God's peace

“Be still, and know that I am God.”  —Psalm 46:10 

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy,” says the old song. Yet for many people worries and stresses don’t take a summer vacation. 
 
That doesn’t mean, however, that we have to respond with panic or anxiety. As Dr. Norman Vincent Peale said, “Life can be wonderful… if you will just get the stillness of God into your body, mind, and soul. Do the best you can; do good, be good. Then put it all into His hands and trust Him. Don't be excited; don't be nervous; don't be tense. Just be still. Remember that He is God, and He will give the peace and power of God to you.”
 
And Dr. Peale offered some scriptures for relaxing tension: Mark 4:39; John 14:27; Philippians 4:7; Matthew 11:28. Read these verses slowly and take them deep within yourself.

Twelfth Night

Welcome to the New York stage, Anne Hathaway. It’s a pleasure to have you. Please come back again often!

The Academy Award-nominated actress is delightful as Viola, Shakespeare’s plucky cross-dressing heroine in the bright and breezy Public Theater production of Twelfth Night, at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater through July 12.

Tony-winning director Daniel Sullivan brings this romantic comedy of shipwrecked twins, mistaken identity and, of course, love brilliantly to life, making it a sharp contrast to the last two Shakespeare in the Park Twelfth Night productions I saw. Casting a Hollywood star with little stage experience can be fatal, as anyone who saw Julia Roberts’ dreadful Broadway debut several years ago can attest, but Sullivan has discovered a natural in Hathaway. She steals the show away from her Broadway veteran costars, four-time Tony nominee Raúl Esparza as Orsino (in photo left with Hathaway) and four-time Tony winner Audra McDonald as Olivia.

I’ve always loved this story of the twins, Viola and Sebastian (Stark Sands), who are washed ashore separately on the mysterious land of Illyria. Each thinking the other is dead, they journey on, finding true love and adventure before their happy unexpected reunion at the end. Unfortunately the 1989 staging starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Goldblum was a shipwreck of a production, with egos run amok and little sense of relationship between characters. The 2002 production with Jimmy Smits and Julia Stiles was better, but damned by a huge fiberglass wave that dominated the stage. As soon as we sat down and I glanced at the set I said to my friend Carolyn, “Before this night is over someone is going to slide down that wave.” Little did I dream that every character was going to make his or her entrance down that slide -- every time they appeared. It was an annoying device that got tiresome very fast.

No such problem with John Lee Beatty’s cheery green set of rolling hills and trees. And no problem here with noticeable actor egos, despite the major names involved. There’s an ensemble feeling with all, although the always dependable David Pittu as Feste and Jay O. Sanders as Sir Toby Belch really stand out in their comic roles.

The spirited cast also includes Tony-winning actress Julie White as Maria, Michael Cumpsty as Malvolio, Hamish Linklater as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Herb Foster as Valentine, Kevin Kelly as Sea Captain, Baylen Thomas as Curio and Jon Patrick Walker as Fabian.

Completing the ensemble are Charles Borland, Andrew Crowe, Steve Curtis, Clifton Duncan, David Kenner, Leslie Harrison, Slate Holmgren, Christopher Layer, Robin LeMon, Dorien Makhloghi, Ray Rizzo, Julie Sharbutt and Zach Villa.

A big shout out goes to the singers and musicians who make the charming music a real part of the show. The original score is by the Brooklyn-based folk-rock band Hem, made up of vocalist Sally Ellyson, pianist Dan Messe, and guitarists Gary Maurer and Steve Curtis. I’ve never enjoyed music in a Shakespeare production as much as I did here. Usually the music is incidental, but for a play whose opening line is “If music be the food of love, play on . . ,” it’s nice to have such a lively partnering.

Finally, recognition need to go to Jane Greenwood for her cheery costumes, Peter Kaczorowski for his lighting, Acme Sound Partners for sound design, Rick Sordelet for his fight direction and Mimi Lieber for choreography.

This Twelfth Night is destined to remain forever one of my all-time favorite Shakespeare in the Park productions. I hope you can get in to see it. For the record, we waited about four hours for our tickets, part of the time in the rain and sitting in the mud. It was well worth the wait.

Performances of Twelfth Night are Tuesday through Sunday at 8 p.m. Tickets are free and are available on the day of the performance (two per person) at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park beginning at 1 p.m., or by entering the Public's online ticketing lottery at PublicTheater.org.

