They had three places where they had to stop the taping and re-set because of a camera glitch.

So out of that two hours, how long do you think Jim spent pitching the food products and talking about giving to the ministry?

Around twenty minutes.

I was stunned.

When I see his show on TV, it seems like a large part of it revolves around the food buckets and giving to the ministry to keep it going.  It was just a minor part of today’s taping of the program.  In fact, there wasn’t any real “hard sell” where he had the audience tasting the food or breaking something out to cook it.  The Master’s Media students were really the focus of the show.

After the show, Jim thanked the audience as I took the opportunity to duck out.  I went back to the cafe, ordered a bacon cheeseburger and started to type these blog entries.  That’s when students started to trickle into the cafe.

They sat together.  They ate together.  They laughed together.

It was real, honest fellowship while they had no idea someone was sitting nearby watching how they interacted.  They were pleased with the show and their efforts.  Some chatted about things they would be doing that afternoon.  All of them were just as joyful as before the taping of the show had started out.

And that’s when I really allowed what I saw today to sink in.

It wasn’t about Jim Bakker although you can’t deny he’s a big part of what goes on at the Morningside complex.

It was about these kids.

Regardless of what you think about Jim Bakker or his ministry or even the Master’s Media program, these kids believe in it.  They believe they’re making an impact for Christ and the Kingdom of God and they’re willing to give up large parts of their life to make it happen.  I can’t say if the program is valid or not.  I can’t say if on another day they might not be this tight knit a group.

All I know is today, I saw a fired up group of youths who want to impact the world for Jesus.

And it made me wonder the times that we as adults have taken steps to shut down the ministry ideas that our youth want to do for the things we think that they should be doing because “that’s how it’s always been done.”  What would happen if we listened to them, designed things that would work to their strengths and allowed them to reach their peers in ways that you and I could never do it?

How could they change the world?

Why would we want to get in the way of them changing it?

We need to be supportive of the next generation who knows ways to reach their peers that someone who’s been in ministry for 50 years would never think of doing to bring them Jesus.  It might be the way they’re doing it with GenerationNOW, it might not be the way.  There’s no way to know until we let them try.

If you were expecting some scathing expose of Jim Bakker and lots of dirty little secrets, I’m sorry to disappoint you.  During the time I was observing the situation, I didn’t see anything that would validate the critics of Bakker.  Now, I concede that it was only a short amount of observational time and a small sample size of the students I talked to before and after the show.  I will never say this is definitive on Bakker’s spiritual state or the integrity of the ministry.

I can just say today, I saw fired up youth for Christ.  And that is an encouraging thing.

The show began, Jim welcomed people and then the discussion quickly turned to the Master’s Media students beside him.

The students not only worked on the Jim Bakker Show but also were part of a new internet based ministry called GenerationNOW.  It’s a YouTube based outreach where the students will produce their own mini-shows addressing various topics of interest to those in their teens and early 20s.

The students introduced themselves and shared their hometowns.  One of the students had her mom in the audience and so everyone applauded and they put the camera on mom.  (She actually has two daughters as part of the Master’s Media program.)

Jim started to talk about the concept of GenerationNOW and how it will rub many of Jim’s generation the wrong way.  He shared about how today’s youth are looking for real answers and so many times pastors avoid the heavy issues because they don’t want people to leave their churches.  He said that’s why many churches just feature happy, uplifting messages week after week.

Then the students brought up some of their struggles with drugs and sex.  One talked about how he’s gone to jail.  One of the girls mentioned struggles with a sex related activity.  They said these were things that they had gone through and overcome through Christ’s grace and they wanted to bring that grace and joy to those they see around them.  The students obviously had a passion for reaching out to bring hope to other people.   Call it youthful naivete if you wish but the kids seemed very sincere and not quite as polished on camera and you would expect if everything was deeply rehearsed and scripted!

