Live Music Restoring Joy

I forgot how life-giving live music is. Wow.

A week ago, Courtney made a passing comment about Carbon Leaf coming to town Friday night. We looked at each other, paused, and at the same time said, “Let’s Go!”

Carbon Leaf music has accompanied us throughout our marriage - through homework nights while finishing grad school to plane trips across the Atlantic to road trips across the country.

The last live show we attended was Spring of ‘21 - before we moved to Colorado. Andrew Peterson and the people who performed with him nourished my hurting soul, because earlier in the day my beloved uncle passed away. What an amazing gift to enter early hours of grief with music of hope and resurrection!

This past Friday night at the Bluebird Theatre, Courtney and I sang and danced (okay - moved our feet and hands a little bit), smiled and cried as the music lifted our hearts and restored our souls by reminding us that joy can happen upon us in unexpected moments.

The past few years have seemed to hold these lessons of unexpected joy - in live music, beauty in the outdoors, shared meals, shared laughter , and shared tears.

Experiencing this music together reminded me of other concerts - two, in particular, that I will mention reaffirmed my call and journey. One was - once again - Carbon Leaf in North Carolina. Finishing my first year of divinity school I had an opportunity to study in Jerusalem the following year - I’m not sure what it was about the music and the night, yet after the show I knew that was the direction I needed to go.

The second one occurred a few years later - I had just begun my year post as the Youth and Young Adult Pastor at the American Church in Paris. Eager to serve, feeling a bit nervous and young, I attended a concert in the church by a choir from the University of the Philippines called “The Singing Ambassadors.” Wow. Wow. Wow. Their performance revived my soul and strengthened my heart to serve in an inspired way. Wow.

In the midst of discernment for our future, attending this recent Carbon Leaf performance with my best friend reminded us that we can live for joy and choose to journey into the future with hope.