If anybody would like to see Urban Impact's The Tempest, here's when and where!
8:00, Thursday, July 28, 2011
Allegheny Center Alliance Church
Pittsburgh, PA
8:00, Friday, July 29, 2011
Allegheny Center Alliance Church
Pittsburgh, PA
8:00, Friday, August 5, 2011
Christ Church at Grove Farm
Sewickley, PA
8:00, Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Lake Harbor United Methodist Church
Muskegon, MI
7:00, Thursday, August 11, 2011
The Chapel, Green Campus
Green, OH
One prayer request: LIGHTING
Better updates to come!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Them Not So Dry Bones
Picture this:
A young lady digging through barrels of newly-extricated, cartilage-covered animal bones with her bare hands.
What would drive her to such madness?
Her love of Jesus, Shakespeare, and the kids on the North Side.
"What does this have to do with Jesus, Shakespeare, or the kids on the North Side?" you may ask.
Well, last year, when we began the Shakes program, we realized that, although we know about acting and directing, we don't know a whole lot about Shakespeare as literature. We needed a Shakespeare expert to help us and the kids explore Shakespeare to the fullest. So we sent out a job description to some local Christian colleges, and one English teacher said, "I know exactly who you need."
Enter Brittany- an enthusiastic, bright, Godly woman who LOVES Shakespeare. And I mean LOVES. She was invaluable last year- teaching interactive English classes, helping plan the trips, driving kids home, working on lines after rehearsal and on weekends... she really gave her all. She was also in charge of props last year. She had never before looked for a 1930's gun that fired blanks or a dummy gun that matched exactly. She had never thought about what kind of flowers a priest would have or painted dozens of wooden hangers black. But she dove in enthusiastically and did a fantastic job with the props.
So when we asked her to come back this year, she said yes!
This years show, however, is very different from last year. And one of the props that Eric wants is bones. Real animal bones. Skulls, specifically. So Brittany got to work! She called slaughter houses and meat packing companies around Pittsburgh, until one said, in an Eastern-European accent, "Yes. You may have bones. Come and get."
So Brittany faithfully followed her google maps through a cute little neighborhood, and right in between the picket fences, she found her slaughterhouse. She didn't know what to expect, but she describes it as "a scene out of Rocky" with animal carcasses hanging from hooks in the refrigerated room. "It was a forest of meat," she says, and that image alone would be enough to send me running!
But not Brittany. Our Florida girl waded through a half-inch layer of who-knows-what with her flip-flops until she got to a room with three barrels of bones. "Here you go," the man said. "We no have gloves." He got her a cardboard box, and Brittany dug through three barrels of fresh bones with her bare hands. Let me say that again: She dug through three barrels of fresh bones with her bare hands.
And that's not all. He had also promised her skulls. "Is goat good?" he asked. And he reached into a fourth barrel and pulled out an entire goat head by the ear. The eyes were still there. The brain was still there. The thing still had fur and a tongue! "Yes," Brittany said, keeping her breakfast down, "Goat is fine."
Brittany left with a box full of cow and sheep bones, and the promise of four cleaned skulls if she came back in a few days.
The day before she had started praying for an interesting life. :)
Stay tuned for more updates on rehearsals, the show, the kids, and the bones!
Prayer Requests:
A performance space we're having some problems with.
Tech, tech, tech!
Our wonderful kids' safety.
Sanity for the leaders.
A young lady digging through barrels of newly-extricated, cartilage-covered animal bones with her bare hands.
What would drive her to such madness?
Her love of Jesus, Shakespeare, and the kids on the North Side.
"What does this have to do with Jesus, Shakespeare, or the kids on the North Side?" you may ask.
Well, last year, when we began the Shakes program, we realized that, although we know about acting and directing, we don't know a whole lot about Shakespeare as literature. We needed a Shakespeare expert to help us and the kids explore Shakespeare to the fullest. So we sent out a job description to some local Christian colleges, and one English teacher said, "I know exactly who you need."
Enter Brittany- an enthusiastic, bright, Godly woman who LOVES Shakespeare. And I mean LOVES. She was invaluable last year- teaching interactive English classes, helping plan the trips, driving kids home, working on lines after rehearsal and on weekends... she really gave her all. She was also in charge of props last year. She had never before looked for a 1930's gun that fired blanks or a dummy gun that matched exactly. She had never thought about what kind of flowers a priest would have or painted dozens of wooden hangers black. But she dove in enthusiastically and did a fantastic job with the props.
So when we asked her to come back this year, she said yes!
This years show, however, is very different from last year. And one of the props that Eric wants is bones. Real animal bones. Skulls, specifically. So Brittany got to work! She called slaughter houses and meat packing companies around Pittsburgh, until one said, in an Eastern-European accent, "Yes. You may have bones. Come and get."
So Brittany faithfully followed her google maps through a cute little neighborhood, and right in between the picket fences, she found her slaughterhouse. She didn't know what to expect, but she describes it as "a scene out of Rocky" with animal carcasses hanging from hooks in the refrigerated room. "It was a forest of meat," she says, and that image alone would be enough to send me running!
But not Brittany. Our Florida girl waded through a half-inch layer of who-knows-what with her flip-flops until she got to a room with three barrels of bones. "Here you go," the man said. "We no have gloves." He got her a cardboard box, and Brittany dug through three barrels of fresh bones with her bare hands. Let me say that again: She dug through three barrels of fresh bones with her bare hands.
And that's not all. He had also promised her skulls. "Is goat good?" he asked. And he reached into a fourth barrel and pulled out an entire goat head by the ear. The eyes were still there. The brain was still there. The thing still had fur and a tongue! "Yes," Brittany said, keeping her breakfast down, "Goat is fine."
Brittany left with a box full of cow and sheep bones, and the promise of four cleaned skulls if she came back in a few days.
The day before she had started praying for an interesting life. :)
Stay tuned for more updates on rehearsals, the show, the kids, and the bones!
Prayer Requests:
A performance space we're having some problems with.
Tech, tech, tech!
Our wonderful kids' safety.
Sanity for the leaders.
Monday, June 13, 2011
And it begins...
Every time I start to panic about Shakes this year, I remember last year. I remember the miracles that happened! Here are just a few:
The billy club:
We needed a billy club. Not a fake plastic one, but a wooden one that could actually do some damage if the user wanted it to. It needed to do some serious stage combat and couldn't have that awful, fake, hollow plastic sound. It was a week before the show. We had looked everywhere. Our marvelous intern, Brittany, Shakespeare expert and props mistress, finally found one at a costume supply store for around $20. Kind of pricey if you are doing a show for next-to-no budget. She walks in, looks at it, and the young guy behind the counter (who was previously chatting up a pretty girl, also behind the counter) goes over to her and says, "I'll give it to you for $10 if you leave right now." Done! Brittany buys the billy club and leaves immediately. Thank God for miracles! (and starry-eyed young guys)
The tuxedo:
One of our characters needed a tuxedo. A fancy, high-class, high quality tuxedo. Nobody sells tuxedos. People rent them, they sell tuxedo vests or t-shirts or bowties, but they do not sell a full tuxedo. I was going to one of my (many) estate sales. I had a hard time finding this one, and when I finally did, it was nearly over. I walked into the garage into the furthest back corner and found... not only a tuxedo, a 100% wool, authentic, 1930's tuxedo. In perfect shape. With seams that could be let out and taken in, as only a hand-fitted tuxedo can. I brought it to the front, said, "How much for the tuxedo?" and she looked at it and said, "I don't remember seeing that at all... let's see... how about $15?" Done! Paris had his tuxedo.
