Blog by Rich

Here's a recent interview with Ben Stein about his film, which opened this weekend, about how scientists and teachers who believe in Intelligent Design are being censored: Ben Stein is Expelled!

Joyce and I just watched August Rush. We were both quite moved, and I was a complete mess. It's got some profound stuff in there about how God creates great beauty out of bad choices and orchestrates (pun intended) divine appointments.

We're also going to try to catch Expelled: No Intelligence ...

John Newton was a slave trader before he became a Christian and wrote Amazing Grace. Ken Wales' film Amazing Grace tells part of Newton's story. I watched it again the other night and was moved deeply all over again. This clip shows how the tune that Newton used for Amazing Grace most likely came fr...

One of my students at MasterWorks told me before joining us that he wanted to focus on being a theologian rather than an actor. I told him the program would enhance his abilities to express theology. I'm glad to see Sadler Mahan is proving that out with the help of another MasterWorks alum, his br...

Things are shaping up to take Beyond the Chariots to Asia during the Olympic Games this summer.

The play tells the rest of the Chariots of Fire story: How, after breaking the world record in the 1924 Olympics, Eric Liddell spent the rest of his life as a missionary in China.

The play has been transl...

On Friday I blogged that I didn't think our anniversary had ever fallen on Good Friday before. Retta Blaney, who's birthday was that day, blogged evidence that Joyce and I would have to have been celebrating our 95th anniversary for that to have been the case: http://uponthesacredstage.blogspot.com...

Our Good Friday service at Westchester Chapel was very powerful. A number of us read the scriptures of the Lord's Passion, but we started with Genesis: God covered the first man and the first woman with animal skins. Pastor Jim told how blood was also used to cover the doorposts of the homes of the ...

Curt Cloninger, who was the first person I ever saw do a one-man play, just posted a beautiful reflection for this Holy Weekend: Three Days.

Joyce an I are celebrating our 10th anniversary by performing together: http://RichDrama.com/WCCC.

I can't remember Good Friday falling on our anniversary before. It's actually poignant to commmemorate two events of great love.

A new biography on Eric Liddell, subject of my play Beyond the Chariots, has recently been released. It's called Running the Race, and it's by John Keddie, who equaled Liddell's time at Edinburgh's Craiglockhart track. The race was 44 years after Liddell's first race on that track, which was lite...

Our friends Carter and Carol are gearing up for a trip to Scotland. She's presenting a paper at Edinburgh University and he'll be doing more illustrations like this one, no doubt.

We're exploring Good Friday through a number of creative expressions this year. Come and experience it.

For directions click here.

For directions from NYC via public transporation, click here.

There's a fabulous exhibit of Chinese iconography at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I found it quite fascinating.

I'll be performing an excerpt from Beyond the Chariots at Broadway Blessing on September 8.  Retta Blaney, who is organizing the event just wrote me this encouraging note:

I want to let you know how VERY MUCH we enjoyed your Eric Liddell show. What a treat for us!
--Christy An Bennett
Adjunct professor of History of Christianity
Alliance Theological Seminary
Inspiration for starting work on Beyond the Chariots

I was so moved by your performance on Saturday. It was great to see it a second time through, and I was so moved by your portrayal, particularly in one of the final scenes where Eric is talking with Mai Ker... It was a privilege and honor to have witnessed it again! Thank you!
--Claude Chew
Hartsd...

I posted this earlier with not link to the video! Here it is: Give It Up.

Priscila Netto, a member of Christians in Theatre Arts and a friend of ours, was featured in a music video of Give It Up by Christine Evans. The video shows powerfully the value of human life in comparison to...