Behind the Yellow Brick Road

For the past six weeks I have been blessed to be rehearsing for The Wizard of Oz (an original musical) at Lifehouse Theater, with the extra pleasure of being in it with my brother! We opened our show this last weekend, and Oh boy! What an opening! So far our show has consisted of sprains, flying shoes, and amputations...okay, it's not as bad as it sounds! I promise. =P

It may look easy, but theater is, and always has been a high contact sport. But to me, it's definitely the most interesting to watch (Sorry football fans!) and fun to be a part of . This production especially has been more of a sport for me because I have the opportunity to play a very physically demanding part which requires me to wear thick knee pads, shin guards, and wrist guards. Any guesses? No, I'm not an extremely padded Dorothy, but her trusty sidekick, Toto.

When I tell people that I'm playing a dog they usually respond with something like "Why don't they use a real dog?". Well gee, thanks guys =P....But to be honest, I thought the same thing when I saw the cast list. So why doesn't Lifehouse use a real dog? Because in their original version of The Wizard of Oz calls for Toto to do things that would take a regular dog months to learn like staged fighting and choreography. Not to mention being onstage for that long would be hard on any poor puppy. So far, playing Toto has been challenging in all aspects. But once you get past the fact that you're "not a human" anymore, and the soreness of being on your hands and knees all the time, it's all kinds of fun! Dogs are such odd, silly little creatures. :)

Our opening weekend was certainly interesting, but we had a great audience of Lifehouse alumni supporting us. During the run-through (before the actual opening show) our Dorothy sprained her ankle, and we had to switch out her 5-inch silver shoes for flats (which didn't like to stay on her feet). In a few other shows this weekend a trap door fell on my poor brother's head while he was operating it, and a munchkin stepped on my tail, causing it to break off (thus, the amputation. Poor Toto). C'est la vie! Those are only some of the obstacles you have to dodge in live theater, and that's one of the reasons which makes it so wonderful. Theater is just like life, you never know what is going to happen! :)

So far, the experience has been wonderful! All throughout rehearsal our production team has been SO supportive, and not only have been able to hang around some of my favorite people, but I've met a lot of new favorite people. :)
By far, the best thing about Lifehouse Theater has to be that it's centered in Christ. So even though we preform drama, there is hardly any large drama behind the scenes, and most egos and divas are checked at the door. In all things we should be striving to use our talents to bring glory to God, not ourselves. After all, he's the one who gave you your talent, and nothing feels better than using your talents to bring happiness to others...even if your talent happens to be playing a dog. :)

Verse of the day:

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." 1 Peter 4:10

Fact: You're Beautiful

When asked, I'm the first one to admit that I'm not the loveliest person on the face of the earth. My eyes are too small, and my nose is too big, my ears always seem to stick out of my hair like some kind of elf, and my whopping '5"1 height is far from supermodel status.
Pretty much everyone can find at least a few physical traits that they wish they could change. But why?  When we look in the mirror all we can see are commercials flashing before our eyes along with that cheesy selling voice raving all about products that are guaranteed to make you more gorgeous: "This new shampoo makes your hair radiant!", "Wear this new lipstick and you'll be beautiful!", "Shop from our clothing store and you'll  be loved everywhere you go".
 Radiant, Beautiful, Loved.....Such wonderful words. Meaningful words. And we pass them up for ourselves to describe soap? ...Please.
Did you know that somebody has already used those words to describe you?

~Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (Psalms 34:5)

~He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

 ~The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. (Jeremiah 31:3)

See what I mean? You are radiant when you seek God's will, not because you buy new lip gloss. You are beautiful because God made you. You can never NOT be beautiful, because you are His. And you are loved, not for what you do, but for who you are! It's kind of tremendous if you really think about it. :) You are always loved, and pre-designed to be lovely. 

So the next time you look in the mirror, do yourself a favor and tell yourself the truth. You're gorgeous...and that's a fact! :)