I cannot wait until 7:00 tonight: a new friend*–whom, soon, I'll really get to know–has made it possible for me to attend and live blog The United Tour, showcasing two legends in contemporary Christian music–

Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith.

With almost 100 Dove and Grammy awards to their credit, their respective 20+ year careers in the music business have been characterized by consistency, excellence and devotion to God. Their public lives are compelling testimony to and evidence of their faith–when all is well, and perhaps no more beautifully, than in the midst of tragedy.

If you're online, PLEASE check in after 7:00 p.m. EST TONIGHT when hopefully I'll be sharing with you LIVE pictures and words from the Spring kick off of The United Tour!!

Two extras which, if you have time, explain this post title.

Roaches

"Above All" is one of my favorite MWS songs; in it, he simply and beautifully reminds me of God's place in my life. One minute 18 seconds into the song/this video, however, I lose it every time I hear it; I'm reminded of my son's interpretation of the lyrics.

One Sunday morning, we sang "Above All" at church; the lyrics were being scrolled across a big screen at the front of our sanctuary–

Above all powers / Above all things / Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man / You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms / Above all thrones / Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth /
There's no way to measure what You're worth

Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all...

Right at that point, my son leaned in close to me and whispered, "Like a ROSE? I always thought it was 'Like a ROACH trampled on the ground'…!"

…which, when you think about it, makes just as much sense.

Swimming

"Speechless" is my favorite SCC album; though I admired him from a distance prior to its 1999 release, "Speechless" sealed Chapman as one of my favorite recording artists, Christian or otherwise. There are too many songs I love on it to list just one as a favorite, but "Dive" resonates loudly with my carpe diem spirit. Every time I've been at a crossroads in life since first hearing that song, it mentally plays–on "repeat", mind you–and inspires me to "sink or swim".

Wait, I can't stand it! It's not enough to tell you that, lol, read the lyrics in full and you'll see what I mean (if you click the album image, you'll be directed to the Chapman Channel and can listen to the song. Prepare to dive!).

The long awaited rains / Have fallen hard upon the thirsty ground

And carved their way to where / The wild and rushing river can be found

And like the rains / I have been carried here to where the river flows, yeah

My heart is racing and my knees are weak / As I walk to the edge

I know there is no turning back / Once my feet have left the ledge

And in the rush I hear a voice / That's telling me it's time

to take the leap of faith

So here I go

I'm diving in I'm going deep in over my head I want to be

Caught in the rush lost in the flow in over my head I want to go

The river's deep, the river's wide, the river's water is alive

So sink or swim I'm diving in

There is a supernatural power / In this mighty rivers flow

It can bring the dead to life / And it can fill an empty soul

And give a heart the only thing / Worth living and worth dying for yeah

But we will never know the awesome power / Of the grace of god

Until we let ourselves get swept away / Into this holy flood

So if you'll take my hand / Well close our eyes and count to three

And take the leap of faith / Come on lets go

Thank you, Spence!

9 Comments

Lisa B @ simply His on at

I’ll be here waiting to see what great stuff you share with us!
PastormacsAnn on at

You won’t be disappointed Robin – it is one.amazing.concert! I’d go again in a heartbeat.
Have a blast!
Dawn @ My Home Sweet Home on at

Cool! I hope you have a super time!
amykiane on at

i’m just a bit jealous. SCC is my favorite artist and i’ve never been able to see him in concert. have fun! i’ll be checking back in later. 🙂
Robert on at

I’m sure it was incredible. Hope you had a great time. We’ve got tickets already for next month when they’re out in our neck of the woods.
Robin (Pensieve) on at

After seeing it once, I’m with you…I could see it again. I just saw on
Michael’s Twitter stream that he changed the music set, lol…wonder what
he’s gonna sing tonight he didn’t last night :).
Robin (Pensieve) on at

We did! I’ve grown up with these two guys, they’ve been in my “sphere” as
long as I can remember.
Robin (Pensieve) on at

He was different this concert than the one I saw last year; he’s more
serious, which is in keeping with the tour I suppose. Of course, I can’t
imagine what his last year has been like; through his pain, though, you see
his faith, how it hasn’t come easy, but how he still believes in a sovereign
God who can use this for His glory and the advance of the gospel. I DO hope
you get to see him in concert some day…I think you’ll find it worth the
price of admission :).
Robin (Pensieve) on at

🙂 I actually thought of you and wondered if you’d see this post (since I
know you’re a fan). You won’t be disappointed, you KNOW how great these
guys are! Did you look at today’s post? I’ve got pictures up from last
night that I added this afternoon :).