Jesus and the Art of Blackjack Part I

Well, I know some of you are wondering where I have been. Having said that, let me just say that the “meandering thoughts” include forgetting, daydreaming, getting distracted, etc. etc. But I’m here now, so let my mind meander.

 

Jesus and the Art of Blackjack. Well, posting a name like that and I am assured of three things.

#1: My more Conservative Evangelical Brethren (read that “KJV ONLY) will NOT read this

#2: They won’t get it if they did

#3: They wouldn’t read ‘Poached Egg’. ‘Ratio Christianity’, ‘Appologetics Alliance’, ‘Hally’s Bible Commentary’, ‘Biblical Archaeology Review’, ‘Christian Research Journal’,’ or pretty much ANYTHING that isn’t in ‘Christianity Today’ or the ‘Lookout’, so maybe I’m in good company

As for the rest, here we go.

So Susan and I finished up the 2nd of our Civil War events and we found ourselves in Wasioja, Minnesota. (Don’t bother looking it up. Mapquest assured us it doesn’t exist). With nothing else to do until next weekend’s Pirate Fest in Put-In-Bay we headed over to Red Wing, Mn. to the Treasure Island Casino, where our friends Bruce and Lin were camped for a Kansas City Barbecue sanctioned cookoff. (Bruce placed with his pulled pork, which means he is now an award winning bbq chef in pulled pork, ribs, and (Susan’s personal favorite) chicken. Well done, my friend!

So while we were there I spent a bit of time in the casino. (Here is where I lose the last of my Conservative Evangelical Christian friends who didn’t read the title).

Now the first thing you need to understand is one of my favorite things about casinos is the smell. They all smell of stale cigarette smoke. My grandmother was a lifelong smoker, so that aroma reminds me of her house, where there was love, care, good humor and a lot of card playing around the kitchen table. It really takes me back. But what, you might ask, does this have to do with Jesus and blackjack? Bear with me…

Most people are pretty smart. Until they walk into the casino, at which point all their good sense goes out the door to be replaced by greedy self-delusional thoughts. That somehow they are better, smarter. luckier or just plain deserve to win. So they sit down and plop their money into a slot machine, or onto the roulette table or even the occasional craps. Not me. I like my money and I’m smarter than that. I bypass all this to go straight to the blackjack table.

Now before you say ‘aha! You TOO are one of those greedy, self-delusional thinkers that think they can win!” Well, yes and no. No in that I’m not self-delusional, and yes I know I will win. Because it’s all math. And yes, I suck at math. But this is where it becomes so simple even a moron can win. 

You see, all of the games except one are based upon a principle called ‘random number generating’. Because no matter what happens right now at this roll of the dice, or pull of the lever, there is no way of determining what is going to happen on the next. If you roll a 2 in craps-well, not only have you immediately lost but the chances on your next roll of rolling another 2 are EXACTLY the same. Nothing has changed. Same with the slots. A peach comes up on this pull and you have exactly the same chance of it coming up on the next because the peach doesn’t go away. It’s all random because NOTHING CHANGES. The two-or the peach, whatever-goes right back into play. Because of that in the end you will lose. Oh, sure. Some of you will say ‘I have a system’ or ‘well my great Aunt Fanny ALWAYS won’. But lets face it. It’s a random chance that never changes. The house has a 12-22 percent favorability so in the end, you will lose.

Not so with blackjack. Because it has a FINITE possibility and because of that you can predict what will happen. Because when a 2 shows up on the table, it’s gone. There is NO chance you will ever see that 2 again until the next game because it is gone. (And contrary to some belief, a 2 is the WORSE card to see on the table!) So, because it’s gone you can figure what your chances of winning are for each hand that follows. (Yeah, I know I’m simplifying things, but bear with me).

Now because of this FINITE opportunity, blackjack can be beaten. Actually quite easy, simply by following ‘basic strategy’. (Forget card counting, I’ll mention it later. Right now just read…) Basic strategy is based upon BILLIONS of computer simulations and because there is that FINITE outcome, each and every hand you are dealt has an exact way to play it to win. So much so that if you follow the ‘basic strategy’, the house advantage is completely wiped out.