The set (now this is a good one):
Eric had designed a beautiful set. He had one corner dedicated to Friar Lawrence, one as Juliet's dressing room (she was, after all, a 1930's movie star), one with a pile of crates for the rag-tag Montagues, and a final corner that had a 2 foot rolling platform that locks in place with a red carpet, a lit marquis and steps on both sides. Well, he hoped to have a 2 foot rolling platform that locks in place with a red carpet, a lit marquis, and steps on both sides. He planned on having one. He had blocked tons of action around it. It was our most necessary set piece. But we didn't know how to build it. We didn't have the tools to build it, either in our heads or in our hands. It's getting down to the wire: 3 weeks before the show opens, 2 weeks until tech week, and we need that platform. We plan a trip to Eric's family's house, hoping to put something together that will function. And three weeks before the show opens, a woman walks into the Urban Impact offices and says, "Hi, my name's Rachel. I don't know if you can use me, but I'm a professional set designer." Done! We had a 2 foot rolling platform that locks in place with a red carpet, a lit marquis, and steps on both sides. And this year we have a set designer named Rachel.
"Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:27
That being said... prayer requests:
* Pray that God will prepare and protect the kids in the program this summer.
* Pray for somebody with expert knowledge of theatrical puppets. (Doesn't that make you want to see the show?!)
* Pray for one scene that really knocks it out of the park- we need a 3-minute scene to show to churches that are thinking of supporting Shakes.
The billy club:
We needed a billy club. Not a fake plastic one, but a wooden one that could actually do some damage if the user wanted it to. It needed to do some serious stage combat and couldn't have that awful, fake, hollow plastic sound. It was a week before the show. We had looked everywhere. Our marvelous intern, Brittany, Shakespeare expert and props mistress, finally found one at a costume supply store for around $20. Kind of pricey if you are doing a show for next-to-no budget. She walks in, looks at it, and the young guy behind the counter (who was previously chatting up a pretty girl, also behind the counter) goes over to her and says, "I'll give it to you for $10 if you leave right now." Done! Brittany buys the billy club and leaves immediately. Thank God for miracles! (and starry-eyed young guys)
The tuxedo:
One of our characters needed a tuxedo. A fancy, high-class, high quality tuxedo. Nobody sells tuxedos. People rent them, they sell tuxedo vests or t-shirts or bowties, but they do not sell a full tuxedo. I was going to one of my (many) estate sales. I had a hard time finding this one, and when I finally did, it was nearly over. I walked into the garage into the furthest back corner and found... not only a tuxedo, a 100% wool, authentic, 1930's tuxedo. In perfect shape. With seams that could be let out and taken in, as only a hand-fitted tuxedo can. I brought it to the front, said, "How much for the tuxedo?" and she looked at it and said, "I don't remember seeing that at all... let's see... how about $15?" Done! Paris had his tuxedo.
The set (now this is a good one):
Eric had designed a beautiful set. He had one corner dedicated to Friar Lawrence, one as Juliet's dressing room (she was, after all, a 1930's movie star), one with a pile of crates for the rag-tag Montagues, and a final corner that had a 2 foot rolling platform that locks in place with a red carpet, a lit marquis and steps on both sides. Well, he hoped to have a 2 foot rolling platform that locks in place with a red carpet, a lit marquis, and steps on both sides. He planned on having one. He had blocked tons of action around it. It was our most necessary set piece. But we didn't know how to build it. We didn't have the tools to build it, either in our heads or in our hands. It's getting down to the wire: 3 weeks before the show opens, 2 weeks until tech week, and we need that platform. We plan a trip to Eric's family's house, hoping to put something together that will function. And three weeks before the show opens, a woman walks into the Urban Impact offices and says, "Hi, my name's Rachel. I don't know if you can use me, but I'm a professional set designer." Done! We had a 2 foot rolling platform that locks in place with a red carpet, a lit marquis, and steps on both sides. And this year we have a set designer named Rachel.
"Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:27
That being said... prayer requests:
* Pray that God will prepare and protect the kids in the program this summer.
* Pray for somebody with expert knowledge of theatrical puppets. (Doesn't that make you want to see the show?!)
* Pray for one scene that really knocks it out of the park- we need a 3-minute scene to show to churches that are thinking of supporting Shakes.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
I'm back!
Well, this isn't actually Eric.
After many beggings and pleadings from forlorn former readers, I, Laura, have taken up the honor of blogging! My schedule is much more flexible and my writing standards are slightly lower, so I was happily chosen to update you all on the inner workings of inner city ministry. Hopefully, this will happen once every couple of weeks.
To begin, I'll give you the Cliff Notes for the past year...
*Summer Shakespeare program was GREAT. Wonderful cast, wonderful rehearsals, wonderful show, wonderful tour. The kids loved it so much that nearly all of them are coming back to do it again this summer! Last summer's show: Romeo and Juliet. This summer's show: The Tempest.
* Fall semester of the Performing Arts Academy was great. We had a good chance to build on the skills we were teaching last year, and our Shakes kids became closer friends in their weekly class and Bible Study. The new Children's Choir was a huge hit and all 60 slots filled up immediately.
* Christmas, 2010- Eric and I bought and house and a puppy! We are truly a North Side family now, living in the community we love. Our puppy, Trooper (short for Sand Trooper, all you Star Wars fans), is a lab/mastiff mix and his goofiness and wagging tail make us so happy! At 6 months now, he's around 55 pounds and still growing.
* February, 2011- Our Shakes kids entered the Pittsburgh Public Theatre's Annual Scene and Monologue Competition. They were the very first group to perform out 1,200 students. Two of our eight students placed in the top 75. That's right- 25% of our group placed in the top 75 out of 1,200 students. We couldn't be prouder!
* April, 2011- The Urban Impact Choir sang at Heinz Hall! A benefit concert featuring Jerry Butler was held for Urban Impact, and the choir opened the show spectacularly. Eric did all of the print work (posters, flyers, bookmarks, t-shirts, programs, etc, etc) and it was so classy, Heinz Hall was proud to display it!
* Spring semester of the Performing Arts Academy was a huge success. The final show was attended by many parents. In fact, more parents attend the final PAA show than any other Urban Impact Activity! Eric wrote a gameshow-style short play for his Elementary Drama class called "The Choice is Right," and it was a huge hit. Picture the Israelites (along with the Angel of Death) vs. the Egyptian Pharaohs (aka the Tut family) in a Family Feud-style game in which the winners get to go to the Promised Land! All the questions had to do with the 10 Commandments, and the Burning Bush was one of the phone-a-friends. My High School Acting class did a Human Video (movement set to music that tells a story) called "Storms," which told the stories of people feeling attacked, but also showed the power of God to rescue them.
* Eric and I just finished a fascinating and fun vacation to Scotland to visit my sister and her family. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we were thrilled to have bought our tickets before gas skyrocketed! Joy was the perfect travel agent, David was a very knowledgeable tour guide, and our niece was a remarkably bubbly and flexible traveler! We had such a blast catching up with them and being introduced to their lives, as well as seeing sheep, highland cows, castles, churches, ruins, cemeteries, monuments, gorgeous mountains, waterfalls, islands, bed and breakfasts, fudge doughnuts, sticky toffee pudding, kippers, and haggis!
Now that we are back and rested, it is full-speed-ahead for this summer's Urban Impact Shakes. We are praying hard, as neither of us can see how this summer can top last summer. God's provision was so evident last year, we are trusting Him for more miracles this year!
To God be the glory, great things He has done!
Opportunities to pray for us at Urban Impact:
* Our Shakes kids this summer (that God would grow in them and they would grow in God)
* Our Shakes staff this summer (Brittany, Rachel, Matt, me and Eric- for peace amidst the stress)
* Our Shakes audiences this summer (that God would prepare them for the message)
* All of the production aspects of this play (costumes, set, props, lighting, sound, etc)
After many beggings and pleadings from forlorn former readers, I, Laura, have taken up the honor of blogging! My schedule is much more flexible and my writing standards are slightly lower, so I was happily chosen to update you all on the inner workings of inner city ministry. Hopefully, this will happen once every couple of weeks.
To begin, I'll give you the Cliff Notes for the past year...
*Summer Shakespeare program was GREAT. Wonderful cast, wonderful rehearsals, wonderful show, wonderful tour. The kids loved it so much that nearly all of them are coming back to do it again this summer! Last summer's show: Romeo and Juliet. This summer's show: The Tempest.
* Fall semester of the Performing Arts Academy was great. We had a good chance to build on the skills we were teaching last year, and our Shakes kids became closer friends in their weekly class and Bible Study. The new Children's Choir was a huge hit and all 60 slots filled up immediately.
