Before the music, there was a little time to enjoy God's creation. And before the night was over, there would be plenty of reasons to praise Him for what He had created in the voices of two gifted Christian artists.
A little time in God’s creation
Before heading to the venue, I took advantage of the amazing weather God had provided and visited Fontenelle Forest. Tucked away in Bellevue, just outside Omaha, this local outdoor adventure features miles of trails, including a one mile boardwalk that winds through the forest and offers a beautiful opportunity to experience nature and try out some outdoor photography. Being able to walk through and witness God’s creation before heading to the venue was a real treat. Sometimes, taking a little time away from the hustle of a concert day is exactly what I need before stepping into an evening of music and worship.
One of the surprises waiting at Fontenelle Forest was the Raptor Woodland Refuge, where rescued birds of prey can be observed up close. Hawks, falcons, and even a pair of bald eagles were among the residents. It was amazing. It’s one thing to see these birds in photographs, but being able to walk around and observe them in person was something else entirely.
With my camera in hand and a little more appreciation for the world God has given us, it was time to make my way to the venue. I was heading into the evening with a memory card of outdoor photographs, beautiful weather behind me, and a concert experience ahead that I hoped would be just as memorable.
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Bellevue Christian Center opens its doors to a different kind of Saturday night
Tucked away just 15 minutes south of Omaha, Bellevue Christian Center is a place of worship, but on this particular Saturday night, its doors opened for a different kind of gathering: a live concert experience where the music was designed to point people toward the same God they came to worship. The Bellevue stop was part of Megan Woods’ Truth Tour, with Jeremy Rosado joining her for an evening of music, personal testimony, and praise. The October 3rd show was only the third stop on the tour’s fall run.
This was my first time seeing either artist live, and my first visit to the church, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew the night would be centered on Christian music, but there’s something memorable about hearing these songs performed in a setting where the audience isn’t simply there to watch a show. They’re there to sing along, worship, and connect with the message behind the music.
And if the opening set was any indication, we were in for a powerful evening.
Jeremy Rosado: A voice that carries more than notes
If you recognize Jeremy Rosado from American Idol or The Voice, you already have an idea of the vocal talent he brings to the stage. If you haven’t heard him before, well, boy, this man can sing.
Rosado has spent years developing his voice, from singing in church and at neighborhood gatherings to competing on national television. His musical career has taken several turns, including a season when he stepped away from pursuing music to raise his niece, whom he took on as his daughter. His story is one of family, faith, and the willingness to follow a different calling when life asks something unexpected of you.
That personal history became especially present during his set. While performing “God Came Through,” Rosado became emotional as he spoke about losing his father just four months earlier. Continuing to get onstage and lead people in worship while walking through that kind of grief is a testament to his faith in Jesus. He wasn’t presenting a life free from pain. He was standing in front of a room full of people in the middle of it, still choosing to worship.
That honesty made the music hit more impactfully. There’s a difference between singing about trusting God during hard seasons and actually doing so when the hurt is still fresh. Rosado’s vulnerability made the songs feel less like polished performances and more like an invitation to keep bringing our pain to God, even when we don’t have everything figured out.
His performance of “When I Meet Jesus,” a song that also played a role in his father’s celebration of life, carried that personal connection into the music itself. The title alone takes on a deeper meaning when you know the circumstances surrounding it. The hope of seeing Jesus isn’t just a lyrical idea; in a moment of loss, it becomes something to hold on to.
Then there was “Keep Holding On.” Rosado’s voice has an impressive combination of power and control, and this song, along with most of his set, gave him room to demonstrate both. The sustained notes seemed to go on forever without wavering, each one delivered with remarkable steadiness. He wasn’t simply reaching for volume. He was controlling the sound, carrying the melody with a strength that made it hard not to stop and appreciate what he was doing.
By this point, even in a seated concert setting, the audience was moved enough to give him a standing ovation. It was a deserved response to a performance that offered both vocal fireworks and something much more personal.
Rosado’s set was a reminder that worship doesn’t require us to pretend everything’s fine. Sometimes it comes from the middle of grief, with tears still close to the surface, even pouring out. Sometimes the most honest expression of faith is continuing to sing when life has given you every reason to be quiet.
A song, a family story, and an invitation to make a difference
The intermission wasn’t simply a break between performers. Rosado stayed on stage to share more of his story, including the circumstances behind “Hero in the Room,” a song connected to his relationship with his niece, whom he raised as his daughter. The song’s family centered message offered a natural transition into the evening’s partnership with Compassion International.
Compassion International works with local churches to support children living in poverty, providing practical assistance that includes education, food, and medical care while introducing children to the Gospel. The presentation gave concertgoers an opportunity to sponsor a child, turning the evening’s emphasis on faith into a tangible way to serve someone beyond the walls of the church.
There was also an extra incentive for those who decided to sponsor. Each person who sponsored a child would receive Megan Woods’ upcoming album ahead of its October 9 release.
I appreciated that the evening made room for something beyond the stage. It would’ve been easy to treat the intermission as a chance to stretch, check a phone, or wait for the set change. Instead, Rosado used that time to share a personal story and connect it with an opportunity to help children in need.
Christian music can encourage us, challenge us, and help us express our faith. But when that encouragement leads us to act on what we believe, the experience reaches beyond the music. The invitation to sponsor a child gave the audience a practical way to respond to the message of compassion and care that ran through the night.
