Christmas Tour Journal - Entry #13

click here for tour dates & invite video

Entry #13 - Wednesday 12/21 - 

I'm sitting here in Starbucks in Port St. Lucie, Florida...just hours away from the final concert on my 2011 Hope of Christmas Tour. It's been an unbelievable experience. I've met so many awesome people. Sung a ton. Driven thousands of miles. And tried super hard to not eat all the sweets that get thrown at me. It helps that I've jogged more than I intended! :)

The thing that is a bit strange right now is the idea of something good ENDING. It's going to be over. And honestly, I don't know what's next. There's a part of me that thinks if I just stay here in Florida or Minnesota or Omaha, then I can remain in this place of awesomeness. I was journaling this morning about joy. And how when I experience great joy, my normal response is to want to keep experiencing it — like making plans to experience it again — or finding someway to hold onto some of the current joy, just in case none shows up tomorrow.

I'm so much like the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness, starving and complaining. Until God finally provided manna from the sky to meet their desire for food. His promise was that He'd provide only enough for each day. But that He'd provide tomorrow's food...tomorrow. I, like our distant relatives, want to hoard and squander whatever I can...just to have enough joy for tomorrow. Then I hear God say, "Enjoy today...be fully present and bathe in gratitude...but don't miss out on the joy I have for you tomorrow, simply because you're so focused on yesterday's joy." With that, I can say "Thank you, Lord for an amazing experience. I will be forever grateful. I'm blessed beyond measure. Even still, I can't wait to see what you have for me..."

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A Life Lived With Hope: Olivia Lueken

My experience last Friday night in Jasper, Indiana celebrating HOPE with Olivia Lueken and her family was something I won’t forget for a long while. The incredible story of this young woman’s desire to live her life as a humongous ray of hope, in spite of her debilitating disease, is so inspiring.

What started as a conversation with her dad about possibly stopping by their house sometime...turned into a concert for several hundred people at the beautiful Jasper Community Arts Center (and their Bösendorfer Grand piano!). The crowd was amazingly engaged...we laughed and cried together...and celebrated God, each other, as well as Olivia.

The fact that Olivia loves my music is unbelievably meaningful to me. To think that my words and melodies could bring an ounce of joy to Olivia’s life is such an honor. To think that something I do could somehow lighten the load one person has to carry…is humbling…and keeps me moving forward on this path God has me on.

So to Olivia I say, “Thank you for letting my music into your heart! I long for the day when we will no longer be imprisoned by this wretched bag of bones our souls have to drag around. You are proof that life is not what happens to you, but rather, how you choose to respond to it. The fact that you choose hope, encourages me to keep choosing it as well.”

Christmas Tour 2011

I can't believe it's actually happening! But indeed, it is...

Come experience the HOPE of Christmas with us LIVE!

Fri 12/2 - Rochester, MN - UTurn Event Center - 7pm - $10
Sun 12/4 - Rochester, MN - Rochester Convenant - part of am services
Sun 12/4 - Rochester, MN - Private Event for Salem Road Covenant
Mon 12/5 - Rochester, MN - Pat & Ray Anderson hosted HOUSE CONCERT
Wed 12/7 - Marion/Cedar Rapids, IA - Echo Hill Presbyterian - 6pm
Thu 12/8 - Omaha, NE - speaking at Tiburon Financial
Fri 12/9 - Omaha, NE - PSCollective - 7pm - $5
Sun 12/11 - Nashville, TN - Brook Hollow Baptist - 6pm - FREE CONCERT
Thur 12/15 - Nashville, TN - Charles Bass Correctional Complex
Sat 12/17 - St. Augustine, FL - Anastasia Baptist - part of Sat pm & Sun am services
Sun 12/18 - Palatka, FL - HOPE FM presents @ Palatka Church of God - 6pm - FREE CONCERT
Mon 12/19 - Palatka, FL - meeting with Samson Society guys
Wed 12/21 - Port St. Lucie, FL - Hope Lutheran - 7pm - FREE CONCERT
Sat 12/24 - Port St. Lucie, FL - Hope Lutheran - part of services

It's going to be a month long journey across the country for me and the Pilgrim Mobile* (not official title). I love that I'm doing several events in some cities - including private banquets and prison concerts! Oh, and that I get to spend Christmas in Florida is pretty awesome, too! I hope we get a chance to meet during December as I share the HOPE of Christmas with songs from my brand new Christmas CD.