Lights on the front porch.....check. Wreath on the front door...check. Tree....check. Cards & family letter....coming along. Shopping.......yeah, yeah; I'll get to it......
Caught the Nutcracker this year at McCaw Hall. The last time I saw it was in the Opera House. I always marvel at how they change the scenery on the stage so quickly, and how characters seemingly appear on stage out of nowhere. The familiar music was crisp, and the supple, athletic ballet performances were truly captivating. Intermission arrived quickly. My wife had discovered we could pre-order consessions for intermission before the opening scene. We skipped by the long line to find our snacks waiting for us with our names attached--pretty cool. We went with a group of friends and had a great time.
Then it was Michael W Smith the next night! WOW. I've seen him a couple times. There's just something about his incredible gift as an artist. It's like I'm entertained and spiritually encouraged everytime I see him. Overlake Christian Church was beautiful, with several large, snowy, twinkling Christmas trees helping illuminate the stage as Smitty, wearing a crisp charcoal suit, noodled our favorites on a shiny black Yamaha Grand, front and center, before a 65-piece orchestra. The Katinas, with American Idol's Melinda Doolittle, added soul and incredible harmonies to all of the Christmas favorites. Bagpipes added Celtic flavoring throughout the performance. We saluted the troops as Michael led us in America The Beautiful. He rounded out the set with a song from his "Freedom" instrumental album. Everyone sang along during "Above All." Before Smitty ended his encore with "Friends," he asked, "Can I preach?" The audience laughed as we all perked up for some gentle advice. He said something like this, "It's Christmas. Slow down. It's about Him." He also said, "It's no accident you're here tonight. God has a call on your life. ....God not only loves you, He likes you, and He is fond of you. That's the God I know....."
Merry Christmas,
Tom
P.S. More MWS concert photos at spirit1053.com, thanks to our amazing staff photographer Robert Forbes.
