Creation Fest: The Tour Journal

Well back to work we go! We had a few days off in Nashville, some call it rest, some call it work at home, but needless to say we had off. So pulling in this morning was not the most exciting thing, we woke up and saw frost! I know the north is used to it already but coming from Nashville it was a rude awakening. Once we got over the cold weather we made our way into the venue which was Grove city’s Church of the Nazarene.

After we all got our cups of coffee in we got the ball rolling. Taping was the big topic today, we actually made a video about it. Taping is one of the production assistants jobs and it consist of pink tape and a sharpie. Basically the point of the tape is to make arrows and direct crew and bands to dressing rooms, catering, showers, etc… So make sure you go to VideoRocket (http://www.videorocket.com/Creationtour/1723879) to check out that video so you can further understand taping.

Everything was going great once the show started until the third band was on stage. Mid way through there set our monitor tech, Tom, slipped on some stairs and seriously injured his ankle! We had a few people to step up to the plate at the last minute to help him out and fill his shoes, not literally! But we got Tom to the hospital and the show went on!

Bobs message was very powerful tonight and lead about 50 plus kids to the Lord. Not only did they raise their hands for the altar call, they followed through with their promise and went to a separate room for more prayer and ultimately that’s what this tour is all about, bringing kids to Jesus!

Keep us in your prayers as we travel to Rochester, NY tonight, and make sure to come to one of the remaining dates!

This is the Lord’s Day!

It was a cool morning when we arrived in Burlington, Iowa but very beautiful.  The Burlington Memorial Auditorium, situated on the banks of the mighty Mississippi, was built during the depression and it has been the victim of several floods.  As a matter of fact this tour date was somewhat in question last July when major flooding took place.   Part of the building had about four feet of muddy water in it.  Fortunately the main auditorium is on the second floor, thanks to good thinking on the part of architect!  Thankfully the building was repaired just in time for the tour.

Pastor Harry was standing next to a tree when he looked down an saw a 4 foot snake looking at him!  The snake was sunning himself. KJ-52 came over to video tape something for his blog but unfortunately he must not have pushed the record button.  Evidently some reptiles and animals are still trying to find their way back to the river from being washed up on higher shores during the flood.  He or she (the snake) slithered away to safety.  The promoter did a great job and even had dinner for us a the Drake restaurant – good stuff.

We had devotions together around 4pm and Bob Lenz shared on the subject of being content and the struggles we all have with real contentment.  The tour has really brought together the bands in more than one way.  Yes, we are on tour together but there has been a real family developing.  Spiritually it has been enriching to all of us and to the people attending.  We also are having a lot of fun!

This is a windy place next to the river and it was neat to see the long line all bundled up waiting to get into the auditorium  It was a happening place and those attending seemed extra friendly and saying how much they loved the Creation Festival: The Tour.  After Bob’s message during the show, at least around a 100 hands went up saying they wanted to know Christ as Lord.  Pastor Harry and the promoter, Matt Best prayed with several of the new converts and gave them a New Testament.

The next tour date is on Thursday at Grove City, Ohio.  With a couple of days off several band members are heading home to Nashville or other ports.  It was a great night!  Thanks for praying and believing for the tour, it is “A Tribute to Our Creator!”

Today was the second show at Club 3 Degrees in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our busses were parked on one of the side streets and we all stayed in them. There was a little bit of rain in the morning and we had mild temperatures. We had to split the tour over two nights but we had worship and Bob Lenz both nights. Bob changed his message for tonight to “Yahweh” in case there were people from last night. His message was powerful. About 15 people raised their hands to accept Jesus. Pastor Harry prayed with eight of them that came forward. It was college age crowd and there were some awesome conversions. We have seen close to a thousand respond so far and say they invited Christ to be Lord of their lives.

This is a great Club. There should be one in every city! Tonight it was Capital Lights, Esterlyn, KJ 52, Worth Dying For, Fireflight and TFK (Thousand Foot Krutch) played. A really great night. We did not have to load-in very much this morning but tonight will be a long load-out. We are planning to go to the Mall of America (biggest mall in the USA) for a brief moment of relaxation before heading to our next stop in Burlington, Iowa. We really feel everyone’s prayers – thank you so much for your prayers!

Minneapolis, Minnesota is a busy city.  We arrived at the Club 3 Degrees on time after traveling all night.  There was a ton of construction in front of the Club so it was difficult getting the busses in to unload but we had plenty of help.  Actually this Club is also a church and a really neat place.  Nick calls it the “Electric Factory” on steroids.  Everything in the three story building is done right and it’s in the heart of the city.  On the lower level (basement)  is a really great coffee place.  On first floor the stage and standing room.  On the second floor tables and more standing room.  On the third floor they have offices and tables where they fed the crew.  Great coffee and food!

This time we had to divide the tour into two nights but include Bob Lenz and worship with “Worth Dying For” on both nights.  Tonight Kutless, PIllar, Worth Dying For, KJ-52 and Run Kid Run played.  The crowd seemed to really love the night.  Several kids raised their hands to ask Christ into their lives.   We are looking forward to tomorrow when the rest of the bands get to play in this neat place.

