Christmas with God....(and David Phelps was there too)

Me with David Phelps
www.davidphelps.com

Me with Daren Streblow

http://www.darenstreblow.com/streblog/

Me with David's wife, Lori

The morning of the concert was pretty rough for me. My neice has always expressed interest in going to a David Phelps concert with me someday and so I was finally about to see to it that she got to go to one and it was last night for David's Christmas concert in Ashland, Kentucky. I have looked forward to the day I could take her for a couple of years now and I was thrilled that it was finally going to happen.

My sister called me yesterday morning to inform me that my neice was sick and said she didn't want to go to the concert because all David does is stand on the stage and scream. Now a few weeks ago, my neice had told me those very words and I was shocked because she loves to sing with him and wanted to go to the concert very much. Something had clearly "changed her mind" and I suspected it was more of a someone than a something that changed it for her. I told my sister that I really, really wanted her daughter to go to the concert so much and to just give her a few more hours to see if she felt better. There was then some discussion about who would go in my neice's place if she was still sick. It was breaking my heart to think of her not going. Even more so, it was breaking my heart that she said she didn't want to go. That just isn't my neice at all. No one I know loves to sing more than my neice and singing with David Phelps has always been great fun for her when we were together in the car or around the house playing his music.

I was so upset by all of this that I felt God telling me to ask my fellow David Phelps message board members to pray about the situation. Here is what I wrote:

" My neice is in great need of encouragment in her little young life and I know that David's music can provide that for her. She use to love to sing all the time and always asked to listen to "God music" when we were together in the car.....which meant David or the GVB. Well, lately she hasn't been singing. This concerns me a great deal. There are huge family issues going on right now and she is caught in the middle. A certain family member has been filling her little sweet head full of garbage about how she shouldn't go to the concert because "all David does is stand on the stage and scream". This is what she told me the other day and I was shocked. She always wanted to go to a concert with me and see him sing and now this? Our family is having a very hard time dealing with this particular person and it angers me that this person would turn my little sweetie against Christian music. This person doesn't want my neice to listen to any Christian music or go to anything Christian. It's a really LONG story and very much private. I'm afraid I've already told you all too much already but I'm desparate for prayer in this situation. Please, please pray hard for my neice that she will want to go and be able to go to the Ashland concert tonight! I can't think of another person in my family who needs it more than her right now. I just don't know what else to say. I don't normally ask for prayer on here. I believe this is my second time actually. When she comes tonight, please pay special attention to her and make sure she's having a great time. Will you? "


Now, my next comment on the message board looked like this:

" Sometimes God works really fast when you ask Him for something. As soon as I hit the "submit" button to post my prayer request, my sister called me and told me to listen to my neice in the shower. She held out the phone toward the shower and I heard the most beautiful sound that I've heard in a very long time. She was singing in the shower!!! Keep praying!! "

Many people were praying for my neice and have told me they will continue to pray for her considering the situation she's in the middle of. Incredible people! No wonder I talk to them everyday on the message board.

So, a few hours before we leave to go to the concert, Tim and I had to pick something up from my mom's house for a project we were working on, and my neice was there. She was playing with my nephew and having a fine time because she was obviously feeling better. Before Tim and I left my mom's, my neice came and sat on my lap and hugged me and announced with a huge smile that she would see me at the concert! I told her how happy I was to hear that and how sad I was when I thought she wasn't going to go. I told her that I wanted her to go more than anyone else....even Tim! I wanted her to know just how important she is to me and how important it is that she go to Christian concerts. Using Tim is always effective because she knows how crazy I am about Tim.

God was working.

Several message board members and friends and family met at a restaurant called C. J. Maggie's before the concert last night and ate and talked quickly before heading over to the concert. We got there just in time too because the Emcee ( a fellow message board member "PastorChrisK") was beginning to speak. I quickly said a few words to Lib, Erica, Linda B., and David's beautiful and sweet wife, Lori. This was my first time to meet Lori and it was as comfortable and pleasant as I had always imagined it would be. With David and Lori, there is never a sense of feeling like they are any better or worse than me or anyone else. People just feel like they've always known them. I feel like they are long lost relatives and it just feels right when I hug them or talk to them. Those two are always ready for handing out hugs to anyone who looks like they may need one. Their "hugging arms" come toward you faster than you can get yours around them. Always ready.

