Tale of Two Cities Joins Fight Against Poverty

The cast of Tale of Broadway's Two Cities (see the review here: http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/2008/09/review-tale-of-two-cities.html) will perform in an event titled "Stand Up Against Poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals" this Friday at 11am on the lawn near the peace bell at the UN Secretariat Building, 42nd Street and First Avenue, New York City

The UN Headquarters event is co-organized by the UN Department of Public Information and the Millennium Campaign. Further information is available on the campaign website: http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/

Take Action Against Poverty

Today is blog action day, where participating blogs have posts on poverty. We'd like you to think about fighting poverty by supporting Compassionart, a group of Christian artists who got together last January to write songs for a CD to help fight poverty. 11 songwriters, including Paul Baloche, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redmond, Darlene Zschech, Israel Houghton, Michael W. Smith and Stephen Curtis Chapman waived rights to the songs on the CD which is due out on November. For more information about Compassionart, the retreat which started the project the artists involvedor howtosupport this minisry, go to http://www.compassionart.co.uk/

Fight Discouragement with Encouragement

If you're feeling down and discouraged in your recent efforts or ministry, take heart. There is much to be encouraged about. Sometimes the trick is taking our eyes off of our own situations, abilities or failings and focusing on what others are doing. And there are lots of exciting things taking place in the world of Christian arts!

Right here in Connecticut we're getting excited about the life changing and spirit building that will take place at Masterworks' Worshiping Artist Retreat, 9am to 4 pm Saturday, Oct. 25 in Avon, CT as "Heart of the Artist" worship leader Rory Noland teaches on
• Growing as a Private Worshiper
• Encountering God’s Character
• How God’s Character Shapes our Character
• Personalizing the Attributes of God
• Learning From Ancient Worship Leaders
If you're in New England, don't miss this chance to learn from the former leader of worship at Willow Creek right here in your area. Register at http://masterworkproductions.homestead.com/rory.html


If you're in New York next month, here are a couple of uplifting events:
The Episcopal Actors’ Guild of America, a New York City-based charity for people in the performing arts (of which I am a proud member), is holding its 85th Annual Memorial Service at 4 pm Sunday, Nov. 9 to celebrates the lives of performing arts professionals who have passed away during the 2007-2008 year at the Little Church Around the Corner, 1 E. 29th St.

The memorial address: "Humor and the Dignity of Actors", will be given by Mart Hulswit (Yes, you might recognize him. Among other things, he starred for 12 years as Dr. Ed Bauer on “Guiding Light”)
Both the service and reception following are free and open to the public.


The Blue Hill Troupe presents Into the Woods for the benefit
of Inwood House, an internationally recognized leader and innovator in
youth development, teen pregnancy prevention, and family support serving
nearly 5,000 young people in New York City and New Jersey.
DATES
November 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15 at 7:30 p.m.
November 9, 15 at 2:00 p.m.
LOCATION
Dicapo Opera Theatre, 184 East 76th St., NY between 3rd and Lexington Avenues.
Information is available at https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/73572 or by calling 866-811-4111.
Two additional events will be offered:
A Children's Backstage Tour Sunday, Nov. 9, at 1 pm, prior to the matinee performance. Perfect for kids ages 6-12, members of the cast and crew will share some of the story, some of the music, and demonstrate some of the backstage workings that create the onstage magic. A small snack
will be provided. All are welcome! No additional charge.
A Q&A with original Broadway cast Members
Wednesday, Nov. 12, 6:15pm, free for ticket holders.


If you're a Christian working in any type of arts, check out the Christians in Theatre Arts annual conference coming up next June 15-20 in Orlando. The theme is Citizen Artist: Theater Serving Community and it's shaping up to be one of the most exciting conferences yet. Theater impact projects will give you an opportunity to serve the Orlando community while conference performances and presentations will equip and inspire you. Look for more information about this exciting conference later on this blog. Check out becoming a CITA member at http://cita.org.

