Wade in the Water

After the adventure of filming on Cheney lake, the Film Crew took a few weeks off before reconvening for a shoot in early November.

---yes I realize I am two months behind in sharing this story with you but the episode I am about to describe will be used in worship THIS SUNDAY! January 9th. So in a way, I am right on time---

Every year since beginning my pastoral ministry in 2002 I have wanted to create a river inside the Sanctuary on the second Sunday of January. Every year I have failed.

The second Sunday in January is when we remember baptisms, Jesus' and our own. What better way to do celebrate the waters of grace than with a real, wet, flowing river? No better way, I say! But I have always had to settle for something less. One year I made a waterfall out of fabric. Another year I had everything lined up from a landscaping professional to make a garden waterfall inside but then we had an ice storm and all his rocks were stuck to the ground outside.

This year I decided that if I couldn't have a real river in the Sanctuary, I would at least have one on film. Greg and Janet suggested we go to Butcher Falls near Sedan, Kansas to film the episode. We had been talking about it for months so I don't know why it took until the first of November for us to get out there and film it....

oh, probably because I didn't write the episode until the end of October. So I have no one to blame but myself.

What was the problem you ask? There were two. First of all, Kansas is very dry in November so Butcher Falls wasn't actually falling. We had a lovely pool of water and a trickle of a river but no falls. Summer would have looked much different. Secondly my director, Mr. Sullivan, goes for authenticity above all else. So he was not satisfied with me talking about baptism near the water. No, no, no. Standing safely, dryly, warmly, on the bank was not good enough. I had to be in the water.



Our Paramedic hard at work

 Greg continues to remind me that the scene we filmed where I was standing in the cold, cold, cold water was very short. I keep reminding him that we shot the scene 8 times. Mark Smith was nice enough to hold my hand and warm it up after I had dipped it repeatedly in the chilly water. No one offered to do the same for my feet, though, after I waded out from the pool. Thank goodness Anita brought towels.

Other than some cold toes, it was a great day. Beautiful and sunny, calm and quiet. The fall colors were still on many trees and except for the minutes we had to wait for the ranch owners to herd some stray cattle through the area, we had no interruptions. Susanne Smith won an award in my heart for "Best Picnic Lunch Ever." It involved Starbucks. That is all I am going to say.

Janet and Anita at Prairie-henge

Special thanks to Jean Schodorf and other members of the Bill Kurtis family for use of their property.

You too can visit the Red Buffalo Ranch to see Butcher Falls, Prairie-henge, herds of buffalo, go deer hunting or simply enjoy the prairie.

If you are in Wichita this week, come worship in Daybreak at 9:30 on Sunday to remember your baptism. If you aren't in Wichita, find a little water in some beautiful place aCross Creation and do the same.