Transparent Christian Magazine

I walked in, looked around and realized quickly that I was in a unique place.  In every direction there was a sea of tamed hair, sleek shirts, jeans with the wallet square worn in, and tour shoes.  I was at the GMA’s in the Renaissance hotel lobby, downtown Nashville.

Everyone was bustling around, catching up with friends they hadn’t seen since summer tour and trying to brush off the long travel it took to get there.  Like seasoned veterans, musicians mingled and laughed about times past with lanyards around their necks that legitimized a definite amount of swagger.

I eventually found my way to the Starbucks and tossed in my order for a Venti Pike Place with a dash of hazelnut and room for non-fat skim.  Even at 22 my metabolism still needs a kick-start. I luckily found my way to a seat and set up shop to finish up an article while I waited for Jason Elkins, the owner of Transparent Christian Magazine.

Jason had invited me earlier that day to come and hang out.  He said he had an open seat to a behind the scenes jam with some of the musicians from the GMA’s and Dove Awards.  I knew I had finals coming up, but really?!  How could I pass THIS up?!?!  When Jason came towards me, I got up, walked over and gave him the “bro hug.”  For those of you who aren’t familiar, this greeting happens when one guy raises his hand (almost always the right) about shoulder height, with the elbow bent.  This signals the other guy that the hug is about to commence.  Hands meet in the middle resulting in a clap and grip, after which each guy pulls the other one in.  With the free arm, both guys wrap that around the other and pat the back with a good and hearty, “how’s it goin’ bro!”

We sat down, chatted for a few minutes and he went right into business.  “How would like to write music reviews and interviews for Transparent?”

My jaw dropped and my heart jumped.  My dream has always been to use my skills and talents to help artists grow their missions and careers.  I finally had the chance to make a difference and have an impact in the lives of musicians everywhere!!!!  I don’t even remember the next few minutes of conversation, because I was so overwhelmed by what had just happened.

We made our way to the way to the 15th floor.  In the elevator, we ran into a couple more musicians that were going to the same room.  What happened next was inspiring, filled with love and… holy.  (And almost impossible to describe…)

As we approached the room, we were greeted with friendly and familiar faces.  Familiar to Jason because he has been working with these people for quite some time, familiar to me because I had heard their music and seen their pictures in magazines.  We walked into room 1508 and found a whole slew of musicians, radio hosts, publishers, writers, managers and an abundance of food and laughter.  The air was thick from the amount of people crammed into the hotel suite, but years of playing in stuffy clubs had conditioned every set of lungs.

I found my way to a seat on the floor after making some introductions and making small talk with people Jason introduced me to.  The leader of the whole event and owner of McCain & Company Public Relations, Lynn stood up and introduced herself.  Surrounding me were musicians with guitars, all sitting on chairs with people muddled in the center and stragglers packed in, standing behind the ‘inner circle.’  Lynn proceeded to call out and introduce each musician that would be performing and gave incredibly detailed bio’s about each one, including stories and all of their many accomplishments. She used no note cards, only information spoken from an extensive amount of time invested into personal relationships.

After she finished, David Teems, who I had met earlier, began with a devotional.  He referenced a book manuscript that he just finished and turned into a publisher and spoke with a great deal of passion and intellect.  He spoke as if he was painting a verbal Monet.

As more and more people began to cram into an already packed space, the music started.  In “songwriter round” format, each musician would tell a quick story about the song they were about to sing and then performed it with precision and grace.  As more and more people sang, more beats could be heard on thighs, clapping started and harmonies started rolling out like a B-3.  By the second chorus of most songs, the whole crew had started singing in, offering small embellishments and call backs to hooks.  The diversity was something I had never seen.  Classic rock singers, folk, country, pop, R & B, gospel and worship, all of these people came together, to tell stories through songs, and encourage and prepare each other for the hectic week ahead.  Each and every artist was of great accomplishment or some rising star, but held no pretentious attitudes or pride.

It was raw.  It was organic.  It was real.  It was honest.

What happened next is something that I struggle to find the words for.  I can’t explain what I witnessed or how this experience had an immediate impact on me… Near the last round of songs, the mood had slowly progressed into a worship setting.  Each musician began reading off of each other and responding.  Only years of life and worship experience could allowed for an emotional setting that was both vulnerable and safe.  One artist, Perry LaHaie had played a song earlier called “Forgive Myself.”  The song was about Moses and how God can forgive us, but until we truly forgive ourselves in our hearts, we can’t be made new.  He was asked to play it again.

The other songs played that night, the mingling, the laughing, the food, the element of COMMUNITY had all built up to this one moment.  Perry began with the chorus quietly, and the rest of us settled in with the melody.  Each musician, after years of training and performance quickly adapted and recognized the meter and progression.  The verse came and everyone closed their eyes, allowing him to let the story unfold in his lyrics and small inflections.  By the second chorus, everyone had joined in singing.  We all knew the words, we all knew the melody.  You could see the passion for leading worship build in him as he conducted the texture to increase.  The second verse came and we dove deeper into the story he was telling, taking our time to absorb each word and think about each phrase.

The texture of his voice was so raw and stripped of the standard production that it was almost like listening to music for the first time.  Unplugged.  Nothing hidden.

He laid his heart out, so we could find our own.

The progression was familiar enough that worship songs could be interchanged without fail.  Someone would start a chorus and anyone who had a guitar would find the chord progression, adding texture, depth, and color… and then the choir would pour their hearts into it.  I can only attribute this skill and intensity to a life dedicated to offering their heart to God.

Near the end of the songs, everyone was so deep into worship that hands were raised high, voices were going into full chest range and a room of people had come together to create something much bigger than themselves.  Love won that night.  Love delved so deep in that one room that I don’t think any of us will ever be the same.

I want to describe to you the image that God painted for me as this all unraveled.  At the height of the worship, I could literally see and touch the energy that was culminating from the collective hearts.

It was as if God physically showed me the lamp that Christ spoke of in Matthew.  When each soul tore down their barriers and let that light break into a dark world, I saw an incredible brightness that pooled near the center of the room.  Firing straight through the ceiling and into the heavens, the light that we had created from such an unabashed worship could be seen and heard by the whole world.  I know God heard us.  I know it made Him happy.  I know He saw us.  I know He was there in that room, engaging us in a grand and beautiful sense of community.

Josh