I attended Cornerstone 2009 after 12 years of absence from the festival.  I went in 1987 and from 1990 to 1997, but I had to spend some time raising kids and building up the funds to make a nice campsite.

I traveled with my boys of 14 and 12 years, Jordan and Jeremiah, along with one of my best friends Brad, who is an expert on Christian Rock and lover of music in general.  He also plays many instruments and teaches music to kids.

Our trip was 1,800 miles in total, coming from Western New York.  We spent a few thousand dollars on equipment and expenses, and we videotaped about 30 hours of concerts and random festival footage.

Having done this for so many years, I would have to say this year was a great year because:

1.  Our foursome had a great time of fellowship that was safe and glorifying to God.

2.  I re-connected with college brothers and sisters and their families.

3.  There were many great concerts.

4.  We rented a golf cart.

5.  Our campsite was big and tight enough to comfortably endure the elements.

6.  We captured many hours of songs and scenes.

The experience was smooth and wonderful in many ways, and we thank God that it all went so well, especially when we were so far from home and had to take so much equipment.

We rented a huge van for the adventure, and God blessed us with a safe and comfortable 16-hour trip to Bushnell, Illinois.  We were one of the first to enter the gates, and our campsite was close to the entrance.  We quickly found a large area of flat land, and we connected up our extension cords to the electricity we rented for the 7 days.

Despite a few challenges to our campsite, we overcame the obstacles and established a secure site for the adverse conditions.  Thank the Lord for the golf cart, as it helped my old and aching body.

The whole event reminded me of the power and kindness of the Living God, Jesus Christ.