With Heavy Hearts

Posted by Tommy & Eddie on May 23, 2007

We frequently talk about our friendship and what we get to do for a living. We have explained many times that we are still just two high school best friends doing what we did in youth group twenty years ago. However, we haven’t spoken much about those who went before us and paved the way for what we do.

When we started looking at the possibility of traveling and being “Christian Performers” for a living there were a handful of people that we looked at and said to ourselves, “Man, wouldn’t it be great to do what they do for a living!” They were our mentors from afar. We were like Jr. High students looking at the Seniors who had it made. We wanted to be like them. Those guys are Curt Cloninger, Ted Swartz, and Lee Eshleman.

Curt in a one-man dramatic bombshell! He comes in, takeover the stage and is simply amazing. We’ll tell you more about him later.

Right now, we would like to tell you about Ted & Lee. Theses two guys started traveling and performing Christian theatre when we were still in High School. Ed and I connected with them because they were two guys doing an array of characters. In our podcast this month, we mention the phrase, “Abbot and Costello meet Paul and Silas”. That’s what these two guys did. They took the scriptures and made them come alive on stage. These guys are the real deal. They love Jesus and love the stage. They are great actors and incredible writers. If we are skit guys then we would consider these two guys the theatre guys.

We will never forget the first time we actually got to perform with them at a Youth Specialties late night event. We were so nervous and excited. We opened for them and then sat out in the audience and just enjoyed watching them do what they did best! Since that time we are proud to say that we could call Ted and Lee our friends.

In sharing these memories with you about our friends, our hearts become so heavy. You see, Lee passed away last week and has gone to be with the Lord. It was very sudden and incredibly sorrowful. Lee leaves behind his wife, three children and of course his buddy Ted. We don’t get it, we don’t understand why or anything like that. We are just sad. We would ask that you remember Lee’s family and Ted in your prayers. Also, take some time to go to their website www.tedandlee.com. There is a wonderful tribute to Lee there and you can purchase their material. It will bless you…we promise.

Lee was an inspiration to us. He was great person, a gifted person, and he will be missed. Ted, we love you and you are in our prayers.

Comments

deana June 26, 2007 at 10:09 p.m.

Skit guys,
it is awesome to see/hear about the compassion you have for your friends!... upon hearing that you would be at LIFE 2007, i wanted to see what you were all about. after reading your material/subscribing to your podcast, it is evident that you love the Lord, and enjoy what you're doing! i'm excited to see what you have for us at LIFE!

david mclaughlin July 1, 2007 at 5:09 a.m.

i'm so glad to find out you have a blog. i'm old so that is easier than myspace which i can still not figure out.

woulda been nice if you had actually let us know you had a blog. i signed up for your stupid email list and i never got no info.

losers.

that tommy sure is pretty though.

david mclaughlin July 1, 2007 at 5:10 a.m.

uh...wow

just read the blog AFTER posting.

maybe shoulda been a little more respectful due to the subject nature.

sorry.

i am SUCH a mclaughlin.

Tina July 5, 2007 at 6:14 p.m.

You two are so extremely talented, and it was such a blessing to hear your comic yet spiritual messages at Ridgecrest last week. Words cannot express the truths poured on us by the Holy Spirit through you, Tony, and Big Daddy Weave. Centrifuge was worship and then some!

Kasi Pick July 11, 2007 at 2:11 a.m.

I was at LIFE 2007 and I thought you guys are amazing. My youht group is from Watsontown, Pennsylvania, and we all thought you were so cool and almost all of us got your signatures.

I was wondering if I could possibly get to know you guys and maybe you could send me a little something from you. My birthday is tomorrow, July 11, and I will be 15. My e-mail address is rookittylovers@windstream.net. Could you please send me an e-mail and talk to me, tell me all about yourself and maybe we can keep in touch.

Suzanne Eller (Suzie) July 26, 2007 at 1:34 p.m.

Hey skit guys,

Sorry about the loss of your friend. He sounds like a powerful mentor, and that legacy goes one. It was awesome to see you two in action at Youth Encounter/Edge this past weekend.

Suzie Eller, speaker and author to teens

Catherine Singleton July 26, 2007 at 8:55 p.m.

You were awesome at Ridgecrest this year. We were part of the X-Fuge crew and our youth absolutely loved you. I was impressed that you could have heard a pin drop in that room while you were on stage. I am sorry about the loss of your friend. Thank you for being so real with our students.

Catherine Singleton, youth minister

mom August 1, 2007 at 2:24 a.m.

I see that you are going to be at Falls Creek next year. Have you been to Falls Creek before?

stephanie August 9, 2007 at 5:25 p.m.

Saw you at the LCMS National youth gathering. You were one of the many highlights for our youth. We have several who are mimicing you still a week later! Thank you--you are an incredible blessing to the lives you touch.. Including adults!! Sorry about your friend-- sounds like his life was well worth celebrating!! What a party in heaven.

Danny Sammons August 12, 2007 at 9:28 p.m.

Hey guys, I am sorry for the loss of such a great friend. I know his influence on you was part of the picture that God is using both of you to paint. God bless. We look forward to having you in Longview at Calvary Baptist Church on the 17th. It will be a great evening! PS Tommy, it starts at 7 pm, please don't make Eddie late.

Danny Sammons
Minister to Students Calvary BC Longview

Sam Loftus September 11, 2007 at 9:32 p.m.

My Brother and I want to be just Like you I don't want to post my email address on the internet an I already emailed you so please email us!!!

Shanna Decker September 19, 2007 at 3:02 a.m.

Hey guys!

So, I was blessed to be one of the many who laughed till they cried at Chosen this summer. We just recieved our post event DVDs, and I was so excited to see the many Skit Guys parts again! I also sprinted out of Sunday nights mass event to get a spot in the "oh-so-crammed" late night session! Just so you know, I laughed until it hurt. Thank you for doing all you do, you'll never know how you make a difference. God has surely blessed you, and is doing the same for all of us, in getting to enjoy your work for Him. God bless you.

In Christ's Light,
Shanna Decker
-Plainview, MN

Sydney April 3, 2008 at 3:03 p.m.

Hey Skit Guys,
LOVED,LOVED,LOVED your "bad ways of witnessing" skit. My favorite part is the billy the goat, God really has worked with you guys to have you witness like that. I laughed until it hurt. Thank you for doing all that you do. you'll never know you made a difference, my friend is not christian and she saw 1 of your skits and she wanted to know if she could become christian. and she is now.

love ya,
Sydney Blanton
Co, spgs. co

RJ October 3, 2008 at 10:50 p.m.

Hey guys, me and my friend, Dustin are huge fans of yours! We're actually doing your skit "Bad Ways of Witnessing" for our church talent show in Feb....hope you guys don't mind - we're given you full credit for this script at all so NO WORRIES. Just wanted to say that you guys are great for doing what you do, thanks for all your inspiration.

~RJ

Denver Coleman November 15, 2008 at 9:25 a.m.

Jeffrey Joyce November 16, 2008 at 8:32 p.m.

Jacob Delgado November 20, 2008 at 4:51 a.m.

Mechelle Bean November 20, 2008 at 11:54 p.m.

Damian Keith November 21, 2008 at 9:01 p.m.

Desmond Holden November 22, 2008 at 9:05 a.m.

Greg Taylor November 23, 2008 at 6:34 a.m.

Orville Hurley November 23, 2008 at 2:27 p.m.