Paul's Turn the World Upside Down Equation

I got to do a dramatic reading of Scripture this morning during our service at Westchester Chapel. Pastor Jim Warren preached on Acts 18:1-11. Rachel Taylor opened in prayer. 

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.

Here's the new song by Heather Peterson we added to our worship set:

 

Here's the songwriter's story: How to properly describe what this song means to me? I wrote it at a time I was very sick with adrenal fatigue. I asked the Lord to heal me, and He answered me that... 

[Read the whole story here.]

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

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

Joyce and I Will Lead Prayers this Morning for Intercessors for America

Joyce and I will be leading prayers on an Intercessors for America call at 12:15 pm Eastern. Call 712-775-7430. No code needed. People have been praying on this call around the clock since November 3. If you wish your prayers to be heard call 712-775-7431 and use code 2452#.

Here's the article I'll be praying over: 

INTEL USED AGAINST AMERICANS WITH VOTER FRAUD?

...and here's the article Joyce will be praying over: 

VOTER FRAUD ACROSS THE NATION: STATE-BY-STATE EXAMPLES

Hope you can join us!

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I'm working on a series called Reviving the Revivalists. Check it out: www.RichDrama.com/RevivingTheRevivalists.

The Insanity of God

We were so deeply moved by the film, The Insanity of God. Nik and Ruth Ripkin tell how the Lord showed them that missionaries are those who go to the places where it is hard to hear the Gospel, so they asked the Lord where He wanted them to go. They sensed Him calling them to Somalia. 

After watching the severe persecution of Christians there, Nik felt called to travel to other places Christians are persecuted and hear their stories, asking the question, "Is Jesus worth it?" This film dramatizes many of these incredible stories and answers that question profoundly and powerfully. 

For a limited time you can stream the film for free.

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The Insanity of God tells how the Church in China has been growing by leaps and bounds. My one man play Beyond the Chariots shows how Olympic champion Eric Liddell sowed seeds over 60 years ago, that are sprouting today.  Watch it online and book a live performance. 

Joyce and I Will Lead Prayers this Morning for Intercessors for America

This morning Joyce and I will be leading prayers on an Intercessors for America call at 12:15 pm Eastern. Call 712-775-7430. No code needed.

I’ll be praying as inspired by this video featuring Joni Eareckson Tada: 

I’m just thrilled, because she’s been a hero of mine since I was a boy, and I’ve been blessed to perform at two of her Joni and Friends camps: www.RichDrama.com/Joni. 

Then Joyce will pray over this article: Life Wins in Louisiana. It reports that, "Louisiana voters passed an amendment to the state constitution Tuesday evening establishing that there is no constitutional right to an abortion." 

Hope you can join us!

 

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I Dreamed I Was Free tells the story of Quaker abolitionist John Woolman, who spoke against slavery a century before our Civil War.

The Revelation Is Coming

I recently performed my one-man play The Revelation in Phoenix, Oregon, where I was raised. My hometown burned down in September, but out of about 2,400 buildings that were destroyed, only one of them was a church. I performed the play in Central Neighborhood Church, one of those untouched by the fire. 

Here's one of the scenes...

 

I'll be releasing the full play for a limited time as soon as I'm finished editing. Sign up for the announcement that it's been released at 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.

Fragments of Truth

I've seen the fragment of the Book of John which is used in the poster when I was in Manchester, UK. The film shows we can trust the accuracy of the Bible we have today. 

At www.Faithlife.com/fragments-of-truth you can order a DVD, stream it online, arrange for your church to watch it together and order discussion guides. It also comes with a subscription to FaithlifeTV. 

Watch the trailer below, or if you're getting this in an email, visit www.RichDrama.com/FragmentsOfTruth.

I worked with the director, Reuben Evans on The Farmer and The Belle - Christmas Comedy Movie and with John Rhys Davies on The Dragon and the Raven and Beyond the Mask Movie.

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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.

Hallelujah Service

I put this prayer (Ask for
the peace of Jerusalem) in the
Wailing Wall of Jerusalem in
2011.

Rachel Taylor led our Hallelujah Service today, based on Psalm 122. We didn't record the actual service because it was so interacted, but Rachel recorded a summary.     Dr. Linda Warren prayed for the peace of Jerusalem, and I prayed for peace in America.

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.

