I have spent this past year in a new position as a Fine Arts Manager for the Kroc Center in Omaha, Nebraska. This has been a huge challenge and has forced me to think outside of the box. I want to share with you a summer program that was one of the new things we have tried and hope it will be an encouragement to you to try something new.

OnStage is a musical theater program for students ages 11-13. Those interested in participating auditioned to be in the cast for “The Parables of Vaudeville,” a musical comedy that my wife and I wrote a number of years ago for a summer production at the church we previously served. My goal was to have a cast of 12-15 kids. We meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9:30am to noon for rehearsal and also to learn about all aspects of musical theater. The culmination of the program is a performance of the musical, as well as taking the cast out for dinner and a show at the local community theater.

My goal of a cast of 12-15 kids was not reached. Instead, I ended up with three girls who are all 11 years old. I was forced to make a decision. Do we still run the program or do we simply cancel it due to low numbers? The easy decision would have been to cancel, but I felt strongly about what this program would bring to those girls that took the time to come out for the audition.

I am now two weeks into the rehearsals, and the first performance of OnStage will take place next week with our cast of three 11 year old girls. It has not been easy. It took rewriting the script and finding some new music that would work with a very small cast, but the cast has worked hard and they are excited for the debut. I can’t say the show was a huge success because it has not happened yet, so you will have to tune in for another blog to find out.

We live in an impatient world. No one wants to wait for anything. Some things take time and are not a booming success overnight. I have had to remind myself over and over again this past year… building new programs take time. I can see God moving, and if I am faithful, He will grow the program in His time. “In His time, In His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time,” (by Linda Ball).

So press on, Friends! Be willing to try something new and be open to letting it grow and develop in God’s time, even if it is not how you saw it going. Let’s all be a little more like the turtle in the race between the turtle and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race.

Sing On, Friends!

Kevin