Be in the Light

I am not afraid to say, I AM A JESUS FREAK!

A couple of weeks ago, I went to see Toby Mac in concert for the…I don’t even know how many times. The first time I’d even heard about him or DC Talk (Michael Tait and Kevin Max) was when I went to a Christian Book Store to have the band Audio Adrenaline sign a poster. Toby Mac was also there to autograph CD’s and posters.

It wasn’t until a bit later when I heard the song, “Be in the Light” by DC Talk on a CD with various Christian Artists that I realized, oh, that is who I met. SONG

I ended up with the Jesus Freak book and CD which came with the book; that is when you could say I became a fan. The songs were woven with beats and sounds that were laid out on top of one another. Then you add the distinctive voices of the trio to the mix and it was magical; not to mention the powerful message the lyrics gave…I was hooked!

I can say with 100% assurance that I have never met or seen Kevin Max in concert, but I have seen Michael Tait twice. I literally drug my husband to the mall to hear Michael sing a series of Christmas Carols. He just happens to have family in Kansas City and had set up a few singing gigs while in town to celebrate the holidays. The second time was at an event held for Youth Ministers.

So, why do I have such a hard time calculating how many times I’ve heard Toby Mac? Well, mostly because for several years I took teens to an all day music concert called “Rock the Light” and I’m unsure exactly how many times he was there. It was fun recounting all of the places I’d been to a Toby Mac concert though, in an auditorium, at a lake, at the outdoor theater and Sprint Center for Winter Jam and then now for his own Hits Deep Tours.

Now this most recent concert was tough because is going through a tough time; his 21 year old son died just a few months before the concert. Any “fan” of Toby Mac’s was a fan of his son Truett, or “tru-dog” as he was referred to on Toby’s CD’s.

It got me reflecting. Over the year’s, the music has been so much a part of me that there is not one song I can’t relate a specific memory to and many which have carried me through some tough times. But I am just a fan. Toby’s loss also carries with it a ton of memories of his son.

I have not experienced loss of this magnitude, nor am I a public figure having to cope with such a loss. But in my reflection, I came back to this original song by DCTalk. I imagine it is a choice made every day to not allow the darkness to overtake you when you are feeling overwhelmed by pain or loss or struggles. Although I also believe when you have faith and an intimate relationship with God, the choice to be in the light becomes routine, even on the hard days, you would rather choose being there in the arms of God, than out in the world alone.