The Concert--And Truth

Sorry for the late post, especially for you east-coasters. This is what happens the day after a Bon Jovi concert. :) We had a rather late night. This morning my ears still aren’t back to normal. Feel like there’s cotton in ’em.

We had a terrific time. Great mother and daughter night out. Met some fun people around us, which made the night all the more entertaining. Our seats were very good—17th row. And we were near the end of the row, so we got a great photo of John Bon Jovi as he came down the aisle, close enough to touch him.

The band started out with “Last Man Standing.” Very appropriate for me, as it has my line in it—“Don’t forget to breathe."

The band played for over two hours. Man, that’s a lot of energy expended on John Bon Jovi’s part. Guy surely gets his exercise. Good exercise for me, too. On my feet the whole time, rocking out. I love the energy of a concert. I love the just-let-it-all-out scream and yell and show excitement momentum. That’s something we adults don’t get to do often enough. (Well, maybe if you attend sports games, which I don't.)

But you know, two things strike me when I go to a secular rock concert. These two thoughts come back to me again and again during all the music and fun and noise and adoration of the players.

The first is that this has to be just a taste of what it’ll be like when Jesus restores earth into the new world. No doubt the first time I see Jesus, I’ll be so overcome I’ll fall prone to the ground to worship. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of those times. But I have to believe there will also be those times of out-and-out screaming and jumping up and down and applause and excitement over Jesus and what He’s done for us. And listen, there’s gonna be rock music in the new world, or it won’t be perfect. Case closed.

Second, as much as I can be pained by some song lyrics, I am also blessed by some of them. I see truth in the words. And I know that all truth comes from God. Now the musician may be singing the words and meaning something totally different, but I immediately apply the words to my spiritual life. In Matthew 6:22 Jesus said, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If the eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.” I feel this light within my soul—God’s light—when I look at the secular world. I automatically see the truth that abides in that world, and it can feed me spiritually.

Consider the Tom Petty song the band sang (I Won’t Back Down):

Well I won’t back down, no I won’t back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won’t back down
Gonna stand my ground, won’t be turned around
And I’ll keep this world from draggin’ me down
Gonna stand my ground and I won’t back down

Hey baby, there ain’t no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down.

Well I know what’s right, I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin’ me around
But I’ll stand my ground and I won’t back down

Hey baby there ain’t no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down
No, I won’t back down
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Now I don’t know what they’re thinking when they sing this, but I hear Ephesians 6:13-14—standing firm, clad in the armor of God.

Or how about this one (Welcome to Wherever You Are):

Maybe we're all different but we're still the same
We all got the blood of Eden running through our veins
I know sometimes it's hard for you to see
You're caught between just who you are and who you want to be
If you feel alone and lost and need a friend
Remember every new beginning is some beginning's end

Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life; you made it this far
Welcome, you got to believe
That right here, right nowYou're exactly where you're supposed to be
Welcome to wherever you are

When everybody's in and you're left out
And you feel you're drowning in the shadow of a doubt
Everyone's a miracle in their own way
Just listen to yourself, not what other people say
When it's seems you're lost, alone and feeling down
Remember everybody's different; just take a look around
When you want to give up and your heart's about to break
Remember that you're perfect; God makes no mistakes
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And this one—I Am. Every time I hear it, I think of the Great I AM. In fact I have to laugh at myself. First time I heard this song I ran to read the lyrics, almost expecting to see the words written as I AM.

How you spend your minutes are what matters
All tomorrows come from yesterdays
When you're feeling broken, bruised and sometimes shattered
Blow out the candles on the cake
Like everything's a big mistake
It seems you always wait for life to happen
And your last buck can't buy a lucky break
If all we've got is us then life's worth living
And if you're in, you know I'm in
I'm ready and I'm willing

I am
When you think that no one needs you, sees you or believes you
No one's there to understand
I am
I'll be there to be that someone
When you think that no one is there to hold your hand
I am

We're just who we are, there's no pretending
It takes a while to learn to live in your own skin
Say a prayer that we might find our happy ending
And if you're in you know I'm in
I'm ready and I'm willing

I am
When you think that no one needs you, sees you or believes you
No one's there to understand
I am
I'll be there to be that someone
When you think that no one is there to hold your hand
I am
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Bottom line, even this fallen world is still permeated by God’s truth. I can see it everywhere, because my soul longs for it and seeks it. And if I can find it while I’m screaming and rocking out to great music, so much the better.