* Christmas, 2010- Eric and I bought and house and a puppy! We are truly a North Side family now, living in the community we love. Our puppy, Trooper (short for Sand Trooper, all you Star Wars fans), is a lab/mastiff mix and his goofiness and wagging tail make us so happy! At 6 months now, he's around 55 pounds and still growing.
* February, 2011- Our Shakes kids entered the Pittsburgh Public Theatre's Annual Scene and Monologue Competition. They were the very first group to perform out 1,200 students. Two of our eight students placed in the top 75. That's right- 25% of our group placed in the top 75 out of 1,200 students. We couldn't be prouder!
* April, 2011- The Urban Impact Choir sang at Heinz Hall! A benefit concert featuring Jerry Butler was held for Urban Impact, and the choir opened the show spectacularly. Eric did all of the print work (posters, flyers, bookmarks, t-shirts, programs, etc, etc) and it was so classy, Heinz Hall was proud to display it!
* Spring semester of the Performing Arts Academy was a huge success. The final show was attended by many parents. In fact, more parents attend the final PAA show than any other Urban Impact Activity! Eric wrote a gameshow-style short play for his Elementary Drama class called "The Choice is Right," and it was a huge hit. Picture the Israelites (along with the Angel of Death) vs. the Egyptian Pharaohs (aka the Tut family) in a Family Feud-style game in which the winners get to go to the Promised Land! All the questions had to do with the 10 Commandments, and the Burning Bush was one of the phone-a-friends. My High School Acting class did a Human Video (movement set to music that tells a story) called "Storms," which told the stories of people feeling attacked, but also showed the power of God to rescue them.
* Eric and I just finished a fascinating and fun vacation to Scotland to visit my sister and her family. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we were thrilled to have bought our tickets before gas skyrocketed! Joy was the perfect travel agent, David was a very knowledgeable tour guide, and our niece was a remarkably bubbly and flexible traveler! We had such a blast catching up with them and being introduced to their lives, as well as seeing sheep, highland cows, castles, churches, ruins, cemeteries, monuments, gorgeous mountains, waterfalls, islands, bed and breakfasts, fudge doughnuts, sticky toffee pudding, kippers, and haggis!
Now that we are back and rested, it is full-speed-ahead for this summer's Urban Impact Shakes. We are praying hard, as neither of us can see how this summer can top last summer. God's provision was so evident last year, we are trusting Him for more miracles this year!
To God be the glory, great things He has done!
Opportunities to pray for us at Urban Impact:
* Our Shakes kids this summer (that God would grow in them and they would grow in God)
* Our Shakes staff this summer (Brittany, Rachel, Matt, me and Eric- for peace amidst the stress)
* Our Shakes audiences this summer (that God would prepare them for the message)
* All of the production aspects of this play (costumes, set, props, lighting, sound, etc)
Saturday, April 3, 2010
45 Cute Minutes
April 8th is Coming! To most of the world this is just an ordinary day, but to me it's a day where God looks down and judges whether or not I'm an effective missionary. Okay, I know that's not true, but that's the thought that slips into my mind as the Performing Arts Academy Parents' and Performance Night draws closer. We had a dress rehearsal this past Thursday, and boy was that rough! Yes, people say a bad dress rehearsal means a good performance, but I think some one just made that up so I can sleep better at night. To tell you the truth it hasn't been working. I wake up in the middle of the night think what do I need to do tomorrow, pray for some of the kids, and read a comic book until I fall back asleep. One might ask, "What's the big deal?" Well, I (by the grace of God and help from great volunteers) run the Performing Arts Academy, and on April 8th the academy has their big shindig performance.
Right now the performance is looking like this: some really talented young singers, cute elementary art students, a middle and high school acting class that is so great (when they choose to be), an improv troupe that call themselves "The Unfulfilled Awesomes", and 18 little girls that don't know their lines. The part about 18 little girls that don't know their lines is the part that makes me toss and turn at night. At the dress rehearsal their short ten minute play took them 45 minutes to get through. Albeit they were very cute for those 45 minutes, one can only take so much.
After the dress rehearsal I was exhausted. I turned to my wife and said, "If only they could memorize their lines like they do the Bible studies." Then it hit me; I just said, "If only they could memorize their lines like they do the Bible studies." The young girls had been learning a lot this semester, and what stuck is much more important than their lines. What stuck is their relationship with God.
Sometimes I can get stuck, stuck on what I think is important. Those are the times when I am thankful for God's gracious priority checks, even if it comes in the form of 18 little girls standing quietly on the stage.
Prayer Requests:
Right now the performance is looking like this: some really talented young singers, cute elementary art students, a middle and high school acting class that is so great (when they choose to be), an improv troupe that call themselves "The Unfulfilled Awesomes", and 18 little girls that don't know their lines. The part about 18 little girls that don't know their lines is the part that makes me toss and turn at night. At the dress rehearsal their short ten minute play took them 45 minutes to get through. Albeit they were very cute for those 45 minutes, one can only take so much.
After the dress rehearsal I was exhausted. I turned to my wife and said, "If only they could memorize their lines like they do the Bible studies." Then it hit me; I just said, "If only they could memorize their lines like they do the Bible studies." The young girls had been learning a lot this semester, and what stuck is much more important than their lines. What stuck is their relationship with God.
Sometimes I can get stuck, stuck on what I think is important. Those are the times when I am thankful for God's gracious priority checks, even if it comes in the form of 18 little girls standing quietly on the stage.
Prayer Requests:
- The 18 little girls (and their lines).
- Praise and continued prayer for a student who was in Jail and now is in a half way house.
- Summer Program and the students that will be involved
- April 8th
- Parents to come and support their kids
- Students to use their talents to glorify God
- Me and my priorities
Galatians 5:6
Sunday, March 7, 2010
When the Jonas Brothers visited Urban Impact
When I first felt led to join Urban Impact I knew I would spend time building relationships with young men, live in the inner-city and talk with them about Jesus. One thing I did not think of a year and a half ago was teaching 18 1-5 grade girls.
Now every Thursday, I teach the elementary drama class. 18 little drama princesses convene for fun, Bible study, acting, and whole lot of smiling. From my perspective it's a hour and a half of Bill Cosby's Kids Say the Darnest Things and me thinking, "Dear God, please help me." Fortunately, God does hear my pleas and knows I don't have a clue when it comes to nine year old girl with a sassy attitude. Because of this every week I have some amazing story of what God is doing in the class despite my inexperience. The past few weeks it has been awesome to see the girls get incredibly curious every time we start our Bible study. This year Sheri and Karen, two volunteers, have written a "Special Agent" theme study. The young girls are members of the CIA: Children in Action and get "codes" found in the Bible which tell them about the KOK, LOL, and the POP (King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Prince of Peace). This may sound like your standard Sunday school study but Sheri and Karen have blended James Bond-ness, Disney Princess, and Jesus to make something that these young girls love. And when I say love, I'm thinking about changing the class name to Elementary Awesome Bible Study and Some Acting Stuff.
Last week the CIA code was Isaiah1:18 "Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow." With the code came a big box of snow, which the girls took handfuls of and held it up to the light to let it sparkle. This of course provided much giggling and some oo's and ah's, but nothing like the reaction of what was yet to come. In the snow laid another box with a code on top. This code read: Isaiah 62:3, "You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." I slowly opened the box and pulled out... SCREAMING, instant, high pitch, Jonas Brothers concert type, screaming. And in my hands lay a small, little tiara. All the girls took turns setting the tiara on each other's head and announcing to the anxiously awaiting class that Quiante, Samira, Emily, Mycah, etc. were each a crown of splendor to the Lord.
At first I thought the reaction was hilarious and a bit much. Yes, it might have been, but each one of those girls they realized they were precious, beautiful, and sparkled like the tiara and the sun hitting the snow. That deserves a reaction.
