This morning, I presented scripture at church. It's something I had done before ("Oh, you're an actor, can you get up in front of the congregation and recite what we are about to study?") and with varying degrees of success.
By that, I mean: I used to memorize the pieces, but when I got pregnant, I slacked off and was all, "Sooo tired! It's okay if I just read it this time, right?" <~ And who's gonna say no to a pregnant lady? Then, I "went on a break" when my son was born. I got rusty to the point of feeling insecure about whether or not I could deliver the goods. This was my first time back after some prayer about it. I thought to myself, "Okay, baby is six months old now. You've got to get back to memorizing." So I did.
I still felt really nervous before mic check and also right before I got up "on stage". I have a history of botching text in performance, even though I've practiced at home. With this piece, I practiced daily. So, yeah, I practiced at home...but I practiced hard at home. This made a difference. Even though I was nervous, I also knew somehow that I was going to be okay.
Oh! And I wish this had been intentional: I loved what I was wearing. I usually wear all black when I recite and today I put on a red belt because I was feeling that a little pop of color would be nice. I was halfway to the subway before it connected - we did a study of Joshua earlier this year. My belt was like Rahab's scarlet cord (and the scarlet cord of redemption throughout scripture). So, duh! I like that. I wish I had thought of the intention behind the outfit before I chose it. But it's still neat! I've decided that all black with a red belt will be my Spoken Word "costume" from now on.
By that, I mean: I used to memorize the pieces, but when I got pregnant, I slacked off and was all, "Sooo tired! It's okay if I just read it this time, right?" <~ And who's gonna say no to a pregnant lady? Then, I "went on a break" when my son was born. I got rusty to the point of feeling insecure about whether or not I could deliver the goods. This was my first time back after some prayer about it. I thought to myself, "Okay, baby is six months old now. You've got to get back to memorizing." So I did.
I still felt really nervous before mic check and also right before I got up "on stage". I have a history of botching text in performance, even though I've practiced at home. With this piece, I practiced daily. So, yeah, I practiced at home...but I practiced hard at home. This made a difference. Even though I was nervous, I also knew somehow that I was going to be okay.
Oh! And I wish this had been intentional: I loved what I was wearing. I usually wear all black when I recite and today I put on a red belt because I was feeling that a little pop of color would be nice. I was halfway to the subway before it connected - we did a study of Joshua earlier this year. My belt was like Rahab's scarlet cord (and the scarlet cord of redemption throughout scripture). So, duh! I like that. I wish I had thought of the intention behind the outfit before I chose it. But it's still neat! I've decided that all black with a red belt will be my Spoken Word "costume" from now on.
RSS Feed