 
Transformed   
How Christian Music Transformed My Life

Al Menconi

New Song Publishing  
A Division of Al Menconi Ministries  
Carlsbad, CA 92013

760/591-4696

Find us on the web at: www.almenconi.com

Copyright © 2017 Al Menconi Ministries

A New Song Book

Edited by Sandy Rayburn, English Ink  
Interior design and production by ECS

Notice of Rights

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the publisher. To request permission for reprints or excerpts, contact info@almenconi.com.

All scriptures used in this book are NIV (New International Version), unless otherwise noted.

All cartoons are used by permission.

ISBN 13 978-0-942925-14-2

Printed in USA
What Others Say About Al

I have known Al Menconi for many years. During that time he has been one of the biggest advocates for using Christian music to encourage believers to keep their focus on Godly principles.

TOBYMAC, Singer-songwriter

I believe that God has truly gifted Al Menconi and given him an important message for our day.

Miles DeBenedictus, Pastor at Calvary Chapel of Escondido, CA

Al's message will change lives for the Kingdom of God.

Dr. William Harris, Superintendent at Masters Academy, Oviedo, FL
Personal Testimony

Tammy Mulford Johnson

Vice President, KSBJ Radio Station Manager for their new Top 40's station, NGEN radio

When I was thirteen years old, my home life was chaotic: lots of yelling, profanity, and hiding out in my room. Listening to music was my escape and also the soundtrack to my suicidal and homicidal thoughts.

One day, a youth pastor from our church gave me a ticket to a 3-day Christian music festival called Jesus Northwest. I didn't want to go. Visions of choirs singing hymns for three days didn't sound like fun. My mom insisted, and I reluctantly agreed.

When we arrived at Clark Country Fairgrounds, I was surprised to see a parking lot full of vehicles and not one choir robe in sight. Instead, I was in a crowded arena of 20,000 Christians rocking out to White Heart, Petra, and DC Talk. I loved it! Who knew Christian music could be this good? I didn't realize it then, but God had a plan for my life.

During the breaks, guest speakers talked about living for Jesus. One speaker explained that I could know Jesus as my Lord and Savior. By the time he finished, I re-committed my life to Christ. The speaker gave us a second challenge to take The Christian Music Challenge™. He said if we wanted to be serious about a relationship with Christ, we could replace empty worldly philosophies with Christian music—for 30 days. I remember thinking I could do anything for 30 days.

That 30-day Challenge lasted over six years. The negative "noise" that had filled my mind was replaced with lyrics that were encouraging and based on a biblical perspective. I was hooked and couldn't wait to share my new music with my friends.

Surprisingly, life did improve, but not in the way I thought. God may not have calmed the storms around me, but He definitely calmed me.

My whole perspective changed. My journals, once full of suicidal and homicidal plans, were now filling up with poetry, song lyrics, goals, prayers and even dreams of becoming a Christian concert promoter.

I started volunteering for California's Christian concert promoter, Jon Robberson. He taught me all aspects of the business. At the time, I was also pursuing a B.A. degree and working two jobs. My college counselors were wary of my career dreams to be a Christian concert promoter, and, to be honest, so was I. But God filled my life with joy.

I married the man of my dreams, Chris Johnson, and for the past 23 years I've been blessed with a variety of jobs associated with concert promoting and running a Christian radio station. I'm now manager for Switchfoot rock band.

That's a condensed version of my story, but how does it include Al Menconi?

A couple of years ago, when I shared my testimony with Jon Robberson, my former mentor, I mentioned The Christian Music Challenge™ that "some guy" taught at a festival about twenty years ago. His response floored me. "That 'some guy' you were listening to was Al Menconi. I couldn't believe that Jon would know the name of some guy's name I had forgotten. Jon explained that Al had been teaching The Christian Music Challenge™ for 30 years, and that is what he was known for.

Jon made the introductions, and Al and I became friends.

We serve a big God, whose plans are better than ours. God took me out of my hopelessness, put desires in my heart that have come to pass, and allowed me to reconnect with the guy who challenged me to change my life through Christian music so long ago.

I want to give you that same Challenge Al gave me. Allow God to use the principles Al teaches in this book to help you find your peace and purpose in this chaotic world.

A few years ago...

...at a meeting with my board members, they asked if I had a plan for my ministry "exit strategy." Since I'm not much of a businessman, I asked, "What's an exit strategy?"

One of them replied, "You're getting older. You won't be able to travel and speak forever. What are you going to do when you die?"

My response was simple: "I'm going to see Jesus!"

The board member continued, "That's nice, but have you ever thought about what's going to happen to Al Menconi Ministries? Who will take over your ministry when you're gone?"

I hadn't thought about that!

Those were good questions. The board then gave me a simple assignment that night: "What would it take for you to have a contented smile on your face when you die?" They wanted to discuss my answer at the next board meeting, so I took that assignment very seriously.

After a month of thinking and praying about it, I could only come up with one situation that would put a contented smile on my face when I'm laid to eternal rest. Simply put,

I wouldn't settle for anything less than being part of a catalyst for turning our nation back to Christian values.

I love America, and I hate to see how far we've drifted from God and biblical principles. I realize that this is not my final home, but I feel led to do something to reverse this destructive trend in our nation before I die.

When I revealed my idea to the board, I expected them to laugh at my grandiose vision, but they graciously responded, "Okay, how can we do that?"

After much discussion, we came to the realization that, in the 30 plus years I've been in the ministry, I've spoken to more than a million people. At the conclusion of every meeting, I have always encouraged my audiences to take The Christian Music Challenge ™.

Over the years, I've received nearly a thousand letters from people all over the world, sharing how their lives were changed after taking The Christian Music Challenge™ .

That's it!

Everything came together for me at that point. I was excited. We concluded at the board meeting that if we could teach others to teach others how Christian music can revolutionize their lives, we could make a major difference in America.

Given the opportunity to check a box about their belief system, 78% of Americans checked the box that said "Christian" instead of the other options: Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, atheist, other. Yes, the vast majority of Americans claim to be Christians.

Yet, in another research study by Dr. Christian Smith, only 7% of those who claimed to be Christians understood what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. They didn't realize that God had a plan for their lives and that the Fruit of the Spirit should be radiating in their lives. Basically, the vast majority of those who checked the "Christian" box were no different than non-Christians. How discouraging.

I couldn't just sit back and let that happen. I designed a program; contacted churches, Christian schools and Christian music festivals; created a website; composed a devotional; and wrote this book.

My goal is to teach all Christians the value of Christian music and its role in helping them grow in their faith.

Isaiah 26:3

"You (God) will keep them in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You."

That means that we can be at peace with God and others if we keep our minds on Christ and view our lives from a biblical perspective. The best way I know to keep our minds and thoughts on Christ and biblical values is by listening to Christian music throughout the day. Hey, let's listen to a lot of Christian music!!

I believe we can shift the focus of our nation back to Christ and Christian values. If enough Christians learn to keep their minds focused on Christ through Christian music, lives and nations can change.

America has experienced numerous revivals, but I haven't seen any sustained growth in the spiritual life of the Christian community. The Christian Music Challenge™ is our best hope to self-sustaining spiritual growth.

Listening to Christian music can make a difference in your life. But if it can radically transform your life, doesn't it follow that God can use Christian music to make a significant difference in other Christians' lives, eventually initiating a change in our nation?

It's a simple principle stated in 2 Timothy 2:2. We should teach others who, in turn, will teach others.

I decided my "exit strategy" would be to transfer my ministry to individual Christians throughout our nation to teach others, who would then teach others, until all have heard.

I knew that to write a book about The Christian Music Challenge™, I needed to explain how I got started and how Christian music is beneficial to God's desire for us to have a relationship with Him. I also wanted to share Scriptural principles, illustrations, and biblical examples.

Explaining how God changed my life meant that I go back a number of years and uncover parts of my life that I hadn't thought about for years. Frankly, I am embarrassed about how I lived my life before I came to know Christ. It was difficult reliving experiences that got me to this point in my life. My "before Christ" life was like a modern day version of the Prodigal Son.

Even after coming to Christ, I didn't fully understand God's Grace and His purpose for my life. It was when I was at my lowest that I was willing to listen to the voice of God. And it was at that point I discovered that God's Grace is sufficient.

The Prodigal Son Returns Home

I've written this book so you won't have to experience the same heartache, frustration, and disappointment that I went through.

Let me take you on the journey of how Al Menconi, this "chief of sinners," was given a renewed life and unspeakable joy that I didn't believe was possible.

How did this happen? Let me start at the beginning.

In His service and yours,

Las Vegas isn't what it's cracked up to be, especially when you've got no money and you've got no luck. Don't believe the ads. If you're going to Las Vegas because you're depressed, you're going to return even more depressed.

I know what the commercials say, but they're not true. What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas; it comes right back with you.

I was in my mid-twenties, spending most nights in the bars with my equally lost friends near my apartment in Mission Beach, California. Mission Beach is known for good surf and sand volleyball courts, but back in the '70s it was also known for the abundance of illegal drugs and its "alternative lifestyle."

Cash was always tight, so my dinners were often the 39¢ specials I got when I ordered a beer at the local watering holes. My girlfriend had just broken up with me a couple of months before because she didn't want to date someone on drugs. And the kicker was her new boyfriend lived across the street from my place, and it hurt every morning to see her car parked at his apartment.

As I look back, I didn't have one friend I could count on. My family? My older brothers were married, raising families in different parts of the country. My parents were retired hundreds of miles away, and we didn't have much in common.

My job? My teaching credential was only months away, but I had been in college for nearly eight years, and it seemed like it would never end. I enjoyed my student teaching, but student teachers don't get paid. I'd worked my way through college at various jobs, but the only job I could find that would let me student teach and work full time was selling bottled water door-to-door.

I enjoyed selling and talking with people, but this was a tough and demeaning job. Having so many doors slammed in my face didn't help my ego. To add to my problems, the left-front kingpin broke on my classic '50 Ford convertible, and I didn't have the money to fix it. Now, how was I going to get around?

I was definitely experiencing a low point in my life.

I always thought of myself as a happy-go-lucky guy, but I lost my "happy" when I found drugs. I couldn't see that my troubles were self-induced. I just knew that life was passing me by and I was going nowhere.

I even tried to think of ways to commit suicide without embarrassing my parents. But I was afraid to die.

That Christmas was the lowest of the low points. My roommate celebrated with his family in another part of the state. I "celebrated" Christmas alone by heating canned turkey and watching TV. I didn't even have someone to whom I could wish "Merry Christmas." I was extremely lonely and probably clinically depressed.

So when my neighbors said they were going on a last minute road trip to Las Vegas the day after Christmas, I said, "Count me in." I had about 50 bucks; at least I'd have some fun.

But it only got worse.

When we reached Las Vegas, we checked into the cheapest hotel we could find and looked for a table to make our millions.

I played blackjack, betting one or two dollars at a time. I lost ten dollars in my first five minutes, but my luck had to change. I pulled out another ten and it took me a little longer, but that ten was history almost as quickly. I couldn't believe it. I was going to be in "Sin City" for forty-eight hours and had lost nearly half my bankroll in 15 minutes.

I remember looking at my remaining $30 and thinking this had to last me for another 47 hours! My luck had to change. It didn't.

It wasn't long before my last dollar was on the table and I was dealt a pair of aces. How ironic. The dealer had a losing card showing, and "the book" says to "double down," which is splitting the aces and putting a new bet on the second ace—and I didn't have a nickel left....

A stranger sitting across the table, who had watched me pull losing cards for the last half hour, saw my dilemma and flipped me a dollar chip from his huge stack of winnings. "Your luck has to change sometime, kid. Pay me back when you win."

I thanked him, placed a dollar on each ace and promptly lost both hands when the dealer drew 21. The stranger flipped me a green $25 chip with words of encouragement, "My chips are lucky, kid, and your luck has to change."

I lost again—this time with a stranger's money. When I lost the third $25 chip he gave me, I thanked him and refused the fourth. I'd already lost my $50 and his $76.

By this time, I was so depressed that I just got up from the table, went to my room, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers over my head. This was supposed to be fun, but I was near tears.

I spent the next forty-six hours sitting in an empty, dingy hotel room watching a television with poor reception—there was no cable in the early '70s—while my friends chased their dreams. Forty-six hours seemed like an eternity. I just stayed in bed and fell deeper into depression.

I don't recall saying a word the whole drive home. What could I say? My entire life seemed as bleak as the Vegas trip. Again, I felt a hopelessness that made me feel that my life was in a black cloud that would never go away. Not because I'd lost the money, but because...

...I'd lost all hope of being happy—even in Las Vegas. This trip was my last hope for the fun I had been looking for my whole life.

My friends spent the trip back talking about which party they would attend to drink in the New Year. I didn't even know any girl to ask.

When I went outside to empty the trash after returning to my apartment, a neighbor asked where we had been. "Vegas," I responded dryly. He asked how I did. All I could say was, "It was rude! I lost everything I had plus money a stranger gave me."

My neighbor's response changed my life—literally, "At least you had a good time!"

It finally made sense. His comment echoed in the empty chambers of my soul. I didn't have a good time! I wasn't having a good time. I was miserable! In my twenty-five years of life, I had tried everything the world said was a "good time" and came up empty every time. C.S. Lewis wrote that everyone has a hole in his soul that can only be filled by Jesus.

I had never even heard of Lewis at that time, but it was true in my case. This Las Vegas trip was the final reality check. I had tried to fit every peg in the book—round, square, even oval—into the cross-shaped hole in my soul, but nothing fit.

Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll only led to hopelessness. I remember thinking that if I was only in the "right" club or hung with the "right" crowd, that would make me happy. It didn't. In fact, they were as empty as I was.

As a freshman in college, I thought I should be just like Ward Cleaver. If I could find the right girl, get married, raise a family, and have a house with a white picket fence, then I would be complete. I came close to marriage a couple of times, but as I look back, I can see how God was protecting me from a miserable life each time the relationship fell apart.

How I tried to fill that God-shaped hole in my heart is just so embarrassing. Suffice it to say, I discovered that "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" is a euphemism for chasing happiness that can never be found. And now after Vegas, I was at the end of my rope. The Prodigal Son had nothing on me. I'd been wallowing in the mud with the pigs most of my life, sucking on the cornhusks of life. I was just beginning to realize that I was only fooling myself, pretending things were better than they were.

But now, I was finally ready to listen to God's voice.

After my neighbor's simple statement, I stumbled back into my apartment. That's when I spotted the little blue New Testament my mother had given me when I was a child. I had always treated it with respect. I didn't read it, but I kept it dusted and never used it as a coaster for my beer bottles.

No, it didn't have a bright light glowing from it, but that night, in the depths of depression, something in my heart said, "You've tried everything else, why don't you try looking inside your mother's Bible?"

What could I lose? God, if you are real, please show me.

