Pastor Shane explained it this way: He went to sailing camp when he was a teenager, where he spent more than a day in class learning the concepts and terms behind sailing. He believed those concepts were correct, but didn’t know at that point whether they actually worked. So, after class, he and his partner hit the waters, where Shane really tested what he believed and learned to know that those sailing techniques were correct.

In another illustration, just yesterday, we met Mark Lundgren, an FBI agent and counterterrorism expert, who shared with the group his journey on how he went from ignoring God, to beginning to acknowledge God, to believing, to knowing. His story covered a wide range of experiences, including personal and professional hardships and tragedies, which strongly influenced the strength and depth of how he knows Jesus.

For Shining Light, as we perform in front of numerous audiences on this tour, including many in juvenile correctional facilities, we have to know Jesus, not just believe in Him. The majority of the kids in our audiences are really able to detect the genuineness of our message, and whether we truly know the Jesus we’re talking about.

When you look at the first five shows of this tour, Shining Light is a group that knows Jesus. We’ve had some opportunities to share that knowledge with our audiences, both through the performances and the talk time following. Through our dramas, songs, and the personal testimonies from several members of the group, we’ve had the opportunity to vividly show how real that faith is, and that we know Jesus. It’s an inspiring message that is changing lives on this tour.

More than 200 inmates and rescue mission residents have seen that and their lives have been altered in ways that we’ll surely never see, being that our message is a one-time opportunity, and we won’t be back anytime soon to follow up. Our group, too, has grown. Throughout all the experiences of the last six days, Shining Light members have been stretched—they’ve observed, learned, questioned and watched dozens of new and unique experiences, and their faith has expanded. Some may even be moving from believing to truly knowing Jesus.

We can see some of this in the download times, and in individual conversations amongst the members and staff, though the complete results of this tour, and how it’s stretched our members from believers to knowers may not be seen for some time to come. We’re prayerful that the messages from these speakers, and all that’s happened on this tour can truly bring them closer to fully knowing Jesus.

Throughout the trip, we use a lot of ice to keep our water and food cold. Last night, I was the van driver for the last leg, and felt that I ought to gas up the vehicle for the next driver. In the process, Barb asked us to grab 10 bags of ice for Saturday. Alex and I easily found a gas station and spoke to the attendant who politely informed us that they don’t have any ice, and the nearest place was 11 miles away. Not being from Delaware, Ohio, I took her at her word.

Being that we were already exhausted, we went back to the school where we stayed overnight and asked Barb, “do you REALLY need ice??”

She responded, “I’m totally out, so, yes.”

Alex and I began our journey. We pulled out of the school, went to the end of the street and paused for 30 seconds to confer with the GPS and see where we wanted to go. As we did this, a local police officer passed by. I made my turn and started down the road towards the store. Less than a minute later, I saw headlights near my bumper and soon blue and red lights began flashing.

The officer was suspicious of Alex and I, two guys driving a big, 15-passenger van and not really seeming to have a clue where we were going. He asked for my license and asked what we were up to.

I mentioned that we were looking for ice. That might’ve made him more suspicious.

Then I went on to explain that we’re two staff members of a performing arts ministry from Lebanon, PA, who were looking for ice to help our food staff out, and asked if he knew of anywhere we could go.

At that point, the conversation changed from an inquisition to a helpful public servant giving us directions. He never even took the ID that I was starting to hand over.

He directed us to a store less than 5 minutes from our overnight accommodations, rather than 11 miles, saving us over a half hour of travel time. At 11:30 p.m., at the end of a two-show day, that was immensely helpful.

This is just a pretty interesting example of where God provided in a small way, giving Alex and I an extra 30 minutes of sleep. However, throughout the first three days, we’ve seen many ways where God’s provided. For example:

• He’s provided a young man, Angel, who is traveling with us this year and inspiring our audiences with the story of how he first met Jesus, and what God’s been doing in his life. It’s truly inspiring, and he’s easily able to relate to our audiences with what he’s done in his past—it’s quite similar to many members of our audiences, yet Angel’s found God and turned his life around, and he challenges them at each show to do the same.
• Safe travel. We’ve encountered some wild storms, traffic and even a flat tire, though we’re all safe and sound. We’ve had excellent drivers, and luckily the flat tire occurred at an overnight.
• Nice weather. Outside of some rain and storminess here and there, it’s been a pretty nice tour, weather-wise. That always makes it a little easier, compared to cold, wind and rain!
• Exceptional audiences. We’ve performed four times so far, for some tough crowds, yet they’ve been incredibly willing to share and ask questions of our group. God’s provided this to not only motivate and inspire our group, but it helps these audiences to get more out of our presentation. That’s why we do what we do, and we thank God for allowing it to go so well!