Prayer Request:
Now every Thursday, I teach the elementary drama class. 18 little drama princesses convene for fun, Bible study, acting, and whole lot of smiling. From my perspective it's a hour and a half of Bill Cosby's Kids Say the Darnest Things and me thinking, "Dear God, please help me." Fortunately, God does hear my pleas and knows I don't have a clue when it comes to nine year old girl with a sassy attitude. Because of this every week I have some amazing story of what God is doing in the class despite my inexperience. The past few weeks it has been awesome to see the girls get incredibly curious every time we start our Bible study. This year Sheri and Karen, two volunteers, have written a "Special Agent" theme study. The young girls are members of the CIA: Children in Action and get "codes" found in the Bible which tell them about the KOK, LOL, and the POP (King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Prince of Peace). This may sound like your standard Sunday school study but Sheri and Karen have blended James Bond-ness, Disney Princess, and Jesus to make something that these young girls love. And when I say love, I'm thinking about changing the class name to Elementary Awesome Bible Study and Some Acting Stuff.
Last week the CIA code was Isaiah1:18 "Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow." With the code came a big box of snow, which the girls took handfuls of and held it up to the light to let it sparkle. This of course provided much giggling and some oo's and ah's, but nothing like the reaction of what was yet to come. In the snow laid another box with a code on top. This code read: Isaiah 62:3, "You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." I slowly opened the box and pulled out... SCREAMING, instant, high pitch, Jonas Brothers concert type, screaming. And in my hands lay a small, little tiara. All the girls took turns setting the tiara on each other's head and announcing to the anxiously awaiting class that Quiante, Samira, Emily, Mycah, etc. were each a crown of splendor to the Lord.
At first I thought the reaction was hilarious and a bit much. Yes, it might have been, but each one of those girls they realized they were precious, beautiful, and sparkled like the tiara and the sun hitting the snow. That deserves a reaction.
Prayer Request:
- April 8th PAA Performance Night
- Getting ready for new Shakespeare summer program
- A former student who recently got sent to prison
- Praise for what God is doing in the PAA Bible Studies
- New Ministry Associates and Support Raising
All of you who pray for Laura and me, you rock more than the Jonas Brothers.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Resolutions
I don't really have any New Years resolutions because I think, "Why wait for the new year to have a resolution?" I realize this sounds a lot like my dad who is often crabby around Christmas time saying, "Why only give gifts on Christmas?" To which I reply, "That's what Birthdays are for." (FYI mine is February 18th.) But back to the thought of resolutions.
I have now been involved in Urban Impact for over a year, and through this time I have been privileged to be a part of and run many great programs. Because of this I have been able to befriend and get to know a lot of young kids, but I know the need is much greater than friendship. The kids of the North Side have a bunch of friends. Many of them are great, but most pin each other down with expectations set by past generations: Welfare, drugs, and lots of sex with all of its consequences. This reminds me of what Principal Rick, one of the founders of the UI: Choir, told me, "Our kids don't need friends, they have enough of those. They need people to keep them out of jail and off of each other." We went on to talk about what really makes a difference. Urban Impact programs keeps kids off the street, tell them about God and the great rescue through Jesus, teach them skills, and feed them. Not a bad list, actually pretty good, really good, down right snazzy, but what in that list helps them beyond choir or basketball practice? Yes, you might answer Jesus and I wouldn't argue with you, but have you ever heard of a Sunday Christian, the guy who goes to church, sings, sits, listens then goes home and forgets. It's no different with our kids; they are Program Christians except when they go home and forget they sell drugs and guns. What makes it stick? How can our kids take what they learn and put it into practice instead of throwing it into a Proverbial trash can?
If you have the answer to this let me know. Until that time we have found that we must live the life of an incarnational missionary.... What!? Despite incarnational not being a real word I believe it means that I need to walk in the shoes of those to whom I minister. I know I'm not black and there is no way I'm going back to high school, but I do want to be a part of my kids' lives. I want to be there when they are making the hard choices, to help them with home work, and show them God at work in me and them. This will be tough, but it doesn't always have to be. A couple weeks ago I took a group of guys to hunt zombies at a local church youth event (they had a biblical metaphor of those who were truly living as opposed to the walking dead) and last week Laura and I had a Super Bowl party and had them all over to our apartment. The only thing tough about those was getting up off my cow derriere and doing it. So, if I challenged myself to a New Year's resolution I would say it's walking the walk with the kids to really make an impact.
Prayer Requests and Praise:
Thank you all for your prayers and continued support.
I have now been involved in Urban Impact for over a year, and through this time I have been privileged to be a part of and run many great programs. Because of this I have been able to befriend and get to know a lot of young kids, but I know the need is much greater than friendship. The kids of the North Side have a bunch of friends. Many of them are great, but most pin each other down with expectations set by past generations: Welfare, drugs, and lots of sex with all of its consequences. This reminds me of what Principal Rick, one of the founders of the UI: Choir, told me, "Our kids don't need friends, they have enough of those. They need people to keep them out of jail and off of each other." We went on to talk about what really makes a difference. Urban Impact programs keeps kids off the street, tell them about God and the great rescue through Jesus, teach them skills, and feed them. Not a bad list, actually pretty good, really good, down right snazzy, but what in that list helps them beyond choir or basketball practice? Yes, you might answer Jesus and I wouldn't argue with you, but have you ever heard of a Sunday Christian, the guy who goes to church, sings, sits, listens then goes home and forgets. It's no different with our kids; they are Program Christians except when they go home and forget they sell drugs and guns. What makes it stick? How can our kids take what they learn and put it into practice instead of throwing it into a Proverbial trash can?
If you have the answer to this let me know. Until that time we have found that we must live the life of an incarnational missionary.... What!? Despite incarnational not being a real word I believe it means that I need to walk in the shoes of those to whom I minister. I know I'm not black and there is no way I'm going back to high school, but I do want to be a part of my kids' lives. I want to be there when they are making the hard choices, to help them with home work, and show them God at work in me and them. This will be tough, but it doesn't always have to be. A couple weeks ago I took a group of guys to hunt zombies at a local church youth event (they had a biblical metaphor of those who were truly living as opposed to the walking dead) and last week Laura and I had a Super Bowl party and had them all over to our apartment. The only thing tough about those was getting up off my cow derriere and doing it. So, if I challenged myself to a New Year's resolution I would say it's walking the walk with the kids to really make an impact.
Prayer Requests and Praise:
- Praise for the volunteers who have stepped up to help in the Performing Arts
- Praise, one our students made it into CAPA (the best public high school)
- Prayer for the Performing Arts Academy
- Support raising for Urban Impact's Ministry Associates
- One of our PAA kids who is going through some "stuff"
- Continued challenge for myself and others to get more involved with our student's lives
Thank you all for your prayers and continued support.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
You're Number 9 on the Waiting List
The need is so great here in the inner-city with at-risk youth, but it is amazing how quiet the response has been. It seems like every program we create gets completely filled, and Urban Impact is not the only one creating programs in Pittsburgh. Many local churches, the Heinz Foundation, and other organizations have programs to help youth. I'm sure these are getting filled as well. The thing that really amazes me is who isn't helping.
Last week was the first day of the Spring Performing Arts Academy. Student registrations have poured in for the program ever since the last day of the fall semester. Parents and children are still asking how they can get in the classes. I'd like to think this is because I rock a putting together a program, and Urban Impact is ridiculously popular, but that isn't it. Students have few other options. The can't afford acting or art lessons in the downtown cultural district. Quite frankly, many families can't/don't pay our $20 registration fee for the whole semester, and that's okay. What is not okay is having parents come into our offices out of breath because they ran to make sure their students weren't put on the waiting list.
You may ask, "Why have a waiting list?" At Urban Impact we know the arts, basketball, education, soccer are all great but, try as they might, will not transform, renew, and redeem a person. Basically, the only thing that does all those amazing things is God through his son Jesus, but I digress. (If you want to know more about God or Jesus read the Bible, go to church, or ask your token passionate christian friend.) So, in order to really change lives Urban Impact wants to mentor kids holistically by caring for them physically, educationally, emotionally, and spiritually. To do this we stick to a 1:6 ratio of adult volunteers to students. Urban Impact has found that if this ratio is not kept students are not helped but hidden in a group.
