I had a show this weekend at the local health care facility.  It is no longer a nursing home and is now classified as an assisted living facility.  I have been doing shows there a few times a year since 1987!  Even during covid-19, they booked me to do outdoor events through the summers of 2020-2022.  Then this week I was back in their dining room for an indoor gig. I have had great shows at this venue, a few poor shows, and lots in between.  Although this most recent show was technically mediocre, the audience was great.

Now before listing off the moments I was frustrated with my technical skills, I need to boast that I did my new multiplying bottles illusion for the first time.  It goes nicely with Jesus miracle at the wedding in Caana at which He made more wine for the wedding party.  It went great and will probably be a regular in my shows.  I also did the story of Elijah and the priests of Baal.  It went well and got a great response, but the burning book portion of the routine didn't work.  Frustration.

Furthermore, my juggling was inconsistant.  My cigar box routine had too many mistakes, and I couldn't keep the four-silk-scramble going.  Standing on the Promises of God, a balance board routine, was pretty good once I adjusted to their new hard wood floors, but all in all, I was a little disappointed in myself.  Thank God for an audience that cheered me on nonetheless, several of whom responded favorably to the message of redemption throughout the program.

But it was a conversation after the show that was my real shot in the arm. A little lady came up to me and said, "You came here just for me today.  I have been fighting with God for having me in a place like this, but your show really encouraged me."  I had ended with the card castle illusion based on the passage "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain."  I closed by reminding the audience that, if God IS building the house, then nothing we face is a waste of time.  This apparently resonated with this woman.  

As we spoke, I reminded her that, although we shouldn't stay in a place of anger with God, He understands when we are in that place, and He can take it.  "He knows we are but dust."  Even as we spoke, I realized this was for me as well. Fair shows, poor shows, mediocre shows, great shows... They are never a waste of time.