Deep breaths.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

It’s going to be okay.  Honest.

12 hours from now, it will all be over.  This performance that we’ve been working towards since January will be presented in the morning. Normally, I’m a little nervous, but this time I’m having a full on Tangled moment.

That’s right, hand me a frying pan and I’d totally be Rapunzel right now.

Okay, so the reason for all the nerves is this.  This is the first performance that I’ve been in the director’s chair for.  I’ve directed songs before, but I’ve never been in charge of a full performance.  What we will be presenting in the morning is actually a concept I came up with about 15 years ago.  Up until now, there’s just not been a good time to do it.  Starting in January, our church started working through The Story.  Basically, this book is the Reader’s Digest version of the Bible.  By the end of the year, we will have done a condensed walk through the Bible.  Well, the performance we’re doing, presents different Bible stories (starting in Genesis and ending in Revelation) with a twist.  It fits perfectly with The Story.

I’ve learned so much in putting this performance together.  It’s been kind of overwhelming.  I’ve learned tons about being a leader vs a dictator.  I’ve also learned quite a bit about the young men and women who make up our team.  I’ve found that they’re hard working, fantastic young adults!  I’m so incredibly proud of them.  This is by far the biggest, most intense performance we’ve ever done, and they’ve stepped up to the challenge.

I know that there will probably be moments where a sign gets missed or lip sync is off, but I honestly believe it’s going to be a good, God-honoring performance.  At the end of the day, it’s not about me (which is a tough lesson for someone who’s as selfish as I am), or even about the team.  It’s about presenting the message of the Bible.

So, I’m going to try to get some sleep, and pray that this will be a fun and fantastic performance!

Also, I just have to share what our stage looks like…

This is the view from the front.  There’s actually a whole other side wing that juts out that I couldn’t get in the straight on picture.  Hence the side view.

To give you a idea of how tall this thing is, the lowest point is about 4 feet tall.  We have to stand on super tall ladders to reach the top when putting this together.

Okay, now I’m going to try to get sleep…