Wanted to dash of a report of the Easter tour before it becomes grossly overdue.   May I say upfront that it's still more than amazing to do what I do (www.BibleActor.com). Not only do I have my dream job, I have the world's greatest Boss. He takes me around the world as His rep, and when I forget what to say, He puts words in my mouth. I was thinking of asking for a raise, (I don't think He will be downsizing anytime soon) but why risk my retirement package if He is looking for someone younger-which is just about anyone these days. Then, on top of that, He gives me increasing opportunities to offer my historical novels www.OneWayBooks.org to folks across the US and around the globe. I'm blessed and grateful.

First stop on the Easter tour for "The Gospel According to Simon Peter" (AKA GASP) was Deland, FL at St. Peter's Catholic Church - seemed appropriate. This engagement was actually their one-hundred-year anniversary and a great beginning to Passion season in my book. It was a little spooky with all the icons staring down as if saying, don't mess this up Mac, we're watching. Even Simon Peter had a perplexed look-perhaps because I had a little more hair than he. With makeshift lighting and cathedral ceilings the audience of some 700 was very attentive on the last Friday in February. Most importantly after seventy-five plus minutes of drama nearly all repeated, right out loud, the salvation prayer.   Next, back to my dear friends in Gulfport, MS at Bel-Aire Baptist. My third trip to work with them on their Easter passion play and present ACT II of GASP. This ambitious congregation is small by some measure but huge in heart and impact. They were a central hub of outreach in the aftermath of Katrina and present their Easter Play against all odds. This year their pastor was diagnosed with rampant cancer and passed away just before Passion Week. It was a massive blow to them, but a rallying point that made them even more determined to impact the Kingdom. The performance of GASP seemed especially poignant that Sunday night as the message of eternal life transcended the frailness of our earthly bodies.   The opportunity to present GASP on Palm Sunday is huge for me, but to have the A.M. service is down right intimidating. I can't help but admire a pastor and church that would turn over a pulpit on one of the three most significant days in the Christian year. Bethesda Christian Church is outside of Detroit, and this year it was most definitely outside my comfort zone. Temperature that it. It was hovering around 30 degrees most of the time and you can imagine where I was hovering most of the time. I'm guessing about 1200 came that morning, and I had a ball. The connect with the audience was instant and obvious and I had the entire stage to romp. The Gospel According to Simon Peter was where it all started for me in 1992, and the drama has gone through several overhauls, but the message remains alive and well and the current rendition of GASP may be the very best. It was a short trip with a quick turn around but I'm trusting the message will live on.   There is not enough I can say for One Voice Ministries. This group of folks is a conglomerate from seven different churches and dozens of occupations and backgrounds. Fifty plus in all, they started with what they thought would be one concert five years ago. After seventy-five presentations they are cooking on all burners. I have worked with them before but this was the most ambitious. The director, Dona Lyn, is so sold out to do the Lord's work that most, and me too, must admit it is somewhat useless to try and tell her, "No, I don't think I can do that." My first encounter with them didn't seem to fit into my calendar, but Dona Lyn informed me, "Mac, we have already prayed about this." End of story. Each engagement since has been an inspirational highlight, but this one was off the charts. They could not get their usual venue for Good Friday, a high school auditorium in Meredith, NH for whatever reason, so Dona Lyn started scouring around. She found the Concord Auditorium, which was dark for the holidays. When I saw the pictures I was already drooling. The vintage 1904 facility reeks of vaudeville and Phantom of the Opera. The smallish stage was barely adequate for the troupe but the setting was undeniable a fit. There were even remnants of foot lights on stage and leaded stained glass in the lobby. The 800-seat auditorium had a most intimate feeling with the balcony barely a toss away. This presentation was entitled "Unbelievable Love." It was a mix of dance, solos, choral, and, ta-da - drama. Should I have to have a performance to call my last, this would be the one. The audience was completely with it from the get go. Laughing out loud at all the right places, and groaning a bit too. Wisely, Dona Lyn restricted the age to five years and up. What a difference. You could not hear a diaper pin drop or the remotest distraction throughout the 90-minute show.   I had quite the workout this Easter season, but do not regret pushing the envelope. The more I play out the scenes in this Passion play, the more personal, perhaps even intimate my character Simon becomes. I find myself wiped-out after flinging myself about the stage for seventy-five minutes. The day after I often experience a psychological hangover and wonder if I should be in public or operate heavy equipment as my attitude and patience are somewhere south of where they should be. But what I don't expect is that each presentation deepens my belief and understanding. Becoming immersed in Simon is to believe what he believes. That is a mental roller coaster as his faith was stretched and MIA often. Me too. Knowing the end of the story helps, as long as I don't let that excuse keep me from my daily rounds - on stage and off.   Thanks for listening, and as always, may God bless you dramatically today. mac </////><