I started to thumb through Mom's Bible without the slightest idea of where to stop or what to read. But as my thumb slowly pushed the pages, a verse in Romans literally jumped off the page...­

Romans 10:9, KJV

"...if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved...."

Is that all there is? I could do that! And I did! And I was! And I am! It was that simple. This was the first step of my new life in Christ. That night I slept soundly through the night for the first time in years.

I didn't realize it then, but God had come into my life years before and had been trying to get me to listen to Him since I was a boy.

Let me explain.

I really don't remember much about Chester McClain except the royal blue suit he wore every Sunday and ties with knots as big as my hand.

Mr. McClain was my third grade Sunday School teacher at my church in Alhambra, California, and he was ancient. Maybe even 50 or older. But I knew he loved the third grade boys' class he taught. He wasn't "cool," but I didn't mind because he really seemed to enjoy his motley crew of boys. My friends and I were a rowdy bunch, but Mr. McClain never got angry. He just loved us.

When I get to Heaven, he's going to be one of the first people I look up because in my third grade Sunday School class, Chester McClain led me to accept Jesus into my heart. I don't remember the lesson, but he used a big flannelgraph board with cutouts of Jesus. (If you don't know what a flannelgraph board is, ask someone who went to Sunday School in the 1950s.)

After Mr. McClain taught us the plan of salvation in one particular lesson, I raised my hand to accept Jesus into my heart. I was only eight, but I knew I was a sinner in need of salvation. I sincerely wanted to have Jesus come into my life.

Ephesians 5:8

"For once you were darkness,  
but now you are light in the Lord."

As I look back these many years later, I am certain God saved me right then and there by His Grace and never let go. God transferred me from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light at that instant. But no one explained what that meant in my life, nor did anyone explain the second half of that verse:

"Walk as children of light."

Not even Mr. McClain. I never learned to walk by faith. I thought if I was a Christian, some magic sheath of perfection would envelop me and my life would be perfect—but it never happened.

The spiritual people at church always talked about "feeling saved" and "feeling the presence of God." I was eight years old. Since I didn't "feel" anything new or spiritual, I began to think maybe I wasn't really saved. Satan was already attacking me and I didn't realize it. No fair!

I didn't feel any different in church and I didn't feel any different at school. In fact, I was embarrassed to tell my friends at school that I even went to Sunday School. I didn't realize I was listening to one of Satan's favorite lies.

Today, I know Satan is the father of lies, but when I was a child, he was just whispering his lies in my mind. I didn't know he was planting those doubts in my heart. I wanted to live for Jesus, but the doubts Satan put in my mind began to have an influence on me. He had lost me to Christ.

Satan couldn't get me back, but he could make me ineffective if he could get me to believe Jesus never came into my heart in the first place.

My life was like putty in the hands of Satan.

My parents were Christians, and we were at church every time the doors were open. Sunday night was reserved for evangelism, so we heard a "salvation" message nearly every week and had the opportunity to accept Jesus as Savior quite often. Many of the youth and I raised our hands and went forward to pray at the altar on a regular basis, looking for that "feeling." I don't know about the others, but I still didn't feel anything.

Our church taught: if you "feel the Holy Spirit stirring" in your heart and you don't respond to it, you are denying the Holy Spirit. And if you deny the Holy Spirit, you'll go to Hell. That type of teaching scared the Hell out of me! I didn't realize that "the stirring" I felt in my heart was the Holy Spirit telling me He was in my heart already and wanted to control my life. I wasn't going to Hell. I was sealed in Christ for eternity (Eph. 4:30).

But who knew? Not me. Maybe I slept through that lesson.

So a few Sunday nights later I raised my hand again. Sometime later, I did it again. And over the years, again, and again, and again. I was hoping to find Jesus at the altar but never succeeded. He wasn't there. I raised my hand to accept Jesus and went forward so many times that I felt like a yoyo.

By the time I was a teenager, I was too embarrassed to raise my hand and get "saved" again. No matter how much I felt the need for salvation—the stirring of God in my soul—I wasn't going to raise my hand one more time. After a few times of not going forward, my heart became hardened and lost the desire to do it again.

Now I was in trouble! I was taught that I had just committed the unpardonable sin—I denied the Holy Spirit; I could never be saved. So I must be going to Hell. Can you see how Satan tricked me?

I belonged to Christ but didn't even know it.

I believed Jesus was God—that truth I had learned from my mother before I even went to Sunday School. I believed the Bible was true and there was a Heaven and a Hell, and I wanted to go to Heaven. But now Satan had me convinced I was going to Hell because I "denied the Spirit." I bought into Satan's lie.

If only someone had taken the time to explain that the Holy Spirit already dwelt in my heart. I was missing out on His blessing and joy of salvation because I didn't know He loved me just as I was. God wanted to have a personal relationship with me, but there I was at the starting gate, waiting for the "feeling" everyone talked about.

By eighth grade, I figured Christianity worked for my parents and a few other folks, but it didn't seem to work for me. Since I never felt saved, I believed I wasn't saved. I distinctly remember thinking, "I'm going to Hell, so I might as well live like hell." And I did. Now, I really was like putty in Satan's hands.

I was miserable—worse than miserable. To believe in God, to believe in the reality of Heaven and Hell, and to believe I was going to Hell—and there was nothing I could do about it! Just think of all the years wasted believing that lie.

That's when I started to pray a simple prayer—almost daily—when I was certain no one was looking:

"Please save me!"

That's all I said, over and over and over. I don't know why since I thought I was eternally damned. But the Holy Spirit must have been prompting me.

Romans 8:26

"...the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us...."

The sad thing is, I was so busy with the things and noise of this world that I never heard His answer in a "...still, small voice" respond: "I already saved you, just let Me lead."

I couldn't hear the Holy Spirit, so what did that leave instead?

I thought Christianity was a set of rules. Our church certainly had an unwritten list of what good Christians did and didn't do. I wasn't allowed to go to the movies or go bowling or smoke—all the stuff my friends did. But since I thought I was going to Hell anyway, why not break the rules?

By age thirteen, I started lying to my parents about where I was going. The first movie I saw behind their backs was the original Ocean's 11, with Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack. It's a G or PG movie by today's standards, but in the '50s it was the "forbidden fruit" that I desired. I didn't know what would happen while watching Danny Ocean and his gang rob Las Vegas, but I half expected Jesus or the Archangel Michael to come down and zap me.

But that didn't happen. The walls of the theater didn't fall down on top of me, and the movie was funny and exciting and...forbidden. The little sin didn't feel so sinful, which led to more and more. Like Pinocchio, that one little lie started my journey to the Toyland "pleasures" I had missed.

I started questioning everything my parents had told me. "Christians don't do that!" or "Christian's don't go there!" was no longer a good enough answer. I didn't know what a Christian was supposed to do, but I knew what he wasn't supposed to do—everything I wanted.

I wasn't a wild child; I just wanted to be like everyone else. I didn't know how to confide in my parents what I was really feeling inside. I talked back a lot. They would punish me when I got caught in a lie, but they never tried to find out why I was rebelling. Maybe they just figured it was part of growing up.

I got bolder in high school. I found lots of other things Christians weren't supposed to do and I didn't hesitate. George's was a little bar with eight or ten stools about a mile from my house on Main Street. I was too young to get in the front door to drink, but the back of George's connected to the pool hall, so I walked in the back door. I felt like a real grownup.

George's pool hall was straight from a Hollywood movie set: a dingy, smoky, back room crowded with five snooker tables and one pool table. The hanging green table lights were trimmed in brass, just bright enough to see the green felt on the oak tables and little else.

I had never touched a pool cue before, but there was a host of new friends willing to teach me the finer points of how to play nine ball and snooker.

I got pretty good at snooker and practiced for hours, trying to get the little red balls—they're just a little smaller than the standard pool balls—into the six small rounded pockets. Robert Preston in The Music Man sang that six pockets in a slate table "marked the difference between a gentleman and a bum." I'm not certain about that, but that is where I learned how to smoke and drink and cuss. I really fit in.

When I went home at night, my parents told me I smelled like a "pool hall." They were right! But I told them some of my friends smoked. My parents were clueless that my life was beginning to spiral out of control. So was I.

After high school, I attended Pasadena City College because it was known for its party atmosphere. I joined a fraternity, and that was better (or worse) yet, pulling me further and further from my parents' faith and values. I met good-looking girls at PCC, and they wanted the same thing I did...to have a good time! Does it get better than that? Ultimately, I wanted what everyone else wanted. I wanted to be happy, and I was certain to find it in the next thing I did.

After a year or so, I cut back on my classes—not that I'd been studying that hard—so I could get a real job, just like an adult. Maybe this was what life was all about. I started as an assistant to a real estate appraiser and then later advanced into corporate sales at Boise Cascade Office Supplies. This was what life was about. Right?

I was still living in my fraternity house, making a lot of money—much more than my frat brothers—and I still didn't know what to do with my life. Then I heard the older salesmen at work complain that management cut their territories but still expected them to meet the same quotas. These older men—20 to 30 years my senior—weren't happy with their lot in life either. I didn't want to be 50 and hate my job. I thought working in the adult world would fulfill me, but my friends in corporate sales didn't seem to have their act together either.

Movies, snooker, drinking, smoking, carousing, partying, and money—nothing seemed to satisfy. Maybe if I were trained in management, I'd be fulfilled. So the next semester I quit my good paying job and went back to college full-time. At least this time I went with the specific goal to study business and become a manager.

I spent my first year at PCC having fun and developing my partying skills. The next couple of years I made lots of money. When I went back to college full time, I got straight As, made the Dean's List, and became student body vice president. Then I became president of the Inter-Fraternity Council—the head of all the fraternities and sororities on campus. I was popular, getting good grades, and dating cute girls.

Still something was missing.

I didn't know what it was. But maybe I just needed more of what I already had. More fun, more girls, more good times.

I was accepted at San Diego State University after graduating from PCC. I chose SDSU because it was a short ride to the beach and the campus had a sand volleyball court in the quad—not for its business department. SDSU looked like a fun place to be, and it had everything I was looking for. The Constitution told me that I had the right to pursue happiness, so I was going to pursue it full throttle.

That's when I found drugs. When I started attending SDSU in 1968, I didn't know anyone who took drugs. By the time I finished my first semester, I didn't know anyone who didn't.

My first experience with marijuana was at a concert in the gym. Everyone was smoking dope and passing it around. Someone passed me a joint, I wanted to look hip, so I took a hit. It immediately blew my mind and changed my values for the worse.

People try to justify marijuana by comparing it to a drink of alcohol after work. Not for me it wasn't. I don't advocate alcohol, but those two are like apples and oranges.

Alcohol slowed my mind and impaired my judgment—I knew that firsthand. But drugs grabbed me by the throat and pushed my mind to another space.

I liked being out of my mind. I didn't see the change in my life, but the whole world around me seemed to be changing in front of my eyes. My choice of friends began to change. I only hung out with like-minded druggies. History calls us hippies but we were just foolish college kids looking for happiness in a joint. After a while, my girlfriend didn't much like my constant drug use and gave me an ultimatum: "Take your pick—drugs or me."

I chose the drugs.

My life was like the "$25,000 Pyramid," and the category was "Things that didn't work." But it didn't stop me from reaching for the right answer.

But what was the right answer? My new friends disdained "Middle American values." Traditional life went out the window, and liberal politics became my new way of life. I can recall many "rap sessions" discussing how we needed a new Constitution or a revolution to change the values we hated. We were unduly concerned about the environment, hated the Vietnam War, and chafed at our government's hypocrisy. I dived in with both feet.

Looking back now, we weren't much different from the "Occupy Wall Street" or Black Lives Matter crowd—we were just forty years earlier. We had a sense of desperation because we didn't see any hope in the future and had to save our world from destroying itself. In effect, we were trying to "give peace a chance," not realizing that our world will never find peace until Jesus returns. But we didn't believe in God, so we had to fix the world ourselves. Who else was going to do it?

By this time, I had changed my major from business to social sciences because I had to make a difference. I became politically minded and a pawn for social causes. But the more political I became, the more my friends seemed phony and empty.

I had a similar response to the "peace movement" that John Lennon had to the Hindu movement. Lennon was seeking fulfillment at a Hindu retreat in India, then discovered that all the gurus were having sex with the famous women who had come to gain insight. He was looking for spiritual help, but the people he turned to were just as empty as he was.

All my friends were just as empty as I was. "God, please save me..."

After graduation I needed to clear my head. So I walked directly off the graduation stage, put on a backpack and hitchhiked around the Western States while wearing my cap and gown. The picture of my "adventure" hit the AP press worldwide—literally. I had my fifteen minutes of fame, but after six weeks of clearing my head, I still came back with no tangible thing to believe in. My whole life was ahead of me, but I still didn't know who I was or what I wanted to do. Nothing seemed to work.

I had no ties, so I thought, why not live at the beach? That had to be fun. And it was fun. I still love the beach. I can't imagine not living close to the Pacific Ocean, but where I lived still didn't give me the purpose I was seeking. That empty feeling was still there. Where else could I look? "God, please save me...."

Maybe becoming a teacher would give me that sense of meaning. I started postgraduate work in education and really enjoyed teaching.

I loved learning how to communicate with my students. I connected with them and gained a real sense of accomplishment. Maybe this was what I was looking for.

I could see that my teaching had an influence on innocent lives, and that really scared me. Many of my students were starting down the path I was on, and I knew I was lost. But whenever I cautioned them, I didn't have anything better to offer.

I tried everything the world said was fun. Everything! And it was empty. Now I had tried everything that the world said would give me purpose. And it was still empty.

I remember sitting alone in a bar one night just before my Vegas enlightenment, listening to the lonely conversations and empty laughter as I flashed on the room around me. "These people are lost and need to hear a clear salvation message." Then it dawned on me that I was just like the people I was judging. I was lost and needed to hear a clear salvation message. "God, please save me..."

That salvation message came in the form of a statement from my neighbor. "At least you had a good time." No, I hadn't! To paraphrase a bad country song, "I was looking for answers in all the wrong places." But the night I opened my mother's Bible was the first time I heard God speak to me. God had been speaking to me all these years since I was a young boy, but now I could hear Him through the "noise" that had been filling my life.

God answered my "please save me" silent prayer. He had saved me from my sins nearly twenty years before when Chester McClain led me in the sinner's prayer, but no one told me that the Spirit of Christ immediately came into my heart. When I wasn't perfect, I figured Christianity didn't work for me.

Satan declared war on me when I first prayed to receive Christ in third-grade Sunday School. He couldn't get me back, but he could fool me into believing I had never given my life to Christ in the first place. That made me empty and ineffective as a Christian. Satan was winning the battle for control of my mind.

"...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved...." For the first time in my life I knew who I was. I was a child of God. I knew where I was going. I was going to Heaven. I knew what was true. The Bible was true. I had a purpose, to worship the one and only Living God.