 

Here are participants from Let Us Worship singing to the Lord and to each other across the tracks: 

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

Enacted Prayer Featured in Headline Prayer

Joyce and I were interviewed Gloria Robles for this article in Headline Prayer about our work with enacted prayer: 

INTERCESSION, PROPHETIC EVANGELISM, AND PRAISE: THE THREEFOLD CORD OF ENACTED PRAYER

For more on enacted prayer visit www.RichDrama.com/Workshops.

To see more enacted prayers visit www.RichDrama.com/EnactedPrayer.

We were recently in Washington, DC, and did an enacted prayer on the Lincoln Memorial:

Here are more prayers we did on that trip:

See our photos from Let Us Worship.

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Watch our new series, Reviving the Revivalists.

The Church Advances through Power

Joyce teaches on Acts 16:16-40, when Paul and Silas' worship service led to a prison breakout. At the opening she refers to a sketch I helped my students at the Salvation Army Territorial Arts Ministry Conservatory devise through sociodrama. Click here, and then move the time to 39:25 to watch the sketch.

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

 

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

The Fulton Street Revival

On this day in 1857 Jeremiah Lamphier held his first lunch-time prayer meeting in Lower Manhattan. Within six months there were 10,000 meeting daily to pray during their lunch hour in Manhattan and by 1859 there were about a million people across the country praying together over lunch. 

Yesterday I played Jeremiah Lamphier in a short film for the Redigging the Wells of Revival conference being held on Azusa Street, the epicenter of a 1903 revival that birthed our denomination, the Church of the Nazarene, among many others. 

The short film was the idea of Silas Titus of Wall Street Prayer, who interviews Lamphier in the film.

You can see our short film as a part of the Redigging the Wells of Revival event, which included videos from many locations where revivals broke out. it's over nine hours of footage. 

You can also watch ours alone below:

To watch it in your home we suggest a donation of $2 (www.RichDrama.com/Donate)

To download it to show for a group and to stream it as a part of a service (please do not post it online on its own) we suggest a donation of $20 (www.RichDrama.com/Donate).

Once you've made a donation, click this link. Praying it blesses you and/or your whole congregation! To show in churches, look for the download button below the video on this page.

Rather than sharing the link above, please send others to www.RichDrama.com/FultonStreetRevival.

This sculpture of Jeremiah Lamphier was on the sidewalk

outside the American Bible Society until they moved to 

Philadelphia. It's now in the lobby of King's College.

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

Hope in Resurrection for Today

One of the fires sweeping the West Coast destroyed Talent, Oregon, where I attended junior high, and Phoenix, Oregon, where I attended elementary and high school. I know several classmates and family members who lost their homes, and their loss has been so heavy on my heart and in my prayers. One night I woke with a deep prayer burden and saw some of the imagery of the smoke and flames and heard the worship song, "Psalm 46 (Lord of Hosts)." I started putting together a worship video with those images as a prayer exercise in the wee hours of the night. Then Melanie Solomon taught on the story of Lazarus for Westchester Chapel from John 11, and I decided to pair the video with Melanie's teaching. 

I pray that video and message of hope and resurrection will bless those who lost their homes, and give prayer direction for all who need hope in these weighty days. 

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

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

If you feel led to contribute to those who have lost their homes, there are links to give directly to those families at www.RichDrama.com/SouthernOregonFire.

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

Five Bells for 9/11 for 2020

Five Bells for 9/11 Earlier this week, a wildfire ripped through Talent and Phoenix, Oregon, where our family has lived since my great grandparents moved there in a covered wagon. The fire passed between our family's farm and Phoenix High School, and it's only a ten-minute drive between them. I praise the Lord my parents are fine, except that they're without power or running water. Fire came close to several of our friends but their property was spared. I was grieved, however, to discover that two of my friends lost everything, and we're praying for the thousands like them. This tragedy inspired us to share my one-man play Five Bells for 9/11 throughout this weekend. We're praying that sharing this play now is a good way to honor our first responders on September 11, 2001, when our nation was attacked by terrorists, and we also want it to honor our first responders who are fighting to protect our citizens today.  The play tells the stories of three people who were directly impacted: Bruce Van Hine, a fire fighter for Squad 41; Lana Ho Shing, a mutual funds specialist for Morgan Stanley, and Father Brian Jordan, a Franciscan priest at the Church of St. Francis. I wrote this piece in such a way as to leave the audience with new, healing memories linked to those that still wound some of us. Ann Van Hine, the wife of Bruce, the firefighter in the play, said, "We shouldn't be coping, we should be hoping." You'll see her speak after the play. It is my deepest desire that this play will bring hope and healing. Click the image below to watch. Performed in NYC just before the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Feel free to forward this email or share this link on social media: www.RichDrama.com/FiveBells2020.  The recording of the performance will be available through Sunday night, September 13.   The song, "I Will Respond," was written for the play by Dom Crincoli.

