Sound Beliefs

I love music. I have always enjoyed singing it and listening to it. I loved it so much that I sang in choir all four years and even made our high school musical all four years! I enjoyed singing at church in the choir as well as solos while serving as “special music.” Music also helps me quite a bit in memorizing and studying. In fact, I’m listening to The Long Fall Back to Earth by Jars of Clay right now. Music is powerful. Why is it so powerful? Why does it speak so deeply within us? It may be the melody of a love song. It may be the lyrics that tug at our hearts. It may be the subtleness of the instrumentation and how it is used and/or played. For most us it is the message, the meaning, or even our own personal interpretation of it defines us or our situation.

For example, there is a song by Areosmith that reminds me of a high school breakup! My dad’s favorite hymn was The Old Rugged Cross and whenever I hear it, it reminds me of his baptism. If You Could See What I See is a song that I had the honor of singing to Kelly at our wedding. A couple of weeks ago a song on David Crowder’s new album rocked my world. Shane and Shane sing my personal anthem When I Think About the Lord.

Sound Beliefs was an idea that God put on my heart as a series to examine the messages of the songs that we listen to. (Dave came up with the title and artwork.) The messages resonate deep within us as album sales and digital downloads tells us. The purpose of the series is not to condemn the song, artist, or genre, but to help us understand what God has to say about the topic. What does God say about our words? What does He think about sin? Does He care about our integrity and/or decision making process? Where do we find our identity? How is He the bond in all our relationships? Is He pursuing me or am I pursuing Him?

Over the next few weeks, walk with us as we get a better understanding of what our music says about us but more importantly what does God say about us.