I'd wasted more than twenty years of my life, but I didn't want to waste one minute more.

Jesus loves you and He will never stop pursuing you! You will never find real peace and purpose for your life until you give your life completely to Christ.

Romans 10:9

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Author's translation: Are you willing to commit your life to this belief? Then thank God for saving your soul, no matter how you "feel."

I didn't know if I felt saved, but I did sleep well through the night and awoke refreshed for the first time in years. If I had to describe the difference I felt before and after reading and believing Romans 10:9, for the first time in my life I wasn't afraid to die. If that was feeling saved, then I felt saved.

"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved...." I believed in my heart, but what if Jesus returned before I confessed my newfound faith with my mouth? Would I still be saved? I didn't know, but I didn't want to take any chances, so I decided to tell my roommate as soon as he woke up.

It wasn't that I was anxious to share my new faith with my non-believing roommate; I just wanted to be certain that I did everything the Bible told me to do to be saved. All I really "knew" about Christianity at the time was keeping a list of dos and don'ts from my childhood. If the Bible said "...confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord...," then I was going to confess Jesus as Lord with my mouth.

No shortcuts. I was going to do exactly what the Bible said because if Christianity didn't work, I had nowhere else to turn.

So as soon as Thom came out of his bedroom that morning, I told him what I had done. He was shocked—I was the last person he expected to identify as a Christian. Thom also reminded me that I had a history of "jumping on the bandwagon." Wasn't this just another one of my harebrained ideas?

This was a life-changing experience, and I had to prove that I was serious. So I told him I was quitting everything: sex, drugs & rock 'n roll, and anything else connected with what I saw as holding me back from living for Jesus. Thom was incredulous. I distinctly remember his look, a mixture of surprise and disappointment. "Al, I love ya, buddy, but I'll believe it when I see it."

He couldn't believe that I would follow through. My cigarette smoking had bothered him since we became roommates, so he was pleased that he wouldn't have to put up with that any more. But booze and drugs? Thom had seen me drunk on too many occasions, and I was the one who introduced him to drugs. He followed up his previous "doubting Thomas" statement with,

"I'll give you 30 days."

Uh, oh. Time for a reality check. My confession hadn't helped any because I still didn't have any "feelings" of being a Christian. Now I was just confused and scared. What if I couldn't keep it up for 30 days? Would I lose my salvation? I really didn't know.

Of course, now I know that I had become a "new creation in Christ" thanks to Mr. McClain back in third-grade Sunday School. Now I realize that I'm in a war with Satan for my mind that will continue the rest of my life. Now I understand that I died with Christ, and I am secure in my salvation because of Christ's resurrection (Col 3:1-3). But I didn't know that back when Thom gave me 30 days. As I look back, Thom's doubting statement was the root of The Christian Music Challenge™.

All I knew then was that everything I'd done previously led to misery. My whole life had been a battle for control of my mind, and I had been losing the battle since I was a little boy. I was afraid of going back, and all I knew of Christianity was that it had a bunch of rules. Freedom in Christ and Grace weren't even part of my vocabulary. I was wandering in the dark without direction, and I needed to do something fast.

Getting Started

So I called a young married couple I had met through an old girlfriend. I figured Randy and Joyce Ross were Christians because they kept trying to get us (my old girlfriend and me) to accept Jesus. I had brushed them off repeatedly by telling them that my parents were Christians—I didn't want to tell them Christianity didn't work for me. But brushing them off never slowed them down, and they almost always tried to share their faith whenever we met. They were nice people, just a little too zealous—or so I thought. But now I needed some answers.

When I called and told them I had become a Christian, they were just as shocked as my roommate. They really didn't know how to respond. I found out later that they had been praying for my former girlfriend to dump me so they could witness to her. They thought she looked like a Christian and I looked like hell. Instead, God chose to save me, and as far as I know, my former girlfriend still doesn't know Christ. God sure works in mysterious ways.

But unlike Thom, Randy and Joyce were excited to help when I asked if I could go to church with them that Sunday. I didn't expect it because they hardly knew me. I was just some hippie their friend used to date. Even though my apartment was miles away at the beach and they lived within a block of the church, they gladly picked me up and even had me over for dinner after church. What a friendly couple. Maybe I had misjudged them.

It was the first Sunday of the year at Scott Memorial Baptist Church. The pastor, Tim LaHaye—who would later go on to become the famous author of the Left Behind series—was teaching on tithing. My new friends were afraid I would be offended because the first time I set foot in a church service in years, the pastor was teaching on giving money.

I wasn't offended. If that is what Christians did, that is what I wanted to do. I remembered that my parents tithed, so I should as well. I started tithing because of that sermon and haven't stopped—I can share many miracles in my life that I attribute to tithing.

I bought a modern English Bible in the church's bookstore and started reading and reading and reading. I didn't know a Bible could be so easy to read and so enjoyable. I wrote notes on nearly every page. It seemed that God had a lot to say when I was willing to listen. I started in Genesis and didn't stop until I completed Revelation. All the Bible stories I had learned as a child came back with all the verses my parents made me memorize. This time I understood what the verses meant and even began to plan how to teach the different principles I was learning.

I couldn't believe how friendly this church was! Even though I must have stood out like a sore thumb, I didn't realize it. My hair was to my shoulders, I had wire-rim glasses and a Fu Manchu mustache, but no one said a thing. At the time, every other man in church had "white walls" (very close-cropped hair), wore horn-rimmed glasses, and was clean-shaven. I didn't notice any difference because we all loved the same God and everything was so new and enjoyable for me.

I was continuing to find bits and pieces of Truth but didn't completely understand how a Christian was supposed to behave day-to-day. I was still looking for a list of "dos and don'ts" but couldn't find one. I found the 10 Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, but they weren't the "to-do" list I was looking for.

I was afraid of freedom and didn't understand Grace.

But I did what I could to follow Jesus. Because I'm a black-and-white person who works best from a list, I make my list for the day and start crossing off completed projects. The more projects completed, the better the day.

That's how I responded to my new faith. I'd told Thom that I was going to quit everything, so I made my list and started to cross off each item:

  * • Quit drinking. Check!
  * • Quit smoking. Check!
  * • Quit drugs. Check!
  * • Quit gambling. Check!
  * • Quit carousing and partying. Check!
  * • And quit rock music! Check!

No one told me what to do. I just assumed this was the Christian list of things not to do.

As it turned out, following the list that I assumed was God's list was a good way to clear my mind of the lies that had been controlling my thoughts all those years.

But it didn't make me more spiritual or more acceptable to Him. God doesn't use lists. He uses Grace! There was nothing I could have done that would have made me more acceptable to Him. But it did clear my mind, enabling me to hear His voice.

Even when I was in the depths of sin, before I committed to live for Christ, I knew I had to change. Drugs were damaging my memory, and someday I would have to stop. I feared cancer and knew I'd have to quit smoking. One drink always led to more until I was drunk or passed out. I was becoming an alcoholic and didn't like it. I knew I was going to have to quit liquor, too.

But my music was more than noise to me. It was the soundtrack to my empty life. I prided myself on my music collection and knew what a hold it had on me. I often got loaded, put on my headphones, and cranked up the stereo to 11. I didn't just listen to the album—I experienced it! When Jimi Hendrix sang "Are You Experienced?" I knew exactly what he meant. Rock music, to be good, had to be heard at full volume. It's a wonder I can still hear today.

Music and hair length identified my generation. But the drinking, drugs, girls, wild clothes, and long hair weren't as important as my music. Like so many of my contemporaries, music became my life. It validated that "The man" didn't understand us. "The man" wanted to control us, but "The man" was out of touch.

I knew I was angry but couldn't tell you at whom I was angry nor explain why I was angry. I just knew it was "their fault," only I couldn't explain who "they" were or on what my anger was based. But the music that validated my anger also inspired me.

When I decided to live for Jesus, I quit listening to my music cold turkey. I didn't see it as a sacrifice. No one told me it was a sin or that I shouldn't listen. I simply turned it off because I could no longer identify with the anger and values it promoted. Everything in my life before I read Romans 10:9 was now persona non grata. Rock music was part of my old life, so it was out. I didn't want it to pull me back into the sea of hopelessness.

When I found a Christian radio station, I latched on to it like a lifesaver from a sinking ship. After a while, I asked my parents to send me an old album by my uncles Phil and Louie, The Palermo Brothers, who had been missionaries with Youth For Christ for nearly fifty years. Their consistent testimonies and the godly life of my mother reminded me that Christianity was truly real, and I wanted that innocence back. I needed a new soundtrack for my new life, and The Singing Palermos was the only Christian album I knew.

Dad (Mom was suffering from severe Alzheimer's) sent that album plus another by Phil Kerr and the Harmony Chorus, another one of my mother's favorites. I listened to those two albums over and over again until the vinyl started to turn white. Can you believe it? Overnight I went from The Stones, Hendrix, and Zeppelin to The Palermo Brothers, Phil Kerr, and the Harmony Chorus!

The music was quite a change from rock 'n' roll, but I didn't care. Listening to these old-fashioned albums didn't seem strange to me at all. I would get so involved listening to them that I would cry with joy. The message nourished my soul like the Ein Gedi Spring nourished David as he was hiding from Saul in the parched desert.

The Seeds of a New Ministry

I didn't know it then, but the new music kept my mind focused on "...things above, not on earthly things" (Col 3:2). Doing this was one of the best things a new believer like me could do. I was absorbing the Gospel and learning how to worship God by singing in my heart to the Lord. Without realizing it, this music was encouraging me to grow in my relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thom's 30-day challenge and the two albums from my parents started me on my personal 30-day Christian Music Challenge™. I avoided negative entertainment and listened to Christian music for more than ten years before I listened to a secular album or watched a non-sports TV program.

I'm now on a maintenance program. I never intentionally entertain myself with anything that is openly against biblical values unless it is for ministry research, and even then I am cautious. I almost always listen to Christian music, even today.

It's not that I see all my old music as evil; it's just that I prefer Christian music. If Christian music nourishes my soul, then why wouldn't I listen to it? I fed my mind and soul with the values of this world before I became a Christian and I was miserable. But now I have a choice—and why would I want to go back to listening to music that might undermine my joy? It's like deciding on which sandwich I will eat—peanut butter and jelly or a tuna melt on whole wheat. Because I choose to eat a tuna melt doesn't mean I'm censoring the PB&J. It's means I prefer the tuna melt.

Sometimes I still entertain myself with neutral TV programs, music, and movies. However, I refuse to entertain myself with music or other pastimes that are against biblical values because I don't want to open myself to empty philosophies that could undermine my walk with Christ (Col 2:8 and II Tim 2:16).

Years later I came across a few of my old favorite albums. I'd been a Christian for more than ten years by then and hadn't listened to more than 10 minutes total of any secular music during that time. But when a few people gave me their old albums after a seminar, I was almost afraid to listen to them. This music used to speak to me in my "lost daze"—would it affect me as it used to?

I cautiously listened to the albums to see what the attraction had been. There was none! My old music no longer moved me. I felt nothing. I listened to a few of my former favorite songs more than once, trying to find the spark that used to drive and inspire me, but it wasn't there. My tastes had changed, and I didn't even know when it had happened.

After a few months of exclusively listening to my mother's old albums, a friend introduced me to Andrae Crouch and the Disciples. The strong, biblical messages of his music were not only spiritually refreshing but were passionate and upbeat. I was beginning to realize that there was more to Christian music than church choirs and The Singing Palermo Brothers.

Another friend introduced me to the Maranatha! Music albums and a group called Love Song. It was exciting to discover music that both ministered to me and was similar in style to the secular music of the day. It was like having my cake and eating it, too. With songs such as "Two Hands" (...with one hand reach out to Jesus and with the other bring a friend...), "Changes" (going through changes in my mind, leaving all my emptiness behind...), and "Welcome Back" (...welcome back to the things you once believed in, welcome back to what you knew was right from the start...), their songs reached inside and intimately spoke to my exact personal experience.

Little by little, I filled my life with all types of Christian music. What a change from the rebellious sounds of the '60s and '70s, but the sound wasn't as important to me as the message that supported my faith.

I wanted to follow Jesus Christ, and I enjoyed this music because it spoke to my heart, gave me joy, and taught me about living for Him.

Following up

"Believe in the Lord" and "confess with your mouth." I had started with Thom. Within a few weeks, I personally located every dope-smoking friend I had and told each about my new life in Christ. Just like the song, "Two Hands," with one hand I was reaching out to Jesus, and with the other I was (trying to) bring a friend. Most were polite. Others, like my roommate, told me it wouldn't last, and still others told me they were already Christians. I asked the two who claimed to be Christians why they never told me about Jesus. As we talked, I realized they didn't know that they had become new creations in Christ. As I had been, they were losing the battle for their minds and were living as if they weren't saved, duplicating the empty life I had left behind.

My commitment to Christianity lasted beyond the 30-days Thom had predicted. By now it's lasted more than 45 years as I write this, and it's still going strong. I found the peace and joy I had been looking for by committing my life to Jesus Christ.

As a bonus, I discovered the value of Christian music in helping me keep my mind focused on Him.

I made new friends who had the same focus to be like Christ. I enjoyed their company. I loved my Christian music and attending church. I really was happy. I didn't miss my old life at all. What was there to miss? Heartache? Misery? Depression? Hopelessness? The fellowship with believers and the study of God's Word was like rain on parched earth.

After a while I started singing in the church choir, volunteered to teach the junior high boys Sunday School, and hung out with the college students at Christian Heritage College, the new college Scott Memorial was starting.

I no longer had doubts about my salvation, nor did I wonder about the validity of Scripture.

Within a year I was teaching at the local Christian high school.

There is a constant battle for the control of your mind. Be prepared and battle-ready by choosing entertainment that helps you focus on God. Otherwise, bad choices could undermine your relationship with Him.

Colossians 3:1-3

1"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

As I walked from the parking lot to my classroom that first day of teaching at the Christian school, my attention turned from the types of cars in the student parking lot—my favorite was a red Mustang convertible—to the type of music blaring from their radios. It was the same rock & roll I'd left. I couldn't believe it! It was an immediate and startling dose of reality. Christian kids wouldn't be listening to the same empty rock that used to fill my life before I lived for Christ, would they?

I was in for a shock. It wasn't long before I realized that the students at this Christian school were much like the ones I had taught in the public school. The main difference was that Christian High had teachers who loved God and taught His principles. Like most of those other teachers, I wanted the students to know Jesus and live for Him.

One of my first impressions was that while some students wanted to know more about Jesus, the vast majority—most of them older students—thought they were in a religious prison. Required hair length for boys, dress length for girls—it was a little bit like the rules of my old church. But I didn't see it as a prison because I was one of the guards.

