Give Thanks to the Lord

This morning I got to lead Westchester Chapel in giving thanks for all the Lord has done for Westchester Chapel through Psalm 136.

Pastors Jim and Linda Warren bring 1 Chronicles 16:1-9 and 2 Chronicles 20 to life in a variety of ways. Dr. Linda leads us in the Eucharist. Pastor Jim mentions research that's been done on the effect playing violent video games has on those who play and society at large. You can read about some of those studies in the article "Trained to Kill."

Click the arrow below, or if you're reading this in an email you can click this link, to play the service:



This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

We've been in the Bible Study series "Pictures of Jesus," and here's Eva P.'s summary of the series, setting us up for the final Picture of Jesus: Jesus as King.

Check www.WestchesterChapel.org to find out when our next Bible study will take place.

Click the arrow below, or if you're reading this in an email you can click this link, to play the summary:



If you want to more about starting a relationship with Jesus Christ visit www.WestchesterChapel.org/Salvation.

Celebrate Fellowship

Rich and Pastor Joyce on the
Sea of Galilee.

Joyce and I were tasked with creatively summarizing Westchester Chapel's year-and-a-half-long sermon series, The Great Gift of Fellowship. I used a sociogram (though I didn't tell them that!), which is a tool developed through sociodrama. The results were fantastic!

I opened by telling a bit more about my performance for gang members imprisoned on Riker's Island: www.RichDrama.com/FatherDaughterDance.

Pastor Jim Warren shared announcements, and he mentioned Celebrity Confessions. You can find out more about the last two performances (July 24 and August 28) at www.RichDrama.com/CelebrityConfessions.

Click the arrow below, or if you're reading this in an email you can click this link, to play the service:



This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

If you want to more about starting a relationship with Jesus Christ visit www.WestchesterChapel.org/Salvation.

Larry Belew's Memorial

I had the opportunity to sing at Larry Belew's funeral in Wichita, KS. I tell more of my connection to him in the introduction to the song, but he had a major impact on my life the first week I moved to NYC. 

You can hear my song at 1:18:20. 

Also, Mac Nelson, best man at our wedding spoke, and his stories about Larry were from an important time in my life. You can hear him speak at 28:40. 

Our friend, David Wallace, who played viola for my 9/11/02 performances of Five Bells for 9/11 and later recorded it for the play's soundtrack, wrote a profound letter to the family, which is read at 1:15:15.

Fellowship: Jesus Is with You in Mission

I got to open this morning's service at Westchester Chapel, and I did so by sharing about an upcoming booking, which I'll share more about later. I also introduced the film The Pilgrim's Progress, for which we hosted the NYC Premiere.

Pastor Jim Warren preaches on Matthew 28:16-20. He mentioned a video of Francis Chan, which you can see below, and he refers to the illustration pictured below.  Announcements by Rachel Taylor.

Click the arrow below, or if you're reading this in an email you can click this link, to play the service:

This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

If you want to more about starting a relationship with Jesus Christ visit www.WestchesterChapel.org/Salvation.

The Pilgrim's Progress film

WOW! WOW! WOW!!!!!
We almost got to see this at the International Christian Film Festival, but technical issues and time constraints collaborated to keep us from it. The director, was kind enough to give us a screener. It's absolutely brilliant!

I've been a fan of Pilgrim's Progress since landing a role in a musical version by auditioning for the producers while showing them around the Lamb's Theatre my first year or so in NYC.

It's shot in glorious Southern Oregon where we filmed A Matter of Perspective, and where I grew up. They worked on a micro-budget with actors from church, but David played their limitations like an instrument! The way they tackled complex challenges is simply genius! I think it has the excellence and camp that could make it a Christian Princess Bride.

Joyce said, "We loved it! We super super loved it!"

It's being released in August, so be sure to like their Facebook page to get the announcement.

Watch the trailer and a scene below:

A Clear Leading tells the story of Quaker abolitionist John Woolman, who spoke against slavery a century before our Civil War.

Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp 2017

We had such a wonderful week with these amazing people at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp! We completed the short film "Milk and Oranges" based on a true story told by Nathan Ashton, who shares seven film credits with me. 

This marked Joyce's directorial debut:


We also provided headshots to all the actors, and I coached each of them for an audition to a live feature film. Woo hoo!