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By: Caleb and Tyla
Oh, where to start!? So much happened at the Big God Conference and I haven’t had much time to prepare any posts yet. My first post on my trip to the Big God Conference will be on the bands who performed.
The first night we arrived, For King and Country performed. I had heard they could put on a show but they still exceeded my expectations. At any point in time they would switch and play each other’s instruments effortlessly. They jumped off the stage and spread out across the crowd as they played Angels We Have Heard On High. Their presence off stage was just as good as their presence off stage and that is saying something. Three other performers were at the event and not one of them dared to venture off stage. For King and Country also had a campaign for which they sold five dollar bracelets. It was to emphasize the worth of women and girls everywhere and to challenge men to respect and honor them. Those bracelets were probably the most popular thing for the whole three days that the conference was held.
After their performance was over one of the people packing up the set picked up one of the drum sticks that a member of the band had dropped, “Who wants a souvenir?”, as he threw it off the stage. I’m proud to say I now claim that drum stick. I really wish I could say I caught it, more like I stumbled to the middle of the isle of seats where it lay. For some reason everyone else in my youth group was occupied talking about something else. Ah, the beauty of Attention Deficit Disorder.
There was also a woman named Kerrie Roberts who performed. She had a very nice voice and I was impressed with her music.
My friend Tyla is a pretty big fan of the other two performers so I figured I wouldn’t be doing them justice unless I let her give you a little info on them.
Geoffrey Forrest – Geoffrey has been a part of the Big God Conference since he was very small. His parents, Dean and Gayna Forrest, founded Big God in 1998. Along with Big God, they have Forrest Ministries, which has had them traveling since 1992. Back to Geoffrey! He started singing at age 3 and learned how to play the drums at age 7. He has, also, been writing songs about his faith and relationship with God since he was 7. When you listen to his music, all the instruments you hear, except the piano and bass, is all Geoffrey! He taught himself how to play the guitar when he was 16. you cannot watch Geoffrey perform without him playing the guitar, dancing, singing (obviously), and reading the scripture! Geoffrey is now a Senior at Liberty University Online getting a bachelor of science in Religion. While being an online student, being on the road with his family, performing, AND writing songs, he is teaching himself how to play the piano, cello, and violin! He even beat boxes!
I have seen Geoffrey every New Year for the past 4 years at Big God and have loved him from the beginning. I always know that his songs and performance is going to be awesome but every time it gets better and better! It may just be because I am a HUGE fan of his (maybe his biggest) but he always exceeds my expectations! So, if you love awesome, talented, HOT, Christian guys, like I do... you will LOVE Geoffrey Forrest! No matter if you are male or female, young or old, you will LOVE him!
Geoffrey made his first music video for his original song, My Heart Belongs To You. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXjDkQyw2xI
Go to iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hey-world/id776196323?ign-mpt=uo%3D4) and get Geoffrey Forrest's debut FULL LENGTH ALBUM, “Hey World!” It is also available on Rhapsody, Amazon, and other online music retailers!
Hawk Nelson – Hawk Nelson is a Canadian Christian rock band that started in 2000. The lead singer was Jason Dunn until Spring 2013. They have five previous albums and just released their first album without Jason, “Made.” I first saw Hawk Nelson in 2010 on New Years Eve at Big God Conference. I fell in love with them as soon as the first song was halfway through! Jason Dunn was my favorite member of the group, so when I found out he was leaving to start his solo career, I was crushed. This year was the first time I have seen them without him, and it was different (but a good different). I knew I still liked them, I just didn't know how different they would be live. I always recommend Hawk Nelson to anyone who asks who they are and I am doing that now! If you look them up, you WILL NOT be disappointed! (While your at it look up Jason Dunn! He has a new album, “Abandon Progress.”)
Hawk Nelson's website is www.hawknelson.com
To see their new videos, got to: https://www.youtube.com/user/hawknelsonmusic
To see their old videos, go to: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hawk+nelson&sm=3
Caleb’s back! Tyla obviously knows a lot more about these people than I ever would, thanks Tyla. I had a great time at the Big God conference. We stayed at a hotel with a beach view and had some goofy fun with our youth group friends. It was also a great opportunity to serve. When the ball dropped there were hundreds of balloons that rained from the ceiling. Our excellent youth leader brought latex gloves and made it our mission to clean up every balloon we could. We stayed until one at least because of having to complete this little task but it was definitely worth doing.
We had fun but we also had some great worship. The whole point of the event is to get crazy about God with your friends. Starting off the new year with fire for God in your heart is the only way to go. Although you don’t have to pay to get this experience, it’s a fun event for a youth group and definitely one you won’t regret.
To check out this event, go to: http://www.forrestministries.org/big_god.htm