I was single with lots of free time, so I became deeply involved with these kids. I was like an older brother. I ate lunch with my students, helped coach football and baseball, and developed the junior high after-school sports program. I didn't see it as work. I loved my students, and it was fun to be around them. Teaching, for me, was just another way to interact with kids who needed spiritual growth.

Today, some of the junior high students from my first year at Christian High are my closest friends. In fact, the former chairman of my ministry board came from that class.

As I got to know my students better, I realized that they were really innocent kids who had a natural curiosity about the pleasures of the world. Many students took pity on me because I was so eager to see them grow in their faith in God. I had many discussions with them about the world I had left behind. They wanted to touch, taste, and experience, and I did my best to explain why I was so opposed. I loved their openness and innocence and wanted to keep them that way.

I didn't realize until many months later that many students had been praying for me before they even knew me. I couldn't figure out why some of the younger students would ask if I used to be a hippie. I thought I hid it rather well. I had cut my hair to the school permitted length, and I didn't wear my paisley pants or shirts, but still many of the kids on campus openly asked me about my background, which I was trying to hide.

One day a shy junior high student, with a slight lisp, sweetly asked me if I was the one they had been praying for the previous year. I honestly didn't know. "Who were you praying for?" I asked. "All last year Mrs. Ross had us pray for her 'hippie friend' to grow in his faith. Was that you?" (Joyce and Randy, the same couple who took me to church that first Sunday, also taught at the school).

I could see by the immediate stillness around this young man that all the students had the same question. And I had no idea how to answer. "I think so," was all I could say. Joyce hadn't said a word about her 7th–grade classes praying for me the previous year, but when asked, she gladly explained that I was a living, breathing answer to her classes' prayers. I loved the innocence that flowed so freely from these kids.

As I counseled students after school, the drama of broken family relationships and personal crises unfolded day after day. I knew many parents were agonizing over their child's drift into immorality and rebellion. I was convinced that rock music was fanning the flames of sensual worldliness, leading students into involvement with sex, drugs, alcohol, and the occult.

Jackson Brown had a popular song in the secular world called "Doctor My Eyes." He was pleading for someone to fix his eyes because they had been exposed to too much and he wanted to regain his innocence. It was the only secular song I could relate to—it was my prayer to God to "doctor my eyes" as well.

I wished to be as innocent as my students, yet many of them wanted what I had recently left behind—a life of worldliness.

But if losing their innocence was the problem, then what was the solution? To me the answer was as obvious as the rock and roll blaring from the parking lot. The kids needed to change the soundtrack to their lives.

Truth?

I soon began another extracurricular activity to introduce my students to Christian music. I hadn't become their friend so I could introduce them to Christian music, but I introduced them to Christian music because they were my friends and my students. I played Christian music in class. I put the call letters of the Christian station on my classroom and office doors. I plastered posters of Christian concerts around campus and offered to bus students to the show. Free. I did everything but force my students to listen to the music that blessed my soul.

I felt compelled to save my students from what had consumed my life for so many years—godless rock music. It had kept me from finding the joy of my salvation in Jesus Christ, and I wasn't going to let the same thing happen to these students. As a teacher, coach, and counselor at this Christian school, I had a growing burden for the student body, especially the older students. But I felt that I wasn't even making a dent.

The school had chapel twice a week, and the administration was always looking for chapel speakers. After a little more than a year of teaching at the school, they had an opening for me to speak, and that gave me a chance to tell the whole school what the Bible had to say about their music. I figured that if I told my students how bad their music was, they would see the light and make a 180-degree change, as I had. I was going to give them hell.

I mounted the chapel platform with eager anticipation. Seizing the podium, I surveyed the students seated anxiously in the auditorium. Most students already had a good idea what I would talk about. I already had a reputation on campus as being vehemently anti-rock music.

My text that morning was based on Acts 19:18 & 19—the dramatic account of Christians in Ephesus who had torched their occult books in a bonfire as a public commitment to their newfound Savior. I was convinced that believers in the 1970s should be willing to make the same commitment by burning rock records. After all, wasn't much of rock music the twentieth-century equivalent of sorcery, which had caused the Ephesian believers to stumble so long ago?

"If you are ever going to live for Jesus," I thundered at the students, "You must get rid of the music that binds you to sin! If you really love God, you'll destroy your rock music!" It was ironic that I had turned into a hellfire and brimstone protagonist since no one had yelled at me like that when I was a seeker.

As I pounded my point home, many students became visibly agitated.

A few of them clearly thought I was some kind of nut.

  * • Others felt I was a righteous crusader for biblical truth & godly living.
  * • Some were disgusted.
  * • Some were motivated.
  * • Most were confused.
  * • No one was neutral.

At the close of the message, I called for a schoolwide demonstration. "Tomorrow during lunch," I announced, "a trashcan will be set up on the patio. I want you to pray about this matter, then bring any offensive records you need to burn."

The faculty members listened with a mixture of anxiety and dread. After chapel, the director of student activities tried to warn me of the consequences.

"Don't do this, Al!" my friend advised. "We're going to have some very negative reactions to this."

"No, Ron," I responded with unswerving resolve, "I know I'm right and I'm willing to take the flak." I figured the negative response would be directed at me.

The following morning dawned sunless and gray. Classes came and went. Finally the burning moment arrived. Tension filled the campus as I rolled a dented metal trashcan to the center of the school patio and waited. Gradually, a curious crowd gathered as if observing the scene of an accident.

A tenth-grade boy meekly stepped forward and dropped a Beatles album into my galvanized altar. Next came a timid girl with another album. As I watched the students, I began to pray that this would be a dramatic moment of decision. At last these students would be able to turn their hearts completely over to the Lord. Eventually, twenty or thirty records and tapes had clattered to the bottom of the container. I began to realize that most were older albums, ones that would probably have been tossed out anyway. Masking my disappointment, I determined to carry on.

I popped open the lid on a can of lighter fluid, sprayed the records with a dash of combustible fuel, and lit a match. The sudden burst of angry flame surprised me, nearly catching my shirtsleeve on fire before I could jump back. But I stayed cool and waited for others to join in this "celebration of righteousness." An eerie glow arose from the vinyl sacrifice, and a foul smell accompanied the billowing black smoke. Remnants of Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and The Who curled as the plastic melted. Those records would be silent forever!

My students would be released from the barrage of lies which had washed over their minds day after day; families would be united; joy would replace frustration...or so I thought.

I couldn't see how my judgmental attitude was putting me at arm's length from the kids I wanted to put my arms around.

As I reflected on my triumph, I became aware of a rumble of discontent in the ranks of spectators. With dramatized agony, one student yelled, "Burn my Bible! Don't burn Led Zeppelin!" Another called out, "Let me buy those records, don't burn 'em." After twenty minutes and about forty melted records and tapes, one student called the fire department. Fortunately they didn't come, but the principal called a halt to the burn anyway. I doused the fire, put the can back in its corner, and returned to class.

But that wasn't the end—it was just the beginning.

...and Consequences

In the weeks following the record burning, I began to notice some unsettling results. I had hoped to enhance the faith of my students, but instead I had divided the school right down the middle of its spirituality.

Some students thought the record burners were fools. The students who burned albums set themselves apart but used the incident as a source of false pride. Those who burned several records saw themselves as being more spiritual than those who had burned only one: "I'm holier than you because I burned a Black Sabbath album and two Beatles records. You only burned one Led Zeppelin!" Those who burned one album saw themselves as better than those who didn't burn any records at all. It was ridiculous and sad.

Most of the students' decisions to burn their albums were based on the emotion of the moment rather than a clear leading from the Lord. That fact became evident when most of those who had burned albums restocked their record libraries within a few months.

In the meantime, area newspapers gave the record-burning story front-page coverage. One reporter later staged a photograph for the Los Angeles Times, showing me breaking a John Denver album to pieces. John Denver? Really? What was I thinking? The news story made the event resemble Hitler's book burning in Nazi Germany a generation earlier. To this day, I will have former students ask me if I'm still burning albums. It really made a lasting impression all right. The wrong one.

Some parents were alarmed by my tactics and phoned the school: "What's going on over there? Are you fanatics brainwashing our children?" Others threatened to withdraw their children.

What went wrong? I wanted to be a light to our world. Instead, people were viewing that light through the gray smoke of burning records. I fed the press a sensation, disgraced the school in the eyes of many in the community, and sowed a negative attitude among the student body.

Worst of all, I felt that I had somehow disappointed my Lord.

Despite the unexpected setbacks, I was still certain I was on to something. The negative influence of rock music kept cropping up in counseling sessions. Time after time I saw their actions patterned after the immoral behavior of rock stars. Students showed allegiance by the vocabulary they used, the song titles printed on their book jackets, the posters they hung on their walls, the music they listened to in their cars, and the clothes they wore. They were hooked.

Teachers throughout the school could spot rock music's negative philosophies in student essays and creative writing assignments. Students would walk the corridors of school singing their favorite rock songs. At times it was as if the students spoke another language because of the buzzwords and key phrases that were known only to rock music insiders.

By noting which rock group a student was into, I could usually tell what types of problems he was experiencing—or could expect to experience very soon. Rock stars (most of them moral degenerates) still had my students in their grip. And I wanted to break the stranglehold.

II Timothy 2:16 KJV

"Shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness."

What could be more profane and vain than the records we had burned? What better way to "shun" ungodliness than to destroy the source of these godless messages?

It seemed obvious to me that the music of The Rolling Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, Rod Stewart, and others was definitely "profane and vain babblings" because they advocated immoral sex, drugs, and rebellion.

I was convinced that my goal was right—getting students away from damaging music—but I needed a better way to communicate my message.

While I was still struggling internally with these issues, I became a local celebrity with many religious groups because of my public stand against rock music. I was asked to speak at church youth groups in the area. Many pastors, parents, and grandparents supported me for saying openly what they had been trying to say at home.

But the young people simply grew defensive under my attacks. The more I spoke against rock music, the more they turned me off. They were repulsed by the aura of spiritual pride that had enveloped me—the kind of pride God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). The students were discouraged by my attacks, which were judgmental and condemning. Yet I fought on.

At the time, most movies were rated G, and television rarely had a program that Christians would call offensive. Video games, videos/DVD movies, computers, the Internet, texting, and the entire electronic media used daily today weren't even on the horizon. But attacking ungodly rock music was enough for me to immerse myself in studying every aspect of every group who was part of the rock scene.

"How can you call yourselves Christians and still listen to this ungodly music?" I asked the young people in seminar after seminar. "Don't you understand what it's doing to you?" And they would simply shrug and respond, "Don't worry, it doesn't affect me. I just like the beat. I don't listen to the lyrics."

I wanted to force these young people to grow in the Lord, to develop a deeper relationship with Him, and to live a life that glorified Jesus Christ. That was my mission, but I was failing. With increasing fervor, I strained to convict my audiences about sin, righteousness, and judgment. For nearly another year I struggled onward in my pilgrimage with very little progress. I became the local expert on the evils of rock music. I accepted every invitation to speak. As the expert, I became accusing, pleading, presuming, manipulating, and occasionally demanding.

Discouragement and Re-evaluation

It all came to a sudden grinding halt one day when a girl approached me after a chapel session at my school. She said, "It's not that we don't believe you, Mr. Menconi, but we just don't care."

They didn't care! That did it. I could handle criticism, but I couldn't handle apathy. If the Christian students didn't want to grow spiritually, why should I force them? If they didn't care, why should I? I felt discouraged, but God had to break my pride before He could use me.

It was discouraging to always have kids think of me as the enemy. When I walked by their cars, they would turn their stereos up or down, depending on whether they mocked me or feared me. I was weary of having them talk about me behind my back, laughing at what I had to say.

That's when I started to realize that maybe Ron was right. I shouldn't have burned records. I thought I was doing it for the glory of God, but maybe I did it out of pride. Maybe I only manipulated moods for the moment.

I started to question my entire ministry. What I thought was the fruit of my labors was turning sour. I had faced constant criticism. New record albums were going back on most of the students' shelves. It wasn't easy being called a censor, a legalist, and even a Nazi by my fellow Christians. My pride was hurt, and I started to feel sorry for myself.

So I gave up. I quit accepting speaking engagements. I didn't mind turning off non-believers, but I did mind turning off believers. I was tired of being a prophet that no student listened to. I retreated to lick my wounds. It was hard enough to be a teacher, counselor, and coach, yet alone going out to speak on a complex subject that required so much research and preparation. I already had a ministry working with the students in my classes and on the athletic field.

I didn't need this added grief. My anti-rock crusade only seemed to be a distraction. Inside me arose a feeling of great relief when I decided to stow my Don Quixote, windmill-dueling lance. And, like Jonah, I boarded the proverbial ship for Tarshish (which was in the opposite direction from where God called Jonah to be) and sailed for less strenuous territory.

A New Direction

But God had a different idea. He had me just where He wanted me—humbled!

That's when He sent a big fish in the form of my good friend and local youth pastor, Jerry Riffe. Jerry invited me to speak to his youth group about rock music. I turned him down. "I don't do that anymore, Jerry," I replied. "Kids today just don't care."

He looked surprised and then studied me carefully. He put his hands on his hips and asked sternly, "Should the teens in my group listen to rock music?"

"No. I don't think so," I hesitantly replied. His determination and attitude intimidated me, "But I don't know how to get them to stop."

Jerry reached out and gripped my arm, "Well, Al, God didn't call you to be successful; he just wants you to be faithful. My youth group needs to hear your message." He continued, "I'm scheduling you to speak to them in two weeks. You'd better get down on your knees and ask God to give you the right words. If they don't hear a message on their entertainment choices from you, who can I trust to tell 'em?"

Anyone but me, I thought. I wasn't looking forward to this "Nineveh" assignment. But I was too intimated to turn him down. For the first time, I started to humbly pray that God would give me a message that wouldn't turn off Christian kids. I wanted to make a difference.

For the first time in my Christian life I started to understand that God was waiting for me to get out of the way before He could work.

Let me explain.

God didn't call you to be successful. He called you to be faithful. You can't force someone to live for Jesus.

Deuteronomy 11:13-14

13 "So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul—14then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil."

Author's translation: You will be blessed by God if you faithfully serve Him.

I asked God to give me a message that wouldn't turn Christians off but would challenge them to grow in their faith and to make wise entertainment choices. Soon one verse kept flashing in my mind like a Las Vegas neon—Colossians 2:8:, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."

Colossians 2:8

The New Living Translation puts it in language easy to understand.

"Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ."

Isn't that what most entertainment is based on—empty philosophies instead of what Christ has taught? When you add a tune to someone's empty philosophies, you have rock music. Add a rhyme to their empty philosophies and you have rap music. When you digitize someone's empty philosophies, you have most TV programs, movies, and video games.

The New Living Translation warns us not to allow anyone to capture our attention with their "empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense," for it will undermine our faith in Christ and the joy of our salvation. The Bible says that if these philosophies are against God's Word, they are nonsense and foolish.

And if we constantly amuse ourselves with empty philosophies, they will eventually undermine our relationship, our faith and joy, with Jesus. It doesn't make any difference how it's broadcast: spoken words, written words, or digital technology.

The word "amuse" comes from the Greek meaning "without thought." The implication is that if we continue to put our mind in neutral and amuse ourselves with nonsense that counters biblical values, we will eventually lose our relationship with God. We won't lose our salvation, but we must remember that we are in a constant battle for control of our minds that could undermine our relationship with Christ.

The Battle is Never Over

This battle for our minds is never over. We must understand that a fully armed and invisible army hates us, surrounds us, and wants to destroy us. We must never allow them to convince us that the battle for our minds is over. It is never over! Satan would destroy us if God would let him, but Satan and his minions can deceive us with their empty philosophies just as I was convinced that Christianity didn't work for me.

Reading Colossians 2:8 helped me to understand why I was so concerned about my students' entertainment choices. My students related more to their music than they did to Christ, and their music was based on the world's empty values. The result was a lack of faith and joy.

  * • Many students struggled with even understanding basic Christianity.
  * • How can I be sure I'm a Christian?
  * • Is there really a God?
  * • Will I really go to Heaven when I die?
  * • Have I lost my salvation?
  * • It was a rare student who exhibited the Fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Those that did had different music choices. I didn't know why I didn't see the connection earlier!

Colossians 2:8 also let me try a different approach. I hate to admit it, but I was condemning or criticizing my students for choosing something I thought was bad. Now I could show them how to choose something good and leave conviction to the Holy Spirit. My job was showing the students the philosophies of their entertainment choices, provide information about what the Bible said, and simply let them choose for themselves. With the courage born of a new conviction, I was ready to tackle my next presentation.

Jerry's youth group provided the first test case. The kids were normal—that is, hostile, jaded, and well-churched—so I was nervous about how they would respond to my new presentation. But I was pleasantly surprised. Many of them made positive and open decisions for Christ, and many more decided to change their entertainment choices. This was exciting!

My new method asked a variety of questions:

  * • Do your music choices affect you?
  * • How do you know?
  * • How is your faith in Jesus?
  * • How is the joy of your salvation?
  * • If neither your faith nor your joy seems to be increasing, could your entertainment choices be the reason?
  * • Do your entertainment choices go against or distract you from biblical values?"

The next step was to change to the new strategy in my seminars and counseling sessions. This, too, started to generate positive results. When I became more concerned about the spiritual health of my students, many who had struggled with their faith in Jesus began to listen and commit to grow spiritually. I no longer felt compelled to manipulate students into emotional decisions. I simply contrasted the philosophies of the world's musicians and their songs to the light of God's Word. Then the Holy Spirit could show each listener how these philosophies could rob them of their faith and joy.

Today, electronic media have developed in ways we couldn't even imagine in the '70s. But my message is still the same. Is your Christian walk everything you want it to be? Does the Fruit of the Spirit radiate from your life? Finally, what are your entertainment choices? If your relationship with God feels out of balance and you're choosing worldly entertainment, then don't wonder why you are struggling with spiritual issues.

The Teeter-Totter Principle

Everyone knows what a teeter-totter is. Well, almost everyone. When the center of a board is placed on a fulcrum, it balances perfectly—a teeter-totter. When weight is placed on either side, the board naturally tilts to the side with the most weight. For our purposes, the board represents our spiritual life. The fulcrum is Colossians 2:8, which tells us to be careful about letting others spoil our relationship with Christ. This is the balancing point by which we can measure the impact of entertainment in our Christian lives.

If we place faith and joy based on what Christ has said on one end of our teeter-totter and place the shallow and empty philosophies based on men's thoughts and ideas on the other end, which way will it tilt?

On the positive side of our see-saw is the philosophy of Jesus: "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24).

Simply put in five words: Live for Jesus/deny self.

On the negative side of the teeter-totter, nothing contradicts the teachings of Christ more than the philosophy of the Satanic Bible (by Anton Szandor LaVey, founder of The Church of Satan in San Francisco). Many people assume that this book commands people to worship Satan through blood sacrifices and black masses. There are some descriptions of rituals, but the key elements of Satanism are identified in the "Nine Satanic Statements." The first two, most importantly, are:

1. Satanism represents indulgence instead of abstinence.

In other words, "If it feels good, do it!"

2. Satanism represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams.

In other words, "There is no Heaven, so live for today."

Simply put in five words: Live for self/deny Jesus.

In which direction do you want it to lean?

Can you see how the philosophies of the Holy Bible and the Satanic Bible are complete opposites? Using this understanding, does your entertainment lean toward the philosophy Live for self/deny Jesus or live for Jesus/deny self?

I suggest that you add numbers to your teeter-totter: a zero in the middle, minus 50 on the negative end, and plus 50 on the positive end. Depending on the entertainment, how many negative points are you willing to tolerate? If you have a family, include them when setting up your teeter-totter scale.

Now you are ready to make wise entertainment choices! Simply put your potential choice on the scale and see if it teeters or totters. If your choices are on the "live for self/deny Jesus" side, you have another decision to make. Can you spiritually afford to put that kind of entertainment in your mind? The choice is yours, but it's not always easy.

Do You Teeter or do You Totter?

What are the philosophies of your favorite music, shows, games, and entertainers? Are they closer to the values of the Satanic Bible or to the Holy Bible? Do your favorite performers reflect a desire to live for Jesus or to live for themselves?

Have you learned to laugh at sin? Applaud sin? Tap your toe to sin? Hum or sing a song that advocates sinful behavior? Be careful—these actions could be showing that you are allowing entertainment to control your emotions. Emotions influence attitudes. Attitudes influence behavior. Behavior influences character. Character is who you are.

Taking the 30-day Christian Music Challenge™ will help clear your mind of the philosophies of the world that have slowly clouded your thinking over the years and help you see your choices from a biblical perspective.

But how did I go from Thom's off-the-cuff remark to a planned Challenge for all believers and seekers?

The Challenge is simple. For 30 days, put all your music choices on the positive side of the teeter-totter, as I first did for my old roommate Thom.

Patrick was one of the first individuals I counseled after presenting my new approach to Jerry's group. I listened intently as this young man poured out his fears and frustrations. "Every time I try to pray and read my Bible, wicked, sexual thoughts spring to my mind. I can't get rid of them, no matter how hard I try. It's frustrating. A Christian shouldn't have these thoughts. If I'm a Christian, I should be more like Christ."

The "If I'm a Christian" statement indicated that he was struggling with his salvation as I had done throughout my youth and young adult years. Pat had a serious question, and I quickly asked God for wisdom on how to respond.

Patrick was a new Christian, one of several young Marines who attended the college Sunday School class I taught. He asked to talk with me in private, where he began to describe his troubles. Before he had become a Christian, these same thoughts hadn't particularly bothered him. But now they had him completely discouraged and struggling with the assurance of his salvation.

"What kind of music do you listen to?" I asked. "Why?" Pat asked, a little puzzled. "Music isn't the problem. It's my thought life."

"Actually, you seem to be struggling with your faith in Jesus and the joy of your salvation," I told him. "Let me put it another way."

"Try to imagine your mind like a clean piece of paper. What would happen if you lit a match, blew out the flame, and immediately set the hot ash to the paper? It wouldn't burn a hole, but it would scorch it a little and leave a scar. You wouldn't like it, but you could still write a letter on it.

"But what would happen if someone lit another match and set it down on your writing paper? And another? And another until the paper was covered with burn marks. Could you use it for a letter? Of course not—there wouldn't be any room for a message.

"Your mind is like that sheet of paper. Each scar represents wrong thoughts and attitudes that have burned into your mind over the years. They didn't used to bother you. But when you accepted Christ, He came into your life and began to heal the scars with the ointment of His Grace. As you allow Him to control more and more of your life, He is able to heal more and more of the scars. This is called spiritual growth.

"But what if, as Christ applied the ointment of His Word to your scars, you continued to add more and more burnt matches by filling your brain with the empty philosophies of this world? Very little progress would be made. He will continue to be in your life, but in order for progress to be made, you have to stop burning your paper—you have to stop scarring your mind."

"When you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the process of healing your brain began (take a look at Romans 12:1-2). At the same time, Satan wants to weaken you and make you less effective for the Kingdom of God. Satan tempts you to keep adding matches, but because you now belong to Christ, you realize that the matches are corrupting your mind and causing you to doubt your salvation."

Patrick and I read Colossians 2:8 together. Then I suggested, "Since most rock music and other entertainment is based on ideas that are against what Jesus taught, we need to look at the philosophies of your entertainment choices." As we discussed Pat's listening habits and choices, I asked him the same set of questions I asked at my seminars. Had Pat learned to laugh at sin? Tap his toe to sin? Hum or sing tunes that were odes to sinful behavior?

After a while, it became clear that Pat's music choices were impacting his thought life—his burnt thoughts were stifling his friendship with Christ.

I used the teeter-totter principle (Chapter 5) to suggest that he put aside his negative music and entertainment and meditate on Christian music instead. But how long would it take for the change to allow God's salve to make progress on healing his wounded thought life? Then I remembered the challenge from my old roommate Thom: "I'll give you 30 days."

So I encouraged Patrick—make all your music choices on the positive side of the teeter-totter. Eventually, this little challenge became part of all my presentations and books, and thus The Christian Music Challenge™ was born.

Sure enough, Patrick's entire demeanor changed within a few weeks of switching from worldly entertainment to Christian music.

Over time, we could see a positive attitude toward spiritual things develop. His faith grew as he began to view life from God's perspective instead of man's. God was in the process of healing Pat's mind. Bible study, prayer, and Christian fellowship also became important elements of his renewal process. "Why should I make entertainment choices that will drag me down," he reasoned, "when I can listen to music that will heal instead?" Exactly!

Patrick was the first person besides myself to take and complete the 30-day Christian Music Challenge™. Today, Patrick is a seminary graduate and has been a senior pastor of a growing church in the Chicago area for more than twenty years.

From one to many

It was becoming more and more obvious to me that many Christians needed a radical change in their entertainment choices if they were going to grow in Christ. At best, the secular music so many Christians listen to is "Twinkie" music—empty calories with no nutritional value. At worst, it can be absolute poison to their souls. I believe their negative entertainment choices clarify why so many Christians have such a difficult time spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and morally. The entertainment choices they feed on don't give them the strength they need to resist temptation and build strong spiritual muscles to experience victory in Christ.

I've challenged more than a million people since Patrick to eliminate negative choices on the teeter-totter and listen exclusively to Christian music. How about you? Are you ready to take the 30-day Christian Music Challenge™? If so, the easiest way to start is to get some Christian music. If you don't have a local Christian station, The Christian Music Challenge™ website has some recommendations of Christian artists in a variety of styles to plug into Pandora, Spotify, and similar websites that offer the opportunity to make your own Christian music station.

Give it a try.

Put away any entertainment that is against biblical values and consume nothing but musical "steak" (Christian music) for 30 days. If in doubt, leave it out.

During The Music Challenge, I also encourage folks to take on another challenge: stop texting except for absolutely necessary communication. The same applies for sexting, gossiping, badgering, or bullying. As Thom challenged me, I challenge you. Give these things up for 30 days.

Completely surrender all your entertainment—at least the choices that are obviously against biblical values—to the Lord. Fill your mind with the thoughts of Christ through Christian music. Then at the end of 30 days, evaluate your spiritual life. The Christian Music Challenge™ is designed to clear your mind of the noise of this world so you can hear the Words of God.

How Is Your Faith and Joy?

After taking the 30-Day Challenge, evaluate your spiritual condition. How's your thought life? Do you notice any significant changes in your attitudes and behaviors? Do your friends see a difference in you? Do you see a difference in your friends?

You can return to your old music at the end of the 30-days. But my experience is that most people who take the challenge change their entertainment choices long-term. It is my hope that when you set new entertainment guidelines, you will make wiser choices. If nothing else, The Christian Music Challenge™ will create a gauge to help you measure the hold the world's entertainment has on you.

I gave this challenge at a weekend Christian youth convention where many attendees decided to accept the challenge. But one young man came up to me in a panic. He acted like someone going through drug withdrawal, wringing his hands and complaining nervously. He told me, "It's been hard enough going without my music and video games for the past 2 days—I can't make it for 30 days!"

What was he revealing about his faith? Although he wanted to get right with God, he was beginning to see that he was a slave to his entertainment. A wise individual once said, "If you have something you can't give away, you don't own it. It owns you!"

Your ability to stick to The Christian Music Challenge™ will measure your attachment to the world. If the discipline to stay away from negative entertainment, including excessive texting, does not come easily, it's a clue as to how much it has a hold on your life. Everyone says they can take or leave something—until they actually have to leave it. It's like the guy who claims he can quit smoking anytime. To prove it, he quit ten times since yesterday!

Are we moving through life directed by Christ, or does the world have its grip on us? We can't assume just because we received Christ years ago that we will never fall under the influence of the world again. Whether teenagers, parents or grandparents, we need to examine our lives regularly to see if the world's values have gained a hold. Many Christians don't realize how dependent they are on the things of the world until they try to remove those influences.

The Christian Music Challenge™ also provides a yardstick by which to measure your faith. Too many people approach Christianity living as close to the edge as possible. It is a contest to see how much they can get away with. This puts the focus in the wrong place.

The question is not "How close to something bad can I get before it's really sin?" but "How close can I come to Jesus Christ?"

Anything that gets in the way must be set aside. Then our attitudes become, "How far can I go to honor my Lord Jesus Christ?" We are no longer concerned with the least offensive thing a Christian can do but rather the most holy thing a Christian can strive for.

What's The Christian Music Challenge™?

Simply put, The Christian Music Challenge™ is a call to eliminate all entertainment in your life that is against biblical values and listen exclusively to Christian music for 30 days. That's it!

But how can anyone eliminate all entertainment that is against biblical values? It's everywhere!

Exactly. That's the point! Our world is so saturated with entertainment media that we don't even think about it anymore. Music, TV, DVDs, the Internet, video games, even elevator music. It is everywhere.

I believe that the saturation has overwhelmed us so much that most of us have lost the ability to make wise choices (Newsweek cover story July 16, 2012). What is good entertainment and what isn't? How do we make wise choices?

That's why we need The Christian Music Challenge™ in the first place. We have become so desensitized to the entertainment media that we've learned to absorb it into our systems without being aware that it is even there.

But if we don't even notice, isn't that proof it's not affecting us?

Actually, the exact opposite is true. If you're not even aware that most of your entertainment is against biblical values, you have already been affected. It has so permeated your lifestyle that you don't even notice it anymore.

OK. It affects us. What problem are you trying to solve?

The problem is not exclusively your entertainment and the answer is not exclusively Christian music. The problem is sin and the answer is Jesus.