The Tour had a couple of days off in the Chicago area.   Time to do some wash and have a couple of good meals.  One rainy day and one beautiful clear day. Most everyone had some rest and time to relax.  We parked the four buses in a vacant lot near the hotel and our great bus drivers treated us to a barbecue!  The parking lot was a vacant Bennigan’s and on the last night the police came and told us the busses had to be moved by 6:00 am or be towed.  No problem we were leaving at 2:00 am!

As planned we left for Onalaska, Wisconsin on the morning of the 22nd at 2:00 am and drove all night to the Omni Center.  They were all prepared for us.  Not to bore you with details but we were able to back the tractor-trailer right up to the stage to unload – very nice.  This was the first show that the promoter had done and he really did a great job.  It was not our biggest crowd (somewhere around 1,000) but it was a great night.  Pastor Harry said that several people came up to him and said how thankful they were that we came to Onalaska.  The best was when the invitation was given to follow Christ 43 kids came to the prayer room.  A couple of them had some really heavy things going on in their lives and stuck around for more prayer.

The bands are more and more like a family and that unity produces great results for the Lord.  Tonight we leave for Minnesota.  The weather is a lot cooler now.  It feels like it might snow but we are hopeful to escape any bad weather.

This is an amazing tour. You can really sense that God has paved the way.

Last night over 700 people came to Christ in Menasha, Wisconsin at the Power of One event. About 57 kids were sponsored with Compassion International. It’s beginning to feel more like a movement than a tour. Changed lives is what is all about.

We really felt everyone’s prayers today. After leaving Kalamazoo our bus carrying the Creation crew hit a deer. The deer did run off after it hit the side of the Blue Prevost leaving some antler dents! Poor thing. Jon Micah (Kutless) and his wife encountered a serious accident this morning. A man was thrown out of his car right in front of their RV. Thankfully Jon’s wife (who was driving) was able to quickly maneuver the RV to miss the injured man. Thank you Lord for your guardian angels!

This is the Lord’s Day and we had “church” together in the afternoon. James Mead from Kutless shared the Word and we had communion together. Great moment and there is a lot of unity.

Kalamazoo, MI was ready for us! WAY/FM sponsored the event at the Wings Stadium and just under 2500 people came. The bands had a great night for sure. The crowd really had a great time. When Bob Lenz gave the altar call about 150 young people ran to the hallway to firm up their commitment. Pastor Harry spoke with them and prayed but he had to divide them into two groups. This was a big night for Compassion as well.

Here’s some of their comments from the salvation prayer cards:
“I love how you have this – thanks Creation Fest!”
“Thank you so much and was the best experience for me”
“Your amazing. You really changed my perspective on life.”
“I am willing to follow Christ”
“Thank you for allowing me to witness my daughter’s dedication to Christ.”

All these miles, all these notes played and songs sung, all the preaching and planning is totally worth it when you see kids coming to Jesus! We give Him all the glory! Keep praying for the upcoming dates!

Bob Lenz is one of our featured speakers on the tour. He also heads up Life Promotions that runs Power of One and Lifest in Wisconsin. Power of One started at 12:30pm with several seminars and local bands and even an illusionist. It’s a non-denominational event very well structured and held at Menasha High School & Field House. Creation Festival: The Tour was the evening program at 6pm. This crowd was ready for a great night. KJ-52 introduced Pastor Harry and he came out with a Thousand Foot Krutch hoodie and KJ’s window shade glasses. Pretty cool but really just funny. Over 3,000 attended in standing room only. It was loud and fantastic. The bands were at their best! When Bob spoke and asked people to trust in Christ there were hundreds raising their hands and saying the prayer for salvation. Everything just seemed to come together tonight. You can tell the people had really prepared and prayed. Hospitality for the artist was superb with even a free massage by a professional therapist. The sound, lighting, video and total production was superb. Producer, Nick Kulb looked more relaxed today as things moved forward like they were on cruise control. God is good and we give him all the glory. Keep praying – lots of dates remaining!

about to rock it with a sold out crowd of 3,200 people!

Boy, it’s good to be on the road again after a couple days of rest and picking up a semi-truck to replace the two rented trucks. We left Nashville at 8pm the night before and arrived to load-in at 8am. The venue is a mega-church called Life Changers International in Hoffman Estates, IL (near Chicago). It was an exciting day but Roel Maldonado (lighting) accidentally got a nasty deep cut on his upper arm (by a razor blade!) and he had to get several stitches at the local emergency room. He seems to be doing fine but it was a little scary. Bob Lenz rejoined the tour today after his ministry trips to Canada.This was not one of our biggest nights but it did excel in other ways. The altar call was very strong and so were the sign-ups for Compassion. It’s great to hear how grateful people are for the tour. Keep praying – God is moving and touching lives!

New, hot off the digital presses: Worth Dying For talks with Roel, Assistant to the Lighting Designer. Watch for a secret (not so hidden) commercial.