We were quickly shown to our seats and I quickly noticed how rediculously bright the spotlight was on Chris' body while he was trying to greet everyone from the stage. He did a great job and was pleased with himself that he was able to remove all Kentucky accent from his vocabulary as he welcomed and introduced everyone to Anthem Avenue, who were opening for David.

Tim played around with our new digital camera that is also a video camera. We bought this specifically for our trip to adopt Zoe from China. We were not allowed to video tape anything and we were not allowed to use a flash while taking pictures. I'm not very thrilled with the picture taking ability of this new camera. Being the smart (although blonde) person that I am.....hahaha.....I made sure we brought "old faithful", the big heavy camera, with us too. I plan to get the pictures developed today if at all possible.

I think I got a picture of me with each board member I met....INCLUDING OLEGOAT!! I am sooo happy to have met him finally! I told him that it seemed only right that he and I should get our pictures taken together for the message board to see. I asked him if it was ok if I posted a picture of him on the boards and he seemed "ok" with it. Tim took a picture of us with the new camera as well last night and it's hilarious because Olegoat is just standing there with a regular look on his face and I'm laughing pretty hard. Not sure if I'll be posting that one. I look funny it it.....but we'll see. I guess it really captures mine and the Goat's relationship.....LOL!

David sang very well last night but you could tell that he was tired and wasn't up to full energy like he starts his tours out with. Something just wasn't right on the stage. Something was on his mind and whatever it was, it was bothering him a great deal. I've been praying about it since I picked up on it. They've all been on the road for several days with way too many people crammed on the tour bus and performing for 5 straight days in different states. That's enough to make me exhausted and give others the impression that something is up. So, just know that I'm praying for you David and crew. God will take care of you. He always does. ;)

During the concert, David asked if all the children in the audience would come up on the stage and sit down in front of him while sang a song to them called "Santa Claus, Get Well Soon". I looked down our row where my neice was sitting and saw her face light up with great excitment in anticipation of her mommy letting her go. The next thing I knew, there was my sweet girl up on the same stage as "my boy", David! This is a dream come true for me and I have say that it just might secretly be one of her dreams too. Being on stage that is (with or without David). She is a true hambone and that is exactly what I call her more often than not. Lately, I've been shortening it to "Hamy". I'm a name person.

While she was on the stage, I took her picture while she sat on the side in the shadowy section away from the spotlight because there was no room left. David's own children were included in this group and performed quite adorably at different parts of the concert, by the way. During the song that David performed just for the kids, I had a hard time looking at him. I only had eyes for my sweet girl on stage and how excited she must be. At one point, I notice her looking all around the room and up at the ceiling in amazement of the beauty of the Paramount building. She then faced the crowd for a very long time and looked for where we were all sitting and watching her. Then she waved and I waved back at her with pride.

After coming back to her seat, she decided to come over and sit on my lap for the last part of the concert. She talked about being on stage and how she waved at me. I had no idea she was waving at ME. I thought she was just waving at all of us (freinds and family). She was actually waving at me. I think she understood that greatness of her position on the stage and that I couldn't go up there and share the stage with David but she could. I was on her mind as she sat up there with her cute little ponytail and waved at me as if to say "Look where I am, Jenny!". Tim said he heard her telling her mom, when she got back to her seat, something about "D..a..v..i..d P..h..e..l..p..s!" in an amazed, loud whispering voice.

You guys, I can't tell you how precious last night was to me. All I want to talk about is God and how great He is. I've said it before and I'll say it 'til the day I die....It's all about God! These concerts are not about David Phelps. These concerts are all about God and how much we are loved. That really says it all, doesn't it?

Jennifer

P.S. Pictures are coming soon!