The noise of this world can cloud your perspective of God and His purpose. Much of secular entertainment will encourage you to focus on life from man's point of view and add to the noise.

How will Christian Music help?

Isaiah 26:3 tells us that God will give us His peace if our mind is focused on Him. Listening to Christian music can help you keep your mind—and heart—focused on God's view of this world (II Cor.10:5). Not only will it give you the Peace of God, it will help you understand God's joy and purpose for you.

Realize...

...you are created to worship God and to glorify Him with your life.

...how God's purpose for your life is missing.

...how much more of God's direction and values you need in your life.

...how different your life can be when you focus on life from God's point of view instead of the world's value system.

What if I find that a lot of Christian music is worthless and doesn't minister to me?

Some Christian music may seem shallow and ineffective because there is no standard for what qualifies as Christian music lyric. Anyone can produce an album and call it "Christian." The question you need to ask yourself is, does it minister to me? You make the final determination on whether a song is worth your time and helps you focus on life from a biblical perspective. If not, find some that will. There could be another reason why you believe Christian music is shallow. The following true story will explain.

In the mid '80s, as I was reviewing a new release from a major Christian music label, I thought the songs were insipid. The lyrics were trite, the music simple and repetitive. I pulled the cassette out of the player and cocked my arm to throw it into the waste basket across the room. To further demonstrate my disgust, I said, "This has the spiritual depth of a ten-year-old." Just as I began to bring my arm forward, God whispered in my ear: "Hold it, hold it! You have a ten-year-old!"

I laughed and gave the cassette to my ten-year-old daughter, who enjoyed having an album at her maturity level. It was a favorite of hers for a year or two. When she got tired of it, she gave it to her younger sister, who enjoyed it for another couple of years. I learned a great lesson.

Who am I to judge another man's servant (Romans 14:4)? Who am I to judge if a song or an album is worthwhile? It may not be worthwhile for me, but it may be perfect for the ten-year-old girl in my fifth grade Sunday School class. My concern is, is it doctrinally sound? Does it encourage biblical values? Yes? Then if you believe it to be shallow, it tells you something about the listener, not necessarily the album.

Music listeners will find their own level:

I personally look for music that will challenge me to grow in my faith.

For example:

If the music doesn't challenge or encourage you, it doesn't mean it isn't any good. It simply means that it doesn't challenge or encourage you—but it may challenge and encourage a neighbor, friend or colleague.

We are all different. We have different tastes. We enjoy different styles. And we are at different places in our spiritual journey. That's why I hesitate recommending Christian songs when asked, "What music should I listen to?" I respond, "Find something that will encourage you to focus on things above instead of on things of this world." If in doubt, sing hymns and/or praise music. Try to listen to the "heart" of the music before you listen to its style.

Who is it for?

The Christian Music Challenge™ is for Christians who are growing in Christ and also for those who are struggling with their faith. This Challenge is for anyone who is looking for encouragement. And Christians who simply want to grow—

  * • to grow in faith
  * • to grow closer to Christ
  * • to grow in wisdom

Focusing more consistently on the thoughts of God through Christian music will help you do just that.

How about seekers?

Of course, if you're not a Christian, you're still encouraged to try The Christian Music Challenge™ as well. There's plenty of quality music out there. Through listening to Christian music, you may start to understand more Christian principles and values. Basically you will be listening to life from a biblical point of view. You will find a lot of love, peace, joy, and hope in these messages. It is my hope that you will want to know more about Christ.

By now, I hope you understand that Christianity is not following a set of rules but believing Jesus is God in the flesh. He lived a perfect life. He was crucified because He claimed to be God. After three days He rose from the dead to prove He was and is God in the flesh. If you are willing to commit your life to that belief, you will become a Christian (Romans 10:9).

How do I start the CMC™?

The most important step is to resolve in your heart to follow through with The Christian Music Challenge™ for 30 days. Like Daniel, we must "purpose in our heart" (Daniel 1:8) to turn away from the world's philosophies and develop our faith in Christ.

The challenge consists of 3 simple steps:

  1. 1. Listen exclusively to Christian music throughout the day. Listen to Christian music when you are in your car, when you wake up, and when you go to bed at night. Listen as often throughout the day as you can (Deut.6:7).
  2. 2. Sing the song lyrics back as praise to God (Psalms 9:11, 47:6, 147:1).
  3. 3. Turn off all entertainment that is against biblical values (Ps. 1:1-2, Ps. 101:3, 7). You may want to go "cold turkey" and turn off everything (good, bad, and indifferent) for a few days. Leave everything out for as long as you are able. Just think of the time you will have simply to interact with your family and friends.

If and when you "blow it," don't quit. Start again until you have 30 consecutive days of listening to Christian music.

One variation of The Christian Music Challenge™ is to expand the Challenge to other forms of entertainment (movies, games, the Web and so on). The other media may be neutral (not obviously against biblical values) or godly, but your music must be Christian.  
A simple definition of Christian music is music that helps the listener see life from a biblical perspective. It should encourage an attitude of gratitude.

If you don't have any Christian music recordings, then find and listen to a Christian radio station in your area or ask your friends or the local Christian bookstore for suggestions. You can also visit our website at ChristianMusicChallenge.com for suggestions of quality music.

What do I get out of it?

The Christian Music Challenge™ will help you clear your mind of the "noise of this world" so you may hear the voice of God. It's easier to worship and glorify God—which you were created to do—once you use the CMC to help renew your mind (Romans 12:2).

There are other parts of the Christian walk—listening to Christian music is not a magic formula. But like virtually everything else in this life, you get out of the CMC what you put into it. If you want to grow in your walk with Christ, then listening to Christian music can help you focus on all aspects of the Christian life from God's point of view.

Will it make me spiritual?

No. The Christian Music Challenge™ is not a pill you take to make you spiritual. But as you learn to focus on life from God's perspective, you may discover a new kind of peace. Listening to Christian music will help you focus on life from His perspective. And at the end of 30 days, you might be surprised to find yourself thinking from a more spiritual point of view, with your outlook on life and entertainment considerably altered. Be faithful to the process of 30 consecutive days.

A short summary

After you complete The Christian Music Challenge™, it is my hope that:

  * • You will know who you are in Christ and why He created you to worship Him.
  * • You will develop a taste for Christian music that helps you focus on life from God's perspective.
  * • You will become more sensitive to entertainment that is against biblical values.
  * • You will understand how ungodly entertainment can be a negative influence on your spiritual life.
  * • You will begin to make wiser entertainment choices.

If you desire to grow spiritually and focus on life from God's perspective, listening to Christian music will help. Don't simply go through the motions of making this a legalistic ritual. Take time to listen to the words. Let them speak to your heart. Use them to sing songs of thankfulness to God and to enter His presence with praise (Psalm 95:2).

I've practiced the principles of The Christian Music Challenge™ since 1971. My wife and I raised our daughters on these principles.

What do you have to lose...30 days?

Take The Christian Music Challenge™. Reread Chapter 7. Taking The Christian Music Challenge™ could change your life for eternity. While you are taking The Christian Music Challenge™, set a time for regular prayer and a time to read God's Word. If reading the Bible is a new experience for you, start in Matthew and read through the New Testament. You may then want to read the Old Testament, starting with Genesis. Use a notebook to write key principles God shows you as you read.

To help you be consistent while on your Diet, I encourage you to sign up for a free 30-day devotional on ChristianMusicChallenge.com. You will also find music suggestions and other materials to help you keep focused on "things above instead of on earthly things" (Colossians 3:2).

II Timothy 2:15-16

15"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness."

In Verse 15, we are told to study the Bible so we will be able to understand biblical Truth. Notice that the very next verse warns us to stay away from profane and vain babblings because they will hamper our ability to understand God's Word. What could be more profane and vain than much of today's entertainment? Be careful. God implies a direct relationship between understanding God's Word and entertaining ourselves with empty philosophies.

A traditional American Indian legend tells the story of a brave Indian warrior who grew in such wisdom and strength that he became chief of a mighty tribe. The chief's son was strong and handsome, yet he did not evidence the wisdom of his father. He fell short in many ways. How could he ever fill his father's moccasins and become a great chief himself?

One quiet afternoon when the young brave could bear it no longer, he dared to approach his father. Sitting together in their teepee, the young man poured out his ambitions and his fears to his father. His father listened patiently and did not speak for a long time.

Finally, his father looked at him with understanding eyes and replied: "My son, I remember the days of my youth. I struggled just as you do. It was as though there were two dogs within me. One was a good dog, and for a while, it seemed to triumph and I would perform great deeds. I felt as though I would always accomplish mighty exploits. But then a bad dog would come along and fight with the good dog and pull him down. For a while the bad dog would triumph and I would fail at everything. Constantly they fought back and forth in my young life. "The young brave's eyes lit up with recognition: "Yes, Father, I feel the two dogs fighting within me! Some days the good dog seems to be winning the battle. Other days that bad dog seems to have driven the good dog out of me completely. But Father, how can I be sure the good dog will win?" The father looked at his son with great compassion and said, "Son, the answer is very simple. The dog you feed the most is the one that wins."

This story is not about good and evil fighting for your soul. If you are a believer in Christ, that battle has already been won at the cross and empty tomb. But the story illustrates the battle for control of your mind. Starve the bad dog and feed the good dog. Whether your old nature or the new nature controls your mind depends entirely on which one you feed.

Which dog is winning in your life? Many of us attend church only one or two hours a week, yet spend hours feeding ourselves with entertainment that is against biblical values. The average American spends more than 6 hours a day with electronic entertainment—teens spend more than 7.5 hours a day—not counting texting or multitasking. That's a lot of food for the bad dog. And Americans are increasing their consumption daily.*

*www.reelseo.com/mobile-web-video-consumption-2013

But we must do more than eliminate our negative entertainment choices and stop feeding the bad dog. We also need to feed the spiritual nature in us by focusing on what's good, pure, and undefiled (Philippians 4:8). The Bible calls this the milk and meat of the Word of God (I Peter 2:2; I Corinthians 3:2; Hebrews 5:12-14).

But how can we do this? In addition to reading Scripture, I know of no better tool to help us fulfill this command than Christian music. You can also hear the Word of God as music.

We consume a great deal of media food for our souls; not all of it is healthy. In order to understand what we are consuming, let's break down today's entertainment into four basic food groups: Poisonous, Empty, Positive, and Christian.

Poisonous

Healthy people do not knowingly consume the moldy, green stuff in the back of their refrigerators. It's poisonous! It will make us deathly ill, so we avoid it.

Mature Christians will also avoid the obviously evil ideas presented in the media. We have no desire to partake in the overt hedonism, anti-Christian behavior, graphic violence, cursing, and pornography so prevalent in much of today's entertainment. Even young Christians understand and avoid entertainment this extreme (usually).

Fortunately, much of the stuff presented as today's entertainment looks, tastes, and feels like poison to our souls. Wise diners know better. But an amazing number of Christians consume huge quantities of this world's garbage without giving it a second thought.

This is because the world sugarcoats many poisonous ideas in their entertainment venues. Just because something tastes good doesn't mean it's good for you. Some common excuses are: "It only had one or two sex scenes," or "I hear worse language at my school/office," or "I know it's not real," or "It's just entertainment," or "I just don't pay attention to that part."

Really?

If Satan can get you to laugh, cry, applaud, tap your foot, or sing his values, its influence has gotten past your mind into your emotions, and you are beginning to accept those values as normal. Would you laugh, cry, applaud, or sing about something you didn't emotionally approve? No way.

Recently, we ordered a new cable service—it was the only service in our area that carried my Padres. Along with the new service they threw in a free trial of HBO for three months, and the R-rated movie The Hangover II was being featured. I heard it could be crude, but the movie had received a lot of positive press, and I wanted to see what was so funny. I justified it in my mind so I could be knowledgeable for my seminars—and besides, I could overlook a few R-rated words and fast forward through any sex scenes.

The first few minutes weren't so bad, but then the profanity and crude humor started to hit the fan. I kept telling myself it wasn't so bad and it was just one movie—it's not like I make it a habit of watching this type of movie. After about ten minutes I knew I had seen enough and knew I should turn it off. But I ignored my "still small voice" because it was funny and a couple of the scenes made me laugh out loud.

That's when I was reminded of the warnings I wrote in this chapter. I was laughing at sin—which meant I was learning to see sin as acceptable behavior. I'm embarrassed to say, Satan had me in his grip and I was excusing it. I fought the decision, but when I turned it off, there was an immediate sense of relief.

Satan presents his values in ways that are funny, sad, and exciting in order to grab our emotional commitment. Remember, the word "amuse" means "without thought." When our entertainment goes beyond our reason, it is reaching our soul without thought, without a filter to tell us it is wrong or harmful.

We only applaud, laugh, cry, or sing when we accept what is being presented as worthwhile. We may not see it immediately, but we are learning to incorporate sin into our lives and treat it as normal.

We may not feel the effects of such spiritual food poisoning at first. But gradually we will notice that we are losing the stamina to fight our great spiritual battles. Eventually, we become too weak to ward off temptation. We become so drained of our passion, energy, and fervor for God that we no longer find time to read the Bible, share the Gospel, or go to church. If we're going to stay spiritually fit, we have to avoid at least the obviously evil poisons of this world.

Empty

Many people agree with me that a lot of entertainment is obviously against biblical values. However, we are frequently asked about "neutral" entertainment. It's not overtly evil, so is it okay for Christians as long as it's not really bad?

Spiritually speaking, a better word than "neutral" is "empty." I like to call it "Twinkie" entertainment, like watching my Padres play baseball. A Twinkie is mainly sugar and air. It's empty and contains nothing to keep us healthy. It may not poison our soul, but it won't add nutritional value either.

Many Christians are feasting on Twinkie entertainment without realizing its potential harm.

Empty entertainment is not an active assault on our spiritual health but a passive death that comes from neglect and lack of nourishment.

Positive

A limited number of secular songs, TV shows, and even movies are actually positive! These movies and TV programs are moral and uplifting, and they show concern for others. This form of entertainment often agrees with scriptural principles—love others, feed the poor, shelter the homeless, take responsibility for your choices—without directly referring to Jesus or the Scriptures. They are so rare that our ministry gladly informs our readers when movies and TV programs with these values are being shown.

Outside of a limited number of country songs, it is becoming more and more difficult to find secular music that is positive. It is a rare television program, motion picture, or video that doesn't contain some element that is against biblical values. Many programs claiming to portray family values actually show couples living together outside of marriage, casual sexual situations, profanity, and false religions as being normal and acceptable.

Often Christians get excited when they find programs that are not offensive. We must be careful not to get "non-offensive" confused with "positive."

Recently, I was watching a "positive" TV program when the young daughter on the show, with concern for the health of her father, went into another room to pray. I was thinking "nice move" until she prayed to her dead mother for help. Times have changed. A few years ago, in the same situation, that daughter would have actually prayed to the living God. I guess actual prayer to God isn't politically correct. At least in this TV program. By the way, the above-mentioned TV program dropped from "positive" to "questionable" in our home. Continued overtly worldly philosophies will push it to the "empty" and possibly "poisonous" category in the future.