Jim and Lori then talked about a recent trip where Lori witnessed to a woman who had five abortions just like Lori had in her past.  They said it’s that kind of connection that can make a huge difference and the youth of GenerationNOW will reach out in ways that Jim could never do.

The taping went on and on…and it became clear that Jim wasn’t going to get to use the sermon he had written for the day.  He alluded to it toward the end and the fact that Revelation is in the Bible despite many people not wanting to read it or preach it.  He didn’t dip far into the end times theology that you normally see on the program but rather seemed to be very enthusiastic about the students.  He repeatedly said he wanted them to get the same chances he did to transform Christian broadcasting.

But what struck me was the amount of time he spent pitching the food products and asking for support during the taping.

Tomorrow…we wrap up the series.

As he settled into his spot on the platform for the taping of his show, Jim Bakker was bantering with the audience and staff members.  He was genuinely funny and outgoing.  He started talking about “this guy who used to talk places and hug everyone” and he couldn’t remember Buscaglia’s name.  So I shouted it out to him.

Bakker: “You don’t look old enough to know that.  How old are you?”

Me: “41.”

Bakker: “Oh, you’re just a young one then.  You’re pretty smart.  How did you get so smart?”

Me: “God.”

Lori Bakker: “That’s sweet.”

And then Jim went on about how Leo would stick around after appearances and hug everyone in the audience.  He bantered with some of the regulars in the studio audience and with the members of Master’s Media sitting on the stage with him.

The situation started to get a little more serious indicating it was time to start the taping of the program.  Small adjustments were made to the positions of items on tables, seating of some staff members and even the location of one particular table of lovely elderly ladies.  Jim started talking about a curtain that was in a particular window and how he would really like it to be a different color.  He was forceful but not rude about it but it was clear to me it was more than just a “suggestion.”  That’s when Lori piped up and said that this was the difference between the two of us.  She would say to do it and Jim just “suggests” things.

“When Jim says he suggests something that means he really would like you to do it!” Lori said and laughed.

The curtain change was deemed worthy of being done later and they made a few other small adjustments then started up the program.  Jim went back to cracking jokes with the staff and the audience until the stage managers started an eight second count down.

The opening played, the crowd started to applaud and the taping of the Jim Bakker Show had officially started!  Jim and Lori shared the stage with half a dozen Master’s Media students and singer Kevin Shorey.

The topic of the day apparently was going to include a new internet television ministry called GenerationNOW along with a sermon from Jim.

Jim never made it to the sermon.

Part 3 tomorrow.

I sat down at a table near a row of cameras thinking that if I was right under the camera’s noses there would be less of a chance that I’d be seen on TV.  Young men and women stood behind every camera while others ran around arranging the stage, handing out what appeared to be running orders for the show, adjusting the microphones and audio levels.

The young men and women are part of a program called “Master’s Media” where they’re basically interns learning how to create television programs.

I started to really watch the crew as they were going about their work.  They all seemed to have a joy about them.  They acted like they had a real mission to be doing the things that they were doing.

It’s not the kind of focus you normally expect when you see a group of teenagers gathered together before it’s really “show time.”  Yes, they were laughing and joking and one guy was reciting facts from someone’s twitter account but they were all set to go when it was time to tape the show.

Then seemingly out of nowhere a guy who looked like he could be starting linebacker for the Miami Dolphins appeared over my right shoulder and started talking about the program and how it’s been a life saver for him.  He said that it’s been a place that he feels accepted and welcomed.  His genuine tone caught me off guard.

As Jim and Lori Bakker made their way to the platform, a smiling young gent came over and introduced himself to me.  We had a nice chat about blogging and social media.  It was then I discovered he was Bakker’s grandson and one of the folks who handles social media for the Jim Bakker Show and their new project, Generation NOW.

Even though I was sitting down a little skeptical about what I was about to view, I must admit that the attitude of the staff put me at ease quickly.  However, it still wasn’t show time.