I can probably go on and on naming dozens of examples where God’s provided for this group, but, for now, I’ll say good night!

As we get ready, I wonder how many people really know all the work that goes into making this 10-day trip happen.

To begin with, Jeff and Kelly, our executive director and production director, have invested countless hours in planning the actual trip. Jeff, in particular, has been working for since the New Year, making hundreds of phone calls, talking to prison chaplains and secretaries and folks with the Salvation Army in Chicago, all in order to setup the seven performances for this year’s tour. He’s also had to find multiple overnight accommodations that can handle 75 people, with showers (preferably more than 1!). He’s also made two trips out to the area, to visit many of our stops. We couldn’t go at all without the hard work and dedication on his part.

Kelly’s role is slightly different. She prepares the show, obviously, but also works on the spiritual component of the trip, developing daily devotions, small group activities, and videos for the group to respond to in small groups. She also supervises the small group leaders, who really lead the members during the week. She, too, invests countless hours getting ready and making sure each member has the opportunity to expand spiritually on the trip, along with probably a million other details and tasks that none of us will ever be aware of.

Another team that works tirelessly before we leave is our food staff. They’re providing 19 meals on the trip, including breakfast every day for 70-75 people. That’s over 1300 individual meals. And that doesn’t include various daily snacks. They’ve been planning and cooking meals for weeks, and freezing them for the trip. Saturday, we offloaded two huge coolers of food into the upright freezer that travels with us. Led by Barb and assisted by Carol, Sylvia, Jim, Rose, Michelle, and Deb, the food staff is one of the hardest working groups on the trip, and we’re immensely thankful for all the great meals they prepare.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the tech staff. Occasionally, when traveling with as much equipment as we do, it needs repairs or upgrading. Saturday, several production/tech staff members, and a few of key student leaders spent several hours in a blistering hot gym setting up a new projector, upgrading the safety mechanisms on the risers, and worked through a long list of other miscellaneous tasks. The tech team always makes sure everything is properly working for tour, and makes sure we’re fully stocked on all the equipment we need for seven shows.

All of this is in addition to preparing themselves personally for the trip. Every staff member has to pack themselves, as well, to go on tour, and prepare to be away from work for 10 days. It’s a lot of work.

We do it for many reasons, but two are pretty universal:

1) We love being part of a ministry that allows these kids to share the message of Jesus to those who need it most. We’re performing 5 times in prisons, and twice in an outreach capacity. We’re meeting hundreds of folks who don’t hear the message of Jesus otherwise.

2) We do it for this group. Many of the members, particularly this year, are young and many are fairly new in their faith. We get to have a part in their spiritual growth, and get to watch this happen over a season, and especially on tour. It’s an awesome responsibility, and the relational aspect of the group is one part that many on staff enjoy.

I hope you’ll join in our journey in the next 10 days. I hope to provide a few thoughts as we go, and I’d appreciate any of your feedback. Thanks for reading.

Yesterday we traveled to Fresno Juvenile Justice Center in preparation for our back to back shows in their Commitment Unit. Today, we did the same. We met Chaplain Ron Climer, and let me tell you, he isn’t your ordinary Chaplain. Ron was quite the trouble maker in his early years, and he considers it a blessing that he is still alive today. To give you a glimpse into the daily life of Ron is to say that he was addicted to heroin, once made a list of all the people he wanted to kill (and proudly shared it with his cousin and wife), and almost lost his wife and children through the writing of that very same list. The list was the final straw for Ron’s wife. She planned to take their two children and run from her husband, but she never did. She did not leave that night because she was open to the calling of God’s will for her life. Chaplain Ron has done his time in and out of correctional facilities; 50 years to be exact. He served time for 13 years, and has been working as a Chaplain for the rest. Why does he choose to wake up every day and willingly walk through the doors of the same place that locked him up years ago? To use his words and not mine, it is because he wants to give back to the system that he so wrongly took from before he knew Jesus. Now tell me THAT guy hasn’t been humbled!

