If you are just starting the "Song Choice" series now, then I strongly advise you to check out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday's posts before you continue reading this. 

The Bad Song is somewhat self-explanatory, in my opinion.  A song that fits into The Bad Song category is going to go against the guidelines of Philippians 4:8.  Before labeling a song as a Good Song or Bad Song or Neutral Song, then you may want to use this list that is based off of Philippians 4:8:

• Does the song have a deceitful message that contradicts something in God's Word?
• Is there anything in this song that does not honor God?  Is there anything that dishonors a gender, race, or Christianity?  Is there anything that is not honorable?
• Is there anything within this song that is flat out wrong or even questionable to your Christian morals and values?  Does the song go against something that you believe in as a follower of the Lord?  
• Does the song contain impure lyrics?
• Does the song have lyrics that aren't "lovely" and "excellent"?  For instance, are there any ugly or violent or angry lyrics?  
• Would you be ashamed to praise this song to a Christian leader who you admire and respect?  Would you be ashamed to praise this song to God?  Does this song praise anything that is not true, honorable, etc.?
  

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then your song probably needs to be put into the "Bad Song" category... no matter how much you hate to admit it.  There are many Bad Songs that are catchy.  You may be thinking in your head right now, "Oh no, I can list several 'Bad' songs that I like, and I don't know if I want to give them up." 

Do you know a common excuse that people use to justify what they listen to?  You may have used this excuse many times.  "Well, I like this song, but all I really listen to the beat, not the lyrics."  Don't lie to yourself.  When you say this, you are not only lying to your own heart, but you are lying to God.  It is impossible to only listen to the music.  Impossible.  The words are pouring into your head each time you play that song, no matter what you try to focus your attention on. 

I was attending a high school chapel session one day when a speaker came and starting talking about some of the inappropriate music that we listen to (we being young Christians), and he asked us why we listen to some of the bad songs that we do.  One student used the exact same excuse: "I just listen to the beat and tune and stuff.  I don't listen to the words."  The speaker announced soon after that we were going to play a game.  He would play a short clip of a popular song from the secular media, and we were supposed to finish the verse.  Fun, right?  He played probably four or five songs, and we were able to finish all of them, singing out the words with pride at our vast music knowledge.  But towards the end of this exercise, my friends and I looked at each other with a sudden shame.  Why were we grinning, proud of our accomplishments?  The words that we were singing were not good at all.  They talked about sex, alcohol, and even suicide.  So much for only listening to the music part.   

See, the deal is, you can say that you're going to ignore the words to the song and only listen to the instrumental side, but the words are entering your head either way.  They're there.  And you know them.  Think about your favorite song with not-so-great lyrics.  You know the words to that song.  When you hear the song on the radio, you know when the bad parts come on.  You can probably even sing most of the song without the music.  Don't kid yourself.  Don't justify it to yourself.   

When you are purposely listening to a song that flat out disrespects God's Word and Philippians 4:8, then that means you are disrespecting what God has asked you to keep out of your mind.  There are some songs that are going to be up to you to decide for yourself whether or not they are "Bad," but then there are some songs- many, actually- that just are Bad, no doubt about it.  You can't change it.  They're not good.  They're not iffy.  They're not neutral.  They go against God, and so they're Bad.  

"Okay, I get it.  I've been listening to bad music.  But I really do like some of it, and I don't know how to summon the will it takes to stop listening to this kind of music.  I don't know if I can stop... I don't even really like most plain Christian music!" you might be thinking.  And that's tough.  It's hard to change the music that you like, and it's even harder to delete a song that you've listened to a million times and that you still enjoy after all this time. 

But you know what?  You can do it.  Don't say you can't, because you can.  You have God on your side, and He can always help you.  No temptation goes beyond what you can bear. 

If you have the problem of feeling like you can't stop listening to Bad Songs, then please keep reading over the next few weeks.  On Saturdays, I'll be reviewing some of these secular artists... but on Sundays, I'm going to be finding some possible replacement Christian artists who have good music and similar sounds to artist featured the Saturday before.  Contrary to what you might think, not all Christian music sounds the same... and not all Christian music contains a simple, boring, four-chord progression.   

As unified brothers and sisters in Christ, we can work together to be set apart from the world.  We can help each other to stay away from music that turns our thoughts and our hearts from God.  Believe it or not, worldly music is hindering to your relationship with Christ. 

It's always a struggle to overcome temptation, but you can do it.  If you need a prayer, some advice, or if you have an opinion or Bible verse to contradict or support today's post, then submit your comment below or send me an email.  I would love to hear from you.

