that funky Jesus music

TobyMac. Moncton Wesleyan, May 1, 2013

Truth: I started this post early Wednesday morning, hours before going to see TobyMac at the Wesleyan in Moncton.

My plan was to finish it after the show - to upload some photos, write a bit about the show and throw down some additional thoughts about the importance of music when it comes to worship. Within a half hour of being home, I'd gone through the photos I took, picked the ones that were decent (none of them were fantastic. My camera is on its last legs these days) and uploaded them to Facebook.

But when I opened this post, I found myself unsure what to say. When friends asked, I used words like 'amazing' and 'awesome' to describe the show and while they are accurate, they didn't really get at the emotions that night triggered for me.

Yeah, I screamed and danced and partied like everyone else in the church that night (seriously. I don't think I've ever been to a show where people were that stoked to be there. Please note I say this as someone who saw the Jonas Brothers twice at the height of their fame. Don't judge) but there were also several moments during the show where I was on the verge of tears.

When I started making my way back to God last summer, one of the first things that changed was my media consumption. Looking back at the transition period, I'm surprised by how natural the transition was - I simply lost interest in certain books and magazines and songs that I didn't feel were bringing me closer to God.  That doesn't mean I sat down and deleted every single song in my iTunes library that doesn't fall into the contemporary Christian music category but I did start listening to a Christian radio station (Star 99.1), which introduced me to dozens of new artists.

As it stands right now, I'd say my iPod is a little more than half filled with worship music, with the rest of the space allocated between gym songs (songs that are played in the various classes I take) and guilty pleasures (the Jonas Brothers! Old school NSYNC! That one Justin Bieber song!) My worship song playlist, titled Matthew 16:24-28, has become my go-to playlist - what I listen to when I'm doing everything from walking to work, to doing chores, to writing. To say the songs lift me up would be a huge understatement.

Without question, the biggest presence on that playlist is TobyMac. As he should be - when I started looking for Christian music, one of his songs from an old WOW Worship CD was the first thing that came to mind.

Although Gone is not my favourite TobyMac song (that honour goes to Lose My Soul, which has become my favourite song/personal anthem/whatever), the song did something really important for me, both as a teen and as an adult: it showed me that Christian music isn't just hymns. While there's no denying hymns are beautiful, songs like Gone made music worship feel more accessible to me as a teen. It felt comfortable - the message of the music was different but the format was familiar. The brilliance of contemporary Christian music is that artists meet the audience where they are.

I cried when I heard Atmosphere for the first time because I felt it. If I'm having a hard day, that song can still have that affect on me. I know that the words are true - his promise to me is unconditional.

O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

Psalms 95:1 

There were a lot of things that made the concert amazing experience - the stage was brilliant, Jamie Grace and Mr. Talkbox were amazing as opening acts and as a performer, TobyMac blew my mind - but the most memorable thing about the show to me was the feeling of God moving in the room and how energized everyone was by His presence. As a group - audience and performers - we called Him down and He joined us, just like He promised.

Unconditional. Amazing.

(from left: Bryon "Mr.Talkbox"Chambers shares his Twitter handle with the crowd Superman-style. The lovely Jamie Grace, who encouraged everyone in the audience still looking for love on earth to always remember the one who loves them most and best - Jesus. And of course, TobyMac, who reminded everyone in the room that no one is too far from forgiveness.)