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Oh what a beautiful morning!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We took the day off to celebrate something in addition: our 11th anniversary which will be on Saturday, when I may be in Houston.

Windows on our Journey

For the Sunday morning service we were a part of a program called "Windows on our Journey". The sanctuary holds a number of stained glass windows, and as artists we expressed the stories of many of those windows through song, dance and drama.

The dancers choreographed a piece on Creation in which I got to play water and Adam. During the rehearsal we had to pull a number of elements together in a short amount of time, continuing on our theme. In the moment of performance it all flowed seamlessly, and as the children came to the stage as flowers and trees and frogs I don't think I was the only one moved at a deep level. It set everything up for the rest of the service to be as powerful as it was.

I led a bibliodrama for the window "By faith Abraham offered Isaac". Everyone did a marvelous job. The people who volunteered each had a good sense of humor, so it started out as a comedy. When the tone shifted, the more somber emotions of the story came through that much more powerfully.

For the window "And they were filled with the Holy Ghost" I shared an excerpt from my play The Acts in which a character describes the Spirit falling on believers at Pentecost.

A mix of dance, song and spoken word told the stories of the other windows, and by the end of the service I know that a powerful work went on at deep levels.


Photos, which were a part of a beautiful printed program, are by Diane Lea. The service was imagined and designed by Tom Trenney, Director of Music Ministries, who graciously and beautifully portrayed Abraham in the bibliodrama.

Worship and the Arts

Dancing in the distance are Jane Wellford and Betsy Reeves. I also got to work with Susan Gingrasso and Kathryn Sparks (click here for their bios). All four taught various aspects of sacred dance, and then during the worship services they collaborated with each other and even let me in on some of the fun.

We had some of our classes perform in the Saturday night service at First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, MI. I directed a readers theatre piece which had two separate classes and three of the dancers choreographed movement to go with it. We never were able to rehearse together in the space. One of the themes of the weekend was doing much in little time. I was quite proud of everyone, especially the youth that were involved.

Also during that service I got to lead an enacted prayer for someone who needs a job, and we prayed it for all who are in need of employment in these days. Again, it was the youth that stepped up to the plate.

Out popped a baby and a man!

The church that hosted this amazing worship conference created their own version of the Wailing Wall, which I've visited twice in Jerusalem. Just like the real version, this one has spaces where people can put their written prayers.

On our visits to Israel, our host, Micha Ashkenazi, said, "Pray boldly. It's a local call."

Two of our pastors, Jim and Linda Warren (WestchesterChapel.org) had a couple of miscarriages, and they placed a prayer in the Wall for a baby. Their healthy, 12-year old daughter Rebekah was able to place prayers in the Wall herself on our last visit.

On the same trip that Rebekah was requested, Joyce "put in an order" for a husband who loves God.

Out I popped!

Psalms Project

A dozen years or so ago I overheard Nate Macy explaining how he had once felt "embraced by God." That line made its way into my play on Jonah, Big Fish Little Worm.

Then, in 2000, I was performing in England, and the producer of the tour showed me a hymnal in which each song was based on a Psalm. Most of the Psalms were written as songs, though we have no idea what they sounded like. I loved the concept so much, that in my personal devotions I sing the Psalms whenever I come to them, just making up rhythms and melodies as I go.

Early this year I performed at a retreat for Tigard Friends Church, where I bumped into Nate Macy again, this time leading worship. He loved God's hug so much he got his masters in spiritual formation. As a part of that degree, he produced an album in which he's created songs based on various genres of the Psalms. He's done a masterful job of finding rhythms and styles (Macy uses several, from Jewish to jazz and a few in between) to bring the ancient lines to vibrant life. Music helps accentuate the depths of despair and the heights of praise.

Psalms Project is available here.

Sensitized

This whole weekend has been an extraordinary experience! It started in the Detroit airport, with this sound and light tunnel, which sensitized me for everything that was to come.

If memory serves, this is the airport tunnel using lighting designed by David Lander ( http://LanderLighting.com ), who was the lighting designer for Fire Off-Broadway, the NYC run of Beyond the Chariots ( http://RichDrama.com/BeyondtheChariots ) paired with Roger Nelson's The Man from Aldersgate ( http://A1ManPlay.com ).

Stepping back in time with Tigard Friends

Do What Jesus Did!

Yesterday, my bride preached a marvelous sermon at Westchester Chapel. You can hear it online: Do What Jesus Did!

You'll hear her tell how I injured my toe by kicking a wall. Just for the record, she left out the part about my laptop being stolen while I was on the phone (pre-mobile days) in the next room. Also, when the woman prayed for my toe to be healed the pain was gone instantly. That performance of A Clear Leading opened up the opportunity to perform the play in 16 cities in England the following year.

God is SO good!

A most inspirational lunch!

