Great Gifts

I just received a couple of books from award-winning author, Joan Bauer, who I met at this year's Christopher Awards. The theme of the Christopher's is, "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Joan and filmmaker Ken Wales (far right in the photo) were both presenters at the awards ceremony: Joan for books and Ken for films.

Joan's book Hope Was Here was previously awarded the Christopher Award, along with the Newbery and other honors. Joan just learned that the State Department is translating the book into Russian. Her understanding is that it's the first time a novel has been translated for official public diplomacy.

The other book she gave us was Hudson Taylor on Spiritual Secrets, a 30-day devotional, which I'm looking forward to, since I'm reviving a monologue I created in which I portray Hudson Taylor.

Also in the photo are Joan's husband, Evan (far left), and Mac Nelson (between Evan and me), author of Waiting for My Fingers and Memoirs of a Hollywood Adventure.

You can see photos from the evening by clicking here.

One of the highlights of the evening was when Caroll Spinney shared a very touching story about how a father wrote to him to see if he would call his dying son as Big Bird, who he's played on Sesame Street for decades. Caroll did so, and after the call the boy said, "Big Bird called me! He’s my friend." And he closed his eyes. And he passed away. Caroll shared how the incident made him realize how important his words to children are.

Tonight on FOX 10 News

The MC for the Christopher Awards is Ernie Anastos, who said they'll be featured tonight on FOX 10 News.

May Easter continue!

More post-midnight Easter lights!

It's done!

My friends' son, who's 21 months old, saw our cross and said, "Cross! It's done."

He's ALIVE!

Happy Easter, everyone! We were delighted to find the Empire State Building still lit after its traditional midnight shutoff.

SROx2

Both churches had to put out extra chairs for the Good Friday services in which I performed yesterday ( http://RichDrama.com/GoodFriday ).

At Bronx Bethany, where the service was designed to match the three hours in which Jesus hung on the cross, there were about 700 in attandance. The sanctuary only held 400, so the rest were watching on monitors downstairs or listening from outside. As a guest preacher said, it was "thumpin'!"

My favorite moment was when I was walking down a stairway when a little boy said, "You were Jesus!" I asked him and his four young friends if they had a relationship with Jesus. they said they didn't, so we took care of that on the spot...well, on the stairs.

If you've never committed your life to the Lord, this weekend is a great time to accept the free gift of Salvation that the Lord paid for so dearly: http://RichDrama.com/MyPassion .

Happy Easter Weekend

Give a great birthday present!

I help people sponsor kids through Compassion, but you don't need to wait until a performance! Wish this child "Happy Birthday" with a sponsorship!

To find out more about my connection to Compassion and/or to select a child by age, gender and/or region, click here.

Israel '99

This photo is of Joyce and I in Bethlahem. I found it while going through photos from our trips to Israel while getting the slides ready for Journey to the Garden on Good Friday (RichDrama.com/GoodFriday). I shared links to the pictures from our 2005 trip on this blog, but the first trip was in 1999. Here's a link to those photos: Israel '99.

Happy Palm Sunday!

..from the lobby of Manhattan Plaza.

The Streets of New York

You never know what you'll see!

Two Good Friday Offerings

On Good Friday I'll be performing two works in two different churches near NYC.
At noon I'll be performing Journey to the Garden at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene. The drama invites each audience member to become a disciple and travel with Jesus from the Last Supper to the Garden of Gethsemane and finally to Golgotha. Slides from Israel of the actual places these events are believed to have taken place are the backdrop of the greatest story ever told.

At 7pm, I'll portray the title role in Ragman at Westchester Chapel. For over 20 years Walter Wangerin's Ragman has been touching hearts with a message of healing and Hope.

The play has been translated into Spanish by Susan Blish and will be performed in both languages simultaneously.

Artwork from Hong Kong

From Artwork from Hong Kong

The last time I was in Hong Kong (08/08) I performed and taught at the International Christian School. Erik Melver's middle school class created artwork to commemorate the occasion. Visit the album to see more.

