Concert at the New Arena

And a friend’s a friend forever, if the Lord’s the Lord of them . . .

Yup, we were there as well. . . laughing as the audience waved their cell phones, like eyes in the dark – actually making MWS stop and laugh. It shows my age, but it would seem like everything I write about does. So why stop now?


Last night we parked our car on a church parking lot and joined thousands of other thirty, forty and fifty ‘somethings’ heading for the local sports arena, where a large stage was set up and the floor changed to seating ability.

Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman under the same roof was probably a first for all of us. Our own local Christian music artist, Brian Doerksen was there as well and ushered us into the four hours of great music. Music from the past and music still being recorded . . . gave us just a glimpse of glory, as we joined in praise and testimony of our God.

What impressed me about these artists is that they have stood the test of time. A generation ago, they charted into, what was then still relatively new territory, that of Christian contemporary gospel/pop music. I kind of see them as the forerunners to the great selection of artists we have today.

I appreciated how Steven Curtis Chapman shared about the tragedy in their family that happened just last year and how that has affected his music. One can’t help but notice that trials have made his message even more real. A golden oldie he sang is called “Tomorrow morning when you wake up, and the sun does not appear, I will be there . ..” It was a song he wrote for his young wife many years ago, whom he mentioned with loving pride. He also introduced us to two of his sons playing in the band. To me this spoke volumes!

Michael W. Smith shared how, at the beginning of his music carrier, he felt like God’s love for him was based on his performance. Until one day, when he had an experience where God, through His Spirit, told him, “Michael, I love you. Not only that, I really, really like you. In fact I’m quite fond of you.” I got a little emotional about this, because it reminded me of a similar experience I had 26 years ago. It’s one that is hard to explain, but one that I believe God desires each one of us to have.

This show was not a show. It was a concert of praise to a God who has a good plan for our lives. What was shared was that there are two things that matter – today and ‘that’ day. And if we believe in that day, then our today will be lived according to that. Let us show compassion and forgiveness while we have time to do so. For some of us it takes music to spur us on. It’s a beautiful gift.