concert

Easter Monday 2026

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I stayed up late on a school night, but it was worth it. I may feel like a complete zombie in the morning, but I have complete confidence that even this zombie will be resurrected one day just as Jesus was raised from the grave that Easter Sunday morning so long ago.

Seeing Andrew Peterson and company on Easter Monday is my new favorite Easter Monday tradition. There’s something special about hearing and singing the Easter story one more time. I don’t know about you, but I need to be reminded of the gospel as many times as I’m prone to be forgetful, which is often.

My favorite part is the part where they leave Jesus in the tomb and all the lights go out. Then the drums kick in and the crowd goes crazy because we all know what comes next. Death is defeated forever. The grave that could not hold the Messiah will not hold anyone who belongs to Him. Sin and condemnation will not have the last word.

For me, both Christmas and Easter need more than one day to appreciate fully the incarnation and resurrection. Sometimes I wonder if a lifetime’s not long enough to grasp everything that Jesus accomplished for us in fulfilling all the prophecies and breaking the curse that sin held over us. It will take an eternity to thank Him properly.

I love how Easter heralds in Spring and the annual advent of new life. Gone is the barrenness of winter as flowers bloom and trees bring forth leaves and all is green again. It’s a beautiful picture of life from death, a yearly reminder of the resurrection. We can hope in the fact that since we are in Christ, our story does not in in ashes. We are not left in the dark of the tomb.

May we not relegate the celebration of the resurrection to one day out of the year but to all the days for all the years God gives us. May we always be bold to proclaim that Christ is no longer dead but risen and alive and able to save to the uttermost. May we live as those who have been transformed by this resurrection power that now lives in us through the Holy Spirit. He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Invited (Good Friday 2026)

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I got a last minute invite from a friend to see Chris Tomlin’s Good Friday worship concert at Bridgestone Arena. He knew someone who had a suite and couldn’t use the tickets, so he got one and invited me to tag along. We got to sit in comfortable chairs and eat free food. Plus there was a concert.

The concert itself was amazing. Chris sang all of his familiar songs that churches have been worshipping with for years. He had a few special guests, including one Michael W. Smith, to help lead us in worship. The highlight of the evening was hearing David Nassar speak. He mentioned hearing a young Iranian girl named Goinosh singing the song Holy Forever in Farsi at 4 am. Lo and behold, they brought her out on stage to sing it in Farsi while the crowd sang it in English.

The best part was that I didn’t have to pay. I knew someone who knew someone, so when I arrived, all I had to do was walk into the suite and enjoy the show. My ticket had already been paid for.

It struck me how that’s a picture of heaven. One day, I’ll show up at those proverbial pearly gates. I won’t have to fork over a large sum of cash or prove a lifetime of good deeds to get in. When I arrive, I can honestly tell them that my purchase price to get in has already been paid in full.

I love the illustration that Allistair Begg uses about the thief on the cross on his first day in heaven. There’s all these angels asking him all sorts of questions about theological concepts that he doesn’t know the answers to. When they ask how he got in, he said, “The Man on the middle cross said I could come.”

That will be my answer if anyone asks. It won’t be because of my sinless life. It won’t be because my good deeds outweigh my bad deeds. It won’t be because God ignored my sin. It will be because once I asked Jesus to save me from my sin and to be my Lord and Savior. I invited Him to live in my heart.

This invitation isn’t just for a future residence in heaven. It gets me into the throne of grace anytime I’m in need. It gets the Holy Spirit inside of me, enabling me to live a life worthy of God. Right now, I have everything I need for life and godliness. Right now, I have 100% of God in me and with me and for me.

My invitation, bought and paid for, is the same that’s offered to anyone who says yes to Jesus. Anyone who repents and believes in Jesus Christ for salvation. It’s not just a ticket to get into heaven, but an invitation into an abundant life in Jesus that starts right now.

34 Years Later

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I may or may not still have the ticket stub, but 34 years ago, I saw Steven Curtis Chapman live at the Mid-South Coliseum for his The Live Adventure tour. If memory serves, the year was 1992, or as the young kids call it, the late 1900s.

