Monday, June 18, 2012

London Lights

I lived in England in the fall of 2010 to study drama at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. It was there that I learned about the state of Christianity in England. Christianity is something old-fashioned in England. It was really popular two hundred years ago, but it is in decline now, and while most people know who Jesus is, they don't care to follow Him.

I returned to London with my college ministry in May and June of 2011. I did street theatre in Kingston-upon-Thames and volunteered at a community centre in Battersea, where I helped put on fairs and fun days for the children of the community. One night, while standing in the middle of the street in Kingston, after having performed the story of the adulterous woman from John 8 to a continual throng of drunken 20 somethings, I talked to the director of our street theatre about what it means to use theatre to glorify God. It was a moment of realization for me. People always ask me what I'm going to do with my degree in theatre. My answer is the same as my answer for everything: I'm going to use it to glorify God. The people of London respond well to theatre; it's an engrained part of their culture. And for a few moments, Jesus' acts are real to them. They're not just a fairy story they've heard for years. The suspension of disbelief, a key tool in theatre, works on them to make them believe in what is happening on stage, if only for a few minutes. That's enough time, though, for Jesus to work in their hearts.

These are some images that I've taken in England before.

































This one is of me with the London Eye, my favorite British landmark. 
 

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