Rock and Roll.....and Jesus?

Some followers of Christ would frown upon those words being spoken in the same breath.  Listening to rock music is not something a Christian should be doing according to some fundamental groups.  As a musician and a Christian I want to discuss why the two can go together.  There are many Christian artists out there who have been given the gift of music and use it to glorify God through rock music. 

I grew up in a musical family and a Christian family.  Both my parents sang opera in local productions and served God in church choirs.  I loved singing all the hymns and songs of praise at church.  I enjoyed being a bell-ringer in the children’s choir.  My sister and I took piano lessons briefly.  I started playing the violin the summer after fourth grade.  I found it more expressive than other instruments.  My grandfather Munzer had played violin in the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra.  He wanted me to become a concert violinist.   I had other plans.

As a music education major in college, I listened to and studied a lot of classical music and composers.  I loved playing pieces by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.  Many classical pieces were written for the church.  Our college orchestra participated in a performance of The Messiah.   Some classical pieces were more secular in nature.  Swan Lake is my favorite ballet.  I got to see it a couple of times when I lived near Boston.  Tchaikovsky was a brilliant composer.  He was probably not a Christian, but given a musical gift.  According to some Christian groups, the sorcery in the story of Swan Lake makes it something we should avoid.  That could also exclude the Nutcracker and numerous other ballets and operas.  But that’s another discussion for another day.

I have had a deep love for rock music since junior high.  I’m a rocker chick.  There’s just something about electric guitars, bass guitars and drums playing loudly that really get into the soul.   I’m sure I confused people in my college dorm.  One minute there was the sound of a lone violin practicing a Bach concerto coming from my room.  The next minute, Led Zeppelin or Van Halen would be blasting through the walls.  (I married a guy who also plays violin and loves rock music.)

After attending Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusade a few years back, I began listening to rock bands that also professed belief in Jesus Christ.  This was where I first heard Jeremy Camp.  Seventh Day Slumber was also there.  That fall had been a difficult one.  My friend Leslie was dying from pancreatic cancer and a very young family member had been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor.  The music that I heard at that event gave me comfort and hope.  I learned of other Christian artists on K-Love radio and Air 1 radio.

 

The other night, my husband and I went to the “Rock and Worship Road Show”, a concert of nine Christian rock artists.  It was amazing.  Thousands of people young and old filled the HP Pavillion in San Jose to see Jeremy Camp, Luminate, Mercy Me, Kutless and others.  The cost was only ten bucks to see over three hours of live music.  In between songs, the lead singer for each band professed his faith in Christ and gave the gospel message.  Throughout the evening, the gospel was spoken many times, not just once.  Scripture was quoted, and the Bible was opened up and read from. 

These bands may look like typical rockers with long hair, tattoos and even blond dreads.  Their music may initially sound like generic rock/heavy metal music.  But they aren’t singing about girls or cars.  They are singing about Christ, and His love for us.  They are singing about how Christ rescued them from sin, despair, addiction and from themselves.  What powerful testimony that is.  We give our personal testimonies in church in the spoken form all the time.  It’s hard to get up in front of people and tell them what you used to be and the things that you did before Christ got a hold of you.  Other believers listen to your testimony and are inspired.  It’s awesome to learn how Christ has worked in someone’s broken life.

If you think about it, we already present the gospel message in different ways.  We translate the Bible into different languages so that even someone in the far reaches of China can hear it and understand it.  So why not use different types of music to proclaim the gospel and to give testimony.  Look, we’re not talking holding church at a bar over beers.  We’re talking music. There are a lot of hurting people out there.  They can be reached by meeting them where they’re at, by relating to their pain and sharing how Jesus saves and has the power to change lives.  This is what Christian rock does.

