last weekend we decided it’d be a good idea to go to a 3pm ballgame in 101 degree heat. ha. :) we love jeff franceour, and totally respect him for his commitment to Christ and involvement with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes…so off to Atlanta we went.

we really enjoyed spending the day with Katelynn. it was the first time we’ve taken her anywhere by herself since Tanner was born, so she loved having our undivided attention. she’s such a good fan. it must be hereditary, because i’ve decided i really enjoy being a fan of things as well. i realized this when i became incredibly stoked while walking in to the spiritwear store at my new school. i don’t know anyone there, and have zero vested interest in their athletic program…but i’m pumped about rockin’ the school colors on fridays. ha ha. perhaps my senior superlative was definitive.

the real reason we went to the game was to hear Steven Curtis Chapman play afterwards…i love me some SCC, and proudly brandish my love of CCM (even when ridiculed,) so i was really excited! after the game they rolled out the most rockstar portable sound system ever…we need to hire those homeboys to set up overflow at the vine. they were fast! but then — the rain came. for a minute i thought it might blow over…but i realized that wasn’t the case when all the trash in the stadium started swirling around and the 60 mph winds were blowing us all away. we chilled by the concession stands, desperately hoping the show would still go on. :) it did. we passed the time by watching for Steve Fee to walk by….i’d seen him earlier walking around, and Katelynn wanted to get her picture made with him for her blog. unfortunately, we didn’t see him again. he’d have probably thought we were crazy anyways.

Eventually the rain let up and SCC came on stage to do an acoustic set. It was amazing! He talked almost as much as he sang, and I so admire him for the transparency with which he discussed his recent loss…even though his pain was clear, his hope was apparent and his faith was profound. It’s crazy how many people have heard about Jesus as a result of Maria’s death…not that that’s any consolation, but the Lord has certainly been victorious! You can see SCC and his family tell their story on Good Morning America here. What a testament to their faith and the constant, merciful, healing God we serve.

The sky was beautiful after the rain…a perfect reinforcement that after gray clouds, the Lord can restore and renew and reveal beauty again…the sky was nothing short of majestic.

“you’ve just got to continue to choose to live…”