Up Over – V

Bernie and I had an outing with five of the teen children in my son’s household: Isaiah, Micah, Noah, Tabitha and Hannah. There is a church in the Springs, New Life, where they enjoy the youth group which is also the location of “The Thorn”, an masterful interpretation of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The core of the production are professional but most of the cast, a couple of hundred, are locals and include men, women, teens and  even very small children. The dancing and music were fantastic, but I especially enjoyed the portrayal of Jesus’ disciple John who was the narrator. He told the stories as the very old John living on the Island of Patmos and he told them with great humanity and humor. The scenes of the crowds were achieved with hordes walking down the aisles of the church. One part I really liked was the portrayal of Judas as a man who wanted to “force the hand” of Jesus when he betrayed him. This is the interpretation I have come up with in my studies.

The best part was sharing it with the teen grandkids. After the performance, two of the boys made sure we met their girlfriends, both participants in the production. We went out to Mac’s in Monument afterwards for eats and brought fries and a sundae home for Kailah who babysat the youngers so that we could go. The kids shared their responses to the production but I know there was more happening in them than they could give word to and this has my curiosity. The ability to talk about spirit is not easy, but I know from my own life that spirit moves and responds all the time.

We are coming to the end of this adventure, but there is still much to do. Today the kids have physical education and later, Grandpa takes two of the girls, Kailah and Hannah, to hunter safety class. One of Wendy’s friends is bringing over a prepared meal for supper. Last night we ate another donated supper, tasty chicken chili, before we left for the play. Being free from being chained to the kitchen really  helps. Yesterday I treated myself to an outing in the town of Monument, visiting some of its quaint shops, schmoozing with owners, and had a café mocha at a quaint coffee shop. I could almost live here.