Spray Paint and Spinning Spokes

By   •   November 1, 2008

It is absolutely packed here at Liberty Square. There are over 53,000 in attendance! We’ve got a jump ramp and a graffiti mural in front of the main stage this afternoon. It must be Youth Night.

5:56 PM

Sunny 4 came out first and got the party rockin’ early. Their pop-rock sound got the young crowd moving with hands waving in the air, the cares of school and life left behind on this breezy Saturday night.

Poppin’ and locking conquered the stage next, thanks to the high-energy efforts of the Taipei Hwa Kang Art school dance group. They broke it down to a mixtape of hip-hop and pop.

The Sunshine Singers, a spin-off of Heavenly Melody, kept the groove going with a funky beat. The six members encouraged the audience with uplifting lyrics, telling them that they can make a difference and that life is a gift.

6:15 PM

How about a little biking in your life? That’s what the BMX stunt crew, Chaos On Wheels, brought tonight. John, Josh and AJ broke out the tail kicks, 360 jumps and back flips in a display of awesome that wowed the Taiwanese onlookers.

6:33 PM

Joshua, a highly popular worship group, came out after C.O.W. Their catchy tunes got everyone on their feet, bobbing their heads and clapping their hands in time with the music. Their second song, “Who Got The Praise?” rocked the overflow masses and kept the fun times rolling.

6:57 PM

Huntley Brown brought out his ivory-tickling fingers again. He temporarily lowered the energy level from “heart-pumpingly frenetic” to “soul-groovingly contemplative.”

But not to fear, TBC Dance Group came to bring the back the noise. Their break dancing got things movin’ once again.

7:19 PM

Queen Wei and Vanessa Chen offered up their catchy pop music, keeping the beat going. Fun factoid: Chen’s husband is a youth pastor at Taipei’s largest church and a member of the Joshua worship group.

8:07 PM

After appearances by Dennis Agajanian, Vanness Wu, David Tao and the Tommy Coomes Band, it’s Franklin time once again. On this youth-focused evening, he brought a message meant to connect with a younger audience.

He opened the Bible and spoke from Luke 15, explaining the parable of the prodigal son: “It’s a story of a young man, a young man who ran from God, a young man who ran from his family. And it’s a story God’s love, His love for you.”

Franklin further explained that this man came from a good home. He had a father who loved him. This young man was restless. He wanted his inheritance now and he wanted the bright lights of the city.

“All of us want to be happy,” Franklin said. “We try to fill our lives with things that will make us happy. ‘If I could have a new motorbike, a new car, the latest fashions, an iPod, an iPhone’…people think that they can buy things to make themselves happy.”

Man is searching for happiness and a meaning for life. We’re not satisfied. You have a vacuum that can only be filled by God Himself. Did you know that God has a plan for your life? He wants to give you peace, joy and eternal life.

As he did the previous two nights, Franklin concluded the evening by calling all who would respond to come forward to the stage. Thank God for all who answered that call. A total of 3,354 individuals came to the stage. What an incredible night! Tomorrow evening will conclude the festival meetings. Please pray for all involved. We await tremendous things with great anticipation.