Doug Van Pelt from HM Magazine has asked me to do a little experiment for him. I've known Doug for over 15 years on a professional level and recently he asked me to help him with an experiment which he wants to feature in an upcoming article of his magazine. Remember the guy who ate only McDonalds food for a month which was featured in the DVD "Supersize Me"? ... yeah, kinda like that. HM Magazine wants me listen to only non-religious (secular) music for the month of January and journal my thoughts. The editor asked me predominantly because he knows I normally listen to almost all Christian music and Bible teaching. So I created this blog to share my thoughts with whoever wants to read them.
Oh, by the way, there's another guy doing the exact opposite. This will be interesting ...
Why do I listen to almost all Christian music? Mainly because I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I have learned to fill my mind with music that enhances my relationship with Him and not distract me in my love and obedience to Him. I was taught as a child the importance of filling my mind with things that honor God. Philippians 4:8 comes to mind:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
I am also a rock/metal singer and musician and God has allowed me to use my talents to build His Kingdom here on earth. The photo to the right was taken in 1994 as the vocalist for the power metal ministry band SARDONYX. Our music is available on iTunes, Amazon, etc.
I believe music is a tool for teaching the Bible. You must understand that I take the Bible literally when Jesus commanded His followers to make disciples of Him (Matthew 28:19-20). People today call it proselytizing. Yeah, I guess that is what it is. I have accepted the idea that I want to be an agent of change in the culture God has placed me in. I want to use every tool He gave me to point people to Him.
A little more about me ... I have been married to my wife Ruth for over 22 years and I have three children who are 15, 12 & 11. I am the founder and director of LightShine Ministries. You can visit our music website at http://www.lightshineministries.com/ and see some of what we do as music ministers. You can also visit our other website which shows our missionary work in Alaska http://www.lightshineministries.org/. I am not doing metal that much anymore but I am still a musician who loves to point people to Jesus. This is a recent photo of me below.
I guess I want to start this blog on my Christian music fast by giving you the context of my observations that will follow in the coming days.
So thanks for reading. I may say things that bug you. Feel free to respond. And those of who are also followers of Jesus Christ, pray for me. I will need it. I am 45 years old and I learned a long time ago that feeding your mind with things that are contrary to God's Word is sometimes harmful to your life. Pray that I would learn some things about the world around me and develop a deeper love for people. I appreciate it a lot!
And pray for the other guy ... the one who usually listens to only secular music. Pray that God would greatly encourage him in the coming days.
... more soon ...
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