The Two Towers

Just got back from setting things up for Good Friday's performance of Walt Wangerin's Ragman.

Cruising up the Hudson

I'm heading north today to prep for our performance of Ragman, an approved adaptation of the short story by Walt Wangerin, Jr.

The performance will be a part of our Good Friday service:

April 10, 7pm
http://WestchesterChapel.org

The Happiest Day of the Year

I got to help lead a Graceworks ( http://GraceworksInc.com ) workshop at Princeton University this morning. I believe this was my fourth time, and our host said the staff in offices outside our classroom call our annual visit the happiest day of the year!

REFLECTIONS on Dr. James Hudson Taylor III

I received the following from the youth pastor at the church where I first met Dr. Taylor. He gave me permission to post it here.

I've attached some of my thoughts I wrote down about Dr. Taylor. I wrote this exactly 1 week before his passing. I was thinking about him a lot once the news of his decline in health hit home, and was inspired to write my thoughts down. I'm sure my brief descriptions are echoed by those who have encountered him and know him much more closely than me. And, I do hope reading the reflections is a blessing and reminder of the goodness of God's grace. Of course my point was not to exalt Dr. Taylor as the Bible clearly teaches that we are equal as brothers/sisters in Christ. But the Bible also teaches that we are to give honor when it is due (Romans 13:7). And, we should never take for granted the special people God places in our lives.

REFLECTIONS on Dr. James Hudson Taylor III
By Dan Tupps (March 13, 2009)

As many of you know, Dr. Taylor, the great-grandson of Hudson Taylor, is suffering from the late stages of liver cancer. We’ve been praying diligently for him and his family during this difficult time. Lately I have been reflecting on my brief experiences and encounters I have had with Dr. Taylor over the past few years. Here are my reflections below…

There are few people I have known in life who I can say with pure enthusiasm that he/she is a man/woman of God. There are many, many people I know who are strong Christians; who love God with all their heart and seek to do his will, and have influenced my life and spiritual journey. But few possess a unique quality that radiates something extraordinarily different; someone you know is so close with God that He is seen in and through that person. There are few people who, after being in his/her presence, you know you have been blessed because he/she radiates the glory of the Lord (just like Moses in Exodus 34:29). Dr. Taylor is one of those people.

Dr. Taylor is one of the most unassuming men you’ll ever meet. He is not a man of great stature or size. He’s not loud, super outgoing, and doesn’t have much charisma. In a crowd he is not the life of the party and certainly would not want to be the center of attention. He is quiet (as in not loud or boisterous), gentle, and always has a smile. From a worldly perspective there’s not much about him that would strike you as possessing a tremendous leadership skill or trait. However, 2 Corinthians 6:6 describes Dr. Taylor perfectly. He is a man full of “purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love.” He is such a pure man that just being in his presence inspires you to want to be a better person, a holy person, a righteous person, someone who always seeks to do good. He is also full of understanding. He is never critical even when there may be something legitimate to criticize. He is so patient and kind. I’m sure he’s been angry, but if those who know him the most were to tell me that they honestly have never seen him angry, I would believe them! He is also a man who is clearly full of the Holy Spirit, not in a particularly extroverted way, but in a subtle and gentle way with a quiet and loving spirit and with godly wisdom. And to sum it all up, he is a man full of sincere love; he is a man who just loves people, faults and all. This is the defining characteristic that sets him above the rest: a genuine ability to love fallen, sinful, deceiving, disobedient, rebellious, obnoxious, ungodly, stubborn, impatient, ignorant, arrogant, you name it people. He truly loves others in the way God loves us.

I guess another trait to describe Dr. Taylor and why he is a man of God is that he is extraordinarily humble. He is the definition of what it means to be a humble servant. His humbleness was evident to me in a few different ways. First, he was present on a few occasions when I preached in the adult/Chinese congregation at our church. And, to hear him reinforce the points of my sermon and thank God for a message I gave was so humbling for me, to say the least. It should be ME who should be saying, “Praise God for Dr. Taylor’s message today!” He’s spent so many years in ministry and has wisdom beyond what I may ever grasp. But for him to say that for me is a type of humility I will possibly never know.

