5/22/2017 6 Comments Honest Music, Honest PeopleI thought this was going to be a post about the lyrics of the song “Live It Well” by Switchfoot, but as I listened to it on YouTube, something caught my eye… Almost a year ago, Elite Lens Films commented on the Switchfoot - Live It Well (Album Version) video on YouTube: Man, Switchfoot is awesome. You know who Jon Foreman reminds me of? David of the Bible. While David was a very godly man, he said what he was feeling. He wasn't afraid to say something if it sounded angry, depressing, or painful. Unfortunately, many people think this is how Christian music should be. It should be all "I love You, Jesus. You are everything." Now I love that stuff! We definitely need worship music, but people like Lecrae, Switchfoot, NF, NeedtoBreathe, and Skillet are making music that non believers enjoy as well! They are reaching the non believers. "Glory glory, Hallelujah" just doesn't make sense to the lost. They need something to relate to. And that's what these guys are doing. They love Jesus, and they are reaching the broken hearts. They are Christian, without climbing in the restrictive box of Christian Music, if you will. I pray people like this continue to make music! Reach the lost! God bless. :) I have been thinking along the same lines lately. David is an excellent example – Just read Psalm 86. (I also liked that he formed his argument well and didn’t lean too far on either side of this particular opinion, but that’s another post for another time.) I admire songwriters like these who know that this is their calling and decide to use their position to become close with their fans and help them in their journey to and with God. Because sometimes sticking to the everyday script of one side or the other can be like preaching to the choir. But brave, adventurous people always get criticized. Another commenter, darelle esh, replied to Elite Lens Films: I think they are a great band. Some christians love this kinda music, others like different music, there is not a certain music that is right. But we cant slowly turn to wordly music, we play what god wants. Elite Lens Films, way to be passionate, just stay focused on god and what you think he wants Although I agree with Darelle that our music shouldn’t become so worldly that no one can tell the difference, but let’s think about what God wants. Of course He wants our worship, and with genuine love, too. But He also wants us to reach the broken and the lost. They’re hungry for someone to come alongside them and understand them.
Jesus did just that. He used the Jews’ own culture and understanding in His parables to speak to them. In 21st-Century America, “hallelujah” doesn’t mean much to the secular world – it’s religious jargon and foolishness to them. So then Skillet and Red use the words “monster” or “demon” to describe what it feels to despise your flesh because of your own sins. It’s those kinds of songs, even with the screaming and desperate lyrics, that can bring people to realize that Jesus understands all this – because He experienced the pain of betrayal, the anguish of heartbreak, and even the weight of the sins of the world. You don’t have to listen to Lecrae, Switchfoot, or Red. I’m not asking you to. Just think about why so many people love this music: because it is relatable. Everyone is drawn to a song that touches your heart in just the right place. Everyone’s drawn to a person that they feel they can trust. This world is broken and lost. And so were we, before we met Jesus. We all needed Him to save us, but we had to trust Him first. And if we're honest, we still are in desperate need of Him, and these lyrics help us express that. I suppose I'm not only talking about music, but about our own hearts. If we want people to be won over to our Savior, we need to be more like Him. More kind, more willing to talk to them, more willing to listen to them, more willing to be honest with them, more willing to be a friend of sinners. Notice, though: if you listen to an album by Red or Skillet, the songs don't leave you hopeless, or in despair, or angry. One song may sound that way, but an album gives you a larger picture of reality. Another song will express God's love that won't let go, His endless searching for us, His making beauty from ashes. And Jesus did the same thing. He was relatable, He spent time with sinners, but He never stopped speaking the truth. He never left them in their lostness. He always pointed back to His heavenly Father. God’s love is deeper and wider than we know. If we have a real connection with Him, then our lives and the way we love will show it. We should become more relatable as we realize how down-to-earth (literally!) Jesus became on our behalf. I realize it’s a painfully slow process. I’ve never led anyone to Christ, and it especially didn’t happen when I forced it. But I know people who have. They are the kindest, most sensitive people, willing to listen quietly and speak the truth in genuine, deep love, having patience with everyone around them. I want to be just like that - Just like Jesus! So, that's why I listen to Red. Granted, before my friend introduced me to them, I had been living on contemporary Christian and worship music, so the "screamo" can throw me off a little bit. ;) But I can see myself in the lyrics, and I'm learning how to use the music to introduce depressed, anxious, emo kids my age to Jesus' never-ending grace, because they are drawn to that style, and the lyrics are just vague enough that they can connect with them. Maybe one day Red will help me lead them to Jesus.
6 Comments
Altobits46
5/22/2017 09:13:00 am
I get what you mean, sometimes music can lift up my spirits and I can relate to some of them when they appear on the radio when I drive to school in the morning or when I listen to some on YouTube in my free time. btw the pic. If the drum set looks cool! :) is it yours?
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Altobits46
5/22/2017 09:55:32 am
Whoops, I meant to say of instead of if before drum in my last comment lol
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Lily Calico
5/22/2017 11:41:29 am
I'm glad you can relate! And yep, that's my drumset!
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Altobits46
5/22/2017 12:28:11 pm
That's a cool drum set!:) 11/28/2017 12:19:25 pm
Wow! This is fantastic! Cant believe I didn't see your comment on my channel. You did a phenomenal job of taking the comments from people with different opinions and breaking them down into all the little intricate parts of music and what it can do/what it should do.
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Lily Calico
12/5/2017 05:14:58 pm
Thank you so much for checking it out! You make me want to start writing again! :)
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Lily Calicois an aspiring composer, writer, artist and musician. Archives
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