It was a beautiful Friday afternoon but all I could think about was how
sick I was becoming and whether I would make it through the concert
that night. I thought about canceling, but we were doing an
anniversary celebration for one of the larger Celebrate Recovery groups
just outside of Gresham. The church had done such an amazing job of
promoting the event and I didn't want to let this group down...they
have already experienced so much of this in their personal lives.
Completely nauseated, I powered through sound check and layed on the
couch of my own green room in misery..."God, would you show up? Would
you make this happen? They need your hope and mercy."
Two minutes
before going on stage, I raced to the restroom and made it just in time
to puke my guts out. I know, NOT a pretty picture. We then raced to the stage, I got a throat losenge from someone in the audience, and we did the concert. God was SOOO merciful! I don't even know how I got through the night, but God did it and these people were sooo very grateful. My story hit home and several told me later it was just what they needed to hear. A comfort, a challenge, a reminder of God's faithfulness. And God held my serious (swine?) flu at bay from the moment I stepped out on the stage in faith until I was back in my car headed home. Thanks for praying for this ministry, and a special thanks to John and Donna, Ann and all the others who worked so hard to make this a special event. I know I now have some new folks in my extended family for sure...