That’s when Jim started talking to the audience.

Part 2 tomorrow.

I’ll say this…they’re quite different.

That’s not to say the show is bad.   It’s just that this Christmas production takes the absurd humor edge that ran throughout “Speak Easy, Die Hard” and turns the volume to 11.   If you’re looking for a more refined British style humor, this isn’t the show for you.  If you have ever been a fan of Lt. Frank Drebin of Police Squad or The Kids In the Hall then you’ll be quite pleased with “Who Killed Mr. Scrooge?”.

The general plot of the show is that you’re watching a play of a murder mystery.  (A play within the play.)  Mr. Scrooge is a descendant of the Scrooge of old…he’s cheap, he’s mean and he’s pretty much obviously marked for death by the other characters.  His money is made by producing the “quackers” used by Ride The Ducks in Branson.  He has a “trophy wife”, an angry ex-wife, subservient peons and a former partner who’s a little crazy.  All of them with a motive.

The over-the-top absurdist style of the humor is the driving factor of the show.  Jokes come so rapid fire that in some cases you miss them because you’re laughing at something else.

I don’t want to give away all the jokes but some of the best lines are the quick zingers playing off the characteristics of other characters.  For example, one of the characters always comes in dancing like a ballerina crossed with an escaped princess.  In the midst of a “fight” a character looks at his woman and calls her a “Disney reject.”  The timing of those lines pretty much pace the production.

The mystery actually comes in two levels for the audience.  You have to figure out who killed Scrooge but who will be the “third ghost” who visits the cast.  Now, I’ll say that I had no idea at the start who the third ghost would be and I’m tempted to give you a clue but that likely wouldn’t be fair.   Let’s just say the twist on the final ghost is guaranteed to blow your mind.

I can’t say the show I saw was a perfect show…there were some obvious timing issues.  To be fair, it was the first show after their Thanksgiving break so that might have contributed to the moments where it seemed the pause in the dialogue lasted longer than usual.  Still, that’s a minor thing in the grand picture of the show.

They serve a good meal as well which I didn’t eat but know because it’s basically the same meal they serve with the Circle B Cowboy Show that performs prior to the murder mystery.  It’s worth the cost.

The show runs through December 30.  Click here for more information.

That annoys me a bit.  Mystery lovers hate it when they can’t guess the killer at the end. I guess that’s a credit to the story so they had enough red herrings to throw me off.

Then again, I was laughing so hard most of the time I probably missed a lot of clues.

“Speak Easy, Die Hard” is the latest Ozark Murder Mysteries production at the Circle B Theatre in Branson.  It features a pasta dinner for those who may have missed dinner earlier.  (I didn’t eat the dinner tonight so I can’t review that.)

The show features an ensemble cast but there’s a clear “star” in the production: Helena Lee.  She’s one of the local “gangster”‘s daughters in the play but in the pre-show she plays “Laurel Vincent”, a British singer/entertainer.  It gives her a chance to show off her vocal chops and tonight she brought a killer rendition of “Cabaret.”  It’s not really something that ties into the murder mystery production but it’s very entertaining.

Let’s put it this way…I’d pay to see her do a full show on her own based on the sample I saw tonight.

The show itself is based around the idea that a tone-deaf performer Roy Billy-Bob Joe Horton who gets a theatre to perform in thanks to local “gangster” Peter “Pa” Parker.  Peter obtained the money from a bunch of gangsters around the country who come to collect.

The show progresses at a steady tempo although it dragged a bit in the middle.  I’m chalking that up to the fact they had a cast member unavailable tonight and so they were shifting things around to accommodate that unexpected change.  (Helena Lee played two roles in the production tonight because of it and did both parts well.)

The part I loved the best was the subtle jokes that ran throughout the dialogue.  For example, at one point a character tells the local gangster Peter Parker that his “web of lies” is unraveling.  I’ll admit that I was pretty much alone at laughing at that line but I can’t think I was the only person who caught the Spiderman link.  (Peter Parker is Spidey, hence the “WEB” of lies.)

