Tonight I was able to attend the Promise Keepers gathering at the American Airlines Center here in Dallas. This arena, where the NBA’s Mavericks and the NHL’s Stars play was packed full of men of every size, age, color and background. Tonight’s message was on salvation and it looked like anywhere from 200 to 300 men walked down front to the altar to pray to receive Christ. It was a moving and special night of worship.
As a “Promise Keepers vet”, who has been to a few of these gatherings (including the unforgettable “Stand in the Gap” rally in Washington DC), I was thrilled to see that they made some much needed changes. The last couple of times that I had been the media was sad and the music was very dated. I was very impressed and excited to see their new PK7 worship band, that led modern worship with a nice edge. I was also impressed with how they are utilizing lighting, various screens of many different sizes and shapes and just the overall intergration of moving backgrounds and IMAG.
My final surprise of the evening came at the end when they showed the NOOMA video “Dust” (which is my favorite of the 13 NOOMA videos featuring Rob Bell). As someone very involved with media ministry and very aware of the resources that are available to the Church, I’ve often dreamed of seeing large events, conferences and seminars use these amazing videos (not just NOOMA, but videos or mini-movies in general), like so many churches around the world do. It was cool to sense the atmosphere in the room change as the video played and see how God used that video to encourage and inspire thousands of men in an arena. Major props to PK for staying relevant and open to new resources!
FYI – NOOMA’s lastest video “Rich“, which is their 13th video, is now available and shipping.