I'm really guilty of this one. Whenever I get tired of Christian music, I just listen to secular radio and imagine that the artist singing is not talking about his girlfriend in a song, he's talking about God. Try it sometime, for the most part it works. And any "I need to find myself" kind of song is perfect too. Colin Hay's, "Waiting for my real life to begin" is a beautiful picture of a conversation with God. Only it's probably about something he said to his wife or just the inner dialogue of his head. Sometimes though, doing this can create some awkward situations. One Sunday, my wife and I were at church waiting for it to begin when they played a song over the speakers by the band, Our Lady Peace. They're not a Christian band, but their song, "Somewhere Out There" kind of sounds like a God song. I mean this part does:Down here in the atmosphere, Garbage and city lights, You gotta save your tired soul, You gotta save our lives.
But then, in the middle of church, with thousands of other people, I hear the singer say this:
Hope you remember me, When youre homesick and need a change. I miss your purple hair,
OK, I think to myself, that's a little weird. I'm not sure Jesus had purple hair but you know, when the sun is setting just right over the Dead Sea maybe it was kind of purple. And then the next line comes in:
I miss the way you taste.
I had a hard time tying that directly to Jesus or God.
28 comments:
What about all those songs that are re-recorded with only a slight lyric change so that it can suddenly become a Christian song. When I hear those songs it really brings me back - and that is not always a good thing.
What about songs that don't sound Christian, but are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyH1RPHT4Xs
Like Newsboys' "Something Beautiful"?
Dood, you can't throw the word "Father" in the song and then it instantly becomes a CCM song. That is exactly like Cartman in the CCM episode of South Park.
I can't mix my secular and praise/worship songs. That is called 'CCM'.
Sade's "Maureen" is about her car. Not about Jesus or God or whatever. It is about her first car.
Metallica's "Master of Puppets" is about being under the control and a slave to heroin. There is no way you can think that is about God.
If you had ever met the choir director at Soutwest Baptist University (honestly, I don't think I need to go any further to make my point...) you would understand why knowing how God 'tastes' is important. As if the sermons (sermons!) that guy preached before each choir concert weren't bad enough, once he went on for 40 minutes about how we should spend time thinking about what God felt/smelled/tasted like in order to be better Christians.
Half the choir was nodding in agreement.
The other half were just nodding off...
I went to an emergent church once. They had a band. The band liked to take popular secular songs and make them religious songs. I had a very difficult time keeping a strait face as they sang:
Jesus, when I think about you
I think about love
Jesus, dont live without you
And your love
If I had those golden dreams
Of my yesterdays
I would wrap you in the heaven
till Im dyin on the way
Feel like praising
Feel like praising God
Feel like priasing God tonight
Jesus, if I think about you
I think about love
Jesus if I live without you
I live without love
If I had the sun and moon
I would give you both night and day
Of worship
Feel like praising
Feel like praising God
Feel like priasing God tonight
And if I had those golden dreams
Of my yesterdays
I would wrap you in the heaven
til Im dyin on the way
Feel like praising
Feel like praising God
Feel like priasing God tonight
"I miss the way you taste" = I miss the crackers and grape juice?
This topic reminds me of the songs they sing at Christmas time in the Christian churches. For example: Deck The Halls with Boughs of Holly, Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree,Holly Jolly Christmas,Kissin` by the Mistletoe,Mistle and Holly,and I Believe in Father Christmas.
Aw, JP beat me to the sacrament joke. As to how Jesus smells, we read in 2 Corinthians 2:15, "For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." Sounds great, right? Fragrance is good, right? Well, not necessarily, according to verse 16: "...to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life..."
Jesus carries the aroma of death to those in the world who choose not to accept his gift of life, and because we follow him, we carry that "fragrance" as well!
I visited a church where the pastor's daughter sang that Bette Midler song, "From a Distance." What was really surprising was that this was a fundamentalist church.
I am still crying from laughing so hard at this post. My former church would throw in a "Hang On Sloopy" after we dismissed as people were leaving - always cracked me up.