Take a look at the lyrics to the song “Invisible” by a band called Disciple:  You’ve got my attention/there’s no need to hurt yourself this way/you think no one will notice you’re feeling/when you cry yourself to sleep/you feel stuck on the outside looking inside/wishing this life wasn’t your life/and you think you’re damaged way beyond repair/well you’re not so far that I can’t get to where you are/you wish you were someone else/every night you fall to pieces/knowing you can’t save yourself/I can see you, I can hear you/there’s a place where the broken go/there’s a room full of second chances/you’re not stranded on your own/you’re not invisible./I’m ready to listen/there’s no need to hold it all inside/the smallest whisper/I hear it when your strength has all but died/I need you to believe me/can you trust me/that what you see is not what I see/the reflection in the mirror’s telling lies/cause nothing you have done could change how much I love you/ you’re not invisible/I can see you as you’re falling on your knees/You’re not invisible to Me.

This is a song called “Breathe Into Me” by Red:  And this is how it feels when I/ignore the words you spoke to me/and this is where I lose myself/when I keep running away from you/and this is who I am when/when I don’t know myself anymore/and this is what I choose/when it’s all left up to me/breathe your life into me/I can feel you/I’m falling, falling faster/breathe your life into me/I still need you/I’m falling, falling/breathe into me breathe into me/and this is how it looks when I am standing on the edge/and this is how I break apart/when I finally hit the ground/and this is how it hurts/when I pretend I don’t feel any pain/and this is how I disappear/when I throw myself away.

Disciple explains how Jesus is the “Remedy”: I see the world in black and gray/broken dreams of a runaway/escape the world to medicate/symptoms gone but disease remains/if the vision dies will it ever breathe again?/oh, I’ve got to let go of the illusion/this is the end of me/You are my remedy/Oh it’s taking its toll-this pollution/this is the end of me/You are my remedy/where you stop is where you’ll start again.

Jeremy Camp delivers the gospel through his lyrics.  Here is “Lay Down My Pride”: Every single word I say/ You know it before I speak/You know every thought/ the deepest part of me/You draw me closer than I see/Your presence is everything I need to be/The child that You've created me to be/(I'm ready now to see it Your way)/Lay down my pride, my desires, my demise/I'm ready now to see it Your way/'Cause I'm done, I'm through/ignoring You now it's true/I'm kneeling at the cross of Your grace/Lay down my pride/I was faced with passing time/ but I knew the choice was mine/To finally come to You and give You all control/I've wandered miles to find my way/And then You revealed this simple faith/I know that You can see the secrets of my soul.

Camp’s “Jesus Saves” is a wonderful song of praise: Hope is here/ shout the news to everyone/It's a new day, peace has come/Jesus saves/Mercy triumphs at the cross/Love is come to rescue us/ Jesus saves/Hope is here what a joyful noise we'll make/As we join with heaven's song/To let all the world know that Jesus saves/Raise a shout to let all the world know that Jesus saves/Free at last, every debt has been repaid/Broken hearts can be remade/ Jesus saves/Sing above the storms of life/ sing through the darkest night/Jesus saves/Free at last, what a joyful noise we'll make/As we join with heaven's song/To let all the world know that Jesus saves/Raise a shout to let all the world know that Jesus saves.

Kutless’ song “Carry Me” says this:   I can see thru the laughter/I know you've cried your share of tears/But you don't have to do this by yourself/You tell me that you feel abandoned/Carrying the weight of all this pain inside/You trust in someone else/But you're crying out for help/I'm a believer/That He's strong enough to hold you now where you are/I'm a believer/In the One who's always reaching out to your heart/He understands you/There's not a greater love that you'll find in this life/I'm a believer in Christ/You're trying to escape the landslide/Running from the choices that you've made/When will you surrender to His grace/He promises He'll never leave you/Offering to free you from your past/Cause that's the sacrifice He's made/He can be your shelter and your strength/No matter what you've done/Or how far you've run/There is hope for you/For every broken heart/He'll meet you where you are/He will rescue you/Let Him rescue you.

There are so many more Christian pop/rock songs out there that praise God, and give testimony to His greatness and power to change lives.  I am providing some links to a few of my favorites for you to listen to if you wish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q6o4sbndVE    Jeremy Camp “The Way”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8AB0vUU038   Jeremy Camp “Overcome”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvRqqawd6VI   Disciple “Invisible”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0C2s_UKITQ  Disciple  "Remedy"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1JBSQMkQEo  Kutless  "What Faith Can Do"

 

Also check out Decyfer Down, Skillet, Third Day, MercyMe and Toby Mac.