After two days (but only one setup and one teardown–YAY!) and four presentations, we are a tired group. After a rowdy group last evening, a member of Shining Light reminded us that even though they laughed at us, it did not matter. In reality, they were not our audience. God was our audience. Additionally, two of our shows were especially exciting for me because there were GIRLS sitting in front of us! We haven’t had girls in our audience all season! It was such a joy to be able to make eye contact with the girls. Their faces were hard at the beginning of the program, as I expected them to be. But all it took was a smile, and the ice was melted. I gave them my smile, they gave me their hearts. I will certainly be praying for those girls tonight, because I could, at any moment, have made the decisions they did and ended up where they are.

You wanna know about the weasel? (Status: Currently discouraged. Why Because I just lost a substantial amount of information when my internet connection failed.) (Status: Currently encouraged. Why? Because I just looked up from the laptop I’m typing on, saw the mass chaos that just erupted in the school gym as Shining Light members and staff begin to wreak havoc with their suitcases, sleeping bags, and air mattresses, and grinned. I’m gonna miss this group.) Ok, so, the weasel is a super cool dude. A former gangster since the age of 13, the weasel from Salinas, whose real name is Tony Ortiz, is a true testament to what God can do in our lives. Tony was really the worst of the worst; he did time in San Quentin and a variety of other places in the country. How he did not die in gang violence, I do not know. He does not know. His wife does not know. God knows. Only God. He had a bigger plan for Tony Ortiz. A plan to love him, and lead him to Him. Though the power of the Lord, an illiterate man was ordained as a minister. The first book Tony ever read was the Bible. Today, Tony is an extremely influential man throughout the entire country. 29 years ago, the Lord led Tony to found a ministry that is today known as the California Youth Outreach. He and his team go into the streets and talk to youth who are caught up in gangs. They are working on gang prevention. They are not armed with weapons. They are armed with the Word of God. I…well, I have nothing more to say about that. I think that it speaks for itself. I encourage you to pray for Tony Ortiz, his staff, and the hearts of the men and women on the streets. Pray that the Lord and His principles will go ahead of them and calm the storms.

Thank you for reading. I have to thank God for keeping my eyes open while I wrote this. =)

Welp, see ya later!

There is truly something to be said about the beauty of God’s creation and it’s affect on our mood as well as our perspective of our place in this world. Coming to Yosemite National Park for two days right in the heart of Tour is a really interesting chance to revamp your attitude and get your head right for the duration of the trip. Waking up early has never been a delight for me, but for this free time, I was totally okay with waking up at the crack of dawn. On Monday (day 5) we woke up, packed up, and headed out on what would be a sleep filled six-hour bus ride. At this point we had all been riding the spiritual high from our fantastic San Quentin experience but it was beginning to wear off as we realized we could finally relax for the day. After catching up on a little sleep, and seeing more of why they call it the Golden Coast, we awoke to a world of new wonders and trees that for the first time looked familiar! Suddenly the scenery around us was swimming with dark greens and thick browns, not at all the golden rolling hills we have now begun to expect. We had entered Yosemite and on the ride in alone saw cliff sides bigger than cities, waterfalls crashing into the house-sized boulders and trees that appeared to stretch on forever. With nothing but our backpacks and our goals we all embarked on what turned into a great adventure that I will never forget.

It quickly became apparent to me that I was no leader of the pack. But that was totally okay with me. I had set my goal, and I was going to meet it when the day was done. I was determined to make it to the top of Vernal Falls and back…preferably without dying. Thanks to Gisy, I made that goal, and she did likewise. We quickly paired off and set the pace. Through the extreme ups, where she endured, and the downhill slopes where I excelled, we took turns periodically waiting for the other to catch up, before moving on. In true Shining Light fashion this process of accountability finally found us at the footbridge, which was just the halfway marker. Stopping only for a few pictures, we continued on the next leg of the journey—more hills… exactly what I wanted. But we made it up.