And here’s the interesting thing: YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEARN IT! 

Nope, just look at your handy-dandy pocket size ‘basic strategy chart’. You can get one on line. You can get one in every ‘Bicycle’ brand deck of playing card that says ‘poker size’. Heck, ask at the casino. They’ll GIVE you one. And let you put it out on the table to follow! No need to memorize. Just lay it out there and LOOK at the stupid thing!

Why does the casino allow this? BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE WILL ARGUE WITH THE CARD AND WON’T FOLLOW IT! Yep, I’ve seen it. They’ll look at their 16 and look at the dealer’s hand and say ‘I ALWAYS hold this hand’. Or they have the dreaded 12 against a 3 and say ‘I NEVER hit my 12’s’. Even tho the card-and BILLIONS OF SIMULATED HANDS tell them to do just that. 

Because they know more than the card. Why follow the card when their INSTINCTS-their GUT-their PASSIONATE BELIEFS tell them otherwise? And in the end they are going to lose just as surely as if they had thrown their money into a slot machine. I don’t get it. Here is HOW to win, and you don’t have to do anything but follow the simple instructions.

I know a LOT of good people. They tell me they believe in the Bible, in God, in Jesus. But they just KNOW that they are going to heaven because they are GOOD PEOPLE. Most people are pretty smart. Until they walk into the realm of ‘belief’, at which point all their good sense goes out the door to be replaced by greedy self-delusional thoughts. That somehow they are better, smarter. luckier or just plain deserve to go to heaven. Their GUT tells them they are. Their INSTINCTS say it’s so. But they just won’t follow the simple instructions Christ gave in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father but through me.’ And we have BILLIONS of bits of evidence-historical, hermeneutics, writings, research, 2,000 years of learning and growing-only to toss it all aside because of what we decide is a better way than what the simple instructions say. And in the end, they are going to lose.

Seriously. I don’t get it. Here is something that you say you believe-Jesus-but you won’t follow His simple instructions? Can you explain why? A bit of research shows why ‘basic strategy’ is real in blackjack. A bit of research will show the vast amounts of proof in the Biblical claims. 

And it’s not ‘all about us’. It’s not ‘us vs. the dealer’, it’s not ‘all religions are equal’. In the end it’s me against the dealer, and me against where I spend eternity. Doesn’t matter what anyone else does. And at both times, all I need to do is look at the simple instructions.

The casino allows ‘basic strategy’ cards at the table because they know that most people believe in them, but won’t follow them. Maybe that’s why Satan never really throws up much of a fuss about people ‘believing’ in Jesus. He knows most people believe in hHm, but won’t follow Him.

In part II maybe we’ll compare ‘card counting at the blackjack table’ and ‘appologetics in the church’. Or maybe my Conservative Evangelical Christian friends will brand me a heretic for playing blackjack and I won’t get to write it. Or maybe I’ll meander my thoughts into another path and forget about this blog for another few months. But I gotta do something to kill time, won’t be at the beach for another 5 months!

Tattoos and the Legalistic Christian

First off, there are two VERY important points the reader should consider before proceeding:
#1: Today’s blog is very much a rant. No happy beach pictures or witty sayings and
#2: This is written primarily to “mature” Christians, those who have some level of understanding and believe in Christ. If you came expecting #1 and/or have no interest in #2, today’s blog probably won’t be worth your time perusing, and we’ll happily see you on the next post.

Having said that, this came about late last evening. A dear Christian friend of mine mentioned on Facebook that his whole family was having a good time laughing about all of them getting a tattoo. Now personally I have ZERO interest in getting one myself, mostly because I see no use in them and…well, they look painful. On the other hand, our son has broached the same subject with us, that all 4 of us should get the Faire Wynds logo tattoo’d on our feet. Being the good father, I did NOT say “Are you NUTS?” I simply said if he could get Susan to agree, no problem. Knowing full well that Susan’s response would be: “Are you NUTS?” But that’s beside the point.