A few days ago I saw on FaceBook that a friend from Vancouver, with whom I performed in Toronto and is now serving in Melbourne (did you follow that?) was stuck in LA. Little did I know she was en route to NYC to present at a commission on women for the UN. Her name is Danielle Strickland (left of me), and her newest book is Just Imagine the World for God, soon to be distributed in the UK as Just Imagine: The Social Justice Agenda. She and her friend Nikki Capp (left of Danielle) represented The Salvation Army as they addressed the UN on Biblical Justice. Pray the seeds go deep!

Her husband Steven Court, co-author of Be a Hero, joined at the camp in Toronto all three summers that I performed there, and they were a lightening rod for the Holy Spirit. It was awesome! The youth of that camp were barely touching the ground as they worshiped the Lord with all of their might! They just pushed the chairs out of the way and had at it! At one point they were singing and praying so loudly that they (this was an answer to a specific prayer) drew some youth from the next town over. They thought it was a party, and it WAS!

Also via FaceBook, I saw that Danielle was getting together for lunch with Billy and Analeise Francis, who are corps officers (pastors) of the Times Square Corp, where I did a run of A Clear Leading in '06. I met Billy years ago at an Army event, and we discovered that we both went to Hunter College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. They're doing great work on the Square, and are hoping to get theatre going there again before too long. Lift them up as they're reaching many people throughout the week in a variety of creative ways.

Devoted to God

Joyce and I just enjoyed the film Bella. It deserved all the awards it won. It's quite life affirming on many levels.

The back-story on the DVD of how they used creative methods to get an audience is quite inspirational, especially since they stayed in theatres and amazing four months.

I always thought of Bella as being an Italian name, but our sleuthing uncovered the fact that it is also given by Spanish speaking parents, as in this film. It's a diminutive of Isabel, which means Devoted to God.

Something of worth

There is latent desire in every human being to do something of worth that will have lasting significance. There is a longing in most people to do something that will make life better for others.
--Tony Campolo
Sociologist and author

MS Awareness Week

Tonight The Empire State Building marks MS Awareness Week.

¡Magnifico!

Last night's Spanish event was magnifico! The worship by Joelle Wolters, Danielle LaGrotteria, Ricky Ortiz, Miguel Roman & Rachel Marie Brown sandwiched around Joelle's message linked to their trip to Spain blessed me beyond belief! Pray for these young leaders as the Lord continues to lift them up and work through them around the world.

Next week we're off to Belgium complete with Belgian waffles and Jen Stuck's take on what God is up to in the land of her birth.

The Spirit of Stephen

Brooklyn Tabernacle is going through The Book of Acts right now, and not too far off of where our church ( http://WestchesterChapel.org ) is. As much as I travel, I've seen again and again how God leads in similar ways across the land. Here are notes from the service:

Acts 6:1-10
(Quotes are paraphrases of Pastor Jim Cymbala): "If the toilet needs to be cleaned, someone should clean it."

He pointed out those called to service have to be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to distribute food. Ergo not all Christians are filled with/controlled by the Holy Spirit. Nothing was menial to them. They made a big production of handing out food. Stephen was FULL of faith as well as the Holy Spirit. the word of God spread "because everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing." They didn't teach wisdom: they found people with the gift of wisdom. Don't be discouraged because not everyone follows you: they crucified Jesus. Stephen was assigned to hand out food and keep some women from arguing, but he performed God's acts, preached the longest recorded sermon to the religious leaders and was stoned to death for it. As they were attacking him, he was so calm and full of the Holy Spirit that he had the face of an angel. He was like his master in asking the Lord not to hold their sins against them. If you're faithful in small things, He will promote you to big things.

There's the faith that receives Christ & the Holy Spirit lives in them. But some Christians are luke warm. To be filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit is about surrender. God takes possession of that which is yielded to Him.

There is an abiding in the Holy Spirit so that you can be used by the Lord. Stay connected: not like people who do a great work one day, but curse someone out the next. Pastor Cymbala's greatest desire is to walk with God, to stay connected. Is the church in better shape now than in the first century because our leaders have all the credentials? Education is great, but all of us can be led by the Spirit as the first Christians were.

Bridge trumps stack

We decided to walk the Brooklyn Bridge rather than take advantage of the free IHOP pancakes.

NYC MWF reunion tonight

We're going to visit Brooklyn Tabernacle's prayer service tonight. We'll meet at Casa Java (near the street-level Au Bon Pain) in the south terminal of Port Authority, close to 8th Ave & W 41st. We'll head over to Brooklyn and grab some food at Wendy's‎: 425 Fulton St, which is just a few steps from the Borough Hall station on the A, C & F lines. We'll try to get to the church, at 17 Smith St., by 6, for the recommended hour before the 7pm service. You're welcome to join us at any point, even if you're not connected to MasterWorks.

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Afterward we'll claim our free pancakes at IHOP: 276 Livingston Street.

Jerry Lewis

Tonight Jerry Lewis was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at tonight's Oscars. One of our MasterWorks master class instructors this summer, Mac Nelson, performed with Lewis in Slapstick (of Another Kind).

I just changed my calendar...from October!

Thank you Lord for such a busy season, as well as for a time to catch up.