There is also a tremendous amount of audience interaction with the cast and a few of the cast members have strong improv abilities.  I’d have to see the show a second time to confirm this suspicion but I’ll bet the show’s not exactly the same each time because of that interaction.

The cast was solid with special credit going to the actor playing “Moderately Attractive Lloyd.”  (I believe that was the character name…I wasn’t planning to write a review so I didn’t take notes.)  I didn’t get his name but the easy, semi-slimy way he played the part fit the character perfectly.

I enjoyed the show and I wouldn’t have a problem recommending it to someone.  I might not take my kids to it only because the humor was obviously for adults and with an improv factor you don’t know if something PG-13 or greater would pop up.

Check them out on their website.

That said, I wouldn’t be about to write the next sentence if I didn’t mean it.

They’ve never been better.

Tonight’s Circle B show was the tightest, crispest performance I’ve seen in the six years I’ve known the Horn family.

If you haven’t been to Branson to see the Circle B Show, it’s a cowboy/western music show that goes to the roots of cowboy music along with the well known classics you’ve heard for years in western TV shows and movies.

The show features the guitar work and vocals of Michael Horn and bassist/comedienne Christiana Horn.  They’ve always has a good interplay between them but tonight their timing hit every time.  There were no awkward pauses (that obviously weren’t scheduled) and Christiana’s “naive redhead” routine was pitch perfect.

I’ve reviewed them in the past and I’ve commented on their improvement year after year but tonight’s show was a peak that they’ll be hard pressed to maintain.  That’s not to say they can’t do it nor is it saying that they’ll do a lesser job next time; it’s just tonight had a magical component to it that happens when everyone involved in the show clicks.  Tonight, they were as good as anyone in Branson could have hoped to reach.

Add in Irish step dancing from Megan Horn (and you’ll learn how the Emerald Isle fits in with cowboys) and some stellar guitar and fiddle work and it’s a night well worth the cost and time investment.

And the food was fantastic too.  I think I could live on the sausage and chicken they serve at the show!

Check out the show at www.circlebshow.com and if you go tell them you heard about it here!

If you bring up that word immediately you think of jealousy, ill-will, anger…things that do not define a Christian very well.

Honestly, it’s not something that’s good for anyone.  Yet many of us have it on one level or another.

I know that for many years I thought of resentment in terms of wanting what someone else has in their life.  You want a house so you resent the people who own one.  You want a new car so you resent the fact your neighbor just bought one.  You want to get married so you resent your friend who just got engaged.

I fought against those feelings for many years.  I finally reached the point where I could honestly say I didn’t want the things that I saw others receiving from God.  I didn’t want their exact job.  I didn’t want their exact house.  I had convinced myself that I was winning the battle of resentment.

As I’ve faced what’s happened in life over the last six months, I felt a lot of resentment building up within me.  It came out in very different ways and it came out a lot more in the last few weeks.  The combination of moving back to Missouri along with the posts and unending tweets about GitzenGirl really brought things to a head.

I began to feel resentful of people making their unending “choose joy” tweets and blog posts.  I began to feel resentful of people who are going through seasons of blessing (like getting married, a great new job, buying a house, etc.) making tweets about enduring during times of trial.  I wanted to respond to all of them and just ask if they were so flippant about the platitudes when they were going through a real challenge.

If they appreciated it when someone looked at them during a trial and told them they just need to “choose joy” and everything would be OK.  If they appreciated it when they couldn’t pay their mortgage and someone told them they needed to give more and pray more because that’s why God’s not blessing them.  If they appreciated it when someone quoted them a Bible verse on suffering and gave a flippant “I’ll pray for you” while doing nothing else.

I’m pretty sure they weren’t appreciating it.  It’s likely they weren’t choosing joy or dancing on their ashes.  They may have done it LATER but at the time they likely were just trying to survive the day.

