Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery...

Behind the Backyard Fence

November 26, 2013

 

Noah, age 7, playing "By the Backyard Fence™".

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

The goal of this ministry is to represent Jesus and to represent Him well. You never know who’s watching.

We took the puppets (and their heads) and went to Hagerstown, Maryland this past Sunday. I’m happy to report that heads and props made an appearance on time and in place. We had the privilege to minister to a great group of kids (and adults.)

We received a message Sunday evening sharing that parts of our program were being played out in their living room. The children had their own version of “By the Backyard Fence™” going on. Also, a stuffed pig had now been renamed, “Toobie” in honor of our large  blacklight puppet. Shout out to PlaySoup and ‘Hubie Toobie.’

We set a very high standard in this ministry…that what you see in front of the curtain is who we are behind the curtain. To have a child imitate us is the most sincerest form of flattery. That speaks to our hearts. We always want to be about living and sharing the truth of God’s love in a very real and tangible way…whether it’s with puppets or with our words and actions.  

Isn’t that what it’s really all about for all of us …living our lives imitating Jesus. You never know who is watching.

With my eyes on Him,

Kendra

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Behind the Backyard Fence

November 19, 2013

Kristofer being.... well, a kid at heart!

KIDS…Gotta love them!

I love kids…I love having an audience of kids. There’s nothing like the excitement and enthusiasm of a child.

Have you ever observed a young child? Their lives are so full of life and wonder. They marvel at anything new. The world is exciting to them.

On our way home from the conference in Perkasie, we stopped at a Cracker Barrel for dinner. As we were waiting to be seated, I was watching a little girl.  Her eyes “lit up and danced” as she looked at all of the Christmas decorations. I miss those days in my own life. Or…is there some way to still live like that? In awe of each day; appreciating life and the world around us that God has given us. Sheds a whole new light on “becoming like a little child.”

Basking in God’s love, a feeling of warmth and protection; knowing that “Daddy” has me and I don’t have to fear anything. For the One who holds the universe holds me.

That’s the heart of this ministry to “show and tell” God’s love so that children can grow up knowing ‘Daddy God loves me and there’s nothing that He and I together can’t do.’ For the One who holds the universe holds me. Bears repeating. Oh, to live in that place of truth and love…in awe and wonder…in His arms.

A kid at heart,

Kendra

Behind the Backyard Fence™/Heads Will Roll…Literally

Behind the Backyard Fence™

November 15, 2013

Welcome…to life behind the backyard fence™.

I’m not a puppeteer. I don’t even pretend to be one. Just ask my team. But I am the writer and creative consultant for Evergreen Creative Ministries. I try to catch God’s creative vision and implement it into the writing process of bringing our “By the Backyard Fence™”characters to life through words.

But I’m not alone. For these wonderful, quirky and “true to life” characters would not come to life without the talents of our team…the ones who take my written words and add the personality and charm of each character. It is Kristofer, Kristyn and Amanda who truly make the characters come to life!

And so we invite you to join us Behind…The Backyard Fence as we share with you the funny and serious side of our ministry. It is our hope that some of our stories will make you smile, maybe even laugh out loud. Some stories  will be more serious. We will share the good and the not so good of life that happens on this side of the fence. And hopefully all of our stories will encourage you in your relationship with the Lord.

Fast forward. Our first story awaits.

Sharing life from behind the scenes,

Kendra

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Kristofer holding Willie's (removable) head.

Behind the Backyard Fence™

November 15, 2013

Heads Will Roll…Literally

 This past Saturday we attended the Creative Ministries Solutions Conference in Perkasie, PA, where we were asked to teach and perform.   Here we were, the first performance of the day.  I had caught the creative vision, relayed it to the team; they caught the vision and ran with it.  Of course, we wanted to do our best. I had pictured this performance in my mind over and over again. We had practiced. There had been many long, late nights. We were prayed up and ready to go.

The performance itself began well. And kudos to the team for usually being able to think fast on their feet to cover up mistakes.

 The “star” of the show was a four foot Bunraku style puppet that Kristofer had built… ‘Willie the pig.’ Those of you who are familiar with puppetry and the stage area know how very dark it can be backstage. Now add a four foot pig strapped to your body. I heard the song begin and from my point of view in the darkened back stage area…it sounded like everything was rolling along smoothly… literally.  The song ended, Kristofer waddled backstage with the pig still attached and the first words out of his mouth were … “Willie’s head fell off at the beginning of the song.” A huge pig head falling off and rolling across the stage was not the creative vision that I had for this song.

As it turned out…while the pig’s head was rolling around on the floor…it was backstage and not out front and Willie made an entrance that ‘seemed’ like it could have been planned.

Who would have thought that the same scene would be repeated not once…but twice more before the performance ended. The second and third times it was a butterfly head. Really?! Needless to say…the butterfly…having lost its head twice…did not make the ‘grand’ entrance that it was suppose to. As I sat, props in hand, watching the head roll…my mind went into fast forward trying to think how to save this song within a few seconds.  As I watched the literal rolling of the heads, I just quietly laid down my props and said, “I’m done.”

So, how did this all turn out? The team rallied.  The butterfly made an entrance…not a grand entrance…but an entrance just the same. Having lost not only its head, but also it’s wing arm rod. So now it could not fly, but only flap. The team finished the song…with no help from me, I might add. I was too busy sitting on the floor surrounded by props and puppet heads feeling like my head might pop off and go rolling also.  

Lesson to be learned. After going out to the van to call my husband and cry long distance to him…he suggested it might be a lesson in character building…ours…not the puppets. How were we going to handle this?

 As it turned out, Kristofer used the experiences in his next two classes that he was teaching. Those of us in this business know that no matter how much you practice and how much you think you have it all together…something can and probably will not go the way you planned. Use it. Laugh about it…later…much later. Share it. It happens to all of us and the ‘God’ lesson is in how we deal with it.

Do we lay down our props and say “I’m done” or do we ‘keep our heads’ and press on, trusting God to work everything out…using the things that could make us come “unglued” to strengthen our character.

Thanks to the team for keeping their heads and their sense of humor to press on.

As for the puppets…nothing a lot of hot glue won’t fix.

Keeping my head!

Kendra