Now the friend in question came from a pretty horrible background. He didn’t have the benefit of a Church upbringing like a lot of us did, and as such he already has a tattoo, and has recently gotten another. But the problem arose when he was-in my opinion-attacked by OTHER supposedly ‘mature’ Christians about it. Most of them centered on two verses: Leviticus 19:28 (You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead nor tattoo yourselves. I am the LORD) and Romans 12:1 (I appeal to you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. I might comment on the 2nd verse in a later blog. The first verse is enough for now.

My initial reaction, being that I love history and culture and anthropology was to say: Hey, wait a minute. Lets look at the culture of the time, what was going on, the SYNTAX and CONTEXT of the text and really, REALLY get to the bottom of this! And then realized that no, it’s not that. It’s the Legalistic Christians once again with their extreme narrow church-only viewpoint. The same ones that have argued ever since the 1st Jerusalem Council where Paul took Peter to task about eating unclean things and circumcision, and then AGAIN a few years later had to return to Jerusalem to take Peter to task AGAIN about fellowshiping with Gentile believers. (That’d be most of us, by the way). The ones who truly believe if you are REALLY saved you will cut your hair, wear a suit and be at church to hear the all-important sermon and thank God that you are no longer one of the unwashed, unrepentant heathens. Yep, much, MUCH more mature than the street evangelist with his long stringy hair talking to the homeless, or the ex-alcoholic biker who still goes to the bars because he truly cares about his friends and wants them to see what a change Christ had made in him. Nope, MUCH better and more mature than that!

So to that end, let me offer up some thoughts for my very Holy and Scripturally minded brethren. Are we under the LAW, or are we under GRACE? We can’t be both. Here. Try reading THIS passage: Romans 6:14 Fr sin shall shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Or a few verses later in chapter 7 vs. 6 But now we have been released from the law, having died to that which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the law.

Of course since I am not in the pulpit and it’s not Sunday morning, my mentioning scripture probably won’t have a lot of weight to my more mature brethren. So let me ask this: which parts of the law are YOU not following? And if it’s so important not to get a tattoo, why is it not just as important to follow the REST of the Levitical laws? For instance, have you stopped eating pork, shellfish, squirrel bear and rabbit? Do you properly butcher your meat in the prescribed fashion? How about how you cook said meal. Hey, while we’re at it, for my re-enactor friends what about your costume? Still wearing that linsey-woolsey that’s so popular? Guess what. The law says NO! Get rid of it if you’re serious. Circumcised? In the proper way, with the proper tools, proper prayers and ON THE PROPER DAY? Ladies, do you declare yourself ‘unclean’ during and for the following seven days after your period? Gentlemen after having sexual relationship with your wives do you avoid everyone until the evening of the next day and present yourself to your minister? Don’t forget Leprosy, which was ANY skin disease from the dreaded actual disease to a simple hives from eating a raspberry, which the Law says you need to avoid people, shout ‘Unclean” wherever you go until your minister says (7 days after your symptoms disappear) that you are clean? What about the yearly feast days? Honoring ALL of them? Not just the common 7, but the OTHER 3? Even the Year of Jubilee? What about your blood sacrifices? Hey, come ON, these are all Levitical laws and hold the same weight as tattoos. Oh, and let’s not forget the biggie: keeping the Sabbath. Because it might come as a BIG surprise, but the Sabbath is NOT Sunday, and doesn’t just last the 1-2 hours you sit in a pew before heading over to the Golden Corral in the hopes of beating the Methodists. No. The Sabbath starts at 6 P.M. FRIDAY and goes to 6 P.M. SATURDAY. The LAW says no tattoos and ALL OF THESE! How much more Holy than the rest of us does one have to be before they get to pick and choose?

Hmmmm…

Now I know there are some who will ignore all of THAT and say that tattoos are wrong because they are in the Bible and Jesus said it (He didn’t) and that’s all it takes to make tattoos strictly forbidden! (Matt. 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets, I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”) To these I humbly ask you to leave this blog post and drop down to my post of a few weeks age “Soundbite Jesus”. Then if you still believe that way, stop being a pharisee/hypocrite and go start following ALL the laws.

