be prepared for something difficult. If we ask for something more than simplicity, it is silly then to complain that the something more is not simple.” – C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity, p.40 Harper Collins edition 2001)

Lewis uses modernity here and I think this helps us understand how we want to break it all down into its componant parts… the thing I – as a modernist – must understand is how do others who are post-modern look differently at ideas… this one for instance…