Here’s my reasoning for listening to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM):

1) I like the sound of the music. The music appeals to me. I like band music and some solo artist stuff (though it sounds better when they use a BAND). I do not like country music, I do not like rap music. I do not like headbanger music, I do not like southern gospel music. Did I leave anything out?

2) I like the message, the reminders I hear in CCM. I’ve heard some people complain that they don’t or won’t listen to CCM because they do not believe all the songs to be theologically sound. I don’t care about that. I know what I believe and why I believe it. If a song doesn’t match my beliefs I’ll either ignore the whole thing or I’ll ignore the parts I don’t agree with and appreciate the rest of the song. If a song reminds me of one thing, say grace, love, hope, awe, then the song has done the trick for me.

3) It keeps my mind on the things of God. Plenty of things turn my thoughts aside throughout the day, but the music will help me regain my proper focus (if I let it).

4) I don’t like the messages I hear in secular music, for the most part. When I converted to Christian music, I tried going through my old CDs to find anything that wasn’t bad so that I could keep some of the sounds and voices that I liked. There weren’t any non-Christian CDs that didn’t have any objectionable material, and I only listened to “innocent” groups like Toad the Wet Sprocket, the Refreshments, Tonic, Bryan Adams, etc. Granted, if I had my CD burner back then I probably could have save a few songs, but no complete CDs. That’s just sad. There is no way I could justify listening to that filth. Music stays in my head a LONG time. I know that might not be profound, but I’m talking longer than most people I know. I heard the first few notes of a Bryan Adams song at Applebee’s the other day and immediately identified it though it has been over 5 YEARS since I heard any Bryan Adams. I don’t need to retain garbage in my head any longer than I already will.

It reminds me of this verse:

Phillipians 4:8–Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

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Ten Thousand Angels lyrics courtesy of the Caedmon’s Call Song Vault

Written by: Sandra McCracken
Appears on: Overdressed

Lyrics:

How long you have trembled, in darkness weeping
No rest in language, no words to speak
But there in the wreckage, beneath bricks and blindness
Love has come, love has come for you

Against the night sky of your waiting
Your face is like starlight when he walks in
Everything worth keeping it comes through dying
And love has come, love has come for you

So lift up your heart now to this unfolding
All that has been broken, it will be restored
And here runs deep waters for all who are thirsty
Cause love has come, love has come for you

Ten thousand angels will light your pathway
Until the day breaks fully in the east
And they will surround you and make your way straight
Cause love has come, love has come for you
Oh love has come, love has come for you

Dishwalla: “I want to remain/A child with you forever…”

Matthew 18:1 – 4 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Dishwalla: “What would you give?/Oh what would you give?”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son…”

Romans 5:7 – 8 (NIV) “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

What would you give?

This is going to be hard, not that you’ll know when looking at the finished product, but trust me, it will be hard.

Amount of music on your computer?

I’m not even sure I know how to find this out quick and easily…
357 Files according to the search function, which I don’t think is right because none of my iTunes are on the list’s end result. (Oh, and there are 7 iTunes songs.)

Currently listening to?

Chris Rice: Run the Earth/Watch the Sky

Five songs that mean a lot to you?

In no particular order:

“Wonder” by Chris Rice. This was an easy first one to think of. It is on the CD I’m currently listening to. This song reminds me of Ted Dekker book A Man Called Blessed. In the book a man who had lost his love for God spends time out in the desert just basking in God’s presence, sometime staring in the sky, looking at God and remembering in wonder the relationship that his Father wanted to have with him. This song reminds me to look to God in wonder. The wonder that is His love for me and the fellowship He desires of me.

“On My Cross” by FFH. This song is a perfect reminder of the love of Jesus. In concert it is riveting.

“Hope to Carry On” by Caedmon’s Call. This is the first Caedmon’s song I remember hearing. When I first decided to find some Christian music to replace my old music, I borrowed some WOW CDs. This was on the first CD I borrowed. I was hooked immediately. The rest is history.

“Missing Person” by Michael W Smith. This song was also on that WOW CD I borrowed. I remember this one hitting so close to home. I had a missing person I needed to find. I had wandered a long way from the little kid who had never had an earthly dad, but one day realized that God was fulfilling the role of every father I would ever need.

“Thief” by Third Day. I find this song captivating. A definite tear-jerker.

There are definitely as many songs as this, and more, that have a lot of meaning. These were just the first five that came up.

Top five albums?

Warren Barfield (Self Titled). I can’t seem to bring it in the house from out of my car. If I’m ever sick of whatever I have playing in the car, I can always pop this CD in and enjoy.

Caedmon’s Call (Self Titled). My first Caedmon’s CD. After hearing “Lead of Love”, “Not Enough” and “Coming Home” to go with “Hope to Carry On” I was a self proclaimed fanatic.

Smalltown Poets (Self Titled). This CD made me a hooked Poets fan. I’ve weathered a CD I didn’t like so much because I do like the band. The clips they have on their enhanced CDs, the video to “There Is Only You” and the excitement of seeing them in concert has elevated them on high in my musical rankings.

Sonicflood (Self Titled). My first Sonicflood experience. They introduced the worship album to me the way I like it.

I Want To Be Like You (FFH). This CD began my FFH obsession and, while it has been up and down, they still make enough music that I enjoy.

Last album bought?

According to the Menu bar on my site (which won’t keep the Recent CD and Readings in order like I want )…It’s Later Than It’s Ever Been by Smalltown Poets.

Recent discoveries?

I’d probably like more Todd Agnew if I listened to it.

And the baton goes to:
Eric!

For my sociology class we had to write a 2 page paper about sociological aspects of a song or poem. It had to touch on 2 different themes we had talked about in class. I chose this song as it had to do with class/caste and religion. Today I’ll be playing the song for the entire class . Here’s page number one: the interpretation. If you are interested in page two: how it relates to what we read in our book, I can post that as well.

“Share the Well” is a song about inequality in the caste system of India. In India, the Dalit are the Untouchables. They are treated as less than human and shunned by the rest of Indian society.

This song specifically reflects the fact that many, if not all, of the Dalit live in their ostracized villages with no well of their own from which to draw water. These downcasts are forced to take their empty jars and beg at the well of the upper caste in hopes that some kind soul will share water with them. The Dalit are not allowed to use the upper caste’s well themselves as others would then consider the well to be defiled. Sometimes the Dalit may travel many miles on foot away from their homes just to sit by a well all day long looking for a handout that may not even come. Other castes are not prone to associate with the “Untouchables”, and many well users may come and go without giving any heed to the beggar sitting at their feet.

This song challenges the idea, though, that this is acceptable or even natural. “Do you think the water knows…” Obviously the water itself does not care who drinks it or what village it is consumed in. If it were unnatural for anyone to have access to water, then water would naturally shy away from him or her. To this some would say “there is no water in their village, therefore they are not supposed to have any.” However, the Dalit live without water because they are shunned from water-rich areas, not because the water avoids them. Why should anyone be “cast aside and left to thirst” just because of the family they were born into and nothing more?

“All God’s creatures share the water hole…” This line reflects that, in the animal kingdom, even mortal enemies will share water if they have been without for extended periods of time. The lion will drink from one side while the zebra drinks from another. At that moment they are thankful (as much as animals can be) that they even have water and are not worried about the natural order of the food chain (plus, what lion would choose to eat a dehydrated zebra over a healthy one?). Are people so less advanced than animals that they are unable to share water peacefully?

Finally the song challenges people’s perception that there is nothing they can do about this atrocity. If a person has money, there is some kind of relief effort they can donate to in order to make sure that other humans have access to something as simple, but absolutely necessary, as water. If a person has time, they can volunteer their abilities to the same or other efforts to relieve such inhumane conditions. And, lastly, if you have Living Water (the word of God) and are willing to share with others, not only can conditions be relieve, but the attitudes that lead to the conditions can be altered. If you donate water to someone like the Dalit, they only have what you give them for the time it lasts. Once it is gone they thirst again. If you share Living Water with them and others around them, the lives of all can change so that the higher castes will be willing to share anything, including water, with the lower castes. The next time a Dalit is sitting by a well, a higher caste who has received and accepted this Living Water will be only too willing to dip down deep, haul up as much water as needed and share the well.

Here’s my reasoning for listening to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM):

1) I like the sound of the music. The music appeals to me. I like band music and some solo artist stuff (though it sounds better when they use a BAND). I do not like country music, I do not like rap music. I do not like headbanger music, I do not like southern gospel music. Did I leave anything out?

2) I like the message, the reminders I hear in CCM. I’ve heard some people complain that they don’t or won’t listen to CCM because they do not believe all the songs to be theologically sound. I don’t care about that. I know what I believe and why I believe it. If a song doesn’t match my beliefs I’ll either ignore the whole thing or I’ll ignore the parts I don’t agree with and appreciate the rest of the song. If a song reminds me of one thing, say grace, love, hope, awe, then the song has done the trick for me.

3) It keeps my mind on the things of God. Plenty of things turn my thoughts aside throughout the day, but the music will help me regain my proper focus (if I let it).

