Bunker

I recently got to work with this remarkable team to create a short film written and directed by my former student, Rebecca Peterson. I was so proud of the work she did and the whole crew that she pulled together!

I'll email people once it's available: www.RichDrama.com/Updates. 

    

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I released “Pentecost: Beyond the Imagination,” a scene from my one-man play, The Acts, at www.RichDrama.com/Pentecost.

Horatio Spafford Introduces "It Is Well" for the Global Hymn Sing

On Sunday over 700,000 people around the globe joined in the Global Hymn Sing, hosted by Keith and Kristyn Getty (www.GlobalHymnSing.com). Our contribution was to portray Horatio and Anna Spafford introducing this year's hymn, "It Is Well."

I'm always looking for the fingerprints of the Lord, and this week I noticed that within 22 hours I was a part of projects from four centuries:

18th c.: Wed., 6:30 p.m.: Coached an actress on her German accent for a project I haven't gotten permission to talk about yet

20th c.: Wed., 7:30 p.m.: Portrayed a Scotsman and a Frenchman in the audio drama Titanic Waif

21st c.: Wed., 8:30ish p.m.: Played Wesley (and other characters) in a read through for What's a Girl to Do?

19th c.: Thur., 2:00 p.m.: Portrayed Horatio Spafford introducing "It Is Well." 

Jasmine reconnected with us and her roommate 
from college while in NYC.

I pointed this out to Jasmine Myers, director of The Diary of Perpetua, and she said she was editing one of my scenes during that window of time, and though it is shot as a modern piece, the story we're telling takes place in the 2nd c., so that's five centuries in one chronological day, and all of the projects point to the Lord's goodness over time! 

By the way, Jasmine was kind enough to show us a rough cut of The Diary of Perpetua as it stands now, and we're VERY excited about how it's looking! 

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In 2018 Rich joined the Global Hymn Sing by portraying Eric Liddell, of Chariots of Fire, leading "Jesus Shall Reign": www.RichDrama.com/EricLiddellHymnSing. See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance. 

Harvest Ministries Bangladesh - Relocation!

Joyce and I have been supporting a couple who are ministering in Bangladesh, and I was disturbed to hear that the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has ignited Muslim rage against Christians in Bangladesh. They're moving to a safer location and need help. Here's their story:

Hi. This is Lori. I have been serving Jesus for 2 and 1/2 years in Bangladesh with my Husband, a Christian converted from Muslim faith. We began in a remote, small rural village of Rajshaihi, Ministering as Harvest Ministries Bangladesh! We were helping in a small village church here for a while, serving their needs. And now with the Afghanistan issues, a couple of police have said we should make a move soon to the capital city of Dhaka! 

More Christians are located in Dhaka, and one church has many missionaries serving there with them! Also, My embassy is in Dhaka too, in case of any kind of trouble. We thank the Lord for keeping us safe so far, and believe the Lord is leading us to make this shift! 

The only thing with relocation to the Capital City is living expenses there are more. 

So what we are asking you, Dear Brothers and Sisters is to become united with us and our Ministry as we reach out to more people in Bangladesh. Since last year, my husband has also been translating Bible studies into Bengali. We are excited to share this work with many believers to encourage them in the Capital City! We believe we have a vision that's from the Lord! 

Thanks for keeping us and Bangladesh ministry in your heart and prayers! We can continue to go forward with your help. 

We thank you for allowing us to share our hearts with you! May God Bless you Richly!

Wadud's testimony is amazing:

Send an email for more information and find out how to give toward Lori and Wadud's ministry.

 

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I released “Pentecost: Beyond the Imagination,” a scene from my one-man play, The Acts, at www.RichDrama.com/Pentecost.

Will the Election Audits Bring Revival

After hearing the preliminary findings of the Maricopa County audit in July and the final hearing a couple of weeks ago, I could tell Doug Logan, head of Cyber Ninjas, was a believer by the way he shared Scripture and his heart. 

This was confirmed when he appeared on Pray with America’s Leaders last Thursday. It was thrilling to hear him speak openly about his faith! 

Joyce wrote an article about that episode for www.HeadlinePrayer.org: “Will the Election Audits Bring Revival.”

Joyce and I are regular leaders on another Intercessors for America program, Pray with Others Live: www.RichDrama.com/Prayer.

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I released “Pentecost: Beyond the Imagination,” a scene from my one-man play, The Acts, at www.RichDrama.com/Pentecost.

Faith on Film

I did this interview with Isaac Hernandez on Parables TV from the Lincoln Memorial while we were in Washington, DC, for Prayer March 2020 and The Return. Isaac saw me portray Hudson Taylor and Lazarus at Content 19. 