The last stretch of the journey was stairs. An infinite number of stairs stretched out before us ending only God knows where, but we kept climbing. As the waterfall finally came into view, I fell behind from our group because of downward travelling hikers and having to share the precariously shaped rock-stairs. The falls were excitingly close, but I found myself overtaken by the wild whipping winds and the fiercely cold spray, to the point where I became soaked to the bone and it took mere survival to spur sore muscles onward. After re-entering the safety of the trees, I rejoined the group, posing for a few pictures, and hearing Gisy’s resolve to turn back now. How could this happen with the end goal so near in sight! So close to achieving what we set out to do! I wasn’t having that defeatist attitude for a second. I told her that we started this thing together and we were ending this thing together. So we pushed forward.

All the words I could ever write (and as you can tell, I like to write a lot) could never express to you quite the satisfaction of getting to the top of the falls. Setting a goal, working hard for it (I mean really hard), and finally reaping the reward of what you had to maintain was worth it all along changed my perspective of giving up. There were so many times where it got hard in which I could have easily said, I’ve gotten this far, let’s just turn back and be pleased with what I have. But I never did. Quitting wasn’t even an option, and when faced with my partner almost giving in, I was not shaken in my resolve. I was going to make it. And when I did, the beauty stretched out before me was truly something to behold. It was all the more beautiful to me because I had earned the honor of sharing in God’s glorious creation.

In my reflection of the day that night in our tent-cabins, I realized that a lot of our experiences through the day could be likened to our experiences on tour. There are so many times were we get tired, irritated, cranky, and homesick. But we focus our eyes ahead on the goal that we have set in furthering the kingdom. We keep going because we’re all relying on each other. We press on, with strength that is not our own, leaning on God to do things that we could never even imagine in and of ourselves. This is a huge part of our devotions for the week, taking a chance and stepping out of our boat to walk on water with God. For me, hiking a mountain to get to the top of a waterfall was not a boat. I love hiking and always have. But not quitting when it got hard, and pushing my physical limits totally was a boat I was in. With the help of my strong friends, I am proud to say, I made the choice to step out of my boat. I saw the wind, and felt afraid as the water pushed in on me from every side, and in my need, Jesus did not let me be overtaken by the storm. Instead, when I doubted my ability to go on, I called out to Him, and he lifted me from the water, resulting in me growing in faith and strength.

So I just woke up from taking a nap on the bus floor a little bit ago. You’ll never know how comfortable it is till you try it—honest! Now I’m writing this blog as we make the four and a half hour journey to Yosemite for a bit of a change of scenery. The landscape at Point Bonita was gorgeous, but I think the beauty is going to be taken to a whole new level when we arrive at Yosemite. Jeff Bohn just passed out maps of the park, and there are an overwhelming amount of things to see and do in the short span of time we have for exploring. I can’t wait to fill you in on everything we’re about to experience. I hope you’ll come back and read it =)

During the writing of this blog, I was told by a Shining Lighter that her father has been reading my blog and was deeply moved by my entry detailing San Quentin. I hope this one ranks up there. I gotta admit, it’s hard to find a quiet place when 60 of your closest friends are surrounding you. Then to be able to focus your mind and to relay to your readers into a short blog EVERYTHING that happened during that day…lets just say that it is certainly not the easiest thing in the world.

I truly don’t mean to sound cliché, but there really is no way I could possibly share with you the feelings I felt yesterday during our morning performance at San Quentin. This is the most notorious prison in the world, housing inmates such as Scott Peterson and at one time, Charles Manson. Before we performed at San Quentin, Teen Challenge Training Center was by far my favorite place to perform. The atmosphere was something that you just can’t explain. The guys were on fire for the Lord and expressed their most sincere thanks for our ministry. The worship was powerful and the testimonies were raw and personal. But San Quentin…wow. Just..wow. Our performance yesterday was in place of the men’s chapel service, so we included some worship songs before and after the show to allow the men to praise God with us using music they were familiar with. The men stood and raised their hands to our awesome God and I could not help staring out into the sea of blue. Into the faces of men who would easily be spending more than 25% of their lives in prison. You know what I wanted to do to these men if you read my last blog. I did not want to condemn them, or make them feel shame or pain. I wanted to hug them. Because I couldn’t, I had to ask the Lord to do it for me.