Jesus DID come to fulfill the law, as He did on the cross. No longer are we bound by the law which was not a way of salvation, but a LESSON to show us that NO ONE CAN DO IT! Hey, I know it’s tedious, but here comes ANOTHER scripture, this one in Galatians 2:21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Come ON, guys! We’re under GRACE! It’s a New Covenant! And for those who still say that not ‘one jot or tittle of the law shall pass away until all is fulfilled’, hey. IT HAS BEEN! God had this new covenant all planned all along. Check out what He had the prophet Jeremiah write in 31:31-31 Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house Israel and the house of Judah, not like the one I made with their fathers when I took them out of the Land of Egypt (in case you’re just joining us, that would have been MOSES and the LEVITICAL LAWS), My covenant which they broke, even tho I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I shall make with the house of Israel, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people…for I will forgive them their iniquity and will remember their sin no more.

Won’t remember our sin? That was what the Law was SUPPOSED TO REMIND US OF! So if God says He won’t remember, why should WE continue to?

And since most of you haven’t read Leviticus-regardless of what you might say because it’s the proper ‘church answer’-simply jump to the epistle to the Hebrews and-well, why not read it for yourself? You will find it in chapter 10. The first 18 verses should be fine.

Oh, since we’re in Hebrews, take a gander at chapter 5 verses 11-15. Go ahead. I DARE you. Because in doing so you will find that I just insulted most of you reading this.

And after you stop ranting about MY ‘Heresy’, how about getting off your church pew and actually GET in the battle? Christ came to save, not divide. Hmmm…that just might be in there somewhere, as well.

-Eric

The Beach

Quiet time reflecting on God, beauty and the beach

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has known me for-say-2 hours or more that I love the beach. I don’t mean I love the beach as “oh, the beach is so pretty I just love visiting it’, rather I LOVE the beach as in: “When I am at the beach I don’t want to be ANYWHERE else but here!” (In the interest for full disclosure, however I feel that I need to point out the following thoughts that I also have: “When I am in the mountains I don’t want to be ANYWHERE else but here!” And “When I am in Nebraska, I want to be ANYWHERE ELSE but here!”

Seriously. There is something special about the beach to me-or anything to do with the water. The majesty, grandeur and power. It’s seductive feel of the wind and sand, the smell of the salt spray. As a dear friend put it to me, it literally does almost take my breath away. Heaven will have beaches. Lots of beaches. I just know! And lots of different types!

Edisto Island, South Carolina

We are lucky, as our job puts us relatively near the ocean about 5 months out of the year. From Edisto Island in South Carolina down to the Keys in Florida. It’s a great job to have, great perks. Especially since going to the beach is FREE! I spend a lot of time there alone (Susan being a fair-skinned red-head doesn’t share my passion). But it’s O.K., because it is a great place to think about God, read, meditate, nap (hey, it happens!) It’s not that I don’t want company, whenever the kids are down they are always up for a trip to the beach, especially our daughter Virginia, who seems to have a lot more of my characteristics than either one of us want to admit.

Susan and Virginia at Dania Beach

I will admit that I am particular about my beaches, tho. It’s not that I am looking for the ‘perfect’ spot, or snow-white sand, or a calm surf. No, that part is what makes the beach so wonderful-it’s diversity.

Newport News

What I look for in a beach is simple. It’s who is there with me. Now in a perfect world:

Or I’ll even take this:

Hollywood Beach Pier

Unfortunately, most beaches are overpopulated with people. And when I am at the beach, I prefer to be by myself.

Boca Raton

I suppose I can handle sharing my beach time with people-from a distance.

Tybee Island

With a good barrier between me and the other people is O.K., as well.

Haulover Beach

Sometimes I have to stare longingly at the beach because I have to work

Daytona Beach

And there are some places that I can drive right down to the beach.

Saint Augustine

Occasionally I get the family together and we do more than just go to the beach.