And I went to a youth retreat where they put up a picture of Americanized Jesus and had us listen to Don't Hold Back Your Love. Is it weird that I think of all the other Hall and Oates songs when I look at pictures of Jesus?
I like a variety of Christian Music. When I turn to JCTV and watch some of the musicians sing songs that say next nothing about Jesus,GOD,salvation,forgivness, etc.I do not want to be just entertained by vision or ears only. T Bone and Lacrae are great Christian Rappers because you don`t have to search for their message. They make it clear what their music is all about.
Oh my goodness. One Sunday I was at Fellowship Church in Dallas (to see what all the hype was about,) and they seriously sang both "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield and "100 Years" by Five for Fighting in the same service as worship songs. Now, neither talk about the way you taste, but still...
I remember when my husband and I first took the Eucharist at the catholic church. After Mass, he says"you know what that wafer tasted like?"
"No" says me.
"Jesus" says he.
:-)
OLP rocks!!! They must be at least pseudo-Christian if they named their band that! it's a reference to Mary afterall.
Great blog!
This is crazy funny and something that Christians really like doing. Hilarious!
I recently learned of this pastor, from his own mouth, that he loves the song "You Are So Beautiful" more than any other song. So much so, that on a road trip of several hours with just him and his wife, he said that he played that song over and over and over agian, for the whole trip.
Am I the only one that thinks he's crazy???
I had a poetry teacher in college who told us (I can't remember her source) that anytime a song or a poem refers to a "you", that the subject is more than likely God. I am definitely guilty of this substitution.
For the same reason, I don't care much for "Jesus is my boyfriend" songs - songs that sound like love songs to significant others, not to the Lord of Lords.
" i miss the way you taste..."
maybe he misses communion.
"i miss the way you taste" = taste and see that the Lord is good...helllooooo?? haha!
"Bring Me to Life", the Evanescence hit, (yes, I am an Evanescence fan) sounds Christian, very much so. It even topped the Christian rock charts when it first came out.
Damn. This was one of those things where as long as no one talked about it, you don't really have to admit it.
Confession: I did that to a Clay Aiken song once and almost drove my car off a cliff when I had a moment of realization.
I do that all the time.
But more importantly, Mandy Ourth, are you referring to Parker? At least I think that was his last name. His first name was Greg and for the life of me I can't remember what his last name is. You're not the Mandy that sat right by me are you?
OMG! my old worship pastor who scored nothing on the metrosexual scorecard actually seriously sang "you are my fire" by the BACKSTREET BOYS!!! but it was to God that we were singing! I actually left the sanctuary I was so disturbed/lauging/picturing the guys in thier white suits dancing!!! and the worst part is that my mom and dad sang along very seriously, they had no clue even who the BB were!
oh this is awesome. the band at youth camp used to do this all the time and it was SOOOO annoying. we'd just finish singing some worship song and go right into Lenny Kravitz. I can't even remember the song now, but I do remember thinking "I cannot sing this to God!". Also, all the students started looking around at each other like "is he serious?" There were other songs that they did this with, but this was the first so I pretty much will never forget it. haha
Ha! No, not Parker. I never had Parker. I'm talking about the guy who directed Chorale starting in 2004. I never really knew Parker - I was only in Chorale.
Exhibit 1: "Everything You Want" Vertical Horizon. Who is "He" (and then "I")?
@ Amanda. Backstreet Boys?! LOL!!
I'm thinking the same about Creed. were those guys really Christian or did they just sound it?
The song that does it for me is Celine Dion's "Because you loved me"...seriously, listen to that and think about God...i cry buckets every single time...:P
I miss the way you taste.
I had a hard time tying that directly to Jesus or God.
What about the original and the best Song that get's called Christian - because it's in the Bible - but is it? Really? Actually, it's another thing Christians like; saying the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon - whichever) is just a metaphor for our relationship with God and his awesome love for us.
You are slender like a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters of fruit. I said, “I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit.” May your breasts be like grape clusters,and the fragrance of your breath like apples. May your kisses be as exciting as the best wine, flowing gently over lips and teeth.
That's just one bit of the song that I had a hard time tying directly to Jesus or God. There's plenty more.
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