Music Builds

Okay, I'll admit it: Cliff and I are both products of late-90's church youth groups. And we both developed a taste (I might say mine was a ravenous appetite) for Christian music as a result. Cliff, it seems, was into it because it was music and it was good. I, well, not to sound super-spiritual about it all or anything, but I credit a lot of my time of spiritual growth as a new Christian to listening to it and learning from it. Cliff practically grew up in the church, but I began going as a teenager so Christian music was my first real introduction into the truths of who God was and what He can do in people's lives. In the end, Christian music pushed me even deeper into the Word and became a catalyst for where I am at in life today, and not just spiritually either, but geographically, too.

Anyways, Sunday night was kind of a big deal for us because we decided last minute to buy tickets to the Music Builds Tour on its stop here in Nashville. Third Day, Switchfoot, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, and Jars of Clay were the main acts for the night. I've got a lot of history with Third Day, Jars, and Switchfoot (particularly in that order), most of which possesses both endearing and incriminating qualities (if you come over some time, ask to see my photo albums). But I was just so happy, after years of kind of suppressing the inner-youth group kid in me, to see all of these guys up on stage together doing what they love to do and have affected people's lives doing. And the night lived up to our expectations, that's for sure.

I can't count on both of our pairs of hands how many times I've seen each of those bands (most of which is dominated by Switchfoot in the period of '99-'04 when I saw them 13 times). And while their individual sets at this show were not the best and most diverse I've seen in terms of the music they played, their sets were great at showcasing the artistic and intellectual heart behind what they do. I missed hearing some of the older stuff, simply because that's the stuff I cut my "baby" teeth on, really, but I love the new stuff too. And just seeing all of these guys together who I've watched change and grow so much in the last eleven years (since I became a Christian), guys who've become husbands, dads, non-profit starters, and really really great musicians, was just awesome. Seriously.