Concert...Amazing!!

One amazing night this past year, we gathered at our church Youth Center with 200 people, celebrating Christ...in a way that ALL could understand. Yes, 200 tickets were sold to hear three Christian bands. Before the bands performed, we enjoyed a "Coffee House" with lots of different types of coffee and yummy treats. Then, our Hands Team performed in the dark using white gloves and special lighting. Indescribable...

Alexis and I are so excited about serving in our Dance Team Ministry. I was so excited for the girls as this was only their third time performing. The first time, was in front of 1000 people at the Tim Hawkins Concert. The second time, the total was several hundred. This concert was around 200...which is still amazing...and enough to make you a little nervous. Dana joined me this year and together, God has given us some amazing ideas. She is gifted in sign language and I have a dance background so together, we are blown away with God's ideas for us. It's truly ALL HIM. Some of our girls have dance experience but most do not and we are so blessed to see God work in each of them and through them. Their hearts are so pure and they love the Lord so much.

Our goal is to "interpret" the song in a way that everybody "sees" Christ and the Free Gift of Salvation. The girls are not there to say "look at me." They are really there to say "don't look at me...but understand the message." It's an important message that the world must hear. And interpretive dance and drama, all in one, set to music is such a powerful experience for the audience.

The song we chose for this concert was, "Made to Love" by Toby Mac. The "character" of the song begins talking about how his "passion" for God is not as strong. He recognizes that the Enemy is "spitting vapors on his dreams....but he still believes." By the end of the song, he is happy knowing that he was "made to love" the one and only true God. That's his purpose: to glorify Him in all things. Alexis....."the dream is fading...."

The lyrics...."I was made to love and be loved by you. You were here before me. You were waiting on me. And you said you would keep me. Never would you leave me. I was made to love and be loved by you.....I was made just for you. Made to adore you..."

This is the turning point for the character of the song. "Anything I would give up for you. Everything, I'd give it all away."

The girls have worked so hard on this dance. We are looking forward to sharing it with the community this year.

Not only were many lives touched, the girls had so much fun. J was our MC for the evening...perfect. Next, The Drama Team performed an amazing skit to Casting Crowns song, Set Me Free.Many of us live in bondage. We are living with "chains" that hold us back from being who God wants us to be. In this picture, they were placing chains around her neck...one by one. How cool is this.....HE came to take each and every "chain" off of our neck and "free" us from ALL things that hold us back. Sometimes it's guilt over those mistakes in our past. Sometimes it might be our selfishness, habits and patterns we seem powerless to break. It could be simply asking God to come into your life. And I love this part of the skit.... The "evil one" is now chained to The Cross!! Christ died, leaving ALL our sins chained to The cross...protecting us and giving us Eternal Life. All we have to do is believe...

John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. Whosoever believes in him, shall not perish but have Eternal Life.

Romans 5:8 God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

Romans 7:4 So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.

Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

"Saved from what?", you might ask...

Saved from a life separate from God: now and eternally. Each of us will be somewhere after death on earth. We will either be with our Creator or not...forever.

Many times, the Bible mentions that Hell is a place separate from God...a place that describes, "torment" and "dungeons."

Luke 16:28 Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.

Galatians 5:1 Freedom in Christ

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Wow! What a powerful skit. I know many hearts could "see" clearly after seeing "a life" transformed.

And then the concert....

I have to admit, this is not my favorite type of music. I'm more of a Steven Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns or Michael W. Smith music fan. But...I REALLY had a great time and the bands were awesome! Those at the concert, were blessed and they heard the message loud (literally) and clear. The lyrics are full of theology and many of these kids (and many adults,too) get it.

At the end of the evening, our youth pastor shared the Gospel with the kids/adults and many made decisions to follow Him.

Wish you could have been there. It was amazing! Let me know if you would like info about the bands doing a show at your church.