music

just before the 40 days began, God was speaking to me about what i let myself hear in the lyrics of secular music. in particular, i've had been so complacently allowing myself to purchase music regardless of the content or reputation of the artist (for instance, amy winehouse....). music is such a powerful medium because what we hear goes to heart often without our brains checking in with the lyrics (i.e. what's being subliminally spoken to our hearts). music is used to convey emotions and messages and it's extremely important that we're careful of what we allow ourselves to hear. for me, this belongs to the small compromises that God is calling me from. Small compromises, regardless of what they are, lead to bigger compromises.

in that vein, God called me to give up secular music for 40 days before Resurrection Sunday. it has been much easier than i thought it would be and i've not faltered (all surprisingly). i originally started listening to secular music because i had a fascination with the musicianship of the artists. then, it grew to a disdain for the campy lyrics and melodies that were part of Christian artists' work at that time. however, in the time that i've been away, the genre has grown lyrically and musically. there are many talented bands and artists. here are the artists/albums that have captured by ear:

Plumb, "Chaotic Resolve" and "Blink
Fireflight, "Unbreakable"
Leeland
David Crowder Band, "Illuminate" and "Sunsets and Sushi"
Jars of Clay (so many of their albums are awesome, but I've recently been obsessed with), "Eleventh Hour"


...And I have a bunch more in my iTunes shopping cart ;-).