The Gift of Acting

This has been a weekend of amazement for me. Yesterday I mentioned a dance recital which 4 youth group members were in. They just amazed me with their co-ordination and (honestly) their flexibility.

Then there was The Sound of Music which I watched today and one youth, Heather, had a leading role. She wasn't the lead, but was the lead child, Liesel.

It's been years since I saw The Sound of Music. I mean, I was so young I was watching the movie and fell asleep. So you can only imagine how much I remember of it. I mean, I knew what it was about (Germany invading Austria, plus nuns, romance and kids, what else does a play need) but I didn't remember any story line or know how it would end.

Anyway, I was once again amazed. This was a community acting troupe. It was similar to watching a high-school play, except that the roles were played by people the correct age. So there were adults playing adults and (believe it or not) what must have been a 6 year-old playing Gretl. It was great to see people the correct age playing their roles. While some adults were good, the youth definitely outshone them. They had some of the most amazing voices you'd ever heard, if you've heard Heather before, you already know her voice is incredible.

I'm just so amazed with how well everyone played their roles and how well they sang. The play was incredible and I felt really honored to actually know someone in the cast.

I've tried acting in school, and while I like to think I'm good. Unfortunately I have to admit that it's really not true. When I see a full orchestra and actors like I saw today, most of whom were 1/2 my age, I know I have nothing on them.

I know some of my own gifts, but now I want to figure out how those gifts fit in with my job (not just church). As I head off to CreationFest this week (more on that later) my focus will be on how I should live with these gifts in my every-day life. How about you? Do you even know your gifts (or even what I mean when I say that)?

Peace.

posted by Tom at 8:40 PM