Matthew West is Telling the Story of Your Life

"I've always told the story of my life in my songs," West told me when we met in St. Louis. "This time I decided to turn the microphone around and listen to the stories of other people's lives."

Those stories have now culminated in The Story of Your Life Tour and the upcoming (October 5) full-length release of the same name.

Intrigued by West's description of his concept for the tour, I headed to Asheville, North Carolina, on Saturday to review the third stop and check things out for myself. Even armed with West's personal insights, I was not prepared for what I was about to experience.

After the laid-back acoustic sets of opening acts Jonny Diaz and Josh Wilson, West, donning an Elvis-esque black leather jacket, explodes on the stage, immediately engaging the audience. The crowd, on its feet for the first, but not the last, time of the evening sings along as West belts out "The Motions," off his 2008 CD, Something to Say.

West's voice, in jeopardy back in 2007, is strong and clear. The lyrics seem to bubble up from this songwriter's soul, and his exuberance quickly becomes infectious. The sound emulating can only be described as "rejoicing" as West performs his first set, comprised of his most popular tunes. As he winds down, we learn that this is just the beginning, an appetizer to the main course he has yet to offer.

After a brief intermission, West returns to present his new music, but it's more than a transition to a new set list.

West, no longer reflecting his rock star persona, is casual, homey. In a striped pullover, he appears in front of a simple log wall backdrop. He speaks as if he's in your living room; it's personal.

When West asked his fans to send him their life stories, he hoped for 500 - 600 responses that he could weave into meaningful lyrics. He rented a remote cabin on the outskirts of Nashville for a month and waited.

The response was nearly immediate, intense, and immense. West received 10,000 letters and emails from fans in all 50 states and 20 foreign countries. All pouring out poignant tales of heartbreak and healing suffered and survived through their faith in Jesus Christ. He rented the cabin for a second month and set to work.

Thus, the log wall screen at the rear of the stage. For the next hour, West takes the audience back to that Tennessee cabin and on an emotional journey through many of the stories he read there, as well as the songs those stories inspired. It's a trip that soothes the soul and sets your spirit soaring.

"This is a victory song," says West as he introduces "One Less," a jubilant anthem declaring "there's one less broken heart in the world tonight" and based on a letter detailing a Tennessee family's adoption journey.

While many of the stories are heart-wrenching, West releases them all with a message of hope.

"You don't speak hopelessness to the hopeless," he tells the crowd. "That's what the world does. We speak hope to the hopeless. I thought this was going to be the most depressing record I had ever done... But, now that I'm finished, I realize it's the most hopeful record I've ever done."

The Story of Your Life Tour began last week. It will wind through the Southeast and Midwest over the next seven weeks, encompassing 33 concert dates before finishing up in Sarasota, Florida, on November 7.

If you need your faith renewed, your joy restored, or just a reminder of the awesome healing power of Jesus Christ, get yourself a ticket. These are songs, this is a concert, that will forever impact the story of your life.