U2: “the Grand Canyon of bands”

Perhaps you've stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon, looking out over the world's most beautiful hole in the ground. And you've thought, "EVERYONE should see this, at least once in their life."

I had the same feeling in 2005, when my wife and I flew to Chicago to attend a U2 concert. It was such an amazing experience; the power of the music, the purity of Bono's voice, and the glow of the community of fans enraptured together. Everyone should experience this at least once!

This month I experienced it again; this time not only with my wife but with our sons. One of my friends called U2 "the Grand Canyon of bands," and I'm happy to steal that. Truly they are the biggest rock band in the world. They're career has spanned decades, their music has literally touched multiple generations of fans. I love it that my boys like "Put On Your Boots" as much as I do. Everyone should see them live, at least once.

There are many differences this time from our 2005 concert experience. This tour it's stadiums instead of arenas, so that our concert was 60,000 people instead of 20,000 (some of the shows have had 100,000+). Bono's hair is shorter, and his face more wrinkled. But his voice is still magical, the source of his nickname ("Bono Vox" = "Good Voice" in Latin) and his power to sway the emotions of millions. The stage setting has gone from amazing to out-of-this-world with the invention and building of "The Claw," or what Bono called "The Spaceship." It's the tallest rock stage ever, and we counted 12 guys raised up into the Claw just to run spotlights, in addition to whoever else was up there!

But it's the things that staid the same that brought us back again, and caused us to get tickets to be on the field, as close to the stage as possible. The excitement of knowing we're going to get a great show. The quality of U2's music, sung from across the entire, amazing history of the band. And the thrill of 60,000 people united in musical appreciation and fun.

I mean no sacrilege when I say that a U2 concert is almost a religious experience. In some ways I wish church was more like a U2 concert. There is unity. There is praise (for a band in the case of U2, for God in the case of church). There is celebration. And afterwards, you tell everyone you see what happened and how great it was.

And when Bono, spotlighted on an otherwise dark stage, strummed his guitar and sang the first verse of "Amazing Grace" as part of the intro to "The Streets Have No Name," it crossed over from "almost." It was a religious experience. Singing Amazing Grace with 60,000 friends is a pretty unique worship experience.

U2 will be back in North America next summer. Every music fan should see this band live, at least once in their life.

Others May, You Cannot

I wanted to share today a devotional thought that I came across several months ago, and came across again last week. I find it incredibly challenging to read and try to live out, and I hope it will bless and challenge you as well.

Others May, You Cannot
by G.D. Watson

"If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.
Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.

God may let others be great, but keep you small, He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature. The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time which other Christians never seem distressed over.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you. God will take you at your word; if you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God."

Dare to reach

I’m a blogging slacker lately, I know. In our office this is one of the busiest times of the year, but that’s not really an excuse.

I did just read an EXCELLENT blog entry from my friend, Brian, and it was powerful and thought provoking and worth passing on. So I’m going to pass it on: CLICK HERE to go read Brian’s post about the instinct to reach out which gets beaten down in each of us into the “flight or fight” instinct that we often hear about.

Don’t know where you’re at…physically or emotionally. But let me encourage you: dare to reach.