WinterJam 2009

At church yesterday, a friend of mine was talking to another friend about their plans for the evening. I nosily asked, "What are y'all doing?" They answered in unison, "We're going to WinterJam ... you and Bug should come." I asked for all the specific information - where, what time, etc. - and told them I'd let them know. After I got home, I asked Hubby if he minded me going and taking Bug. He gave me his blessing and I began planning my surprise for Bug.

Bug & I went outside to play a game of basketball (and I'll admit I lost to an 8 year old) and while we were playing, he mentioned his girlfriend was going to WinterJam. I stupidly asked what WinterJam was (even though I obviously knew) and he told me that a bunch of Christian music groups were going to be there. I made a quick mention of the fact that we hadn't been to a concert in a while and maybe we should plan one soon.

At about 4:00, I told Bug to go change into a better pair of jeans and a decent, weather appropriate shirt because I needed him to run an errand with me. As is the case with most 8 - almost 9 - year olds, he was less than thrilled to have to run an errand with dear 'ol mom. But he relunctantly agreed and we set out. I never revealed anything about where we were going. The entire way there, he kept trying to trick me into answering questions but I'm smarter than the average 8 year old!!!

As we approached the arena, his guesses got wild. I can't remember all of them but one of them was a rodeo! Uh, no ... we're not at a rodeo, honey. As we walked in and he heard the music, his eyes lit up and he got a HUGE smile on his face. He asked rather excitedly if we were at WinterJam and of course I replied that we were. He made a comment about the fact that his girlfriend was there and I acknowledged that and informed him that we were going to sit with them ... on the floor about 15 rows back from the stage!!! You would've thought I told him we hit the jackpot. The look of joy on his face is something I'll carry to my grave!

We made our way down to our seats in time to see one of the "warm-up bands" (pureNRG) take the stage. They were pretty young ... about 15 years old ... but oh my, they were pretty good! They were doing all sorts of acrobatic flips and turns on the stage while singing. I was pretty impressed! I can't remember the order that all the groups came on stage but we had NewSong, Brandon Heath, Francesca Battistelli, Hawk Nelson, and last (but definitely not least) tobyMac.

Oh my ... tobyMac!!! He's adorable. And he puts on an incredible show. But the most impressive thing is how he gives all the glory to God. I've never experienced performing on a stage in front of that many people but I can only imagine that it would be very easy to get a big head very quickly. But it didn't appear that he was the least bit proud. But do you want to know what was so fun about the evening? Well, a couple of things actually ... first of all, watching all the teenage girls in my church's youth group sitting in a puddle of their own drool! But more than that, when I was their age, I was sitting at a Petra concert and was headbanging with the best of 'em. It kind of took me back to my youth. It was a nice trip!

While tobyMac was doing what he does, Bug was in the aisle with his girlfriend and another friend from church and boy oh boy, they were tearing it up! They were dancing all over the place. They had so much fun!

After the show was over, we all piled out and headed back to our cars. Bug commented over and over about how much fun he had. It warmed my heart more than I can convey! But what he can't possibly realize is that as much fun as he had, I had that much more. What a blessing to have a son who loves Christ and longs to worship Him. What more can I ask for???