FESTIVALS, FATHER'S DAY, PROVIDENCE, PRAYER, SPIRITUAL WARFARE, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND REVIVAL

Divine Martyr and ... Hey, who's the party crasher on the left?

 

With no children (nor nephews or nieces, and not surprisingly, no grandchildren) and both Becky's and my fathers gone, Father's Day isn't a big thing. But that leads me to a question: Am I, at 62.67 years old, too old to adopt a rock band, or maybe a Southern Gospel quartet? Or should I be content at being an Uncle.

And thus begins a blog where I hit several topics (in case you can't guess from the title).  And I took Father's Day out of order, but I'll keep going.

So:

FESTIVALS!!!  

I first heard of Kingdom Come Festival (KCF) last year, even though it has been going on for years about an hour's drive away. Didn't make it last year, and planned to this year. And the Saturday line-up had several bands I wanted to hear: True Revival, Forsaken Hero, Reclaim the Day, and Theody (all of which I've interviewed) as well as others. 

But then, I heard about Get To The Point Festival, which also had Reclaim the Day and five other acts, such as Divine Martyr who I'd miss out at KCF because they perform Friday. Plus, it was indoors instead of outdoors, half the distance that KCF is, and friendlier to Becky's and my schedule. (Festivals like this are more my style than Becky, and she's more into Southern Gospel.) 

So last Saturday (June 11, '22) I drove to the Point Church and Community Center and had the honor of hearing great music, by Inarticulate Bones and Brave WRSHP and the bands Tempus Unum, Hush Harbor, Divine Martyr, and Reclaim the Day. I got to hear great songs including Fear (Divine Martyr's latest), Relief (Tempus Unum, not yet available on streaming), Sentenced to Life (one of five excellent songs on Reclaim The Day's just released EP), and Testimony (Hush Harbor). 

But if you missed Get To The Point, then get to Kingdom Come! It starts tonight (June 16, '22) including interviewees Undefeated and Samuel Day, and as I said, is the following two days all day on two different stages!

PROVIDENCE

Technically, I could go to KCF, but I figured time wise I needed to choose between the two festivals. Well, two things happened after I decided to go to GTTP instead of KCF. First, I learned a friend of mine was having a retirement party when I would have been at KCF. Then this week, I was asked to help in the sound/camera booth at church during a funeral that again is at the same time of KCF. It seems God was pleased for me to enjoy a festival, and I chose the one I could attend.

PRAYER

So I won't be present at KCF but I will be there in spirit. Or to move from cliche to what I mean, I will be praying from here in Indianapolis while the concert is going on. I have my cell phone calendar ready to give a reminder so I can pray for my favorite artists as they're performing, as well as for KCF itself. Would you like to join me? I have the schedules for the two pages at the bottom of this blog so you can know who to pray for.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Are Christian musicians entertainers or ministers? I've always believed Christian artists, especially the cutting edge ones, are on the front line, invading the enemy's territory, and the enemy is ready to fight.

That belief was confirmed last week. Becca Sugg, lead vocalist for Reclaim the Day, fell and broke her nose and lacerrated her tongue. Was that a coincidence it was close enough to the concert she wondered if she could perform? I don't think so. Was it a spiritual attack? Good luck proving me it wasn't.

ENCOURAGEMENT

One of my heroes is Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement. I love encouraging Christians in ministry. Yes, that includes pastors and missionaries, but as I'm an artist (do you all know I've written songs, novels, and worked in ceramics and drawing?) I also like ... rather love to encourage Christian artists, be it authors, singers/bands, or visual artists.

I had the honor of meeting some of the musicians at the Festival, such as Reclaim the Day's Becca Suggs, Scott Shireman (Hush Harbor's drummer, and hopefully a soon to come interviewee) and Woody Hughes and Mark McKowen of Divine Martyr. Hopefully, I was able to be an encouragement by being there. 

REVIVAL

Actually, I could consider this to fall under "encouragement" except instead of me being the encourager, I'm being the encouragee. Several of the artists made it clear they would love to have non-Christians in the audience so they can hear the Gospel.

Since it was my first time at The Point, I may have been in the Sanctuary without realizing it. One hint were the altars on either side. Becca Sugg pointed them out and encouraged those who needed to get right with God or had prayer needs to make use of them.

Yep, this concern for the lost, and the love for others shown throughout the concert encouraged me. 

Are you going to Kingdom Come Festival? Have you gotten to hear any of the artists I mentioned or any that are listed on the schedule for KCF (including interviewees Gold Frankincense and Myrrh)? And a reminder to use the schedule as a prayer guide.

 

KCF 22 Main Stage Schedule

KCF 22 Redemption Stage Schedule