I will be a part of a team of artists and communication specialists that will be training individuals on the power of story as a means of sharing the Gospel.  The goal is to equip both long term workers and short term missionaries to be more effective in sharing the story of Christ as well as telling their own personal stories in order to communicate the Good News.  As one who believes in the power of story, I am sure you can see why this approach is exciting to me and one that believe can truly make a difference!

The dates of my journey are August 4-16. As with other mission trips of this type, I am going as a volunteer and will need to raise support to be able to be a part of the team.  Would you to prayerfully consider being a partner with me in this venture.  I will need to raise about $2000 to cover my travel expenses. If you can help please send your gift to:
Master’s Image Productions
P.O. Box 903, Salem, OR 97308

Or you can donate online through Paypal (including credit cards) by clicking this button:

Even if you can’t support with dollars, we ask you to support us with your prayers. Pray for safety, that hearts will be open to the message and that opportunities will abound! Also pray for my wife, Lorie, as these longer trips are never easy for her. Thanks for joining us in the journey!

Serving the Lord dramatically,

Chuck Neighbors

What Happened to Drama In Churches?

That is one of the stories I tell in much greater detail in my autobiographical one-man show called Truth Be Told… From a Guy Who Makes Stuff Up. In my storytelling seminars I have been encouraging people to tell really short stories.  My friend Tom Long, the director of Friends of the Groom, introduced me to this idea that he has been sharing in his workshops.  The concept sounds simple–tell a story in just three sentences. But it takes a bit of work to take a significant event from your life and distill it down to just three sentences.  Here is another one of mine:

My infant son became very ill when he was just 6 weeks old. He almost died and spent several days in the intensive care unit of the hospital as we prepared ourselves for the worst. Today he is a healthy young man who travels the world performing music.

Telling really short stories forces you to look at the essence of what makes a good story.  You discover that good stories are almost always about something going wrong.  In the dramatic/storytelling world that is called “conflict” — every story needs one. And this becomes sentence number one.  Then you ask a simple question:  “what happens next?”  In this three-sentence structure you are forced to go for the main or most important thing that happens next. That becomes sentence number two. Then finally comes the resolution, the final outcome… the “happily ever after”… or not… if the story has a tragic ending. That becomes sentence number three.

Telling really short stories has a number of very practical applications.  If you are a pastor, speaker, or writer, learning to craft these stories can be a great way to grab an audience’s attention and do it quickly.  Often a writer or a speaker will start a story and then take rabbit trails, adding too many details or taking off on a tangent that leaves the audience wondering where this is going or what happened next in the main story.  In the process we can totally lose the listener.  Three-sentence stories help both the presenter and the listener to keep the proper focus.

But even in just everyday life, knowing how to tell a really short story can be a great way to start a conversation. Really short stories beg questions.  People will want to know more details and this can be an excellent way to build relationship and community with others in our lives. You might also find that the process of remembering these stories is a great way to reflect on life and the lessons you have learned along the way.

So go ahead, take a minute or two or ten. Think of a significant event:  funny, sad, impacting, or life-changing.  Try to tell it in just three sentences.  In fact, you can share it here in the comments.  Your really short story might be just the thing somebody else needs to hear!

Eva Martine Neighbors — Oct. 12, 1930 - Mar. 14, 2012

I don’t like “favorite” questions. Don’t ask me my favorite color, or favorite book or movie. I freeze up… suddenly I can’t think of a single book or movie title and the only color that will come to mind is probably the color of the shirt you are wearing.

I have a similar reaction to “best” and “most” questions. What’s the best “this” or the most “that?” I don’t like ‘em. Don’t usually answer them. Just ask Lorie if you don’t believe me.

But this past week I have allowed myself to ask the question, “what will you miss most about Mom?” And after much reflecting, I would have to say the answer is, “her eyes.”

She had the most amazing eyes.

As an actor, you learn a lot about eyes and the role they play in communication. Eyes can say so much, sometimes more than words can ever express. Our words can hide things and be deceitful… not so easy to do that with the eyes. I learned a lot about acting through my mother’s eyes.

Some people have squinty eyes. Like my dad. It’s hard to read a squinty-eyed person. You never really know what they’re thinking. If they are happy or if they are sad, the eyes don’t change. You have to look for other clues, like their mouth–up, happy–down, sad. If my mom squinted it meant the sun was in her eyes or the milk was bad.

My mom had what I will call saucer eyes. And sometimes they got so big maybe “plate eyes” would be appropriate. They could totally take over her face. And they could speak volumes.

Sometimes she would give me the “stink eye.” This was the look that told me I was in deep doo-doo. It was often accompanied by “Charles Gordon.” The times she spoke my first and middle name together were almost always accompanied by the stink eye. It was a look that said, “I know what you did.” Where my dad might raise his voice to reprimand me, all my mom had to do was give me “the look” and I was busted. And it had power from a great distance. Mom insisted that I sing in choir at church. It was not something I always wanted to do. Clayton and Jim were the singers, I was the actor… but if I tried to play hookey and hide out in the back pew on a Sunday morning, I could feel the presence of “the eye.” I would look up and see that eye and like a magnet it would pull me all the way up to the choir loft. No words were needed. Amazing, powerful eyes.

It was her eyes that encouraged me. I think every child wants the approval of their parents and there are many ways to express that approval–with words and gifts of course–but it was the look in her eyes that I wanted. The look that said, “I love you and I am proud of you.” I never stopped wanting that and needing that. Those eyes communicated love, deep love for her husband, her children, grandchildren and the family and friends she cared for so deeply through the years.

Those eyes were closed daily in prayer. Mom believed in prayer and was a fervent prayer warrior. I will miss her prayers.

There was a transparency in her eyes that filled in the blanks. I don’t like telephone conversations too much in general, and with Mom, I never felt I got all the nuances over the phone that came with a face-to-face conversation. She said as much–maybe more–with her eyes than she said with her words. In the long battles with her health these last few years it was often the words “I’m okay” combined with the eyes that said “I’m not doing so well.”

Living on the other side of the country and coming for visits I loved the “welcome home” look in her eyes and so dreaded the saying of goodbye as those eyes were always, always filled with tears.

If the saying “the eyes are the window to the soul” is true, then when you looked into my mother’s eyes, I believe you could see her soul. The soul of a mother who lived a life of love for family and an unshakeable faith in her Lord and Savior.

My theology is uncertain on whether or not our loved ones in heaven can see us while we are here on this earth. It is a nice thought… although I am not sure I want to feel her “stink eye” when I do something of which she would not approve. But I do believe her eyes are full of joy at being together with my dad, and my sister Loretta, and all the others who have gone before her. And I am confident her eyes are full of wonder and awe as she is able to gaze into the face of Jesus. The eyes, ah yes, the eyes have it! I will miss her eyes.

Working through an interpreter we were able to have a conversation with Mari, though she is quite shy. Her favorite color is pink. Her favorite subject in school is math. We found out that one of her favorite things to do is attend Bible Club (provided through World Vision). Though only 7 years old, Mari has a dreams.  When we asked her what she wants to be when she grows up she said she wanted to be a doctor!  Sometimes people wonder if their sponsorship really is tied to a specific child… I hope this video answers that question!

If you would like to make a difference in the life of a child, and quite possibly have your life changed too, I invite you to sponsor a child like Mari Luz. Click this link and get started in making a difference! Sponsor a Child!

ACTORS – People who stand between the audience and the set designer’s art, blocking the view.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR – Individual willing to undertake special projects that nobody else would take on a bet, such as working one-on-one with the brain-dead actor whom the rest of the cast has threatened to take out a contract on.

BIT PART – An opportunity for the actor with the smallest role to count everybody else’s lines and mention repeatedly that he or she has the smallest part in the show.

BLOCKING – The art of moving actors on the stage in such a manner as not to collide with the walls, the furniture, the orchestra pit or each other. Similar to playing chess, except that the pawns want to argue with you.

BLOCKING REHEARSAL – A rehearsal taking place early in the production schedule where actors frantically write down movements which will be nowhere in evidence by opening night.

COSTUME – An article of clothing which doesn’t fit, smells of mothballs, and is in constant need of repair.

