Music can affect us in many ways. For many years I played trumpet in a horn band and I played over 500 gigs, mostly wedding receptions. Then after I hung up the brass I dj’d for several years. I saw firsthand how certain songs transformed what appeared to be sweet innocent woman into sultans of the sultry. As I matured in my faith I got the point where I refused to play certain songs such as “Hot in Here” by Nelly or anything else that so forcefully appealed to the carnal within all of us.
There is a whole other genre of music that also has the power to transform. Contemporary Christian Music is a category that has transformed my life. How? The messages of countless songs have helped me learn about how God works and have affirmed my faith. I still listen to different musical styles but songs that speak of the reality of God and appeal to all within me that is spiritual while being presented in musical forms that are as good as anything I’ve ever heard is an added bonus.
If you have doubts about the existence of God, or are uncertain about the relevance of Jesus in people’s lives, or are searching for spiritual truth, here are some songs you may want to give a listen too. I only chose ten and they are by no means a top ten of Christian songs or anything like that. However I think all of them will speak to a searching soul in ways that may just rock (no pun intended) your world.
Check out the brief description of each song and then check out the ones that seem to be drawing you in. Before you listen though, ask God to reveal himself to you through the music. It’s ok to say “God if you are real, show me.” My prayer is that some of these songs will stir the hearts of the most hardened skeptics.
1. "Saving the World" by Clay Crosse: Rockin blues presentation of why “religion” is an obstacle to spiritual truth.
2. "Lose My Soul" by TobyMac & Mandissa: An anthem for all those who reject secular definitions of success with an R&B/rap delivery.
3. "Above All" by Michael W. Smith: For anyone who asks the question; Why is Jesus different than Mohammad or any other religious figure?
4. "One of These Days" by FFH: Alternative rock with a folksy twinge about hope after death.
5. "Cry Out To Jesus" by Third Day: Progressive rockers speak for anyone who has been wounded.
6. "Word Of God Speak" by Mercy Me: For anyone who says to themselves; Why bother with the bible?
7. "Where You Belong/Turn Your Eyes" by The Newsboys: A song for when the toils of life leave you feeling empty.
8. "People Get Ready" by Crystal Lewis: These days many people seem to have a sense that something BIG is about to happen. This song tells us what.
9. "One Drop of Blood" by Ray Boltz: Why would someone willingly die for all of humanity? This song explains why.
10. "Say So" by Israel & New Breed: A new breed of sound that answers the question; what is my purpose on the planet?
Bonus: "Rise Again" by Dallas Holm: Jesus is who differentiates Christianity from every other faith. Listen and learn why.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
God's Grammy Winners
The old adage “music makes the world go around” is always on display at the Grammy awards. The big winners at the 2009 Grammy awards were an interesting pairing. Old school rocker and the lead singer from “Led”, Robert Plant and folksy bluegrass bred singer of all trades Alison Krause teamed up to produce the album of the year Most critics have called that album “Raising Sand” one of the most original works of music in awhile. Other well known and chart topping acts such as Duffy, Katy Perry and Leona Lewis took home awards too. But I wonder how many people know who took home the award for best Gospel album of the year?
I find it interesting that long before Edison invented the phonograph or Bach composed his first concerto, music had been an integral part of humanity in most every culture. That is not surprising because the history of music began before the planet was even created. “Oh really” you may be thinking. Absolutely. Check it out.
In Job chapter 38 the bible tells us that when God was creating the heavens and the earth, the angels were singing. Even more mind blowing is that the bible seems to insinuate that before he turned into the bad boy head of demons that he is, Satan himself may have been in charge of worship and the heavenly choir. The two Scripture passages that describe Satan before he fell are Ezekiel 28:12-19 and Isaiah 14:12-15 it states Satan was the “anointed cherub”. The angels are in constant worship, Satan was the head angel before he fell, so seems to reason he could have led the worship, but it is unknown to us for certain.