We have a waiting list because volunteers are not responding. And when I say not responding I mean they are not returning my emails or calls. It is easy to say, "Yeah, what you're doing sounds awesome. I want to volunteer." But actually doing it, that takes a little initiative. I am guilty of this as well. (Sorry for not returning your emails.) It does take effort to volunteer, but the reward trumps the effort, stress, and frustration ten fold. Having kids you barely even know run up an hug you in the grocery store or teens yell at you across the public library is ridiculous, embarrassing, but most of all heart warming. I don't want to turn any child, teen, or parent away. I don't want a waiting list. Please pray for volunteers, instructors, and mentors to find their way to Urban Impact.
Matthew 9:37...
Prayer Request:
- Urban Impact Volunteers
- Spring Semester of the PAA
- Mentors for Ty, Ahmad, DJ
- Meghan Peterman (Just left Urban Impact to work in the slums of India)
- New Urban Impact Missionaries raising support
- Laura and I as we try to follow God the best we can.
Thank you all for your continued prayers. I hope to update you next week on the Urban Impact Zombie Killing Team.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Urban Impact Choir: Click Here for Video
This is a great little video that one of our volunteers put together. It is of the Urban Impact Choir at Atria's, a local North Side restaurant that sponsored our Choir Christmas party. I hope you enjoy it!
Prayer Requests:
Prayer Requests:
- PAA Students auditioning for CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts school)
- Grant writing for the PAA and UI Choir
- Finishing strong the Fall PAA semester and gearing up for the spring semester.
- Praise for great volunteers
Thank you all for your support and prayers!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Top Secret: Please Read Aloud
One Bible story that has constantly stuck out to me throughout the process of working with Urban Impact is Matthew 25:14-30. In this passage Jesus tells a parable of a Master who goes on a journey and leaves three workers in charge of certain shares of his business. Two go out and invest what was given them and the other basically stuffs it under his mattress. Later the Master comes back and asks how the business is going. The two investors doubled their money and the Master says, "Well done my good and faithful servant!" This good mood does not last long though. The Master soon turns and sees his last employee returning only what was given to him. Of course the poor guy tries to make up some excuse about why he didn't do anything with it, but the Master will not have it. Some harsh words are thrown back and forth and what the guy put under the mattress is taken from him and given to an investor.
This is good financial advice, but I think Jesus' parable symbolizes more than money management. I was thinking about this the other morning and wondering, "Am I acting as a multiplier or a bum on a log?" Then I realized I am very blessed and continually blessed and very busy and continually busy. I know I could invest my time better, but it is very encouraging to know God has not given up on me yet and still challenges me everyday. If God continues to challenge me it must mean he hasn't taken away his investment from me... Blah, blah, blah and now for the --
PAA Story of the Week:
This is good financial advice, but I think Jesus' parable symbolizes more than money management. I was thinking about this the other morning and wondering, "Am I acting as a multiplier or a bum on a log?" Then I realized I am very blessed and continually blessed and very busy and continually busy. I know I could invest my time better, but it is very encouraging to know God has not given up on me yet and still challenges me everyday. If God continues to challenge me it must mean he hasn't taken away his investment from me... Blah, blah, blah and now for the --
PAA Story of the Week:
We last left off with the Elementary drama class learning a little cheer that I'm pretty sure is not found in the Bible. Since then the class has been going really well with the occasional escorting of students to "Mean" Principle Kelly. The other classes in the PAA are also going well, each with their own small hurdles and fun stories. Musical Theatre has a really strong class who are all getting along very well and bringing up some of the deepest questions during Bible study. Elementary Visual Arts has gone well with the exception of some splattered paint mishaps. (Washable Paint: check.) Middle/High School Visual Arts has three boys in the class and they love to paint, draw, and create beautiful pictures of wars, armies, and other people with guns. Improv is improv. I have know idea how or what dancing is doing, but it looks good. And Miss Laura runs a tight ship with the Middle/High School Acting class. She has many stories to tell of her own exciting PAA adventures.
My favorite story happened last week in my Elementary Drama class. Don't worry it is short and sweet. In the class Miss Karen, a volunteer, has been receiving several Top Secret letters and packages, which she ironically opens reads aloud to the entire class. Each package has a different color paper and verse (think Sunday school beaded bracelets). Over the weeks these verses and color have illustrated how God loves us, created us, sent his son Jesus as a sacrifice for us to conquer the sin/ooey, gooey, icky, nastiness in our lives. Last week marked the end of the Top Secret packages and everyone received their own bracelet as a reminder of the gift that God has given them. After we reviewed what the bracelet meant, we closed in prayer and 9 girls accepted the gift and asked Jesus into their hearts! For those of you who don't realize this is awesome let me just tell you how awesome it is... Oh wait, I can't; it's that awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome. But the real kicker and cherry on top was after the class when one little girl came up and said she already accepted Jesus into her heart, so prayed for those who were accepting Christ instead. And she's only eight. That sure beats ending class with a skirt shakin' cheer.
Prayer Requests:
- Our students who will audition for the Creative and Performing Arts School (The best public school in Pittsburgh)
- The 9 young girls who recently accepted Christ into their hearts
- Praise for sending some great volunteers to the PAA!
- Dec. 17th PAA Parents' Open House
- PAA Grant Proposal that they have asked me to write (EEK!)
- The North Side families this Thanksgiving and Christmas Season
I am thankful for all of your prayers they mean so much to so many.
Happy Thanksgiving...
Friday, October 23, 2009
"My name is Eric, and I'm here to say..."
I humbly apologize for the long absence of blogging. The past month has been a busy time for Laura and I, but God has been so good in making sure we have time to sleep most weeks. Lets get everyone caught up:
- Wrote an Urban Impact Musical Theatre Camp Proposal to the Pittsburgh Public Schools: It's long and not to fun to read, but hopefully something will come of it.
- Started the fall semester of the Urban Impact Performing Arts Academy: I now administrate the academy and also teach Improv and Elementary Acting
- Spoke at Laura's home church: We had a wonderful time in Westfield and Laura made Apple sauce
- Helped with and went on the Urban Impact Choir Retreat: Nothing like spending the weekend with a cabin full of gassy middle school boys.
- Said goodbye to a few Performing Arts staff as we welcomed on new staff and friends.
- And have now almost, possibly, may have, fully raised most of my support! This is still depending on few things, but it is so exciting.
Since the Performing Arts Academy has started back up so has the PAA story of the week!
This story happened on first day of class at the beginning of October. I was finishing up with what had been a very long but productive day. The academy had just about finished up its first week as a success. At this time I was teaching the elementary class and we were reviewing what we had learned in class that day. "We are all God's creations,"said several of our little kids. One girl read her memory verse and another said, "We don't have to be afraid of who we are especially on stage." And I think one girl even said, "It's fun to create characters just like God created us."
By this time I am beaming. I look over at the other two volunteers, Mr. Rick and Ms. Karen, and I can tell they feel the same way I do. The feeling of using your gifts to bring glory to God's name makes all the stress and running around of the busy day worth it. If only I'd closed in prayer and sent them home right then, but for every mountain top there is a valley.
We had a little extra time at the end of the class so as we were about to close in prayer two of the little girls in the class asked if they could go on the stage and perform a cheer. "Yeah, sure why not?" I thought, "This is what acting is all about, performing." WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Silly ol' me thought they would get up and say a cheer like "Here we go Oliver! Here we go! Woot! Woot!" or even "Bump, set, spike", but no.
The girls got up whispered to each other around the corner and then came on to the stage to perform. One little 1st grader stood at the front of the stage look forward out into the audience and starts cheering:
My name is Madea
And I'm here to say
I'm gonna shake what I got
In my skirt today.
I'm gonna turn around
And drop it real low
And shake what I got
In my skirt today.
This of course has spinning and twisting moves to it and repeats and the other 1st grader joins in the singing. I am in shock and really have no idea what to do. I look over at Mr. Rick and he is staring down at an empty chair and Ms. Karen has her jaw slightly dropped probably very similar to my own. Thankfully it stops before everyone starts to shimmy and shake. The two little girls on stage want to do another cheer, I say it's time to pray.