Here are links to some of the things I talked about:

Plays

Sermons

Reviving the Revivalists

John Wesley

Films

The Farmer and the Belle

Mayflower II

It’s a life Worth Living

The Adventum

Performances and workshops in Japan didn't happen due to the lockdowns

Christopher Awards (not Christy Awards)

Amazing Grace

Updates

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I released “Pentecost: Beyond the Imagination,” a scene from my one-man play, The Acts, at www.RichDrama.com/Pentecost.

Searching for Peace

This short film from this summer's Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp was posted in late August. 

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You can book a live performance of Rich Swingle's The Revelation: www.RichDrama.com/TheRevelation. 

Alone in the Fog

One of the films we produced this summer at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp was just posted:

We'll post a more lighthearted one soon, so watch for that. Also, we'll open registration sometime next month, so watch your inbox for the announcement. Last year the acting side filled up the same day we opened registration. 

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I play a lead in Providence, which you can bring to your area.

Study the Great Salvation

Joyce gives us the keys to understanding 1 Peter 1:10-12 this morning at Westchester Chapel Church of the Nazarene. Prayer by Pastor Randy Solomon. Pastor Jim Warren shares announcements.

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 know more about starting a relationship with Jesus Christ visit www.WestchesterChapel.org/Salvation.

Photo courtesy of NicolettiPhoto.com.

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See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance. 

Pray with Others Live

Neither Joyce nor I was on this week, but my article, "Praise the Lord There Wasn't a Second 9/11," was featured...

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The 20th Anniversary performance of my one-man play Five Bells for 9/11 is available to watch for free through 9/22 at www.RichDrama.com/FiveBells.

Interview on Arts & Entertainment with Deborah Gilbert

I was interviewed on Arts and Entertainment with Deborah Gilbert recently: 

I close by talking about my one-man play Five Bells for 9/11, which is free through tomorrow night (9/22) at www.RichDrama.com/FiveBells. 

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See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance.

Pray Over Broadway Live: The Hudson Theatre

Praying over the Hudson Theatre and announcing the 20th Anniversary performance of my play Five Bells for 9/11...

A new close to Five Bells for 9/11

 

In my 20th anniversary performance, I told how the cast and crew of What's a Girl to Do? appealed to Heaven and got the great news that the three-year-old boy who was found drowned in a pool, came back from the dead! I got a text the day after this performance letting me know the boy is "100%": www.RichDrama.com/AliveAgain. 

I released “Pentecost: Beyond the Imagination,” a scene from my one-man play, The Acts, at www.RichDrama.com/Pentecost.

Pray with Others Live: Hope-Filled Stories from 9/11

This week on Pray with Others Live, I share how a little boy came back from the dead after we prayed for him on the set of What's a Girl to Do? 

We also cover an article and interview I did with Ann Van Hine, who gives tours of the 9/11 Memorial: Twenty Years After Our Darkest Day the Light Still Shines. 

Lori Meed shares a story about her friend Gretchen Burkholder being led to the top of the World Trade Center to pray over people. I got to interview Gretchen and will post that interview here soon.

 

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I'll post the 15th anniversary of performance of my one-man play Five Bells for 9/11 from 9/11 to 9/16. You can watch it at www.RichDrama.com/FiveBells. 

Ken Wales went to be with the Lord

I just found out that Ken Wales went to be with the Lord on August 21. The news brought back a flood of memories.

Sometime in 2004 I heard from my friend Sean Gaffney that Ken, who had produced the original Pink Panther films, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Christy, and many others, was interested in producing the rest of the Chariots of Fire story. I was working on Beyond the Chariots, my one-man play that tells that story, at the time, so I was very interested in auditioning for Eric Liddell in the film. 

At the time I knew they were working on Amazing Grace, so I was shocked when Ken called me up. I told him about my play and hoped he could see a reading of it at a Christians in Theatre Arts gathering near him that year, hoping he'd think of me for Liddell. He shocked me again when he mentioned that they didn't have a script yet! 

In 2006 I was back in LA, and I invited him to a performance. He saw it, and took the stage afterward to tell the audience how much he loved it. At a late dinner he invited me to work on the screenplay. 

I invited him to teach at the MasterWorks Festival two different summers, and he always made an effort to meet with each student, to hear their dreams and encourage them. One of the reasons he was so enthusiastic about encouraging the next generation was that Walt Disney invited him to stay in his home when Ken was in high school. Walt wanted to hear from a young person, and Ken's principal recommended him. At the end of the week, Walt took him around Disneyland, which I believe was still in testing mode at the time. On the It's a Small World ride Walt asked Ken what he wanted to do in life. When Ken told him he wanted to make movies, Walt took out his personal checkbook and wrote out a check for Ken's tuition for five years at the University of Southern California film school. 

At MasterWorks and Christians in Theatre Arts, Ken would stay up until the wee hours telling stories of his adventures in Hollywood with students. I remember being shocked once that he beat me to the classroom where he was teaching first thing in the morning after he'd kept many of us up past 2:00 a.m.!

Ken's greatest help with my career was probably when he recommended me for Alone Yet Not Alone, which he was producing. I landed a small role, but it connected me with so many wonderful people that I've worked with over the years. 