Secondly, when I first moved to Hong Kong I met with Dr. Taylor’s son, Pastor Jamie, about once every other month for mentoring. After Jamie moved to Taiwan, Dr. Taylor agreed to meet with me. However, we only had the opportunity to meet on a few occasions. I was always full of questions and wanted to learn from this godly man and soak in some of his wisdom. But it turned out he was the one asking ME questions! Asking me my thoughts on ministry and how to reach the younger generation for Christ. At the time I felt I should be learning from him, not the other way around! But looking back, I learned something from those few brief meetings that means so much to me today: what it means to be a humble servant; someone who is always learning, growing, and encouraging others and coming alongside them and gently guiding them along.

Finally, whenever I would email Dr. Taylor I would of course address him as such. However, he would always end his replies simply with “Jim.” Now, to some of you that may not mean anything. But for me, it speaks volumes. Knowing that he grew up in a culture where status, name, and rank as elder requires respect, the natural way to address him would be “Dr. Taylor” or “Pastor Taylor” or at the very LEAST “Uncle James”. These are titles that he not only deserved, but were certainly earned through years of study, hard work, and experience in life. And, in my culture for someone who has such a position or title of respect to say, “Please, call me ___ …” means that person respects you back and is a sign of humility. It would have been one thing for him to reply with “James”, but “Jim” is even more informal; it’s a nickname! So, piecing all this together, for him to end his emails with his nickname, Jim, is in a way saying, “I’m not requiring you to address me by my rightfully respectful title. Instead, I respect YOU enough to say that we are on an equal level as two brothers in Christ.” I can’t explain enough how a simple phrase at the end of an email like “Your brother in His service, Jim” speaks volumes of this man’s humbleness.

On a final note, I’ll never forget two things in my encounters with Dr. Taylor. First, my wife, Geeta, and I had the privilege to have Dr. Taylor pray a blessing for us when we first started serving at HKMBC. To have such a man of God pray for us as we were initiated into ministry in Hong Kong is such a blessing and moment both Geeta and I will never forget. Secondly, I found out this past year that Dr. Taylor and I share the same birthday – August 12. From here on out as I celebrate my birthdays, I hope to always remember that exactly 50 years before I was born a man of God, who I had the privilege and honor to meet, was born and served God faithfully “in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love.”

King David the Musical

KING DAVID THE MUSICAL
"A heart warming musical celebration of faith for the entire family!"
Host: Eastern Gate Entertainment, Inc.
Thursday, April 9 through June 27
Where: THE PROMISE THEATER

If you're on FaceBook, click here for a discount. Otherwise, go straight to their website: KingDavidMusical.com

I first met Felicia Lopes, the gal who's producing this, at a Christians in Theatre Arts Conference in LA. She got her start as an intern on Broadway's The Lion King.

David Sanborn, co-creator & performer, also helped create and starred in Judah ben Hur, a musical in which I performed about five roles in Singapore.

I introduced Felicia to David's mom, Ellen, who put Felicia on the team to bring Judah ben Hur to Broadway next year. For now, she's producing David's show.

This will be my first time to see it, but I'm certain it will be great!

A great loss

Jim Hudson Taylor, III, died on March 20.

I knew his health was poor in recent days, but I had no idea how hard I'd cry when I read the news of his passing.

He's the great grandson of Hudson Taylor, and he's seen my play Beyond the Chariots all three times that I've performed it in Hong Kong, and he spoke after it twice. He was in the internment camp with Eric Liddell, which is the setting for the last third of the play. The first time he saw it--before we'd been introduced--he said, "It was softball. We didn't have enough room to play baseball." He and his wonderful wife, Leone, sat with us for two hours talking about how to make the play more accurate and get it into China during the Olympics.

