Dec 04 2008
on the air!
What a week it’s been so far! Emmanuel, our 45-minute Christmas production, began touring last Saturday at a church in Stoney Creek, followed by a performance in Welland on Sunday morning. We were blessed at both performances by standing ovations from the crowd — definitely an encouragement! Our third performance was a nursing home on Monday, and on Tuesday we drove up to Burlington, bound for the Holiday Inn and the television studios of Crossroads Ministries.
On Wednesday, we performed two pieces from Emmanuel live on 100 Huntley St, which airs all over Canada and the United States. Between songs, Carolyn and I did a 10-minute interview with the hosts, sharing what Soli Deo Gloria Ballet is all about, how we got started, and what we’re currently doing. I even got to talk a little about my writing. (You can watch the program here: http://www.crossroads.ca/broadcas/program.php . If by the time you click it this link no longer leads to us, check the Archives for Wednesday, Dec 3.)
It was a lot of fun, and praise God we weren’t even nervous. Carolyn was too out of breath from dancing “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” (that and having a mic attached to her dress in record time) to have TIME to be nervous, and as for me, well, I seem to have lost any intidimidation instincts a long time ago. The hostess told me that I was as confident and relaxed as a pro :).
Which brings me to an interesting thought. When I was a young teenager, like many young teenagers, I would have thought of myself as shy and fairly awkward. I had no particular desire to get up in front of people and sing, speak, read my writing, or do any of the other things I do on a regular basis now. And because I thought of myself that way for so long, I still often think of myself in that way–yet, at the same time, I know I’m not like that anymore. I really don’t even qualify as shy. These conflicting selves set up an interesting sort of tension: we live every day between who we are and who we used to be, and the choices we make day by day determine who we become. We are this way because God fashioned us thus, and THAT points out a fascinating contrast between our ever-changing natures and God’s steadfast one: as I read in Emmanuel‘s last narration, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” No wonder we need Him so badly!
We still have eleven performances to go in the Emmanuel tour, our next being tomorrow (Friday) evening. Your prayers are appreciated! The name of our group is Soli Deo Gloria Ballet, and truly, we want to glorify God alone in all that we do. It can be tricky, when you’re standing up there in the spotlight, to remember that our words, our dances, and even our very SELVES are all about Him–the One who created us to speak, to dance, and to live. But they are; we are; and we’re grateful for His blessing and presence with us on this tour.