Start Living a More Positive Life Today! Mary Steenburgen tells you how

Academy Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen has charmed audiences with roles in dozens of hit movies and television shows, including "Elf," "Joan of Arcadia," and "I Am Sam," to name a few.  

Mary’s real-life roles include wife of actor Ted Danson ("Cheers," "Becker," "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), mom to daughter Lily and son Charlie, and stepmom to Ted’s daughters Kate and Katrina.

Through her many different roles both onscreen and in real life, Mary has discovered ways to live a more positive life. Here she shares four of them.

1. Laugh Like a 12-Year-Old
Onscreen, I often play refined or reserved women, but in real life, I have the mentality of a 12-year-old boy! There’s nothing I enjoy more than a good joke, and there’s never anything so wrong with me that Ted can’t make me laugh.
 
My dream job was the movie "Step Brothers" with Will Farrell and John C. Reilly because I got to hang around with these two hilarious men all day. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven! I think the key to happiness is being able to find the humor in even tough situations. 

Sometimes, all you can do is laugh. It’s good for the soul.

2. Celebrate the Gifts God Gives You
Every day, I stop and consider how blessed I am to have Ted and our amazing kids. Ted and I met after we’d both gone through some really tough stuff, and I definitely believe that he was a gift from God.  

Also, our kids are now adults, and they’re our best friends. Our family philosophy is that we are a gift to one another, and not to celebrate it would be almost a crime. Think about the relationships in your life that are deeply rich and rewarding and be grateful for them.

3. Light a Candle—Literally and Figuratively
With so many problems in the world today, it’s easy to feel like we can’t make a difference, but each of us has to try to play our own small part in improving things. 

In other words: Just because we can’t do everything doesn’t mean we can’t do something. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

When my daughter Lily and I decided to launch our own line of soy-based, environmentally responsible candles, we also decided to donate a portion of the proceeds to Heifer International, an organization that provides livestock to impoverished people all over the world. 

We feel like we’re doing something beautiful on an aesthetic level and also helping other people, which is the most beautiful thing any of us can do.

4. Scare Yourself—in a Good Way
Every actor dreads being typecast.  People used to think of me only as a dramatic actress, yet I’ve just made five comedies in a row! 

It’s not just actors who are typecast, though: We tend to pigeonhole others—as well as ourselves—because it just feels easier. But we’re all complicated, and nobody boils down to just one thing. 

When I was thinking about getting into the home-and-garden and candle-making businesses, my first thought was, “I don’t know anything about this!”
 
But I took the leap, and I learned. It was a little scary, but I think it’s important sometimes to scare ourselves a bit, to step outside the mold we think we fit into. Even if you fail, you grow from the experience. 

And you might just find that the role you were destined to play is much bigger than the one someone else wrote for you.
-----
Catch Mary this month in "The Proposal," a romantic comedy with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.

This article by Ginger Rue appeared in Guideposts magazine.

Daily Guideposts

It was my usual end-of-day confession of failure. Letters I hadn't written, phone calls I'd intended to make, opportunities for kindness I hadn't seized upon. God must be as tired of hearing these bedtime laments, I thought, as I was of making them.

That's when some drawings I'd seen that morning popped into my mind: a two-page spread in a volume of cartoons in the dentist's waiting room. There were no captions, just thirty black-and-white drawings tracing a day in the life of a cymbal player. The musician wakes up, shaves, dresses, eats breakfast, studies his score. Finally he puts his cymbals in their case, travels to the concert hall and takes his place in the percussion section of the orchestra.

He waits quietly through most of the program. As his time to perform approaches, he seizes the cymbals and stands up, breathlessly watching the conductor's baton. The big moment comes! He clashes the cymbals together, one ringing, reverberating, perfectly timed note.

His allotted role accomplished, he leaves the stage, puts on hat and coat, travels home, enjoys dinner, yawns, puts on his pajamas, brushes his teeth, and goes to bed supremely content.

The cymbal player has done the one thing required of him. And was I, I wondered, remembering that picture-story, so capable and important—so central to God's plan—that He asked more of me? Maybe in the multiplicity of each day's events there was a single assignment for me. Maybe if I watched the Conductor more closely I would discover what it was.

Faithful Lord, what one thing have You for me to do this day?


This essay by Elizabeth Sherrill appeared in Guideposts magazine’s online newsletter.