Irrespective of Satan’s influence on music in heaven according to one rock legend it is alive and well on earth. Rock and Roll hall of famer David Bowie in Rolling Stone magazine (Feb. 12, 1976), stunned the music world, when he stated:"Rock has always been THE DEVIL'S MUSIC . . . I believe rock and roll is dangerous . . . I feel we're only heralding SOMETHING EVEN DARKER THAN OURSELVES." (Rolling Stone, Feb. 12, 1976)
While I do not think Satan is behind every rock song ever recorded, the point is, music has a big influence on many people and it seems to make sense that it can be used to promote good or bad. Back to the bible, there is this insightful passage from 2 Kings 3:15 “But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that he hand of the Lord came upon him.”
The “him” referred to is the mighty prophet Elisha. As the praise music was ascending, Elisha tuned into the voice of the Lord and received instruction regarding what Israel had to do in the face of a dreadful drought. I think this is so cool because it shows the Lord working in the midst of background music! It is the presence of worship and praise that the Holy Spirit is able to work most creatively and effectively.
For me this rings so true. I have an extensive music collection, played semi professionally in a horn band for 10 years and dj’d for several more. At each gig I saw firsthand the impact music has on people. After all, “if you want the people to move you have to pick the right groove.” Corny I know but it’s true. But the impact of contemporary Christian music on my life has been profound. More on that in the next SpirtSeek entry. But for now, I can tell you that my walk with God is strengthened in a powerful way when I tune into music that draws my attention to Him. So if you need to hear from God, pray, read His word and by all means, do like Elisha did and crank up some praise music and then listen to what God whispers to your spirit.
Oh, and by the way, the winner of the 2009 Grammy award for best rock/rap Christian album of the year was Toby Mac for his CD “Alive and Transported.” If you are not aware of what today’s Christian themed music has to offer check out Toby. You may even hear from God!
I find it interesting that long before Edison invented the phonograph or Bach composed his first concerto, music had been an integral part of humanity in most every culture. That is not surprising because the history of music began before the planet was even created. “Oh really” you may be thinking. Absolutely. Check it out.
In Job chapter 38 the bible tells us that when God was creating the heavens and the earth, the angels were singing. Even more mind blowing is that the bible seems to insinuate that before he turned into the bad boy head of demons that he is, Satan himself may have been in charge of worship and the heavenly choir. The two Scripture passages that describe Satan before he fell are Ezekiel 28:12-19 and Isaiah 14:12-15 it states Satan was the “anointed cherub”. The angels are in constant worship, Satan was the head angel before he fell, so seems to reason he could have led the worship, but it is unknown to us for certain.
Irrespective of Satan’s influence on music in heaven according to one rock legend it is alive and well on earth. Rock and Roll hall of famer David Bowie in Rolling Stone magazine (Feb. 12, 1976), stunned the music world, when he stated:"Rock has always been THE DEVIL'S MUSIC . . . I believe rock and roll is dangerous . . . I feel we're only heralding SOMETHING EVEN DARKER THAN OURSELVES." (Rolling Stone, Feb. 12, 1976)
While I do not think Satan is behind every rock song ever recorded, the point is, music has a big influence on many people and it seems to make sense that it can be used to promote good or bad. Back to the bible, there is this insightful passage from 2 Kings 3:15 “But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that he hand of the Lord came upon him.”
The “him” referred to is the mighty prophet Elisha. As the praise music was ascending, Elisha tuned into the voice of the Lord and received instruction regarding what Israel had to do in the face of a dreadful drought. I think this is so cool because it shows the Lord working in the midst of background music! It is the presence of worship and praise that the Holy Spirit is able to work most creatively and effectively.
For me this rings so true. I have an extensive music collection, played semi professionally in a horn band for 10 years and dj’d for several more. At each gig I saw firsthand the impact music has on people. After all, “if you want the people to move you have to pick the right groove.” Corny I know but it’s true. But the impact of contemporary Christian music on my life has been profound. More on that in the next SpirtSeek entry. But for now, I can tell you that my walk with God is strengthened in a powerful way when I tune into music that draws my attention to Him. So if you need to hear from God, pray, read His word and by all means, do like Elisha did and crank up some praise music and then listen to what God whispers to your spirit.