In fact he opened up doors for all of our performances in China in '07 (RichSwingle.blogspot.com archives for January '07), during the Beijing Olympics (RichDrama.com/NewsBlog archives for August '08), and he urged Good News Communications International to hire me to write our documentary on Eric Liddell (RichDrama.com/OlympicHeroinChina).

Here are posts from this blog that tell how he has impacted my life:

Laughter from the 27th Floor
Great Grandson of Hudson Taylor
Jim Hudson Taylor Follow-up
Happy Birthday, Uncle Eric
A Profound Evening

Jim served for 11 years as general director of OMF, which was founded by Jim's great grandfather in 1865 as China Inland Mssion. OMF published a more complete obituary.

On Amazon

My friend, Retta Blaney, included Liam Neeson, in her book Working on the Inside: The Spiritual Life Through the Eyes of Actors. So it seems he knows to Whom he should turn as he grieves the loss of his wife, Natasha. Pray that he and his family would indeed turn to the Lord in this devastating time.

While I was finding Retta's book on Amazon, I stumbled across an article she wrote about me: Rich Swingle acts out his ministry: An article from National Catholic Reporter.

A real miracle!

I drafted this in early February, but it got lost in the shuffle of many to-dos. The news of Natasha Richardson's death prompted me to post it now, since it makes the miraculous nature of this story all the more clear...

We just had a great department head meeting for this summer's MasterWorks Festival. A lot of great things came from it, but the highlight for me was when Michael Wilder (left) pointed out that we should have buried Walter Ringleb (right).

Walt had a severe aneurysm about a month ago. When it happened, he wanted to go to sleep. In fact his eyes closed, and he dialed 911 by touch. Had he fallen asleep he would have been dead before his wife, Bonnie, got home from her work as a flight attendant in another state.

Once Bonnie reached the hospital someone came out and told her that if she was a praying person, she'd better start. His chances of survival were less than 45%.

Walt was so sure he would die that he told Bonnie everything she'd need to take care of when he was gone.

He was put into an induced coma for three days. During that time he had a vision in which he saw people through a double mirror. Then the mirror spun around and he saw himself. The revelation came to him that he had nothing whatsoever to recommend him to God but what Christ had done for him.

When he came out of the coma the doctor did a number of motor skill tests, which he passed perfectly. Bonnie got the sense that they were concerned about brain damage, so she asked Walt if he knew her. He said no, but when he realized she wasn't joking and was actually quite disturbed he told her, "Of course I know you. We've been married 28 years."

The doctor said that there was nothing to account for his complete and instant post-coma recovery but Divine intervention.

The other night, as I hung out with Walt and Bonnie, he was laughing and joking and using every bit of his body and mind. There was no sign that anything was different but the tiny little scar on his shaved head.

Thank You, Lord!

Know1ng

One of the deeper meanings of the title to this Nicolas Cage thriller is set up when Cage's character, John Koestler, tells his son, Caleb, that there's no way of knowing what happened to Caleb's mother after she died. We get a clue later that she knew where she was going, since she urged John to reunite with his father, a pastor.

Because of a paper filled with numbers, retrieved from a time capsule buried in 1959, Koestler, an astrophysics prof at MIT, finds himself knowing that major disasters of the past 50 years were predicted, and that three more are yet to come.

What follows is a bit of a spoiler, but not more than the poster of the world burning up, and don't worry: There are plenty of twists, turns and biblical allusions that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

When Koestler warns his father that the last disaster "prophesied" should send him to shelter, the pastor tells his son, "I'm ready," adding, "Are you?"

As society panics, looting and fires take over the cities. One graffiti artist readies those who have eyes to read: "Jesus is the way, the truth and the life."

Director Alex Proyas, who also worked on the screenplay, made the $50M budget go a long way by today's standards. Every performance was strong, the music (advertised here) was used well, the screenplay was tight, the pacing brought Joyce to check her pulse (don't worry: her heart's fine), and the only strong language is a single word Koestler uses to express how he feels before knowing. There is plenty of violence, but it all results from natural disasters.

