Seven-time Grammy winner TobyMac brought his long-awaited concert, The Theater Tour, to the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre Nov. 7.
The sold-out concert, featuring performances by TobyMac’s band, DiverseCity, and special guest Cochren & Co., was packed with fans, many of whom had waited two years to see the show.
Three times delayed
Originally slated for November 2019, the concert was first postponed by the sudden death of TobyMac’s son, Truett. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the artist was forced to reschedule the tour twice again before finally settling on the November date.
As Kevin Michael McKeehan, best known by his stage name TobyMac, introduced DiverseCity, he apologized to the audience for postponing the concert, thanking them for holding out to attend.
“I’m so sorry [the delays were] beyond our control, but we are so glad we finally got to be here and do this show in Montgomery,” he said. “Thank you for holding onto your tickets. We are honored.”
Bring life
He related that Brennan Manning’s bestselling book, “The Ragamuffin Gospel,” had inspired his hit song “Speak Life” and opened his eyes to the way even a simple “thank you” can minister to someone.
“[Brennan] wrote something in this book that made me want to absolutely change the way that I live,” McKeehan related. “He said this: ‘In every encounter, we either give life or drain it. There is no neutral exchange.’
“I know you will give life or drain it by talking negatively to someone or talking positively, but I honestly thought most of my exchanges throughout the day were neutral.”
Struggling with grief
Later in the evening, McKeehan revealed his struggle with grief over the past two years and shared about the dark valley he and his wife had traveled since his son’s death.
“As you can imagine, I’ve been walking through the deepest valley anybody could ever walk,” he said.
During his grief, a friend cautioned McKeehan to hold onto God’s promises, but to make sure what he embraced was grounded in God’s word.
McKeehan encouraged those who might be looking for hope to remember that God walks with each believer through life’s hardest moments.
“God didn’t promise us that we wouldn’t face loss,” McKeehan said. “He will never leave us or forsake us.
“I know we’ve all got our own battles to walk through and I don’t know what’s going on with you. But remember this: sometimes God doesn’t take away the cold but He’s right there in it with us. We can count on that.
“Why do I get to know that I’ll see my son [again]?” McKeehan asked. “Because his good outweighed his bad? He was my wild child. And my good doesn’t outweigh my bad. There’s only one reason, one alone: ‘For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.’
“God gave His firstborn son so that I could see my firstborn son again.”
TobyMac’s albums are available wherever music is sold.
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