The annual K-LOVE Fan Awards Weekend, held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville May 24–26, provided a chance for Christians to hear excellent musicians, authors and speakers encourage them to worship God and keep going when life gets difficult.
The weekend highlighted professional musicians, from those who have been in Christian music for decades to new artists, leading the Friday night Kick-Off Concert, Worship in the Round, Emerging Artists Showcase and Songwriters Showcase. Inspirational speakers, a Sunday morning worship service, live interviews and other activities rounded out the weekend.
However, it wasn’t simply a time for entertainment — an “Impact Zone” provided a place for fans to give back, putting together kits to make shoes for children, packing bags for those in Nashville who live on the streets and leaving prayer requests or receiving one-on-one prayer. Since the event was on Memorial Day weekend, there also was a station to write letters to veterans.
Testimonies of God’s faithfulness
Though there was no official theme for the weekend, many of the performers highlighted trusting in God, including “stories behind the songs” of how God had gotten them through difficult times. Two of the artists, Jeremy Camp and Andrew Ripp, performed songs so new that they had to look at the lyrics.
Some performers, including Taylor Cain Matz with CAIN, Josh Baldwin and Rachael Lampa, shared personal stories of how God had intervened in their lives, healing physical issues, supporting loved ones who deal with mental illness and helping cope with the stresses of everyday life.
“I’ve learned in my life there’s so many different things to trust Jesus [about],” Camp told the audience. “I’ve written songs about it. This next song I’m going to sing is the whole combination of talking about going through anxiety. Really, the anxiety is stemmed from sometimes lack of trust.
“For me, it’s trying to hold on too much and trying to control my situation so much. God continually [wants us] to trust Him.”
Praise and honesty
Though the weekend included praise, applause and awards, several on the stage mentioned struggles of surrendering to pride and keeping the focus on God.
“We write the songs and yet we fully know and realize that sometimes, and I will speak for myself, I forget it,” admitted Steven Curtis Chapman.
“God has these wonderful ways of faithfully reminding us and bringing us back,” he continued. “You’ll cheer for us and you’ll applaud us. I’m grateful for what every one of us have shared in some way tonight — hopefully in a way you’ll be reminded we are very much flesh and blood. These songs we write — we’re just trying to figure this out … . Like Jeremy said, it is about Him and His glory.”
The weekend concluded with a Red Carpet and the awards show. Hosted this year by Brandon Lake and Sadie Robertson Huff, the 11th Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards will be broadcast May 31 at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST on TBN.
To see photos from the weekend, click here. Learn more about the K-LOVE Fan Awards at klovefanawards.com or visit klove.com.
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