After the show, Kelly gathered a few of us together to be videotaped for an interview. Our show had been videotaped, and along with the interview questions and answers given by Shining Light members, it will be showed to the inmates at San Quentin who will be spending the rest of their lives on death row. I know what you are thinking. I could not believe it myself. Our performance is likely to be the last shred of hope for these men to turn from their sin and lay it upon the cross with Jesus Christ. I simply cannot stress the importance of prayer for these men. I ask you to please not forget the words you just read.

Their story is not over. The last word has not been spoken. God is good.
The landscape is about to get exciting…so that’s all for now.

I’ll leave you with these words, straight from the Associate Warden at San Quentin State Prison in California:

“I’ve worked at San Quentin for 23 years. We’re had the band Metallica perform here. And Shining Light…blew them out of the water!”

Woo, we’re cooler than Metallica! =)

I suppose you could say that things could have started out on a better note this morning. My alarm went off early. Early early early. And to top it off, I could not find my cell phone, so as the AT&T theme song played over and over (and over again), my bunk buddies began to moan, groan, and rise from the dead (er, I mean rise from their sleep). I do have to give thanks to God for the wonderful showers provided for us here at Point Bonita. The water is hot and the shower curtain covers the entire opening to the stall. In Shining Light, we find these things rarely happen, especially together. As I was walking to the dining hall, I was told that our first service scheduled at San Quentin today was canceled. For the exact reason why, I do not know. It is a bummer, yes. I trust that God has our best interest in mind and He is keeping us safe here at Point Bonita. I pray that all of the issues at San Quentin are resolved before our second performance is scheduled to start today. If God wants us there, He will lead us with a steady hand.

Yesterday, Kelly led the group outside for a time of worship and devotions. We sat on logs in a large clearing overlooking the Golden Gate and sang praises to God as the sun warmed us. Then each of us found a quiet place and spoke to God. I am enjoying this year’s devotionals so much. It is going to take faith for me to live out the devotionals though, and truly take a step out on the water. It’s hard to leave the comfort and security of a boat. There are no seat belts, nothing stable to hold onto when you are walking out on the storms of life. Ah, but there is Jesus. I can just hear Him saying these words: “You can trust me. You know my character and my competence. You can safely place your destiny in my hand. Take courage. It’s me.” Mmm, that fills my heart with joy.

Ok, I know you have all been waiting to hear about San Quentin. I can just see all of you mothers at home, biting your nails, nervously awaiting the phone call from your son or daughter to let you know that we’re all ok. So, just in case you haven’t gotten that phone call yet, we’re all ok =) Our show was simply incredible. God knew that I was tired yesterday, and He reached down His hand and lifted me up, and held me there, and you know what? I’m pretty sure He also gave me a shot of adrenaline. I was on fire and committed to our performance. When I looked out at our audience, it was no longer a performance. It was a calling for those men to listen. It was a challenge for those men to think about their lives, their destinies. It was an invitation to a great and powerful and forgiving and graceful and loving God. The one who did not spare His son, but because of His great love for us, destined for Him to die a wretched death on the cross. As I peeked out at our audience before the show began, I felt absolute sorrow for them. Each and every one of them wore a blue shirt; at San Quentin, blue is the color of doom. It is the color they’ll be wearing for 25+ years. Yes, every man in our audience was serving a prison term of 25 years to life. My heart went out to these men. One man reminded me of my father; they were probably the same age. Another could have been my grandfather. There was pain and hurt and fear for the future in their eyes. I wanted nothing more than to draw them close to me and hug them. But of course, that is not allowed. These men are dangerous. They are smooth talkers. But in God’s eyes, there sins are no greater than mine. We are all going to hell unless we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. There is no getting around it! God intended for it to be this way, and this way will be glorious for those who draw near to the Lord. Can I get a Hallelujah?!

This post is untitled for one reason alone. The Lord absolutely overwhelmed me yesterday. As man after man stood in the audience, thanking us for our compassion and ministry and sharing their stories with us, I held back tears wondering what I was going to call this post. There are few things that are more raw than a man who is serving a life sentence at San Quentin Prison sharing his heart with you. I can not begin to formulate a response to that. The Lord is at San Quentin. Not just when Shining Light Ministries comes troopin’ in to share His name, but because He lives and He loves His children!

