performance

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I Don’t Want To Be The Backdrop To Your Stage

For some people, every environment is nothing more than a backdrop to their personal stage. They are the centre of attention wherever they go.

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That’s all fine and good; let them be the focus everywhere they go. What I don’t appreciate is being sucked in to their audience.

A perfect example was at the hockey game last night. My wife, Lily, and I took our seats just before the preliminaries, ceremonial puck drop, and singing of the national anthem.

Right away I noticed that there was some chatter behind us. There were two women having a conversation.

I thought maybe they had arrived separately and were just catching up with each other.

I had some different thoughts once the game started. About 45 seconds into the game, one of the women stopped talking long enough to ask, “Has the game started?”

The puck and players were down in the far corner of the rink – it was pretty obvious that the game was on! Somehow she missed the face-off at center ice with all the players lined up.

I honestly thought the woman’s eyesight was impaired and she needed help following the action.

No, that wasn’t the case. She was a non-stop talker and had been busy telling a story about a relationship issue she had with another women, I believe who worked in the same office she did.

… If you’re think that you didn’t need to know that information, that’s how I felt as I watched the game on the ice and got a play-by-play of office politics.

These two women took the stage like pros, barely breathing between sentences, speaking trivial dribble like it was sensitive information that would later be reported on the 11 o’clock news.

I didn’t look back, but I am sure that thermal imprint my brain took of the scene behind me was of these two women in their thirties, turned slightly towards each other in their seats, with not an eye turned to what was happening on the ice.

It was brutal to say the least! Lily couldn’t stand it; she wanted to sit somewhere else. She immediately stood up when the horn went to end the period; she had to get away from the two performers behind us.

These women had no interest in the game. It was all just a backdrop to their conversation, which they were sure everyone around them wanted to get in on.

And sure, why wouldn’t I go to a hockey game to hear about why a guy ignored a woman in the office after she had apologized for the thing she had said in the presence of several other coworkers?

I don’t think he was being fair either. Except for the fact that, if I was that guy, I wouldn’t just ignore the woman, I would be asking my boss for a transfer, looking for another job, or doing pretty much anything else, just so I didn’t have to listen to her anymore!

Here’s the thing: Sometimes when we pray, we use that as a backdrop to our own stage, where we do all the talking, and never stop asking. When our prayer is done, it’s like the curtain closes, the lights dim and the audience leaves. Prayer is not a backdrop for our performance. It is a conversation that should involve more listening than talking. When we pray we should be sure we are allowing room on the stage for God to speak into our lives.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you manage your prayer time to give room for God to speak to you? Leave your comment below.

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Why You Should Keep Things Simple

The other night, my wife, daughter and I went downtown to the Buskers Festival. Years ago buskers were individuals on a street corner who had some kind of talent and were trying to make a few bucks in the summer.

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Now it’s an industry, with people traveling all over the world to cities bringing them in for festivals. They block off streets and allow large crowds of people to gather round.

At one time, they used to just open their guitar case or throw down a hat and hope people would put money in as they passed by. It’s a little different now.

I hadn’t been down to see the buskers in our city for several years, but I sure noticed something different this year. These performers were into entertainment more that performing their stunts.

I saw three acts and there was no question about their talent and abilities, but I got bored with their acts. They were too long. I wanted to see the pole guy climb the pole more, and do more tricks up there.

Perhaps the guys he picked from the audience to support the pole weren’t as strong as they looked. Maybe he needed to give them a rest in between trips up to the top of his free standing pole. I kind of wanted to see him carry the female volunteer from the crowd up with him.

The lady who could stick her head through her legs was a little creepy, but she could really do the hula hoop … several of them … at one time … all on different appendages.

But she went on and on about how long she had been practicing her craft, and how dangerous it was to do the hula hoop from 7 feet in the air. That’s not even the height of a normal ceiling in a home.

At least the pole guy didn’t talk. I’m not sure if he couldn’t talk or if it was part of the act. But he didn’t go on and on about preferring bills over change like the hula girl did.

I kept looking over and wishing we had gone to the fire guy about a half a block over. I’m not sure what he was doing, but he had fire, and anything with fire is more exciting than a hula hoop or a pole.

I liked seeing these street performers, but the crowds were so big that they all really needed bleachers, which sort of takes away from the “street” part of the performance. My suggestion would be to have more acts, so that the crowds would be smaller around each act and the performers wouldn’t feel they had to talk so much.

I just want to see more amazing tricks, stunts, and talent.

Here’s the thing: There are times when I add things to my devotions that really aren’t part of it. Sometimes I have the inkling to check something like my email before my time with God. All those extra things do is get me distracted from just being with God, listening, learning and talking to Him. I need to remember to keep my time with Him simple and to the point.

Question: What distracts you most when you want to spend time with God? Leave your comment below.