I learned my lesson, but the damage was done. Instead of going out talking about how God created them and how they can create characters, the students left humming "Shake what I got in my skirt today."
Prayer Requests:
- The Proposal to the Pittsburgh Public Schools
- The last itty, bitty, tiny bit of support raising (this is also a big praise!)
- The next step for this past Summer's Young Men's Bible Study
- The Performing Arts Academy
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
North Side Neighbors
Laura and I are finally moved into our apartment! We are now in the process of unpacking ,organizing and reorganizing and reorganizing. Within the first few days of living on the North Side we had a few very interesting observations: Trash trucks sometimes operate very loudly at 3:00 in the morning, one way streets are merely suggested, and people (for the most part) on the North Side stop and say, "Hi." The last observation interests me quite a bit. Already Laura and I have interacted more with our neighbors in our building than we did our entire time at our previous apartment. Lola, a little old black lady on the floor below us, showed us how to correctly carry a desk up the stairs, Fransisco, the nice Hispanic man who lives above us, has a bad back, and the lady who lives beside us stopped us when we were moving in and apologized for her boyfriends music. It's pretty amazing to think that even though we have moved into a high crime area with boarded up buildings all around that people on the North Side are more interested in saying "Hi" then the "nice family" borough of Pittsburgh. Another perk of living on the North Side, I now live close enough to walk to Urban Impact. In the short ten minute walk I get to pass by several different bus stops and corners where people congregate. At each of these places it's nice to stop and visit; I hope to be able to use even these short moments to build relationships.
At Urban Impact things are shaping up really well for the fall. The choir continues to grow and the Performing Arts Academy, which I am now in charge of administrating, has more students pre-registered than ever before and we still have a month left. The day after we hung posters around the North Side a mother came into our office and started crying. She had seen a poster in the local barber shop and wanted to get her kids involved but couldn't pick them up after class. At this time Meghan, our dance instructor, simply said she could take her children home after class and the mother broke down in tears and made Meghan give her a hug. The Performing Arts Academy starts October 1st.
Prayer Requests:
At Urban Impact things are shaping up really well for the fall. The choir continues to grow and the Performing Arts Academy, which I am now in charge of administrating, has more students pre-registered than ever before and we still have a month left. The day after we hung posters around the North Side a mother came into our office and started crying. She had seen a poster in the local barber shop and wanted to get her kids involved but couldn't pick them up after class. At this time Meghan, our dance instructor, simply said she could take her children home after class and the mother broke down in tears and made Meghan give her a hug. The Performing Arts Academy starts October 1st.
Prayer Requests:
- For volunteers for the PAA
- Final planning for the PAA
- Nate, Shiniqua, Shiquala, Breann, Valarie and Alicia as they start college and associates school
- As we look for a new staff member to fill in for Principal Rick
- To finish strong with support raising
Thank you all for your prayers and come and visit anytime in Pittsburgh.
Friday, August 7, 2009
August Catch-up
The summer programs have all finished, and now August gives us a chance to get caught up and prepared for the long winter months ahead. Before I get to busy planning and envisioning upcoming programs I thought it would be nice to reflect on the busy summer. So here is a short video with pictures of Tuesday Nights, Summer Day Camp, and other summer events.
Prayer Requests:
- My Grandma
- Fall Choir Retreat
- Planning for the Performing Arts Academy
- Students returning to school and graduated students going into the workforce and college
- Transition time from Summer to Fall program
Praise Report
- Support Trip Across America went very well and it was a huge blessing to see many friend and family and tell them about Urban Impact and the North Side
- Moving onto the North Side next week!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
On the way, by the way.
Laura and I are now a little over half way through our Support Raising Trip Across America. It has been quite a journey getting to see old friends and family and let them know all the amazing things that are going on at Urban Impact. Thus far we have stayed in four different cities, five different beds, and Laura got to play with one dog, one cat, and a stuffed cat. The last part of our trip will take us briefly into Wisconsin before ending our journey in Kansas City and taking the very long 14 hour trip back to the 'burgh.
Speaking of getting back to Pittsburgh praise is due. Laura and I recently found an apartment on the North Side! It is very close to Urban Impact and to where many of our kids and students live. There are many great things already about this apartment but one of the biggest blessings we found came from a misquote in the rent. The landlord's sister quoted us a price that was a less than what the landlord was asking, but when we called the landlord said he would stick by the quoted price! I felt that God had given us a Monopoly card that said, "Bank error in your favor: Pay $100 less in rent." So... That is pretty amazing. Thank you all who were praying for our housing.
Prayer Requests:
- God would continue to guide us and give us safe travels.
- That we could be able to quickly get back into the swing of things in Pittsburgh.
- Transition time between Summer and Fall programs.
- One of our students trying to learn how to be a good father.
Friday, July 10, 2009
So much has been happening that it's hard to keep up with it all
Urban Impact's summer programs are now in full swing and the days and weeks seem to go by faster and faster. This means to things: We're keeping busy and having fun. For me this summer has been composed of a smattering of programs. I have been teaching two drama classes one for "Tuesday Nights" (which rocks) and one for the Summer Day Camp as well as starting a young men's discipleship group and coaching a Leadership team called the Servant Team. These have all been great and through them I have been building deeper and deeper relationships with the students on the North Side.
In the midst of all this Laura and I have also been planning a support raising trip across America (really just toward Kansas City) for the end of July. We start out in Pittsburgh and then weave across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and even a little bit of Wisconsin. We will end the trip with an eight hour jaunt to Kansas City to meet the Anderson clan for rip roarin' fun at the Anderson Reunion. We are very excited to see many friends and family members and hope that this will complete a large chunk of support raising.
Speaking of family and friends Laura and I were very blessed by the chance to go to Camp-of-the-Woods with the whole pine cone aka Brautigam family. (For the reason why they are called the pine cone family you would have to ask my niece, but I don't know if you would get a straight answer out of her.) Camp allowed for all things summer related. We had s'mores, played sand volleyball, ate ice cream, and hung out with family. This trip was a huge blessing to Laura and I, not only to see family but also to slow down a little bit and gear up for the second half of summer.
The second half of the summer and the second half of the summer Blog should include highlights of "Tuesday Nights" and Summer Day Camp. With clips from the student written story of Shadaracha and Meshaka and how they stand up to Queen Nebuchanesia and won't worship boys, and the reason why "Tuesday Nights" rock! All of these great stories and more will arrive in the weeks and months to come.
Prayer Requests:
In the midst of all this Laura and I have also been planning a support raising trip across America (really just toward Kansas City) for the end of July. We start out in Pittsburgh and then weave across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and even a little bit of Wisconsin. We will end the trip with an eight hour jaunt to Kansas City to meet the Anderson clan for rip roarin' fun at the Anderson Reunion. We are very excited to see many friends and family members and hope that this will complete a large chunk of support raising.
Speaking of family and friends Laura and I were very blessed by the chance to go to Camp-of-the-Woods with the whole pine cone aka Brautigam family. (For the reason why they are called the pine cone family you would have to ask my niece, but I don't know if you would get a straight answer out of her.) Camp allowed for all things summer related. We had s'mores, played sand volleyball, ate ice cream, and hung out with family. This trip was a huge blessing to Laura and I, not only to see family but also to slow down a little bit and gear up for the second half of summer.
The second half of the summer and the second half of the summer Blog should include highlights of "Tuesday Nights" and Summer Day Camp. With clips from the student written story of Shadaracha and Meshaka and how they stand up to Queen Nebuchanesia and won't worship boys, and the reason why "Tuesday Nights" rock! All of these great stories and more will arrive in the weeks and months to come.
Prayer Requests:
- Support Raising Trip Across America
- One of my students who is grieving the loss of his sister who was hit by a car just weeks after his girlfriend committed suicide
- My Grandma
- Laura and I finding a place to live on the North Side
- Summer Day Camp and Tuesday Nights
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Adventures of Steely McBeam
If you don't know Steely McBeam is the mascot for the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you don't know the Pittsburgh Steelers you have probably been living under a rock for several years or in Cleveland and choose not to give them a second thought. But this blog is a place to set all partisanship and rivalries aside and play ball for kids.