Tonight, I came full circle when I heard ol’ Steven perform his song The Great Adventure, as well as the entire album Speechless from start to finish. Back in 1992, I couldn’t even have imagined this moment so many years later. I suppose I was thinking more about getting through college and what came after.

But God has a way of bringing things around full circle in a way that no one ever could have planned or conceived. God has a way of surprising His people in the best kind of way. The kind that is exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we can ask or imagine.

It was great. The songs might have been in a slightly lower key. Steven might have shed the mullet look he was sporting way back in the early 90s. I might be less energetic tomorrow morning after a late night than I was when I was 20 years old. But it was still amazing and totally worth it.

Maybe there’s something you’re believing God for right now that seems impossible. It seems hopeless and if there ever was an expiration date your hopes and dreams, they have long since passed.

God is still at work. He’s still doing 10,000 things in your life, including the 9,997 things you’re unaware of or can’t see. God still promises to give us everything we need for life and godliness. God will give you your heart’s desire or He will give you something better. Something you would have asked for from the start had you known what He knows.

Maybe the next time won’t take 34 years, but I hope to see Steven again in concert soon. No matter how long it takes, I know the God he’s been singing about all these years will still be good and faithful.

They Overcame

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“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even in the face of death” (Revelation 12:11, TLV).

Tonight I attended something called What a God: A Night of Testimony & Thanksgiving at Brentwood Baptist Church. Basically, it was a night of worship interspersed with testimonies of people who experienced the healing of God in their lives and a time of prayer for those dealing with serious illnesses.

It was a beautiful reminder of the goodness of God. Time and time again, we saw how the Lord was faithful to do what He promised. Time after time, we saw how the miracles came because people were bold enough to ask in prayer. I don’t believe that God heals everyone every time on this side of heaven, but I do believe that we often don’t receive from the Lord because we do not ask.

There’s something powerful about someone’s testimony that points people to Jesus. You can argue points of doctrine and theology all day long, but it’s hard to dispute eyewitness accounts. Add that to some powerful songs of thanksgiving, and it was a good night.

I still say that the best antidote for worry is worship. The cure for anxiety is adoration. Once you take your eyes off of yourself and put them on Jesus, everything that seems so pressing and urgent falls back into place. Of course, I know that certain kinds of extreme anxiety have physical causes and it is no sin to take medication or have counseling at times.

Every time we gather for worship, we remember that we are singing not for a potential victory but from a promised victory. We declare that the battle is the Lord’s and He has already overcome. The enemy is already a defeated foe. We are already more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

I’m thankful to Travis Cottrell and all the worship team at Brentwood Baptist Church for putting on a night like this where God was the main attraction. It could very easily have been another concert with an audience of multitudes, but it was instead a worship night with an audience of one. And boy, did He show up.



Worship

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“As long as you notice, and have to count, the steps, you are not yet dancing, but only learning to dance. A good shoe is a shoe you don’t notice. Good reading becomes possible when you need not consciously think about eyes, or light, or print, or spelling. The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God” (C S Lewis).

Back in the day, the battle was between hymns and praise choruses or traditional versus contemporary worship styles. After much deliberation, I’ve decided that the answer to the question is yes. I like both. Both can lead us to the throne room of God and both can become a hindrance if we focus on them instead of the God we’re supposed to be singing about.

These days, the production value and musicianship in a lot of churches is top notch, rivaling just about anything you’d see in a concert venue. The only problem with that is that if the Holy Spirit is absent, would anyone notice? Would anyone care?

I’m not saying that artistry is bad in worship music. I’m not against fog machines or stage lights or guitar solos. But that’s not what true worship is. Singing songs is a part of worship but not all of it. It begins with a surrendered heart and a captivated mind. Worship is essentially declaring the great worth of God no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Cleaning toilets can be as worshipful as singing about Jesus in a room of thousands.

I think it comes down to dependence. I think the best way to prepare for worship is to show up hungry for God. Musical worship is the overflow of a life of continual praying without ceasing and giving thanks in all circumstances. It comes from a Romans 12:1 mentality of presenting our very bodies and selves as living sacrifices for God to do whatever He wants with.

