Huh? What's that?

You'll have to excuse my less-than-stellar hearing this morning.

You see, the suite we were blessed with - that awesome, awesome suite - was perfectly level with a bank of speakers.

It was loud peoples. Really, really loud.

The evening couldn't have gone better.

I have learned that when I try to figure out and plan things, they often go awry. But when God works them out - well, He's much better at this stuff than I am.

This has been a hard week, because on top of the usual meetings, I've been sick, and I've spent the better part of three days getting my Better Newspaper Contest entries prepared.

Long story short, I was coming up a bit behind in my regular work.

When I got back from lunch yesterday (I'd spent the first half of the day finishing up the BNC) I had a note that said I was to expect an article that afternoon from one of our writers (which, incidentally, we'd been waiting on for TWO WEEKS ALREADY). That article was going to save my sick/busy/TobyMac lovin' behind.

God's perfect timing!

After much prayer, nail-biting, and anxious emailing, the article came in just in time to allow me to leave early and get ready for the concert.

Just before the article came in, I got this text message:

Suite 12

Do you know what that meant? That meant that Jason and I were being invited to sit in the suite with the folks from our church who had the hookup!

I had heard about the suite, but I figured it was going to be filled with teens and young adults and old fogeys with us were in with the flotsam and jetsam of the general population.

I text back: For real?

Because that's my answer for anything that I can't believe - for real?

(I actually said that, out loud, at a board meeting I was covering recently. For real.)

The answer came: The suite holds 18. With you guys, we should have 18.

As our music pastor is wont to say: SWEET!

Amanda got to my house to watch Anna Marie just in time for Jason to take me to a proper, sit-down dinner - at Zaxby's. I had been afraid we'd have to drive through somewhere, but, like I said - just in time.

We got finished at Zaxby's and got gas, and got to the Civic Center just in time that we didn't have to wait but a few minutes in the bitterly cold wind.

The door we went in? Right next to Suite 12!

Sweet!

We closed the glass doors at the front of the sweet suite, and that deadened the noise just enough to make it bearable. Jason and I spent the majority of the concert behind those doors, half watching the show, half hanging out with our friends.

It was perfect.

And - and! Our Pastor Bob had gone backstage before the show to pray with the other pastors, and brought Brandon Heath back with him! Pastor Bob's next-door-neighbor, who was with us, is a HUGE fan, and he got to have his picture taken with him!

Sweet!

When Brandon Heath and TobyMac did their sets (like, the very end of the evening) we did to out into the seating section of the suite. Of course, TobyMac was the very last act, and the longest set, and also, I think, the loudest.

Jason ended up going back behind the doors, and I went back there occasionally to give my poor eardrums a rest, but the remainder of the set - I was out there, singing along and dancing like some 15-year-old.

It was awesome!

Our sweet suite was right by the door, which was close to where we'd parked, so we didn't have to wait for the crush of 10,000 teens to leave and we got out of the parking lot before the major traffic started.

We old fogeys were back home by 11 p.m.

Unfortunately, my ears were ringing, making it pretty difficult to sleep. But, it was totally worth it!

I have learned that not only does God work things out better than I could have, He also provides blessings that I don't deserve and certainly couldn't afford. The suite was comped to Pastor Bob because he's reserved a suite for a Gaither concert next month. It made the Christmas present from Jason - money for the tickets - all the better.

I was so touched that we were considered by our friends to share in their blessing, and words can't describe how grateful I was to them for the honor. There were lots of other folks they could've invited, but they chose us.

God is good, TobyMac is loud, and my ears are ringing.

Sweet.