Passionate Worship - Monroe County, MS DNow

One of my favorite things about what I do is standing backstage listening to the crowd worship. There’s something powerful about a room full of voices exalting their risen Savior. This was the scene a few weeks ago at the Monroe County Disciple Now in Amory, MS—I was supposed to follow the last worship song with the final installment of Stella’s story (from “Grace’s Café”) but when the band finished the song the students kept singing. They kept singing and they didn’t stop. So persistent were they in their worship that the band picked up where the students were leading and continued to play. I was on my knees behind the curtain worshiping with them, in awe of our great God.

After the message the band led the students in worship again. Their passion was so focused on Christ that the room sparked with electricity. As I approached the stage to continue worship through the sketch “Worthy of Glory” I simply prayed that God would be glorified through my offering and that these students would be captivated by the Truth of the scriptures that would be spoken over them. During the sketch I began to recount the worthiness of God from creation to the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At the apex of the sketch the students began to cheer so loudly that I simply could not say another word. At the mention of His victory over the grave students began to cheer, clap, praise, shout and jump up and down! When the room was finally quiet enough to finish the last few lines of the sketch I was once again drowned out in a wave of praise unto the Lord!

It is nights like this that fuel my passion for the arts in worship. Drama can be an incredible tool for connecting an individual to Christ. Combining creative elements like music and drama for worship creates an experience with which everyone, no matter where they are in their walk with Christ, can identify. I am passionate about worshiping Christ, and I believe He has instilled in me this gift so that I can help lead others in passionate worship of the One who has paid our debt.

Students of Monroe County, MS—thank you for an unforgettable weekend of Christ centered worship. It was an honor to worship with you, and I pray you spread your passion to the schools, workplaces and neighbors around you.

Is "Drama" a dirty word?

Is “drama” a dirty word in your church? So many churches have a hard time incorporating dramatic works into their services or events simply because drama has, overall, been poorly presented for quite some time. While there have been some gifted writers, actors, and producers who have successfully brought dramatic art to life, many struggle with how to, or even if they should, use drama in church.

One thing that Dramatic Encounter is passionate about is elevating the level of excellence in art within the church. I personally believe Christians should bring excellence to their art (or whatever it is that you’ve been called to do) simply because Jesus deserves the sacrifice of our very best. Moreover, if we are to be a light in a dark world and an encouragement to the body then we must be competitive to what the world offers.

Are you using drama in your church services or events? How would you encourage others to incorporate effective dramatic pieces within their worship services?

Special Announcement

In May of 2010 Dramatic Encounter will celebrate five years of ministry. What a joy it has been to serve and share with everyone I have met in the past four and a half years. It is hard to believe that I've had the privilege to travel so much in order to share the gospel and I have loved every minute of it! However, as Ecclesiastes says, there is a time for everything, and the time has come to rest.

This past fall my Board of Directors and I discussed me taking a sabbatical for the year of 2010. They have encouraged a season of rest so that I may physically recoup from many miles of travel, experience spiritual renewal, and gain perspective and direction for the future of Dramatic Encounter. Therefore I officially requested a sabbatical season for 2010 which was granted by the Board in December.

We will be honoring all of the dates already booked for this year. Also, please let me make it clear that this decision does not mean that DE is ending, is in financial trouble, or anything of the sort. We are simply following the Lord's leading into a season of rest, reflection and pursuit of what He has for us in the days to come.

I am so blessed to be surrounded by wise and encouraging friends and ministry partners who are looking out for the best interest of this ministry and for me. I extend my gratitude to my Board for helping me understand it's not only "ok" to rest but a biblical mandate! I covet your prayers during this time and a list of specific prayer requests can be found in the prayer request column.

Thank you for journeying with me, for supporting this ministry through your prayers, finances and encouragement. I look forward to what the Lord has in store for 2010!

Blessings,
Emory Colvin

-Emory is looking for full time employment. Please pray that she is able to find a job that will sustain her needs during this time.

-Pray for rest for Emory physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually

-Ask the Lord to give Emory and the Board perspective and direction for the future of Dramatic Encounter's ministry. Our desire is to work where He is working.

-Pray that donors would continue to give during this season of rest. Even though we are not traveling, there are still overhead expenses to cover such as website maintenance, accounting fees, etc.

