SoulStock07 Rocked!

I don't know how many new Christians were born in Athens this weekend, but by the numbers praying together during the time of invitation, it was clear that Jesus was there increasing His kingdom through the dedication of the SoulStock volunteers and the presentation of His message by Scott Dawson.
At one point in the evening, I heard 162 had given or rededicated their lives to our Savior, Jesus Christ. Only God knows for sure, but any believer could see clearly His hand at work in this ministry event.

We are so blessed here in Limestone County to be priviledged by God to host Soul Stock every year at Athens State University on Beasley Field. Next year will be the 10th anniversary of Soul Stock. If you haven't been to one yet, mark your calendar for the first Saturday in May 2008 - It's totally free! Every year, top Christian artists like Third Day, Rebecca St James, BarlowGirl, Audio Adrenalin, Kutless, Newsboys, and others grace the stage on Beasley Field and lift up the name of Jesus. There's usually a speaker who brings a message as well (this year was Scott Dawson). Several churches have pooled their resources to sponsor this event and it is treated as a completely non-denominational ministry. It is for Him and Him only, that no denomination can lay claim to its successes. If you want to know more, check out the link I've added to the sidebar. but more importantly, plan to come next year!

This year's headliners were Sanctus Real and BarlowGirl, both very, very good artists, but more importantly, very, very good ambassadors for Christ! The event started at 2:00 pm and went all the way until 10:00 pm. In addition to Santus Real and BarlowGirl, there were many other up and coming acts like Need to Breathe, This Beautiful Republic, and Matt Papa. We even had a local group called Unchained that opened the festival this year. Maybe next year our praise band at Isom's Chapel could do that! I've talked to a few of the members and they all said I was crazy. "Opening for the likes of Sanctus Real, BarlowGirl, Jerry, I'm sorry, but you've definitely lost it." But I've got a year to convince them. We'd have to get past the audition/contest for local artists, but it would certainly be cool to give it a shot. Of course, Austin immediately grabbed the idea and began running with it. Be sure to stay tuned to this story!


"Lily Grace, This is What We Call Soul Stock, You'll Really Like This!"

Of course, Austin has been to Soul Stock every year since 2001. But Lily Grace got to attend her very first festival Saturday. And she was certainly all about it. Not even the loud music could keep her away. She made herself at home like she does in everything new. Lily stayed until just before Sanctus Real, but began to give out from the heat and had to go home. Austin and I stayed until they turned the lights out and began sweeping the parking lot. It's just so amazing to be able to witness what God is doing here in Athens with this ministry. Take a look at some of the photos below to see how she and Austin enjoyed the afternoon and evening.

By the way, I haven't posted much lately for a few reasons. First, we added a Macintosh iMac to our home network and I'm having to spend time learning its operating system and applications. It has very promising capabilities that make the Windows XP system look ancient. However, my learning curve (or Blogger photo processing capabilities) probably explains the sideways pictures below - sorry! Secondly, Austin and I just got back from New York and Washington, DC on a trip with the East Limestone Jr Beta Club. While we were away, Lily Grace learned to say New York pretty well. A post on that later in the week.


"Turn me up right and I make a great picture!"










"I tired Da'ee, go home now?"













"Getting Autographs on His Sanctus Real T-Shirt"


"Austin Discusses the Finer Points of Music Presentation with Members of Sanctus Real"

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace