This is my prayer

Well, after several months of long days for those on the road, it is finally over. The company struck the set, lighting, sound, costumes, and props for a final time yesterday. Lunch at a Chinese buffet and dinner with President Dowden closed it out. I don't have anything profound to say like those who posted below. Mabye in a few days. I do have a lot of thanks to send out. This is from an email I sent to the HU campus:

I’d like to take a brief moment of your summer time to talk a bit about this summer’s tour of Godspell. I promise, no nuggets or tidbits, or whatever. As you are probably aware, 14 current students, alumni and 1 staff member (Jeremy Rufener) were on the road, traveling all over the US and parts of Ontario, spreading the message of the Gospel. With over 50 performances, 8000+ audience members, and countless miles traveled, this team did us proud. I hope many of you were able to see the production at some point this summer and enjoy some fine work by our University.

I’d also like to take just a moment to also thank many of you for your assistance on this tour. From the beginning, I’ve been saying that this isn’t a HU Theatre production, but a Huntington University Production, because it took the work of the entire campus to pull it together. From the many of you praying daily for the groups travels and their presentation of the Gospel, to those of you who assisted in some way, many many thanks. Specifically, I’d like to thanks the following folks for extra effort on their parts:

- The Business Office team – countless PO’s, invoices and such passed through your hands…Julie Hendryx, the truck was a life saver…thanks for finding it and arranging all the details on it
- Admissions and Advancement Offices – Spreading the word about the tour and HU…your friendly faces were very welcome to many of the company members on the road when they needed a familiar face to chat with
- PR – John, Julie, and Heather – your advance work on the press/posters/web helped build the audiences. The web/blog connected the audiences to the group in ways I can’t even begin to describe. Awesome work
- Maintenance – As always, providing help when we need it, and the Bus was a huge leap forward from the old tour days
- Steve Pozezanac and Justin Spitler – a new sound system and one of the best facilities to rehearse and train in…thanks for the expertise and the assistance
- Those of you who made special phone calls, emails, letters to assist with the booking – we were able to perform in some places we never thought we’d get in, and had some excellent shows
- Administration – without your support, this wouldn’t have been possible…thanks
- The rest of the Godspell creative staff – Ella, David, and Kristi – it takes a team effort to get results like this. Thanks for the extra effort and using your talents on such a wonderful piece. To those reading this, if you haven’t yet, head over to www.huntington.edu/godspell/devos/default.htm to see some of the devotions that were created to go with the production.
- Jeremy Rufener – A long, hard road traveled my friend. I am glad you were there to lead the group as they hit the pavement. You did great.

As always on this list, there are people who inadvertently get left out. So, hopefully I didn’t forget anyone. But, if I did, I apologize and will send a follow-up thanks.

Lastly, if you see any of the Godspell Company around, whether on or off campus, be sure to get them to tell you some of the tales of the road. Some stories will make you laugh, some cry, and others still will make you awestruck at God’s loving grace for us all. Thanks to the company for allowing God to work through them – performers - Abi Allwein, Blair Bullick, Jeremy Burkett, Cara Bussis, Eric Church, Josh Dawes, Dana Frick, Kristen Kohaut, Keeley Lewis, Jenn Miller, Dan Olson, Bekah Posegate and Noah Varness, technician - Brad DeYoung, and company manager – Jeremy Rufener


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In closing, I'd like to share a song. I'm not one to post lyrics on a site, and usually when I read other sites that have songs on them, I skip through the songs. So, I find it a little odd that I want to post this song. But, the words are true. I've sung this song in churches before, and always think of it when I'm away from my family. So, indulge me this once:

Prayer by Petra

First I want to thank You Lord
for being who You are
For coming to the rescue of a man who's drifted far
For calling me to be Your son
and calling me to serve
Lord the way You've blessed my life is more than I deserve

Keep the ones I love so dearly
Fill their emptiness while I am gone
And fill the loneliness in me

