No problems, only solutions

“With self-discipline most anything is possible.”

                                                                                      --Theodore Roosevelt

And so begins my next blog. Whether anyone is reading this or not, I write it. I am challenging myself to continue this at the very least through the lent season, with hopes of seeing what the discipline will teach me.  I have resigned myself to trusting the process.

In the time since my last post, we (my wife Annie and I) have found out that our lives will be shifting quite significantly. No we are NOT pregnant, in fact we have beautiful 8 month old, and while we want more children, are decidedly waiting a little longer to try again.

Annie and I are both actors. Since she had our baby, we were determined to let her be a stay at home Mom as long as possible. However, given the nature of this career, we were never totally certain how long that might be. But I am excited and proud to announce that she was offered a season contract with the Tuachan Theatre and will returning to the stage this summer in St. George, Utah!

We both auditioned in hopes that I could go with her and the baby, however, God must have some other plans. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed; however, I firmly believe that this is indeed the right thing for our family.

It has been fascinating to note, however, when sharing this amazing news with other friends and family, it has been met with trepidation. Not negativity mind you, perhaps just concern. Usually the first question is ‘How are you going to do that with the baby?’ A great question. Honestly, I have no idea.

This is usually followed by a myriad of other questions containing phrases like ‘what about your job’, ‘that’s a long time’, ‘are you sure this is good for the baby’. Again, all great questions. But rest assured, all questions that have been on repeat in our minds since hearing the news. And again I say, I really don’t know what will come of it. Here’s what I do know:

• God has called my wife and I to use our gifts, so we need to use them.
• My wife deserves my support, always, and this is a huge opportunity for her.
• We will be able to better provide for our family through this opportunity.

And that’s all I need to know.

                                                            

“Like a man says, there are no problems, only solutions.”  --Kevin Flynn, Tron

I love this quote, because it completely embodies the way I am challenging myself to face tough circumstances. I fully realize the challenges ahead of us. It will not be easy and probably won’t always be fun, but…it’s who we are. Who we believe God has created us to be…so what choice do we have?

Meet our challenges, head on.

Fellow actors/artists, no matter what challenges you are facing, I want to encourage all of you to look beyond your circumstances, because they are never the sole determination of what lies ahead.

When we decided to raise a family as Christians, who also happen to be actors, I knew from the very beginning, we would be a family with an unorthodox way of doing things. Make no mistake, we have doubts and worries, but we are choosing to exercise our faith to look beyond them. As a man who firmly believes in women being equal, I want to see my wife flourish. She has always been my biggest fan, and I want her to know, that I am hers. As a husband and a father, I feel charged with maintaining the vision of our family. A vision that speaks of a family, who are not afraid to live our their callings, despite their circumstances and will support each other in the process. In so doing my hope is we will imbue this legacy to our children to have faith, follow their hearts, and find their passions.  

How will it work out? Well…

 

It’s a Mystery…

Tabula Rasa

                

It is no secret that in Hollywood these days, many films are being ‘remade’. The buzz term is ‘reboot’. Therefore, it is no surprise that in the wake of watching the ‘reboot’ of Carl Sagan’s ‘Cosmos’ I felt inspired to write. But call it what you want, remake, reboot, re-do, etc., sometimes we just need a clean slate.

I have decided to take down my former posts in order to give this blog a more concise and clear vision. I have enjoyed sharing my ponderings in the past here, however, in re-reading many of them, I realize they represent a season that has—for sometime now—passed. I have discovered much more about myself since I started this blog. It was like reading Copernicus, when Einstein was already published. Not unlike the ‘Cosmos’ series…

So I hope you will all allow me the opportunity to ‘reboot’ here. I have given a  new look to the page, and am eager to return to a more regular blogging schedule. Being we are in the ‘lent’ season, I am officially making it a goal of mine to blog every other week, on Wednesdays, during that time, with the hope of forming a good habit of it!

So on that note, welcome friends and wanderers of cyberspace!

If you have found your way here by chance, whatever rabbit hole let you here, I am thankful! Everyone else, you are my supportive and amazing friends, so thank you!!

For those who do not know me personally, I am an actor, living the dream in Los Angeles. I have worked, at one time or another, both in front of and behind the camera and have a passion for theatre as well. My area of most success has been in the world of voice over and I have been blessed with many amazing opportunities, and it is quite possible you have heard my work. As a boy, I also had a deep fascination with astronomy; however, as I got older it became clear, my true talents were elsewhere (I was terrible at math, kind of important for astronomy…). Therefore a few years back, while looking for a new part time gig, I discovered an opportunity to work with the Griffith Observatory as a museum guide. Life had found a way to bring together my two passions, in a most unexpected way.

As I would walk the grounds of the Observatory staring at the sprawling city of LA below, I often times found it quite ironic that an institution dedicated to observing the stars, would be built on the foothills above the stars.

Hence, the creation of this blog.

Astronomy is the science of observation. All of our major discoveries about the Universe have come because we have simply taken the time to observe it. Kind of a mind blowing thought…therefore, it is the purpose of this blog to record my ‘observations’ and musings of my life lived between the stars.  What might we discover with those observations?

Time will tell.