Is the Grass Really Greener?

 

This past Sunday, or pastor used the phrase that we are all familiar with: “The grass is always greener on the other side”.  He was talking about how Satan can deceive us into thinking there are better things out there for us than what we already have.  It got me thinking how that could play out.  You’ve got your yard.  It looks okay, but as you are standing on your grass you look over and notice that the neighbor across the street has what appears to be a perfectly manicured lawn.  The color of the grass is just gorgeous.  You think to yourself, man how come my yard doesn’t look that good.  I want my yard to be like that.  I want that yard!  You think, my yard is so boring and dull.  I really don’t like it anymore.  It starts to bother you more and more.  You keep seeing that perfect yard every time you step out of your house.  Sometimes you even gaze at it from your window and imagine yourself over there laying in that gorgeous grass on a sunny day.  You can just imagine the smell of the freshly cut grass. There is a statue with a fountain running from it.  You imagine throwing a big party over on that lawn and how happy you’d be and how proud you would be that it was your lawn instead of the neighbor’s.  Life would be so much better over there.

One day you decide to go for it.  You leave your yard and head over to the more perfect yard.  But when you get there, you immediately observe that you have stepped onto artificial grass.  That grass is as fake as grandma’s teeth.  There’s no fresh-cut grass smell.  You check the fountain.   It’s made of cheap plastic and the water has this brownish tint and odor to it.  You sure didn’t notice that from your yard.  And there are some nasty looking insects buzzing around.   Now that you’re in this yard, you realize that it’s not at all what you thought it would be, dreamed it would be.  But it looked so good from a distance.  James 1:14-15 says” but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

Perhaps you are feeling bored with your husband or wife.  There’s a cute new gal at work or hunky guy at the gym.  You might start imagining what your life would be like with that person.  You start up a conversation.  She’s so charming and friendly and has the most interesting stories.  She makes you feel like you’re in high school or college again.  Before you know it, you’ve gone there.  It happens all the time, unfortunately.  Marriages and families are destroyed because someone thought the grass looked greener somewhere else.  You traded in your wife for a newer model (as they say).  You left your husband for someone more handsome or richer.  But the grass isn’t really greener.  If you are thinking about a trade-in, think again.  That hunky guy probably has a lot of baggage (like lots of ex-girlfriends), or spends lots of money gambling, or has the wandering eye.  That little gal at work might really be using you to advance her own career, or will at some point, think you too old for her and trade you in. 

Take care of your own yard.  Nurture it and enjoy it for what it is.  So what if it’s not perfect.  Neither are we.  There is someone who can help us with our struggles and help us to be content with what we have.  Jesus can help us to resist looking elsewhere for excitement and satisfaction.  He can also help mend broken hearts if you have one of those. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us that we can cast all our burdens on Him because He cares.

Why Jesus?

I admit it.  I was rebellious and angry toward God for a long time.  My parents took me to church from the time I was born.  I got baptized at 9.  I guess I just didn’t really get it though.  Anyone can claim to be a Christian, but what does that really mean?

A lot of not-so-good things happened in my life.  No one lives a perfect life.  Actually, one person did, and I’ll talk about that later.  My life….having to deal with a mentally ill parent who when she had episodes would kind of be fanatical about Jesus.  As a young teen this was hard to see and understand.  I think it turned my sister and me off to religion.  I lost someone dear to me when I was 18 to a motorcycle accident.  I might have married the guy had he lived.  My friend’s mom tried to comfort me with religious words.  But I was angry at God and didn’t understand why Eddie had to die at 17.  I hated my mom for being sick and trying to control every aspect of my life and thoughts.  I went into a really bad part of my life after that. My friends who went through it with me remember. My dad was a strong support to me from that time on.  I attended a Presbyterian college but wouldn’t step foot into the chapel.  I was rebellious, angry and got into all kinds of un-godly things. 