(Chorus)
This is my prayer
Lifted to You
Knowing You care even more than I do
This is my prayer
Lifted in Your name
Your will be done
I humbly pray

Let me be the evidence of what Your grace can do
To a generations struggling to find themselves in You
May they come to know the love of God
May their eyes be made to see
Give me the opportunity to share the truth that sets them free
And may unity in all things
Be the banner of Your church
And let revival's fire begin to burn

(Chorus)
This is my prayer
Lifted to You
Knowing You care even more than I do
This is my prayer
Lifted in Your name
Your will be done
I humbly pray

As we face the last and final hours
Turn a wayward country back to You
And keep us from the evil that devours
Keep us on the path and lead us through
Keep us in Your light until Your kingdom comes
And our work is done

This is my prayer Lifted to You
Knowing You care so much more than I do
This is my prayer
In Jesus' name
Your will be done I humbly pray

This is my prayer

Alpha and Omega

This is Ruf, posting through Mike's computer....some eblogger issues:


First, I must say that I was surrounded by 14 extremely talented people this summer. It was amazing from my point of view as the company manager to sit back and watch daily how well the message was presented and how God used these 14 quality individuals to bring His message to so many different places. I have learned that He is in control of it all and I merely think I am. I am wrong! My belief is that He looks down upon Jeremy Rufener and says, "Check this guy out. He thinks he can take care of it all and I am going to teach him that trust and honor should be given to his Lord and Savior." Well, He surely did this and the fun part for me was that He did it daily.I want to take just a few lines to give a one word description of each cast member.
Dan: Captivating (Not the ladies book)
Noah: Creative
Jenn: Energetic
Cara: Sweet
Blair: Stoic
Eric: Pensive
Jeremy B: Dependable
Rebekah: Kind
Abi: Fun
Keeley: Talented
Josh: Relational
Dana: Compassionate
Kristen: Diligent
Brad: Respectful

All of the students have many different talents that are well beyond my reach and I enjoyed getting to know them and watch their amazing efforts to glorify the Lord this summer.Generosity is something that we may take for granted or we just expect it of people around us, but I witnessed some of the greatest generosity of my life as we traveled through many different states on this tour. The people that we encountered at the churches and the many home stays have refreshed my faith and encouraged me to pour out God's love on others as we are called to do.

Jesus is Lord!
Jeremy J. Rufener

Jesus Loves Me This I Know

As a young child I grew up sitting in Sunday School and almost every Sunday from my tiny chair I heard that God loved me. That was good enough for my young brain. God loved me and that was really all I needed to know about that.
Now that I am a twentish young adult maybe I am just a little weak in the faith department but after going through times when I am missing someone terribly or dreading something painful or stressing out over some situation, I have started to have some tiny doubts about Gods love. Just for that moment. Not anything faith shattering, only a little fear that maybe His love is just another part of life that will let me down or just another relationship I’m a little too dependent upon. It would flash through my mind and then be gone.
I think it just goes to show that God can use hearts that aren’t even His. Godspell took my doubting heart EVERY night and caused me to drink up the uncomplicated love for the Father who made me. The childlike joy of the Gospel couldn’t be stopped from streaming into my life in and out of the show. The simple pleasure of sharing God’s love with others made me appreciate that love anew in my life. There really is no need for my analytical head to complicate Him and His love!
This summer I was fortunate to take a jaunt back to a simple and overwhelming love of my Savior that I hadn’t seen in years though the beauty of the Godspell. I hope that every person who saw Godspell was able to feel the joy that I felt flowing out of every word and I pray His joy would be the perfect remedy to any little faith hiccups that have crept up into any mature lives!
My heart is about to burst with love for my cast mates, with gratitude to everyone who made me feel so at home and with thankfulness for other lessons learned so I'll just sign off with:
Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Littleones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong

Not your everyday Jenn post

So, after sitting down to read my castmates' posts, I feel as if a daunting task is set before me. Their witty and well thought out responses seem to be above and beyond what my rather hateful morning-brain (as it has been established from day one...Cara's post is true. The next day is not a happy one) can create. But I will attempt to wipe the sleep out of my eyes, covet the cheerios Daniel Neil is eating on my couch, and crank out some quality thoughts.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED!!!! (haha. caps make me feel better.)