It creates a situation where resentment builds to the point it goes from the person toward God and really puts our faith into a challenging situation.  When we hear those statements from the Word about enduring during trial, about His faithfulness, etc. from someone who’s obviously not facing a serious trial it can color the Word in a way that can project resentment from the person speaking to God himself.

Think about it.  Someone tells us that we need to hold on and endure because God’s producing better character within us we’ll turn around and say we’re sick of building character for something we can’t see.  We start yelling at God for not showing us the reason for our suffering.  The cycle feeds upon itself but it shows something within us that we need to work out.

Resentment is pride coming out in a different way than we normally think of pride.  Obviously, God wants us to rid ourselves of as much pride as we possibly can and I’m sure putting some people in trying situations is an effective way to do it.

We also need to be sensitive to others who are going through difficult times to make sure we’re not feeding their resentment by going over the top with Christian catch phrases and the snappy verses we’re trained to regurgitate when we come across someone who’s hurting.  We definitely need to be encouraging to others but we need to show that our encouragement is rooted in compassion and not aimed at just getting that person out of the way as quickly as possible.

I’m thankful God’s shown me this part of me that needs to be worked on and it’s going to give me a different perspective if God ever turns things around and life starts to get better.  I’ll admit I used to spew the Christian bumper sticker theology to those who were hurting.  Now, I’ll be able to better live out Romans 12.

Have you ever had to battle resentment in ways you didn’t expect?

The last 24 hours has had someone I barely know from the online world impacting me in ways I never imagined could happen.

But let me tell a quick story before I get to her.

When I was a teenager, I started working at WSHP radio in Shippensburg, PA.  One of the things we would do is play music from local country artists.

I wasn’t a Christian then.  In fact, I wanted very little to do with it.  I usually had a really negative reaction to Christians who witnessed to me.  Then there was Dale.  Now, I don’t know if I gave him the benefit of the doubt because he shared a name with my grandfather or because he was a very nice guy but I’d let him slip in his little comments about Jesus when he stopped at the radio station to drop off the newest tape from a singer he worked with over the last few years of his life.  (Anita something.  I remember him…don’t remember her.)

Dale actually came to mean something to Andy (another DJ) and me.  When we found out that Dale was diagnosed with bone cancer it really crushed us.  A good guy like Dale didn’t deserve something as horrible as bone cancer.  I would go to his house and visit him as he lay dying.  He would talk to me about life, about family and about Jesus.  I still remember when I looked at him and said I didn’t understand how this Jesus he loved so much could do this to him.

“I don’t either.  But He does,” Dale said.

I rarely go to funerals.  I hate them.  But I went to Dale’s.  I can still remember walking up to the casket with Andy and seeing Dale’s body there in a suit with the craziest tie I’d ever seen.  Dale would NOT have chosen it for himself.

“Bold choice of tie,” I said dryly and both Andy and I cracked up laughing.  Dale’s widow who was sitting a few feet away crying looked up at us, not angry but with an obvious look of curiosity.  We walked over and told her what happened.  She said Dale would have loved that, that a relative had insisted on that tie and that our visits to him at the end meant so much to him.

As we drove away from the graveside after the service, it struck me how well Dale had died.  The fact that over 30 years later I can still remember the man, the things he said as he suffered through a horrific cancer and can still picture his gravesite almost shock me.

But that’s what happens when you die well.  Your life leaves an impact on others far beyond your days on the earth.

Right now, a woman named Sara is dying well.  I don’t know her beyond the pixels on the screen in front of me.  I’ve read her wisdom through her blog.  I’ve seen the things she’s said on twitter via all the re-tweets she would get.

Yesterday, the news came that she was about to finally get healing from a horrible disease by going home to be with Jesus.

The outpouring of emotion for her just hit me on and on and on throughout the day.  The lives that she touched in direct ways and others like me whom she only touched through the words she typed on the screen.  Blog post after post after post after post that talk about her and what she means to so many people.

