DRAMA, DRAMA, DRAMA was the name of the game this week! Teen drama – no less!
As I sat riveted to my seat, the suspense was palatable, fear was in the air mixed with a ray of hope. It was the hope that caught my attention as I watched in awe these teenagers beautifully portraying the reality of a lost, broken life – a man who felt hopeless and a courageous woman who knew his only hope was for her to share the truth of Christ with him.
It wasn’t the shootout, or the detective work that stood out for me, it was the lessons we all need to learn from these teens, lessons our churches need to grasp. If we don’t step out of our comfort zones, if we don’t reach out to the lost even when they think they are beyond hope – then who will?
We began this production six months ago as a part of a drama course for home schooled high school kids. We had a mix of kids from seasoned actors to the very timid. When we all signed on for this adventure we never dreamed we would do a big play or that these kids would be ready to do it for not just one audience but now, several audiences.
It took some serious coaching, major encouragement, learning new skills and some hard work to get here. In ther end, two ingredients are the reason we were able to go from doing a play for family to reaching out to different churches. The first was courage. Courage not being the absence of fear but rather the ability to move past it. Secondly the kids saw a need. At some point during the production of this drama the kids realized it held a message and story that could reach the lost and they could be used by God to deliver that message.
What a beautiful display – watching 9 teens from different backgrounds and from different denominations working together, creating something meaningful. Oh sure they had a lot of fun but they also did a lot of hard work and gave up a lot of free time to do this project. In the end they found out that serving God was worth it.
Our people today are wrapped in fear – far too often they sit paralyzed, afraid to reach out, afraid of criticism or rejection. Stuck in past wounds that won’t let them reach outside their doors. All of this preventing them from two things – effectively reaching the lost and working with the entire Body of Christ.
Obviously being involved with drama I have a pretty big imagination – lets dream a little…
Churches functioning on and infused with courage, working beyond their fears, banding together in a community with other Bible-believing churches to reach the lost. We might not have all the drama that a detective mystery with shootouts has BUT there is no greater joy than witnessing changed lives, Christ’s love in action and dare to imagine – transformed communities!
Coaching, encouragement, teaching, hard work – and healing; the ingredients needed for people to be able to step out in courage, band together with fellow believers as one body and reach out to the lost communities around us.
The drama “Johnny Unforgettable” was a great story but it was the actors who truly inspired me! Well done teenagers, you are never too young to touch lives or teach lessons.
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