Putting aside travel time (which took us about 2 1/2 hrs. one way this past weekend)...once we arrive at our destination, we have to unload all of our equipment (2 speakers, 3 monitors, bass boost, speaker stands, mic stands, wireless mic kit, keyboard along with all of it's equipment, mixer, all of the cables - 2-3 bags worth, notebooks, another black box that sets on the stage - can't remember it's name, Tim's briefcase, and anything I've forgotten) and set it up. After it's set up, we begin the process of checking to see if everything is working correctly and making any necessary changes or adjustments. Once that step is complete, we begin our practice to prepare for the concert and continue to make the needed adjustments. We typically practice for an hour or so, and then we meet with the praise band/team from the church (we try to utilize their players/singers during our praise & worship segment) for about an hour. Once all of the rehearsals are complete, we have a time of prayer with everyone, and then it's off to supper. After finishing supper, we head back to the hotel to check our clothes for the next morning (sometimes the trip leaves wrinkles that need to be removed). I've been trying to take my shower on Saturday night because I've been having "hair trauma" on concert mornings so this gives me one less thing to do on Sunday. (I think you'd have to be a girl to totally understand this dilemma). :-)
When Sunday morning arrives, we have to be at the church early enough to do one last run through with their praise band/team as well as a quick run through of a couple of our songs to make sure everything is still working correctly. We typically end with enough time for me to make a quick restroom stop before meeting with the pastor for prayer before the service.
And then...it's off. The pastor opens the service, welcomes everyone, prays, & does a quick introduction before we take the stage.
Following the concert, we do our meet & greet time, and Katie & I stand by the table (along with her grandpa, Clyde...he's a great salesman). And then...it's time to pack everything back into the bags & then fit it all back in the van before having lunch.
Whew!!! Now that I've put it in writing I know why I'm so tired on Sunday evenings & Mondays. :-) It's a lot of work!
I know this is getting long, but I just have to mention a couple of highlights from this past week's service.
1) Tim spoke to them about the frailty of life & how important it is to be right with God - no one knows when his/her life will come to an end. He's really felt concerned for this concert and had been asking us to keep the church in our prayers (this is something we all do leading up to a concert...our prayer is that God would use our ministry & the gifts He's given each of us in the way He sees fit). Following his message, Tim gave the congregation time to respond while I played the piano. The response was amazing! There was a powerful prayer service that was followed by a testimony that came from the heart. (Following the service, the pastor shared that the one man who came forward to rededicate his life had been away from the church for over 13 years. Last week he came to church, much to everyone's surprise, and heard about the concert. He told the pastor he'd try to come. Not only did he come, but he thanked Tim for his challenge because it was what he needed to hear. How great is our God!)
2) I had the privilege of having friends from Sidney at the concert. This is the first time I've had my "fans" there, and it was great to see them (guess I should tell you who came - Val, Devan & Briauna). Here's picture of D & Bri I took after the service. Aren't they cute? :-)
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