Jeremiah 6:16a: “This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls.’”

REBECCA –
It’s an odd thing, I think.
If you have no knowledge of where you are headed then you have no idea about the significance of what you’re doing right now! It’s like when I whined to my parents about school, “Why do I have to learn this? I’m never going to use it!”

BIRDIE –
Rebecca and I were about to graduate to a different level of training, but we didn’t understand the significance of what we were learning. I am calling it training, but it was actually just LIFE.
Along with directing 3-4 published musicals a year plus our other job demands, we continued to write, produce, direct and perform originals.

1987 – wrote and toured MEET ME HERE
1988 – wrote and toured THE WRITER
1989 – wrote and toured HOPE OF GLORY
1990 – wrote and toured THE MILFORD FILES
1991 – wrote and toured THE WHITE STONE
1992 – wrote and toured WOUNDED WARRIOR (original version)
1993 – wrote and toured TWENTY YEARS AGO (original version)
1993 – wrote and performed TWO THIEVES & A SAVIOR (original version)
1994 – wrote and performed THE DELIVERER
1994 – re-wrote and toured NOT JUST ANOTHER LOVE STORY (2nd version adding World War II medley)
1995 – wrote and toured THE PUZZLE
1996 – wrote and toured BILLY LOVES BOBBY SUE (original version)

REBECCA –
We toured with our youth team, CrossRoads. Our theme verse was Jeremiah 6:16a: “This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look...ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’”

REBECCA –
In 1993 Birdie and I came to a crossroads ourselves, where God initiated a turn that took us down a different road.

BIRDIE –
This will seem to veer off the subject but it’s actually the story behind the BIG MOMENT we want to tell about today.

You see, I had my eye on a new, cherry red, Grand Cherokee Jeep Limited that was displayed at the front of the dealership that sat around the corner from the church.

REBECCA –
We each had a car but I gave mine to my parents when my brother was in an accident that totaled theirs. When that happened, we realized we could save money by only having one vehicle.

BIRDIE –
So I decided it was time to trade! Combining both incomes, we could afford that pretty red Jeep.

REBECCA –
Birdie had signed all the papers and we were standing outside the dealership doors, waiting as they shined it up. While we were standing there, so excited, I said: “God is sooooo good!! We need to find a license tag that says: Jehovah Jireh because God has surely provided!!”

The moment those words came out of my mouth I heard these words as clear as if someone had spoken them: “Write a life of Christ production. Call Jenny Wiley state amphitheater and perform it there.”

I’m sure that sounds crazy. I hate for people to think I hear voices in my head. But I’m telling the truth.

BIRDIE –
I know you’re crazy but I also knew that came from God.

They pulled that shiny red jeep up. We jumped in and Rebecca immediately told me what she thought God had directed.

REBECCA –
Less than five minutes later we were back in the church office and Birdie was looking up the phone number for Jenny Wiley State Park Amphitheater, a 500-seat outdoor amphitheater, located thirty minutes away which produced classic theatrical shows Summer-Fall.

BIRDIE –
A lady answered the phone. I said: “We’ve got a magnificent show and we want to perform it Easter, 1994. Who do we need to talk with?”

REBECCA –
That’s not all Birdie said! She went on about how great the show was. I kept thinking: “Precious Jesus, I’ve never written a life of Christ production! We’ve never done anything like this before!”

BIRDIE –
Romans 4:17! We serve a God who “calleth those things which are not, as though they were.” I figured if God said it, it was a done deal.

REBECCA –
The lady on the phone wasn’t quite as optimistic as Birdie.

BIRDIE –
That was a nice way to say it!

REBECCA –
But the more Birdie talked, the more receptive she became.

BIRDIE –
Finally she said, “This sounds like a great idea! I’ve got to get you a meeting with our manager!”

REBECCA –
The manager listened. Then he leaned forward in his seat as God bent his heart. He said, “Let’s take a look at the theatre.”

BIRDIE –
It was a cool fall day. We walked across the bare stage and looked at the empty seats. It was an unpainted canvas. Anything seemed possible right then.

REBECCA –
And so it was done!
We secured an outdoor amphitheater for a 1994 Easter show, then we went to work writing the show.

BIRDIE –
But there was one big thing left to do.
We needed to tell the church what we had done!!!

More CrossRoads Photos