And this ends this week's "Song Choice" series.  I hope this has opened your eyes to some of the things that you're putting into your head.  Researching this has sure opened my eyes to this issue, and I am absolutely glad that I have begun this topic.  There are some songs that I am going to have to delete from my playlist, and there are some songs that I am going to have to pray about.  All I know is that I'm striving to glorify God, and I am willing to make any sacrifice to reach the place where He wants me to be.  Nothing is worth disappointing my Savior and my Father, not even music.

Today's photos came from here, here, and here.    

Please check out the posts from Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to catch up, if you're starting here.

Today's topic has actually had me struggling to write what God wants me to write.  I actually wrote out a survey, passed it out to a couple of kids at school, and even posted it on a forum at SusieMag.com.  I got some great responses from other young, Christian teens that helped spur me on to go ahead and write this post, a day late. 

What I mean by "The Almost Good With A Little Bit Of Bad Mixed In Song" is pretty self explanatory.  This kind of song- to save screen space- will also be known as "The Iffy Song."  Have you ever liked a song because of its catchy tune, and then stopped to listen to the lyrics and thought, "Whoa... I didn't know that was in there!"  There have been so many instances like this in my life.  One of my favorite songs is "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz... but it has the "d-word" in the lyrics.  Another song that I enjoy is "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas, but it takes God's Name in vain at least twice.  There are so many other cool songs like these two that are so fun, so likable, so catchy... but then there's that teeny-tiny little thing that makes them iffy. 

So are they okay to listen to?

This is a tough one for me because I do like some of these "iffy" songs, and I am almost afraid that if I say that it is a sin to listen to them, then I will not only be a hypocrite... but I'll have to stop listening to these songs.  And I love these songs!

This week, I have been praying constantly to God that He will show me the truth about the music that I put into my ears, and what I have decided to do today is put up a short series of questions below and let you decide for yourself. 

1.  Does the "iffy" part in this song turn you away from God at all?  I mean, has this song put a naughty phrase or word or idea in your head more than you would think about it than usual?  Have you found yourself singing along with the lyrics, even the "iffy" ones? 

2.  On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the worst, how bad is the worst part of your song?  Is the word "hell" used inappropriately once or is there a raunchy paragraph about a sexual encounter?   Think about it... some words and some lyrics are worse than others. 

3.  How do you feel about the fact that you, as a follower of Christ, are listening to a song with an "iffy" part that does not glorify God while there are people who are being tortured and killed right now around the world because they are standing up for God as outspoken Christians?  Does this song set you apart from the world or make you blend in more than you should?

4.  Can you get a clean, radio-edit version of this song?  For example, "Teardrops on My Guitar" by Taylor Swift can be purchased without the one cuss word.  In my small opinion, the edited version of that song is automatically moved to the "Neutral Song" list. 

5.  What do your parents think about this song?  Do they disapprove of what you're listening to, or do they say, "I think this song is okay for you."  Their opinion does matter.

I think that for the most part, the "iffy" songs do need to go.  Jesus wants us to serve Him with our lives, and that may involve sacrificing the fun things that are a part of blending in with the world.  The Lord has called us to be Set Apart.  Jesus made the sacrifice of being beaten, mocked, and murdered on a cross for you and for me.  The least we could do is sacrifice a few awesome songs that don't glorify Him.  Think about it. 

I'm not going to sit here and say, "Every single "iffy" song out there is bait from the devil, and if you listen to these songs, then you're a horrible Christian!"  Ultimately, your song choice depends on your heart.  My song choice depends on my heart.

However, I do strongly encourage you to sit down and talk to God.  Get His opinion.  Let Him speak to you and help you to decide how to clean up your playlist.  After all, He does know best.

Do you have anything to add to what I've said above?  Comment your opinions, questions, and verses in the comment box below or send me an email.  I'd love to hear your input on this topic.

The pictures from today's post came from here and here.      

If you start reading now, then you will be very confused.  Please check out the posts from Monday and Tuesday to catch up. 

What I consider to be a "Neutral Song" is a song that doesn't have anything bad in it... it pretty much follows the guidelines set in place by Philippians 4:8... but it doesn't really have anything that good in it either.  Its message isn't phenomenal, but it isn't bad.  It's just a nice song.  It's okay.  Basically, you aren't corrupting your mind, but you aren't really improving your thoughts either. 

In my opinion, there is no right or wrong when it comes to listening to Neutral Songs.  It is up to you.  You probably won't get anything out of it, but that doesn't have to be an issue.  Sometimes, it's okay to just lean back with a pointless song and stop thinking about the message.  It also may have a lot of talent in the instrumental and musical area, but not so much meat in the actual lyric area.  And that's okay. 

