Pick up a Leo, or read the article on their website.
George is keeping an index of the series on his writing website, if you missed the first installment.

THIS MONTH’S CHURCH HOP
Name: Second Presbyterian Church
Location: 3701 Old Brownsboro Road, Louisville
Service Times: Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Website: www.2ndpreslou.org

The first installment, which includes three churches, is the cover story in LEO this week. Pick up a copy before next Wednesday, or read it online.

Author’s Note

C. S. Lewis once wrote “Reason is the natural organ of truth, but imagination is the organ of meaning.”

If you’re like me, sometimes it’s hard to wrap your mind around the resurrection at Easter. We’ve heard the story so many times that it’s impossible to experience what the disciples did. After all, they got to watch it happen!

But if Lewis is right, we can recapture some of the resurrection’s meaning through imagination. This article is an imaginative retelling of the first Easter, as though it took place in March 2008. My prayer is that it will help people recapture some of the joy of Jesus rising from the dead.

Of course, my retelling is no substitute for the original — I highly recommend reading the Biblical resurrection account. To reframe Lewis’ expression, John 20 is the truth. In this article, I’ve just added a little imagination.- GH

* * *

The images of death jolted him awake.

Tom had been too cowardly to witness the Master’s execution, but he knew how it happened. Once as a boy he’d snuck out to watch an unknown man suffer and die. He was involuntarily riveted by the whole grisly procedure; morbidly fascinated by the bloody rotting stench and cries of agony. He could see the faces of the weeping mourners; hear the gallows humor from the callous execution squad….

Tom had waited until the sun started down to leave the scene. Then on the walk home, every shadow was the executioner; every sound in the street the cry of a condemned man. He had nightmares for weeks.

But now, 20 years later, huddled in a ragged blanket on a clammy tile floor, Tom was unable to banish the images from his dreams. The childhood nightmares now had a new face for the condemned man. The face of the Master….

Read the rest on the Boundless website…

Emergent Drama

Tips for reaching your audience
By George Halitzka

On Good Friday last year, I went to see a nearby church’s passion play. As soon as I walked in, I was impressed! Their set took over the whole sanctuary; the music was well chosen and the costumes authentic. Spectacular pyrotechnics highlighted the resurrection. (Okay—confession time—I even sinned by envying their robotic lights.) In short, the production seemed to have everything going for it!

But long before the last scene, I found myself hoping it would end soon. I even prayed that the couple sitting next to me were already Christians, and not encountering Jesus for the first time. The show had become downright painful.

Now, this congregation obviously had a passion for evangelism, and a desire to do excellent work! Hundreds of volunteers gave huge amounts of time and energy to make it all happen. So what went wrong?

Somewhere along the way, it seems they forgot the fundamental principle of theatre: Their play wasn’t telling the truth.

To read the rest of the article, visit the Lillenas website.

Here is an excerpt:

So Christmas is over but winter’s still here.

You know what they say about the Christmas Spirit lasting all year long, but maybe it’s not working for you. You think you left yours at Target on December 26, while you watched grinches return the silver-plated back scratchers their mothers-in-law put under the tree. And now in February, in the middle of cloudy days and slushy streets and not a tulip in sight, you’d cheerfully drop-kick anybody who suggests you should have leftover Christmas Spirit.

Bah, humbug.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I hope you love Christmas! I do. It’s the rest of the year that gets in the way.

After the carols evaporate and the twinkly lights come down, have you ever wondered what “Christmas Spirit” really means? Is it about running up your Visa to buy people you don’t like things they don’t need, then dropping a quarter in the red kettle to earn a warm fuzzy?

Read the rest of the article On the Boundless Website

Here’s a quick description:

Discover the ancient tradition of the way of the cross by following the path of Jesus from the Garden of Gethsemane to his tomb. Characters at eight stations pantomime key events from our Savior’s final hours, including his betrayal and arrest, his condemnation by Pilate and his crucifixion. As they walk through, the congregation participates in each station’s scene in unusually poignant ways with activities as varied as signing a funeral guestbook, receiving Communion, betraying a friend for a reward, washing their hands in imitation of Pilate, handling a crown of thorns, carrying a crossbeam, pounding a spike into wood, writing their names on a “Remember me” placard and placing a lily by a memorial to Jesus. A complete description of the setup and how-to is included. An unforgettable experience in homage to the one who died so we could live.
Playkit includes 8 scripts and rights to reproduce copies.

There is an online component to the script too – a username and password provided in the printed book will give you access to directors notes, set building instructions, publicity ideas, and extensive photos of the original production.

For more information, visit George’s website, or buy the script from Meriwether

Interesting sidenote: George got permission from the Vatican in order to publish this, as he used the titles and themes from the Catholic stations of the cross.

Once upon a time there were two kids who learned the hard way how much birds like breadcrumbs. While wandering in the forest, they almost got eaten by a candy-loving witch! But thankfully there was an oven handy, and before the witch could make Hanselburgers, Gretel toasted her golden-brown.Then there was the princess who fled from her mirror-gazing stepmother — seems the old bat wanted Snowy-Girl’s heart on a plate. There were complications involving seven midget miners, and she almost got poisoned by a magic apple, but everything turned out OK thanks to True Love’s Kiss.

Once there was a person who answered to your name and looked strangely like you. You weren’t asking for much — just a nice Prince or Princess to marry, a small castle in the suburbs, and a steady source of gold coins. Unfortunately, you soon realized that True Love is an elusive commodity, and Happy Endings are hard to find.

Sometimes, life has a way of discouraging belief in fairy tales. Just ask Heather….

Read the rest of my husband’s latest article on the Boundless website…

It’s a beautiful spring day with a cobalt sky and cottony clouds wheeling high overhead on the breeze, and I’m standing in our backyard near the huge maple, the one that overhangs the whole world. Staring upwards in 4-year-old fascination, I watch the budding leaves swish in the breeze as winged seed pods swirl to the ground.

By the hundreds they come, the tiny green streamlined packages of nascent life; whirling from branch to ground in a brief, glorious flight! Half an inch wide and two inches long; curved with the bulge of a pregnant seed. The pods fly on the wind that carries them away to a remote final resting place.

Of course, I know none of this at age 4. I simply know they’re magical.

Mom picks up one of the winged wonders from the ground. “Do you know what these are, Georgie?” she asks.

I shake my head, but stare curiously at the object in her hand.

“They’re helicopters!” she says. With that, she releases the fragile seed-carrier into the breeze. It spins away on the wind, floating and twirling its way to the ground.

I cautiously pick one up to see if my childish hands can duplicate adult magic. Breathless, I release the helicopter … and it soars! Captivated, I pick up another, and another, giggling with delight. Each one dances with the wind. I scoop a cloud of seeds in two hands and watch them flutter to the earth with wild abandon!

The helicopter seeds are a carefree day; a childhood caught in a moment. I have discovered wonder.

Read the Rest of the Article

Comment on the Boundless Blog

If you have any interest in bringing this production your church or sponsoring an outreach performance (in a nursing home, hospital, orphanage, homeless shelter, etc) please get in touch with us! Visit http://www.dramabygeorge.com/christmas for script excerpts, cast bios, and full booking information.