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Black

Not family friendly

mood: lonely lonely
Listening to Christian radio for a bit. I do this every once in a while in hopes that the playlist will have expanded to something beyond the same dozen songs which sound like the last dozen songs from the same dozen artists, largely devoid of artistic merit (see also literary counterparts Max Lucado and Tim LaHaye). I'm usually disappointed. Our local station's slogan is "family friendly music," but the power, glory, and grace of the gospel is the invasion of the Kingdom of God into a fallen and broken world. The redemption of families is a happy result, but the exaltation of the family is not the primary purpose of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. We've jumped the track. We aren't listening to Him. We just want our lives to work. "Family friendly" is our highest aspiration.

Praise Him for all the places He is at work, by all means, but what are we doing? We've traded the Lion of the Tribe of Judah for a housecat, neutered and safe. Isn't He cute?

God, help us all.

Lonely tonight. Having to face how much that's behind my feelings and struggles and how little I want to turn to Him because of all I hold Him responsible for in that. Been running and misdirecting a lot and it's time to stop. I need to just let myself be lonely and let Him be the place I turn, whether in comfort or in pain.

Posted on May. 31st, 2004 at 12:14 am | | Communicate | 19 communications |

Comments


pinkroo

I hear you--on all of it. After listening to only CCM for many years, I can hardly listen to it. Much of it seems so self-satisfied and self-contained.
My pastor told me during my divorce, "Learn to view loneliness as your friend. If you do, it will open up a deeper relationship with Jesus than you have ever known. If you don't, you'll end up like 99.9% of the people in your position, and you'll be in another relationship within 6 months". Some times I am able to just sit in it, and let myslef mourn and be comforted--it is hard to do, though.
Posted on May. 31st, 2004 01:34 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

banzai

That seems like wise advice; thank you for sharing it with me.
Posted on May. 31st, 2004 07:29 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

prester_scott

Bad ccm

Yeah. The CCM station in my town is "the positive hits station." But I am not always "positive." Not everything about being a Christian is "positive." Ditto for "family-friendly."
Posted on May. 31st, 2004 07:01 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

banzai

Re: Bad ccm

It's dangerous for me to even get started on the obsession with "positive." Amen.
Posted on May. 31st, 2004 07:37 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

dashausfrau

Preach it, brother!
Posted on May. 31st, 2004 11:59 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

mszimbolist

hm. thanks for putting into words what I have not been able to about the advertising tactics of christian radio (and other media and... even churches). It's very sad.
Posted on May. 31st, 2004 12:39 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply
(Deleted comment)

banzai

Re: Fed up in DC too!

Ah, I remember WAVA from my years in the DC area. I don't miss it.
Posted on May. 31st, 2004 07:43 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

_reckless_

hey, you have nailed a point i've never been able to. i'm really interested in what you have to say...mind if i add you?
Posted on May. 31st, 2004 11:34 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

banzai

That'd be cool...I'll add you, too.
Posted on Jun. 1st, 2004 12:36 am (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

_reckless_

sweet deal, thanks.
Posted on Jun. 1st, 2004 12:40 am (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

warwick

I like these little reminders of why I added you to my friends list ;-)

Right now I'm listening to The White Stripes on LaunchCast, right before that was STP.

I don't listen to a lot of "CCM" because... eh. You've said it succinctly enough. I'll just go into rant mode, and no-one wants to see that.

If I do listen to Christian music, it's going to be something like Rich Mullins or Steve Taylor. I tend to like musicians who are Christians (eg. Bruce Cockburn) rather than the other stuff.

Why? Because I live in the real world. I don't cocoon myself in soft "Christian" blankets to protect myself from the cold cold world.

I've got the flu. I might be ranting.
Posted on Jun. 1st, 2004 04:29 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

banzai

Great taste, in my opinion, especially Mullins and Taylor. Honestly, I have more CCM in my library than anything else. Some of it is embarrassing, but most of it is encouraging in some time and place. That said, I'd go nuts if I played a small portion of it in a tight rotation and took a break periodically to declare my apartment "family friendly." :)
Posted on Jun. 1st, 2004 10:04 am (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

barlow_girl

Ouch

We've jumped the track. We aren't listening to Him. We just want our lives to work.


This hits close to home. So often I think of Jesus as someone to fix things for me and work them out the way I want. Disgusting.
Posted on Jun. 1st, 2004 06:34 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

banzai

Re: Ouch

Thankfully, He's a thwarter sometimes.
Posted on Jun. 1st, 2004 10:07 am (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

barlow_girl

Re: Ouch

Maybe that should be my new prayer - "Oh Lord, thwart me."
Posted on Jun. 1st, 2004 10:24 am (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

blistermoth

hear, hear!

I always assume that if the local "Christian music" stations are "safe for the whole family.", that we single folk aren't supposed to listen :)
Posted on Jun. 1st, 2004 09:52 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

banzai

:)

I understand the feeling, though I don't tend to feel excluded myself. I do, however, feel like "family friendly" is much smaller than the Kingdom of God, into which I have also been born. If I had a family of my own, it would certainly be a higher value to me, but it would remain under the Kingdom, one of many places where I lived in the hope of redemption.

The world needs safety for and value of families, but it needs so much more. If we give it the "more"—the King reigns!—the rest will come. Jesus said that, and I have to believe it's true.
Posted on Jun. 1st, 2004 10:01 am (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

faintreflecti0n

For the !8th time, my thoughts exactly.

This whole issue can really be a tough thing for me to grapple with. I am currently at my second ever part time retail job at a Christian bookstore. I have long felt that aside from Bibles and maybe 10 percent of our books (most of which were written before I was born) these products are actually doing little to help and probably more to harm the Church in America. Same goes for music, though maybe not as harsh. But it is unfortunate that it is so lacking in content and quality so much of the time. While music is such a powerful medium and while it has some undeniable effect on its listeners, the majority of Christian music utilizes that potential at a level maybe comparable to a tv jingle. This store specifically gives me that feeling that behind the curtain pulling the lever is the "bottom line" cutthroat business. But hope is never lost, even pitiful stores, shallow music, and recycled gospel-lite literature is being used by God, in spite of itself.
Posted on Jun. 1st, 2004 10:58 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

banzai

Re: For the !8th time, my thoughts exactly.

I agree wholeheartedly, and your last sentence is so key. A friend reminded me of this very thing recently. Though I have the freedom and even some responsibility to be a critic of Christian culture, God has the last word on what He will use. In bringing me to faith, for example, He used Star Wars, the Hulk, and a little church with no money and no people that probably didn't last longer than two years. Amazing grace.
Posted on Jun. 2nd, 2004 09:07 am (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply