"Attaboy!" It's what we say when we're slapping a guy on the back, commending him for a job well done. It's also the name of the band that played three concerts at the high school today. They arrived about one o'clock this morning, a bit later than the originally planned 9 pm. Their trailer toasted an axle, requiring them to drive two and a half hours out of their way, transfer their equipment from the broken trailer to the replacement, before getting underway again. Then this morning, they were up and at school by 8 am, setting up for two assemblies and the concert tonight. I went to their evening concert. It was as energized as anything I've ever seen as they hopped, jumped, and head-banged their way through an hour and a half of pure and continual motion. And now as I'm typing, it's nearly 11 pm, and they aren't home yet. Tomorrow they hit the road at 5 am to be ready for an 11 am concert in mid-Ohio. It's a good thing they're young.
But it's not their youthfulness that drives them. They are Christians. It's their love for Jesus that as St. Paul says, "compels" them. It's tough work being constantly on the road, especially when they don't often get to actually see the fruit of their labors. Constantly traveling from one place to another doesn't afford them the opportunity to do the long-term connecting that is required to develop a fully devoted follower of Christ. They are like doorkeepers, opening the gates and inviting kids to take a look on the other side. They are offering themselves, as St. Paul said, "living sacrifices," dying to ordinary, legitimate desires in order to bring the Gospel to kids who wouldn't walk through church doors, but will attend a rock concert.
By the way, they are doing this at no charge to the kids. Their concerts are free; they even "sell" their CD's by telling the kids to give whatever they can. For the most part, I'm not a great fan of today's rock music. I couldn't tell you who is popular today, and I much prefer Mozart and Vivaldi to anything pumping over the airwaves. All the same, I am very grateful for these young adults who are giving so freely of themselves for kids they'll meet but once in their lives. Twice, if you count those who hear and respond to God's gracious offer of salvation and eternal life.
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