Homosasa Springs

But mostly I go by myself. I’m not interested in watching teeny boppers in their little bits of spandex. Hey, I’ve got the most beautiful wife EVER! (And I might add, as the Scripture so elegantly put it: “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth.” (Prov. 5:18). The best way to do that, is of course NOT watch the teeny boppers on the beach…but seriously, I tend to look for beaches that have an older clientele-the ones who are there to read a book, enjoy the sun and water, talk quietly by themselves, happily giving a nod as I walk by but not overly interested in anything outside of their area. People who are there for the beach, the sand, water, waves, sun. People who are reveling in God’s creation, not their blaring music.

In short, for me the best beach looks a lot like:

Somewhere in Paradise.

Good Music?

I have, over the years, heard so many people talk about ‘good’ music. Not just “hymns vs. praise chorus” in churches, but from kids at school who are convinced their music is the only ‘good’ music there is, to older people who will tell you there is only 2 types of ‘good’ music-Country AND Western.

But what is ‘good’ music? Often when I ask them this, all I get is either a look of total disdain (as in ‘are you so stupid you can’t HEAR this is good’?) or the inevitable-‘because I like it’. Well, let me say that I like a good bacon and eggs breakfast. I also know that just because i ‘like’ it, it is NOT a ‘good’ breakfast.

Last evening, Susan and I had the pleasure of joining a number of other performers from the Faire-along with a lot of other local folk-at ‘Manhattan’s Martini Bar’ for a benefit music performance for a local band member who had been hurt in a car accident. It was put together by the owner of the Ren Faire, Bobby Rodriguez and featured his ‘orchestra’-a 16 piece big band, called-of course- the ‘Bobby Rodriguez Orchestra’. Joining them were members of the band of whom belonged the person we were raising funds for, a local group called ‘Miami Sound Machine’.

 

Now before anyone throws a fit, yes I know Miami Sound Machine was Gloria Estefan’s band. Well, at least that’s what I was told. Then Susan told me who Gloria Estefan was. What can I say? We were in Germany when she was popular!

Anyway, some people were there for the obvious reason-being that Bobby is our employer, it’s a good way to score brownie points. But not us. Not only are we HORRIBLE at the ‘suck-up game’, but Bobby’s band is just that good. And by good, I don’t just mean I like them. They are GOOD.

So how do I decide what is good and what isn’t? Hey, I am a snob. And at one time I seriously considered changing my major in college from music performance to music history. And along the way I ended up with enough credits to have a minor in theory. So I have a pretty good idea of what ‘good’ music is. And it really doesn’t have anything to do with personal tastes. (Some of the greatest musical works of all time are the organ fugues of Bach. And from a technical standpoint they are GREAT. From a personal standpoint, I can’t stand to listen to them. Long, boring, and-technically virtuostic they might be-do nothing for me.)

And before you say I am just being a snob, the rock group Queen is another group that produced music that was darned good! Complicated, thoughtful, great use of the instrumentation as well as unbelievable complexities of harmonization. Mmmm! (And yes, there are some pieces that are good in their simplicity-but even they rely on the ability of the performer to present to the audience what the composer meant-by the use of volume, pitch, timbre, etc.)

Which brings us to last night. Bobby brought with him a band that reveled in the music of big band swing and jazz, the complexities, nuances, highs-and-lows. Each instrument joining with the next in an ever increasing layer, never overshadowing, but highlighting the musicality of the piece. A mixture of hard and soft, loud and quiet, vocal and instrumental. It was a magical time. And during the break, Miami Sound Machine.

Herein lies the difference. What Miami Sound Machine played (?) was their version of jazz/blues. Now in all honesty I prefer my jazz to be the driving sounds of Stan Kenton, the syncopation of Count Basie, the harmonies of Glen Miller and a good blend of the suttleness of Oscar Peterson and Chuck Mangione thrown in for good measure. What we got from MSM was…well, a caccophany of sound.

Not to say they were not good. Individually they all seemed to be very talented. Together, in the smallish space of the club, it was stridant, overly loud, almost edgy as if each band member were trying to outdo the others. There was no highs or lows, no time to stop and consider a passage or enjoy a moment. And the worse part-they weren’t playing to the audience, they were playing for themselves, a level of egotism that no musician should allow themselves to have. Unless you’re John Cage, but that’s another topic.

