O Come All Ye Faithful

Last week I attended the Steven Curtis Chapman/Mercy Me Christmas concert. Up until that point, I'd been struggling to get into the holiday spirit, but this concert pushed me over the edge. Steven Curtis has always been one of my favorite artists. I have come to see that he is a genuine man of God. The guy practices what he preaches. When I first started working at Focus, I got to sit in on a Brio interview with him. I was impressed that he was honest about his struggles as an imperfect human. Few "celebrities" seem willing to cast aside image for the greater impact of vulnerability.

After the concert, I had to rib him a little. While on stage Bart, the lead singer of Mercy Me, made a few cracks about how he had "saddled up his horses" in 7th grade to the tunes of SCC and that he was pretty sure his parents had listened to "I Will Be Here" on their first date.

I told Steve that his music had influenced my life significantly, especially in high school. "I could relate to Bart's testimony," I quipped.

"You were saddling up your horses in middle school, too?"

"Yes. And it's been a privilege to watch you walk faithfully through the years."

"Thank you."

What a wonderful reminder of God's care in shaping my life through the offerings of others. I hope, in turn, I faithfully use what He's given me to touch a life this Christmas season.