I had a really good chat with one of my cousins this afternoon about music and he told me a few things that really got me thinking, so I will share with you. He had a secular music magazine and there were at least 3 articles/frontpage/spotlights on different Christian bands that are making it big... in heavy metal music. I am so delighted to hear about this!! It is about time that Christian music should rival secular music in other areas than gospel/county/light contemperary genres!! No offense to those types of music, there is nothing wrong with them, and each has there own place.. it's just that not everyone shares the same taste in music! Now I know some people may think that heavy metal and Christian should not be in the same sentance, but please here me out..
I am thinking along the lines of 'being in the world, not of the world' and I feel very strongly about this! Being raised in a small town/religous setting, I could have fallen into line and remained sheltered, but that's not who I am! I made a point to educate myself in what people do and think in this world, not because I want to believe it, but because I want to understand how and why people do the things they do. If I am talking to someone, I want to be able to know and understand what they are talking about (secular/current news, arts, activities) so that I can better agree or disagree or debate different issues - if I wasn't current I wouldn't have any clue what they were talking about. I think it's SO important to be aware of things going on so that I, as a Christian, can relate to non-Christians. If I kept myself in a little Christian bubble that was only concerned about Christian 'things/topics', how would I ever be able to relate to someone not concerned with Christian 'things'? Now this is not some passport to allowing a person to do whatever they want for the sake of 'educating' themselves, learning about things and actively participating are two different things! As Christian's, lets not dumb ourselves down about the things that go on around us! (again I'm not suggesting that you subject children to these different things, I believe in age appropriateness)
So back to music, I think it is AWESOME that there are Christian heavy metal bands that are making it big in the secular 'world'; it's an incredible outreach opportunity!! For example, a Christian metal band came to our city to a local lounge/bar to perform, before they started they share a few words about the fact that Jesus Christ loves you just the way you are, before they started their music. What a fantastic way for them to witness! I hope that soon there are more Beyonce's, more Usher's, more James Blunt's, more Coldplay's in Christian music!!! Now not to say there aren't a few that have broken into the secular scene (props to them!!) but we need more! I personally have a hard time always listening to Christian music, because I haven't found the genre/quality that catches my attention and can keep it there. (now I do occasionally listen to Christian music, my music changes with my moods so you can guess how hard it would be to find something that's Christian with every mood!)
So whether or not you can appreciate heavy metal music, next time you hear 'heavy Christian music' blaring from some speakers, just think of the outreach possibilities to all those young punks!! :)
It was a beautiful day out!! A little wind, but I couldn't have asked for better!!
Grandma giving K some dessert :)
Birthday boy :)
The World of Warcraft cake.. (the computer game my DH plays)
The spread.. and this is just the appetizers :) we had ribs, roast, baked potatoes, salads and some yummy ice cream desserts.
