"A Tribute to Our Creator"

That's what they call Creation Fest.  And what an amazing tribute it is.

So, what exactly IS Creation NW, you might ask?  Well, take 20,000+ Christians (from the very young to the very old), plop them down in the middle of the Columbia River Gorge outside George, WA, add in 100+ degree temps and tons of the hottest bands in Christian music, not to mention hundreds of porta-potties, tents, campers, and canopies, and you've got a 4-day music festival the likes of which you've never seen!!  (And if you plop it down in Pennsylvania, you've got Creation NE.)

Unlike when Dave Matthews Band or Tom Petty or other "big" bands like them play the Gorge, Creation NW doesn't allow any alcohol or other illicit substances, so the only thing these kids are drunk on is life and the beauty of creation!  It's truly a sight to behold.  If you don't believe me, check out the photo above.  That's the main stage, and no kidding, it's like that every night.  Phenomenal.

The Gorge is truly one of the most beautiful, unique venues you'll ever see.  It's a natural outdoor amphitheater with a breathtaking view of the Columbia River.  Before I went to Creation last summer, I'd never been to the Gorge, and the first time I saw it, I honestly had to stop and stare.  It is outstanding.

So, it's blurry.  So what?  You can still tell how gorgeous it is, right?

So, one aspect of my crazy job is young adult ministry.  My friend and co-worker, Deborah, and I share responsibility for college/young adult ministry.  We have an awesome grant that helps us fund some of our events and lets us do some truly amazing ministry with these young adults.  But with both of us being new last year, we were uber-careful of our money and ended up having LOTS leftover that we had to use or lose by the end of the fiscal year, so we decided to take a young adult trip to Creation NW.  

Run Kid Run

One of the GREATEST bands EVER!!  If you've never heard them, you HAVE to check them out!  Seriously, I've never played them for anyone who hasn't loved them, and I love them more every time I listen to them.  Which is a lot.  Plus they're the nicest guys ever.  

And the drummer?  His name is Matt.  And I have his phone number.  :)

This was brilliant planning on our part, because it's an incredible event that we wanted to go to anyway, and if we take young adults, it is sooooooo much less of a headache for us in terms of chaperones, liability, etc.  We just decided that everyone had to be over 18--problem solved.  So we worked it out so people got a heck of a deal ($85 for four days, including showers, tickets to all the concerts, food, and gas to and from the event.  Awesome, huh?  Especially considering this event would normally cost around $300 for the week), and we got to do some incredible ministry.  We got a few less people than we were hoping for (our entire group consisted of Deborah, Erik, 2 guys, and me--and Erik was a last minute add when we realized we couldn't fill our last couple tickets), but we're learning not to count the sheep, so to speak, and just to look at the quality of ministry.

tobyMac

I LOVE tobyMac!!  I can't get enough of his music, and his band is unbelievable!  It was AWESOME to get to hang out and listen to him speak.  :)

It's pretty awesome (and I don't use that word lightly) to experience the joy and love of God all together with literally THOUSANDS of other people who come together to worship and love one another as we are all called to do, without regard to race, gender, ability, or denomination.  And there are LOTS of denominations there--Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, Mormons, Lutherans, Evangelicals, Non-Denominational Christians, 4-Square Christians, you name it--all worshiping and rocking out and loving God and each other TOGETHER.  Don't you think that might be a little glimpse of the way we're supposed to be doing it?

Aside from the fact that I was sick as a dog the whole time (stupid allergies turned sinus infection), I got a wicked sunburn on Day 2, and it was about 10 degrees warmer than is truly comfortable, it was a BLAST!!  We saw some of my favorite bands (Switchfoot, Run Kid Run, and tobyMac, just to name a few), and we had some great opportunities to hang out, enjoy the sunshine and beautiful blue skies, and truly experience the joy of God's creation.