CRITIC – 1) After a rave review, a font of wisdom and authority; 2) After a scathing review, a fool who wouldn’t know if his hair was on fire.

DARK NIGHT – The night before opening when no rehearsal is scheduled so the actors and crew can go home and get some well-deserved rest, and instead spend the night staring sleeplessly at the ceiling because they’re sure they needed one more rehearsal.

DARK SPOT: An area of the stage which the lighting designer has inexplicably forgotten to light, and which has a magnetic attraction for the first-time actor. A dark spot is never evident before opening night.

DIRECTOR- The individual who suffers from the delusion that he or she is responsible for every moment of brilliance cited by the critic in the local review.

DRESS REHEARSAL – Rehearsal that becomes a whole new ball game as actors attempt to maneuver among the 49 objects that the set designer added at 7:30 that evening.

ETERNITY – The time that passes between a dropped cue and the next line.

FOREBRAIN – The part of an actor’s brain which contains lines, blocking and characterization; activated by hot lights

GREEN ROOM – Room shared by nervous actors waiting to go on stage and the precocious children whose actor parents couldn’t get a babysitter that night, a situation which can result in justifiable homicide.

HANDS – Appendages at the end of the arms used for manipulating one’s environment, except on a stage, where they grow six times their normal size and either dangle uselessly, fidget nervously, or try to hide in your pockets.

HINDBRAIN – The part of an actor’s brain that keeps up a running subtext in the background while the forebrain is trying to act; the hindbrain supplies a constant stream of unwanted information, such as who is sitting in the second row tonight, a notation to seriously maim the crew member who thought it would be funny to put real tabasco sauce in the fake Bloody Marys, or the fact that you need to do laundry on Sunday.

LIGHTING DIRECTOR – Individual who, from the only vantage point offering a full view of the stage, gives the stage manager a heart attack by announcing a play-by-play of everything that’s going wrong.

MAKEUP KIT – (1) among experienced community theater actors, a battered tackle box loaded with at least 10 shades of greasepaint in various stages of dessication, tubes of lipstick and blush, assorted pencils, bobby pins, braids of crepe hair, liquid latex, old programs, jewelry, break-a-leg greeting cards from past shows, brushes and a handful of half-melted cough drops; (2) for first-time male actors, a helpless look and anything they can borrow.

MESSAGE PLAY – Any play which its director describes as “worthwhile,” “a challenge to actors and audience alike,” or “designed to make the audience think.” Critics will be impressed both by the daring material and the roomy accommodations, since they’re likely to have the house all to themselves.

MONOLOGUE – That shining moment when all eyes are focused on a single actor who is desperately aware that if he forgets a line, no one can save him.

PROP – A hand-carried object small enough to be lost by the actor 30 seconds before it is needed on stage.

QUALITY THEATER – Any show with which you were directly involved

SET – An obstacle course which, throughout the rehearsal period, defies the laws of physics by growing smaller week by week while continuing to occupy the same amount of space.

SET PIECE – Any large piece of furniture which actors will resolutely use as a safety shield between themselves and the audience, in an apparent attempt to both anchor themselves to the floor, thereby avoiding floating off into space, and to keep the audience from seeing that they actually have legs.

STAGE CREW – Group of individuals who spend their evenings coping with 50-minute stretches of total boredom interspersed with 30-second bursts of mindless panic

STAGE MANAGER – Individual responsible for overseeing the crew, supervising the set changes, babysitting the actors and putting the director in a hammerlock to keep him from killing the actor who just decided to turn his walk-on part into a major role by doing magic tricks while he serves the tea.

STAGE RIGHT, STAGE LEFT – Two simple directions actors pretend not to understand in order to drive directors crazy. (“No, no, your OTHER stage right!”)

STRIKE – The time immediately following the last performance while all cast and crew members are required to stay and dismantle, or watch the two people who own Makita screw drivers dismantle, the set.

TECH WEEK – The last week of rehearsal when everything that was supposed to be done weeks before finally comes together at the last minute; reaches its grand climax on dress rehearsal night when costumes rip, a dimmer pack catches fire and the director has a nervous breakdown. Also known as hell week.