New Review of Musical '13'

Read the review at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com

Want Wisdom? Here's Some

What should we do to protect our investments in the midst of the current Stock Market crisis? Whom should we vote for in the coming elections? Should our church start a construction project or add another service? How can I counsel a friend in trouble?

No matter what the question, we desire one thing in being able to answer it: wisdom. We want to know not only what is right in a situation, but how to act with discernment and insight. Interestingly, God, the giver of all wisdom, wants us to have it too (in fact the word wisdom appears more than 200 times in the bible.) He doesn’t allow situations to occur without providing the wisdom to handle them.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5 NIV)

In my life, I find that God sends me wisdom every day. Spend time in God’s word, surround yourself with godly people, spend your time doing things for God’s glory and suddenly you’ll find a lot of wisdom coming your way. Here are some gems God sent me just this week:

• From my friend Dr. Synesio Lyra, Jr., a minister and seminary professor in Florida, writing about faith: “Faith in people will often disappoint us; faith in things can easily deceive us; faith in institutions will normally fail us. Even faith in faith is inadequate! But faith in God will never leave any life puzzle without an answer; it always yields the surest and best possible solution, regardless of the magnitude of any existential situation. (Read the full posting at http://tofillalittlespace.voxtropolis.com).

• From composer Bill Cooper in a song about hope: “However lost, you can be found; however silent, there’s a sound; however floundering, you are bound for something greater other than who you are” (more about Bill at http://masterworkproductions.homestead.com/workshops.html)

• From my pastor Jay Abramson speaking on how to pray like Nehemiah: “Have you ever thought that perhaps the reason God is continuing to allow this chaos to continue in our financial markets might be because he’s trying to remind us where real peace comes from: not our credit cards, not our mortgages, not our 401 Ks; real peace, the thing we really need, comes from him. If we honestly ask him to supply our needs, he’ll do it. He guarantees he will meet our need (hear the full sermon at http://www.valleycommunity.cc/297363.ihtml)

• From a character talking about the realities of suffering and sacrifice in Christ’s life in “Passion Play” by Sarah Ruhl: “Nobody really wants to be Christ; they only want to admire him from a distance.”

• From R. F. Koustas speaking about John 8: 1-11 in his book “Reflections of an American Idiot:” “I sometimes wonder what Jesus silently wrote in the sand. Maybe it was the individual sins of the men gathered around to stone the woman. I like that explanation. If I were there, I would have had no choice but to leave also. God seems to always find innovative ways to convict us of sin. He’s just like that.” (Find out more about this book, winner of "Best Book of the Year" in the category of Religion at the 2008 Premier Book Awards, at http://www.amazon.com/reflections-American-Idiot-R-F-Koustas/dp/1600343821/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215049728&sr=8-1)

• From Rick Warren, writing about how to start over after failure: “Failure forces you to be more creative as you look for new ways to accomplish something. It prevents arrogance and egotism. If everything you did was a stunning success, no one could live with you! Failure also causes you to re-evaluate what’s important in life. It’s one way God gets you to reflect on the direction of your life.” (Read the full devotion at http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/en-US/FreeTools/devotional/archivedDevos/DevoArchive.htm)

Want wisdom? Just ask. The Lord has plenty of it to offer, probably through someone you know.

Concert at St. Bartholomew's Church, New York

Gloriæ Dei Cantores (Singers to the Glory of God), will perform Gregorian chant, Anglican psalmody, early English polyphony (Byrd, Tallis, Dering), Russian Orthodox liturgical music (Chesnokov, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff), contemporary American anthems (Adler, Rorem, Sowerby), and "Messe Solennelle" by French composer Jean Langlais Tuesday, Oct. 7 at St. Bartholomew's Church Park Avenue at 51st Street,
New York

Concert: 7:30pm
Lecture: 6:45 pm

Call: 212-378-0248 www.gdcchoir.org

New Theater Review

A review of "The Pearl Merchant" is posted at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com