There are going to be times when we need to be fed by song lyrics, but Good Songs aren't always necessary.  Music doesn't have to be some intense process where you feel like you're constantly having to gain something out of the content.  It doesn't always have to be that way.  Adding Neutral Songs to the mix isn't going to hurt a thing. 

Some examples of Neutral Songs are "Our Song" by Taylor Swift, "Bella Luna" by Jason Mraz, "The Little Things" by Colbie Caillat, "Love Bug" by the Jonas Brothers, and "L.O.V.E." by Nat King Cole. 

There can also be Neutral Songs in the Christian music industry.  Unless an artist is strictly worship or simply amazing, there are going to be fairly empty, neutral, fun songs in the album... and that is fine!  "Gibberish" by Relient K comes to mind, along with Veggie Tales' "Everybody's Got A Water Buffalo," and "Sore Eyes" by Brandon Heath. 

And always remember that you can get something from every song.  There is always a hidden meaning somewhere amongst the lyrics, and if you are out to search for something to impact you, then you will find it if you look hard enough.  Every one of the songs I mentioned above has a meaning... and just because they are not life-shattering, they are not completely empty.  You can find something.  Just know that you aren't required to search out a meaning with Neutral Songs.  They can always be just for fun. 

What are some Neutral Songs that you love or hate?  Do you agree that there are Neutral Songs at all, or do you think that they should be Good or Bad?  Leave your comment and opinion in the comment box below or send me an email.  I love to hear from you. 

Stay tuned tomorrow to read more about "The Almost Good With A Tiny Bit Of Bad Mixed In Song."  It should be interesting.

Today's pictures came from here and here.      

If you have not checked out yesterday's post, then please do so now, or you will have no idea what I am talking about, fair warning.

I thought I would start out with "The Good Song" because it is fairly easy to describe.  In fact, you probably know what kind of song that I am talking about. 

In the secular music industry, there are songs that carry great messages, no matter if they have a "Christian" label or not.  There are Good Songs in every genre of music.  No cussing or dishonorable topic, a good message, complete truth... they might even have lyrics, no matter how unintentionally, that will carry your thoughts to God. 

This may be an obvious example, but "Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood is a good country song with a great message.  "How to Save A Life" by the Fray is also a Good Song.  If you really want to go out on a limb, songs like "Dreams" by Van Halen have a good message, and the same with "In the Ghetto" by Elvis Presley, "Let It Be" by The Beatles, and "Man In the Mirror" by Michael Jackson. 

When you find a Good Song, even if it is by an artist that doesn't always produce the best music, then you can put that specific song on your playlist guilt-free.  However, you must be careful.  It is so easy to say, "Well, this is a Good Song..." because you like the song, and not necessarily because it is actually a Good Song.  Google the lyrics to your selected song choice... look up the meaning behind the words.  If the song is dishonorable, deceitful, untrue, or impure, then it doesn't make it into the list of Good Songs.  In fact, if it is "iffy" at all, then I wouldn't put it up there.  Instead, wait for Wednesday's post.   

Pretend that you are placing your song before God.  Is He going to turn away and close His ears, repulsed and ashamed, or is He going to enjoy the music?  If God would refuse to listen to your song, then you need to clear it off of your playlist.  As Christians, we are supposed to be "Little Christs," and listening to music that Christ disapproves of is not imitating Him.

I realize that it is difficult to only listen to pure and honorable songs... sometimes it seems like there aren't that many great Christian songs out there.  When you struggle with this, try to remember the sacrifices that Jesus made for you.  He suffered and died for you.  Don't you think that you can sacrifice the music that you listen to for Him? 

What are some Good Songs that you have found in the secular music industry?  What are your guidelines for a Good Song?  Leave a comment with your opinion.  

To begin my weekly posts about finding the right music that pleases God, I would like to talk about finding the right kind of songs, minus the artist.  What I am about to say may be somewhat controversial.  If you disagree and want to share your opinion, then leave a comment.  I don't mind at all.

Unless you have a personal conviction to stay away from secular music in general, then I believe that you can sort through secular music with an open mind, and find songs and artists within the secular media that do not turn away from the guidelines set into place by Philippians 4:8, which paraphrased says: Everything that you think about should be true, right, honorable, pure, lovely, excellent, and worthy of praise. 

In other words, there should not be a deceitful or wrong message in the lyrics of your selected song, and the message should be honorable (so random sex, drugs, and clubbing should be out of the picture).  The song should be pure- or innocent- so if it is going corrupt your thoughts, it needs to go.  Lovely and excellent: a song that goes like this (and I'm making this up as I go along), "I want to die, I want to scream, I always kill you in my dreams..." probably isn't a good choice.  And finally, the song needs to be worthy of praise.  This doesn't necessarily mean that it is has to be a praise song, but it should be a song that you can praise to others and say, "Hey, I like this," without feeling a twinge of shame at the truth behind the junk you're shoving into your ears. 

While I am talking about specific songs, without any regard to the music artist behind them, you may feel the conviction to judge the music you listen to by more than just the song itself.  You may not feel comfortable judging a song by only its lyrics without including the person or band who performs it, and that is okay too.  On Saturday, I will be including the artist in my search to find the "right" music, but during the next few days, I will be looking at each specific song's message, without any influence from its artist or the other songs in the album.

Now that we have our guidelines, I would like to divide the different types of secular songs into four different categories:
1. The Good Song
2. The Neutral Song
3. The Almost Good With A Tiny Bit of Bad Mixed In Song
4. The Bad Song

Every day for the next few days, I'm going to talk about each category of song, list a few examples, and then ask you to challenge yourself: do you believe that it is okay for you to put this into your mind and into your heart?  I'm going to try (and I emphasize on try) not to preach at you and tell you what is right and what is wrong.  It is ultimately up to you to decide what you will listen to when it comes to music.  Music is a huge passion of mine, and I want to give you the facts so that you can choose for yourself what you believe to fit the guidelines of Philippians 4:8. 

 Be sure to tune in tomorrow to read my opinion on "The Good Song."  If you have something you would like to say about today's post, then leave me a comment or send me an email here.  Your feedback encourages me!  I took today's picture from here.     
 

I am one of those people who loves music.  It doesn't matter what genre, what artist... so long as it sounds good, I will thrive in it.  This passion of mine can sometimes be my downfall.  It can be hard to not want to listen to the secular artists with amazing sounds, but terrible messages.  However, when I stop and listen to the actual words of a song, I suddenly realize the anti-Christian message that I have been pushing into my mind all along.  These song are pleasing to the ear... they make you want to jump up and dance.  But are they healthy to our spiritual walk with Jesus? 

Philippians 4:8, NLT, says, "Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." 

There are times when I have to sit back and ask myself, "Is what I am listening to honorable?  Is this song pure and admirable?  Is there truth in these lyrics?"  If the answers to any of these questions are no, then it is definitely time to begin to clean out what has piled up on my Pandora channel and my iTunes. 

Every Saturday starting with next week, I am going to write a review on a popular secular artist.  I will give you my opinion on whether their songs follow the example of Philippians 4:8.  I will use examples of their song lyrics, their lifestyles, and their personal quotations.  I will also share Bible verses that contradict what this featured artist is promoting.  I hope that not every secular artist that I feature will fail my Bible litmus test.  However, I do fear that there are artists who will fail horribly... and some of these I probably listen to on a weekly basis. 

Then, on the following Sunday, I will write a review on an admirable Christian artist who has a similar style, good music, and shares lyrics that follow the guidelines of Philippians 4:8. 

What I am trying to do will help me improve my personal choice of songs, and it will hopefully give you a glimpse of the truth behind what you might be playing into your ears.  I hope to encourage you to strengthen your spiritual walk with the Lord by only putting admirable things into your head.  

To do this, however, I would like your help.  If you have an opinion- agreement or disagreement- on what I write about an artist, then tell me.  If you would like me to review an artist on this blog- secular or Christian- then ask me, and they will most likely come up in a future blog.  Feel free to comment on each blog post, or send me an email at emilytheperson@yahoo.com, and I will try to get back to you soon.

Try to prepare your hearts and minds to accept the fact that there is a chance that what you are putting into your thoughts may not be wholesome, and ask the Lord to give you the humility and the strength to realize the truth about what He wants you to hear.  Pray about the artists that you listen to, and stay tuned for next Saturday and Sunday.
 

Every Breath

If I was a flower, then You'd be the sun. 
I'd soak in Your love with each breath of my lungs,
And know that You would not fade.
If I was a river, then You'd be the ocean,
Giving me life through Your power and grace,
And I would feel so in awe of You.

You search each heart and You know my name.
You give me a hope that I can't explain.
And all I can do after all that You've done,
Is give You my every breath.

If I was a garden, then You'd be the rain.
You'd fill me with breath, and You'd keep me sustained.
And I'd feel the care that I don't deserve.
If I was an acorn, then You'd be the tree:
The Maker, Protector, Creator of me,
And each day, I'd grow more like You.

You search each heart and You know my name.
You give me a hope that I can't explain.
And all I can do after all that You've done,
Is give You my every breath.

The stars can't contain You.
The world can't restrain You.
And with everything You have done in me,
I will give my all to You.

You search each heart and You know my name.
You give me a hope that I can't explain.
And all I can do after all that You've done,
Is give You my every breath.

February 7, 2010

The draft of a song I wrote... I don't know yet if I'll put this one on my Youtube account, but I do like the words, and I thought I'd share.

A song about hope.

This is actually a slightly-revised and re-recorded edition of a song I wrote a couple of years ago.  You can listen to the song on my YouTube Link:

awesomeness.





Dance the Night Away

She lies awake; she cannot sleep.
Her life is hard; she feels so weak.
The night is cold; she wants to cry.
She puts a knife against her wrist,
Clenches her hands into a fist.
She cries inside.

She's wishing, she's wanting,
She dances the night away.
Her world is so shaky.
She fights through the pain.
She's hoping, she's dreaming,
That she will find a way through the night
And she cries

Some days she can only crawl.
She feels so helpless and so small.
If you could see behind her eyes...
Hiding her arms when she's at school,
All of her friends can be so cruel.
She wonders why.

She's wishing, she's wanting,
She dances the night away.
Her world is so shaky.
She fights through the pain.
She's hoping, she's dreaming,
That she will find a way through the night
And she cries

Don't leave her here, please hold her hand.
All she wants is someone to understand.

She's wishing, she's wanting,
She dances the night away.
Her world is so shaky.
She fights through the pain.
She's hoping, she's dreaming,
That she will find a way through the night
And she cries

Find hope again, find hope again, find hope again, yeah, yeah
Find hope again, find hope again, find hope again, yeah, yeah, yeah
And she smiles...

Today is what would be the seventy-fifth birthday of Elvis Presley.  To celebrate, I would like to dedicate today's blog post completely to him. 

Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 in the town of Tupelo, Mississippi.  He was born poor, but recorded his first track in '53 and rose to fame by '56.  Elvis became such a star that fans would literally mob the stage to reach him.  Most adults despised him, believing that his wild dance moves caused "juvenile delinquency," and he was forbidden to dance in many towns.  He entered the army, and served for a couple of years, and that act of patriotism did endear him to America even more than before.  Elvis did enjoy his dancing, but his favorite kind of music was gospel, and he recorded many gospel songs in his life.  Close friends and relatives of Elvis have testified that gospel songs were what he sang around the house and in his free time, and he often read books about spirituality and the Bible.  In the mid-seventies, Elvis began having trouble with weight gain.  He became addicted to prescription medications, and he died on August 16, 1977.

One story that I enjoy reading about Elvis is when there were some fan girls that were holding up a sign that said, "Elvis is the King!"  Elvis turned to them from the stage and said something to the effect of, "You put that sign down.  I'm not the King.  Jesus is."  And that was that.

Elvis Presley was- and still is- a huge influence on the way music is today.  He is probably my greatest inspiration when it comes to music.  I may not sing the way he did, but his passion for music has most definitely inspired me to write my songs.

Elvis has influenced so much of American culture today.  He deserves thanks for not only changing our perspective on music itself, but he also helped erase judgment in some ways.  He proved (at least in his early years), that you could dance and enjoy life while still being an All-American, decent guy.

Rest in peace, Elvis.  

I spoke for about thirty minutes, and then after, I sat at a table in the back of the room and signed books.  It was cool to be able to meet the people who listened to what I had to say and learn their names.  By the end of the night, my signature was getting more and more messy!

Before I spoke, when my grandma and I were praying and preparing in a back room that was completely painted pink, I practiced what I was going to say ahead of time... most of which I completely threw out the window when I actually got up there to speak.  I'm really not much of a speaker, but I was shocked to see that everyone was attentive and listened, and some people seemed to be really touched by what I said, which is all I could ask for. 

I told the story of when I was at a basketball game, hanging out with some kids that weren't necessarily Christian.  While we were hanging out, a guy pulled me aside and said, "You seem different from everybody else... happier, maybe, I don't know... what makes you so different?"  Embarrassed and shy, I replied, "Nothing makes me different... I'm just a happy person."  I missed the opportunity, and I never want to miss another opportunity like that again.

I hope I didn't tonight.

Several teens stood up and went into another room to be counseled for salvation.  A few more rededicated their lives to Christ. 

I left City Church feeling encouraged by the smiling faces and the fellowship.  I hope I made some kind of an impact. 

On the way home, I heard a song by Nichole Nordeman called "Legacy," and it truly expressed what I am feeling today.  It goes:

"I want to leave a legacy.
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to you enough
To make a mark on things?..."