Loving the Imperfect

I know it sounds a bit cliché, but the Third Day concert was awesome last Saturday night! I had a great time with two good friends. The day and evening were not perfect, but I truly enjoyed it nonetheless.

“So what was not perfect about it?” you might ask. First off, we had VIP tickets and were scheduled to attend a Q&A session with the band starting at 4:30. We got in the VIP line about 4:20, standing in the hot sun, and waited. And waited. And waited. We finally were allowed into the air-conditioned building at 5:15 or so, but no one told us why the long wait. It was definitely a lesson is patience.

Once we got into the Q&A, we sat until almost 6:00 listening to the ramblings of the DJ who was tasked with keeping us happy until the band arrived. (I learned later that the band had bus trouble in Medford and that is why they were late.) We were in the front row, and I had my sign with me.

Oh, did I forget to mention the sign? It said “Third Day Rocks 4 Jesus” on one side and “Please Play ‘I Deserve?’ and ‘Innocent'” on the other side. The DJ commented that it was the best sign in the house, and was definitely true.

Finally at almost 6:00 the band came out and took seats on the stage. I had several great questions planned. The DJ came over with the microphone and I asked my first question: “I read on your Facebook page that if I made a sign with a song request you would play it. I brought my sign.” And I held up the sign. Mac Powell said, “You have to pick one.” I picked “I Deserve?” and he said they’d try to play it. Tai Anderson commented that it was the only one of the two they probably could play. Then I was suddenly as giddy as a school girl and forgot all my other great questions, like:

• What’s the deal with the hidden track after “Love Song” on the Offerings CD? Who is singing and why is there no info about it on the CD sleeve?
• How did David Carr learn to drum. My son likes to drum, but it’s hard to find someone to give lessons for drumming. What would he recommend?
• Is the band name Third Day based on the fact that Jesus was resurrected on the third day? And did you know of the other references to things happening on the third day in the Old Testament?
• Do you guys spend time in regular Bible study or have any other structured devotional or prayer time?
• Is there anything we, as your fans, can remember in our prayers for you?

Of course, I never expected to ask all of those questions, but asking just one more would have been nice. Anyway, the Q&A was cut a bit short because the concert was supposed to start at 7:00. But before they left the stage I was able to hand Mac Powell a booklet of all my blog entries that mention Third Day or were inspired by Third Day lyrics. I don’t know if he will read it, but I hope he will appreciate that the band’s music has been such a wonderful influence.

After the Q&A, my friends and I left the concert venue for some dinner. It’s not that we have anything against the opening act Hawk Nelson, but his style is a bit louder and crazier, more for the younger kids. In fact, Mac made a comment / joke that his kids LOVE Hawk Nelson, and Hawk Nelson’s mom LOVES Third Day. Funny as it was it was a pretty accurate comment.

We got back towards the end of Hawk Nelson’s set and took our seats in the front row. We couldn’t really hear the singer because the bass drum was so loud. But they did sing a cute acoustic number with a ukulele. We enjoyed that.

When Third Day finally took the stage, I was ready to rock, praise, and worship. They sang some of my favorites, including “Thief.” That is the best Third Day song ever! The bass drum was still too loud where we were, but I didn’t care because it was just cool to be so close to the stage.

In the middle of the concert Mac said they would take requests. So I held up my sign. He pointed at me said something like, “Yeah I know about you. We forgot to practice that, maybe we’ll try it a bit later.” They then sang bits and pieces of a few other requests, including “King of Glory,” an awesome praise song. Finally, they started to play “I Deserve?” but Mac couldn’t remember all the words. He looked at me and said, “You gotta sing.” Well, I can’t sing, at least not in a way that anyone wants to hear. Anyway, they played some snippets of this great “old school song” and some others. Then went back to their regular set list.

When it was all over, and we walked back to the car, I had no voice left. But it was worth it. I sang and yelled. I raised my hands above my head in praise of my Lord, spurred on by the worshipful music of this great band. (That may not sound like much, but because of my neck pain I usually can’t hold my hands above my head. But I felt no pain. Praise the Lord!)

The night wasn’t perfect. The band was late, I forgot to ask my questions, the band didn’t play all of the songs I wanted to hear, and the bass was too loud. But it didn’t matter. Even though it wasn’t perfect, I loved every minute of it. In the same way, we are not perfect, but God loves every one of us anyway, every minute of every day. Sometimes I suspect we are a lesson in patience for God, but thankfully He has that patience, forgiveness, and love thing down to a T.