Sadly, Ken got dementia before we were able to get our screenplay to market. 

I got to visit Ken once after that. I made him weep as I reminded him of some of the stories he told me and thanked him for his great influence on my life and career. I'll always be glad I was able to spend that time with him. 

Join me in praying for more mentors and producers like Ken to rise up and create films that point people to Christ. 

Here's a great article on the MovieGuide website: 

AMAZING GRACE Producer and Friend of Movieguide® Ken Wales Dies

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See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance. 

Revel in the Lord!

Joyce invites us to revel in the Lord as she leads us through Isaiah 61:10-11. I read Isaiah 61.

This was a part of this morning's service at Westchester Chapel.

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

"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" by Joachim Neander, pub. 1680 tr. by Catherine Winkworth, 1863. Performed by the Bethel Choir and used by permission. 

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I play a lead in Providence, which you can bring to your area.

The Story that Connected Rich and Joyce

Dr. Linda Warren tells a story that sets up the story of Joyce and myself. The personal epiphany she explains as she unpacks Isaiah 61:1-4 happened not long before she became Joyce's boss at Sports Illustrated in the early 90s. If what you're about to hear hadn't happened, I might never have met Joyce, or if we would have met we most likely wouldn't have had 23 years of wedded bliss and counting.

Pastor Jim Warren opens the service at Westchester Chapel with Psalm 103. Pastor Rachel Taylor prays over 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 know more about starting a relationship with Jesus Christ visit www.WestchesterChapel.org/Salvation.

Several from Westchester Chapel visited Nazareth Village while performing and teaching in Jordan and Israel in 2011. They have a synagogue set up as it likely was in Jesus' day, and the scroll of Isaiah is unrolled to Chapter 61. 

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I released “Pentecost: Beyond the Imagination,” a scene from my one-man play, The Acts, at www.RichDrama.com/Pentecost.

Pray Over Broadway Live: The Lyric Theatre (Second Prayer)

From my devotion this morning: 'Who Controls Your Thoughts?'. Check it out here: https://www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/26468 Here’s the full and correct translation: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” ‭‭John‬ ‭8:44‬ ‭ESV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.8.44.ESV Joyce Swingle’s article on witchcraft can be found at www.RichDrama.com/PrayWithOthersLive (7/13). www.RichDrama.com/WhatsAGirlToDo #PrayOverBroadwayLive

Posted by Rich Swingle on Thursday, August 5, 2021

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I released “Pentecost: Beyond the Imagination,” a scene from my one-man play, The Acts, at www.RichDrama.com/Pentecost.

Pray With Others Live: Praise in Portland and To Vax or not to Vax: Should this Be the Question?

Joyce's article on vaccinations was one of those featured on www.HeadlinePrayer.com that we covered yesterday. Also, having been raised in Oregon, I was glad to lead people in praying over articles on the recent Antifa attacks on Evangelical worshipers, including children and the triumphant praise by Sean Feucht and #LetUsWorship in the same park the next night, planned four months in advance!

Here was my prayer in Downtown Portland last September:

Here's the interview with the Black conservative preacher's son who was attacked by Antifa on August 7:

A young Black child speaks about his experience when antifa violently attacked him & his family at a prayer event on Saturday in downtown Portland. Video by Villain Report. pic.twitter.com/iXuLlZFFJf

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 9, 2021

Joyce and I are featured on Pray with Others Live the second Tuesday of every month, and on other days as relevant. Sign up for alerts and call-in info at www.RichDrama.com/Prayer.

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See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance. 

Prison Letters

I'm playing a homeless man in the Times Square Church film series Prison Letters. Each one opens with Paul writing from prison, then jumping to the present where the principles are worked out. 

This is my second production with TSC, after playing one of Peter's accusers in Three Days Later, which you can watch for free at www.RichDrama.com/ThreeDaysLater. 

It's always a joy to connect with Patricia Mauceri, who reached out to me about this. She and I worked together at the MasterWorks Festival for a decade. I also love working with the director, Pastor David Ham. In the photo below, he and I are messed up after talking about how the Lord is tangibly at work through this production already! 

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See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance. 

Pray Over Broadway Live clips from Pray with Others Live

Intercessors for America pulled clips from our Pray with Others Live program in which I led prayer over Broadway: full program. 

Join us in more prayers over Broadway at www.RichDrama.com/PrayOverBroadwayLive. 

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See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance. 

Gemma Wenger's Hollywood

I was delighted to do this interview with Gemma Wenger at the International Christian Film and Music Festival. We talked about my work in the film 2nd Chances, which was recently released. 

Joshua Carpenter joins the interview and talks about how he recognized me, and I won't spoil the discovery of why. The world got smaller and the Kingdom bigger that night, when Joshua presented the award for Audience Choice Actor of the Year. 

 

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See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance.