On Friday night, my wife, “the boy” and I took the much anticipated journey to Dayton, Ohio for the Make A Difference Tour. Since first hearing about this tour way back in April, it has been on my radar as a “can’t miss event”. I am amazed at Gods provision when I look back and see all of the things that came together on this one magical evening. Like the title says, I don’t know where to begin.

So many highlights

So little space to tell the “whole story”

I’ll do my best to recap briefly, but you’ll need to understand there was so much more to each of these moments. It was electric and it was unforgettable.

1. Obviously this entire event was created to support Max Lucado’s passion to see children sponsored through World Vision. Thanks to this opportunity, we are now sponsoring our third child. I cannot wait until we step into Heaven one day and meet each one face-to-face.

2. When we arrived at our seats (thanks to my incredible friend Dave Schroeder), we found that Michael Hyattand his lovely bride Gail Hyattwere in the seats next to ours. This was such a blessing to both Heather and I. We have communicated briefly through the internet but to meet two people we have the upmost respect for in person was just wonderful. Had the concert been cancelled at that point, we would have already walked away blessed beyond measure. It was such an honor and privilege.

3. When Intermission arrived, The Hyatts and the three of us made our way backstage. Thanks again to David Schroeder, we had to opportunity to spend a few minutes with one of my heroes, Max Lucado. This was our second time meeting Max and remarkably, he remembered the first(including the location). He remembered “the boy” and even said “You’re bigger than you were last time we met”. If  you’ve ever read Max’s books, know this…he is every bit in person the man he is behind the pen. Incredibly humble, gentle and sincere man after Gods own heart. I walk away each time so refreshed by his person as much as his presence.

4. Obviously “the boys” big draw for this event was none other than TobyMac. We are pretty big fans of Toby in our house and we were dancing in our seats as Toby performed. Little did we know that when we walked backstage, Toby (and Michael W. Smith) would be standing right there. We finally got the opportunity to thank him for making THIS VIDEO for us and share some quick stories. “The Boy” was speechless.

5. To top it all off, we got to meet up with our good friend Heath Mahon (Toby featured Heath in this video last week). Heath is a great man and one of the guys that makes TobyMac happen on the road. We are honored to call him friend. It was wonderful to meet up with him backstage to catch up on the past few months and then talk some Tar Heel basketball! (GO HEELS!!!)

6. Last but not least, when the show (which was awesome) was over and the lights came up, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to find a friend I have not talked to in years. Like each and every other moment I have listed above, it was a special time. It was great to catch up on the years and see him (and his VERY tall son) again. Words cannot describe….

The funny thing is that each and every moment listed above would have made for a great evening. I just realized I said NOTHING about the concert. Trust me when I say it was great. But given the extra special moments, each one equally incredible, throughout the evening, the concert was almost secondary. The only thing I could tell my wife and “the boy” as we walked out was…

“Stuff like this just doesn’t happen”.

I trust Gods provision and plan. I’ve learned that there are things that happen that are so wonderful and so obvious that his fingerprints are everywhere. You can’t miss them. So often we spend our time searching, hoping, praying for evidence of His plan. When evenings like Friday happen, I can’t help but notice how obvious they can be. It is when that happens that..

I simply don’t know where to begin.