4) I don’t like the messages I hear in secular music, for the most part. When I converted to Christian music, I tried going through my old CDs to find anything that wasn’t bad so that I could keep some of the sounds and voices that I liked. There weren’t any non-Christian CDs that didn’t have any objectionable material, and I only listened to “innocent” groups like Toad the Wet Sprocket, the Refreshments, Tonic, Bryan Adams, etc. Granted, if I had my CD burner back then I probably could have save a few songs, but no complete CDs. That’s just sad. There is no way I could justify listening to that filth. Music stays in my head a LONG time. I know that might not be profound, but I’m talking longer than most people I know. I heard the first few notes of a Bryan Adams song at Applebee’s the other day and immediately identified it though it has been over 5 YEARS since I heard any Bryan Adams. I don’t need to retain garbage in my head any longer than I already will.

It reminds me of this verse:

Phillipians 4:8–Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

I’m not going to do a big, long review like I did for Caedmon’s Call–Share the Well. I only want to say two small things.

1) If I had an opportunity to edit the lyrics, there are a few things I would change. Maybe minor things, but I think it would make the song sound better.

2) Get this guy a backup vocalist. There are a lot of places where a back up harmonizer would sound great, but apparently the band is lacking in this area. Spend some of that money giving another guy some vocal lessons. It will only help.

Those two things said, I like this CD a little more every time I listen. (I think I’m only on my third run-through.) A little more each time is a lot better than none at all each time considering my initial thoughts. Also, it’s worlds better than a little worse each time.

PS: On one song, “When You Spoke My Name”, the guitar reminds me of the band Who Stands? CD–For the Love of God (no link. Reilly culpa)

With money being tight in our house, and with me being as picky as I am, I find that I don’t buy a lot of music unless 1) I know I will like it, or 2) it is from a band that I am loyal to.

1) For bands I do know now well, I set a standard as to whether I will spend the money for the new CD or not. I have to hear and like at least 3 songs off a specific CD before I will decide to loosen the wallet strings and pay money for it. Unfortunately this is not always easy. Most of the time the radio is my #1 source of new music. When this is the case, the radio stations have to play 3 songs of the same CD and I have to like all three before I buy. You can see potential problems there. The radio, or whoever, decides which songs I hear…and which I don’t. This could be trouble since most of the time when I buy new music the song or two I like best off the CD never makes it to the radio. I don’t know who or how the radio singles are chosen but I do know “Nobody Asks Me First” and that is a darned shame. Another problem with the radio approach is that even many of my favorite bands don’t release 3 single from the same CD, so if I used that criterium I wouldn’t even buy my favorite music. That’s why there are more ways.

Sometimes I will borrow a CD or listen to one with a friend. If I like the overall content, I will buy it for myself. This is much more fair to the artist, but again is dependent on someone else’s choice (my friend chooses to buy the CD). This CD swapping is something I should really try more often to expand my horizons, but I never really thought about a conscious effort to do this until now. Kudos, Geof. *writes down idea*

The last way I might find a new band is if they open at a concert I go to. At the FFH concert Warren Barfield opened and really impressed me. Afterward I felt sorry that no one wanted him to sign anything in the autograph line, but I had decided that I could find his CD cheaper at Wal*Mart than it was selling for in the vestibule (remember my money troubles). Contrastingly, at the Mark Schultz concert, Matthew West didn’t appeal to me at all, so I didn’t buy his CD (not even at Wal*Mart).

2) The bands I know I like (many listed to the right) I keep track of when they have new releases coming out and I budget money to grab the CD ASAP. I will keep doing this until the band disappoints me, as Smalltown Poets did with Third Verse. I haven’t grabbed their new one yet, but from what little I’ve heard I am getting excited about it (their new website design, however, has also disappointed me :sigh:).

Now onto listening. I just realized that so far nothing has been about listening, but it has all been about purchasing. I’ll keep that part in there for free.

When I buy a new CD it goes directly into the car CD player. It will stay there until I finally feel I need a change (which could be months) or I buy a new CD. The better I like the CD, the less likely I will feel the need to swap it out. The more I like the first CD will determine how long the second CD I buy stays in before I take it out to put the first one in again. After my new CD(s) are sufficiently ingrained into my being I will go back to swapping in old music that I want to listen to again.

Geof’s post has a lot to do with how much play time your Cd gets depending whether or not you like what you are hearing. I can’t say it works that way for me since 99% of the time I only buy stuff that I already know I’ll like. There are no progressions from occasional, to more frequent listening. Actually, quite the opposite is true. When my new CDs are no longer new to me, they eventually move out of the car into the 200 CD changer in the living room. There they stay until I get the urge to once more bring them back to the car for a couple weeks.

This is the summation of my music listening life.