-Church and devotionals are only tools...but it takes a long time to build a boat without a hammer
-Dental hygiene and water consumption are addictions in the theatre world
-I love hard and empathize harder. Other people's pains and afflictions are enough to put me out of commission for a day.
-Every person is wonderful in their own way, and every person deserves my love and the effort it takes for me to build that love.
-No one is perfect, including leaders. But that is where "unconditional" comes in.
-I don't like being touched/spoken to when I'm flaming mad, when it is morning, and when it is over 100 degrees out.
-There are ways to get Abigail Allwein out of the bathroom, but it is not fun for anyone.
-Funk pockets will develop on stage, and you will just have to smile through them.
-Beware 5B
-Timing is everything, in comedy and in relationships
-My life is a better place because it now includes my castmates
-Everybody smells, and sometimes you will stick to the person you are sitting next to. Such is life.
-Whistling while you work is productive, speaking in the voices of different parts of the stage while you work makes you forget you are working
-Black yoga pants are NOT meant to be worn more than.....4 days in a row?
-Dan is a size 10...in women's capris
-Bussis looks like a toe in our Godspell shirts
-Tea makes everything better
-Chain link is evil and will destroy your body. Fear it.
-Holding pinkies is like hugging a soul
-My relationships with others are the purest when my relationship with Jesus is the strongest.
-You need to let go, you need to open up, you need to love people until it hurts
-Mocha freeze malts are a life necessity, and should be a write off on tax forms
-Learning can be done in so many ways when you are open to the idea
-Spending a summer with Noah Varnes and Daniel Neil is the same as taking a theatre class, "What No One Tells You About Theatre"
-Have I mentioned I freaking LOVE my castmates????
-The last show is going to be harder than transferring to a new college last semester

"I am going over there to pray, my heart is about to break with grief. No, stop here. Stay awake with me."

I learned to be thankful for...

I learned to be thankful for…

Air conditioning
Bekah Posegate
Breezes
Courtesy tabs
Nice people
Hot showers
God’s faithfulness
Camel crickets
Church keys
My Bible
Dan and Noah
The Pink Ribbon
The bus floor
Scary
Stage Left
Oreos
4am with Cara, Dana, and Jenn
Laughter
God’s unconditional love
Water
Febreeze
Patience
Sleep
Southern sweet tea
Florida beaches
Diaper rash cream
Millennium Force
Freezing cold hotel rooms
My home church
Canadian food
Huntington, IN
Peanut butter and jelly
Internet access
Big stages
Foam soap
All the girls on the tour
Jeremy B’s dancing
Excessive amounts of fruit
No mas bombas
Hospitable people
Washers and dryers
Little kids
Clouds
Kentucky mountains
Cast prayers
Abi’s sleep talk
Hugs
Massages
Day by Day (just kidding)
Receptive people
Sound check stories
Interpretive ribbon dancing
Cathartic tears
Praise and worship
Quiet time with God
All the good things about people (good things yah!)
All the connections we’ve made
All the fun
All the pain
All the love
All the jokes
All the sweat
All the memories
Godspell Summer Tour 2006

Yu like yu buy yah?

