Aside from some lady claiming to be a Christian complaining about noise on the StadiumFest Facebook page (wah!!), tonight was awesome!! By the way, in defense of the event staff, Spain Park is the most centrally located venue in the Birmingham area. The Hoover mayor was there and Hoover police was there as well. And no noise ordinance laws were violated. So the woman complaining won't change anything. God still used the contemporary Christian "noise" as she called it in a "neighborhood."
She actually had the gall to assume I'd complain if a rap artist was in my "neighborhood." Nope. Because if I know about it as was the case with her knowing about StadiumFest, I have options. Stay home and complain or attend or make other plans.
StadiumFest is like the Christian version of Alabaster CityFest. Every year, CityFest diverts traffic and I can hear it if I go outside at my house. But rather than complain, I can either go or I can make other plans.
I'm laughing at the fact she has complained on their page and complained and argued on every post defending the event and praising God for what was done through this one channel!
Anyway, Britt Nicole was awesome. A little hot from the warm Alabama temperatures today but still awesome. I don't know many of her songs though, but she performed "Gold," of which Nickelodeon has been airing the video. Favorite line: "You're worth more than gold."
I wasn't very interested in the acts that followed although I did enjoy Crowder's performance of "I'll Fly Away."
Newsboys? I was up there close with the crowd! They did old favorites like "He Reigns" as well as new favorites like "God's Not Dead." They really rocked it!
And let me remind you that contemporary Christian music is just as much a channel for God's voice as grandma's old Southern gospel hymnal music. It happens to be more appealing to the younger audiences (guessing the 50 and under crowd although a much older man screamed louder than me!).
Anyway, I will actually do one more post to follow because I need to get some sleep so I can go to Sunday school and hopefully church in the morning!
Showing posts with label StadiumFest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label StadiumFest. Show all posts
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
StadiumFest Part 1
I have to say Jamie-Grace was the best so far. I couldn't stay past her set tonight. Apparently hay showed up around the scene and I had a reaction. But she performed several great songs off her CD, including God Girl, Hold Me, and With You. She also shared a little about how she struggles with ADD and Tourette's as well as anxiety. For me, this hit home as I have my own challenges to learn to overcome. One of the most recent diagnoses was the autism (which you can now see some videos that demonstrate the episodic meltdowns on my YouTube channel. I decided to get really real in them.).
Tomorrow, I return to StadiumFest to help in the children's area (although if I react too badly to the hay, we may have to get creative and reassign me somehow). Britt Nicole and Newsboys are my two artists tomorrow that I look forward to seeing.
One thing I want to note is how the event is not the most sensory friendly, and I will either do a vlog or a blog post about sensory friendly next week.
So meltdowns. It has been a frustrating week all around. I've not been feeling too well (sinuses again), allergies, weather changes, traffic and road construction, a friend and the fact that I'm frustrated he has yet to answer a couple of questions I've actually had the past two weeks, who so far has just been all "stop with the drama," still no answers though, VR related stuff and being called "unwilling," which was a misjudgment of unable due to recurring infections. But I committed the other day to capturing some of the meltdowns and stims so people can get a better idea of what those are like.
Oh, and yes, at concert events, you'll often find me on my feet moving to the music, singing, and flapping or tapping. But at church, if the music isn't upbeat enough (translation: if the music is what my grandmother would have sang in the 1950s), I'm too understimulated and likely to be found slapping myself or trying hard not to vocally stim). Again, more about that next week as well.
I do look forward though to posting more tomorrow after StadiumFest.
Tomorrow, I return to StadiumFest to help in the children's area (although if I react too badly to the hay, we may have to get creative and reassign me somehow). Britt Nicole and Newsboys are my two artists tomorrow that I look forward to seeing.
One thing I want to note is how the event is not the most sensory friendly, and I will either do a vlog or a blog post about sensory friendly next week.
So meltdowns. It has been a frustrating week all around. I've not been feeling too well (sinuses again), allergies, weather changes, traffic and road construction, a friend and the fact that I'm frustrated he has yet to answer a couple of questions I've actually had the past two weeks, who so far has just been all "stop with the drama," still no answers though, VR related stuff and being called "unwilling," which was a misjudgment of unable due to recurring infections. But I committed the other day to capturing some of the meltdowns and stims so people can get a better idea of what those are like.
Oh, and yes, at concert events, you'll often find me on my feet moving to the music, singing, and flapping or tapping. But at church, if the music isn't upbeat enough (translation: if the music is what my grandmother would have sang in the 1950s), I'm too understimulated and likely to be found slapping myself or trying hard not to vocally stim). Again, more about that next week as well.