Oh, and by the way, the winner of the 2009 Grammy award for best rock/rap Christian album of the year was Toby Mac for his CD “Alive and Transported.” If you are not aware of what today’s Christian themed music has to offer check out Toby. You may even hear from God!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Obamanomics vs. God's recovery plan
Obamanomics vs. God’s recovery plan
As the debate about Obama’s economic stimulus plan rages on, I wonder if the Ivy League economic wizards at team Obama have thought about consulting the greatest economic guru of all time: God.
God you say? Did you know He has provided us with a blueprint for economic prosperity and the total elimination of poverty? ? Now before you roll your eyes and write this off as the mutterings of a fundamentalist whack job, let me ask you a question, do you know what God’s economic plan is? Most people don’t so I’ll cover the basics here and point you in a direction where you can learn more details. When you analyze the plan I’ll think you will agree that it is as simple as it is radical.
The first time we see specific reference to God’s economic plan is in the book of Leviticus, chapter 25 vs. 8-54. That is where God prescribes an economic sustenance program He calls the year of Jubilee. At its core the year of Jubilee was meant to be celebrated every 50 years. It included canceling all debts and returning to original owners all land that had been sold. Then in Deuteronomy 15 vs. 1-18 we see an expansion of this economic prescription whereby debts were to be released every seventh year apparently for debts incurred just in that year. Then in Deuteronomy 14 vs. 28-29 we see that every third year a second tithe was to be taken to take care of people who were poor-the fatherless, the widow, the stranger. And that money was to be used for their well being and welfare.
That is God’s recommended tax rate. Check it out. It you add up all the tithes of Deuteronomy 14 and 16 along with Numbers 18 they come to an average of twenty-three percent annually. So, by canceling debts every seventh year, cancelling them completely every fifty years and giving money to the poor at the rate of 23 percent every third year, poverty would have been all but eliminated from Israel. But would that work in today’s sophisticated world of mortgage based securities, derivatives and hedge funds?
The beauty of God’s economic plan is that it builds in the kind of regulatory oversight that is needed to keep us in check. Here’s how. First off, the further away one was from the year of Jubilee, the more valuable the property was. For instance if the concept of Jubilee were in place today and you went to buy a home three years before the year of Jubilee, you would only pay a fraction of the price because that property would be restored to its original owner in three years. Conversely if the year of Jubilee was 45 years way you would pay full price. So, if the year of Jubilee were to be in 2010, someone who received one of those sub-prime mortgages three years ago would not have to worry about going into foreclosure now because the price of the home would have made it affordable to begin with and the home would have reverted back to the person who sold it in the first place. So in essence, the sub-prime mortgage buyer would have been renting for three years. That’s the point. The existence of the Jubilee process would have prevented the condition that created the subprime meltdown.
When it comes to debt forgiveness, think of how that concept would impact lenders as well as debtors. The amount of money a bank would be willing to loan and the interest rate that would be economically viable to charge would be regulated by how close the next Jubilee or debt forgiveness year was.
We hear so much about the need for oversight, whether it be of Wall Street or corporate behavior on Main Street. The same holds true for all of us. Every household needs to keep an eye on spending and how it manages its finances. But in the past 50 years we have gone from a producer nation to a consumer nation. Led by our government, as a nation we have spent ourselves into debt and will have a difficult and painful time repaying it.
Now some economists could probably come up with compelling reasons why the concept of Jubilee and a seven year debt forgiveness policy would not work. I bet some of those same economists are the ones who have prescribed policies that got us into this mess in the first place. But since Jubilee, debt forgiveness and a twenty three percent flat tax are God’s ideas, seems to me we would be wise to give them serious consideration.
Can you imagine if team Obama introduced an economic plan that included institutionalized self regulation via debt forgiveness, oversight of the real estate markets via Jubilee and a flat tax of 23 percent where every third year all revenues would be given to help the poor?
Now that would be change to believe in.
Click here for an article about debt forgiveness written by an economist.
Click here for a recent article on the concept of Jubilee by Rabbi Arthur Waskow.
As the debate about Obama’s economic stimulus plan rages on, I wonder if the Ivy League economic wizards at team Obama have thought about consulting the greatest economic guru of all time: God.
God you say? Did you know He has provided us with a blueprint for economic prosperity and the total elimination of poverty? ? Now before you roll your eyes and write this off as the mutterings of a fundamentalist whack job, let me ask you a question, do you know what God’s economic plan is? Most people don’t so I’ll cover the basics here and point you in a direction where you can learn more details. When you analyze the plan I’ll think you will agree that it is as simple as it is radical.
The first time we see specific reference to God’s economic plan is in the book of Leviticus, chapter 25 vs. 8-54. That is where God prescribes an economic sustenance program He calls the year of Jubilee. At its core the year of Jubilee was meant to be celebrated every 50 years. It included canceling all debts and returning to original owners all land that had been sold. Then in Deuteronomy 15 vs. 1-18 we see an expansion of this economic prescription whereby debts were to be released every seventh year apparently for debts incurred just in that year. Then in Deuteronomy 14 vs. 28-29 we see that every third year a second tithe was to be taken to take care of people who were poor-the fatherless, the widow, the stranger. And that money was to be used for their well being and welfare.
That is God’s recommended tax rate. Check it out. It you add up all the tithes of Deuteronomy 14 and 16 along with Numbers 18 they come to an average of twenty-three percent annually. So, by canceling debts every seventh year, cancelling them completely every fifty years and giving money to the poor at the rate of 23 percent every third year, poverty would have been all but eliminated from Israel. But would that work in today’s sophisticated world of mortgage based securities, derivatives and hedge funds?
The beauty of God’s economic plan is that it builds in the kind of regulatory oversight that is needed to keep us in check. Here’s how. First off, the further away one was from the year of Jubilee, the more valuable the property was. For instance if the concept of Jubilee were in place today and you went to buy a home three years before the year of Jubilee, you would only pay a fraction of the price because that property would be restored to its original owner in three years. Conversely if the year of Jubilee was 45 years way you would pay full price. So, if the year of Jubilee were to be in 2010, someone who received one of those sub-prime mortgages three years ago would not have to worry about going into foreclosure now because the price of the home would have made it affordable to begin with and the home would have reverted back to the person who sold it in the first place. So in essence, the sub-prime mortgage buyer would have been renting for three years. That’s the point. The existence of the Jubilee process would have prevented the condition that created the subprime meltdown.
When it comes to debt forgiveness, think of how that concept would impact lenders as well as debtors. The amount of money a bank would be willing to loan and the interest rate that would be economically viable to charge would be regulated by how close the next Jubilee or debt forgiveness year was.
We hear so much about the need for oversight, whether it be of Wall Street or corporate behavior on Main Street. The same holds true for all of us. Every household needs to keep an eye on spending and how it manages its finances. But in the past 50 years we have gone from a producer nation to a consumer nation. Led by our government, as a nation we have spent ourselves into debt and will have a difficult and painful time repaying it.
Now some economists could probably come up with compelling reasons why the concept of Jubilee and a seven year debt forgiveness policy would not work. I bet some of those same economists are the ones who have prescribed policies that got us into this mess in the first place. But since Jubilee, debt forgiveness and a twenty three percent flat tax are God’s ideas, seems to me we would be wise to give them serious consideration.
Can you imagine if team Obama introduced an economic plan that included institutionalized self regulation via debt forgiveness, oversight of the real estate markets via Jubilee and a flat tax of 23 percent where every third year all revenues would be given to help the poor?
Now that would be change to believe in.
Click here for an article about debt forgiveness written by an economist.
Click here for a recent article on the concept of Jubilee by Rabbi Arthur Waskow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