**ATTENTION EVERYONE THIS IS NOT JENN THIS IS KEELEY, MY BLOG NAME IS NOT WORKING**
I spent a good deal of time last night reflecting on what God has taught me through this tour and I feel like at this point in time the things that I have learned are far too personal to share on this blog. However, our home stay mom asked us a question about what were the mostly deeply spiritual moment for us on the tour and I would like to share a couple of them with all of you. A small personal moment that I had occurred when we were in Big Laurel, KY. Our show was outdoors and we were deep in the mountains at a mission post in a mining community there. We were a long ways from familiar landmarks such as Wal-Marts, gas stations, or stoplights. Big Laurel is situated in a valley surrounded on all sides by mountains. It was hot and we were working with uneven ground and grass stains but there was a moment when I was singing "Prepare Ye", and I just looked up at the tree covered mountains towering around us and the clear blue sky above us, our voices echoing back us from miles away as it hit the steep wall of the valley we were in, and I was so grateful. I was grateful for the gifts that God gave us not only in music and dance and theatre, but also in the grass and the tree and the sunshine.
Another truly moving part of the tour for me came when we were in Florida performing at the Salvation Army. That particular show kind of came last minute and after we arrived we found out that we would be performing for the homeless shelter and members of the drug rehab program. We were all pretty nervous about how the show would be received by such an audience. Before going onstage I had a mixture of excitement (because we would be performing for a group that really needed the message) and fear (because its killer hard to do a show when no one laughs or claps). Oh the life of a Christian theatre artist :). So we get going with the show and THEY LOVED IT! They were one of our most vocal audiences yet. They laughed out loud, they cheered, they clapped along with the songs, some of them even danced. And afterwards they all came out to greet us and they were so grateful. Then a group of about fifteen of them sent us letters thanking us for the show. I got the chance to read them yesterday and it was so touching. A lot of them could not speak English very well but many of them stated that they really appreciated the show because it helped them understand the gospel in a way that they had never been able to before. We even found out that a man devoted himself to Christ a week after we left. It's that kind of thing that we all live for and I hope we can get more shows like that as more tours go out in the years to come.

Loves,
Keels

from russia with love, yah?

yeah abs...

"and so what we have learned applies to our lives today
and God has a lot to say in His book"
"you see we know that God's word is for everyone
and now that our song is done, we'll take a look"

and i would love to tell you that i looked up those lyrics on line, but that would be a lie. all out of the old noggin'.

ok list time:

Things I've learned

-how to drink water (i'm a bonifide camel....but not the cricket kind)

-i'm a hypocondriac when it comes to my health

-there are people in this world who will literally give you the shirt of their back; be one of those people

-some people need to be "mothered" some days

-some times you get the clean laundry mat, some times you don't. some times people will be smoking, some times they won't. some times it won't have AC, some times it will. some times you can't even find the peckin' laundy mat. that's the adventure.

-always ride the rollercoaster, you will never be sorry, but you will regret it if you don't.

-there are people in this life who will prey on the innocent, the less bold, and the easy targets. don't be one of them. stick up for those they pick on.

-always jump at the offer of fruit

-sleeping with jenn = not sleeping...but that's ok

-eating at 3 AM, not a good idea

-leggings will cover your bruises and are a good idea to prevent the pity stares and the calls to the police

-you have to stick together. these people in your life are the only people you have for the time given. take what you can from your experiences and move on.

-crying is not a crime and sometimes is the only thing you can do to keep from yelling.

-apologies are nice, but are empty when there is no action taken to right the wrong.

-mistakes happen. the best way to handle them are not to sit and talk about blame, but instead to act. and to deal.

-i love my family. i love family in general. i love everyone else's family. you all are wonderful.

-when in doubt, smile and look pretty.

-i have no logic; sudoku and i are NOT friends...but i will conquer them. i will learn... there can only be ONE highlander...

-money, money, money, must be funny. in a rich man's world...

-i do theatre because is makes me happy. simple and plain. i can get on stage with my mic and be in THE WORST mood ever. but after mic check, i'm the happiest girl. why? because i'm back on stage.

-i need to simplify my life. i have too much crap. i don't need it. i can survive on next to nothing. i think it's good that i realize this bc i'm taking a vow of poverty with my career choice. but i wouldn't have it any other way.

-being angry at some one takes too much energy.

-i love voicemails

-somethings i will never understand. ever. just add it to the list of things to ask God about.

-gold ballet flats go with EVERY THING.

