How many times have you agreed to attend a function, party or gathering and for one reason or another, you contemplated not going? Well last Thursday night, I found myself in a bit of a quandary. I had signed up to go see the Calvin University choir perform, but on the night in question, I wanted to go lift weights. 

I usually show up for Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) events to show my appreciation for those who take time out of their busy schedule to come into my environment and fellowship with me and other students enrolled in the CPI program. However, this time was different, I vacillated between going to the gym to work out, or going to see the visiting choir. I had not worked out Wednesday, and by force of habit I was putting on my sweatpants and mentally preparing to go pump some iron. In that same moment, I had thought to myself, I should stick to my commitment, since I signed up to attend. My motto is when you are somewhere you have no business being — doing something you have no business doing — something can go terribly wrong. I thought, it would be just my luck if I go to the gym to work out and pull a muscle or worse. To settle my inner conflict, I did something uncharacteristic, something similar to what Gideon did in the book of Judges Chapter 6. I asked God for a sign. Instead of asking God for dew on a fleece, I said God, “if it is your will that I go to the show, let someone on the television utter the word “go” in the next ten seconds.” Within 5 seconds, I heard the word “go” twice.

There is an old adage, “My word is my bond,” and I know that once I said that I would attend, it was meant for me to see this show. I wanted to come to the show, to fellowship with those who invested in me, in us. I reasoned that I will not fall apart if I take an extra day off from working out, so without hesitation, I changed my clothes and headed for the auditorium. Upon arrival, I noticed CPI staff members Mr. Auperlee and Miss Cooper in attendance. Not only are they remarkable support staff, but they are genuinely dedicated to helping CPI students flourish. Within minutes of my arrival, I could tell that tonight was not going to be an ordinary run-of-the-mill show. 

God is full of surprises! One of the things that experience has taught me is that when God is moving, things never go the way that we think they should go. When I arrived at the auditorium, it was 6:18 in the evening, and the 6:00 show had not even started because the choir had not yet arrived. In the interim, I exchanged pleasantries with some of the Calvin students and CPI staff. It was almost 7:00 when the choir had finally arrived, but little did I know, God was about to give new meaning to the term “Jailhouse Rock.” There are some moments in life when God will move in a way that you never expect and when that happens, those who witness and experience the presence of God being expressed through praise music will never forget it.

The Calvin University Choir came into the Handlon campus and meshed with the CPI Choir and rocked the house. This was a show of epic proportion. The CPI choir gave awe-inspiring performances of several songs that got the crowd out of their seats. The Calvin choir did not disappoint, they harmonized effortlessly and filled the auditorium with angelic voices, the beauty of which is second to none. There was a moment when both choirs and members of the audience converged on the stage and stood together in harmony praising God and leaving the troubles of the world behind. In that moment, the energy was palpable. There was a marvelous song by Keith Porter, and Tremaine Moses Called “Kingdom” with music by the CPI band, featuring a drum solo with Kevin Moore and Scotty Pearson, the likes of which I had never seen. At this moment, I cannot find words to do justice to their performance. What I do know is that this was the best show that I never paid to see.