GOD HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO US #29

(From my column “Looking Forward and Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, June, 1990)

 God has blessed Stained Glass Theatre in so many ways in the past and continues to bless us in new ways week by week. We pray that we will always feel His pleasure as we do now. Thank You, Father, for Your lovingkindness!

 As we complete the second season in our “Promised Land” and begin preparations for a third, we continue to stand amazed at all God has done. The growth has truly been phenomenal! And we praise God for that growth! We are excited about being all that God wants us to be. Our heart is to serve the Lord by proclaiming His word to you in bold and courageous ways—ways that will inspire you, encourage you, and strengthen you in your walk with the Lord. Our desire is to be the best we can be. Therefore, we continue to examine all that we do in an effort to improve our professional growth and our spiritual growth. We pray for a servant heart and spirit, for we believe that we best serve God when we best serve you, the army of patrons God has sent our way.

 This is not as easy as it sounds, for people have grown to expect (or perhaps I should say “demand”) a kind of “secular service” that is not always possible for a small non-profit Christian organization to provide. (Particularly one that operates on a $2 ticket and a volunteer work force.) But please know that we do try! We try very hard to meet every need. We do try to handle your tickets and reservations efficiently—yet we sometimes “mess up.” We do try to seat everyone comfortably—yet sometimes you may be overcrowded or have to sit in a folding chair at the back. We know parking is often a problem—we apologize. We know that the restroom facilities are inadequate—but we are working on plans to correct that problem. Yes, we know we still have a long way to go to serve you the way we would like. Please be patient with us and rejoice with us that God is filling the theatre night after night.

 We long for professionalism in meeting our patrons’ comfort needs, but we also long for professionalism in the shows that we present. We desire to be second to none in quality of performance. Yet we feel a God-directed responsibility not to be frivolous or imprudent in the use of funds God has provided. Therefore, we strive to operate in a spirit of good stewardship and judgement rather than yield to the needless expense of glitz and glitter which is often associated with secular theatre. We believe our patrons are more concerned with substance than glamour.

 We want, more than anything else, to contribute to our patrons’ spiritual growth. We believe that is why God put us in the ministry and that is why He has blessed the ministry with growth. God’s people don’t need just another form of entertainment. God’s people need to grow in Him. If we can help people to stretch their reach for God and to find a closer walk with Him, then we believe we will be serving His Kingdom in the way He would have us to serve. Our prayer is that SGT will always be a place where you can experience in a real and exciting way the love and peace of God. We ask you to pray with us that the very Spirit of God will fill our building in such a powerful way that all who attend will leave having felt a special touch from Him. We seek His presence in all that we do. And may all that we do glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! [NOTE added in 2022: Take a moment to reread this paragraph. This is still the heart and soul of Stained Glass Theatre. And may it always be so!]

 Thank You, Father. Praise Your Holy Name, Jehovah!

 COMING NEXT: A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

It is now time to plunge into the 90s. And it is with resolve and God’s leadership that we do so!

 

THE EXCITING DAYS OF BOCHIM #28

(From my column “Looking Forward and Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, April, 1990)

Unbelievable!

Fantastic!

Inspirational!

What word or words do I use to express the excitement that surrounded the production of BOCHIM? It is not always easy to describe events when God is moving in them. When he is present, His presence is so awesome that words seem to fail to convey our true feelings at those times. And God’s presence was felt in a mighty way at Stained Glass Theatre during the days of BOCHIM. And for that, we will be eternally grateful. Though the words may be inadequate, please permit me to try to share some of the joy we all experienced as God brought revival into hundreds of lives during the days of BOCHIM.

As I shared with you last time, there was an excitement and anticipation that was with us even as we began rehearsals. Most felt that God was going to move in a mighty way—we sensed it in our prayer and devotional times, we sensed it as we worked on lines and movement, and we sensed it as people came by to watch a bit of rehearsal and seemed to immediately get caught up in what they were watching. There were times when people actually moved through the theatre as if they were on holy ground. I can’t explain it—it was just a feeling that was there.

Everyone felt that we were breaking new ground. Cast and crew were getting caught up in the excitement of revival. BOCHIM is about judgement, yes, but it is mainly about a call for revival—a call for spiritual awakening. As in the play, as God called the church at Wintercreek to revival, so we felt that God was calling SGT to revival. And it did happen in the lives of many who were involved—a repentance that brought spiritual blessings and excitement.

