Five questions with Trever Rook

QUESTION 1
Hey Trever, for the three people at Horizons who don't know you, tell us a bit about yourself and your background, and how you came to Horizons and Christ.

Who are the three people? Do they know how lucky they are!?A bit about my background...(this must really be a slow blog day) well, I was a stand-up comic in the 80's. I wasn't a good one. As a matter of fact, I was terrible.

But it did get me a job in radio for a while as morning show funny man.

I worked for two stations. Both stations were sold/placed under new management, and I was fired along with several other employees. I'm told that's what they do in radio. That's why I did not go back. (I'm not much of a gambler.)

I then went on to produce the news at channel 10/11. (why they would hire a comic to produce their news is beyond me.) After that I moved on to BryanLGH, where I make educational videos. It was there that I met my best friend and loving wife Jackie. (She's the cute one beside me at church.)

She was going to Horizons with her two sons Matthew and David. I decided to take my son Trevin and check it out. My first visit was a service in which the youth group talked about their experiences with the Mexico mission trip. (I think it was their first.) I was very impressed.

What also impressed me was when Steve introduced himself to me. He made a point to make me feel welcome. I had been going to a larger church at the time and was missing the personal touch of a smaller community. It's funny. As Horizons continues to grow, I see that we still have that small community, personal touch. I'm not sure how we do it, but I credit Steve's leadership for that. (I'm sucking up because I want to get a job at Horizons.)

QUESTION 2
What is your DVD all about and who are these puppet characters?

I started working with puppets because I was too shy to face the cameras myself. The shows are just some cheap slapstick fun that hopefully will get some giggles. Erving is actually based on myself. I have always struggled a bit with insecurities and low self-worth. Erving is my way of using comedy as a bit of therapy I guess. The DVD is being sold through my Web site.

It's also up for sale on Amazon.com (it's got some good reviews there, along with one really bad one. Someone really hated it!)

QUESTION 3
Why did you decide to donate two months' worth of proceeds to the People's City Mission here in Lincoln?

I was out there to make the promo for the church and became very moved by the people there. Being a recovering alcoholic/drug addict, I know that I could have easily ended up in a similar situation. I often wonder why God allowed me to face some scary things in life, but spared me from other things. Perhaps it helps us to become more empathetic to others and their situations. As I drove away, I could see the city change. The cheaper buildings quickly turned into modern suburbia. (We do a good job of hiding our homeless here.)

I could not get the children out of my head. I kept wondering what it would be like to grow up homeless. And being a comic, I kept wondering how often they smiled or laughed. I felt I should do something and the DVD was about to go up for sale. I thought maybe I could turn some comedy into some food and maybe even some smiles. I hope to do more.

QUESTION 4
Excluding any member of the trinity (God/Jesus/Holy Spirit), name one person you'd like to meet and tell us why.

I'd love to meet Jamie's hair stylist. He does a much better job of covering his bald spot than me.

Actually most of my influences are in heaven now. I'm a huge fan of classic comics like Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, 3 stooges, etc.

QUESTION 5
If your life was made into a movie, which actor should play you?

Probably the same person that would be picked to play Ziggy if his life was made into a movie.

Thanks, Trev!
LMF