The situation in video games is much the same way. Outside of educational and a few sports games, it's getting difficult to find positive video games. There are still some about courage, humility, loyalty, and doing the right thing no matter what it costs—but not very many. And many of the games that show positive traits also contain an overwhelming amount of profanity and excessive violence.

This "positive" category represents the green vegetables in our entertainment diet—they often provide food for thought and challenge us to consider others and encourage us to do good deeds. Christians need to be reminded about the struggles going on in the world around us. But without conclusions based on biblical values, these reminders may lead to ignoring the Christian element and only encourage political or social activism—or at best, humanism. Be careful! Positive is not wrong, but it does not provide the ultimate answer—Jesus Christ.

Christian

The most neglected entertainment food group is in the Christian genre. Yet biblically based media are the most nutritious for our spiritual health.

The Bible does not define Christian music any more specifically than simply Scripture, or scriptural values and principles set to a tune. But the Bible does explain many ways Christian music can influence our walk with Jesus, strengthen our faith and joy, and keep us spiritually fit. Let's examine a few in the next chapter.

Today the average person knows a lot about diets which are not only about losing weight but, recently, about health. Allergy symptoms can be avoided by omitting certain foods such as gluten, sugar, nuts, or dairy. There is a trend toward avoiding pesticides and eating organically grown foods.

I often encounter people who claim that diets just don't work, but that's not really true. Somewhere along the line, the failure to accomplish the goal rests on the person, not the diet.

Some people have the same skepticism about the 30-Day Christian Music Challenge™. They ask, "Can't I listen to a little secular music as long as I listen to mostly Christian music?" In other words, "How much can I get away with?" I always respond with a question of my own: "How many cookies does it take to ruin a diet?"

My late mother–in–law was a wonderful cook who would inevitably go on a cooking binge just when I started a diet. One time she was trying a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies—giant, soft, munchy, and ready-to-melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookies with an aroma that would make a grown man cry.

After I completed a few successful days of my diet, Mom offered me one of her incredible edibles just out of the oven. "Al," she said, "I've just been doing a little baking. This is a new recipe. Try one."

I put up my hands. "Oh, I can't," I objected. "I just started a diet, and chocolate chip cookies are definitely not on it."

"But I just baked them fresh for you and your girls," she insisted. "They're really good. Surely one won't spoil your diet."

I looked meekly at the plate of goodies and then at Mom's face. She would be hurt and insulted if I didn't try one. And she was right—one cookie couldn't destroy my diet. "I'll have just one," I said bravely, reaching for the sugary delight.

I hardly had enough time to savor the Heavenly flavor before guilt set in. In a panic, I rushed to the bathroom scale and peered at the dial to see how many pounds I had gained. It was amazing! The dial showed that I had gained no weight at all. Not an ounce.

I felt better at once. I returned to the kitchen and ran into Mom, still with a plate in her hand. "Al, these are for you."

Soon, I was sampling my mother-in-law's German chocolate cake, and then some cherry pie. Snort, snort. Grunt, grunt. Mom's baking was absolutely awesome. But....

How many cookies does it take to ruin a diet? Just one! You won't add an ounce with that first cookie (as you may not notice allergy reactions right away), but that first bite opens the door to compromise. You must keep a strict diet until you reach your goal, and after that you should learn to eat in moderation.

CMC™ participants have been able to make wise choices without complete abstinence. It's not impossible.

But when you eliminate everything but Christian music during The Christian Music Challenge™, you don't have to think and evaluate every choice. You simply just listen to Christian music. Exclusively. Don't eat that first cookie.

The CMC™ focuses on excluding all secular music for 30 days, but it could allow for positive TV, movies, and video games. It's essential to avoid all negative entertainment—music, TV, motion pictures, and video games, random Internet surfing, and excessive texting.

But what is "negative"? Are the characters on TV, movies, and video games positive role models? Do they advocate a moral lifestyle? Do characters live together outside of marriage? How much profanity is acceptable? How about violence? Crude jokes? How much texting is too much? How about social networks and Web surfing? My response is always the same...

...When in doubt, leave it out.

Total blackout

In 2011 the county of San Diego, where I live, had a total electrical blackout. The whole county was cut off from all electricity from about 3:30 in the afternoon to past midnight. That meant no TV, video games, movies, refrigerators—nothing electrical worked. Even cell phones were out because the cell towers depended on electricity. We didn't have a choice. We were forced to go on an eight-hour electronic entertainment fast. Most people in our neighborhood found a flashlight and went for a walk or sat outside and talked with their neighbors.

You would think it was a disaster, but the next day no one was complaining. Nearly everyone in the city did what we did. We talked to our neighbors. We played table games using a lantern for light. We read. We told stories and had an enjoyable, relaxing evening. The public, as a whole, saw it as a positive, not a negative experience. News reports showed that to the vast majority of San Diego County, it was a breath of fresh air.

Unfortunately, nearly everyone went right back to their old routines when the electricity came back on the next day. If it was so refreshing, why not continue that experience?

A short time later a man stopped me after a seminar and said he had lost his job a few years before. He explained that he had to cut back on all non-essentials including cable television. Just when I was going to express my sympathy, he said it was the greatest thing that had happened to his family. He found a better job a few months later, but he kept the TV disconnected. He and his family just didn't miss it. Not only was he saving about a thousand dollars a year, he spent time with his family. They play as a family or read. It's not just communication, it's communion.

We get so used to modern technology that we forget how to survive without it. Cutting it off is an opportunity to come out of our entertainment cave to commune and interact. Do you really need cable TV? Why not pull the plug during your Christian Music Challenge™? Just think what you could be doing instead of allowing your mind to be amused to death.

There is no longer any debate as to what food dieters can get away with. I am suggesting the same kind of strict plan with The Christian Music Challenge™.

Every compromise or excuse can be a source of failure.

It's important to understand that no one at Al Menconi Ministries says it's a sin to have secular entertainment in your life, nor am I saying it is impossible to listen to secular music and still be a devoted Christian. We're not advocating hiding from the entertainment media so the world will go away and not bother us anymore. I am saying it can often cloud our judgment.

Clear the noise from your life

During my seminars, I often divide the audience into three teams by having them count aloud 1,2,3. This scatters the three teams throughout the audience rather than making separate groups. Then I select a volunteer from each team and send the volunteers out of the auditorium while I instruct the teams to help the volunteers draw an object (I often use the Statue of Liberty).

The catch is that each team must call out directions without naming the object. Instructions such as "draw a straight line" or "draw an oval" are common. The volunteers are blindfolded when they return, told to remove their blindfolds, and then told to draw the image their team tells them to draw. Lastly, I stand in the back of the room and whisper the correct answer.

The results are hysterical! It's not that the team members are wrong. The problem is that the volunteer artists can't hear my answer because of the noise each team makes while calling out directions. Rarely is anyone able to draw any reasonable image at all.

When the artists are finished, I instruct the audience to be quiet for a few seconds while I whisper the correct answer. It's surprising how loud and clear a whisper can be when you are in a quiet place.

Maybe you have too much noise in your life and you've been focusing on the wrong things. The Bible tells us that God speaks to us in "a gentle whisper" (I Kings 19:12). The Bible also tells us to "set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Col 3:2). Have you ever heard the voice of God in your life?

I'm not encouraging Christians to stick their heads into the sand. Christians are called to be in the world but not of the world (John 15:19, II Cor 10:3). Many Christians think they are not worldly when the world actually has a strong grip on their lives. We hope to help strengthen each Christian's faith and joy so he can effectively minister in the world without being overtaken by its philosophies.

Most of us have been so immersed in the values of the world that we are often unable to tell the difference between "worthwhile" and "worthless."

Things that used to bother us no longer cause a twinge of shame.

Clean water refreshes the soul

Imagine that you live in a muddy pond. You swim, play in, and drink from that muddy pond. To your credit, you try to drink only from the cleanest part.

But every so often, usually on Sunday morning, someone hands you a bottle of clean, fresh water, which refreshes you and satisfies your thirst. What if you found the source of the clean spring water?

Step out of the muddy pond completely. Wash yourself with and drink the clean fresh water of Christian music for 30 days. When you hold your cup under God's rush of fresh water, the force of the waterfall will wash your cup clean. Clean your cup and fill it full of Living Water. It is my hope that your taste buds will have changed.

I'd like to share something I experienced while I was editing this chapter, which helps explain the value of Christian music. I wrote the following on my Facebook page in November 2013.

A mountaintop experience

Christians often see The Christian Music Challenge™ as similar to a mountaintop experience such as a Bible camp experience, which leaves you glowing—an epiphany of union with Christ. Often Christians at a Bible camp realize that God is more than an insurance policy to keep them out of Hell. He is the God of the Universe, and they felt His presence on that mountaintop. These Christians come back enthused about their faith and bursting with excitement.

  * • Why did this change happen? Was it the mountain location? That may have been part of the reason, but what else took place while they were on top of that mountain?
  * • In all likelihood, they left their electronic entertainment at home. They turned off the noise of this world.
  * • They focused on "things above instead of things of this world."
  * • They were taught biblical principles.
  * • They sang a lot of Christian songs.

Sadly, I often see the same people who had the mountaintop experience down in the valley within a few weeks. Why? There are a lot of reasons, but:

  * • Most have become re-involved with today's entertainment that consumes much of their time.
  * • Their entertainment choices once again focus their minds on "things of this world instead of things above."
  * • They are no longer singing to the Lord from their heart.

It has been my experience that most Christians live on a spiritual roller coaster—up one day and down the next. One day they feel like the son of a King, and a short time later they feel like the son of a beggar. These Christians often base their spiritual condition on how they feel.

The Bible teaches that without faith it is impossible to please Him. God wants you to live daily trusting in Him—if you feel like it or not.

Christian music can help you focus on Christ and create the desire to want to get to know Him in a more personal way. When you draw close to God, you will understand why you should draw close to him.

A beach experience

In my college days, I would often bodysurf at Newport Beach in Southern California. I had my favorite locations, but one day my buddies and I heard that a big swell was coming in, and we wanted to go to The Wedge at the far south end of the beach. A barrier was built from the shore to about 100 yards out into the water to keep the sand from being washed out to sea. It also caused the waves to break from two different directions at the same time, and when they met in the middle, they exploded into one heck of a ride. The Wedge was already known for its big surf, and a big swell would make it huge. To add to the danger, the waves crash right on the sand, and you have to pull out before they break or the wave will ram you right into the sand.

_Click here to view a video of the Wedge's shore break on an average day._

The surf this day was quite a bit bigger than I was used to, so I sat on the beach with the girls and watched my friends surf the powerful shore break.

As I sat there, I listened to the girls fawn over my friends catching waves. I was jealous that they were getting all the girls' attention, so I waited until the waves were between sets; then I swam out to join my friends—all of whom were stronger swimmers and better surfers than I.

But I thought, I can do this! If I can surf the 3 to 5-foot waves I was used to, I could surf these waves. The water was deep. I had to kick from the sand bottom, bouncing up and down to breathe and looking out to sea for the next wave.

Then somebody shouted "Outside," which meant the next set was coming in, and we all swam out to catch the best positions. When the first wave came in, I thought I was prepared. It turns out I wasn't. All I could think was, "I'm going to die!" I looked up at a wave that was as tall as a two-story building about to crash on my head and squash me like a bug.

Okay, I panicked! It was too big for me, so I dove down as low as I could go and let it break over me. But when I came up for air, the next wave was already swelling to crash. Again, I dove under and tried to take the white water in before the next wave hit. But they just kept on coming. As each wave swelled, it sucked out all the shore water, and I found myself being trapped in the undertow.

After about thirty minutes of struggling against the undertow, I finally started making ground toward the beach a few feet at a time until I was able to make it to shore. I dropped down in utter exhaustion. I was deposited about a half block down the beach from the girls, and I couldn't help but hope that none of them saw me lying face down like a dead man. It took me another 30 minutes before I could garner the energy to get up and walk back to my towel. I took the long way around behind the girls and hoped no one saw me.

That little experience changed my perspective about The Wedge. Sitting on the beach, the waves didn't look as powerful as they turned out to be. I felt I could handle them. But I was wrong.

It was only when I got into the waves that I was able to understand their majesty. I learned to revere the surf at The Wedge that day.

James 4:8

"Come near to God and he will come hear to you."

Most Christians read that, nod their heads, and casually go on their way. Take God seriously and give Him reverence. He is God—much bigger than a 20-foot wave. Give Him the respect and honor he deserves.

When we draw close to God as we are commanded, we will understand why we should draw close to him. A steady diet of Christian music can help keep you safe from the undertow of the world.

After completing The Christian Music Challenge™, set reasonable entertainment guidelines to help you keep your focus on Christ. Don't get complacent with your entertainment choices.

If and when you notice the joy of the Lord isn't flowing from your life, examine your entertainment choices. You may have to cleanse your mind again with another Christian Music Challenge™. An annual cleanse is recommended if you need it and even if think you may not.

Isaiah 26:3

"He will keep you in perfect peace whose mind is stayed (focused) on thee."

Romans 12:2

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's Will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

The clearest passages on music in the New Testament are the parallel passages of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. These verses command believers to sing "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord."

When Scripture says something, we should always follow its leading. When Scripture says the same thing twice, this should become a life principle of God's Word.

This is not something we should take lightly—we need to think it through. In addition, God didn't simply say "sing songs." He ordered us to sing "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs." There must be a purpose for each.

Psalms

The root of the word for "psalms" (psalmos) means "twitching" in the Greek, as in the movement of fingers playing an instrument like the harp. King David and the other songwriters composed many of the songs in the book of Psalms by playing their harp or lyre while expressing God's promises and principles back to Him. Most of the psalms reflect David's life—his heartaches, questions, and triumphs—as God taught him lesson after lesson about serving Him. They are personal reflections of a heart that belongs to God.

Psalms are songs sung to God.

Hymns

"Hymns" (humnos in the Greek) primarily refers to the "hillels," songs of praise for temple worship (Psalms 113-118). In contrast to most psalms, which are about life with God, hymns are basically about Him. They describe His attributes, character, and goodness. Not only are we commanded to reflect on God's impact on our lives, we are also called to praise Him for His many wonderful attributes. We need to be thankful for what He has given us and done for us, and we ought to praise Him for who He is!

A simple way to remember this definition is that "hymns" are about "Him."

Spiritual Songs

Finally, there are spiritual songs. The "song" (ode in the Greek) is a spiritual theme set to ordinary tunes of the world. The words in the original language reflect nothing more than this. While psalms focus on the inner life of the believer, and hymns reflect the nature of God, spiritual songs have more of a public emphasis. This could mean that spiritual songs reflect more of the Christian's life in the world at large or spiritual themes aimed at the world—or both.

