Thursday Thoughts

We are in the throes of the Christmas season it would seem. 

With all of the extra programs and specials and events that churches tend to have around Advent, it can be a tiresome stretch for pastors. My church doesn't have too many extra things going on typically. But even just adding in family plans can pile stress on top of stress.

Pretty much every year there comes a point where I feel myself being drained by it all. Certain Christmas things can be reenergizing though. Near the top of the list is the music. But not all Christmas music. I find a few specific selections tend to refuel my tank. I'll probably feature several over the next week and a half, but here's one I've always enjoyed, Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant. It's a beautiful, simple song entreating the Lord for his grace and presence.

Music Mondays - Best Covers Ever #Christmas

We'll keep our feature of Best Covers Ever going for a few more weeks. 
Today, we'll feature some classic covers of Christmas songs - three in fact by three different artists.

We certainly could include choirs and larger ensembles, but I landed on three individual artists whose renditions of familiar carols stick out to me.

First up, Chris Tomlin and "O Holy Night".

I featured this over 5 years ago and everything I thought then still stands. This song has been done excellently by some great performers, but I absolutely LOVE how his rendition invites us to sing it as a song of praise, which is what it is.

Next, I'm going to break the rule I established for the song above. Beyonce's version of "Silent Night" is a performance. But it is a great one at that as she gives us a glimpse of her black-church-gospel-music roots with this version:

Finally, let's jump from "Queen B" to the CCM queen and queen of Christian Christmas music, Amy Grant. This version of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" is a bit of a compromise between Tomlin's contemporary corporate worship and Beyonce's solo performance. A great version with enough newness to keep you from switching to auto-pilot while listening or singing along.

Music Mondays - Manufacturing Controversy over a "Baby"

The 80's and 90's were curious times in the Christian music world.  Legitimate stars were being made. Some were even gaining larger audiences, beyond just the Church.

Yet, for those first mega-stars of the CCM world, any hint of "going secular" was met with automatic backlash.  One of those trailblazers was the queen of CCM, Amy Grant. Looking back, it's apparent her albums were less and less overtly Christian but it was "Heart in Motion" that was her pop music breakthrough. And it was the the #1 single "Baby Baby" that catapulted her to superstardom and put a target on her back for some.

This song made her the first Christian artist to record number one hit on the US pop charts. But not only did she get flack for selling out to the world, her video received criticism because it showed her interacting with a guy who wasn't her husband. 
Despite her assertions that her newborn was the inspiration for the song, some Christians tuned her out and dismissed the idea that a Christian could make quality 'worldly' music without morally compromising.

I personally think she handled herself pretty well through it all. Yes, her personal story would include a divorce that brought out a lot of critics. And while some of these criticisms might be justifiable, for me, this is all about what happens when we put our Christian heroes on pedestals and expect perfection.

She might be a cautionary-tale, but she's definitely a trail-blazer and an artist who's established an excellent career - both in the secular and sacred music realms.

Music Mondays

Last week, we took a look at "El" and "Elohim" as major names for God. While general and common designations, they speak to the Lord's might and power.

While the Bible helps fill in the gaps as to how mighty God is and what kind of powerful Deity we worship, it goes even further by using "El" as compound description for God (i.e. "God of Israel", "God who sees", "God Most High"). 

Next Sunday we'll be looking at close to a half-dozen of them, but the most famous is undoubtedly "El Shaddai" (which means 'God Almighty'). 

It became well-known in the early 80's when Amy Grant sang it on her breakout Age to Age album. Originally written by Michael Card, it does a masterful job of succinctly telling the redemptive story of God from Abraham to Jesus.

Here's Card's version with helpful lyrics that translate the Hebrew he incorporated into the song: