"I never did like the word mediocre. I never wanted it to be said of me. Just point me to the top and I’d go over, looking for the very best that could be. So what is this thing I see going on inside of me? When it comes to the grace of God sometimes it’s like I’m playing gameboy standing in the middle of the Grand Canyon. I’m eating candy sittin’ at a gourmet feast. I’m wading in a puddle when I could be swimming in the ocean. Tell me what’s the deal with me? Wake up and see the glory!" - Steven Curtis Chapman
Music. In today's world that one simple word is the topic of many controversial discussions: Contemporary or traditional? Hymns or choruses? Fortunately this is not exactly the topic I will be discussing. Similarly however, I will be discussing one aspect of music that has affected me and my walk with God for better and for worse. I love music; country and Christian in particular. I grew up listening to my father sing while he played his acoustic guitar. My parents are divorced so those moments were few but they were and remain precious to me. They are, in fact, some of my favorite memories concerning my father. He would sit on the couch with his guitar and my brother and I would sit Indian-style on the floor just looking up at him and listening. Whether it was "Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash or "The Fightin' Side Of Me" by Merle Haggard, it didn't matter. I just loved watching him strum on that acoustic and sing to us.
As a teenager, those songs changed from Merle and Johnny to N'sync and the Backstreet boys. I even fancied myself a choreographer for a while in middle school. It was ridiculous and when I think back to it I am utterly embarrassed. However, when I hear the opening notes to "Bye Bye Bye" I can't help but smile and sing along. Now, as an adult, I love the likes of country singers Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan, and Lady Antebellum. I also love Christian artists like Sidewalk Prophets, Casting Crowns, and Third Day. As you can see, my taste in music has changed quite a bit. One thing that has stayed the same however, is the fact that whatever genre I was into at the time, or even now, the impact of that music has stayed with me. Songs like Faith Hills' "Like We Never Loved At All" got me through a break up and songs like "Words I Would Say" by the Sidewalk Prophets help encourage me when I feel like things are going wrong in my life. These songs stick with us. They encourage us, bring us up or down, bring tears to our eyes, make us laugh...every emotion under the sun has a song to go with it. Every life situation, good or bad, has a lyric made just for such an occasion.
With that in mind, I was thinking about how often I look for a song to associate to particular situations in my life. I'll be listening to a T.V. show or a friend speaking and something they say will trigger the memory of a certain set of lyrics stored away in my mind. I was sitting in church one Sunday listening to the preacher and he was speaking about lust and about how the journey from the mind to the hands is short. Immediately I thought of "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns. This was a simple association because the words my preacher used were almost identical to the words in the song. I sat there and just kept thinking how cool it was that my preacher was talking about something I'd heard in a song. It made me happy and it made me smile thinking, "See? Who says there is anything wrong with contemporary Christian music? Pastor is almost talking about that song directly!" I sat there smugly for a while and had basically tuned out the rest of what was going on.
The problem here is not whether contemporary Christian music is good or bad, that's another discussion entirely. Any guesses as to what the real issue was? I didn't realize it for a while after the service; months later actually...today to be precise. I had it all backwards! I would read my bible or listen to preaching and instead of being like, "Yes Pastor Zach, I remember that scripture!" I was more focused on what song it reminded me of. The truth of the whole matter is that I have more songs memorized than I have scripture. So, while those songs are great (especially because they are Bible inspired), why settle for a song that only reflects the true treasure of scripture? After all, isn't that where most Christian artists got their inspiration? Its not the other way around, songs didn't inspire the Bible...God did. The scripture that Pastor Zach was referring to was 1 Corinthians 10:12 which says to "be careful if you think you stand, lest you fall." That's the verse that inspired Mark Hall to write the song "Slow Fade" and that's the text that Pastor Zach used to support his sermon. It is sad that I recognized the song but not the verse.
In Psalm 119:15 it says "I shall meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways." We should be taking the time every day to think about God's words so that we can have them on the tip of our brains, ready to call them forward for the different situations in our lives. We do this with songs, or at least I do, so why not with the Word of an All mighty God which are far more important and eternal in value? Our discussion should not be whether we should choose hymns or choruses but whether or not we are choosing either for the right reason. Are they enhancing the scripture or detracting from it? Are they bringing focus to God or are they bringing focus to the singer or songwriter? I have been invited to several churches where the main thing wasn't God, it was the Worship leader and the praise band. "Why should I come here?" I'd ask and the response given was "Well, we have a great worship band!" What I should have said was "Whooptie do! What about a great preacher who tells about a great God? What about a Sunday School teacher that helps you learn about The Great Teacher? What about a choir or praise band that sings songs about the one who inspired the Psalms?"
But I didn't.
Why? Because I didn't have the right focus. I was settling for less than the best. I was content to settle for piece of the puzzle instead of striving to have the whole grand picture. Its kind of like the moon and the sun. The sun is the source of light. The moon simply reflects that light. Would you rather have a reflection or the source itself? Similarly, why settle for a mere reflection of the Son, Jesus Christ, in song when we could have the source itself through His word? I don't want to settle anymore. I want the real thing! I want God to speak to me first hand through His Word and not be content to hear it second hand from someone else.
