SATURDAY

I woke up at around 7:30 on Saturday morning, and getting a shower was much more of a breeze that it was on was on Thursday because there was no line that morning. Getting a shuttle bus (not one of those NJ Transit motor coaches, but those – you know – big yellow joints) to either the Giant Center or Hershey Park Stadium wasn’t too much of a hassle either.

The Chris Tomlin band plays in a light worship-band style, which makes it a delight to listen to while most of the people at the main stage were half-awake. Before I realized it, I ran into Terry (from Thursday’s meet), and we fellowshipped together during the length of Chris Tomlin’s set.

Lincoln Brewster and his band does an electric-guitar-heavy set with the praise that “fills you up and never lets you down”. It was definitely a performance worth seeing!

A speaker that mimics the style of Eastman Curtis, Justin Lookado did a message titled, "Dateable, Are You, Are They?". Doesn't his name make you want to laugh? His message makes that funny comparison between the ups and downs of men and women, and also speaks about choosing the date that is best for us. (Thanks to Jenny N. for the correction!)

After checking out Justin's message, I decided to go to the Chinese food stand for some teriyaki chicken served over rice, and then afterward it was time to do a little shopping. Just to be safe, I decided to stop at the ATM machine to get more cash for the t-shirt stands and CD shop. While looking for the ATM, I ran into Katie, who was with her friend, Dawn. We spent some time together, chilled, had a great time. Afterward, I finally found the ATM, and then bought a Christian t-shirt, and then proceeded to the CD shop again to pick up three more CDs from Cross Movement, Skillet, and Relient K.

Pax 217 is a really cool band that is much similar to secular band, Blink 182. This band put on an excellent performance. By this being the second time seeing them in concert, this one was better than the concert of last year.

The Elms was a cool band from Indiana. I met two people who once lived in Indiana, and they were saying to me, "people from Indiana do know how to rock". Their performance didn't have the biggest audience that day, but their Midwestern flavor makes for a very enjoyable concert.

After a pit stop to the music store, and and my third water-ice this festival, I hopped on a tram back to the Giant center to see another favorite of mine – Kutless. This was a very impressive heavy metal band that has a handful of really hard-hitting, Christ-centered music. I have their self-tiled debut album, and it contains the songs, "Run", "Your Touch", "Pride Away", "Down", and "Tonight". Several of those songs were played on my favorite secular pop station from time to time. This band performed many of the songs from their self-titled album and put on a very exciting set. I even took an aerial shot of this awesome band from section 108 of the Giant Center plus a few other cool pictures.

After Kutless, I intended to go a little closer to the stage for Tree 63, as well as rap band, KJ-52, but my plans had changed thanks to a guy named Richard who I met at the Giant Center hall, and was with me for the remainder of the festival. I later met a guy I met last year named Tyrone and also met a girl that I enjoy chatting with often, named Ally, who I chased her down after examination of her nametag for a bit. She was volunteering during that time, so we spent just enough time with each other to be blessed to meet each other. After spending plenty of time at the Giant Center, me and Richard went back to the main stage at the Stadium. As we were on our to finding a place for the Relient K concert, I ran into two beautiful people - Kristina and Lisa. I first met them in person at the See Spot Rock festival in Philadelphia back in March.

This goofy rock band known as Relient K put on a really cool show that day. They performed many cool songs from their three albums – self-titled, “Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek”, and “Two Lefts…”. They also performed an Eminem song which brought controversy to some festival-goers.

I strongly dislike Eminem’s music or his negative influence on our youth. To be honest with you, I have no problem with any Christian performer doing a song from any secular band - just as long as that song is free from any negative influence and to the glory our Heavenly Father.

If anything, it can build a bridge between the desperate and hurting secular world that’s looking to find love and meaning for their life. Maybe the only music the the person at the festival, or over-hearing the festival at Hershey Park knows is artists like Eminem. Some people have came to this festival unintentionally from the park just to see what was going on, and once they’ve listened to the CLEAN version of that Eminem song, and then hear lots of other spirit-filled music and powerful speakers, they’ll come and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The best way to find true love and meaning for your life is through Jesus Christ! This festival is open not only for those that are already saved, but it should also be open non-Christians who are willing to come to Jesus Christ. Creation, or any other place or event of worship IS NOT an elitist gathering spot for those that feel they are too holy to associate with the unsaved, or anyone else they feel isn’t qualified. Any Christian place or event IS and SHOULD be open to people that at least have a thought of becoming saved through Christ Jesus.

Every person deserves the TRUE Christian experience. You're probably asking, "What is the True Christian experience"? The true Christian experience is knowing Jesus Christ as Savior, Going to a places of worship and fellowship, developing friendships with other believers - those that share your faith, and developing a personal relationship with Jesus. That experience starts with saying within your heart:

Lord Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner, and that you’ve died on the cross for my sins. I accept You as Lord and Savior! In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Once you’ve prayed that prayer, you are promised eternal life in heaven (John 3:16), and You’ve made the BEST decision in your life. God is a LOVING God, and he is not condemning (1 John 4:16, John 3:17).

I feel those that complained about Relient K’s remake of an Eminem song have forgotten about WWJD (not only What Would Jesus Do, but Who Would Jesus Deal With). He dealt with the prostitutes and corrupt politicians, and other sinners back in that day, although He never sinned in his life on Earth.

This website or anything else I do in both the Christian and secular world is NOT for MY glory, but for GOD’S GLORY. I’m not here to glorify myself or to see who I could put down, but to see how many people I can bring up to Jesus!

They’re a really good band from Australia, and performed a cool gig that evening. They even gave a camera woman 15 minutes of fame – really cool!

David Nasser is a speaker who is originally from Iran (those guys with an accent who runs the 7-11s and gas stations). He brings us a very good testimony of becoming a Christian in a Muslim family.

Me and Richard came a little late for their performance because we had pizza and a soda, but all in all their appearance was remarkable with songs from both their “Almost There” and “Spoken For” CDs, and also included one of my all-time favorite songs, “I Can Only Imagine”, written by Bart Millard, the lead vocalist of that group.

And lastly, one last group performed before the official conclusion of Creation 2003 – Audio Adrenaline! Their set was a promo for their newest CD, Worldwide. I was impressed with their performance, and throughout the bulk of it, they used a really old Chevette with it’s lights on. They also performed songs from their previous album – “Lift”, including “Ocean Floor”, and “Beautiful”, as well as one of my favorite songs from them, Big House. My friend Richard and I decided to pick this big circle where a group of people were dancing, and we had an awesome time, even when we weren't sure if we could dance that well.

After their set was over, most of the people there decided to head back to their campsite for one more night, or call it a festival (who could blame them). Instead me and Richard decided to stop for more water, and then hit each other’s campsite – his being on section E and mine on section C. When we ran across two girls on section E who offered “Free Hugs, we spent a few minutes with each other, and reflected on how we enjoyed this wonderful festival. Afterward, we hopped onto section C and spent some time in the word of God, before calling it a night by 2am.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 15:5-7