The Lights are Bright on Broadway Awards Announced

Dan Gordon, author of Broadway’s Irena’s Vow, and Radio City Rockette Cheryl Cutlip, founder of Project Dance, will receive 2009 The Lights are Bright on Broadway awards presented by Masterwork Productions, Inc. to individuals and organizations making a difference in the Broadway community through faith.

Irena’s Vow is a play based on real life Irena Gut Opdyke, a Polish Catholic who singlehandedly saved 12 Jews from death in the Nazi camps during World War II. Irena’s vow to God not to stand by and helplessly watch as Jews are slaughtered and the faith on which she relies drive Mr. Gordon’s story.

“I am deeply honored by this award,” Mr. Gordon said. “In honoring the play, of course, you are honoring Irena Gut Opdyke's courage, moral rectitude and unshakable faith in her Creator, her rock and her salvation. Absent that faith she said many times she would never have been able to do all that she did. In the last conversation we had the day before she died her sole concern was ‘Who will tell the children when I'm gone?’ My answer was ‘you will.’ That was the reason the play was written and it is my fervent hope that it will continue to tell Irena's story of faith and courage to ever wider audiences.”

Mr. Gordon’s award will be presented to him and the company at the conclusion of the Broadway performance this Saturday, June 27, at the Walter Kerr Theatre by Masterworks executive director and Broadway reviewer Lauren Yarger.

Cheryl Cutlip, (in photo) following a call to “make a difference in the artistic fiber of our nation,” founded Project Dance, which has produced performance events in Times Square, Los Angeles', Hollywood and Australia. Dance Spirit magazine has named the New York event as one of the top 10 dance events in New York City.

“Project Dance is thrilled and honored to receive this unique award,” Ms. Cutlip said. “I never imagined a day when the work of believing artists in the NYC community would be recognized in the public square.  Our only hope has been to encourage dancers toward their highest potential and offer performance and training opportunities worldwide where dancers are able to express their faith in God through the gift of dance.  Whether it's been a Bible study in the rehearsal halls at Radio City or a circle of prayer before a Broadway Underground show, Project Dance desires to honor God with every success within the performing arts community. ”

Project Dance’s award will be presented at an upcoming New York event to be announced.

Masterwork Productions, Inc. is a faith-based, non-profit organization that helps Christians and churches reach out through the performing arts by producing shows and events, booking artists, providing Broadway and theater reviews and training at workshops and conferences. For more information, visit http://www.masterworkproductions.org.

“When you eat, you are feeding God. When you speak, you are speaking for God and to God. When you live, you are living the glory of God.”
-- Guru Muktananda

Will Smith's Secret to Success

He's not superhuman, but he's got what it takes...

What does a treadmill have to do with Will Smith’s success as a movie star and actor?
 
Everything!
 
When asked by an interviewer to explain his success, he responded:
 
“I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked. You may be more talented than me. You might be smarter than me. And you may be better looking than me. But if we get on a treadmill together you are going to get off first or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple. I’m not going to be outworked.”
 
But what about his talent you might ask. After all, he is charismatic, funny and a great actor. Isn’t that the reason for his success? Not according to Will Smith. In fact he considers himself to be slightly above average in the talent category. Rather, he attributes his success to his work ethic.
 
You may be surprised to hear this because popular opinion says that successful people who have risen to the top of their profession got there because “they were lucky” or “they were chosen” or “they were born with more talent than everyone else.” We overestimate their talent and we underestimate our own.

In my research for Training Camp I found that people such as Will Smith are not super human and they don’t have some mutant gene that makes them better. What makes them stand out is that they work harder. It’s really that simple.

When others are sleeping, they are working. When others are wasting time, they are improving. When others are scattering their energy they are practicing and zoom focusing.
 
Of course talent is necessary to excel at something but natural ability will only take someone so far. The key is to infuse one’s talent with hard work, passion and a drive for excellence.
 
So what does Will Smith have to do with you?
 
Everything!
 
If you want to take your career or “game” to the next level you must be willing to pay the price that greatness requires. You must be willing to work harder than everyone you know. There’s no easy shortcut. Hard work has been, is and always will be the key to anyone’s success. To be your best you must invest all that you are to become everything you wish to be. Will Smith knows it and now you know it.
 
Are you willing to pay the price? Let’s hop on the treadmill together!

This essay by Jon Gordon appeared in Guideposts magazine.