What an Honor (Part 2) - the Concert

So like I said in my "Part 1" post, I spent last Sunday evening with Steven Curtis Chapman. At least I like the sound of that a whole lot better than saying that I was one of thousands that filled the stands at Coors Field to hear his story and concert. Alas, it is true, though. I was just one of thousands. . .check it out!

And yet, what an honor it was to be one of the thousands.

I'm sure that many of you have heard the Chapman story about how they lost their adopted daughter, Maria, back in May. If not, Google it. You'll easily get the whole scoop.



I have been to numerous SCC concerts over the years - quite a few in Nashville, the Dove Awards, in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Colorado Springs, churches, amphitheatres, and now in Denver at Coors Field. (FYI - I had to laugh. . .you could even have a beer at this concert as long as you bought it before the end of the 7th inning stretch) Some concerts were more intimate than others. Some were more flashy and loud than others. All have been worshipful and wonderful. But this one. . .this one was different from all of the rest. This time with SCC sat in a league of its own.

I wish I could really express to you what it was like. . .to see his determination. . . to watch his sons behind him. . .to watch his face on the big screen and see no smiles and little excitement. It was so real, his pain. And yet I found myself drawn to his words and his stories like never before. He and his kids were on a mission. You could tell that they were out there not because their hearts felt light and worshipful, but because they had to do it. . .they had to re-enter life.

God had given them a story to share and they had determined to put on their game faces and go for it. . .in the middle of the pain. And the authenticity from SCC's story about Maria was both heart breaking and refreshing. It made him real - one of us - and at one point, no lie, the thousands were crying (this came when he told us that the first song he sang in the emergency room after her death was "blessed be you name") Then he sat at the keyboard and played "When love takes you in(a song about adoption). And in the middle of it, it started to RAIN! It rained hard. . .

But 20 minutes later the coolest thing happened. Almost within the same second, the rain stopped and the sun popped out so bright that I went scrambling for my sunglasses. And SCC and the band must have noticed it too - the dramatic change in weather that seemed to be a gift from the Father. And in seconds he was up on the stage again. . .if only for a few moments. . .the old Steven. His smiles had returned. He started joking around with the crowd. "God is God and I am not" was the first song he opened with after the rain, followed by all of his signature stuff like "The Great Adventure" and "Dive." And it all ended with "How Great is our God!" How appropriate it was.

What an honor it was to be there on that wet and cloudy evening in downtown Denver. What an honor it was for God to allow me to be a part of this story. I was only an observer. I was only one of the thousands. But for some reason, God decided to give me a bird's eye view into the heart of a family on that night - I heard the breaks in Steven's voice and and the notes that passed without a word being sung because he simply couldn't sing. And then I saw the sun pop out and the smiles return and the joy of life fill him up again. And it was a precious picture of what the Father does for us every day. We go through the valley and yet he promises to make all things new.

Steven, thanks for being determined in Denver.