Let's Talk Entertainment-Specifically Music

About me

In conjunction with my latest posts on TV and Movies, today I want to write a little about Music.  Like other forms of entertainment, music can take over our lives and become our idols. Sometimes, it's even easier than other forms.  I don't know about you, but for me Music is a regular part of my life and always has been.  I love music.  I'm not extremely knowledgeable about music, but I know what I like and what I don't like.  It seems like we're all born with a little of what we prefer in us. It's fun sharing a new song with your kids and seeing how they react to it and as they mature their tastes tend to change as well.  

I was brought up in a household that loved oldies but also listened to the latest of whatever was on the radio at the time.  I was born in 1976, so I have fond memories of certain music growing up.  I enjoyed a lot of the 80s music and was in High School at the beginning of the 90s.  Even as a teenager I had a diverse ear for music more than my friends.  I used to carry around my walkman(some of you might be asking, what is a walkman-ok you're making me feel old, but here's a link for it) and listen to Beethoven or Journey or some other band that my friends would laugh at me about.  But I didn't care, I liked what I liked and sometimes, some of my friends would enjoy listening to it as well they just didn't want to admit it.  My father also played the organ, which meant we learned a lot of old country or folk songs, like Beautiful Brown Eyes and America the Beautiful or old hymns like When the Saints Go Marching in.

I don't know about you, but when I listen to a song I grew up with, I associate it with a memory-good or bad.  Mostly good.  It gives me feelings of nostalgia. 

About Worship Music

When my kids were little I had a hard time getting into any type of Bible study and so I would try to worship through Worship Music.  It has always connected me since I rededicated my life to Jesus in 2003.  In fact, part of my story is that I went to a get together called Higher Ground where there were a bunch of Christian bands performing. It was then that I took that final step, when I allowed the Holy Spirit in.  It's funny, because that is where I was introduced to The David Crowder Band and I've always connected with Crowder's music since. If you take a look at my previous post here, it'll show you how to find me on Spotify and what I've been listening to.

Lyrics in these songs tug at my soul, help the Holy Spirit speak to me and often bring me to tears, not just about how separated I really am from God and how much I need him, but also how grateful I really am about his Grace and Forgiveness.

However, it isn't enough to Worship through music.  We need to be in the word daily.  God can speak to us through music and help others connect through music.  It can be a very powerful tool to share his Gospel, but it doesn't replace his Word.  It's funny, while I was thinking about writing this post and what I wanted to say, I was reading the bible and in the devotional in the YouVersion Bible app called Listening to God. Day 4 asks the question in prayer "Is there anything I need to do or know to have my heart's desire always be for You?" and then suggests a song.  I included it in this post below, and it couldn't have spoken more clearly to me.  It's called Clear the Stage.

Today's Music

I'm not saying I listen to only Worship Music all the time.  I see no problem with listening to other music at all. The problem is, a lot of the other music out there is NOT glorifying to God.

Romans 8:5 
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Today's music can be so overly sexualized and that is not glorifying at all. I've been wanting to write about this specifically, but as I was writing this post, one of the Christian Bloggers I follow wrote almost exactly how I feel. One of the reasons I wanted to write about this is because our kids hear this stuff and they are so young and don't understand what it's all about, thinking it's okay to say these things.  My 1st grade daughter came home and asked me what "sexy" meant.  I asked her where she heard it and she told me one of the boys in her class told her she was sexy. Of course he told her that it really meant that she's beautiful.  I tried to explain to a then 6 year old without going into to much detail, something appropriate for her age.  In the end, I said that this is a term that should be used in marriage only and that he should just use what he means from now on.

Marriage can be very sexy and it's appropriate in the context of God's word, where sex is for marriage. Have you ever read Song of Songs?   More on this in a future post.   So, instead of re-writing it, I'm just going to share it here, it's a few years old but really well written.

I will be the first to admit that I love music from Gaelic Storm. Their music is riddled with references to beer and whiskey and the like.  I let my kids listen to it and it's funny to here kids sing about things like that.  But, I also like to think of it as a way to openly talk about alcohol abuse and things of that sort.  As they get older they will choose their own music to listen to, and as they mature we can talk about the lyrics they choose to put into their ears and they can make their own choices as they become adults.  Until then, I tend to either put my own music on in the car or default to Air1 on the radio since I know it's clean.

What you listen to does matter as much as what you watch and read.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.