TURKEY – Every show with which you were not directly involved

Got another one?  Love to have you share in the comments below!

I remember auditioning for my first professional acting job.  It was for a role in the Smokey Mountain Passion Play in Townsend, TN.  My college drama professor was directing it, and since he already knew my abilities and had cast me in lead roles before,  I was sure I had a lock on a good role.  I wanted to be Jesus or Judas, hero or villain, as long is it was a lead role!  When the cast was announced I searched for my name beside one of the lead roles… not there.  I couldn’t believe it…. I checked the list again to be sure… oh wait, there it was at the bottom of the page: “Assistant to the Director – Chuck Neighbors.”  I was heart-broken.

Assistant to the Director….what did that even mean?  It is a vital and necessary responsibility, to be sure, but it basically meant “secretary.”  I would be by the director’s side to be a gopher and to write down every bit of stage blocking. Not what I wanted! I wanted a starring role! Man, this rejection thing stings!

That was early in my career but it is by no means the only example of rejection in my story.  Everyone experiences rejection. Actors have to be thick-skinned in this department and it is never easy.  Even after 37 years as a professional actor I still find myself judging my entire career on the basis of my last performance.  If I felt good about it, I was a success; if I didn’t I was a failure, and I contemplated getting out of the business altogether.

For some, the rejection kills the dream. They let one person’s negative comment, or a day of sales with no results, or the search for a job stamped with an “over-” or “under-qualified,” bring everything to a halt. It takes self-determination and a belief in one’s calling and ability to persevere.  Here are three things I consider when I have doubts brought on by rejection:

1. Am I doing the right thing?  I stop and reflect on my life story. Where has my journey taken me so far? Does where I am make sense with that story? I pray and seek confirmation that I am indeed moving in the right direction.
2. Is the rejection based in truth? I need to be honest. Was there something in my performance, my presentation, my job, that was not good, or that needs improving?  If so I admit it and make adjustments so it doesn’t happen again. If not, I give myself permission to disregard it and move on.
3. Revisit my touchstones. Webster defines a touchstone as “a test or criterion for determining the quality or genuineness of a thing.”  I think it is important to have touchstones throughout our story, our life.  Those key moments that serve as proof that you are doing the right thing. They might be items that mark milestones such as awards, letters and photos. Or places you can visit that help you remember significant events. Or a passage of scripture that God has used to speak to you and confirm things in your life. These things are wonderful reminders that can encourage and validate our story and give us an extra measure of courage to persevere.

As the video above indicates, even the most successful—or maybe I should say especially the most successful—people in the world experience rejection and failure. It is what you do with it that makes all the difference in the world.

(Side Note: In addition to being Assistant Director, I was also the understudy for ALL male roles. This basically meant I had to learn the entire script and be ready to go on for ANY actor who might be sick or absent.  It turned out to be a GREAT job and I did play, through-out the run of the show, ALL the lead roles at least once! I attribute that experience as one of my touchstones that confirms my calling and abilities!)

How do you handle rejection? What are some of your touchstones that remind you that you are doing the right thing?

While comedy is not typical fare for a worship service, often a church will invite me to perform my comedy, The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, for their worship service. It is humor with a purpose and in the right setting, the message can be profound to the listener.  The humor is medicine that heals the soul. But comedy in church, for some, is a bit of a stretch.

My nervousness was heightened at one church where upon arrival I noticed posters publicizing my performance and right beside each one was another poster which read:  “No Joyful Hearts This Morning.”  I was having a minor panic-attack.  I was sure I explained to the pastor that this was a comedy I was performing. And what kind of church would tell people to attend joyless?… I mean, I have been to several where I would have suspected that was the case, but to advertise for “No Joy” was a first!

I was relieved when I discovered the real meaning of the signs. The church had decided to cancel their children’s program for that morning and invite the children to stay in the service with the adults.  They felt the play would be enjoyed by young and old alike.  The name of their children’s program? Joyful Hearts.

Can you imagine what other guests might be thinking as they encountered those signs?
As the saying goes, “many a truth is said in jest,” and I wonder how many churches and individuals send out that very same message by how they approach and participate in church every week.