Although I often tell stories about the Performing Arts Academy I think it is important to recognize the breadth of Urban Impact and all of its programs. As some of you may know Urban Impact primarily started out as a youth Basketball outreach and soon encompassed all major sports. From this growth a relationship with the Steelers was forged and a football clinic was born. Over the years the football clinic has grown and evolved into something really quite spectacular. A task force of Urban Impact-ites with the help of a local high school football team transform Oliver high school's field into a magnificent a NFL training camp. (Of course as the theatre guy they asked me to set up the stage and help put table skirts on the community group tables. Sadly the putting on the table skirts proved to be quite difficult for Principal Rick and me.)
After all the set up and hot dogs and hamburgers were thrown on the grill, the fun really began. Soon kids of all ages flooded the registration booths and poured into the stadium playing warm up games ranging from Steelers flash card trivia to push up competitions. This was all fine and dandy but what was really great was the emergence of none other than Steely McBeam. This was great for me because I was appointed as Steely's bodyguard and right hand man. I also got to be his interpreter because despite having a rather large mouth Steely is mute. For the most part this required me to walk along side him saying, in an excited and surfer-esque tone, "Hey everybody look it's Steely McBeam! Show Steely some Steeler love." And then loads of kids would mob him while he high fived them and beat them off with his foam steel beam. The latter sometimes required my assistance. Then Steely McBeam almost passed out, so we stopped challenging kids to push up competitions and he guzzled down three water bottle in a matter of seconds. Apparently you sweat a whole lot when you are in 80 degree weather wrapped in layers of black and gold padding.
All of this was tons and tons of fun. The little kids ran the drills laughing while some of the older students ran the drills with intensity that matched the Steelers players running along side them. With all of this in mind the most amazing part came at the end of the night. Several of the Steelers stepped up on the stage and told hundreds of north side kids how despite winning several Super Bowls the biggest moment in their lives came when they accepted Christ into their hearts. How despite all of their strength and all their money they still need help and God is the only one who answers and fill their hearts.
I may be a Cleveland fan, but I thank God for those Steelers.... and Steely McBeam.
Prayer and Praise Requests:
- For "Tuesday Nights", our summer youth program will start June 16th
- Urban Impact Summer Day Camp starts this week
- Please pray for our graduating kids
- That I will not spread myself to thin
- My Grandma
- Support Raising
Thank you all. It means a lot to me.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Monster Foot
This post is not a normal post, but my wife has bugged me to write about it. I will write about the football clinic with the Steelers and my andventures with Steely McBeam soon.
This is the story of Monster Foot
It all started a little over two years ago. It was during finals week at the end of my junior year of college and some of my friends and I went on a late night hike around the reservoir. It was a beautiful night for a hike... or so we thought.
I walked along with my friends laughing and reminiscing about the year that had seemingly flown by faster than the year before. As the night wore on we decided to return back to school and get a few hours of sleep before our final finals. On our way back we came across a large swampy mud puddle with a thin board laying across the murky mess. One by one we stepped onto and off the board. Everyone seemed to to this with relative ease, but when I stepped onto the board my foot became stuck. I lifted my foot and the board rose into the air. The board was nailed to my foot. This is not a figure of speech. A nail sticking out of the board was now in my foot. In more shock than pain I placed my other foot firmly on the board and pried the nailed foot off the board. I immediately went to the ER and they performed an x-ray, gave me a tetanus shot and assured me my foot patched up nicely. But little did they know a monster was born beneath my skin.
Now fast forward eighteen months. In this time I married and moved to Pittsburgh; all the while a monster slowly grew in my foot. Starting out I barely even noticed the little lump on the bottom of my fat foot. It never impeded my walking, but if I poked at it I could feel a little hard speck under the skin. Thinking it may be a wart I decided to attack the little guy with some good ol' Dr. Scholl's. This battle went on for several weeks each day taking off a little more skin, but each day the little speck remained buried in my foot. The little speck persisted until I ran out of Dr. Scholl's. Getting fed up with the whole process, I stopped attacking my foot and hoped the speck would remain just a speck and leave it at that. But I was sorely mistaken.
The speck did not remain speck but soon grew, slowly taking ground and ravaging my foot. What was once my foot now became the lair of a monster which bulged under my skin. It soon felt like an alien trying to rip through my flesh. I could only imagine the devastating havoc caused if I did not redouble my efforts and attack it once again. With my imagination firing off images of my foot slowly devouring the rest of my body, I went and bought another box of Dr. Scholl's, Compound W, and Duct tape. Over the next couple of week I strategically advanced on the monster peeling off multiple layers of skin at time. Through many a sweat and tears I finally came upon the eye of the monster. Now when I looked at the bottom of my foot my enemy looked back at me. I saw a little white ball peeking out at me surrounded by a trench of skin, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. I continued the good fight and the eye on my foot got bigger and bigger. Soon it began to move around in my foot like the little track ball on a blackberry. With this development I knew it was now or never. My wife now came along side me. As I pushed down on the skin built up around the monster my wife pulled at it with a pair of tweezers. Grinding my teeth and turning my head away my wife gave one mighty tweeze and out popped the monster (and a little blood). The monster in my foot was no more. A little white, rubbery ball a centimeter in diameter is now dead.
Epilogue
My foot now feels great. It feels like new and the crater left by the monster has filled in nicely thanks to some off brand Neosporin.
This is the story of Monster Foot
It all started a little over two years ago. It was during finals week at the end of my junior year of college and some of my friends and I went on a late night hike around the reservoir. It was a beautiful night for a hike... or so we thought.
I walked along with my friends laughing and reminiscing about the year that had seemingly flown by faster than the year before. As the night wore on we decided to return back to school and get a few hours of sleep before our final finals. On our way back we came across a large swampy mud puddle with a thin board laying across the murky mess. One by one we stepped onto and off the board. Everyone seemed to to this with relative ease, but when I stepped onto the board my foot became stuck. I lifted my foot and the board rose into the air. The board was nailed to my foot. This is not a figure of speech. A nail sticking out of the board was now in my foot. In more shock than pain I placed my other foot firmly on the board and pried the nailed foot off the board. I immediately went to the ER and they performed an x-ray, gave me a tetanus shot and assured me my foot patched up nicely. But little did they know a monster was born beneath my skin.
Now fast forward eighteen months. In this time I married and moved to Pittsburgh; all the while a monster slowly grew in my foot. Starting out I barely even noticed the little lump on the bottom of my fat foot. It never impeded my walking, but if I poked at it I could feel a little hard speck under the skin. Thinking it may be a wart I decided to attack the little guy with some good ol' Dr. Scholl's. This battle went on for several weeks each day taking off a little more skin, but each day the little speck remained buried in my foot. The little speck persisted until I ran out of Dr. Scholl's. Getting fed up with the whole process, I stopped attacking my foot and hoped the speck would remain just a speck and leave it at that. But I was sorely mistaken.
The speck did not remain speck but soon grew, slowly taking ground and ravaging my foot. What was once my foot now became the lair of a monster which bulged under my skin. It soon felt like an alien trying to rip through my flesh. I could only imagine the devastating havoc caused if I did not redouble my efforts and attack it once again. With my imagination firing off images of my foot slowly devouring the rest of my body, I went and bought another box of Dr. Scholl's, Compound W, and Duct tape. Over the next couple of week I strategically advanced on the monster peeling off multiple layers of skin at time. Through many a sweat and tears I finally came upon the eye of the monster. Now when I looked at the bottom of my foot my enemy looked back at me. I saw a little white ball peeking out at me surrounded by a trench of skin, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. I continued the good fight and the eye on my foot got bigger and bigger. Soon it began to move around in my foot like the little track ball on a blackberry. With this development I knew it was now or never. My wife now came along side me. As I pushed down on the skin built up around the monster my wife pulled at it with a pair of tweezers. Grinding my teeth and turning my head away my wife gave one mighty tweeze and out popped the monster (and a little blood). The monster in my foot was no more. A little white, rubbery ball a centimeter in diameter is now dead.
