I'm Only Me When I'm With You

It's about time I blog again :) I've been awakened yet again by love's tender, patient embrace therefore, how dare I stay silent? The last two weeks have been incredible and I know life will only continue to amaze me! First of all, my dear friend Jared was home for his spring break last week and he stayed at my house long story short. Naturally, this meant TONS of hanging out & fun times. We did multiple photoshoots, found waterfalls and hidden beauty in nature, watched movies til no end and played one epic game of apples to apples. It was great having him home because, while I had to work nearly every day he was here, we found time to do stuff so we were constantly busy, and for me on my own it's very easy to seclude myself in my room with my music and a notebook or my laptop...but when he was here we were outside ALL the time and just doing stuff, it really was great. The second to last day he was home, I picked up an early morning shift (knowing I'd be exhausted) and that afternoon we took off to Madison for the Rock and Worship Road Show!! Bands on the tour included: Sidewalk Prophets, Remedy Drive, Francesca Battastelli, Fee, Family Force 5, David Crowder*Band, and Mercyme. I'm still undecided as to whether I want to post a full concert review or not yet...it was amazing though. I didn't go with a mindset like I had for any concert ever before. I decided it was the rock and WORSHIP road show therefore my sole aim would be to worship God and simply seek Him throughout the music and the lights and the noise. Needless to say He showed up so amazingly I was overwhelmed. I loved on Him as much as I could give and it was INSANE and AMAZING just how He reciprocated...I gave my all and He tripled it, easily. Incredible. I also have a new music love! Yes yes I am now one of those crazy Family Force Five lovers xD it was hilarious actually because I only knew one song by them and I was taking photos and vids for my friends and my little sister who wanted to go but couldn't...and somewhere between "Love Addict" and "Radiator" I fell in love :) I knew what their music was like recorded but live...wow...it was SUCH an amazing energy rush! Adrenaline in a show! Soul Glow said one of my favorite lines from the whole night when he introduced the band, "We are Family Force 5 and we like to shake our badonkadonks for Jesus!" LOVE IT!!

Moving on, Fee was really awesome & got me pumped with some LIVELY worship (my favorite kind!) I mean, as much as I love slow, deep worship, there are just times when jumping and shouting for God are necessary, and he certainly covered that! Then during David Crowder's set...ahh. I was expecting him to do the song "How He Loves" since they just did a recording of that song on their new album "Church Music" and I was not disappointed. That particular song, however, has a very special place in my heart because it is one of those "songs" I have with a friend and it encourages both of us and moments after the song began I was crying because God just showed UP and covered me in His love. When you've struggled in the past with self-hate and not liking who you are, the lyrics of that song will hit you in a way that brings you to your knees. So anyway, it was ridiculously awesome. The set continued on and Mercyme was up next.

Now, Mercyme was the one concert I was kind of wary about...I honestly had no idea what would happen. Both times prior to this that I had seen Mercyme, God just showed up when I was not even expecting Him to, and it's not like Mercyme is in my top 5 fave bands, nor do I hate them, they're just kinda in the middle. Let me explain this a bit further. The first time I saw Mercyme, many years ago, I was a very young teenager and I honestly was not searching for God, at that point in life I honestly could care less about Him, even though I was raised in a Christian home. Anyway, my parents actually forced me and my two younger sisters to go to this Mercyme concert, it was the Undone tour and the first Christian show I'd ever been to, only the 2nd concert of my life. And I remember... I went there ticked because I was supposed to hang out with my best friend that night but because of the concert I was forced to cancel our sleepover. I was mad. Well, the show started with some opening artist I don't remember and then there was Jeremy Camp (back before he was really popular!) and then another group I don't recall, and finally Mercyme. They were a good chunk of the way into their set and I remember this moment...during the song "Here With Me"... the lyrics grabbed me, they wouldn't let me go and I felt God SO strongly for the first time in my life, I was brought to my knees it was insane. Anyway, my younger teenage self didn't have a clue what was happening, except that it was so REAL. Now, looking back, I fully believe it was the moment the Spirit came upon me and I was filled for the first time ever. I was never taught about that but now that I've learned more, that's what I think it was. Even though I was not strong or sure in my faith at the time, I could not deny that it was God. ANYWHO! That was the first time I saw Mercyme. The 2nd time I saw them was last summer at the Joyful Noise Festival in St. Paul, Minnesota with my sister in law, niece and nephew. That show, Bart (the lead singer for those who were unaware) spoke about following God no matter what He tells us, especially when we're afraid, and just a week before, God had spoken to me about making music a huge part of my life and the school of worship, then they played the song "Finally Home" with a video of images of soliders coming home...some alive some not and well, my older brother was still overseas then & yada yada it was a powerful set that's all lol. Basically, this time would be the third time of seeing them without making an effort to do so and...they didn't disappoint =) if nothing else, the song "I Can Only Imagine" and the slideshow with it was enough to make anyone tear up.

In addition to the concert, life itself has been pretty spectacular!

I've been able to get out and be outside and use my camera quite a bit (getting familiar with it is definitely nice) and now... in just two days I'm going back to Kenosha for a visit. I'm rather jittery yet excited. My parents are going with me this time and I think that's why I'm so nervous, I'm kind of afraid...afraid that they will judge me and not stand behind me in my decisions and yet I know that even if they don't support me, I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing & it shouldn't matter but there are certain things that they have an issue with and okay it's almost 2 a.m. and I'm babbling so I'll just end this and sleep xD Peace readers ♥