The Glorious Unfolding Tour

In October, we attended The Glorious Unfolding Tour with Steven Curtis Chapman, Laura Story, and Jason Gray.  Luckily for us, it was at a church right down the road from us.  As we pulled in we thought it was very empty and then realized that I had booked the babysitter for an hour earlier then actually needed-I guess maybe I was planning on going out to dinner beforehand?  So we got to go out for dinner...at Wendy's, but hey, no kids!  So it counts.  When we came back and went to the concert we got our second pleasant surprise...apparently I had sprung for good seats!  So we had awesome seats, towards the front and in the center!  I was familiar with a good amount of Steven Curtis Chapman's music, but the main reason I wanted to go is that I read his wife's book  http://www.amazon.com/Choosing-SEE-Journey-Struggle-Hope/dp/0800719913  Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman.  Her honesty is so refreshing and meaningful.  Honestly I had put off buying the book for a long time because I knew that it would deal with losing their daughter.  But one day I saw it on the $5 table at Family Christian, so I decided to pick it up.  It is, of course, heart wrenching to read.  But it is inspiring and I was glad I read it.  I have never been able to listen to "Dance with Cinderella" on the radio again without tearing up though.  So of course I cried like a baby when he sang it in the concert.  And I had forgotten my tissues, which I planned to take because I was sure he would mention Maria.  But I was unprepared for the powerful testimonies from the other two artists.  I had no idea that Laura Story's husband had a brain tumor early in their marriage, and woke from surgery not remembering that he knew her.  To see these two artists, who have been through experiences that are honestly among the worst I can imagine-to lose a child, to essentially lose a husband when he doesn't remember you, but to hear them minister about how God is always good, we can always trust him!  It was powerful.  Jason Gray has my upmost respect.  He has a speech issue-he stutters.  And it is amazing because when he sings...you would never guess it in a million years.  But as he spoke between his songs, you could hear him stutter, and I can't help but be moved by how amazing and brave he is, to get up on stage and put it all out there.  To let everyone see this 'weakness' and imperfection.  He spoke of how important it is to let people see your imperfections, because it shows just how BIG God really is.  It was a great night, even if I cried a lot :)