Like many others, I was looking for the meaning of life and understanding.  I turned to the New Age movement, meditation etc.  This continued through my move to Boston.  I lived in a teacher dorm my first year at the boarding school.  God had placed a few Christian women there who helped to soften my heart.  One night during a meditation class these words came into my mind so strongly I could not ignore them.  “This is wrong!”  That night I let go of the New Age movement and went back to God with the help of Christine across the hall.  I attended church with my friends off and on and in between relationships. 

After my move to California, I didn’t have time to go to church.  I wanted to, but with working 6 days a week and Sunday being my only day off, it just didn’t happen.  I thought of myself as a Christian, but at that point was still pro-choice.  Why should someone want to bring an unwanted kid into the world.  Why didn’t those pro-lifers just adopt all those unwanted babies if they were so against abortion.  What was the big deal about aborting an unwanted pregnancy anyway?  That’s what we all were told by television and magazines we were supposed to do.   I got married and we struggled with infertility for some time (see "Babies, Babies, Babies"). 

Again, God was faithful and placed a Christian in my path.  I met Eileen while at the park, who had a newborn baby like me.  She invited me to her Bible study again and again for about 2 years.  I finally agreed and went.  Through the study I learned about God’s word and how to apply its truths to my life.  I had never really studied it in depth before.  I had kind of looked at passages here and there but didn’t understand a lot of it.  During this time God changed my heart toward many things. I realized how every life was a precious gift, even a little tiny baby.  It wasn’t just a bunch of tissue like some would suggest.  God handcrafted each one of us individually in our mother’s womb.  Even a child with Down’s or any other “defect” is His child and loved by Him.  I had a blood test come back positive for Down’s when I was pregnant with Jack.  I was devastated, but knew I would not be able to abort him if it were true.  Well, these stupid tests can be misleading and wrong.  Jack turned out to be a normal little guy.

So, why Jesus?  Because He saved my life!  He changed my heart and gave me a new life. He gives me hope for eternal life with God our Father.  How is that possible, you might ask?

Jesus lived a perfect life when he walked on this earth.  He interacted with people who did lots of bad things, just like me.  He showed them love.  He accepted them “as is”.  That’s not to say he’d be okay with letting them continue doing those bad things.  Jesus required his followers to leave their lives full of sin and repent from them.  Now, we have been separated from God because of sin.  It goes back to the Adam and Eve incident. None of us are good enough, pure enough, smart enough, or can work hard enough to be worthy of being with God for eternity.  But God had a plan.  In the Old Testament days, animal blood was used to cover the sins of the people.  That was only a temporary fix, like patching up a flat tire.  God sent His son Jesus to be a one-time sacrifice for sin to cover anyone who put their faith and trust in Jesus.  Jesus was put to death on the cross, but defeated death by coming back to life.  People saw Him, and interacted with Him after he was resurrected, and wrote accounts of it.  When someone believes in Jesus and what He did, that person is given a new heart.  The Holy Spirit is given to you as a deposit for your upcoming eternal life with God.  The Holy Spirit helps to change you to become more like Jesus.  It’s like letting someone else take the wheel and drive you through life.  You get to know Jesus through the Bible and learn to trust Him because of what He did for you.  You allow God to work in your life and mold you into what HE wants you to be.  It’s not easy, especially if you are someone with a very rebellious spirit like me.  It’s hard to make changes in behavior and thinking.  It’s hard to admit that you might be doing things that go against God’s character. 

I stopped hating my mom just before she died.  I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own.  I know that. God changed my heart toward her, and helped me to forgive her for all that she put us through.  God freed me from all that anger and resentment.  I’m not the same person that I used to be, even who I was a few years ago. I’m still a work-in-progress like all other believers.  Followers of Jesus trust Him to mold us into His image.  And it is a choice.  No one can force you to follow Him or to believe in Him.  Maybe you don’t feel you’re good enough for Him.  You’ve done lots of bad things.  Jesus will meet you where you’re at right now. When you trust that He is who He says He is, and that He died FOR YOU,  you will be saved.  It's the beginning of a new life.  And I am so very grateful for the new life He gave me.