Three Men, Three Testimonies

So last night was the big date night/Christian concert!!! Check out this church:

My kids said (when I showed them the pics this morning before school), "Is THAT a church?!"  I guess this is what you would call a mini-mega church.  I've seen even bigger ones on TV (and for those of you who go to one, I apologize for my naivete)!

We drive 90 miles and who do we see?  Our friend/Mark's co-worker Jerry D.!! Up in the balcony (next to the guy pointing).  Hi Jerry!!

Josh Wilson started the night with a bit of humor, audience participation, and a few of his signature songs, "Before the Morning" and "I Refuse" (which is kind of one of my life anthems).  Wynne likes to sing the chorus with me on that one:  "I don't want to live like I don't care, I don't want to say another empty prayer, oh I refuse...to sit around and wait for someone else to do what God has called me to do myself, oh I could choose not to move, but I refuse!"  Josh didn't have any band with him, but he had this box on the floor that, when he stepped on it, would either echo what he played or add a beat/percussion.  It was interesting hearing him bare-bones like that.  His vocal was clear and very good, and his guitar skills were very impressive!

Next up was Matthew West!!  I know I said this before, but Matthew is an aMAZing songwriter and WOW-what a powerful voice!!  He has a bluesy/raspy edge to his voice, and his back-up guys were also on top of their game.  Matthew is in the middle of a "Story of Your Life" tour, sharing some of the songs he wrote while holed up in a private cabin for two months last year.  Matthew asked people to send in their stories, whatever was on their hearts, and he turned many of them into songs.  He gave a great testimony about how God helped him through an "impossible mountain" experience (career-in-jeopardy throat surgery) a few years ago.  You could never tell this guy almost lost his vocal cords because he can sing!  And I think they changed his guitar about 20 times through the hour he was out performing!

A sampling from his latest album.  This one makes you think, and the ironic thing was that Mark and I did see a homeless person at the intersection in Cedar Rapids as we were driving to the church.  We were 2 lanes away from him, but somebody did give the gentleman some money.  Population Two!!

Did I mention that Matthew West was OUTSTANDING??  Mark and I really enjoyed his show.  "The Motions" and "More" are some of his most beloved songs, but he has churned out a bunch of great songs (one of which I will post about in the near future) that really hit home. 

If you were standing on the stage, we were sitting on the far right about 6 rows back.  They were pretty good seats (although Mark thought something center or balcony would have been better)..  I had the BEST SEAT in the house because I was sitting next to my awesome husband!!

After an intermission (which was already past our bedtime!!) up came the headliner LINCOLN BREWSTER!!!!

I have to put a bunch of exclamation points after this guy's name because in the music world, he is BIG.  You may not have heard of his name, but you've heard his music.  He is a MAJOR songwriter and guitar player.  Major.  He played with Journey and then became a Christian in his early 20s, leaving the secular music world behind to become a sound tech at his local church.  When the senior pastor asked him to be a worship team leader, the rest is history.  Lincoln Brewster's songs have been sung in contemporary worship churches for over a decade and he is a brilliant worship leader!  Not to mention a very funny guy!

There's a joke among evangelical church folk about worship leaders wearing scarves.  And check out this guy's HAIR!   You should see his two boys' hair...a lot like their daddy's!  He spent a lot of time talking about his wife and kids, showing us family pics on the big screen.  That was a big part of his testimony, the kind of rough life he had growing up (broken home)... how he feels so blessed to have been married to his wife for 17 years now...and how much he loves his little boys.  The title of his latest album "Real Life" is also the name of the title track, and he shared a montage that his mother had made him (pics of him growing up, and now pics of him with his wife and boys).  There was a lot of healing and redemption in the song.  Very personal, good stuff!

This guy is as skinny as his guitar!!  But man, can he play that thing.  He was doing riffs all over the place.  It was like he was born with a guitar on his hip!  He is SO talented, and he truly gives it all to GOD!  Praise His Name!!

You can't help but sing along (or jump up and down like I did to "Today is the Day!" I challenge you to listen to that song and not jump up and down or go running or clean the house or jump on your kids' beds when you wake them up in the morning!!)



This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!--Psalm 118:24