 Elders, family and church leaders lift a prayer of affirmation on Mike Miller (with staff), installed as Lead Pastor of Living Hope Church, Elk Grove Village, IL, April 2024. by Michael Edgar Myers Founding Artistic Director Growing up where and when I did, we did not have pastors in our church.
We did, but we didn’t. Whereas “pastor” is a commonplace term today, in my youth its synonyms were wide-ranging with historical cultural importance (to be outlined at another time). We had “preachers” and “parsons,” “ministers” and “reverends” – especially Ministers and Revs – but, yes, we had us no pastors. We had us no “pastors” to pray. Yet, to borrow from Romeo’s adoration of Juliet (a Shakespearean connection we’ll occasionally adapt), “pastor” by any other name can still be a rose in a community. Or a thorn. These are among the thoughts that percolated over our prayer and coffee conversations during Pastor Appreciation Month. The occasion allowed us as Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries to reflect on clergy who have influenced our lives as we embark upon our 30th year of service.
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 Irving Berlin, composer of a beloved American patriotic hymn. In the same week our nation honored fallen military personnel who sacrificed their lives to protect liberties such as freedom of religion, speech and the remaining Bill of Rights, a court decision in New York sparked cries that “this is a bad day for America.”
We agree, these are bad days for America, but not because of that verdict. Responses to the verdict across the nation further illustrated divisions in the U.S. that seem to grow wider daily, regardless of topic. Politics is least among them. As we rehearse the songs and Scripture content of our newest show, “Freedom Suite: Juneteenth, July Fourth, The Gospel,” we’re affected by the parallels between “bad days” in American history and those of the Israelites and Judeans recorded in the Old Testament books Kings and Chronicles. Amid headlines of court cases, violence, tornadic weather, wars and rumors of wars, we often hear, read or cry out, “God, Bless America.” Before this was a jingoist slogan, the phrase was a beloved song, written by Irving Berlin, an immigrant, a Jewish composer born in Russia, whose surname translates to the name of Germany’s capital. This parallel is among the ironies we highlight in “Freedom Suite.”  Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash By Michael Edgar Myers Founding Director I'm writing while reflecting on "Giving Tuesday," the designated Tuesday after Thanksgiving when not-for-profit organizations concentrate on requesting financial donations. It's a laudable period of end-of-the-year generosity, even if a tad overwhelming.
No doubt you have received many "Giving Tuesday" email requests in recent days. If you're like me, you may feel a twinge of pressure to try giving to everyone, as if #GivingTuesday is a do-it-or-lose it competition with leftovers from Black Friday and Cyber Monday. For us, "Giving Tuesday" isn't a landing site, it's a launching pad of Yes, And... Y So, to be transparent, yes, this IS a request to give...AND it is not. Yes, we would be thankful if you gave financially to Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries (today, even), AND I want to let you know there's a deeper reason I'm writing. It's to thank you for the intangible gifts you have given us already so that we may give to others. 
"I know the plans I have for you..." -- Jeremiah 29:11 by Michael Edgar Myers, Founding Director
We at Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries are proponents of balanced ministry teams for many reasons.
By balanced ministry teams, we mean a modern version of Paul's "spiritual gifts" analysis: we all have many gifts, but the same spirit. In essence, we are working toward the same goal -- for Christ and through Christ -- who provides the gifts and the vision. Our humanness, however, can frequently affect all of the above -- our vision and the use of gifts of God. A balanced team, in contemporary terms, takes into account assorted ages, ethnicities and skills , which not only provide practical tools, but also inspiration and motivation. We have experienced this ourselves in the younger people who have served with us over the past five years as KIT has expanded our performance and teaching concepts. 
Despite her shy off-stage persona, to Marissa Brown, leading congregants through musical worship is a natural as breathing.
The phrase "born-again Christian" is redundant. One cannot be Christian unless born again, as Jesus explained and was quoted in the scripture of John. The "born again" in His reference is rebirth of a man's natural spirit to rebel against God. That is, to disobey God, to rely on self, to think of self first. These are the basic elements of life collectively tagged "sin" -- Jesus says this human spirit, the spirit of sin -- must be "reborn" to submit to God's will and guidance. This is done, first, by recognizing and acknowledging the life of Christ as revealed in Scriptures, then by living according to His teachings. In its simplest expression, this is what it means to be born again. To renew a spirit to follow God's lead. But what of those people who were born with such a spirit. The spirit to follow God and not sin that seems intrinsic from birth. Are there such people? Especially in our age? |
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