Chris Tomlin Concert

It's 4:22 a.m., I have a bad cold, can't sleep, so sorry, I could not come up with a better title. :)

Friday night That Man and I went to see a Chris Tomlin concert here in Denver. We had a great night.

I admit, I was torn between excited, apprehensive, and sad at the whole thing. Excited because I really enjoy Chris's music, and his latest album, Hello Love, is one I particularly enjoy. However, I was apprehensive because one thing I've learned with all the Christian shows I've been to, the bigger the name, the bigger the "show." And I don't mean that in a complementary way. As many of you know, I've been to a number of Todd Agnew concerts. I love him. Love his heart. Love how he isn't afraid to be real on stage. Frankly, he's spoiled me in terms of what my expectations are for a Christian show. I expect to worship. I expect to encounter the Lord. I expect that the person on stage will be full of God and not full of themselves.

Truthfully, I was afraid that I'd go to the Chris Tomlin concert and walk away disappointed that the guy on stage was not the guy singing the songs. There's a number of artists I can't listen to any more because they've come across as too fake when I see them in concert. Chris's music has blessed me so much that I didn't want to have that same creepy feeling in my stomach.

And then, I was sad because it so happened that the same night, Todd had a show in Arizona that a couple of my friends were going to see and they invited me to join them. There was no way I could get the time off work. Plus, I'd already gotten the Tomlin tickets and hubby was semi excited (read: as excited as That Man gets) about going.

So we went.

I was pleasantly surprised at the show. The first thing I noticed was the wide background of folks there. On one side of us sat an upper middle class white couple. On the other side, a group of Asian teens. In front of us was a group of African Americans, and I'm pretty sure they were all from the same church... maybe they all got tickets together or something. Behind us sat a group of older folks. As I scanned the room, I couldn't help but think that Heaven must look something like this. People of all ages, ethnicity, socio-economic standing, and yet, we were all there to worship. How cool is that? I have honestly never seen such a diverse mix of people so well blended.

As far as my fears of Chris appearing fake... um, far from it. He seemed like a down to earth guy who genuinely reveled in not only worshiping the Lord, but in watching the audience worship as well. He didn't talk about how great he was, which is something I really appreciated. Of course, he didn't pull a Todd and start chatting about the Lord (which I LOVE), but I guess there's only one Todd Agnew.

I still missed the easy camaraderie of being at the show with my friends. And yes, I missed the requisite hugs that go with hanging out with my buds at an Agnew show. I definitely missed worshiping with friends who challenge and inspire me on my journey. As I put it to one of my friends, I had a good time, but Tomlin's not family the way my other friends are. But that's okay. A couple of times, I stole a glance at That Man, and he was actually smiling. If you've ever met my expressionless husband, you know that's a miracle.

So we had a good time. I worshiped. I encountered the Lord. And I did not find that the person on stage was too full of himself to be full of God. Today, as I was driving home from WFTJ in a cold induced daze (so sorry for going sick... I had no idea I was that sick until I got home!), one of Chris's songs that he did at the concert came on the radio, and I remembered the blessings of that night. No sick feeling in my stomach. Just the joy of being able to sing with gladness even though my throat burned.

One of the many themes that came up today at WFTJ was how refreshing it is to be among friends who can be real about their lives and their journeys. Even when we feel like putting a wrestling move on someone and body slamming them for annoying us. :) To me, that is such an integral part of worship. Being real, not body slamming people. Although I definitely vote in favor of the body slam... sorry, digressing... cold meds, you know.

The being real thing why I always have, and always will, appreciate the brand of worship Todd Agnew shares. And now, I can add someone else to my list: Chris Tomlin. I probably won't follow him around the country and make it a point to get a few of his shows each year on my calendar, but I will make a point of buying tickets whenever he's in town.

Real worship. Real folks. Love it when I get that taste of heaven.