Million Dollar Quartet

This photo was the original inspiration for the Broadway show Abbey and I ushered last night at the Aronoff Theatre in Cincinnati.  One evening in December 1956, Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, had under the same roof, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. They even made a short recording together.

I admit I was hesitant about whether the show would be good or not, but kept telling myself, "Last year when we did the same show twice (The Addams Family), we were pleasantly surprised...who knows?" I was correct...and pleasant surprise is an understatement.

Just flipping through the Playbill, I knew which actor would portray Elvis. He was spot-on for the roll, not only in appearance, but also in vocals and dancing too. When the actor playing Johnny Cash first opened his mouth to sing Folsom Prison Blues, if I'd closed my eyes I would have believed Johnny had come back for just one night only to sing his music for us.

But the actor that blew me away was the very incarnation of Jerry Lee Lewis...piano bench kicking and all! He provides most of the comedic material too, but the leg-jumping, foot-playing-the-piano, hair-bobbing singer really had no equal on that stage. This kid, just like Lewis, was the consummate performer last night.

It's a great show and I was beaming for most of the one hour and forty-five minute performance not only because of the foot-tapping music, but because of the fun and energy exuded by the audience. I noticed once the doors opened that this was an "older" crowd...but it was obviously the music of their generation and watching sixty and seventy year olds getting their groove on, can't help but make you smile.

Tickets are still available. If you have some time now through Sunday, March 3rd, you should head out to catch the show. You will not be disappointed!

The Conspirator

Last night, while half of our family went to Winter Jam (a Christian music event) and my oldest revived her introvert-self alone and my youngest satisfied her extrovert-self by playing with the neighbor kids, I had some time to myself to watch a movie that I chose. The added bonus was that I didn't have to wait until everyone was in bed because it was PG-13!

I selected a movie about history. This is no surprise if you know me. We have a trial month of Amazon Prime, so I picked a Robert Redford directed movie, starring James McAvoy that I thought looked interesting.

I'm not giving away any spoilers because this could be found if you looked for it...or maybe not. It seems that Mary Surratt was arrested, tried and convicted of conspiring to kill President Abraham Lincoln all without any of the legalities that we now take for granted. It was a time of war, yes, but in the Union's desire for a speedy conviction, witnesses were threatened with treason, evidence proving her innocence was ignored and she was not even given a trial before a jury of her peers.

This isn't action-packed, but it is well acted, well directed and you'll probably learn something you never read in your history textbook too.

Learning a Lesson?

This evening, my youngest decided she didn't want to do the chore assigned to her for the day...folding a basket of laundry. So after her attempts at wheeling and dealing a different (yes, easier) chore or the chance to postpone it for a day I decided to finally concede...I am a bit of a pushover as a parent.

What chore did I give her in place of folding one basket of laundry? The somewhat easier chore of carrying out the trash. When she was given this option she was quite excited.

After the fourth trip to the dumpster (I kept bagging up more trash!), through the muddy yard, waiting for cars to pass so she could cross the street in the slightly chilly air...when she stumbled in the door for the last time and made her way to her room to change her muddy pants with bright, rosy cheeks...I quietly asked, "Next time, would you  like to just fold the basket of clothes?"

The hearty, "Yes!" was enough reward for creative parenting for this day!

What to Give Up for Lent?

I didn't grow up with the tradition of giving up things for Lent. I was taught that this was something "the Catholics" did and we didn't have to because we knew we were free in Jesus to eat whatever we wanted.

Funny how times change!

It seems more and more evangelicals and Protestants have learned that the Lenten season isn't about giving up a food, per se...but rather about learning what it means to live sacrificially for the One who gave everything He had on the Cross. Truly, if He can do that for me...to give up one tiny thing that actually matters to me for about six weeks is pretty small by comparison.

I say "thing that actually matters to me" because I have known and have heard of people giving up stuff quite to the contrary. Case and point: I could say "I'm giving up lobster for Lent" and it really wouldn't be a sacrifice. I have never had lobster, never want lobster and would probably be on my deathbed and still only through force would I allow this bottom-feeding, cockroach of the sea to cross my lips. You get the idea.

So when my oldest daughter reminded me this morning that it was Fat Tuesday...after my first thought of "Yikes! That means no more packzis until next winter," my thoughts quickly turned to "What will I give up?" I haven't attempted to give up anything for the last two years because my diet has been so limited trying to eat a mostly vegetarian or vegan lifestyle that wants to limit sugar, gluten, fried foods, etc. all year...it doesn't leave me with many options to give up. Unfortunately my desired way of eating and the reality of it don't often mesh. Regardless, I haven't even attempted to participate in Lent for the last two years.

Then this morning, I have a Facebook friend that posted that instead of giving up sweets, which was her usual go-to item, she was going to attempt to give up her negative thoughts about herself and what is going on around her. I love this idea so much that I am borrowing it for my own! So this year, instead of giving up a food, I am giving up something that is such a big part of me, it will probably be excruciating to let it go.

My prayer is that when negativity and criticism of myself or others darkens the corners of my heart and mind, I will swiftly ask the Spirit to sweep them out and keep them under His control. I'm giving Him permission to interrupt my day and my thoughts and bring my focus back to Him whenever I stray.

I'm not naive enough to think this will be easy. Again, it is so much a part of who I am, that I'm not sure how He can do it...but I am confident that precisely because of the great sacrifice He gave for me...He can!!!



What do you hear Him asking you to give up?

Hate the Sin, But Not the Sinner

How many times have we heard this phrase? Too many to count.

But do you know where it came from? If you answer "the Bible", you'd be wrong.

I seem to be learning from my high schoolers' United States history lessons as much as they do.

Apparently, a phrase that so many American Christians have adopted may have begun with Clarence Darrow...yes, the Clarence Darrow...the man so many Christians vilify for successfully defeating Creationism as the only fact about how our earth and all its species came to exist in the public school system. You've heard it referred to as "The Scopes Monkey Trial" or have maybe even seen the play or movie Inherit the Wind.

But until a few days ago, I was complete unaware that Darrow tried another very high profile case in his time:  Leopold and Loeb. Two young men who had every privilege money could buy and yet they chose to murder for thrills. Darrow was the first to introduce a psychiatric defense as well as blaming "society, schools and violent social conditions" for the act perpetrated by these two "boys". (see Digital History "Leopold and Loeb")

What struck me first is that possibly more than any man in our judicial history, Clarence Darrow's influence permeates our courtrooms to this day. The second thing is how readily Christians grab hold of a succinct catch-phrase that: a.) has nothing to do with Biblical Christianity and b.) excuses their judgmental and harshly critical treatment of people whom they don't want to associate with [chief among this list, homosexuals].

I've heard this phrase said so often that it does begin to eek into your own moral fiber. But Jesus first and foremost taught that we are to LOVE. Love all. Not just the ones that look like us. And lest we forget, love is best defined as "doing well for" someone. It never means that you condone sin. It simply (yet, profoundly) indicates that no matter where a person has been, presently is, or soon will be heading...you  will do everything God gives you the power, ability and grace to do to build them up, be truthful and lead them closer to the foot of the Cross where they belong.

My words can so easily be misunderstood or not communicate well what my heart is trying to express. I encourage you to watch this video by Tony Campolo.

"Love the sinner and hate my own sin"...now that's a catch phrase worth living out!