The East River
We've reached the end of our prayer walk. Thanks for joining us.
If you're starting this at the top of the blog, you can pray it in reverse.
Now we're heading back to dress the turkey. While it cooks we'll pray for the rest of the world.
Here's a quick way to pray for the whole world in a bit over five minutes: http://RichDrama.com/WorldPrayer.
The United Nations
I got to perform in the UN when I was in the cast of The Jeweler's Shop, written by Pope John Paul, II, so I'm reminded to lift up the current pope. Lord, flow through his recent decision to honor artists.
News Media
The Lamb's Church
One of my favorite performances was when I put on A Clear Leading for the homeless clients. When I was portraying the racist characters they would boo, and when I switched to abolitionist John Woolman they would cheer! Exhilarating: especially since I knew them well enough to trust that they wouldn't beat me up while I was a character praising slavery!
Am I ever grateful for this place! May the Church of the Nazarene continue to help bodies and souls around the globe! I think we're in about 135 nations right now, and many of those that serve the needy are led by people who interned here.
When I first arrived in 1993 I kept a journal that preceded this blog entitled "Farm Boy on Times Square." You can read the first two entries here.
Times Square
And as people disperse from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade may they keep looking up!
The Helen Hayes Theatre
We pray for all performing artists on Broadway and around the world, that they will come into a fuller appreciation of their gifts and the Giver of all good gifts.
The Salvation Army
We're grateful for all the Salvation Army has done for bodies and souls all over the world.
Parks
Bridges and tunnels
We pray for safety and efficiency!
Former labyrinth
We're grateful for the Christian heritage of this city that is now having a huge growth spurt of church plants. May they continue to multiply and flourish!
Tourists
The Hudson
We pray for safety for bodies and souls all across the US.
The Chinese Consulate
Prayer walk
If you don't know the miraculous story of how we got here, check it out: http://RichDrama.com/MP.
To follow our prayer walk on your Facebook wall sign up here: http://Facebook.com/RichDrama.
Charles Walker
I was grieved to read of the death of Charles Walker. He saw a performance of Beyond the Chariots at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, after which he told us how he found Eric Liddell's grave in Weifang, China, which started the ball rolling on the establishment of a massive monument there in Liddell's honor. That conversation led us to interview him in our documentary, Olympic Hero in China: The Story of Eric Liddell.
Here's Walker's obituary in The Scotsman: A Liddell claim to fame.
Here's Walker's obituary in The Scotsman: A Liddell claim to fame.
The impact of Eric Liddell
I just came across the obituary of a man who entered ministry after an encounter with Eric Liddell: Alexander Holmes. Who knows how many lives have been touched by Liddell's life.
Bring in your gold
The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock
The Blind Side is really a fabulous film about love in action. I can't recommend it enough!
The film is based on the book of the same name and the true story of Michael Oher, who was a First Round draft pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, selected by the Baltimore Ravens. Sandra Bullock plays Leah Anne Touhy, who took him in as a young boy (a very big young boy) who had been kicked onto the streets of Memphis. The life transformation in his life and that of the Touhy family is profound and far-reaching.
There are some elements parents might need to talk through with younger kids, but, as the rating suggests, this is for kids as young as 13.
The film is based on the book of the same name and the true story of Michael Oher, who was a First Round draft pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, selected by the Baltimore Ravens. Sandra Bullock plays Leah Anne Touhy, who took him in as a young boy (a very big young boy) who had been kicked onto the streets of Memphis. The life transformation in his life and that of the Touhy family is profound and far-reaching.
There are some elements parents might need to talk through with younger kids, but, as the rating suggests, this is for kids as young as 13.
The Reason for God
I'm LOVING this book!
Tim Keller addresses the greatest objections to Christianity, and then builds on reasons we all know God exists, even those not ready to admit it. It will increase your faith and make you feel smarter for it!
Skiing without the lift
Reflections on A Christmas Carol
I have a friend that posted a great review of A Christmas Carol on IMDb...
Begin forwarded message:
Hey, Rich!
When I think of Jim Carrey, I always think of you too, because I think you resemble him. So, anyway... I was just thinking again about the new version of A Christmas Carol that he was in and I thought you might like to read my reflections on it. I saw it a couple weekends ago in 3-D and thought it was excellent. I posted some thoughts on IMDb after I saw the movie, and you can find them here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1067106/board/thread/151489117
--
Joy Freschly
A clarifying decision
One day I had to leave before my friends, and I was going to ask them to get up so I could squeeze out of the booth, but I realized that I didn't want to grow up entirely, and I crawled under the table. I believe that decision was one of the things that prepped me to be a full-time actor I think I've been a pretty responsible adult, but I hope I never lose the ability to play!