I do look forward though to posting more tomorrow after StadiumFest.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
StadiumFest This Weekend
Come hear and see great artists like Jamie-Grace ("God Girl"), Britt Nicole ("Gold"), Switchfoot, Crowder, Newsboys ("God's Not Dead"), among others. Friday night and Saturday. During the day Saturday, there will be activities for the kids! The culmination of Saturday night will be fireworks. It is a FREE event, but you might want money for concessions and/or food trucks! Bring friends, family, anyone really.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Huge Announcement Post StadiumFest
First thing, if you missed StadiumFest this year, it was totally AWESOME! I got assigned to an inflatable - a slide - over in the Bronner Burgess Children's Play Area. Seeing the children have fun on it was a highlight. Bello, well, let's just say, he scared me. That man is absolutely crazy! Climbing to the top of some 90 foot sway pole. The minute he got to the top, I panicked. Did not see him come down the thing head first as I kept covering my eyes most of the time while he was up there. I'd sooner face a snake or a spider than watch that kind of stunt. Yikes!
Hearing Rick and Bubba give their testimonies. I was amazed. Befuddled, but amazed. I forget which one referenced the age of accountability, but as I have learned, there is no age of accountability. It's not Biblical! In the grand scheme of learning more about predestination, God knows exactly who and when someone will finally accept His pursuit of them and become a Christian. But they still had great stories.
Casting Crowns. I'm not much into their music. They have the same flavor as MercyMe. And their music is not really up my stream. But Casting Crowns was great. They sang "Praise You in This Storm." Mark Hall wrote it as he was going through some hard stuff involving his adopted daughter, who like me, has a lot of medical challenges to face. His story about his daughter really hit close to home and gave me a new source of inspiration. And believe it or not, this really stiff Presbyterian actually raised her hands WAY up during some of the songs that Casting Crowns did. Good luck getting me to actually do that at church though. I don't think I'm quite there yet.
Oh my word. All I could think is when is TobyMac coming out, right? TobyMac was my highlight. Sort of, but I'll explain in a few paragraphs about the sort of. They brought Bello out again. Let's just say, the difference in seeing him on top of that pole in broad daylight and then at night, well, something about the night does really make things much scarier and more intense. Absolutely could not watch this time around. Those hands shot over my eyes allowing for only a small peek. You know like how when young children get uncomfortable when two people on the screen start kissing? Yep.
Finally, TobyMac. Let's just say, I wasn't the only one who nearly burst at the seams. Funny thing was that near where I was seated/standing, there was a family with teenagers and their mom was more excited about TobyMac than I was, and I was like a giddy school girl when he came out. Yep. I actually squealed in delight! If you have never heard me emit that high-pitched squeal before, good luck getting it out of me.
And I know he reads his Facebook fan page! I actually had posted that if he sang "Made to Love," "Get Back Up," and "City on Our Knees," that it would be the highlight for me. Guess what? He sang ALL three of those songs! He did songs off every one of his albums and quite a few off his newest album. And one of the culminating songs was a throwback to DCTalk days - "Jesus Freak." When he finished "City on Our Knees," he spun off with "Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city." Instantly I thought of my church and my pastor, who absolutely loves the message of that song. Sadly, TobyMac wrapped us up with "Sha na na na, hey hey hey, good-bye." I think I actually wanted to cry at this point because I did not want the night to end.
By the way, I reapplied sunblock every two hours. Came out with seven sun burned patches. I did not know I had to put the stuff on my ears. And I think I may have gotten the darkest I'll ever get on my arms, but mostly I have more freckles. Ugh. God's design though. Fair skinned, red-haired people are not made for the sun. And wearing ear plugs. Uncomfortable little things, but with a mild hearing loss, I saved whatever hearing I have left. There's a reason God made a worrywort.
One thing that concerned me. My church does not do altar calls. I could kind of understand why after witnessing no fewer than four of them at StadiumFest. The emotions are high at those kind of events, so if you have altar calls, how many of those professions of faith are genuine? And how do altar calls fit in the grand scheme of predestination? And Scott Dawson made it sound as though if you prayed the prayer and did not go forward that you were somehow sinning. So of course, I have some confusion.
But I said I had a huge announcement.
I went into StadiumFest as a volunteer. Thank you Facebook advertisements. But I had some serious doubts about my own salvation going in. So, during one of those calls, I did pray that little prayer. I did not go forward, but I did pray. And the majority of my doubts are gone.
Now if only I could help make things right with some friends and all of us could see restoration, I think everything might start looking brighter. There's a prodigal who wants to come home and a little lost lamb who wants to return to the flock. She just needs to know that it's okay.