As I sit here, some members sing worship along with Kelly as she plays her guitar in the dining hall. We are so blessed to have such talented musicians to lead us in worship. Thank you to our band and singers! You truly don’t get enough credit.

Thank you for reading. Please continue to pray for us! We love you all.

California is still beautiful, just in case you were wondering. Yesterday on our two and a half hour bus ride to Preston Youth Correctional Center in Ione, CA, we drove through a number of cities and saw a plethora of diverse scenery. Although he’s no Dave Stoltzfus (who is our totally awesome Elite Coach bus driver from back home in PA), our bus driver for the past two days, Darrell, has been a very educational tour guide. Once we arrived at Preston YCC (if you are wondering if the amazing food staff gave us snack on the bus, they did we were welcomed by Chaplain Skaggs, who expressed a genuine thanks for our visit to his facility. The group persevered through a challenging set-up on an auditorium stage, and our first show went smoothly, as least from my perspective. After the show, two of the young men were asked by Chaplain Skaggs to stay after and speak to our group. Mr. Felix and Mr. Griffith, as the Chaplain called them, were respectful young men who opened their hearts to us within a matter of minutes. Mr. Felix was taking college courses at the center, and was looking forward to working at Best Buy or Staples upon his leave. At the end of his five year sentence, Mr. Griffith plans to become a productive member of society, contributing to the welfare of his community. He knows that he can not undo all the destruction he caused in his community, the decisions that landed him in Preston YCC, but he is looking forward to going back home so he can give back a little bit of what he took away. He impressed me with his kindness and heart for the younger boys in the center when he told us that he voluntarily lives in the behavioral management ward. These are the boys that misbehave on a regular basis; fighting is a daily occurrence. Mr. Griffith lives in here not because he’s a fighter, but because he wants to be a mentor. He is also attending college classes at the center and is looking forward to beginning a career when he is released in two and a half years. The boys brought tears to my eyes. They were raw. They were real. They have faced more pain in their twenty years than I will face in my life. Seeing someone die had become normal to them; they were numb to the pain. But God is softening their hearts. After two years, they are ready to leave the past behind them. And I really hope our show gave them hope. The reality is that some of these young men will be dead two weeks after they are released because they will go back to the exact same environment that landed them at Preston. Please pray for them.

I know this blog is being posted a little late, but this morning the first thing on my mind was not sitting down in front of a laptop. It was marveling at God’s creation at Point Bonita. Worshiping Him through song. Talking to Him in prayer. You should have seen the smile on my face when I was sitting in the grass, looking out over the water at the Golden Gate Bridge. I felt as though God was sitting there next to me, with His arm around me, keeping me warm. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

Till next time..

That’s right; we made it safely to California. It was an early morning for everyone, meeting at New Covenant at 4:30am (I considered taking a poll to see how many members didn’t even bother going to sleep last night), but it was pretty awesome to see the excitement level of almost every member in the group at such an early, early (did I mention early?) hour. Our plane ride 3,000 miles across the country was enjoyable for many reasons for me specifically. First, I was flying with 65 of my closest friends, so that’s just exciting in itself. Second, our flight attendant was extremely accommodating to our requests, including having seconds on snacks and switching our drink orders. My favorite part of the flight, by far, was being able to sit by the window and marvel at God’s wonderful creation spread out below me.

So now we’re at Point Bonita, and lemme tell you, it is absolutely gorgeous here. After I read my devotional today, I went outside by the water and prayed, and I just felt this overwhelming presence that God was there with me. And if I open my eyes to Him this week, I’ll surely see that He is everywhere. He preserved all of our food as it traveled across the country in a freezer on a tractor trailer. He safely guided our plane through the air. He will give us the energy to get up 6:00am tomorrow morning and perform our show in front of troubled youth at Preston Youth Correctional Center. He is here. And He loves us.

With that, I leave you. I’m sure you can understand how exhausted we all are. Plus, I think snack is ready

See ya tomorrow!

“I’ve had 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners today. I was gonna go to bed, but snack is in 7 minutes, so I’ll stay up for that. You know you’ve been up for too many hours when you have that many meals in one day.”

-Matt Brandt