-Pray for Emory, the IWC leadership team and the 80 college students who are heading to Athens, Greece for two weeks of ministry in March. Emory leaves for Project Coordinator training in Atlanta Monday, January 25th, then will continue on to Athens on January 29th for a site visit. Pray for travel mercies and wisdom in ministry planning.

Camp. The Beginning.

Several weeks ago I made the 2 day 22 hour drive from Nashville, TN to Glorieta, New Mexico. It's been a wild ride! The leadership team got here early to get everything set up for our team. This meant unloading the truck:


We ended up having two trucks of stuff to make camp happen! Here are a few pics of my stuff:

Most of my set boxes, cases and general auditorium stuff
Backline for the bands
10 Intelligent Lights for our lighting system

Training week was a lot of fun. Our staff is fantastic!! We have a team of hard workers who love Jesus and are excited about pouring into their students. Here are a few shots from our training week:

The Crew--love this new family!!

We get a little crazy sometimes...

First year staffers learning the ropes...

We use a lot of butcher paper at camp...

After we went through training we started building the set pieces...I've got a great support staff and they work so hard!! We also have a lot of fun together.

The tower

Building truss
Making progress...
Dirty hands. I washed mine before we took the picture...it used to be dirty...

We are now wrapping up week 2 of camp, I'll be posting more updates over the next week. Please pray for us as we will have new campers every Monday morning!

Speaking of Random Proposals...

I just found out that this has hit You Tube...in July 2007 a very special group came to FUGE camp at North Greenville University. This special group included three guys who really liked my morning show character Bertie. The following occurred after the Benji and Bertie night life:

Greece Day 5: Nafplio

This city is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. See the proof below:


These were taken from atop a castle that we were able to tour. It was simply breathtaking! The water fort pictured above is called the Bourtzi and was built by the Venetians in the 1400s to police pirates. The castle is called the Palamidi Fortress and was built in the 1700s. We explored throughout the castle and took many more photos:

One of the fun tunnels

The Fortress Wall

Seth and Mitch exploring down below

One of the prison cells in the castle. We had to crawl through a tight space to check this out! It was a special experience for two of the members of our party who had been arrested and jailed together for sharing the Gospel message with the Roma people group in another area of Greece.

After our castle exploration we had to walk back down to the city. And by walk I mean we climbed down 1044 steps. It was intense! Here's a look at the stairs...

At the beginning of our trek
So many more steps to go!

We had a beautiful afternoon visiting the shops and walking around the city before a wonderful Greek meal and a nice drive home. That night we had a celebration service and praised the Lord for the wonderful works He has done and will continue to do!

Thank you so much for praying over this trip and I ask that you continue to pray for the precious people of Athens. If you would be interested in taking a trip like this to serve the world around you check out The Task for more information.

Greece Day 5::Corinth

We got up early and loaded the bus on Friday to head to Corinth and Nafplio for our "tourist" day. As we rode one of the former missionaries shared the history of the area with us and I was riveted, but a few others just wanted to sleep. :) So I went and sat up front with him to get the scoop on all the wars and such. I'm a history nut, remember? Our first stop was the Corinth Canal. Before the canal existed ships were rolled over land on logs, winterized and repaired before reentering the sea. This is where Paul, Aquila and Priscilla would have set up their tent making business because the sailors had to sleep somewhere! So they bought tents and would wait for the ship to set sail once again. Nowadays ships just cruise right on through this beautiful canal.


After this short stop we headed into Ancient Corinth. We were given a self guided Bible study tour booklet and walked the city stopping in different sections to read Scripture that directly referenced or correlated with things we were seeing right then. Talk about an amazing time! Here are some of the highlights:

Temple of Apollo
Acro Corinth, the Temple of Aphrodite

Bema Seat, where Paul was taken before the Proconsul
Jennifer and I in front of the Bema Seat, right behind us is the whipping post

The runner starter blocks for the Corinth Olympics
Fountain of Pierene

It was such a special moment to stand in the middle of Ancient Corinth and realize that Paul stood there; I closed my eyes and imagined it as it must have looked in days gone by, bustling with shopkeepers, locals and dignitaries. This is where the Corinthian church was born! This experience has deeply affected how I read 1 and 2 Corinthians.

Next stop: the beautiful city of Nafplio!