In March of this year the Stangl Family came to Tesco Productions to record their next family CD. In September I provided a fairly in depth runoff of all the renditions, and this past week we were able to get together and work on digging into the song mixes more thoroughly. There has been a series of events and schedules that have extended the time period on this project, but good progress has been made. The 15 songs represent a diverse collection of Gospel lyric songs in an eclectic mix of bluegrass, folk and classical stylings.

One For All Musical Theater and Tesco Productions are continuing work on the very expansive original work of The Phantom of the Opera. All the rehearsal songs are now available for each cast member and practice is in full swing. This past couple of weeks we both focused on family events, but again next week we will be back in full swing of additions, enhancements, polishing and other touches . This promises to be a fine presentation in March of 2020.

This past Sunday I was privileged to help a good friend setup and operate sound for his church and a special guest pastor. The local church in the Gretna area brought John MacArthur from California to the LaVista Embassy Suites for an area church service. We set up speakers in the stage area and interfaced with the house system to provide a music worship time and the message from John.

So what is the reason for writing about this? Well, it’s primarily this. Among the other points John MacArthur made that morning, he talked about what it has taken to serve his church faithfully for 50 years and the importance of “finishing well”. I was reminded how easily I can get distracted from what’s really important and drop the baton even when near the goal line. This can be on a particular project or the wider picture of all that composes this temporal life and preparing for the next. Being past the half-way mark in this race I want to take it to heart to stay focused on the finish line, and reach it successfully in every way. Thanks for the opportunity to hear that reminder.