I kept remembering phrase one of my professors was fond of-‘Sturm unt Drung’. Storm and stress. But even at the height of the Classical period from whence this phrase arose from, there was always release, always a calm, always a consideration to the audience, always a connection. To the music, not to each other.

As the Miami Sound Machine left the stage, I couldn’t help but wonder if the key was as simple as a musical director-one who was intent on bringing from the band their best, their heart and soul, and lay it upon the altar not of ‘I like it because its loud and its us and you’d better like it too’, but rather the altar of ‘This is good. This is us, thinking our way through a series of notes, phrases, volumes and passions, to lay before you, the audience our best, our heart and soul and thank you for listening’. And that’s what Bobby did with the BRO.

So even if he wasn’t our boss-I would go hear them again-and I will in about 2 weeks. Miami Sound Machine? No, once was enough.

Responsibility: Entertainer vs. Audience

As a performer I accept that I have certain responsibilities. To be on time, have an appropriate performance, be presentable for the venue and perform to the best of my abilities. But I’m not the only one with responsibilities. The audience too has some-to be on time, respond appropriately-or at least not INappropriately-and to come expecting a good show.

To go further, however, I believe we both have another responsibility. Me to give a show they can respect and them to demand from me a respectable show. Not always easy on either end.For instance, some entertainers approach it as an “all-about-me-come-see-me”. And they will say and do anything for a laugh, whether it might be at someone elses expense or not. Or they will do the most outlandish things. Which isn’t to say I have not been guilty of the same on occasion, but I try to pick my “victim” from people that want to play along, or at least have a REASON for what I am doing. Usually.

One of our problems is that we ask our audience for a bit more. We ask them to think a bit. To enter into our imaginations and-for just a few minutes-join us for some fun. Not just the “the louder you yell the stupider we get” kind of fun, rather the “we wan to you to think about this and enjoy the experience over and over again.

Yes, it has its drawbacks. Certainly when we pass the hat it s doesn’t come back nearly as full as a lot of other entertainers, but for us it isn’t about large, rowdy audiences. It’s about the family that goes home and talked about our show, and discusses what each person. “got”, and why they found it funny. And in doing so learning a bit about themselves, us, history and entertainments.

Certainly I wish we had better hats-especially with $4.00 a gallon gas. Would like to have packed audiences and get rave reviews on Facebook. But that’s not our responsibility. Our responsibility lies in being able to have a lady post in her blog that she had no interest in seeing “another” magic show, they are all stupid and just for kids, but after seeing ours she walked away a believer and was looking forward to her next journey into imagination. Or when a small child approached Susan with his fist tightly clenched and ask her-very softly and politely-if she wanted “Bob” back. And when Susan asked if he wanted to keep him , he quietly nodded and turned and walked away with his mother with his prize-a little piece if red fluff we called “Bob the Clown Flea” clenched tightly in his hands.

Those memories are better than any hat we can ever expect.

 

Hmmm…can’t add anything to this.

Marc5Solas

We all know them, the kids who were raised in church. They were stars of the youth group. They maybe even sang in the praise band or led worship. And then… they graduate from High School and they leave church. What happened?

It seems to happen so often that I wanted to do some digging; To talk to these kids and get some honest answers. I work in a major college town with a large number of 20-somethings. Nearly all of them were raised in very typical evangelical churches. Nearly all of them have left the church with no intention of returning. I spend a lot of time with them and it takes very little to get them to vent, and I’m happy to listen. So, after lots of hours spent in coffee shops and after buying a few lunches, here are the most common thoughts taken from dozens of…

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Sound Bite Jesus

O.k., so since I really am not totally up on how this stupid blog works, here goes my next meanderings anyway…

Lately I have seen more and more “you Christians need to…” in the news. Well, since I guess I AM one of those “Christians” that need to…, allow me to point out a couple of things.

