The Doctor is in.

August 2016

	Jean Plays Many Parts in The Little Mermaid Nine performances at the Kitsap Forest Theater over four weekends were very well attended. Audiences of three to four hundred filled the steep amphitheater above the rustic stage. Jean played a trigger fish (in blue), a maid, and a princess (the daughter of the King of Prussia.) The musical followed the Disney movie. Jean's SPU friend Angela visited mid-month and saw the show with Annie, Thomas, Susan, and Georgia. Nancy, Nathanael, Cynthia, and I saw it in 90 degree plus temperatures on the 20th and Nancy and Cynthia returned to bring Jean home on the 21st when temps cooled to the 70s. Nancy had also attended the preview night performance. SPU classmate Lance Valdez did a great job playing Louis the French chef, and even as a member of the chorus, Jean continued to shine. She was happy that the play drew out tears from her dad since the theme was of a father (King Triton) releasing a beloved daughter (Princess Ariel) to her new life ashore. [ I do like these shows where the audience can snap a few photos! ]



	Next Up For Jean? Jean closed out August with another round of auditions. There was a long list of possible roles for October shows. But Jean quickly faced the same problem she had this summer. She auditioned on the same Monday night for two stage plays — both theatres being in Edmonds. Phoenix Theatre, whose tag line is "Comedy without all the Drama!", offered Jean the role as Eileen, a young (and unexpectedly pregnant) ingénue in their upcoming show of Moon Over Buffalo. But she was hoping for a part in the more serious Fahrenheit 451 being staged October 20 to 30 by the Edmonds Driftwood Players. The day after Jean declined the Moon Over Buffalo part, she happily accepted the offer to play Mildred, the wife of the main character Guy Montag, in Fahrenheit 451. She is very happy to be in a drama after three comedies in a row. One might say, she is over the moon about being cast in Fahrenheit 451. "Phenomenal" was the actual word the producer of Fahrenheit 451 used to described Jean's audition.
	*The Messiah According to Matthew* Concludes After five summers, my Bible study through Matthew came to its conclusion exactly on the tenth of the ten sessions this summer on August 4th. The seniors at the Emerald Heights Retirement Community even gave me an ovation, something I was not expecting and had not received in prior summers. And before another week had gone by, I was contacted and asked if I could teach the class again next summer. I agreed to begin a study on the Book of Acts, which is what was suggested to me. Here is the introduction to my final hour. Over the centuries, Christians have differed on what to do with the blessings, commands, and warnings found in this Sermon on the Mount. I like the take of the early church. They followed the Nike slogan of just do it! Don’t over-analyze it. These are clearly our marching orders, no matter how difficult they seem. This is my view of these three chapters. The old Roman Catholic view of the middle ages was that this sermon was only for the few. Since it counseled perfection, it was only intended for priests, monks, and nuns. Forgetting, of course, that the whole church is to be a nation of priests and kings to our God. The early reformers, with their high (and correct) view of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone, saw that Jesus raised the bar so high that His great sermon on the Law could do no more than convict us of our many sins and drive us the harder toward His grace. Many early modern Protestants saw this sermon as just a guide to our attitudes and motivations — actually doing what Jesus asked, well, that was only for fanatics. And the modern Dispensationalists of Darby, Schofield, and Ryrie, of Moody Bible Institute and Dallas Theological Seminary and other colleges in the Bible School movement, say this sermon only describes the way of life in the future millennial kingdom after Christ’s return — it’s not for today. But after you hear about the series of warnings with which Jesus concludes His most famous sermon, perhaps you will agree with me, that I’m not willing to take a chance that Jesus had any other motive than that we should hear and obey, as much as ever we can, and certainly with His help, relying on His grace alone to make up for our lack. I hope to not make the mistake again of not getting to serious study until May. I have F. F. Bruce in my library already, and just acquired John Stott's book on Acts. I'm already looking forward to next summer — a very good sign.
	Bits and Pieces ♦ Nathanael completed his first quarter in SPU's Master's program, taking three classes. His student teaching began at Lindbergh High School in Renton on the 29th, with classes beginning on the 31st. The end of the month finds me buying his autumn textbooks online. He's assured me that he'll cover the $5,364.71 half-yearly property tax bill in October in lieu of room and board (and phone, and gas, and etc.). ♦ This 1920px wide image of Mt. Rainier was taken from the ferry coming back from Bremerton. On the ride over, I was surprised to meet good friend Mike Standard, age 74, of Bellevue Presbyterian. We talked the whole hour. He doesn't understand why I don't seek an M.Div. He is a strong advocate of my Bible teaching. At age 61 and already having plenty of degrees, I'm happy to be just a lay teacher. Plus there is no spare time in my life for classes. ♦ I taught my part of BUS 6031 Professional Effectiveness I in August to the MAM-SSM students. We'll see how they do on the exam on September 15th. At the end of each of my three hour long lessons, the class of 17 applauded me. In theory, they had been doing my online lessons weekly since June. I also took their "professional" headshots for their LinkedIn sites. Stefanie Kato (left) knew me from BCS and I took photos of her and her brother Alex on the Track team. Tasia (right) showed that she is not as far behind in her knowledge of Microsoft Excel as she thought. She seemed to do well when she came by for tutoring. I had spent some time on YouTube reviewing notes on portrait photography about DX vs. FX lenses and about depth of field. Brandy (middle) looks a lot like every photographer's model I saw on YouTube. ♦ I was walking home up 100th Ave NE on the 26th, and waved to Vicky Donnel, the new BCS XC coach, as she drove south. It was late, almost 7:00 PM, and I assumed she was going home from practice on a 90+ degree day. But soon I spotted the BCS boy's team running toward me. They were happy to see their photographer at NE 10th Street. "Our" first race is September 13th. ♦ The new house on the block is nearly complete on its exterior, but the interior has a long way to go. We won't be seeing a new family move in before school starts. ♦ My summer vacation this year amounted to August 8, 9, and 10 and I even worked on the third day. The undergraduate coordinator, Elizabeth Jorgensen, was out the last half of the month due to the passing of her dad. I had met him last year at the wedding of Elizabeth and Josh. Nancy and I took the video of her father walking her down the isle. ♦ Nancy is once again back in "building" mode. After 23 years, we still lack flooring in the library, master bedroom, small hallway outside the master bath, and on the 2nd floor — Nathanael's bedroom, the gym, and pictured here, the second floor landing. It's a feat that she can put in a day of hard labor now at 61. She regularly gets interrupted by hot weather, helping with Ginger, and the daily duties of life. Alas, she did surprise me with a $12,000 dental bill (over the next two years) as she's got some significant work to be done. My Quote from August "The only thing that is constant is change." -- Heraclitus of Ephesus, "the Weeping Philosopher," 535 BC - 475 BC.

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