Downhere at Lifest

Ron and I are at Lifest. Well, we're currently at our hotel taking a break, but we're in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for Lifest. We got here yesterday and quickly went to the festival. We patiently waited for our favorite band to take the stage. It started to rain. It wasn't bad at first, so we just covered up and decided to wait it out. However, then it started to really storm. We decided to get cover, but that wasn't easy. Ron is using a wheel chair for the festival. He can walk, but he gets tired quickly, and festivals generally require a lot of walking. Anyway, pushing a wheel chair on wet grass isn't easy. Thankfully, as I got to a road, a nice man helped us get to shelter. We waited in the media tent. Then some volunteers let us wait in their trailer and gave us coffee.

When the storms let up, everyone around us figured we would just pack it in and go back to our hotel. I'm guessing we looked as cold and tired as we felt. They were surprised when we said that we were staying. Truthfully, I was quite ready to leave, but I knew the next band on stage was going to be downhere, and that was motivation enough for me to stay.

The guys played a shorter set because everything was pushed back because of the storm. Still, they were awesome. I loved hearing their new single "Here I Am", which has kind of become my theme-song for the 40-Day Fast. We got to talk with the guys after the show, and as usual, they were very kind and supportive.

I've been following contemporary Christian music on and off for a long time. It's amazing how much God has spoken to me through this one band. I told Jason Germain that I thought God let him listen to my prayers and that's how he came up with songs. I told him that I didn't know whether to thank him or start asking for a writing credit on the next album. OK, that's really corny, I know, but that's how it feels to me. Such great music. Such great guys.

Which Third Day CD Should I Buy?

As of today, I'm officially a Third Day fan. Before this, I really didn't consider myself a fan. I didn't dislike the group. I just didn't really know their music. That has changed though.

Most people become fans of a band and then check out their blogs. Not me. I was on the blog of Downhere band member Glenn Lavender where I found a link to Mark Lee's blog. It said "This Guy Falls Down." I thought that was a really great title for a blog, so I took a look. I followed it here and there. When Mark posted that he was a fan of the Sammy Hagar years of Van Halen, I knew I liked this guy. I now not only follow his blog, I follow his Twitter feed (very funny), and I joined his summer reading club. Getting to know Mark online has been very educational for me. Eventually, I felt weird following his blog but not knowing his music, so I looked into it.

OK. I had heard of Third Day, but I just couldn't name any of their songs. OK, OK. I admit. I knew one of their songs. I didn't like it, so I didn't think I was a Third Day fan. (No, I'm not going to say which song I don't like.) Once I started paying attention, I realized that there are a ton of Third Day songs I really like. "Cry Out to Jesus", "Show Me Your Glory", "I've Always Loved You", the "Creed" remaket, etc. Mac Powell is really easy to pick out on the radio, so I don't know why I didn't figure out I was a Third Day fan a long time ago.

Well, I need to make up for lost time, so I am going to pick up one of their CDs. The question is, which one? I already downloaded "Call My Name" on iTunes. I blogged about that song earlier too. I could wait for Revelation to come out, but I'm not really a patient person. So, if you have a suggestion as to which CD to buy, let me know. If you are a not a Third Day fan, I encourage you to check out their music. It's good stuff. I wish I would have figured that out a long time ago. :-)