What are the chances?
Joyce and I went to bed at about 10pm, and just before midnight Joyce asked if I was okay. She thought I was sobbing, but I was laughing my head off thinking about the chances we would have connected with Jon where we did. She woke up thinking of the same thing, just before my uncontainable giggles.
Now us theatre folk aren't known for our mathematical prowess, but if someone were going to calculate the probability of our encounter with Jon they'd have to consider the following:
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*the vast distances between Beijing, Phoenix, Oregon, and New York City
*the relative size and populations of Beijing and New York City
*the fact that, even after doubling in size since my graduation, the population of Phoenix could fit in an average apartment complex in Beijing or New York City
*the distance between Phoenix and the closest city with at least a million people (about 280 miles)
*all the decisions that factored into placing Phoenix, Oregon, on Jon's itinerary at that point in time
*the fact that last May George Fox University chose me, a Nazarene, as one of the featured presenters for their Quaker Heritage Week, which was what brought me out from New York City
*the fact that this was one of a handful of trips to Southern Oregon on which I didn't set up a performance on a Sunday (Since I've never performed in Phoenix since graduating from high school the probability of me eating lunch there before or after a performance would have been minuscule, and I can only remember eating at the pizzeria a handful of times since graduation.)
*the probability that each in our party of eight would contribute to our conversation in such a way that our 8am breakfast would extend until after 11:30
*the fact that Joyce and I didn't hesitate to stay with family past the starting times of every local church we knew about because on Friday afternoon we "happened" to walk into my grandmother's residence at the exact moment they were starting their only weekly church service, which we enjoyed immensely
*the fact that my dad's cousin mentioned the Phoenix Historical Museum and could let us in for a tour
*the duration of each person's time at any given display
*the fact that my dad's cousin recommended Angelo's Pizzeria
*the fact that my dad's cousin recognized the pastor and his wife who were hosting Jon and his wife and mentioned he was hosting people from China (Though we shared two hour-plus services in Beijing Jon and I only spoke for about a minute that day. For the rest of the services I was either watching him interview Olympic champion Madeline Manning Mims from backstage or he was watching my backside as I performed.)
If any of these things hadn't been in place we either wouldn't have been in the pizza parlor at the same time or, if we were, wouldn't have recognized each other.
It's been a long time since I've studied probabilities, but the way I understand it, the probability determined by each factor is multiplied by the next to determine the final probability.
Then multiply that by the possibility of also having sat one row behind a gal who graduated from Phoenix High School three years after me in the Bird's Nest Stadium just over a year earlier during the Olympics: Out of 90,000 Seats. I'd been invited to perform for athletes in the Olympic Village that day, but the night before a dignitary flew to Beijing unexpectedly and needed the pass I was going to be given.
Early flight
Soaked
This morning we had breakfast with John Kasica. He and his wife have roomed with us several years at MasterWorks. He was in town to play percussion at Carnegie Hall with the St. Louis Symphony. They were a part of the Asian series on offer at the moment. He played a piece in which he and two other percussionists "played" with water. They were drumming above, below and on the surface of the water, so the first three rows were not sold, so as not to splash patrons. The instruments of the orchestra were protected by plexiglass. John was soaked.
As were we while "having church" in a local cafe and while worshiping, sharing and praying back at his hotel room.
He's starting a church this coming Sunday in St. Louis. It started out as an artists fellowship, and now they're inviting non-artists to receive and share their own giftings.
My Carnegie Hall Debut!
At any rate, we went to the concert, and upon entering the hall we were given Chinese hand drums with beads on the ends of two strings. They pound each face of the drum simultaneously when you spin it. Everyone was "warming" up before the concert began, which could, at one point, be heard from the lobby according to the NY Times reviewer.
What the reviewer didn't say was that we called for three encores! The first was for the cellist, Trey Lee, the only one to play a Western instrument. There were many erhus (which I reference in Beyond the Chariots) and various other stringed instruments, plus Chinese percussion and wind instruments, all set up in a Western orchestra fashion. Lee's emotional connection to the piece, first performed in Hong Kong by Yo Yo Ma, was exquisite! I recently taught a Graceworks seminar to the music department at the University of Memphis in which I urged them to envision a story as they play a piece. Whatever story Lee was telling was compelling me to the edge of my seat!
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