Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: SING (08/16/18)
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TITLE: Wanted: Cat Herders | Previous Challenge Entry
By Allison Egley
08/23/18 -
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1. Pray.
2. Carefully choose your musical with the key leader and order it.
3. Hope you haven’t over committed yourselves before you’ve even started.
4. Repeat step 1.
5. Recruit a small army of helpers. Assure they have extensive training in herding cats.
6. After the materials arrive, develop your nerves of steel. You will be listening to the music ad nauseum until the day of the final performance.
7. Be prepared that your family will likely ban you from singing any of the musical songs while in the house after approximately two days. They may even ban you from the house if you so much as start humming the first few bars of a song or bring the music in the house.
8. Revise the musical script as needed.
9. Resist the urge to throw your computer out the window as you complete step eight. Just because the PDF document you have of the script doesn’t “play well” with your word processing software is no reason to sacrifice your computer.
10. Fret a bit, since registrations for kids aren’t where they were at this point last year.
11. Pray.
12. Plan kick-off day and other weekly lessons with your leaders.
13. Let the fun begin.
14. It’s kick-off day! Provide leaders with a nutritious breakfast for the long morning ahead. Donuts are always a hit.
15. Make sure you have your back-up tag team ready, as those on the front lines may collapse from sheer exhaustion within the first hour.
16. First “real” practice.
17. As children arrived, engage them in a game of “Duck, Duck, Goose,” the “unofficial official” game of the summer children’s musical. Wince as children nearly hit the wall, and have the teen helpers help the kids move the circle... oval... uh... amoeba?? a few more feet away from said wall.
18. Pray.
19. Continue weekly practices.
20. Audition time!
21. Meet with the other main leaders and rearrange the main roles and solos at least ten times, until you finally conclude that your first assignments were best all along.
22. Repeat steps 1, 4, 11, and 18.
23. Intense practices begin.
24. Assign songs and scenes to be memorized, which will be mostly ignored, especially by the main roles.
25. Add choreography. The people in the car next to you will give you odd looks, as you attempt to the motions one-handed while driving down the highway. Assure you still maintain complete control of your vehicle. You’re a pro at this by now, but a reminder is always good... Do NOT remove both hands from the steering wheel at the same time, no matter how tempting it may be give “praise hands” their full due.
26. Time to get on stage.
27. Attempt to keep 30 kids on stage quiet while you work with the main characters.
28. Pray that the kids will have the words memorized.... next week.
29. “It always comes together in the end. It always comes together in the end.” Repeat as needed.
30. Time for the technical rehearsal, with microphones, scenery, and everything. Provide aspirin for the tech crew.
31. Pray. At times with groanings that cannot be uttered. Repeat. Continuously.
32. Dress rehearsal.
33. AHHHH! Dress rehearsal?!? ALREADY??
34. Give the pastor's kid "the look" for not doing the motions, while simultaneously attempting to do the motions for the rest of the kids, all while sitting in the front row with no physical contact.
35. Have reminder signs ready. SMILE! Sit still! No shouting.
36. Repeat the oft quoted drama mantra. “Bad dress rehearsal equals good performance.
37. Repeat step 29.
38. Repeat step 29.
39. Repeat step 29.
40. Performance time! AHHH! Already?!??
41. Remind yourself that this is not for your glory, but God’s.
42. Oh, wow. That... wasn’t bad. At all.
43. Give God all the glory. You certainly didn’t do this on your own.
44. Smile. These kids have hidden truths in their hearts. One day, when these kids are 32 years old, one of these songs will come back at just the right moment.
45. Praise God. Repeat until eternity.
46. Take a deep breath. Next year comes sooner than you think.
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Author’s Notes:
Based on reality, with a few exaggerations added in. Maybe.
Reference to “pastor’s kid” used with permission from “pastor’s wife.” He really is a good kid.
Psalm 96:1-3
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
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