Cornerstone Arts :: Newsletters

Greetings from Beijing, China! We finished the show, and whoosh, I was off the next day to beautiful Beijing, for a little bit of rest and hopefully to "spy out the land" and meet some pastors. However, our guide has us so busy, that I'm having to write this by the paragraph. Hopefully, there will be some semblance of continuity!

I'll write more about China next week, because there's so much to see, and so much to write about, and there's no way I'm going to hold this Update any longer.

Mary declares to the angel Gabriel, "Let it be done according to Your will", and the Holy Spirit descends upon her in this moving musical moment.

Production Update-We Did It!

We finally opened "Two from Galilee" at Yoido Full Gospel Church, and we had an average attendance of 8,000 nightly. Wow! We had to build the stage from the ground up, and put up trusses, curtains, lights, and sound, and everything else. However, the crews were up to it, and even though we hit a few snags, we opened with the Cho's in attendance on opening night.

Many dignitaries also came the other nights, but the most welcomed guest of all was the Lord, for His presence was felt at every performance. The most wonderful thing was thousands were touched for the Lord, and we all had a chance to pray with audience members afterwards. People would cry at the scenes, and were so moved by God's love for us as seen through the songs and drama. I was so blessed to be a part of what God was doing.

After our final performance, the cast and crew mug for the official camera (which is obviously not mine!).

There's no way to know how many were touched, because of the size of the crowds. Someday in Heaven we'll know the impact of the work last week. Special thanks to the staffs of Hansei University and Yoido Full Gospel Church for their amazing support to trust in me, and allow me to come in and minister. Praise the Lord for His great love for us!

It's All About ME

Recently, I was talking to a friend and I said, "Enough about Mission's, let's talk about ME!" As self-indulgent as that sounds, let's talk about ME! The "Me" in all of us. We need to do a self analysis of our spiritual life. I Corinthians 11: 28 says, "But let a man examine himself…" The Lord has shown me what I'm capable of achieving when I submit ME to Him. Souls are saved by the thousands annually. As amazing as that is, the new level is even more amazing! It's about ME!

The very last stanza of the last song of the last scene is sung to baby Jesus, "All that we could think of, more than we could dream of, all we ever wanted is found in You."

Let me explain. In the last year, He has allowed some of the worst situations to occur: arrest in Moldova, misunderstandings between ministry leadership and my ministry, being robbed, churches "milking" me financially, and many other situations. I was spiritually exhausted from being hurt and taken advantage of, and yet, the Lord kept asking me, "Son, what's YOUR response?" He wanted to see what I was made of. Was I really a Christian walking in love and being a servant, or was I full of myself and thinking that I should be served?

I shared with my friend that these last few months were like lifting weights. The weights are heavy, but the last few reps with any weight are so impossibly hard to lift that they make your body shake from trying to lift the weight "just one more time". It can even make you nauseous. Why? Because you're tearing the muscle, but from which growth will occur. That last weight can make you feel that you're weaker than ever, and makes you fear that it may fall on you and crush you. II Timothy 2:1 says, "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." And vs 3, "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." The truth is that the Lord is "spotting" you and won't let that weight crush you. He will never give us a "weight" that we can't lift.

The last performance was taped for Live Stream over internet, and another television crew taped to air the show over the holidays. Here, I greet the television audience and challenge them to follow Jesus in 2006.

Do you feel that you are carrying weights that seem impossible to lift and that might even crush you? Do you feel that God has abandoned you? He hasn't! He's the ultimate "weight trainer", wanting to make you stronger than ever! He helps you with the weights, but ultimately, wants YOU to grow, so He allows you to lift them yourself. You have a choice: you can groan under the weight and finish your exercise which will help you grow, or you can drop the weight and allow it to hurt you. Some people give up on God, accusing Him of not helping them during their toughest moments. Friend, that's not it at all! I can't say to a weight trainer, "If you love me, you'll carry the weights for me". His job is to make me sweat, to groan, to push beyond the limits I've set for myself. Yet, I will see incredible growth if I will trust the trainer. God wants that for you! So don't accuse God of not wanting to help you, He is! Finish the exercises He has assigned to help make you stronger, and you'll see that you can accomplish so much more in life, if you'll just trust Him!

Zhai-Chen!

That's "goodbye" in Mandarin Chinese. It has been a year of wonderful blessings, and some times of growth and learning patience. I'm grateful for all that the Lord did in 2005. But do you know what the Lord really wants from us? It's not just more activity, but a friendship with us. So often we're too busy for Him. Let's make 2006 HIS year.

"You left Your throne and Your kingly crown when You came to the earth that day

Dear Friends & Family,

Production Update-We Did It!

It's All About ME

Zhai-Chen!