Besides...I never did like the word "mediocre." ;)
**Disclaimer: I just wanted to briefly state for anyone who may be confused, that I am in no way condemning either hymns or contemporary choruses. I love using music to enhance a point and feel it can impact people in ways that a simply spoken word can't sometimes. I just wanted to make it clear that scripture should come first. Its amazing to have music with godly lyrics because that only helps our walk, but I just didn't want to get so caught up in the music that I forgot who inspired it. Hope this is a little more clear.**
As a teenager, those songs changed from Merle and Johnny to N'sync and the Backstreet boys. I even fancied myself a choreographer for a while in middle school. It was ridiculous and when I think back to it I am utterly embarrassed. However, when I hear the opening notes to "Bye Bye Bye" I can't help but smile and sing along. Now, as an adult, I love the likes of country singers Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan, and Lady Antebellum. I also love Christian artists like Sidewalk Prophets, Casting Crowns, and Third Day. As you can see, my taste in music has changed quite a bit. One thing that has stayed the same however, is the fact that whatever genre I was into at the time, or even now, the impact of that music has stayed with me. Songs like Faith Hills' "Like We Never Loved At All" got me through a break up and songs like "Words I Would Say" by the Sidewalk Prophets help encourage me when I feel like things are going wrong in my life. These songs stick with us. They encourage us, bring us up or down, bring tears to our eyes, make us laugh...every emotion under the sun has a song to go with it. Every life situation, good or bad, has a lyric made just for such an occasion.
With that in mind, I was thinking about how often I look for a song to associate to particular situations in my life. I'll be listening to a T.V. show or a friend speaking and something they say will trigger the memory of a certain set of lyrics stored away in my mind. I was sitting in church one Sunday listening to the preacher and he was speaking about lust and about how the journey from the mind to the hands is short. Immediately I thought of "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns. This was a simple association because the words my preacher used were almost identical to the words in the song. I sat there and just kept thinking how cool it was that my preacher was talking about something I'd heard in a song. It made me happy and it made me smile thinking, "See? Who says there is anything wrong with contemporary Christian music? Pastor is almost talking about that song directly!" I sat there smugly for a while and had basically tuned out the rest of what was going on.
The problem here is not whether contemporary Christian music is good or bad, that's another discussion entirely. Any guesses as to what the real issue was? I didn't realize it for a while after the service; months later actually...today to be precise. I had it all backwards! I would read my bible or listen to preaching and instead of being like, "Yes Pastor Zach, I remember that scripture!" I was more focused on what song it reminded me of. The truth of the whole matter is that I have more songs memorized than I have scripture. So, while those songs are great (especially because they are Bible inspired), why settle for a song that only reflects the true treasure of scripture? After all, isn't that where most Christian artists got their inspiration? Its not the other way around, songs didn't inspire the Bible...God did. The scripture that Pastor Zach was referring to was 1 Corinthians 10:12 which says to "be careful if you think you stand, lest you fall." That's the verse that inspired Mark Hall to write the song "Slow Fade" and that's the text that Pastor Zach used to support his sermon. It is sad that I recognized the song but not the verse.
In Psalm 119:15 it says "I shall meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways." We should be taking the time every day to think about God's words so that we can have them on the tip of our brains, ready to call them forward for the different situations in our lives. We do this with songs, or at least I do, so why not with the Word of an All mighty God which are far more important and eternal in value? Our discussion should not be whether we should choose hymns or choruses but whether or not we are choosing either for the right reason. Are they enhancing the scripture or detracting from it? Are they bringing focus to God or are they bringing focus to the singer or songwriter? I have been invited to several churches where the main thing wasn't God, it was the Worship leader and the praise band. "Why should I come here?" I'd ask and the response given was "Well, we have a great worship band!" What I should have said was "Whooptie do! What about a great preacher who tells about a great God? What about a Sunday School teacher that helps you learn about The Great Teacher? What about a choir or praise band that sings songs about the one who inspired the Psalms?"
But I didn't.
Why? Because I didn't have the right focus. I was settling for less than the best. I was content to settle for piece of the puzzle instead of striving to have the whole grand picture. Its kind of like the moon and the sun. The sun is the source of light. The moon simply reflects that light. Would you rather have a reflection or the source itself? Similarly, why settle for a mere reflection of the Son, Jesus Christ, in song when we could have the source itself through His word? I don't want to settle anymore. I want the real thing! I want God to speak to me first hand through His Word and not be content to hear it second hand from someone else.
Besides...I never did like the word "mediocre." ;)
**Disclaimer: I just wanted to briefly state for anyone who may be confused, that I am in no way condemning either hymns or contemporary choruses. I love using music to enhance a point and feel it can impact people in ways that a simply spoken word can't sometimes. I just wanted to make it clear that scripture should come first. Its amazing to have music with godly lyrics because that only helps our walk, but I just didn't want to get so caught up in the music that I forgot who inspired it. Hope this is a little more clear.**
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