...where God can't seem to shut up.

Tonight, God yelled.

I went to a Matthew West concert tonight with my friend Ed. At the beginning of Matthew West's show, he played all his hits and I was having a great time and loving the music and getting into it. I had a meet and greet ticket, so I got the chance to tell Matthew that I appreciate his music, the lyrics and melodies before the concert began. I truly think West is a talented song writer. But little did I know...

I really went to hear one song, "You are everything". That song has been speaking to me and all I wanted to hear was the one song. I knew he had a new album out and I didn't own it or know any of the songs, so I thought I'd be entertained by the rest of the concert. At the intermission, Matthew said something about how the 2nd part of the concert would be like nothing I've ever experienced before. I thought to myself, "I'm a professional Christian concert goer. There's nothing I haven't seen before especially from a CCM artist. What's he gonna do, have fireworks and fly in from the rafters?" Newsboys and Skillet are masters of the glamourous Christian rock show. But Little did I know...

See to me, I thought that Matthew was gonna wow with what he "did" during the concert. Instead, Matthew wow'd from his heart. See, as a song writer I write from my perspective. I write from my experiences. Matthew opened by saying how this album was written by soliciting the stories from people outside of himself and writing songs about THEIR stories. Immediately I knew this was going to be epic, but little did I know...

The lyrics and music busted up all my understanding (as Toya would put it!). Matthew basically took the content of some of the most tragic and desperate stories one could tell and wrote a song speaking to that individual person or that one family telling their stories of how they persevered in God. As he travels throughout the country, he meets these families and sings them the songs he wrote to their specific situations. I can't do justice to this concert/tour. You seriously had/have to be there. Not a dry eye in the house, and none of this was sensationalism or pageantry. It was God speaking through a music-preacher, a man who decided that he was going to look outside himself long enough to write songs that will lift up the weary and broken hearted, those who have gone through things not even I would wish on my enemies. Those are the songs he wrote and performed. He didn't fly across the room. Nothing exploded. It was nothing but God and God's story in us. Someone related to EVERY song. It was nothing like I've ever experienced before in a concert. And I go to a lot of concerts. I can't say enough how you need to check Matthew West's Tour Schedule and if you can GO experience it. Yes, buy the Album on iTunes or CD or whatever. Do that. But GO EXPERIENCE IT. You won't be the same.

I seem to be at a season in my life where God can't seem to shut up. I have had a string of super spiritual experiences and events and conferences ranging from Cruise With a Mission in December to Junior/Senior Bible Camp and "The Journey" spiritual formations retreat in January/February. I just came from The One Project conference in Atlanta with 172 attendees focused on how to make Jesus the center of life and ministry. And now, on a random Thursday night, I got a concert, er, church service that was unbelievable. Lately, I have been stuck in a routine which has me on a 24/7 merry-go-round that doesn't play merry-go-round music. Instead, it plays God. I'm in a place where God can't seem to shut up. And it's the best place I have been in a while. And tonight, the music-preacher, Matthew West was God's amplifier. Yell Lord. I'm listening. And don't ever stop yelling...

- Fidi