Megan Woods: A headliner without a full length album
It’s rare to headline a tour when you don’t even have a full length album out yet. Megan Woods is doing exactly that, and after seeing her perform, I understand why she can command a room.
Originally from a small town in northern Massachusetts, Woods has built her music around a deeply personal testimony. She’s spoken openly about struggling with self worth before coming to understand her identity in Christ, and that experience now runs through her songwriting. Her breakout song, “The Truth”, grew out of that journey, serving as a reminder that our identity isn’t defined by the lies we believe about ourselves, but by who we are in Jesus.
That background helps explain why her music feels so personal. Woods isn’t simply singing songs about faith as an abstract subject. She’s singing about a truth that changed how she sees herself, and she wants other people to experience that same freedom.
Vocally, she’s a soulful powerhouse. There’s a richness to her voice that gives her performances plenty of emotional depth, but she can also open up and let those bigger notes fly. Her set had room for both sides of that ability, moving between intimate moments and the kind of full throated delivery that makes you sit up and pay attention.
“I Believe You” was one of the songs that stood out, showcasing the expressive side of her voice while reinforcing the trust at the heart of her music. She followed with “Heaven Down Here,” her newest single, bringing another piece of her growing catalog into a set that was already connecting with the audience.
For an artist still building toward the release of her first full length album, Woods already has a clear musical identity. Her songs are rooted in personal experience, her delivery is strong enough to carry them, and she understands that a worship focused concert isn’t just about getting through a setlist. It’s about giving the audience something they can carry with them after the final note.
Then came a Whitney Houston cover.
My notes from the night leave the exact title uncertain, so I won’t pretend to remember which song it was. What I can say is that the choice gave Woods another opportunity to showcase her soulful vocal style and tackle material associated with one of pop music’s most recognizable voices. It’s one thing to sing your own songs, where every phrase is written around your strengths. Taking on a Whitney Houston classic is another challenge entirely.
Woods rose to the occasion, adding a different flavor to the evening without losing the musical character that’d made her original songs so compelling.
When two powerful voices become one
One of the night’s more impressive moments came when Rosado returned to the stage to join Woods for “Goodness of God.”
To say my jaw dropped during this song is an understatement. What a duet.
Both artists have the kind of voices that can fill a room without needing to hold anything back, and hearing them together gave the song an extra dimension. Their vocal power complemented each other, with each singer bringing a distinct quality to a song that has become a familiar expression of gratitude and trust in God’s faithfulness. Rather than feeling like a guest appearance added simply for the sake of a surprise, the collaboration felt entirely at home in the evening’s worship.
It was also a fitting meeting point between two artists whose performances had already revealed how much personal testimony shapes their music. Rosado had shared his grief and the importance of holding on to Jesus through loss. Woods had brought songs about identity, faith, and learning to believe the truth of God’s love. “Goodness of God” gave those themes a shared place in the setlist.
The evening also featured, unbeknownst to me, the bassist from Casting Crowns, John Michael. In fitting fashion, Megan Woods and the band performed a cover of “Praise You in This Storm.” The song itself was a fitting selection for a night that repeatedly returned to faith in the middle of life’s difficult seasons.
But the moment that will stay with me most came during “The Truth.”
This is the song that gives the tour its name, and it’s also the clearest expression of Woods’ testimony. Her official biography describes it as a deeply personal declaration of finding identity in Jesus, written to remind listeners who they are when the lies begin to close in.
Watching that message unfold in a room full of people was something else. I could see people singing along, fully invested in the words. There were children crying while praising Jesus. There was an openness in the room that went beyond simply enjoying a performance. People were responding to a message they clearly connected with, and the emotion was impossible to miss.
As someone who came to the show to worship alongside the opportunity to experience two artists live for the first time, I wasn’t expecting that moment to affect me quite the way it did. It was a reminder of why I love covering Christian music in the first place. The photographs, the vocal performances, the lighting, and the production all have their place, but sometimes the most compelling part of a concert is watching people encounter a message of hope together.
And here, that message was unmistakable: our identity is found in Jesus, not in the lies we tell ourselves or the world tells us.
There wasn’t a need to manufacture a dramatic ending. The people in that room were already providing one, singing, crying, and praising God together.
Afterglow
Overall, the night was more than I could have hoped for. Emotions were high, but the praise was higher, and you could really feel God show up.
From Rosado’s honest account of grief to Woods’ songs about finding worth and identity in Christ, the evening offered more than impressive vocals. Both artists brought their own stories to the stage, and those stories gave the music a sincerity that you could feel through the entire night. The collaborations added some memorable musical highlights, while the Compassion International presentation offered a way for the audience to put faith into action.
I arrived having never seen either artist perform live and left encouraged by what I’d witnessed. The Truth Tour is a reminder that music can do more than entertain us. It can give voice to our struggles, remind us of the promises we cling to, and bring people together in worship.
If you have an opportunity to catch a remaining date on Megan Woods’ Truth Tour, please go check it out. With Jeremy Rosado joining her for this run, you’re in for a night of powerful vocals, honest testimony, and music that points people to Jesus.
You’ll leave encouraged and pointed to Jesus. And that’s a pretty good way to end any night.
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