Sola Gratia is a book, a play, a musical.
By means of drama, storytelling, poetry, and song, a message of redemption, faith, and God’s unconditional love and grace can provide inspiration and hope during unsettled times.
Do you know someone struggling with addiction? A friend, a child, a spouse?
Are you struggling with the disease of addiction?
If you’ve done something terribly wrong, are you paralyzed by regret, guilt, and shame?
Do you question a God who would allow terrible, even horribly tragic, things to happen to people whom he loves? To people whom you love?
Are you struggling to make sense of it all?
Is fear the driving force in your life?
If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, the story of Sola Gratia will inspire and enlighten you. It is a story about everyday people who wrestle with these very problems and anxieties.
Be drawn into a fantastic world of engaging entertainment – emotional highs and lows, beautiful and captivating music, and imaginative storytelling.
Learn some important things about history you may not have known.
Be enlightened as you ride an emotional rollercoaster from tears to laughter, from heartbreak to joy…from tragedy to redemption.
Be moved, be renewed, be uplifted by Sola Gratia (By Grace Alone)!
Sola Gratia (By Grace Alone)
Oratorio Performance
A shortened version of the story – an Oratorio – was presented at
Christ Lutheran Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on October 22nd, 2023.
Here are highlights.
▼
"A Lot Like Hell"
"O Blessed Child of Love and Light"
"Love of My Life"
"Indulgences for Sale"
"Quid Pro Quo"
"Revenge"
The book is available for purchase via Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Press Release:
“Sola Gratia (By Grace Alone)” is available for purchase (on Amazon and Barnes & Noble)! The intricately interwoven story about personal and societal struggles both today and five-hundred years ago makes eye-opening comparisons between Pastor Maritza Lampara and the venerable Martin Luther of Protestant Reformation fame. Human nature really hasn’t changed much over the course of time, and Luther’s spiritual visitation to present-day characters provides an opportunity for him to share his age-old wisdom and perspective. Is there redemption for having done something terribly wrong? Is there restoration for the thief, even for the murderer? Is recovery possible for the addict? Is there hope for a troubled world? Only by grace…Sola Gratia.
“It’s a story which puts flesh on the bones of the Gospel.” -- Pastor Brett Jenkins
“This book is excellent! I started reading it and couldn’t put it down until I had read 60 pages! It draws you in because you need to know what
happens next.” -- Bob Pierfy, Christian Licensed Professional Counselor
“By design, a parable makes a statement in a most convincing way. And that’s what this is, a modern-day parable.” -- Pastor Ann Shade
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE AUDIOBOOK HERE...
Narrator credits: Tracey & Fred Garnes
Feel free to share!
So why did he do it?
Like most creators, Mr. DeBoeser penned the story based on his personal life experiences, including, along with his wife, the raising of two children to adulthood. This experience in particular spurred him to examine the common human dilemma of getting past the paralyzing impacts of regret, shame, embarrassment, self-hate, blame, hopelessness, etc. These emotions are felt by nearly everyone to some degree, depending on what one has done and subsequently regrets, but they seem to be heightened among individuals wrestling with drug and alcohol addiction. Mr. DeBoeser has witnessed family and friends suffer from the horrors of addiction, including overdose deaths, suicide, and incapacitating health problems. These tragedies exponentially spread sorrow and gloom, and sometimes intensify destructive behaviors in the survivors. What a perfect scenario for evil to “spread its warfare.” This is where the concept of grace becomes relevant. How can we move past having done something terribly wrong? How can we forgive others and especially ourselves? Turning away from past mistakes is a challenging prospect, especially if a mistake has had life-altering effects. Recognizing that God’s love and grace are unconditional (a concept Martin Luther embraced and promoted) is the key to restoration. Applying this healing approach to others and to ourselves is vitally important.