-stage left plays the sax.

i remember a prayer my brother prayed in our sunday school class right before i left to come back for boot camp. he said " prepare the way for them as they prepare the way for you". this from my brother, the economics major who doesn't know the show at all. his choice of words were perfect, considering the first known song of the show. that's what He was doing all summer and that's what we were doing. i can't remember who posted this before me, but God's not done with this tour. He's still working in the hearts and communities of the places we have been. and in us.

despite frustrations, hurt feelings, lack of sleep, lack of food, lack of energy, lack of free time, lack of independance; you can chalk this one up to one of my favorite summers.

i'm sure there will be more later, but if there isn't, thanks for tuning in! lovelove.

Veggie Tales anyone????

All this posting about what we've learned reminds me so much of the song that appeared at the end of every veggie tales episode, "What We Have Learned." It's a fun little ditty that prefaces the recap of the moral, or lesson the show presented.

So insert >song< here and then proceed with reading this post. :)

The past two months have been so full of new experiences that I can hardly sum what I've learned up into one thing. So I will give you a handful of the things that impacted me most this summer.

The first one is simple, in theory, but a lot harder to act out. Treat others as you would have them treat you. I can't even count the amount of churches we went into this summer that had it posted on the walls. It was staring us in the face the whole time, but like the ignorant people we are sometimes, we waltzed on by continuing to treat others differently from how we would like to be treated.

Secondly forgiveness is not forgiveness if you hold someone's wrong action against them. Forgiveness forgets and treats the person as if it never happen. We get so stuck on other people's mistakes sometimes, that we elevate ourselves above them, when in reality, we are the one making the mistake by making them seem inferior to ourselves, and not staying true to the forgiveness we gave.

Along with that, people are not perfect. Anyone who thinks that we are or can be is kidding themselves. Now this should not be used as a cop out for making mistakes, but presenting the expectation that we should be perfect in all we do, or thinking that we are perfect is very dangerous. It gives us the impression that we don't need help. Pride always comes before the fall. We are a sinful people, and recognizing that it is only by God's grace that we have any hope at all is a realization we all need to come to.

Another thing I have sort of "discovered" this summer is friendship. True friendship. I have never before experienced the sort of relationships that I've developed with people on the tour. I love them all dearly, and can't believe I missed out on this sort of thing for so long. It has become invaluable to me. They are my "family" of sorts, who will tell me when I"m being rediculous in a loving manner, let me cry my eyes out if I need to, and who I will have rediculous amounts of fun with. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

As I was contemplating what I was going to write in this entry yesterday, a question popped into my head. "Why do I do this every day?" "Why do I get up early, work long hours through intense heat, and hard labor, and still love it?" It makes no sense to other people. I hear people say all the time that they can't believe what we do every day. Sometimes I can't believe it myself. I get countless bruises and am tired and sore often. So what is it that makes it worth it?

For me the answer is simple. I have hope and joy in life. Hope and joy that is found in Jesus Christ my Savior. Other people don't have it, and if I can use theatre, which I love madly, to tell the story, of my Savior, who I also love madly. Why wouldn't I? I get to to do what I love every day, and see seeds get planted at every show. It's an incredible thing to watch. I just pray that some of the seeds which we have planted will fall on good soil, and produce much fruit.

Now this is not to say that discouragement doesn't come. It does. Discouragement and frustrations come constantly, but the fact that our work goes beyond the here and now always makes it worth it. I have purpose in life, and that makes it worth everything. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

In closing I would like to share with you all the words to a hymn that encouraged me a lot over the summer. It is called, "His Eye Is On The Sparrrow," and is sung by Selah: Accapela.

Why do I feel discourged
Why do the shadows come
And why does my heart feel lonely
And long for heaven and home
When Jesus is my portion
A constant friend is He
His eye is on the sparrow
And i know He watches me

So I sing because I'm happy
And I sing because I'm free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me
So I sing because I'm happy
And I sing because I'm free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches
And I know He watches
And I know He watches me




That sums it all up for me. I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.

-Abi