A Night to Remember...

Last night I talked with a Norwegian model/musician about the importance of memories and the joys of the songwriting process. I shared my guitar with a Philippine and heard some of his original music, I shared some of my original music, I jammed with southern Italians, and I got to talk with a girl from Turkey. I didn't want it to end!

Milan never ceases to surprise me with these sorts of moments. In all, between old friends and new, eight countries and four continents were represented in a little square in center city as we played and sang our hearts out and got to know each other better.

When people ask me what it is I like so much about this often dirty and graffitied city full of a culture that is all too often superficial, I can point to moments like this. It's the people, and more than that, it's the heart I have for the people here. Here in this fashion capital it can get really deep, often because few expect profundity in such a place. I have had wonderful jam sessions in places other than squares in Europe, but my heart burns for this country and for the region of Europe.

As my friends and I finished practicing for an event we were invited to sing at, it was the most natural thing in the world to fill up on some love with a little more worship and then go pour it out on some unsuspecting strangers. It was almost like the prophet Jeremiah. The impulse to go and share God's love was so strong that had we not gone, it would have been like a fire shut up in our bones. We would have quickly wearied of holding it in. This is too good a thing to be kept secret!

And like moths to the flames, people were drawn to us as we went to them. They opened like something poetic that I can't think of at the moment, all because of the love of God they saw in us. It was that simple. It was amazing.

There was prayer, invitations to church, and we eventually moved toward an atmosphere of worship as me and the Philippine guy shared our songs toward the end, but by then we were already buddies with everyone. When you love people and want to get to know them, you want to get to know what they love.

So yea. Last night was a night to remember, and I am 100% sure that something really special happened for all of us present.
Here's most of us in a pic.