Donate to the international ministry of Rich and Joyce Swingle Photos from Five Bells for 9/11 courtesy of Ken Bizzigotti of Times Herald-Register.

John Wesley's first sermon after his heart was strangely warmed

This Sunday Joyce and I will be bringing John Wesley to life during Westchester Chapel's Zoom service. 

My friend Roger Nelson portrayed Wesley hundreds of times all over the world with the one-man play The Man from Aldersgate. It all started when Paul Moore, the pastor of The Lamb's Church of the Nazarene, told Roger he'd seen him in a vision portraying John Wesley. Roger asked, "Does he play for the Mets?"

Wesley was a preacher in England in the 1700s who became the founder of the Methodist Church, from which our denomination, the Church of the Nazarene, sprang. He started his ministry in the Church of England, but when he went as a missionary to America his ship encountered a storm. He was afraid of dying but noticed some Moravians who were not. He realized that he had gone to America to save the natives but he was not saved himself. On May 24, 1738, Wesley’s heart was “strangely warmed” at a meeting on Aldersgate Street when he put his trust in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ and not his own works.

Joyce will go back in time to June 18, 1738, when Wesley preached his first sermon after his Aldersgate experience, and Rich will portray Wesley giving that sermon.

If you're interested in joining our Zoom service, let us know through the form at the very bottom of this page, and we'll email you the login info.

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

Lamplighter Guild Audio Dramas Are Online

I had the privilege of directing the Voice Acting track at this year's Lamplighter Guild. Students in the writing track, directed by Dan Schwabauer (left), wrote three audio dramas and seven commercials. Music was composed by John Campbell as he walked his students through the process. The Sound Design students created our sound effects, under the direction of Allen Hurley.  

Here are the audio dramas and commercials: Lamplighter Guild Audio Productions.

Instead of future Guilds, Lamplighter Ministries is opening the Lamplighter College of the Arts, Business, and Biblical Theology.

I'm really pleased with the great work our students accomplished during that amazing week. 

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Sign up for the announcement that registration is open for the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.

Hope Alert

Our second of three short films our students created at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp has been released. It's a fun commercial parody...

 

Keep scrolling down at www.RichDrama.com/RockyMountainChristianFilmmakersCamp for our first short film, "Interrogation." 

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Sign up to be notified when registration opens for next year's Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.

Cancel No One

For Westchester Chapel this morning Joyce taught on Acts 11: 1-18, which enhances Acts 10, which I taught on last week. She continues the discussion of Peter's vision and the opening up of the mission to the Gentiles. She mentions a shocking story we heard firsthand from Tony Loeffler, who has partnered with us on many occasions in the US and Cuba.

Pastor Randy Solomon opens with prayer.  

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

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

Dreams Fulfilled!

I got to preach on Acts 10 at Westchester Chapel, and I discovered a truly remarkable parallel story about Will Ford and Matt Lockett. They both had dreams that led them to a prayer gathering at the Lincoln Memorial on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, where they met. What has come out of that Divine appointment is the stuff of legends! I include excerpts from an interview with Will and Matt by Eric Metaxas, so you can hear this profound story from their own lips. 

In the service I was joined by Joyce to do a readers theatre performance of the chapter. Rachel Taylor opens the service with prayer.

I mentioned Eric Ludy, who runs Ellerslie, a campus devoted to building brave-hearted Christians. 

The film I mentioned in the glove analogy was For the Glory.

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

It's not on that video, but during our sharing time I mentioned a short film I worked on at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp about a fictional app that will call the trained to speak of the hope that is within those too afraid to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and share. Here's that film:

Here's the video I mentioned that has more details about Will Ford and Matt Lockett: 

And for even more details you can get their book, The Dream King, at www.DreamStreamCo.com, where you can also find out more about the ministries of Will Ford and Matt Lockett.

For more information on revivals visit www.DayAndNight.org/thegreatexperiment.

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

Excerpts from Eric Metaxas' interview with Will Ford and Matt Lockett used by permission. 

Readers theatre performance of Acts 10 from ESV:

“Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.” 

 “Holy Spirit” by Brian Torwalt and Katie Torwalt Copyrights: © 2011 Capitol CMG Genesis (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), Jesus Culture Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) CCLI# 352386. Produced by WorshipTeam.TV and streamed with a web license.

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