It has been an interesting tour thus far now that we are on our penultimate day. Sorry, that is a word I use when I could use a more common phrase and blend in, but it makes me think I’m smart, even though I’m talking to many who are way smarter than me. Regardless, if you’ve never heard it before, penultimate means next to final. Ok, I’m done being condescending now, I’d like to apologize on behalf of my brain.
In choral sets the penultimate song is called the setup. It’s job is to provide a reprieve for the audience for a moment before the energy of the closer knocks them out of their seat. It’s the eye of the storm that provides contrast so that all of the emotion of the set can come to a peak.
And so today sets as the perfect setup. We have had a lot of different types of churches this tour and, in general, the crowds have been pretty generous in size. Some have been really big and may even rival homecoming in attendance (though not in energy – not. even. close). All of that energy that we have been accustomed to so far died down a little on the penultimate day. There was nearly no crowd that New G itself didn’t draw.
I’ve gone on 11 tours with New G now, and I’ve been in a lot of powerful performances, but the most powerful was in front of a crowd of three people. It was at 16th St. Baptist Church in Birmingham back in 2017, poetically on the same tour as this one. It came out of nowhere, the kids just picked up on something ineffable (doh! I did it again) and it just couldn’t be contained.
This performance wasn’t like that. The difference is that there is a surgical precision to this sermon and this group of kids. They are just consistent, professional, and give the same amazing performance every single time regardless of the size of the audience. I am convinced they believe that it is worth it to give that quality of performance to even just an audience of one person, to just lavishly pour out God’s love. So if this is the calm before the storm…
I’m a little concerned.
Well, we’ve had our setup performance. Get ready for a barn burner. We all are. We love you all!
Signing off, Joseph
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Remaining Schedule
Tour Day 5 – Buffalo NY to Niagara Falls NY
One of the best parts of tour are the unplanned moments; unwritten, if you will. You may remember me talking about our friendship with Paul Lintern. Well, today Paul was helping add to the mission of tour all the way out here in Buffalo. He worked out a deal with some...
Tour Day 4 – Mansfield, OH to Baker Memorial UMC in East Aurora NY
If there is a “routine” day on tour today, was it. Up in the morning to get picked up from our host families, scrambling to get all the suitcases and sleeping bags loaded up, and rolling out of Mansfield, OH on our way to Buffalo, NY. But, of course, no day on tour is...
Tour Day 3 – Clay City, IN to Mansfield, OH – Jericho Wall & Arc Community Church
Hey Joe Town! Joseph here again. Today we pushed farther east. We saw the cities turning more and more industrial as we drove through Indianapolis. We even got to talk a little trash on the Colts as we passed Lucas Oil Stadium. This rust-belt industrialism is a...
Tour Day 2 – Rochester UMC then to Faith Southern Baptist in Clay City, IN
Here I am, Lord. Well folks, Joseph here again, and we’re in another time zone. My watch is telling me that it is 9:15, but my phone is telling me it’s 10:30… and my body is too. You can tell we are further east by more than just the move into Eastern Time, though. ...
