I was going for the Duck Dynasty look. At my age and hair color, it was going to be more of an Uncle Si than a Willie.
No, it’s not a midlife crisis. It is hair and beard with purpose. For the second consecutive year, I am participating with the First Baptist Church in Bowie,Texas, for their Easter dramatic/musical production of “I Stand in Awe.”
This story follows the life of the Apostle John (age 90-ish) as he both shares 60 year-old memories from his 3 years walking with Jesus and composes the book of Revelation from his current exile on the island of Patmos.
With a wonderful script by FBC Minister of Music, Ken Lasater, as well as stunning sets, powerfully moving visuals, and engaging choral arrangements, this production will run for one night only: Easter Sunday, March 27 at 6:00 p.m.
It is my privilege to portray the Apostle John, so I’m growing a big old beard that won’t require nearly as much white added as it did last year.
When Ken asked me to reprise the role this year, I decided I would go really big, so I started growing my beard the day after Thanksgiving. I also decided I would grow my hair long and shaggy.
Mrs. Sweetie is not a fan. By Christmas, she was already tired of it. By mid-January, she was suggesting that I explain my looks at any public appearance. One Sunday we were out of town and visited a large church. I was virtually ignored by the greeters. She suggested that it might actually have something to do with my hairiness. They were suspicious of this middle-aged hippie. She mentioned things like “first impressions” and my very public life. I tried to remain in denial and stay the course for the sake of the show.
Now, as a former long-haired young adult who did not like his imagined over-sized ears showing, one would think I could handle it again. Not so. Now I can’t stand to have hair creeping over the top of my ears. And it also seems that my hair has gotten more wavy over the years, so the shaggy curls stick out all over and make my head sweat. So, toward the end of January, I punted the hairdo (much to her delight).
The first week of February, I took a look at my beard and noticed that it was already as bushy as last year (and have I mentioned that there is a LOT of white). Then I counted up and realized that I still had 52 days to go! I couldn’t do it, so I trimmed it back and started a new crop.
Now, with under two weeks remaining, I can’t wait to get back to “normal.” God knows how many hairs are on my head (Matthew 10:30), but it’s time to get them down to a more manageable number.
I’ve got enough ‘splainin’ to do in general without having to justify Dr. Shaggy.
