Better late than never ...

I never did report back on the Chris Tomlin interview and concert.

You can read the interview for yourself, but I want to note a couple of things about both.

I kept the telephone conversation brief, about 15 minutes, because I am certain Tomlin had interviews lined up left and right and I wanted to be a good steward of his time. I had some fairly thoughtful questions, or so I thought, but he seemed rushed and appeared to have ready-made answers, regardless of the questions.

Later, I thought it might have been my imagination.

But then I went to the concert, and something else came to my mind ... and heart.

OK, it wasn't a concert, it was a worship event. I know, we in the Christian ghetto come away from a lot of CCM concerts saying, "Wow! That was a great time of worship." Believe me, this wasn't some cliche; this was the real thing.

The first tip-off was a bit aggravating to me: They wouldn't let me take my camera in. At first blush, I thought, "I knew it! This guy's gotten into the rock-star thing." It made me want to leave.

But then, once it started, I began to understand why the pre-event T-shirt and CD sales setup included, "Please, no video cameras or flash photography." (Incidentally, most people respected the request.) Despite the big "check-out-our-stuff-for-sale-at-the-tables" pitch from the stage, the majority of the evening had this feeling of worship, augmented by about 40 minutes of Louie Giglio's preaching. (Donna and Elizabeth said it was a little much. To be honest, it was good to hear someone else preach. I'm sorta into that, ya know, and get tired of hearing myself.)

And so it was that I left that event a bit changed -- a little less quick to judge, and wondering about my own heart.

Nonetheless, I still think Tomlin is something of a fish out of water. Waiting for him and watching him during the "meet-and-greet" after the event, I still got the sense that he would be more comfortable leading worship at Austin Stone Community Church than being part of the CCM empire.

Then again, given that he has been so involved in Passion conferences with Giglio, maybe I have this whole thing wrong.

It wouldn't be the first time.

Grace and peace ...