This is a parable that I hope will stir many to make sure they're ready.

If you're not sure, I hope you'll read about my passion.

My Passion

I'm so glad you came to this page!

I am glad to have been caught in the reckless raging fury that they call the love of God.
--Rich Mullens

Salvation is all about letting yourself get wrapped up in the love of God.

God created us so He could be in relationship with us (Genesis 1:26 and 27).

Unfortunately we blew it (Genesis 3).

To bring us back into releationship God sent his Son Jesus (or Yeshua in Hebrew): John 3:16.

Jesus lived a perfect life, so when he was crucified he became the perfect and final sacrificial Lamb. He took on our sin so that it would no longer keep us from God (II Corinthians 5:21).

All you have to do is trust Jesus (Yeshua) to do this for you (Romans 10:9-13).

You can do this right now! Have the kind of LIFE that's been bouncing me around the stage and around the world. Pray this prayer:

Dear Jesus (Yeshua),
Thank you for loving me. Forgive me of all my sins, everything I've ever done to let you down. [Take a moment and ask the Lord to convict you of specifics.] Cover them for me. Become Lord of my life and help me to live for you.
Amen.

If you prayed that prayer sincerely you can have assurance that you will have life more abundant while living on the earth and life eternal in Heaven. There's no magic to the prayer that's here. It's about trusting Jesus (Yeshua) as lord of your life: trusting that He knows what's best for you because he created you. It's about trusting Him to cover you when you mess up.

Now I encourage you to get plugged into a local Christ-centered, Bible-believing church, where you can grow in your relationship. If you're in the New York City area I keep a list at www.RichDrama.com/NYC. If not, feel free to contact me through the form at the bottom of the page. I've performed at some great churches around the world. There's a good chance I know a good one near you.

I'd love to know if you prayed to give your life to the Lord. Please let me know through the form at the bottom of this page.

If you're not ready to pray that kind of prayer and really mean it, read through the Book of John three times, asking the Lord to speak to you through it. Ravi Zacharias recommended that when he and Abdu Murray were addressing students at Yale University. You can hear their talks and answers to skeptical students' questions here.

There are many reasons to trust that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Jesus Christ fulfilled over 300 prophecies from the Old Testament. All of Jesus' disciples were executed because of their faith. John was the only one to die a natural death, but according to Tertullian he was boiled in oil because of his faith without being harmed, and everyone in the Coliseum became a Christian that day.

There's plenty of historical evidence to support things we read in Scripture. There is an extraordinary amount of extra-biblical evidence of much that was written in Scripture. I've seen the fallen walls of Jericho, the Pilate Stone (which confirms Pilate was governor of Judea when Jesus was crucified). I've been in the oldest church on earth, built over The Manger within 100 years of Jesus' birth. So it was the grandchildren of folks who were there who said, "This was the place." Read and watch The Case for Christ for more. This post has links to first hand descriptions of the sky going black at the Crucifixion.

That being said, people with presuppositions can look at history and archeology and twist it to support their biases. When the Dead Sea Scrolls came to New York City there was an audio guide that said the many idols found in Jewish homes were evidence that the Jewish faith evolved from pluralism to monotheism, but if you open the Word you'll see many prohibitions against idols and the Lord urging the people to get rid of the idols that they possessed.

Stephen J. Bennett, Professor of Bible and Theology at Nyack College, said:

I am careful not to allow the authority of Scripture to rest on interpretations of archaeology and history; but rather to find the authority in God himself, and in Jesus Christ his son. The greatest and most convincing evidence I see around me is lives changed by the gospel, and glimmers of the kingdom of God coming to earth.

A woman once told my bride, Joyce, that her changed life was the first miracle that woman had ever seen. Here's Joyce's testimony, her story of how she came to put her trust in Jesus Christ. Here are more testimonies.

Also, here are some more things to consider: Who Is Jesus and Knowing God.

Facts to show the Resurrection is not fiction:



Here's a video that puts things into perspective:



Here's another that explains our need for a Savior in order to approach a Holy God:



If you're relying on your own goodness to be accepted by God here's something to keep in mind...



Here are some great reasons why we can trust the Bible, in particular the Book of John:



I've also posted other resources below. Feel free to add to the list.

Harambee!

I'm making Samusa with Wali Wa Mnazi and Saladi Ya Matunda for Thirst tonight. The recipes come from Harambee! Stories and Recipes from the African Family Circle by Grace Kuto, who I met at a retreat in Oregon where I was performing. Grace was a delight, as I think these recipes will be as well. The single word "Harambee" is Swahili for "let's pull together for the good of global community." Grace helped found the Harambee Centre in Portland, OR.

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!

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.

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 ).

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.

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.

Where I've been

Here's a list of nations, followed by states where I've performed, taught and/or directed:

NATIONS
North America
Mexico
Canada
Guatemala
Honduras
Puerto Rico (a self-governing commonwealth in association with the United States with their own Olympic team!)
Cuba

South America
Bolivia

Europe
Scotland
Wales
Italy
Spain
France
England
Romania
Northern Ireland
Denmark
Sweden
Norway
Finland
Germany
Switzerland
Liechtenstein

Africa
Kenya
Tanzania

Asia
South Korea
Malaysia
Hong Kong
China
the Philippines
Macau
Singapore
Taiwan
Israel
Jordan
Russia

Pakistan (preached over the internet)

Australia/Oceania
Vanuatu
New Zealand
Australia

TRANSLATIONS
* Hebrew (Israel: "Jonah")
* Spanish (Bolivia, Honduras, Guatemala: "La Gente Que Jesús Conoció", "Lazarus", Beyond the Chariots)
* French (Paris: "Jonah", "Sheepish")
* Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong, Taiwan: Beyond the Chariots)
* Simplified Chinese (China: Beyond the Chariots)
* Korean (China, Korea, Chicago: Beyond the Chariots, Big Fish Little Worm)
* Swahili (London: testimony, part of "Lazarus")
* Nafe (Vanuatu: "Jonah")
* American Sign Language (Indiana: Big Fish Little Worm)
* Tagalog (Hong Kong, the Philippines: "The Way")
* Tamil (London: Beyond the Chariots)
* Hungarian (Romania: Beyond the Chariots, "The Rich Young Ringmaster", workshops)
* Russian (Russia: "Принцесса Лягушка")
* German (Princess Cut)


STATES
Oregon
Washington
California
Idaho
Illinois
Utah
Arizona
Colorado
Oklahoma
Kansas
Minnesota
Missouri
Louisiana
Tennessee
Indiana
Michigan
West Virginia
Virginia
Maryland
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
Florida
Ohio
Pennsylvania
New York
Massachusetts
Connecticut
New Jersey
Vermont
New Hampshire
Maine
Wisconsin
Kentucky
Nebraska
Texas
Arkansas
Mississippi
Montana
Wyoming
Alabama
North Dakota
New Mexico

Delaware

District of Columbia

I teleported & time-traveled in 1 day

Yesterday was the launch of a new youth study at our church: http://WestchesterChapel.org

I was asked to teach on the first chapter of John. I remembered that our friends in Paris start with that chapter when they meet people interested in knowing more about life with Christ. So I set up a video conference. When the youth arrived I said, "Welcome to Paris." On cue, my friends on the monitor said, "Bon jour!" They touched on a lot of great things, but most powerful to me was when they said that many Parisians could care less that Jesus is God, but that He's the Light of the World and can illuminate all the dark places in their lives: That intrigues citizens of The City of Lights.

That afternoon we drove to Florida... NY, where we interviewed a gentleman who narrowly escaped death on 9/11. We stepped back in time seven and a half years to relive the day that he and his guys escaped the death which came to almost 150 of New York's finest in the next room when the South Tower buried them.

We're weaving his story into a play our church will produce in the near future called The Interview.

