Wednesday, August 03, 2016

Hillsong United Concert - random notes....

I am an observer by nature. Always have been.
My dad always said I would be a detective when I grew up because I notice things - whether it be people, or things in a room moved, or something looking 'off' ...
I just call it my 'gift' ... because I am married to someone who is OBLIVIOUS about everything. Notices nothing.  It's why we're so good together.
But it really shows me that not everyone notices things I think everyone should notice.

Anyhoooo - I just noticed some things at the Hillsong United Concert & my mind was instantly sending out notes... so here's just a fun observation from the night of the concert we went to last week - some funny, some random, some heart felt...



Dear Parking lot Attendant,
It was really sweet of you to be chatty & ask us if we were going to the concert - the only event happening at the venue - but when we found out you asked every single person that drove through the same question, & when we had to sit in traffic backed up for 15 minutes to get to you?  You may want to just give a friendly smile & hurry people through.  But this being a Christian concert, I bet you loved all the people surely taking time to smile & talk back with you. I wonder, was this your best day on the job yet? Hope so.  Here's wishing you luck when the Kentucky State Fair starts in 2 weeks.


Dear Freedom Hall,
I'm sorry when I walked in, I complained how cold it was in there.  It was after being crowded in a room with a few other thousand people & standing & jumping & swaying for a few hours that I was thankful it was cooler in there.
But I have to ask, why do you have to have your seats so close together. I'm 5'8 & my knees are hitting the back of the chair in front of me & if someone has to get by, they basically need to just walk on everyone's laps.  I feel bad for anyone that is super tall, or basically just average height. I bet you do work well for the circus though where its full of children filling up those seats.

 :

Dear Lauren Daigle,
You are beautiful. Inside & out. I wish you had a little bit longer of a set. I loved hearing your voice that is so unique & has such a cute little growl to it. & no, I'm not Simon Cowl. Just a fan who was surprised I knew more of your songs than I thought.  Thank you for being a great example to young girls in the crowd.

Dear Row of teenagers in front of us,
I loved seeing you come as a group of friend. What was there?  6 or 7 of you together?  It was so fun to watch you & remember what it was like to go to a concert with friends. And to know you all choose to come to a Christian concert... that you all knew the songs & worshiped together? You have some good friends around you.  You'll need that as you get older.  It always makes my heart swell to see young teenagers raise their hands high in praise, especially not being ashamed around others at that vulnerable age.  Keep that boldness girls.  Keep worshiping the Lord together.

PS - thanks for making me smile when you all would worship one song & then between each one, pass phones down looking at Instagram pictures & checking your Pokemon app for any random Pokemon in the room.  It's good to see you still acting like young teenage girls.

Hillsong:























Dear Strong Mom,
I saw you the row over.  The mom who had her daughter, who couldn't be more than a little over a year old in a carrier on your chest.  I love you brought her.  You thought of her hearing by having ear muffs on her head to protect those precious ears, but she heard every song because I would look over & her little baby hand would be up in the air waving it.  She would kick those legs & smile at every fast beat long that was happening too.  You are raising your daughter up right.  Teaching her to love music & how to worship the Lord.  I laughed when she would yank those ear muffs off when the music stopped & get fidgety when they would talk, but as soon as the music started again, she'd smile & dance all over again.  
You held her on your chest the entire night.  I was tired from a long concert myself so I can't imagine what it felt like to have an extra 15-20 lbs on my chest.  I know you thought it was worth it though.  The time you had with your daughter & especially the time you had to be in God's presence with her & so many others.  
Keep strong young mom.  I pray you & your daughter have many years of worshiping the Lord together.

 :




















Dear Lady wanting a picture,
I'm sure you learned the hard way, but if you are standing in the back & you keep trying to take a picture with your phone, or any camera for that matter, being that far back, a flash is not going to help you.  I'm sorry I was trying to will you with my mind to just stop using your flash. Blame it all on the photographer in me.  I know how flashes work & I know you were only getting pictures of the guy in front of you & what his tag might have said on his back.  Please note in the future, flashes from 70 rows back will not reach the stage. I hope you got at least one good picture.

Dear Guy in front of the lady wanting a picture,
I give you props for having a flash shine behind you at least 50 times in a row.  That had to be a little distracting but you never turned around & gave it any mind.
You may want to keep an eye out on the internet - your back may become somewhat internet famous. I know there's a lot of pictures of it out there.


Hillsong:

Dear New Believer,
I know of at least one in the crowd, but also I know there had to be many in that group.  Hillsong said it exactly right - you were destined to be there in that room.  I pray your heart was touched by the music & could feel God moving. I hope seeing people worship in different ways wasn't too disorienting for you, but more inspiring.  I hope you enjoyed the songs even though they were new to you. I hope you see that there are so many different ways to celebrate God & it doesn't have to be just on Sunday morning. It can actually be with drums & guitars (Electric at that!) & more importantly, you are not alone. Every single person in that room was once new to Christ.  It's a scary step to take when you say I'm going to be a Christ Follower, but I hope you saw the joy on people's faces as they lifted hands high in praise. I know I never tire of going to concerts & being surrounded by other believers. I hope you found something new in these songs, in the messages given, in the crowds that all draws you closer to wanting to learn more about Jesus.


