You did reach out Your hand...

**Brian Littrell and Rebecca St. James - The Christmas Tour - 12/9/2006 - Evangelical Free Church - Naperville, IL**

After an amazing trip to Toronto in November 2006, I knew I wouldn't be able to stay away from Brian Littrell for long.  Not long after this Toronto concert, it was announced that Brian would be doing a Christmas Tour with Christian artist, Rebecca St. James.  Luckily, a show was announced in Naperville, IL...not terribly far from my hometown.  There were only 8 shows released for this Christmas Tour so I knew I had to take the chance and run with it.  The show was on a Saturday, which made it even better.

I immediately contacted Megan, Tammy, and Tara to see if they would be interested in going.  Megan did not get to go to Toronto with us and Tara had taken her place.  These three girls were now going to be my new go-to BSB girls.  When tickets went on sale, I had not heard back from Tammy nor Tara as to whether or not they wanted to go.  Megan was in.  I decided to take a chance and get four tickets.  Shortly afterwards, I discovered that Tara could not go and Tammy had a already gotten tickets to go with her best friend.  I hoped that I would have luck in finding someone to buy the two extra tickets before I went, but that turned out to be a negative.  They actually had a "Meet and Greet" option as part of the tickets but I decided not to purchase it.  After all, I had already met Brian...why bother?  These days I'm singing a different tune apparently.  I guess as a college student with more limited funds, you think more carefully about these things.

Hobart, IN -> Naperville, IL - 66.3 miles - 1 hour 24 minutes

Megan and I left early enough that night to find the venue and then go get a bite to eat.  It was chilly....it was December in Chicago, after all.  I remember that Megan thought I was crazy because I was just wearing a sweatshirt, hat, and gloves but no jacket.  I guess I was used to the Chicago cold after having grown up and lived in it for 23 years.  I also remember there being a lot of mattress stores...they were everywhere in Naperville.  Those people must love to sleep.

We stood in line to wait to get into the venue for awhile and talked to a mom and her daughter.  It got brought up that they still needed to purchase their tickets once they got in the venue.  Oh look what I have here....two extra tickets.  The problem?  Mom didn't have any cash.  She thought about running to an ATM and then she remembered that she had some cash that she had to give to her brother.  She could use that and the go to the ATM after the show to replace the cash.  The problem?  Not enough to pay full price for the tickets I had.  I was willing to take a small loss and gave her the tickets for what she had.  It was better than not finding anyone to buy them.

The concert was a mix of each artist singing some of their regular, non-Christmas songs, each singing some solo Christmas songs, and then them doing some Christmas songs together.  Brian eventually came out in a Santa jacket, which was adorable.  Unfortunately, the pictures are not so great.

There is one memory that I will NEVER EVER forget during this show.  It was a moment that changed my life and a moment that I still need to thank Brian for.  As I have written in my past posts, I had been exploring the idea of God more and more since buying Welcome Home, attending two of Brian's Welcome Home concerts, and hearing personal stories of how God played a part in Brian's life.  I just hadn't taken the last steps to become a full believer.  I was more open to the idea but was just waiting for that last extra push.  

At one point, Brian was offstage and it was Rebecca's turn on stage.  She started talking about forgiveness and how God forgives us all.  She started to read a passage from her Bible and invited anyone who had questions about God, those who felt they needed more in their lives, and those who wanted to know more about Jesus to step forward.  This is when something happened and to this day I still have a hard time explaining what I felt.  I felt the sudden urge to stand up myself and walk forward to the stage, a sense of peace and calm, a sense of belonging.  However, I did not do it because I was so scared.  I didn't know what was happening.  I was there with my friend Megan, but what would she think if I just got up and walked towards the stage?  I thought that Tammy would know what I was going through since she had recently found God that May with the influence of Brian but she was sitting several rows behind me.  I now know that moment was God finding His way into my heart and opening it to Him.  That was the moment I decided that I was going to be faithful to God and become a Christian.  I think the thing that scared me the most was that I was 23 years old and had not been raised with church or the Bible in my life.  Where was I going to start?  I didn't even know the basics.  I had so much catching up to do.  But, I knew it was what I had to do.  God was telling me at that moment that I was ready to accept Him and that He would guide me in my journey.  That wasn't the end of it though.

After the show, Tammy pulled me to the side because she said that she had to talk to me and that what she needed to say was out of the ordinary and that she didn't want to freak me out.  She told me that at that time during the show when Rebecca was giving her message, she felt the strongest urge to come to me because I needed her to help me go up to the stage to accept God.  I told her that I didn't think she was nuts because I had hoped that she would come up to me at that time to help me take that first step.  Not only had God found His way into my heart, but He had told Tammy how much I needed her support at that time.  I see why she probably did not approach me at that time.  She knew that I had been more open to Christianity but also knew that I wasn't quite there yet.  I am sure that she thought she would scare me off if she had done so.  However, I would have gladly accepted her company.  She then put her hands on my shoulder, looked me straight in the eye, and told me everything was okay.  She told me that Jesus was waiting for me as she hugged me.  I started to cry and so did she.  On May 2, 2006, God had used Brian Littrell to bring Tammy to faith.  On December 9, 2006, He used Brian again to show me the way.  He has a plan for us all and it is when you least expect it that He works His magic.

Now, some of you may be saying that it was actually Rebecca St. James that helped bring me to faith.  You are partially true.  It was her on that stage, reading from her Bible, and inviting the audience to come forward.  However, it was Brian's messages on his CD and during his previous concerts that allowed me to even think about accepting God in the first place.  I would not have been at that concert if I would not have been there to see Brian.  He is the one that brought me there in the first place.  Therefore, I always say that it is Brian that is the one who influenced my faith.  One day, I would love to tell him this story so that he can see the influence he had on me.

While it was December 9, 2006 that I decided that I was going to become a Christian, it took some time before I could technically call myself so.  I officially became a Christian on February 24, 2009 when I was baptized at the Charlestown Road Church of Christ in New Albany, IN.  Yes, it took some time but the important thing is that I did it and there is not a day goes by that I am not thankful for that day in Naperville.

Many people think that I am just a fan of the Backstreet Boys for their music, their looks, their personalities, or what have you.  Those who really know me know why I am a fan.  I am a fan because of moments like I had at this concert.  I am a fan because they made a difference in my life and because they made a difference in the lives of many.  

Anyway, back to the more light hearted stuff.   I was happy that I did not end up purchasing a Meet and Greet ticket.  Apparently, there was some miscommunication somewhere along the line and Brian was not actually at the Meet and Greet.  It did not matter.  This was another Brian Littrell show that I had a plan waiting for me.  At the first concert I went to in Grand Rapids I had met Tammy, who has become a great friend and who I can have so many fun times with.  She is the person that I have shared my journey to God with.  At the second show in Toronto, I actually got to meet Brian after so many years of him being an influence in my life.  Finally, the most important show was this one...for it brought me to God.

So Brian, if you ever happen to read this.....Thank You.