The lead singer for one of the best bands of the last quarter-century had a powerful message for fans.
On Aug. 23, in a packed venue filled with approximately 28,000 concertgoers in Hershey, Pennsylvania, front man Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down took a few minutes between songs to talk about the most important thing any of them will ever hear.
“Something was put on my heart two years ago,” Arnold said in a video posted to YouTube.
Before playing the song “Away from the Sun,” which he called his personal favorite, the singer shared a message.
He explained that he identified with the despair-filled “Away from the Sun” more than most of the band’s other songs.
The reason, he said, is that the world bombards us with negativity.
“We’re always climbing up this hill trying to reach the light,” he said. And yet, on social media and elsewhere, we constantly read and hear that no one loves us and that we are not good enough.
“My friends, I just want to take a second to tell you, that that’s an absolute lie,” Arnold continued. “You are loved. You are loved, and you are enough, and you will win. Not only can you win, but you will win. And you’ll always be enough for one reason, and that’s because Jesus Christ loves you.”
Cheers and shouts erupted from the crowd at the mention of Jesus’s name.
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“Jesus Christ loves you so much that he made you just the way you are, just the way you’re standing there right now,” the singer said amid the cheers.
“And He also loves you enough to let you know that you’re not complete. That’s not all you’ll be,” he added.
Arnold then told the crowd that even John the Apostle referred to himself as “the one that Jesus loved.”
Finally, the singer concluded by asking fans to repeat after him: “I am the one that Jesus loves.”
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According to The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the band’s performance at Hersheypark Stadium was part of the Summer of ’99 Tour, which also featured the band Creed.
Incidentally, Arnold referred to climbing a hill because of the video for “Away from the Sun.” Readers may view that video below.
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For younger readers — or for older and more casual music fans who simply lack familiarity with 3 Doors Down — the patriotic 2008 song “Citizen Soldier” encapsulates the band’s lengthy history of support for men and women in the military.
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Likewise, on the social media platform Instagram, Arnold has posted a plethora of patriotic images.
Most important of all, Arnold has given his life to God after struggling for many years with alcohol addiction.
In fact, Jan. 19 marked eight years of sobriety.
“Without question, God took that burden from me. I was so tired of carrying it. I couldn’t carry it any more so I gave it to God and I’m not taking it back! If you’re struggling with something, give it to Him. He’ll gladly take your burden and you’ll never have to carry it again. #onedayatatime #letgoandletgod,” Arnold wrote on Instagram.
In other words, Arnold spoke to the audience in Hershey as one whom Jesus had healed.
We pray that the singer’s message reached at least one person in that crowd who needed to hear it.