My heart was lightened a little knowing that Sara will be able to hear all of these tributes to her before she goes to dance the macarena with Jesus.  (Hey, they say there will be dancing in heaven and I’m sure everyone’s required to macarena with Jesus at least once.)  I hope that she gets some peace in seeing that she lived her life well and knowing that she’s dying well.

Last night I was chatting with a close friend of hers and commented that when my time comes I hope I die as well as Sara.  The way she’s facing this with such strength, devotion to Christ and a focus on choosing joy in the hurricane of the trial is nothing short of jaw dropping.

And I know that’s why I flashed back to Shippensburg, PA all those years ago and a man named Dale Starry.

He died well and left an impact on an arrogant punk who knew little about the world with the wisdom in his stories and the faith he showed in the end.

Sara is dying well and we’re already seeing the impact on hundreds that knew her directly and thousands who only read her words on a screen.  If someone thinks you can’t really impact lives through the internet if you’ve never met them, you need to read up on Sara Frankl.

If you don’t know her, go to her blog and just read her words.  If you knew her, were friends with her, your tributes the last 24 hours have been nothing short of astounding.  I mourn your loss with you because I know what it’s like to have your world impacted by someone who not only chose joy in the trials but also chose to die well.

Ok, he didn’t.

But he had a sense of humor that matched the comedic level of a duck on the head.  He had an ease of personality with the humor that made him someone who naturally drew your attention.  Then he started talking about blogging and ways to improve it and I thought he might be on to something.

Then I received his book.

And I knew he was on to something.

It’s not that Bryan is really breaking any new ground in the general information he is providing…it’s that he presents it in a humor filled, easy to read manner that breaks the idea of building a better blog into small bits understandable to even the most inexperienced blogger.  It’s that complex simpicity that brings this book to a level above many other “how to blog” style books.

Now, as I read it, I found a few times where I thought “this is some great advice and most of the time I wouldn’t quibble with it but it doesn’t always fit what I’m doing with Mustard Seed Year.”  I know some would read a book like this and say “well, it doesn’t fit” and put it down.  However, it’s the chapters that “don’t quite fit” that make you really think about what you’re doing with your blog.

For example, when he writes on the need to keep your blog posts around 500 words it’s a sound suggestion for bloggers.  I’ve tried to keep posts on his site (JCWert.com) on the shorter side compared to other blogs I’ve written.  However, Mustard Seed Year is a chronicle of what God’s doing in my life and what I’m learning each day.  Some days don’t lend themselves to snappy, pithy little postings.   (Actually, most days don’t because what I felt God to do was write it all down and be completely open.)

So in that case, I read his rule and think “that doesn’t fit.”  BUT…read another part of the book that talks about your branding.  If I stay true to the “brand” of the blog then I can’t edit every post down to 500 words.  It would betray the brand of that blog which is to show the width and depth of God’s moving in my life this year.

That’s really the strength of Bryan’s book…it can hit different bloggers right where they are, make them take an honest look and give practical steps that will fit whichever parts need changing.

Oh…and he talks about the importance of guest posting in one of the chapters.  So, Bryan, when’s my chance to guest post on BryanAllain.com?

If you have a blog and you really want to improve the way you do it (and not just keep writing for who’s already reading it) then pick up Bryan’s book.  It’s worth the time.

Click here to get it on Amazon.

Note: He sent me a free copy in return for a review.  I didn’t have to provide a positive review for it and in fact planned to rip him to shreds because he’s a gutless sack of crudola that picked the Eagles to not win the NFC East this year. That alone is grounds to not only say his book is a big piece of electronic dookie but also to go to his home and shave “Kick Me” onto the back of his dog Fred.  If his dog is named Fred.  It’s probably not.  Anyway, I didn’t have to say this was good and thus you can believe it’s actually good.