Mark Schultz: Making You Cry, Making You Laugh

You've heard of Mark Schultz, right?  He's been on the Christian music scene for many years now.  He's the one who, even if you can't name three songs, every time you hear one of them you start crying like a kindergartner who just got dropped off on their first day of school.

You know, songs like "Letters From War," and "Walking Her Home."  (Click song titles to see the videos.) Oh, and if you click, grab the tissues, too.

So anyway, last night, Mark came to the Christian Radio station where Herb works, WJTL, to give a mini concert which aired live on the radio.  Herb was running sound for Mr. Schultz.  Dude, can I just say how cool it is that my hubby has mixed for Mark Schultz and Paul Baloche thanks to these mini concerts at the station?   {Put THAT on your resume, Herb!}  Anyway, because of my affinity for crying in public, I asked Herb if he could get me in to the show.

I have to commend Mark Schultz for his interactions with the crowd.  He would play a song that had everyone's eyes welling up, and then tell a hilarious story.  The ratio of crying to laughing was pretty good.

Unfortunately, he didn't get to play my favorite song - the one that made me realize I was a Schultz fan.  The way the story goes, Mark, who was adopted when he was 2 weeks old (by a couple from Bethany Christian Services!), was once asked if he ever thought about finding his birth mother.  He responded with, "No, why would I?  She gave me up."  And oh, how wrong he was.  I'm so grateful for our open adoption and that Levi will not feel that same sense of abandonment, but realize what a gift and act of love his adoption placement was.

Anyway, Mark went on to track down his birth mother, and the song, "Everything to Me," came out of it.  In fact, Mark partnered with Bethany Christian Services and did a story behind the song/ interview.  It's a pretty amazing song.


After the show, we got to chat a little bit, and I told Mark I was asking Herb how in the world he would get a good sound mix if he couldn't see the board through the tears he would inevitably be crying during the show.

And then, the funniest thing happened.

Mark Schultz, the writer of the sappiest music in Contempoary Christian Music today, told my husband to, and I quote, "Man up."

Oh poor Herb.

Herb really didn't love that I took it one step further by tweeting the conversation @mschultzmusic and @WJTL last night.

Anyway, it was a pretty fabulous evening.  I am excited to hear some of his new songs.  He has a 5 month old baby and shared a little bit of the song he wrote for his son.  I know I'm going to love it.  And I know Kleenex is going to love him for writing it.