A friend of mine tells of a similar experience where he was performing a comedy in a church and no one was laughing.  He was dying on stage and couldn’t wait to leave not only the stage but the church.  After the performance one man said to him: “That was the funniest thing I have every seen… it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud.”

Can you laugh out loud in your church? Is your church a place of joy? Got a funny story about laughter in church?

Last weekend I saw a beautiful example of a gift given to Jesus.

After my performance at a church in Elk Grove, California, where I had shared about the work of World Vision and their sponsorship program, there was a young girl who really wanted to sponsor a specific child. She waited around clutching a the picture folder, waiting to talk to her parents. Her father finally came over to the table, but told the girl they would not be able to sponsor the child and placed the folder back on the table among the other pictures of children needing sponsors. The little girl walked away, heart-broken.

Another lady from the church observed this scene.  She pulled the father aside and there was a brief conversation.  With the father’s blessing this lady sponsored the child as a gift to the little girl. That picture folder was going to be under the tree waiting for that little girl on Christmas morning.

What a great example of the true meaning of Christmas!

How do you give a gift to Jesus on his birthday?  This girl, and this dear lady know the answer to that question.  Jesus gives us his very own Christmas “wish list.”  He is very explicit in how we can give him a gift. It is found in the parable of the sheep and the goats.  It goes like this:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

   “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25: 34-40 (NIV)

If you would like to give a gift to Jesus this Christmas, sponsoring a child with World Vision is one excellent way you can do that. You can even do it as a gift to another person—you pay the sponsorship and let the gift recipient participate in the relationship with the sponsored child.  What a great gift for a parent or grandparent to give to their children and grandchildren!

Merry Christmas!

Is it just me, or do years seem to go by faster as you get older? It is hard to believe that another year has almost drawn to a close.

2011 has been a year marked with changes for us. Our youngest child has moved out of the house and so Lorie and I begin a new chapter in our lives as empty-nesters (so far so good!). Change can be a good thing, causing us to stop and rethink priorities, and there has been a lot of that going on for us, both personally and in the ministry.

In rethinking, I have pondered and prayed about the future of Master’s Image and feel God is clearly telling me to “stay the course.” This year I have had several confirmations that God is still with us in this ministry. Here are just a few examples:

• After a recent performance of In His Steps there was a profound time of sharing from the congregation and a renewal of hearts and commitment unlike any I have seen in a very long time.
• Last month I shared in an outreach at a church in Texas with close to 400 guests attending. After a performance of Encounters nearly 50 people responded to the invitation to begin a new life with Christ.
• This year alone we were able to get another 400 children sponsored through our partnership with World Vision.
• My new show, Truth Be Told…From a Guy Who Makes Stuff Up, has been very effective in helping people connect to their own stories. It has been exciting to see this piece help others validate the power of their own stories.

The year ahead brings new challenges. Scheduling is especially hard in this economy, yet we are managing to keep the calendar full. We are excited to be adding a new artist, Marcia Whitehead, to our roster. She has an incredible story (and voice) to share about her journey, and we hope to begin scheduling her in late spring. We are busy exploring other opportunities in our travels, and video productions in the new year as well.

One thing that has helped to make it possible for us to continue is the generous support of people who have blessed us with prayers and financial gifts. Because of that support we are able to continue to serve churches for a much smaller honorarium, and many for just whatever they can afford.

Thank you to all of you who have faithfully supported us. I know it is not always easy. As you reflect on your past year and look forward to 2012, we would be so very honored and blessed if you would consider a gift to Master’s Image Productions. We would be especially grateful if you could support us on a regular basis with a monthly pledge (and if you are already doing that, thank you!).  We couldn’t do what we do without the help of friends like you!

May God bless you and yours this Christmas and in 2012! Serving the Lord dramatically,

Chuck Neighbors
Founder/Director

P.S.: If you would like to make a donation online with a credit card through Paypal click the “Donate” button on the sidebar of this page. To mail a donation send to: Master’s Image Productions, P.O. Box 903, Salem, OR 97308