Back on set!

Whoo-hoo! A great day and I am so thankful for it! And yes, cliche as it may be - God does work in mysterious ways!

Two weeks ago, I made a decision. In my blog, I described it as visiting the potter's house. I felt like I had been broken down, and was now allowing God to build me back up in His own design. Well, that "breaking down" had to do with my career in acting - I decided to give it up.

It just seemed so out of context with the things I want to do now. Not that we can't use acting and drama to tell the story of the gospel. I'm actually a huge advocate for using drama for that purpose. My only complaint was - I was not getting those opportunities! I was spending countless hours and tonnes of energy on auditions that went no where, for shows I didn't want to do. It just didn't make sense anymore. I decided that I would call my agent and break it all off. I told my family, and they told me they would support my decision.

Well, God had a bit of a different plan.

The day I was going to call my agent to tell him "God's" plan for me, my agent called with an audition for me. This was not a theatre audition, but a commercial audition. I accepted the audition, with a full plan to call my agent again the next day to call everything off.

Then I received a second phone call.

This time, it was for a call back, or second audition. They liked me and wanted to see me again! I took the second audition, and started to plan my big acting cancellation for the next day.

Then I received a third phone call!

I got the gig! After months of not being on set, I booked a major commercial with a print ad campaign. This is huge! Work has been scarce lately, plus I will not be able to work this summer while I'm in Nashville, so this paycheque is a huge relief at the perfect time!

I shot the commercial today, and it was a wonderful experience. I got to talk about music and sing a little. I got to eat chocolates from the Nutty Chocolatier (my favourite!), wear a gorgeous silk dress, and even play with a sweet little canary. Off camera, I got to tell people about gospel music and the singing schools.

On my way home, I started to think about that phone call to my agent. Maybe God just wanted me to take more time with my decision? Maybe He wants me to keep some options open? Maybe I shouldn't just ditch it all at once? After all, God has given me my talent in acting. Who am I to decide how it shall be used?

So, after much prayer and listening, and with the support of my family, this is my decision - For the time being, I am going to stop auditioning for theatre. I will put those skills on the back burner til God wants me to use them again. Practically speaking, it's too hard to commit to a play right now anyways - it's too long a contract when we're hoping to move in the fall. Also, theatre in Toronto can be risqué and I don't want to do things that will conflict with my message and ministry. I am, however, going to keep on auditioning for TV and commercials. The time commitment is short, so it doesn't conflict with my time for music. The content will always be clean, as TV is still a family-based medium. And it will help fund our way to Nashville - definitely a plus!

What am I trying to say by telling this convoluted story?

Sometimes when God speaks, you can't just catch the headline.
Sometimes, you have to wait til He's told you the whole story.