As the rehearsal phase was drawing to a close and opening night approached, we were further charged with anticipation of all that God wanted to do. It was at this time that Terry Beasley shared with cast and crew a vision that God had given him. In the vision, God showed Terry the theatre as it would be during performances—filled with people praying. He saw people at the altar and all around kneeling and praying and crying in repentance. Overhead, he saw the angels of the Lord doing battle with Satan’s forces. Hard to believe? Perhaps. But as one of the characters of BOCHIM states, “How easy it is to doubt someone else’s experience.”

Opening night came, and God did just what we had prayed for. He began to move in people’s lives. The audience came that night, and the performance nights that followed, perhaps expecting nothing more than an evening’s entertainment. But many left having been touched by God. And it was as it had been shown to Terry in the vision—people did come to the altar, they knelt at their pews, and they prayed, and they wept. Lives were set right with God, and there were salvations.

Night after night, audience members shared with me and others how the show had touched them in a special way. We heard over and over again from people that the play was their story or the story of their church. We were asked again and again if there was any way that we could bring the production to their church. And in the days between shows, we received phone calls about how the show had touched individuals or church groups that had attended.

Yes, the days of BOCHIM were exciting! But our prayer is that all that happened during those days was only the beginning. That the sparks of revival have been sent forth and that mighty revival fires will fill our churches. Lord, please set our hearts and churches ablaze with Your Holy Spirit and Fire! Thank You, Father. Praise Your Holy Name, Jehovah! 

[2022 NOTE: Oh, how great this need is in America today!]

COMING NEXT: GOD HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO US

We seek His presence in all that we do. And may all that we do glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

HUNGRY FOR REVIVAL #27

(From my column “Looking Forward and Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, February, 1990)

The 1980s brought forth both the “Dream” and the “Reality” of Stained Glass Theatre, the Midwest’s first and only full-time Christian Theatre. The past eight years have been exciting and unbelievable for SGT—years filled with dreams and miracles, joy and heartache, struggles and victories, physical growth and spiritual growth. God has brought us further during this time than I could have imagined. For instance, back at the end of our second season when I was discouraged, defeated, heartsick, and ready to quit because attendance was averaging 10 to 30 people a performance and we were $1800 in debt, how could I have imagined then what it would be like today? How could I have imagined that just five years later, through God’s Grace and Miracles, we would be debt free, be housed in a beautiful building which is totally paid for, and that we would be performing to sold-out crowds of 200 plus with many people on waiting lists for tickets? Yes, the 80s have been exciting, unbelievable years! Praise You, Father, for all You have done!

While the physical growth over the past eight years has been extraordinary, the spiritual growth has been phenomenal. God has worked miracle after miracle in the lives and hearts of those involved in the SGT Ministry. We have seen the lofty words and slogans of the early years become the true heartbeat of the Ministry. As God has broken us, He has been able to move us from goals of just providing Christian “entertainment” into goals of “ministry”—from tickling ears to boldly proclaiming His Word! We have no doubt that it is because of the spiritual growth that God has blessed us with the physical growth. We also have no doubt that we must continue to seek His face and remain humble and repentant if we are to continue in His Grace.

We look to our past and praise God for everything, but we also look to our future with expectant hearts. We don’t believe God is done with us yet. In fact, our prayer is that He has just begun to perfect a work in us. We have seen God move us from entertainers to sowers of seeds, from sowers to those who water, and now our prayer is that God will move us from those who water to those who reap. We believe that God is about to do a mighty work in this land, and we want to be in the forefront.

Our name for this year, Season of Warfare, is not just a slogan, it is a battle cry—a commitment. We are hungry—hungry for Revival. And we believe that it’s coming. We believe that God is ready now, here in this city, to do great things if we are ready. At SGT, there is a spirit of expectancy filling the place. That spirit pervades rehearsals for BOCHIM, our next production. That spirit is felt at devotion times before rehearsals. And that spirit is expressed at our Saturday prayer times. We do not understand all that is happening at SGT or know all that God would have us to do. We do know that we all feel the urgency to be ready. So we invite you, our faithful friends, to join with us in prayer for God to begin to move in our midst. We invite you to come to BOCHIM expecting mighty things to happen. Come expecting God to bless your life, and through you, the life of your church. Come expecting revival!  So pray with us, dear friends. Pray for us. Ask your friends to pray—your church. Let us together fill the days of BOCHIM with prayer.

We praise You, Lord, for everything You have done for SGT and for everything You want to do in the days ahead! May we be worthy warriors in Your army! Thank You, Father. Praise Your Holy Name, Jehovah!

 

COMING NEXT: THE EXCITING DAYS OF BOCHIM

God’s presence was felt in a mighty way at SGT during the days of BOCHIM. BOCHIM is about judgment, yes, but it is mainly about a call for revival—a call for spiritual awakening.