You seem to insist that if I don’t believe in free ‘entitlements’ (as to the thought that you should at least TRY to be a productive citizen before we randomly support you) that I am not following Jesus because He said that I should ‘treat others as you wish to be treated’. Or that if I have a problem with gay marriage I am a homophobe, don’t love everyone and “remember Jesus said to judge not lest you be judged’.

Well, it SOUNDS good, but Jesus didn’t talk in soundbites. The idea that Jesus wen around talking ‘chapter and verse’ is a bit silly. Robert Stephanus in the mid-16th century came up with THAT idea. Before that we had chapters (thanks to Archbishop of Canterbury Langdon around 1220. Before that, if you wanted to know what Jesus said, you pretty much had to wander through the letter (or book) and read it all.

So messy, actually having to wade through coherent thoughts just to find s small bit that sounds good. For instance, if you had bothered to read what was going on around Him at the time Jesus commented about ‘not judging’, you might be surprised to see that He wasn’t TALKING to me, you, other Christians or even His Disciples. He was talking to the PHARASEE’S that were harassing Him at the time! And He was warning THEM that their time was coming. As far as judging, read a bit farther and you might be surprised that we are told not only to keep an eye out for our brothers, but to expect-nay, DEMAND that they do the same for us! And there are even outlines as to how discipline should be done within the church and WHY.

Oh, and as to treating others as you wish to be treated? Didn’t have anything to do with entitlements. It was the good old ‘ethics of reciprocity’ found in…well, pretty much every belief system everywhere. It was about respecting each other, not giving things away.

Yes, Jesus talked about us taking care of the poor. But there was a lot more to it than that, but this has been a bit long, so let me end with THIS ‘sound bite’ from Jesus: ‘He who has ears, let them hear’, (Mark 4:9) and a bit farther the follow up: …but seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear and not understand…”

Personally, I would rather hear it all and understand.

Robin Hood + Pirates = RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL!!! Wait…”Pirates”???

Sometimes I wonder about things. More to the point, I wonder HOW I get involved in things.  For instance, for the past 2 weeks (and for the next 4 more) Susan and I are performing at the Florida Renaissance Festival in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Sounds like a sweet gig, right?

Well, sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. You see, our primary focus is for historical entertainments. And at most of our events we perform at, the focus is on historical entertainments. At a Renaissance Fest, the focus is on beer…I mean entertainments. O.k., beer and entertainments. And that means pretty much anything goes. So to see a group of pirates hanging around with Robin Hood really isn’t that hard of a stretch. (Just wait. 3 weeks from now and it’s ‘Steampunk ‘ weekend!) History isn’t the most important thing here…

That’s not to say we’re not happy, or having a good time. Sure, I find it EXTREMELY annoying that few-if any-people here are interested in history. On the other hand, Renaissance Festivals are a lot easier work than most festivals we work! We don’t set up our own area, we are scheduled to play 2 half-hour glass shows a day, and then do three half-hour magic and flea-circus shows. That be it.

And unlike all of the historic shows, here we share the stage with Robin Hood and Maid Marion.

Patrick and JoNell Franz, Stage Mates Extraordinaire.

These two are one of the reasons we enjoy this show. We’ve shared a stage with them for 7 years now, and except for Patrick’s obsession with sushi, no problems!

That in itself is a bit unusual, given the egos prevalent on stage. But not here. (Susan has the same obsession with sushi, so JoNell and I know that when we go out together through the week to sit the two of them on the side nearest the sushi bar, It’s just less messy that way). Patrick and JoNell, who hail from Washington State, do a modified trunk show, using audience members to tell tales as they ‘…tell them in Sherwood Forest.” But that’s not what makes them a pleasure.

What makes them a pleasure to share a stage with this they give us the utmost respect, and demand from us to give the same to them. That sounds a bit odd, but in MY eyes, someone who holds ME to a high standard is showing me that he respects me enough to demand I respect HIM. And he does the same in return. And THAT is what makes them a pleasure to work with.

Is it really a big deal? Well let’s just say that of the 5 stages at this event, ours has the reputation of being the one that doesn’t need to be constantly watched by management.

 

And that IS a good thing!