Hope you all don't mind a little background to create the story:
Christopher West, speaker and author that helps teach on TOB is very into music and movies. He uses music lyrics a lot to show man's ache for God, although they may be twisted up a bit "looking for love in all the wrong places". He calls them "twisted mystics". West is a HUGE (i mean huge) U2 fan.
At the TOB institute, Christopher West plays songs in between sessions, usually U2, and a couple other musicians...he has these 2 musicians come in to play a candlelight concert for every TOB I course. These musicians write and tour in the secular circuit, one guy opened for Dave Matthews, had a video on mtv, among other things. His name is Vince. These guys are both practicing Catholics, write music that is very subtly catholic and uses song of songs type poetry. I'll link to them later. Bragging alert: at the TOB institute when I led music, Vince had me play a song with him.
Anywho, Vince's new group was playing in Nashville last night, so I took a road trip to go see him. There were a couple other people he knew through varying degrees there, not through TOB. The lead guitar had a fuse go on an amp so they had to quit before the last 2 songs. We went outside and Vince played the songs for our small little group. Vince invited these people to have another beer-- now...this place was a complete dive. Somehow the conversation went to God (not started by Vince or Me) , and someone suggested an answer that was very relativistic. Another guy who admitted to being born catholic but not anymore, asked Vince his thoughts... as soon as that happened, I was aware that something big was going to go down. I started praying hard to open hearts and guide Vinnie's words. Vince's pace was perfect, his mood chill, his witness to what he believed about Christ, and explained it as a rock musician. A rock star is on stage, and there is this "veil" between him and the people, but when the guy jumps into the crowd, the gap is bridged, and the crowd begins to feel like "he's one of us". Vince and I exhcanged a couple looks throughout this conversation...There was much more to this conversation, about no judgement, but there is truth... and the guy that asked the question said "I agree with pretty much everything you just said". At this time, U2 "where the streets have no name" started playing...which then we both could barely keep it together. The conversation ended nicely at the end of the song.
After these people left, Vince asked for another beer so we sat down and couldn't hardly believe what just happened, then talked about music writing and lyrics and the business for another hour.
This made the trip for me.
Vince's old group that was on MTV:
http://armyofmeonline.com/new group:
http://www.riverjamesmusic.com/The other guy: Mike Mangione who I also LOVE his music:
http://mikemangione.com/