MAKE BEN FAIR

I hope everyone had a great holiday. We had a blast in San Antonio, I want to send out a special thanks to the Bates family for a wonderful week!

So Monday night I had one of the best nights I have had in a really long time. We went to Austin to see Damien Rice in concert. It was such a special night because it was shared with friends and the concert...wow! As I was sitting there listening to the music I had several thoughts that I want to share. Most of the time my blogs are more about things that go on with my life, things that happen to me, not so much of my thoughts... but I hope that you will indulge me as I try to express what I was experiencing. The setting for this concert was unbelievable. We were at the paramount Theater in Austin and it is an old opera house. Very ornate and fancy, theater style seating, with a balcony. We sat towards the back in the middle on the floor, perfect seat. I was listening to Damien Rice and his band and started to think about things that I Love. I was thinking about God, about my wife, my family, my friends. . The concert was one of those experiences in which I feel more ALIVE!! I feel more alive because I feel like I understand God just a little more as a result of the experience. I realize that as people we are Created by God to be creators... for some it is thru music, for others it is art or whatever, but we all have a need to express ourselves. When you get to see someone who has tapped the well that they have been given, and truly uses their unique abilities then it somehow makes the ones that are on the receiving end feel truly connected to what the creator is creating.

Alot of times when I go to concerts, I sit back and think, " I wish that was me up there" , or "I can do that better than that guy" however last night was not like that at all. My thoughts were not on what they were doing, because they did it so well, with such excellence. There were times when I was overcome with Joy and had a grin on my face so big that I couldn't stop smiling.

I want everyone to know that we are loved and our Creator is so good. As a result of experiencing someone tap into their God given abilities, it has made an impact on my life. I wonder why as Christians we spend so much of our time going around telling people about God instead of offering them our God given talents served on a plate of excellence for them to have a experience. An encounter that will make their mouth hurt from smiling, and their eyes hurt from crying. Am I crying because I am sad, or because I am happy? Or maybe alittle of both because while experiencing something so beautiful it makes me realize how screwed up I am but also how beautiful and unique I am? Thanks for allowing me to share with you guys my experience. I have been challenged to live, to be fully alive. I know where my strength comes from, and I feel like I have just received a fresh tank of gas. Thank you Damien Rice, thank you Dave and Toni. Thank You God, help me to live my life with excellence so others will see you thru my life.