The infamous door

I was once performing my play about Jonah in a semi-rural Quaker (Friends) meeting, just outside Boise, Idaho. The pastor, Ken Redford, is a friend I've known since junior high. That’s probably the only reason I got invited back after a fellow actor's post-performance comment was broadcast through his still-live lapel mic. They didn’t clap after our performance, so Sean Gaffney said, "I don't think they get that it's over,” at which point they clapped.

So there I was again, and I wanted to win back Ken's confidence. Now, when a church has a balcony I often sprint up there to yell, “Repent!” from above the main congregation as my character is calling down fire and brimstone on Nineveh. In this meeting house there was a door to the lobby, where the staircase to the balcony began. I noticed the face of a woman peering through the little window in that door, so I just figured I wouldn’t run into the balcony. Since Quakers tend toward stillness and silence as compared to running and shouting that might have been the better choice anyway. But in that moment of the play I looked up and her face was gone. I leapt off the stage, planning to yell, “Repeeeennnnntttt!” with one breath all the way up as I typically do. I hit the swinging door at full speed. There was a loud thump as I realized that the woman had not fully cleared the trajectory of the door. So it sounded something like, “Repeeeeee...” THUMP, “Oh! I’m so sorry!!! ...eeeeeeent!” Thankfully the woman was fine and laughing about it after the show. My vanity, however, was smacked into a bruised lump of mush in the corner.

While performing at that church a few weeks ago (Can you believe they invited me back!?) the woman was good-natured enough to pose for this photo through that infamous door.


*The link on Ken's name sends you to a report years later, when he was the keynote speaker at the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends. 

Hong Kong: past and future

Good News Communication, which produced a documentary on Eric Liddell that I helped create, Olympic Hero in China, may be bringing me back to Hong Kong to teach some acting workshops this summer. While updating my itinerary I went to their website and saw that they'd loaded some photos from our last trip during the Beijing Olympics, including this one of me sharing my testimony, while being translated to Cantonese, immediately after we showed the documentary.

The Billy Graham Library

Between performances in South Carolina I drove up to Charlotte, NC, to visit the Billy Graham Library. It was quite impressive. The breadth of Dr. Graham's career, which has covered seven decades, was told in a wide variety of ways. The one that brought me the most delight was when I entered a room filled with images of people from all over the world. In between documentary snippets on three huge screens, one of the people began speaking! The man's image was on a vertical TV! In another section, there was a replica of the broken Berlin Wall to help tell how much Dr. Graham did for Germany during its unification. Another room played clips from some of the 70 films his World Wide Pictures produced. One of those featured was The Hiding Place in which Jeanette Clift George played Corrie ten Boom.

Very creative stuff to celebrate a man who's creatively used technology at every stage.

But the Library isn't really about Dr. Graham at all. At every step the focus was on the Good News that Dr. Graham was sharing. In the room with all the images of people from around the world a young Billy said that he resented the idea of being called an evangelist, because it was associated with emotionalism and greed. But then he realized that an evangelist is one who proclaims the Good News that Jesus Christ meets every need that we have from now to eternity. He said he's just sharing the Truth: "I didn't make it up."

Not a bad way to spend a 3hr layover

Rocking chairs and free WiFi: The Charlotte Airport does a lot of things right.

Righteousness

Ruth Bell Graham is buried on the grounds of The Billy Graham Library. She was born in China, where her parents served the Chinese people through their medical expertise. The Chinese symbol on her gravestone is "righteousness," which is made up of two other symbols: the symbol for lamb over the symbol for me. Over 1000 years bC the idea of sacrifice and atonement were written into the Chinese language.

If you never heard Billy Graham speak, or if you rejected his message in the past, here it is in a nutshell: Steps to Peace.

Don't listen to what "they" say

The featured quote on today's HungerSite.org (where a cup of rice is donated to the hungry around the world each time you visit the site and click the button) featured Carl Lewis today:

Scientists have proven that it's impossible to long-jump 30 feet, but I don't listen to that kind of talk. Thoughts like that have a way of sinking into your feet.

