These Are My JOTtings, Part #2

Reaching for Something Beyond Yourself

The challenge of reaching for something
beyond yourself and beyond your perceived talent level
can be quite intimidating.

On February 7th, 2019 our local community acting troupe
is slated to take to the stage with the play,
Smoke on the Mountain.
It's a three-day run.

The play is set in the late 1930s in North Carolina.
The entire show takes place in the main auditorium
of a little country church as portrayed by the set.

The scene for the entire play is
the first Saturday Night Sing in the church.
The main characters have monologues,
that tell the audience their backgrounds.

It's a play about redemption
and the restoration a couple of a family's "black sheep"
back into right relationship with the family,
which is just like the way The Lord
goes after sinners to bring them into His Family.

The challenge for me is that my role in this play
is one of the largest that I've ever shouldered.

I played the part of "Papa" in the play,
I Remember Mama around Mother's Day of 2013.
In early October of that same year, I played the part of
"Matthew, the Narrator," in The Cotton Patch Gospel.
Both were amazingly fulfilling roles as characters,
who influenced others for good.

This time around I am playing the part of the pastor of the church,
that hosts the Saturday Night Sing.

Being the son of a Baptist preacher
I grew up seeing these activities performed in the church,
the announcements,
the singing,
the placating of temperamental church members,
who liked things to go their way.

This should be fun and fulfilling
while stretching me as an actor.

I grew up with songs like
"Whispering Hope,"
"I'll Fly Away,"
"When the Roll is Called up Yonder,"
"Nothing But the Blood,"
"Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb?"
"Power in the Blood" and
"There is a Fountain."

The focus thought here is
reaching for something beyond yourself.
That's what I'm doing.
The number of words,
that I have to memorize is daunting at first glance.
If The Lord doesn't help me through the process,
then I could fall on my face and look very foolish.
However, scenarios like these are
where The Lord does His most impressive work.

1. The children of Israel went through the Red Sea on dry ground.
2. Gideon defeated a huge army with a concert by a 300-piece orchestra.
3. Jesus fed 5000 men (along with wives and children) with a handful of loaves and fishes. The number that Jesus actually fed could have been as high as 15,000 to 20,000 or more.

"9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

"10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, KJV)

To be honest with you, I don't like feeling intimidated about anything.
I'm the kind of driver, that will drive around the block, making three right turns to avoid making one difficult left turn across four lanes of traffic.

It's my nature to take the easy way out.
I've got two NaNoWriMo novels sitting in my profile right now because I don't have anything trouble telling you what I think, but I have a big challenge trying to edit my thoughts into a format that some company might want to publish.

Reaching the next level requires work.
Reaching the next level means facing the fear of failure as well as the fear of success.
Reaching the next level as an actor means
I must face myself, face my fears, face all of my "What if"s,
walking through the door marked, "Jesus paid it all! All to Him I owe!"

Since He has this much invested in me, it's going to be a great show and a wonderful testimony of God's Grace to the world.

"...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5, KJV)

That's His promise.
I just need to be faithful and obedient.

When The Lord calls, answer.

by Jay O'Toole
on January 9th, 2019