The Concert That Wasn't a Concert

For as long as I've known of his existence, I've wanted to see Chris Tomlin in concert. From my first realization of him as the songwriter of so many of my favorite worship songs, I've wanted to witness a live performance of this amazing singer/songwriter whose music resonates with my soul so deeply. On Wednesday night I was able to fulfill that dream. But the concert was different from how I imagined it would be. Chris Tomlin is not a performer. He is a worship leader. My evening was spent in one of the most ultimate worship times I've ever had. Nearly two hours of praising my God with hundreds of other believers felt like a little taste of Heaven to me. I am so thankful for the experience and consider myself blessed to have been able to participate in such an evening.



Chris didn't do a lot of talking. It was obvious from the onset that the evening was not about him. On the contrary, he is one of the most humble artists I've ever encountered. His intention that evening was to use the gifts God has given him in order to edify and encourage, leading us in a time of worship and praise to our King. And I truly believe he does this successfully and accomplishes this wherever he plays.

Aside from his obvious instrumental and vocal abilities, something that struck me about Chris was his size. He's an adorable ball of energy, small in stature but huge in voice. I don't know exactly how tall he is, but I'd say no more than 5 ft. 5 in. For some reason I was expecting him to be taller. And bigger. It was so adorable when, after the encore performance of God of this City, he kind of took a "hop and a skip" as he left the stage and into the wings. Don't ask me why I took note of that. I just did.

Chris challenged the congregation to live out what we were singing about. To show love to those in need. To be the hands, the feet, the voice of God. If you get a chance, check out the link to One Million Can, an organization that is raising one-million dollars for various charitable causes, one dollar at a time.

I must close this post with one more plug for Chris Tomlin. I was the fortunate recipient of a gift from my sister, whom I attended the event with (as well as her husband and daughter). The day before the concert, Chris' Christmas album was released. It's called Glory in the Highest and it's all I've been playing in my CD player from the minute I got to my car after the concert. I'm really enjoying it. I'm enjoying it so much that it might wear out.

So, yeah. Chris Tomlin in "concert" was definitely worth the $31.50 I paid for my ticket. I hope he comes back really soon! And if you ever get the chance to see him live, I highly recommend it! You won't be disappointed.

*photo credits to my niece, Kelsey.

P.S. Crazy me . . . I had every intention of including another tidbit from the concert but somehow got so caught up in Chris Tomlin I neglected to write about something else that was so great about the evening. I knew my friend, Kim, who is a blogger, but also a real-life friend from Bible College days, was going to be at the concert. We had Facebooked a bit about trying to meet up that evening, but there were A LOT of people there, so I think we both kind of thought it may not happen due to the crowd size. But, as I was waiting for the concert to begin, chatting with my sister and niece, I suddenly realized that Kim's husband was sitting two seats away from my niece! Eventually Kim returned to her seat and that's when we got to reconnect and chat and . . . well, it was just fantastic to see her again, and to meet her boys live and in person. So cool!