The best worship services aren’t the ones where all the songs are first rate or where every singer and musician sings and plays flawlessly. It’s one where God shows up in a way where we couldn’t focus on anything else but seeing Him and hearing from Him and committing to obey Him no matter what. That’s true worship.

Check One off the Bucket List

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I can (almost) officially check one off the bucket list.

My bucket list is a bit vague and indefinite, but one very clear and definite goal of mine has been to see U2 live in concert. I missed out in 2014 when they played at Vanderbilt Stadium here in Nashville.

I’d decided then that I’d probably missed my chance. I mean, these guys have been around for nearly 40 years. How much longer will they go through the grind of a world tour?

Well, this time came around and I grabbed my chance. Actually, I grabbed, missed, almost gave up again, checked back, grabbed for good, and succeeded.

The first time I tried to purchased a ticket, I couldn’t find any that were under $200, counting fees and taxes. That was where the part about almost giving up again came in.

Tonight, I decided to give it one more shot.

I went to ticketmaster.com and looked for tickets. Lo and behold, I found one that was under $100. I supposed for a bucket list item, that’s reasonably cheap. Also, it’s in the extreme nosebleed section of Bridgestone Arena. But at least it’s inside. I’m going.

There would be a happy dance right now if I weren’t so frickin’ tired. But I’m celebrating on the inside.

I’ve been a fan of U2 since The Joshua Tree in 1987. I own every one of their albums (including the new one, Songs of Experience, which arrived in the mail today) and a few of their concert DVDs. I admire Bono’s outspokenness about the causes he believes in– and most notably, about his faith in Jesus.

I can think of very few other bands that have not only survived but remained relevant for as long as they have. I can’t think of a single other band that has lasted as long with the same lineup.

My next bucket list (in case you’re wondering) is to dine at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant, which will probably also mean me traveling out west.

 

Behold the Lamb of God

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I don’t normally do shameless plugs, but here goes: if you’re ever anywhere near a place that hosts Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God concert, just go. Don’t ask any questions. Just go.

The absolute best venue to see this concert is the Ryman Auditorium, but go wherever is convenient for you.

Aside Handel’s Messiah, I honestly can’t think of any other Christmas music that mines the depth and splendor of the Incarnation in the way this music does. It also happens to be a very good synopsis of the overarching meta-narrative of the entire Bible, the whole story in one short setting.

In the mean time, go buy the album. I’m making it really easy for you. Just go to this link, whip out the ol’ credit card, type in those numbers (including that pesky little 3-digit number on the back), and make that purchase. You will not for one second regret it.

https://www.amazon.com/Behold-Lamb-10th-Anniversary-2-disc/dp/B0040QTHMW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481775641&sr=8-2&keywords=behold+the+lamb+of+god

The theology is solid and the songwriting is among the best. My new favorite Christmas song may just be Labor of Love. The whole album is profound and moving in a way very few Christmas albums I’ve heard are. So go buy it.

Here endeth the shameless plug.

 

Sing a Song of Sixpence

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Sixpence None the Richer PHOTO 2 credit Tec Petaja

I went to a fantastic concert tonight. Sixpence None the Richer, one of my all-time favorite bands, played just about every song from their 2008 Christmas album, plus several other well-known songs.

I had a great seat at the front, maybe 5 feet from the stage. It was like having the band play in my living room. If I had a very big living room with about 200 seats and a great sound system.

franklin theatre outside

The absolute best part of the night, and probably the highlight of 2012 thus far, was hearing Leigh Nash and company perform their signature song, “Kiss Me.” It was a perfect moment that I will always remember.

Afterward, I met Leigh Nash and got her to sign my Sixpence Christmas album. She was incredibly kind and gracious to me, actually taking time to talk to me and ask me if I came to the Franklin Theatre often.

franklin-theatre

The one bummer for the night was that I couldn’t use my credit card to buy the new Sixpence album. They were only taking cash, which I almost never have on me. But even that couldn’t dampen my spirits.

If you could make a feast of fond memories, then I am a full man. Everything about this night was pitch perfect and I hope to have a repeat or a sequel one day very soon.