Hillsong:

Dear Communion Guy,
I have to give you a thumbs up.  When the guy from Hillsong United stands on stage & points to you to come on stage, did you freak out a little?  When he told you that you were going to take communion as a representative for us all, did that feel like a little bit of pressure?  I hope not.  I think you were ordained to be on that stage.  Especially when the singer spoke truth over you & then you shared your story - it was just a perfect fit. To hear of your struggle of wanting to be a Pro Soccer player & having to learn to 'settle' on a semi-pro team in Louisville, but learning that this is where God is going to use you - thanks for sharing a piece of your life with us.  It was so encouraging to see you, as a young man come to an event like this with a friend too. & I gotta say, with you standing up on the stage of a Christian concert with a Tupac shirt on, it made me smile. It reminded me that we should never pass judgement on anyone.  I hope you find your calling here in Louisville & that God uses you MIGHTILY while you are at this stage in life.  You also made me want to go see a soccer game now!  If I knew what number you were, I'd totally make a sign & come cheer you in in the crowd.

Hillsong:

Dear Flashlight App
You SHINE!  Literally.
It was so super cool when we were reminded that as a Christ Follower, we need to be a light on a hill - someone who SHINES - & your app was just a great example of that.

Dear Hillsong United,
Thanks for sharing your gift with us with your voices in song & your words in speaking. It was so powerful & moving.  I had my heart spoken to in all the messages you gave.  Your voices are truly gifts from God & your talent for putting words to music is just a blessing.
I have to give you all UBER KUDOS for the concert too.  You preformed nearly 4 hours.  4 HOURS. I know you just had a concert the night before in another city because like any good fan, I stalk you on Instagram.  That you perform like this on repeating nights is impressive. I dont think I have ever seen ONE group preform so long.  I'm sorry we had to finally leave after nearly 4 hours & not even get to see the ending.  For all I know, you may very well STILL be in that very arena still singing days later.
Thank you for your energy.  Your passion for God.  For bringing people closer to our Lord.
PS.  Thanks for the song Oceans.

Dear Taya Smith
If I were to get any voice in the world to sing with... it would be yours.

Hillsong:

Dear Arena Cleaner,
I know you probably hated seeing all the confetti fall from the ceiling.  That had to be a pain to clean up. Thank you. It was really cool to see though.  Confetti is a lot like glitter to me - just makes me happy... as long as I dont have to clean it up. Can I say it again? Thanks for cleaning it up.

Dear friends,
I am so blessed to know you. People that I can sit in a row with & be excited about a concert where we get to sing out loudly, all in praise to our Savior.  I am so grateful that we can be in each others lives for seasons. I think God pairs people up just for that reason, because we all balance each other out in a way.  We all bring something different.
Thanks for suggesting we go to this together.  I love each & everyone one of you.

 :

Dear Lady who came alone,
I noticed you. I think you drew my attention more than anyone through the night.  I saw you come in all by yourself & sit on the end of a row, with one seat between you & the group that was sitting down from you.  I kept thinking that empty seat was going to be filled up with someone coming later, but it stayed empty the whole night.  & you sat all by yourself.  You spoke to no one the whole night.  I noticed that in between the opening act & Hillsong United, you just kept your head down looking at your phone.
But you came to this concert.  Alone. & you danced.  & you smiled. Oh, how you smiled the whole night.  & you sang. I could see you reading the words like this may be a group that was new to you, or you weren't familiar with the songs, but you kept your eyes on the screen taking in the words, almost like you were letting them speak directly to you.
You intrigued me so much.  I have to say, I'm not that great at doing things alone, much less going to a concert all by myself, & you inspired me.  You didn't let excuses hold you back from coming to an event where you knew you would get some God spoken into your life.  You didn't stay at home where it would be comfortable & cozy to be my yourself. You took a step of boldness & came & sat in the midst of thousands of people.
I was so curious about you. I wanted to know more of your story. Are you a new Christian seeking for more answers?  Are you far along in your walk with Jesus where you just wanted to be near Him?  Where all your friends busy?  Do you have any family near?
All I know is you made an impact on me.  You made me want to push myself to do things I may find a little uncomfortable, all in pursuit of drawing closer to God.  Thank you for coming to the concert.  I noticed you.  More importantly, God noticed you there.


10 comments:

  1. Oh this is such a beautiful post! Isn't it amazing how we notice even the smallest actions of others. Makes me wonder who is watching us? So glad you were. Able to have this experience! PS: my family calls me Nancy Drew...lol

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  2. This is awesome and such a beautiful post! I must agree that Lauren Daigle has such a beautiful voice and I love it! Kudos to you for seeking out to find all the beauty in the room. :)

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  3. Awww reading about the teenagers brings me back to when I used to go to concerts all the time when I was younger. So special!

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  4. I like the song Oceans, too :) I think it's so sweet that you noticed so much! I'm glad you had fun!!

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  5. teens and concerts! i remember those days...such fun.

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  6. What a beautiful testimony. Loved this post!!

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  7. I'm such an observer as well too, my mom said it would pair well with being a lawyer since all I ever wanted to do was negotiate on things haha.

    I loved reading about all of the people you encountered at the concert! I've never been to one before.
    liz @ j for joiner

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  8. oh my gosh i would have lost my mind at the parking attendant lol

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  9. This is amazing. Yes, squeezing into those tiny seats, and then trying to get back out is impossible. You really do have to climb on top of each other!
    Then the mom who brought her baby. That made me cry. That is my absolute dream.
    The lady who came alone, very brave indeed.

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  10. I feel the same way about confetti and glitter haha!!

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