The photo, by our friend Ava Parkes, is of Lewis when he spoke at the Beijing International Christian Fellowship while we were there during the Olympics. I got to perform 15 minutes from Beyond the Chariots during their first two services that morning. Then, Lewis closed the third service, dubbed Evening with the Stars, after about a dozen Olympic champions spoke.

The service, which was approved by the Chinese government, was broadcast all over the world.

Lewis was named by peers "the greatest athlete of the 20th century," a title which can never be taken away! His quote is encouraging on so many fronts, but having just come from teaching a drama ministry class at North Greenville University I hope it encourages those of us called to the arts that nothing but a different calling should keep us from doing what we've been created to do. In this financial climate it can be a scary proposition, but what's the worst that can happen? Poverty? A huge majority of the world's population lives in poverty. I've met people in some very poor nations: Bolivia (the poorest country in South America), Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico and The Philippines. Most of the people in those nations have as much or more joy than people I've met in the US and Europe.

I'm not saying that we should let the poor stay joyfully hungry! I've partnered with Compassion to do what I can to bring an end to world poverty.

Neither am I saying that a calling to drama ministry is going to automatically lead to poverty. Joyce and I have been debt free all of our married lives. I'm just saying poverty is not something to fear, especially when we're working for a Boss that owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

By the way, Lewis never disproved the scientists about the 30' barrier in the long jump, but he came within ten inches of it. I doubt he would have come that close if he listened to those scientists.

A church in Tigerville, SC

I'm within a few miles of where they filmed Leatherheads.

I just had a great session with North Greenville University's Drama Ministry class, then passed this sign that sums it all up pretty well.

In the shade of the Peachoid

I'm performing tonight in balmy Gaffney, SC: http://RichDrama.com/Itinerary

Performing The Acts

..here this morning.

Good morning South Carolina!

No jackets required. It already feels like it's in the 60's.

Coming into South Carolina

Leaving the snow behind

I'm performing in South Carolina this week: http://RichDrama.com/Itinerary

The Bible Incorporated

While rehearsing last month for A Clear Leading I had misplaced the little Bible that I use as a prop, so I searched our shelves for something that was about that size. I came across The Bible Incorporated, Into Your Life, Job And Business. Joyce had it before we married, so I'd never looked into it before. Each day has a devotional on a subject, such as "The Key to Endurance." The text is made up entirely of several different passages of scripture woven together to address the topic. I set out to read through the Bible each year, and this has been a refreshing way to approach scripture. This would also be a great way to introduce someone to scripture who doesn't know where to start.

Article in Gaffney Ledger

Actor Rich Swingle to perform Feb. 9 at Limestone College Gaffney Ledger (subscription) - Gaffney,SC,USA Christian actor Rich Swingle will present The Acts on Monday, Feb. 9, at 7 pm in Carroll Recital Hall at Limestone College. The Acts tells the story of the ...

WALL-E

Joyce and I were delightfully surprised by this charmer. It's a futuristic Noah tale, filled with hope and a dove bringing back an olive leaf.

The Acts in South Carolina

I'll be performing my one-man play, The Acts, in South Carolina this weekend: RichDrama.com/Itinerary

For more on The Acts and to view clips from the show, visit RichDrama.com/Acts .

Hope to see you there!
Rich

Transforming Culture: A Model for Faith and Film in Hollywood

I just spoke with Christine Gunn-Danforth. We were connected by Ken Wales, who thinks very highly of her. She spoke so passionately about how performing arts and media can effect the culture that I just had to order her book: Transforming Culture: A Model for Faith and Film in Hollywood.

Super ESB

The Empire State Building is displaying the colors of the Steelers on two sides and the Cardinals on the other. Tomorrow they'll celebrate the winner.

My heart was warmed

I just performed at a retirement center in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. The chaplain told me that the people would bless me, but I had no idea! They were so generous in their encouragement that I sensed the Lord's pleasure.