The day at Shining Light for me began at 12:30 right after church. We had a delicious lunch prepared for us by some of the staff; chili, bread, salad, and some drinks. After that, the cast of “Wonderfully, Specially Made” went downstairs to rehearse the drama a few times just to make sure that everything was okay. The drama is steadily improving, which was manifest in the show. Then we went to the gym, where Jeff had some words to say concerning some fundraising formalities and our new risers (hallelujah!). He also introduced our new drummer, Josh Schwartz, who plays for the band Skyhawk Drive, a Christian punk band in the area. We soon boarded the buses and made our way down to Northwestern.
The first thing that was different from other shows was the set-up. It went SO quickly, due to our new and efficient risers. Instead of setting them up from back to front, which we used to do with the old risers, the new risers are set-up front to back, which is something the riser crew will have to get used to. Reportedly, the risers were set-up in fifteen minutes, an amazing feat. Although I am not involved in the physical set-up process, I have the honor of writing letters to our sponsors and those who write to us from different facilities, and got two letters completely finished. Some people who were done with set-up or weren’t doing anything also helped to write letters, so we got about a third of the required letters done. All the letters are handwritten and unique, and we talk about how Shining Light has influenced us and how God has changed us and other people through the experience. After set-up was complete, we did mic checks and ate a dinner provided by the facility. Then it was time to perform.
We first noticed the students when we heard them yelling outside, which was slightly intimidating. They marched in, one by one, with green hats and yellow shirts. They all had numbers on their backs and were very quiet. I was near the screen in front of the stage to the right, and was able to observe all that was going on. The guards were exceptionally strict; I would NOT want to be caught messing around if I were a student there.
The show went very smoothly from my point of view, but some of the songs lacked some drive since Jeff’s keyboard was malfunctioning and we didn’t have a guitarist. There were also some mic issues, but the audience really understood the message. For the second show of the year, it was no surprise to anyone that the show wasn’t perfect yet, but it has definitely improved since Teen Challenge. I’ve been to the Northwestern Academy many times, having been in Shining Light for four years now, and it had always been variable in its audiences. One of my first times there, the audience stood up and many were worshiping with us very evidently, but other times, the audience members have catcalled and laughed at everything we did. This time, we had a great crowd. Many talked at the end during the “Talk Time” and were so appreciative of our coming to Northwestern. One member of the audience was surprised at how quickly we set up. Another shared about the typical day at Northwestern, which apparently includes a ton of physical training. After “Talk Time”, the students left in the same conspicuous manner as they came, assembling into perfectly straight lines, making a sharp right turn toward the door, and yelling out their numbers. Then we had our own talk time and talked about our reactions. We concurred that it was a great show, that God really worked through us, but that we have the ability to raise the show to a new level by the time of our New York weekend. Most of the energy we require on stage has to come from true worship, which only comes from giving our all to God. When we begin to do that, our show will be radically better.
It was a fantastic show, and I look forward to see it continue improving. Let’s keep on working hard, Shining Light.