The By Wallace E. Smith


ACT ONE We had been in a 3


night revival and I found myself at a breaking point in my adolescent life. I was 15 years old and although young, I was aware of the realities of the world, as well as the weapons of the enemy that were against me. I was born into the church, specifically, the Church of God in Christ, but had never heard the voice of the God that I observed people get so excited about.


I sat in that revival


and witnessed prophetic words go forth for job promotions, new opportu-


nities and for God to elevate to new levels. But at 15 years of age, I didn’t care about any of that. All I wanted was God; I wanted to know Him. I was stand- ing on a spiritual precipice looking at my life, sensing and knowing that something needed to change, that there was something more. I remember looking back and thinking that all of the things that had happened in my life had brought me to that one moment where I was overwhelmed with a deep hunger and an extreme thirst for Jesus.


20 INSPIRATIONTODAY Broadway I had often heard the


saints declare, “He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.” It wasn’t until my own personal encounter with the Savior after the revival that night that I was able to truly understand the meaning of their hearts’ lament. When the Lord called me, He clearly spoke to me and I was transformed in the very recesses of my heart, soul and mind. Immediately, I felt a deep sense of purpose that drove me to my knees daily. I spent nights, days and hours in my room seeking Him. Upon receiving what


I knew to be the call of God


for ministry, I began fervently walking after it. I started serving my local church and my school campus, preaching and teaching teen bible studies, where I witnessed many young people come to the knowledge of Christ. My pastor, Bishop Charles E. Blake, often admonished his young people to go forth and to not be ashamed. It was my desire to graduate high school, go to college and then to seminary, as many of the young men in ministry I admired had done. Little did I know, however, this would not bemy life’s path.


ACTTWO I have always had a love


for music, movies and the arts. Consequently, I’ve never experi- enced a fear of standing in bold- ness before a crowd of people. Even still, I never dreamed that one of the platforms that God would use me to minister would be through the arts.


“For your glory Father,


only for your glory” is the mantra that I have lived by and declared over my life from the time I started walking into acting auditions back in 1999. But how in the world was I to let my light shine in an industry filled with so many different types of people, beliefs and lifestyles that go against the very teachings of Christ? When I told the Lord that everything I did would be for His glory, He honored my declaration and gave me full access into an industry that many Christians believe to be inaccessible and even iniquitous. When I look back, I never would have imagined that God would do all that He has for me.


A performance in a high school musical my senior year led to where I currently stand, at the pinnacle of one of New York City’s most prized possessions... BROADWAY! With 4 Broadway shows now under my belt and currently working on my 5th, I have been given the favor, grace and anointing by Christ to do something that most people work their entire lives to achieve. Jesus made it clear in John 12:32 when He said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”


One thing I have learned is that God is methodical. His ways are so beyond our ways and His thoughts are so beyond our thoughts. Even if we found a way to figure out God’s plan for our lives, He would change it in order to remain sovereign. My plan was not His plan. I had to relinquish some of the notions I had about preaching and the path on which I thought He would take me. In 2000, I had the opportu-


nity to see DISNEY’S THE LION KING musical stage play. In those moments, as I


watched the show, I realized that God’s definition of ministry and preaching extended far beyond church on Sundays. God’s defi- nition of ministry encompassed humanity - all men in all walks of life. It wasn’t about the lights, the sound, the costumes, the makeup or the dream of playing a lead role in a movie or musical as big as THE LION KING. It was about the glory of God that must be manifested in every part of the earth.


After seeing The Lion


King, I was no longer uncrtain. It was time for me to prepare to go into those types of arenas, to minister and to change lives.


In 2004, my Broadway


career began with DISNEY’S THE LION KING where I played the title role of Simba for almost 5 years! I said before that God is methodical. And just when I thought those 5 years as the leading man of one of the greatest spectacles to ever hit Broadway and stages abroad were the climax of my career, something even ore unfathomable happened.


INSPIRATION TODAY 21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26