Epilogue
My foot now feels great. It feels like new and the crater left by the monster has filled in nicely thanks to some off brand Neosporin.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Planning, blah, blah, blah
I started to write a post last week but soon realized it was not necessarily the most interesting or exciting. It kind of went something like this:
Planning, planning, blah, blah, blah, planning, blah, blah, blah...
I am still in the planning process, but I wanted to update everyone with whats been going on here in Pittsburgh. It has been a strange time of ups an downs. While my life has remained rather steady in the past few weeks, family, friends, and some of our Urban Impact kids' lives have been rocked. Rocked by great things like my little niece and the sudden barrage of lots of little nephews (all of which I am trying to instill a love of Star Wars), but also rocked by many unexpected health problems and deaths. All the while I have been an onlooker, while crying at times, but really spending a lot of time listening and mulling over what's happening. Although this is a time where I have seen the fragility of life I have even more overwhelmingly seen the strength of God in those who know and trust in him...
In this spot I tried to write something really "deep", but it sounded really cheesy. So this is the bottom line: knowing that I will see someone again in heaven, after death, comforts me. Yes, I still grieve and probably cry more than most other men, but I know what God has promised to be true. This is why I am here.
God's promises make all the planning blah, blah worth it.
Prayer Request:
Planning, planning, blah, blah, blah, planning, blah, blah, blah...
I am still in the planning process, but I wanted to update everyone with whats been going on here in Pittsburgh. It has been a strange time of ups an downs. While my life has remained rather steady in the past few weeks, family, friends, and some of our Urban Impact kids' lives have been rocked. Rocked by great things like my little niece and the sudden barrage of lots of little nephews (all of which I am trying to instill a love of Star Wars), but also rocked by many unexpected health problems and deaths. All the while I have been an onlooker, while crying at times, but really spending a lot of time listening and mulling over what's happening. Although this is a time where I have seen the fragility of life I have even more overwhelmingly seen the strength of God in those who know and trust in him...
In this spot I tried to write something really "deep", but it sounded really cheesy. So this is the bottom line: knowing that I will see someone again in heaven, after death, comforts me. Yes, I still grieve and probably cry more than most other men, but I know what God has promised to be true. This is why I am here.
God's promises make all the planning blah, blah worth it.
Prayer Request:
- Summer Programs: Tuesday Nights and Young Men's Bible study!
- Summer Concert at my College Church
- My Grandma
- North Side Neighborhood Renewal Project (The Urban Impact Drama Team will be Performing Thursday Night)
Thank you,
eric
Friday, May 1, 2009
"I'm just a chicken with a bow tie" --- Ben Doohan
The past couple weeks have marked the end of the winter/spring Urban Impact Programs. This includes Global Impact, Play Ball for Kids Luncheon, Performing Arts Academy Parents' Night, the Urban Impact Choir singing at Christ Church at Grove Farm, and the Urban Impact Arts Gala. Usually these events are spaced out over a month but this year four of the five landed in the same week! So it has been quite the happening place here at Urban Impact. My part in these events have varied from directing theatre students, making graphics for tee shirts, to dressing up in a chicken costume and dancing for youth groups arriving at Global Impact. Yep, nothing says being a missionary like being tackled by a bunch a kids because they thinks that's the correct way to greet a giant yellow chicken. As interesting as sweating profusely inside a wrap of yellow fur and latex is, most of you are probably wondering how the PAA Parents' Night went.
PAA Story of the Week
If you have been following the North Side Stage you have probably noticed that Parents' Night has been one of the top prayer requests. Every Thursday night and many Tuesday evenings North Side students came and fine tuned their creative and artistic gifts. This all came to a beautiful conclusion last Thursday night at the Parents' Night. The children displayed artwork , performed to a very enthusiastic audience, and made all their teachers and parents very proud.
By far the coolest moment of the night was when the high school students performed the Lifehouse "Everything" drama (it is a popular gospel drama that can be found on youtube). During the drama the audience was yelling at the stage, cheering, and some even crying. It was like a rock concert (minus the fog machine). The kids did a really great job even our little elementary drama queen held it together only taking five extra bows leaving the stage. All in all thank you to everyone who was praying for the event God was very gracious and hopefully very happy with the event.
Prayer Requests:
- Planning for Summer Programs (Urban Impact Singers and Tuesday Nights)
- Summer Small Group Bible Study
- My Grandma
- Macy's commercial audition
- Support Raising (The business of the past weeks have put me a little behind)
God certainly hears your prayers! Parents' Night is a testament to that.
thank you
Saturday, April 18, 2009
MusiCalifornia
Every couple of years Tammy, my supervisor, goes to a christian music conference to try and find some good christian, urban, youth choral music. This is apparently hard to do, but every once and a while something pops out of the Brooklyn Tabernacle or Nashville. All this to say this time she decided to go to MusiCalifornia which also has a drama track which means she brought me along.
The day after Easter Tammy, Sherri (A local church's choir director), and I hopped on a plane and landed in the MusiCalifornia. During the next few days I went to lots of theatre and video seminars and an occasional music seminar if Tammy needed to be in two places at once. Most were good, some were great, and others left something to be desired. Now, at the end of the three day marathon event I get to reflect.
I discovered church dramas are one of two things: short skits or slightly longer short skits about Christmas/Easter. Of course there are some full length plays/musicals out there, but they are pretty cheesy. (At this place some may think I am going to rant about how awful christian theatre is, but that is not true. They have there place and purpose but they fail to ring true with relevance to my urban kids.) I even asked one of the seminar instructors if there was anything out there which urban kids can relate. She said she didn't know of anything but she would look for me. The next day she said she thought of a great idea for me, "You should write the show." ......................... what?! This was first reaction, but I get it now. I should write a show. I just expected her "great" idea to be something more along the lines of, "I found you a great show" or "there is a great passage in Matthew that deals with inner-city youth." This would have been a little easier, but hey, why not write a show! (footnote: in college I wrote a show called the The Tinker's Toy and the play was worse than the title.)
I am now praying, reflecting, thinking about how to run with this. I know God wants to be glorified through these young kids. I know He wants them to understand how much He sacrificed for them. How the giving of His son frees them from the guilt of the disturbed lives they've been suckered into living. How can a play do this? What play can do this? This is what I ask God.
Prayer Requests
The day after Easter Tammy, Sherri (A local church's choir director), and I hopped on a plane and landed in the MusiCalifornia. During the next few days I went to lots of theatre and video seminars and an occasional music seminar if Tammy needed to be in two places at once. Most were good, some were great, and others left something to be desired. Now, at the end of the three day marathon event I get to reflect.
I discovered church dramas are one of two things: short skits or slightly longer short skits about Christmas/Easter. Of course there are some full length plays/musicals out there, but they are pretty cheesy. (At this place some may think I am going to rant about how awful christian theatre is, but that is not true. They have there place and purpose but they fail to ring true with relevance to my urban kids.) I even asked one of the seminar instructors if there was anything out there which urban kids can relate. She said she didn't know of anything but she would look for me. The next day she said she thought of a great idea for me, "You should write the show." ......................... what?! This was first reaction, but I get it now. I should write a show. I just expected her "great" idea to be something more along the lines of, "I found you a great show" or "there is a great passage in Matthew that deals with inner-city youth." This would have been a little easier, but hey, why not write a show! (footnote: in college I wrote a show called the The Tinker's Toy and the play was worse than the title.)
I am now praying, reflecting, thinking about how to run with this. I know God wants to be glorified through these young kids. I know He wants them to understand how much He sacrificed for them. How the giving of His son frees them from the guilt of the disturbed lives they've been suckered into living. How can a play do this? What play can do this? This is what I ask God.
Prayer Requests
- For guidance and discernment about script material for students
- Continued growing friendships with the guys I take home after choir
- Car situation
- My Grandma
- Support Raising
- PAA Parent's Night this Thursday!
Thank you all. It encourages me to know that you care enough to read about life on the north side, and to know you pray.
eric
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