Mr. DeBoeser’s initial aim years ago was to write a biographical play about Martin Luther, the spark of the Protestant Reformation movement in the 16th century, and set it to music. Recognizing that the subject matter is way too large, he landed on a framework to show parallels between medieval times and today, and to show that we can draw inspiration and enlightenment from the lives of historical figures – such as Martin and Katie Luther, Jan Hus, Saint Paul, John Newton, King David, and Jesus. The present-day story depicts everyday people struggling with vocational fulfilment, with family relationships, faith, morality, and heartbreaking tragedy. Inserted in the narrative are historical writings of Martin Luther and of others. A central component of the story is the scourge of drug addiction – the Black Plague of our time.
In an age when truth seems elusive, when meaning is difficult to assess, when complex questions continue to confuse our society, this modern-day parable has the potential to advance deeper understanding and human empathy, to reveal some insightful nuggets of truth.
Hopefully, many will experience laughter amid the tears…find courage amid the suffering…and discover evidence of God’s unconditional love and grace. Surely, readers and audiences alike will be uplifted by the “cheerful finch fluttering in a dismal jail cell.”
Progress/Updates:
· Mr. DeBoeser is available for speaking engagements and project presentations;
Contact him at SolaGratiaMusical@gmail.com
· Read-throughs of the play/script are being held to polish the script
· Music is completed along with renderings for demonstration
· Money is being raised for production costs, musicians, actors, costumes, and all the additional assorted costs associated with a theatrical presentation
SYNOPSIS
Sola Gratia is an intricately interwoven story about a community—a Christian/Lutheran family, a Lutheran congregation, a Jewish congregation, and an addiction recovery “family”—which wrestles with complex philosophical, moral, and ethical issues.
The protagonist, Maritza Lampara—a Lutheran pastor, mother, wife, and crusader for good—is seemingly obsessed with the venerable and pivotal historical character, Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer of the sixteenth century. She tries to come to terms with situations and problems, to extract wisdom and context, by making comparisons between today’s mixed-up times and the medieval world of Martin Luther some five-hundred years ago.
Although Maritza’s faith in God is strong and her actions are embodied with the best of intentions, things just don’t always work out the way she would hope or expect. Maritza, like most of us, has been programmed since childhood to believe that if we are good people, if we do our best to follow the Law (civil and religious), rewards will follow.
This way of thinking is severely contradicted when she attempts to counsel good people who experience unbearable tragedy and heart-wrenching disappointment. She wonders how she can comfort and console others when she has her own doubts about a loving and all-powerful God who would allow such terrible things to happen. Even her well-intentioned advice sometimes, apparently, contributes to disastrous outcomes.
A central theme of the story is the scourge of drug addiction. Maritza’s son, Kyle, is living in the middle of negative influences. He questions, as any healthy, inquisitive adolescent would, all the “church stuff” which his parents have heaped upon him, but his doubts (and his youthful vulnerability) lead him to risky experimentation. He opens a curtain to a world of rudderless, lost characters who have the potential to steer him permanently off-track. The forever struggle between good and evil is evident, and this is where Martin Luther becomes relevant.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) was an exceptionally influential historical character who stood up against what he perceived to be obsolete religious thinking. He unapologetically challenged the status quo. His blunt criticisms of the religious power structure (as powerful as secular governments during his time) very nearly got him killed. His immovable nature, outspokenness, crude style, and passion appear to have been the essential personality traits to arouse much needed change during medieval times. His impact in the world cannot be overstated; numerous essays and books have been devoted to this topic.
In the story, Maritza references Luther's insights regarding God's grace; ultimately, Luther makes mysterious spiritual appearances…interacting with, conversing with, and ultimately influencing characters. Perhaps there is redemption even for a flawed Luther as he attempts to impart wisdom on present-day people…to inspire a disillusioned church leader, to give guidance to an insecure young man, and even to prompt a murderer to commit one final act of unselfish heroism.
How is healing and restoration possible? How can we forgive others and especially ourselves? Only by grace. Sola gratia…by grace alone!
If you would like to partner with us to bring the important message of
"Sola Gratia" to the theatrical stage, please click here to donate--
Heartfelt thanks to everyone for your interest, encouragement, and support!