Floored...again

One of three performances this

Season, for pastors on the

Metro NY Church of the Nazarene.

It happens every Advent Season: I get floored by what the Lord did! This year it happened in an unexpected way, as I was preparing to portray Zechariah in Dennis Cole's "Unlikely People." Zechariah is the father of John the Baptist, and in this monologue he's reflecting on how the Angel Gabriel told him he and his barren wife Elizabeth would give birth to the prophet (John the Baptist) who would lead people to the Messiah. Because of Zechariah's disbelief, his ability to speak was taken away. There's a brilliant line in the monologue: "...my thoughts are my prayer to my God, Who would do for my bride Elizabeth what only God can do. Yes. Yes! ....in my silence He can!" After going through the script scores of times as a part of the memorization process it finally dawned on me that his ability to express his doubt to Elizabeth was significantly reduced when his voice was taken away! It made me think of how Jesus could not perform many miracles in his hometown, which led me to this exceptional article about it: "Why Jesus Couldn’t Do Miracles in His Hometown." It’s not our faith that makes God do what we want, or our lack of faith that prevents Him from moving, but the Creator of all things will not move where there is no faith.



Don't wait for God to answer a prayer for something you want before you'll have faith. Pray that He'll give you faith, and then watch the miracles flow! I'm WAY behind on the long list of miracles I've seen that I keep at the bottom of www.RichDrama.com/WarRoom.



If you have no faith, or if you'd like your faith renewed, visit www.RichDrama.com/MyPassion.



We prayed that the Lord would keep the bad weather away from Times Square so we could perform our play there as we planned, but He answered our prayer in an unexpected way: We performed it in the beautiful sanctuary of Holy Cross Church, and the Facebook Live recording of it is MUCH better than it would have been on Times Square, and we wouldn't have done a Facebook Live without broadcasting the images of strangers without their permission. So it's a miracle that you can watch it now:

Part 1 (Starts at 1:40. If you click 1:40 in the comments it will take you right to it.)

Part 2

Have a blessed Christmas Season!

We were blown away by the creativity of our Creator while we were in Africa a month ago! We saw the wonders of his love everywhere we looked, and we can be sure that Heaven will be better than the best of earth... and without sin! Wow!

The only snow we saw in Africa was

atop Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest

mountain on earth that is not a part

of a mountain range.

On the first Sunday of Advent our service was canceled by the threat of snow, sleet and freezing rain. I told one of our friends we made in Africa, and he texted, "Snow 🤔🤔." Our church gathered via conference call to share praise and prayer and hear Pastor Jim Warren share briefly on the Christmas Season. Because of the poor audio quality we didn't record it, as we usually do, but now I wish I would have. Pastor Jim made a keen observation: Just before Jesus was born the world was yearning for the Messiah to come. So many missed Him because they were looking for what they wanted Him to be. Now we who know Him are eagerly awaiting the return of the Messiah to deliver us from the mess we've made. Just as He came as a Babe in a manger, He will assuredly return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Be ready to worship Him!



Serving Him has taken us far and wide this year. I've been able to teach and perform in 15 states, Kenya and Tanzania, and Joyce joined me in leading seven chapel services at Africa Nazarene University in Kenya.



Here are some highlights:

January

Joyce and I worked on the short film "Reflection," produced and directed by alumni of the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp, where Rich teaches and coaches each summer. Later that month Rich performed the role of Elijah for an Airship Genesis episode.



February

Rich performed I Dreamed I Was Free at the Westfield Friends School, where he also visited classrooms as John Woolman, the Quaker abolitionist featured in the play.



March

Rich read Scripture and led hymns at the Memorial Service of Roger Nelson in Pasadena, CA. Roger was one of Rich's mentors and colleagues in one-man plays.

April

Rich recorded the voice of John the Baptist for Airship Genesis Mobile Game.



May

Rich played John the Apostle in the Off-Broadway production of Revelation. He shared the role with Jonathan Blair, who played Jesus in the Sight and Sound production of Jesus, which we enjoyed with one of our greatest supporters over the decades, Cindy Sebring.



June

Rich taught and coached at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp. He also played the father in this year's short film, "Loneliness."



July

Rich performed in two short films ("The Ledger" and "Mine") in Canada near Calgary. They were produced by an alumnus of the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.



August

Several bookings linked together, along with a trip with Rich's parents, which set up episodes of Treasure Seekers between Denver and Rhinebeck, NY.



September

Rich played Alan in the feature film Second Chances in Northern Idaho. Then Rich taught an Actors Bootcamp and performed at Content 19 Film Festival and Media Summit in Fort Worth, TX.

October

Rich performed and taught at the Hollywood Divine International Film Festival, near Harrisburg, PA. Then Joyce and Rich led seven chapel services at the two campuses of Africa Nazarene University in late October and early November. You can watch two of those chapels at www.RichDrama.com/Africa.



November

We went on safari in Tanzania, where we filmed several episodes of Treasure Seekers. We'll be posting more photos at www.RichDrama.com/Africa.



December

Joyce and I portrayed Elizabeth and Zechariah in Dennis Cole's "Unlikely People" at three events.



Praying the warmth of the Son shines on you throughout this Holy Season.

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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 Advent of the Radical Life

Swingles in Tanzania.

Joyce continues Westchester Chapel's Radical Advent series teaching on John 15:7-17. I open with stories and a song from Africa. Dr. Linda Warren prays refreshment for us after our trip.



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.

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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.

Oshkosh and the Log in Sharky Man's Eye

In this episode of Treasure Seekers, Sharky Man tries to get a speck out of Trevor the Treasure Seeker's eye while he has a log in his own. We'll see why Jesus said that's a really bad idea in Matthew 7:1-6. We'll also see interviews with pilots at the Oshkosh AirVenture, the largest airshow on earth and hear how they welcome people into the Family of God.

