He has many pictures of himself hanging on crosses.

Doesn't sound like a comfortable life.

But Christian music recording artist Mark J. Thomas, of Nashville, Tenn., - who will donate his talents in Bismarck later this month for a charity fundraiser being put on by an old college friend - doesn't seem to have any complaints.

In the last few years - in addition to his singing, piano-playing, piano-teaching and composing a musical that is expected to run on Broadway - he discovered acting when a Nashville church, putting on the Passion Play, couldn't find a Jesus.

So they turned to Thomas, the church's choir and band director, who had no acting experience besides a college acting class.

"I said 'OK, if you think I can do it,'"he said.

He did it, and loved it.

"I was bit by the acting bug."

So, in the last five years at Nashville theater companies, he has continued with this new interest, in addition to his music pursuits. And for a while there was a commonality to the roles he kept getting: "Godspell," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and being Jesus in an avant garde play called "Pilate."

It got to the point, so much time spent as Jesus, that he decided he needed to branch out a bit.

He has since played a prison guard in a Robert Redford movie, "Last Castle,"pianist vocal coach and music director for an original opera on PBSand acted in a HBOproduction, among other roles.

But in Bismarck, to raise funds for Charles Hall Youth Services, which runs three group foster homes here, he'll be back at his piano singing his songs and tunes.

There are five concerts scheduled: 7 p.m. Nov. 1, First Presbyterian Church; 7 p.m. Nov. 2, Church of Corpus Christi; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church; 1:30 p.m. Nov. 4, an Angels of Hope Benefit Tea at the Elks Lodge; and 10:30 a.m. Nov. 5 at United Church of Christ.

There will be a goodwill offering at each performance. For the Nov. 4 benefit tea, in addition to a goodwill offering, people are being asked to bring a stocking stuffer for a foster child, age 12-17.

"His talent is unbelievable," said Gayla Sherman, Charles Hall's executive director of programs and resource development.

Sherman met Thomas while they were both going to graduate school.

Thomas, a pianist who was still focused on classical music, was studying under Maurice Hinson, an internationally known pianist and piano teacher at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

She remembers Thomas' goal of practicing piano nine to 10 hours a day during that time.

Sherman said Thomas, now a well-known musician in Nashville, wasn't someone who lucked into a pop career.

"He's an accomplished musician,"she said. "He has probably studied for 35 to 40 years on his talent, the piano."

Thomas said his days of music and acting activities are so busy, "I don't set foot in a grocery store." There is absolutely no food in his Nashville house. Oh, except for a container of take-out in the refrigerator that should have been thrown out long ago. When Thomas, who is single, eats, he eats out.

Thomas said his classical music studies started when his mother forced him to take piano lessons in second grade in Missouri. It stopped nine months later when he couldn't stand it anymore. And then it started again in fifth grade when on a rainy day his class stayed in for recess, he started playing the piano, causing his classmates to leave their other activities and listen to him.

That crowd-pleasing experience led him to reconsider taking piano lessons.

At the end of high school, he was planning on entering law school and politics, but his piano teacher convinced him to try music, telling him, "I've never had a student like you before."

Thomas said he started praying about it and believed he got direction from God to pursue music.

Sherman, and apparently many others, are giving thanks.

His classical music career goal branched out when Thomas, working toward a master's degree, took a girl he was dating to Opryland for a singing audition, and ended up auditioning himself for a piano-playing and music director job with Opryland.

He got a job. His girlfriend didn't.

Some of Thomas' other career highlights include performing with the Nashville Opera and the Kentucky Opera Association, as well as being the music director at Opryland, Six Flags and several churches in the Midwest and eastern states. Thomas has received honors from America's Gospel Music Association and several national competitions.

He also has been a featured artist-songwriter at the Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville.

Most of his Bismarck performances will focus on the music. But at the Nov. 4 tea, in addition to his performance, there will be homemade desserts made by the Shades of Purple Goddesses Chapter of the Red Hat Society. And there will be prizes and a silent auction of dolls from the Robert Tonner Doll Co., of New York.

To make a Nov. 4 tea reservation by the Friday deadline, call Rhonda Jacobs at 255-2773, ext. 301.

(Reach reporter Virginia Grantier at 250-8254 or at virginia.grantier@;bismarcktribune.com.)