Wednesday, April 07, 2010

good friday at the botanical gardens

Last Friday night we had a Good Friday concert at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens. I can not tell you how amazing the night went.

The highlights for me (in no particular order) were:

1) The weather. Literally COULD NOT have been better. It was perfect.
2) The people who helped with set-up and tear-down. That was some of the hardest manual labor I have ever asked of anyone and it seemed as though everyone really enjoyed themselves. It was actually a lot of fun.
3) The view, from the gardens, of the city after the sun went down. The lights of the city looked like Christmas lights. I didn't realize it until I stepped off stage and turned around.
4) The band. I am so lucky to get to play with such talented musicians.
5) Tony Sabota's artwork. It is absolutely gorgeous. Tony is one of the most gifted artists I have ever seen. I'll share pictures of his work on here soon.
6) The turn-out. There were over 150 people who showed up. That was really cool.
7) Getting to sing with my wife. She originally was going to be on stage for only one song, but in filling in for someone who couldn't make it...she ended up singing every song with me. I underestimated how special that was going to be. I love that she got to be such a big part of the night.
8) Greg, Andy and Taylor doing a Writers-in-the-Round to start out the night. Three of my favorite song-writers and good friends.
9) Getting to hear a NEW song from Greg Adkins. A lullaby for his new daughter, Claire. I was in tears before the first chorus. Beautiful.
10) Seeing this night come to fruition. These are stories and songs that I have been wrestling with for a few years now. I could not have imagined a more humbling or meaningful way to get to share them with my church community. Thank you all.

Here are some pictures of us setting up (taken with my phone, so don't judge the quality of the pictures too harshly). Sidenote: Anyone who took pictures of anything else that night...please send them to me. I would love to have them.







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