Sometimes we wonder if there is a definite order to things, and if there really is an omniscient God overlooking our daily interactions and affairs. And then, you see a pattern that confirms all that we have wondered.
In July of 2007, I took the scenic route up Route 2, over Stevens Pass, to get to the Gorge in George, WA, home to music festivals that range in genre from jazz to hard rock. I could wax nostolically about the beautiful drive over the mountains, through the charming town of Leavenworth, and about the natural, awe inspiring ampetheatre much like Red Rocks, but that's not really the point of this post.
The point, you see, is for me to openly kvetch about the fact that there is some cosmic reason why God will not allow me anywhere near Chris Tomlin. Maybe He's helping me to avoid a restraining order, I don't know. But whatever it is, it's a little bit annoying.
Get this. I manage to get to the very floor of the place, and I'm so close to the stage that I can smell the roadies. I'm surrounded by eighteen year old fans, all of whom love Tomlin because he's annointed, which I suspect is Christian for "hot!" Annoying, but worth it because we're talking about Chris Tomlin, after all, and he's both annoited AND hot....oh yeah, and talented, did I forget to mention that?
So his set starts, and I am....You've heard the term, "So close, and yet so far"? That sums it up, since I was a stone's throw from the stage, and should have had an unobstructed view. But directly in front of me was an obstacle that could not be moved. Specifically, a huge security guard.
I'm a tiny little thang, folks. I'm a towering 4'11''. I have learned that if I were only one inch shorter, I would be considered a little person; it is the one thing I am too tall to be. This guy was about 7 feet tall, and possibly as wide. And I swear to you, every time I moved, he moved.
If my description is not doing it for you, I urge you to go to YouTube.com, and look up Creation 2007, and check out Tomlin's set. To the right of the stage, you will see a big guy in a red shirt. That's him. I am somewhere directly in front of him.
If it were a regular concert, I would be able to slither in and out between the bodies, and observe from a different place. But this was a Christian concert, and we're expected to behave ourselves. Drat.
Okay, so a few months later, I decide that it's time to leave Washington and see about warmer climes. I have family in Texas, and I have always had a longing to live there. So I sent resumes all over the state, including Austin Stone Community Church, of which Tomlin just happens to be a founder. And that is not, I repeat, NOT the reason I faxed my resume to them, but I would be lying if I didn't think it would be cool to work with him. Not long after I sent the resume off, he moved to Atlanta to found a church with Louie Giglio.
Not long after that, I thought about how cool it would, in fact, be to work with Tomlin and company. Folks, I am a pretty good preacher and I have always felt that I would have a bigger audience than I do now; Not that I'm a narcicist, I just feel like I have a lot to say. And again, I sent resumes out to several ministries, including to Mr. Giglio. Of course, if you have an idea, you can bet fifty million other people have the same idea, and I got the same email that everyone else got: Thanks, but no thanks.
Recently, I was working the graveyard shift, and in the dwindling hours, the radio announced that it was going to give away tickets to see none other than Chris Tomlin. I had a feeling I could win, so I called and got my name in the drawing. And two days later, I was surprised but not shocked to learn that I had won four tickets.
To cut a long story short, I didn't get to go, and neither did the three others I had invited with me. I one had to work, one was sick, and one went to jail (Read my debute post, "In the beginning" and you'll instantly get it). So I decided to donate the tickets to the place where I work, a group home that cares for at-risk teens in the foster care system. And I was glad to do it, because they needed to have a night of hope, and hearing that God loves them.
And yet, I still wondered if there was not some plot that God had in motion, to keep me from being in the same building with Tomlin. I have to wonder, if I met him, would some horrible catastrophy occur? Would buildings crumble, would the sky grow dark, would locus be unleased? Would my meeting Tomlin, even for a second, even if the exchange was nothing more than brief eye contact, signal armageddon?
Last night, I applied for a volunteer position at this year's CreationWest, and guess who is going to be there.
So we will see what happens this year. I don't plan to go to any great lengths to meet this cute little Texan, but I sure would like to talk to him about music and about Texas (he went to the same college as my father). I'd also like to see his dimples up close (I am a sucker for dimples).
Will I meet him this year? Probably not. But be ready for evacuation, just incase I do.
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