We’ve had a great couple of days! Nolan and I were up early on Thursday to meet the people from ArtsSmart and TRAHC – a local organization that sponsored our Healing of Magic workshops in Texarkana. That morning at 8:30am I conducted a workshop for Special Education teachers and therapists who working in the local school systems. All the teachers were very excited about workshop but I think they had some “concerns” about how it was going to assist them in teaching their students. About 15 minutes into the session, there was no doubt in their minds that they could use these concepts.
After the workshop was over, all of us drove over to College Hill school where I worked with several 3rd and 4th graders. They were great! There’s nothing like hearing the small voices of children laughing when they become magicians!
After this session, I did an interview with the local NPR station. It aired on Friday in advance of the performance here at the Perot Theatre on Monday.
We did a quick lunch at a great Mexican restaurant and then it was off to the high school for another session with some students there. Along the way, we stopped on the “border” and got our picture taken straddling the Arkansas and Texas borders. It was pretty cool…
The session with the high school students was also very successful. We had some really wonderful and excited students to work on their skills and learn a few magic tricks! They performed for the class – and did an outstanding job!
After the workshops in Texarkana, we drove on to Longview, TX. We’re going to be performing at the new Belcher Performing Arts Center on the campus of LeTourneau University…so, Friday morning I spoke in chapel to give the student body and idea of what they might see on Saturday night. I was also able to share a few thoughts with them about God’s desire to use people outside of “traditional” ministries. The crux of my thought can be summed up simply – I believe it is impossible for a Christian to have a secular job. If you are a Christ-follower and you are doing what you do in His name (like the Bible encourages us to do – Whatever you do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.), then our work is no longer secular work – it’s sacred. You and God are there, together – the difference is our awareness. Unless what we are doing is unethical or outright wrong, then when we do our jobs well, we are serving Christ.
After chapel, we grabbed some lunch and then headed back for a Healing of Magic workshop at Belcher PAC for a group of about 350 therapists – physical, occupational, pre-med students, radiology technicians, and nursing students. It was a fun two hours and everyone participated, having a great time. We even got some of them up on the stage to do a few tricks!
It’s about 12:30am on Saturday morning…I’m off to bed. We have a 11am load in for the performance tomorrow night. It looks like we’re going to have a great crowd. Pre-sale of tickets is around 1200 and we should end up with a crowd of 1300 – 1400. I’ll keep you posted…and give you an idea of our “truck challenges” at the moment. It’s going to be a very interesting next few days.