Lyrics Bless The Broken Road

Archuleta, Paisley rock the crowd at Stadium of Fire

PROVO —  The Stadium of Fire, held Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium, began reverently and built to a deafening roar.

"Tonight we begin on a serious note," host Chad Lewis said while introducing the evening's first act, a musical rendition of the Gettysburg Address, part of a tribute to the Civil War.

Immediately after, the Stadium of Fire Chorus began singing "God Bless the U.S.A" while a group of paragliders flew into the stadium, carrying the American flag.

"That's what I call getting things off to a flying start," Lewis said.

The National Anthem was then sung, first by a video of a 13-year-old David Archuleta singing on the Stadium of Fire stage and then by Archuleta himself, who took over the duties from his younger self after a few lines of lyrics.

Archeleta, a Utah native and American Idol runner-up, was greeted warmly by his home crowd, but the real volume came when headliner Brad Paisley took to the stage, greeted by screams and a storm of camera flashes from the crowd.

Kayla Johnson and her grandmother Annette Reid attended the event together, wearing matching cowgirl hats and Brad Paisley t-shirts.

"He's one fine looking man," Kayla Johnson said.

Johnson's and Reid's admiration for Paisley went beyond mere looks. Reid said his music "makes you feel good" and Johnson said his songs have emotional depth.

"His music, I think, it's more heartfelt than other country songs," Johnson said.

Sara Torgerson and her son Aaron stopped at the event to see Paisley on a road trip from their home in Whitefish, Mont. to Reno.

"I like his humor," Torgerson said. "He's obviously a very good entertainer and guitarist, but I like anybody that can laugh at themselves."

Paisly didn't say much during his performance, focusing instead on his music. When he did address the crowd, expressed his gratitude for members of the armed services and his love for the United States.

"We're gonna stay here as long as they'll let us and then watch the greatest fireworks display in the world," Paisley said.

Paisley's act alternated between high energy and melancholy songs. Before one slower song, Paisley asked how many people in the crowd were in love, drawing cheers from the audience.

(God) Bless the Broken Road « insert coins here

Lately, one of my close friends have been listening so much to Rascal Flatts causing a flooding of the band’s videos on my facebook newsfeed. i have heard their song “Bless the Broken Road” way back in the early part of 1st year 2nd semester.

To me, it seemed like another love song to me. But right now, I’m trying to see things in a different light and just like what my friend Jam told me, the YOU in the song could also be Jesus. I listened to it again and read the lyrics and i just felt like crying.

I set out on a narrow way, many years ago i would not deny, i have tried so much to sum up too much to the world’s standards. I didn’t accept who i was and how my life was going and how God made me. I was insecure and hurt and i tried hard to please others and satisfy their expectations of me but somehow, people disappoint me and hurt me. I was looking for love at the wrong places, from the from people, for the wrong reasons. I valued myself as how the world saw me. I used to be the “girl who was always on top” and it made me feel good that i was better than others at something. But time came when i can’t be on top anymore and it just broke me and i lost the enthusiasm to work for it. what was the use anyway? I was the fat girl who can’t be good enough at anything. –> normal teenage drama at that stage. Looking back, now i realized He was calling me all those times but i was too caught up in myself. Those pains, problems, rejections and humiliations were needed to make me strong, to be who i am now, to be where i am now: In Jesus arms because I finally found Him and surrendered to Him. I needed to love myself before others could love me. I had to know and feel the greatest love of all from Him. The true love that i was looking for was in Jesus all along. Every goal and selfish dream (with the standards of the world) i had for myself is nothing to me now. It was never about me. NEVER. This pretty much tells me where i am now. Jesus loves me and though there are times when i doubt if what i’m doing is pleasing to Him, i hold on to His hand and trust Him that He will take care and guide me. Just like any sinner, i felt terrible and sorry for who i was before. I wanted to praise Jesus and give back for what He gave for me (though i know that’s a price i could never pay back) but somehow, everything else tells me to LET GO AND LET GOD. God has plans for me.. they might not be easy but I know they are way bigger than what i have imagined and planned for myself Our broken times are sometimes ‘the wake up call’ to make us realize that we had forgotten HIM. That is why I would never choose to forget the sufferings I’ve been through, because like the song had said, they are nothern stars that lead us to our lover’s arms. and those difficult times led me back to Jesus when I had gone astray.