Wow, who knew that the Newsboys had so much energy. Just before Christmas our friend Kim asked if we would be interested in going to a Newsboys concert with her and her husband Derek. I said sure thinking that it would be cool seeing a band from when I was a teen. I'm thinking that these guys have got to be old by now and that they have mellowed...oh boy was I wrong. While waiting for the doors to open I overheard people talking about how "seeker-friendly" the Newsboys were...and I thought oh great what have I got myself into.
The concert took a bizarre turn at the beginning because the Newboys were delayed in arriving in Edmonton; so they had to add stuff to the concert to allow time for them to get to the auditorium. It opened with some worship lead by Mark Roberts...very talented songwriter then a guy named Bob Lentz spoke...wow...there was nothing seeker friendly or wishy-washy about him. He blasted the audience with the clearest salvation message I've heard in years and challenged those of us who are Christians to get out of comfort zones and share Christ.
The concert then went to Geoff Moore who I think was popular in the 90s as well. He delievered a powerful set of music. He then talked about getting involved with Compassion Canada. He is very invovled with the organization and had been promoting adoptions all weekend (this concert was part of a weekend long conference called Breakforth) and 1000 children in third world countries have been adopted with past weekend. Not only will their physical needs be met now but they will be taught in christian schools and go to evangelical churches. Awesome.
Okay by this point in the evening the Newsboys were almost at the auditorium but would need time to set up so they gave us a 30 minute break. So after 45 minutes the Newsboys took the stage. It was AWESOME. They were loud, they were energetic and they love Jesus. Who knew that a bunch of 40 year olds could make praising God so much fun. The lead singer also talked about giving your life to Christ does not mean being good, it's all about KNOWING God as your Saviour and then getting out in the world and sharing the good news.
I was so impressed with the whole evening. I love how God used the travel delay to allow Bob Lentz to share such an amazing message. I am so glad that I agreed to go to the concert back in December. I love what I thought was going to be a blast from my past was a real challenge from God in my life. I love that 40 year old men who wear make-up made me realize that serving Jesus can be a ton fun when we let it. God is awesome people...go tell someone today.