Hearing Rick and Bubba give their testimonies. I was amazed. Befuddled, but amazed. I forget which one referenced the age of accountability, but as I have learned, there is no age of accountability. It's not Biblical! In the grand scheme of learning more about predestination, God knows exactly who and when someone will finally accept His pursuit of them and become a Christian. But they still had great stories.
Casting Crowns. I'm not much into their music. They have the same flavor as MercyMe. And their music is not really up my stream. But Casting Crowns was great. They sang "Praise You in This Storm." Mark Hall wrote it as he was going through some hard stuff involving his adopted daughter, who like me, has a lot of medical challenges to face. His story about his daughter really hit close to home and gave me a new source of inspiration. And believe it or not, this really stiff Presbyterian actually raised her hands WAY up during some of the songs that Casting Crowns did. Good luck getting me to actually do that at church though. I don't think I'm quite there yet.
Oh my word. All I could think is when is TobyMac coming out, right? TobyMac was my highlight. Sort of, but I'll explain in a few paragraphs about the sort of. They brought Bello out again. Let's just say, the difference in seeing him on top of that pole in broad daylight and then at night, well, something about the night does really make things much scarier and more intense. Absolutely could not watch this time around. Those hands shot over my eyes allowing for only a small peek. You know like how when young children get uncomfortable when two people on the screen start kissing? Yep.
Finally, TobyMac. Let's just say, I wasn't the only one who nearly burst at the seams. Funny thing was that near where I was seated/standing, there was a family with teenagers and their mom was more excited about TobyMac than I was, and I was like a giddy school girl when he came out. Yep. I actually squealed in delight! If you have never heard me emit that high-pitched squeal before, good luck getting it out of me.
And I know he reads his Facebook fan page! I actually had posted that if he sang "Made to Love," "Get Back Up," and "City on Our Knees," that it would be the highlight for me. Guess what? He sang ALL three of those songs! He did songs off every one of his albums and quite a few off his newest album. And one of the culminating songs was a throwback to DCTalk days - "Jesus Freak." When he finished "City on Our Knees," he spun off with "Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city." Instantly I thought of my church and my pastor, who absolutely loves the message of that song. Sadly, TobyMac wrapped us up with "Sha na na na, hey hey hey, good-bye." I think I actually wanted to cry at this point because I did not want the night to end.
By the way, I reapplied sunblock every two hours. Came out with seven sun burned patches. I did not know I had to put the stuff on my ears. And I think I may have gotten the darkest I'll ever get on my arms, but mostly I have more freckles. Ugh. God's design though. Fair skinned, red-haired people are not made for the sun. And wearing ear plugs. Uncomfortable little things, but with a mild hearing loss, I saved whatever hearing I have left. There's a reason God made a worrywort.
One thing that concerned me. My church does not do altar calls. I could kind of understand why after witnessing no fewer than four of them at StadiumFest. The emotions are high at those kind of events, so if you have altar calls, how many of those professions of faith are genuine? And how do altar calls fit in the grand scheme of predestination? And Scott Dawson made it sound as though if you prayed the prayer and did not go forward that you were somehow sinning. So of course, I have some confusion.
But I said I had a huge announcement.
I went into StadiumFest as a volunteer. Thank you Facebook advertisements. But I had some serious doubts about my own salvation going in. So, during one of those calls, I did pray that little prayer. I did not go forward, but I did pray. And the majority of my doubts are gone.
Now if only I could help make things right with some friends and all of us could see restoration, I think everything might start looking brighter. There's a prodigal who wants to come home and a little lost lamb who wants to return to the flock. She just needs to know that it's okay.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Upcoming Event
If you are interested in perhaps one of the biggest FREE events (outside of Alabaster's CityFest in June) in the Birmingham area, come to StadiumFest Saturday, April 2, 2011. The event will be held at Spain Park High School and will have a children's play area. Christian group Casting Crowns and Christian artist TobyMac are the headliners along with several local "celebrities," like Rick and "Bubba," Kevin Derryberry and James Spann the weatherman from ABC 33/40. By the way, they would like as many volunteers as they can get, so consider contacting them about volunteering your time before, during or after the AWESOME music as well as enjoying the FREE event. It's really NOT too often that I get THIS excited over upcoming events, but this one merits the excitement. And if you do come, look for me over in the children's area where I will be volunteering before going to see TobyMac whose music has been an inspiration and an encouragement since I got diagnosed with my immune deficiency almost a year ago. And in case you're wondering who TobyMac is, most of the more mature people may recall the Christian group DCTalk. I will post more information and links in the days to come when I can access a computer, but for now, consider this a preview until after I see my primary medical doctor about some rather intense upper right quadrant pain that needs prayers.
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