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There are still three openings for the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp next summer, where I'll be teaching acting for film and coaching students in a short film.

The Chosen

We really enjoyed Season One of The Chosen, the first multi-season series about Jesus and his followers. They have such an interesting take on each character. It gives it all such depth and clarity.



Find out how to watch it at www.TheChosen.tv.







Here's a scene for life during a pandemic:

What happens next is through the roof:

Here's one of my favorite scenes: 

Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp 2020

Registration is now open for next summer's Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp, where I'll be teaching and coaching the actors for my ninth camp. We're down to our last three spots for actors, so if you're interested, register soon: www.ChristianFilmmakersCamp.com.



Here's an article that was written last year by Cindy Puhek, the mother of two of our alumni, for 7,000 families involved in Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC):

Summer camps can be a great way to augment our children’s educations. Getting outdoors and hands-on brings learning to life. We have some wonderful opportunities for summer camps here in Colorado including the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers’ Camp and the Alpha Omega camps and day excursions.



The Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers’ Camp is held annually on the Western Slope at Ministry Haven in Norwood, Colorado. The camp was started by Ken Lawrence in 2007 after attending the San Antonio Christian Film Festival. He felt Christian filmmakers needed more hands-on training and instruction than could be gained through a filmmaker’s conference or through workshops at a film festival. As a result, he began inviting people experienced in filmmaking to come as mentors to a weeklong camp. Now in its 12th year [2020 will mark its 13th year], the camp has helped train scores of artists in the craft of filmmaking. To avoid spending time in a classroom, campers complete intense online training before attending camp. The camp itself is a weeklong immersion into either filmmaking or acting as the campers film a short, original script. Ken states that the goal of the camp is to, “equip the next generation of Christian filmmakers with the training and skills necessary to effectively use the visual media for the glory of God. We believe the best way to do this is with the small group, hands-on method we use.”



Rich Swingle is the acting coach for the acting portion of the camp. Rich has an impressive resume of acting credits in film, stage and audio drama. He teaches the acting campers how to get into a character and how to get out of a character. At the 2018 camp, Rich arranged a video conference with the Kendrick Brothers' acting coach [Beth Becka] who was working on the set of Overcomer at that time. She taught the campers the same acting tips she was teaching the Kendrick Brothers' actors. The acting tract campers become the stars of the short film being created at the camp.



The film makers tract has the campers working as the film crew. They rotate through the positions and work on everything from directing and sound recording to camera work and lighting. The campers gain an impressive amount of experience in the fine arts of camera angles, white noise, and the protocol used on a set.



In 2018, the camp made a short film called "Return on Investment" based on the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant and the Parable of the Talents. The campers commented that attending the camp was one of the best experiences of their lives. “We were not just told what to do. We were shown what to do and then we had a chance to actually do it,” one camper commented. The campers were impressed that there was a strong focus at the camp on how to glorify God through film while making a quality film. There was also a great camaraderie among the campers as they did goofy things like deciding to speak with fake foreign accents as the filming went into the late hours of the night. Alumni from previous camps have gone on to begin their own production company and work on multiple projects including documentaries and independent feature length films.



This year [revised for 2020 dates], the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp will be held June 7-13. To find out more information and to register, visit their website at www.ChristianFilmmakersCamp.com.



Alpha Omega Institute (www.DiscoverCreation.org) is a ministry located in Grand Junction, Colorado. They are dedicated to equipping Christians to answer questions about evolution, creation, and the Bible and help them understand the foundational importance of Genesis to Christian doctrine. One way they do this is by hosting creation vacation adventures during which the participants experience the wonders of God’s creation while receiving in-depth teaching about the scientific basis of creationism.

This year [2019] the Alpha Omega Institute is taking a group to Yellowstone during Labor Day weekend (August 30 – September 3). Experienced teachers and frequent CHEC speakers Dave and Mary Jo Nutting will lead a bus tour through Yellowstone National Park. While visiting all the famous sites within the park, the teachers work to equip families to survive “the evolutionary, naturalistic worldview philosophies that are so prevalent in our society today.” The accommodations are rustic bunkhouses with nearby bath houses, but this helps keep this all-inclusive learning adventure very reasonably priced.



Upon request, Alpha Omega will also take groups on weeklong River and Rock Adventures held in Colorado near the Royal Gorge. Groups can also arrange for guided day trips to Colorado National Monument or to the Dinosaur Museum.



If you have actors, actresses, and filmmakers in need of hands-on movie making experience in your house or if you would like to spend your vacation being equipped to combat false philosophies, we have wonderful resources right here in Colorado. Consider spending a week in June at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers’ Camp making a short film and discover the power of this media for telling God’s story. Or spend some time in Yellowstone with the Alpha Omega Institute uncovering the lies of evolution and the beauty of God’s truth.

Secure your spot soon: www.ChristianFilmmakersCamp.com.

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There are three openings for the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp for next summer.

Chapels at Africa Nazarene University

For the

25th Anniversary chapel at

Africa Nazrene Universtiy

we portrayed

Harmon and Lula Schmelzenbach,

the first

missionaries for the

Church of the Nazarene.

We just returned from Africa, where we had an amazing time! We're so grateful for the prayer covering we had, and everything went so smoothly with Divine appointments left and right!



We'll post more photos soon, but in the meantime, here are links to the two chapel services we led at Africa Nazarene University:



October 23: 25th Anniversary Chapel

October 29: The Lamb of God




For the second one you can see monkeys coming forward as Joyce gives the altar call.

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Registration is now open for the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp, where I'll be teaching acting for film.