Spiritual songs are songs about life from a  
biblical perspective.

How to use psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs

The distinctions between psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are crucial to understanding the biblical perspective on music. For our purposes, the spiritual music written and sung by believers in Christ today is commonly referred to as "Christian music," regardless of theme or focus.

Some people suggest that Christian music is only for praise and worship in a church service, but the Bible shows that while spiritual music is in fact that, it's also much more.

Godly music can be used for personal meditation and encouragement in our hearts as we reflect on Him.

  * • It's a wonderful way to memorize Scripture and learn about the principles in the Word of God.
  * • Christian music can encourage and disciple others as we share how God has affected our lives.
  * • It can be evangelistic as it reaches out to a hopeless and unsaved world.

God commands us to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in our hearts. The implications are that we should be doing it continually, no matter where we are. There are so many Scriptures that encourage the believer to sing a psalm, hymn, or a spiritual song from our heart to the Lord that I believe we are missing out when we don't!

These biblical passages reveal how important music should be in the lives of every Christian.

Surveys reveal that less than 10% of the church population listens to Christian music outside the church worship service setting. Why is the percentage so low?

It certainly doesn't reflect God's priorities in Scripture. In fact, the longest book in the Bible (Psalms) is a songbook! The man God refers to as having a heart for God was King David, a singer and songwriter (I Kings 15:3).

Music has prove to be an excellent tool to help people set their minds and hearts on God through the ages. When we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, we understand more of who God is and why we should worship Him. Focusing on the Lord through singing in our hearts also encourages a life that radiates the Fruit of the Spirit. When we are being led by the spirit of God, we will have a desire to sing praises back to Him.

Some people ask, "Aren't we talking about brainwashing here?" Well, as a matter of fact, we are! If you break the word down, it looks something like this:

Brain wash, Wash brain, Clean brain!

(...see Romans 12:2)

If you wash your brain with negative values, then brainwashing is harmful. But if you wash your brain with Truth, it's the right thing to do. What are you using to wash your brain?

Music used Throughout the Scriptures

Ephesians and Colossians aren't the only Scriptures that talk about godly music. Singing and music is referenced throughout the Bible and has many purposes. In addition to the three types of music—psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs—I see at least three purposes for godly music:

Songs for battle

  1. 1. Praying Music
  2. 2. Strawberry Jam
  3. 3. Songs for Battle

The Old Testament shows us that God's music is a great influence during our spiritual conflicts. Throughout the Old Testament, music is associated with both spiritual and physical victory. Songs of praise accompanied the triumphs of godly people like Deborah (Judges 5), Moses (Numbers 21:16-18), David (1 Chronicles 15:16-28), and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 12:27-31, 38-43).

One of my favorite examples of how God used music in battle is found in II Chronicles. Chapter 20 tells the story of King Jehosha-phat, one of the few godly kings of Judah. One day the Moabite and Ammonite armies joined forces with men from Mount Seir to attack Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat knew he was in no position to defend against such a large force, so he did what any follower of God should do when confronted with an insurmountable problem. He prayed and reminded God of His promise to protect Judah. In effect, he told God that he would be wiped out if it wasn't for God's protection.

So God sent the prophet Jahaziel to tell Jehoshaphat and the people of Jerusalem not to worry or be discouraged. This battle belonged to the Lord. In fact, the prophet told the people to take a position by the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel so they would be able to see how the Lord would deliver Jerusalem and Judah (II Chronicles 20:17).

I didn't realize how foolish these instructions must have seemed until I visited Israel. Jerusalem is built on a hill surrounded by high walls, which supplied decent protection from an attack. But God commanded the people to come out of the city and take a position in a valley that offered no protection. God wanted them to have a front row seat. If God didn't come through with His promise, His people were toast.

So did Jehoshaphat trust God? You bet he did. And he could have just quietly led his army into battle, but instead, Jehoshaphat had the temple choir lead the army.

Imagine how you would have felt if you were part of that choir.

Did God come through for Judah? You bet He did. As soon as the choir started to sing praises to God, the enemies became confused and started killing each other until all three armies were dead. The Children of Israel literally sang their way to victory and didn't have to lift a finger to defend themselves. And the plunder was "more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoils, it was so much" (II Chronicles 20:25).

You might be thinking, "Nice story, but how does it apply to me?" Let me offer at least one significant application. Do you have enemies? Have you tried singing at them? I'm serious. We don't have Moabites, Ammonites, or people from Mount Seir attacking us, but we have to remember that most of our enemies are not seen (Ephesians 6:12).

  * • **Do you have the enemy of doubt?**
  * • Why not sing songs of faith?
  * • **Do you have the enemy of worry?**
  * • Why not sing songs of hope?
  * • **Do you have the enemy of depression?**
  * • Why not sing songs of joy and praises to our God?
  * • What good will singing do? I'm not certain, but when the Children of Israel sang at their enemies, God completely wiped them out. No one has heard from the Moabites or Ammonites since, and I can't even find Mount Seir on a map.

Maybe singing in your heart to the Lord will help you see your situation from God's point of view. You will never know until you try it.

I've been told that I'm being foolish for suggesting that we sing at our "enemies," but I do it all the time, and God takes care of my spiritual battles. Is it because I'm spiritual or special in any way? No, it's because God's Word is powerful. I believe Christians often miss out on many opportunities for miracles because we do not bother to sing out in the face of our enemies and our problems.

Praying Music

Another way Christian music can help us stay spiritually healthy is by helping us pray. We are commanded to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Many Christians assume that this is an impossible command because we couldn't function if we had to spend every moment on our knees with our hands folded and our eyes closed. But would God give us a command we were incapable of obeying? Perhaps we need to reevaluate our concept of prayer.

I believe the kind of prayer God is referring to in this instance is the continual conforming of our thoughts to His thoughts—seeing life from His perspective. Now consider, where do we find His Thoughts? In His Word, of course. And Christian music can simply be Scripture and scriptural principles set to a tune.

If we add tunes to God's words and sing them continually, we will eventually discover our thoughts conforming to His. In other words, we can pray without ceasing by learning how to sing God's Thoughts back to Him. What a concept!

I'm not suggesting that singing can replace your current prayer life. What I am saying is that Christian music is a wonderful addition to an existing relationship with Christ as we learn to "pray without ceasing."

Strawberry Jam

When I was a little boy, I couldn't swallow my vitamin pills. This was a major concern in my family. Dad was a "pill-coater" by trade—it was his job to coat vitamins with a thin candy covering like M&Ms. (I've never heard of anyone else who was a pill coater except for my father and his brothers.)

We had vitamins in abundance at our house. But trying to take them always seemed like a punishment to me because they were too big and made me gag. I even tried chewing them. (In the 1950s, chewable pills hadn't been invented yet.) My mother tried everything, but nothing worked until she came up with an idea. She smashed the pills into tiny pieces, then coated the pieces with a teaspoon of strawberry jam.

We can look at Christian music as God's strawberry jam. When we are going through difficult times, consider them to be "pills" for us to swallow. And remember two things:

  1. 1. The pill is there to make us spiritually stronger.
  2. 2. God provides the strawberry jam to help us swallow the pill.
  3. 3. Many times throughout Scripture, the command to "sing" precedes a difficult experience that God knows is coming—for example, when Jehoshaphat was being attacked, when Saul was trying to kill David, when Paul and Silas were in prison, etc. Sometimes following God's commands can be difficult, too. A word search of "sing, psalms, hymns, singing, singers, music, musicians" will show that singing and music is almost always associated with a command that includes one of the "pills" from Ephesians 5. This isn't the only place in the Bible these pills are mentioned.

You have to remember that God didn't just throw these verses together randomly. They are in a specific order for a specific purpose. As we read Ephesians 5:15-17, we are told to:

  * • Be careful how we live.
  * • Be wise.
  * • Make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.
  * • Don't be foolish,
  * • But understand what the Lord's will is.

And verses 18-20 are very significant because they set up God's will for our lives:

  * • Don't be controlled by anything outside of your soul.
  * • Instead, be controlled by the Holy Spirit, who dwells within you.
  * • Speak (sing) with psalms, hymns, and songs, and make music from your heart to the Lord.

God is telling us to be careful; don't be influenced from the "outside" but be controlled from the "inside"—and when you are, sing a variety of songs from your heart to Him.

Let's take a closer look at God's vitamin pills in the next few verses.

Pill #1: Give Thanks Always in All things

Did you ever try to give thanks in all things (Ephesians 5:20)? That's almost always a very big pill to swallow. But if you have a song in your heart, when a difficult situation comes along, you'll be more inclined to say "thank you, God" instead of asking "why?"

Do you know people who are bitter, angry, negative, and critical? I'm willing to bet that sometime in their life they had the opportunity to thank God for a situation they had to experience but chose not to take God at His word and to "thank Him in all things." Problems often start when we refuse to thank God for a situation we don't understand.

God isn't cruel. He wants us to be happy. But the only way we will be truly happy and joyful is by letting Him have control of our lives and thanking Him in all things—whether or not we understand His plan.

Giving thanks in all situations is basic to growing in our faith. That's hard to do, but it becomes easier if we coat our thanksgiving in the strawberry jam of singing praise to the Lord.

Pill #2: Submit Yourselves One to Another

Ephesians 5:21 tells us to count others' rights as more important than our own. This can be a very big pill to swallow.

One specific example of how to incorporate this principle of submission is given in verse twenty-two, where wives are commanded to be submissive to their husbands as unto the Lord. This isn't exclusively for women; God simply uses women as one example of how we are all to be submissive one to another. Since the general principle in verse twenty-one commands all of us (women and men) to be submissive to one another, everyone should treat every other person in the body of Christ with the same respect due to Jesus.

Would you treat an individual with more respect if he or she were Jesus? You probably would. When your heart is coated with the strawberry jam of Christian music, submission is more likely.

Pill #3: Love Unconditionally

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25). The world says love is getting all you can. "If you love me, give me...." But the Bible describes love as giving: "For God so loved the world that he gave..." (John 3:16). Following God's example of love requires lots of giving, which is exactly the opposite of what the world teaches.

Do you love your spouse so much that you are willing to sacrifice to meet his or her needs?

Can you ignore the world's obsession with "getting" and instead become obsessed with giving? It's easier when you are singing a spiritual song.

Pill #4: Obedience

Here's a bitter pill for many people: obedience. Ephesians 6:1 reads, "Children, obey your parents." Young people often reply, "But you don't know my parents!" I don't have to know them. God does, and He says to obey them anyway.

Teenagers protest, "My parents don't understand me." That may be true, but the relationship works both ways. I often ask teenagers—how hard are you working to understand your parents? Young people don't always stop to think about the sacrifices parents make to raise a family. Many kids think only about what they want.

A few years ago I conducted a youth seminar on parent/child relationships entitled "How to Wrap Your Parents Around Your Finger." My secret is for young people to discover their parents' needs and then to meet those needs (which, by the way, is the biblical definition of love).

When the kids showed their parents unconditional love, the kids realized their parents weren't that bad. In fact, I have had many families tell me that their homes became much more enjoyable when the kids tried to meet the needs of their parents. It's not always easy for children to obey their parents.

Also, you never outgrow parental authority or any other kind of authority. You may think, I'm older and my parents have passed away, so I don't have to obey anyone. Really? Try running a red light. Try not paying your taxes. There is always an authority figure we need to obey. The government. Our employers. Our church leaders.

Parents, do you want your children to be loving, respectful, and obedient to you? Then provide them with the example of obeying the authority God has placed over you.

Teach your children to sing in their hearts to the Lord. Good Christian music is available for all ages, so start when they're young. You'll like it, too. When my daughters lived at home, we often had the same taste in music and often attended the same concerts.

If you really want your children to understand your love for Jesus, why not share the music you love with them?

A Short Summary

I urge you to examine your entertainment diet. Consider consuming the spiritual food that will keep your relationship with God and others healthy. If you find God's commands hard to swallow, help yourself to some "spiritual jam." It takes work to change your habits. But it's well worth the effort in order to walk daily with the Lord, to give thanks in all things, and to be obedient to the authority over you. Singing Christian music in your heart can help you to do these things.

Do you feel the good dog and bad dog wrestling in your life? Christian music feeds the good dog. It's much more important than you may know. Now that you're beginning to discover what Christian music can do for you, it's time to consider what types of Christian music are out there.

It was one of those rare occasions when my wife and I could afford to go out with friends for a steak dinner. When our order arrived, I was struck by the variety of our choices. We all ordered steak, but we had different ideas about how it should be seasoned. Two people used only salt and pepper. Another used A-1 Sauce. I ordered "carne asada." One friend even put ketchup on his steak!

We each had different tastes. The ones who seasoned with salt and pepper thought I was nuts for eating mine with hot sauce. "Why cover the natural taste?" they asked. I explained that I was simply enhancing my steak with my favorite spice, just as they were.

My friends were from Minnesota. I was from San Diego, but they still had a hard time understanding why anyone would put a spicy sauce on a steak—especially when they were introduced to the idea of authentic Mexican salsa. What they call hot sauce in the Midwest, we call ketchup in Southern California. Some of my local friends can eat hot sauce by the spoonful, yet the same sauce raises blisters on the tongues of my Minnesota friends.

The Effect of Culture

Culture has a big impact on taste and style. I recall two other memorable meals. One took place several years ago when I took some Japanese exchange students to a local Mexican restaurant. What better way to introduce Japanese people to Southwest American culture than by feeding them Mexican food?

I suggested that they try the special tostadas. But instead of devouring them, as I had anticipated, the students politely picked at their meals and ate only a little lettuce and some rice. Why? I found out later that the Japanese don't use many spices on their food, which is more oriented to seafood, vegetables, and tempura. These students were from the country that gave us the delicacy of sushi. A Mexican restaurant was definitely not the place for them.

The other meal I remembered was equally educational. One of my neighbors from India invited our family for dinner. If you think Mexican food is hot, try food seasoned with hot Indian curry. It was so hot that it made my eyelids sweat! And to my amazement, the meal was being thoroughly enjoyed by most of the Indian guests. To this day I can't eat food with curry of any kind. It's just a taste I've never acquired.

These dining experiences leave us with the question of which country correctly seasons its food: mellow Japan, spicy Mexico, or red-hot India? The answer, of course, is that each culture is simply different. The enjoyment of any specific kind of food is rooted in personal taste. God has taught me to be tolerant and accepting of tastes I don't like.

Tastes in Christian music

Now let's change our focus from food to music. We've already seen that "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" are the foundation of Christian music. But some critics of contemporary Christian music present this argument: "I don't like contemporary Christian music because it is too loud; therefore, it must be wrong."

So does that make me wrong for liking contemporary Christian music? Which style of music is best for presenting God's Word: mellow, spicy, rock-oriented, or somewhere in between? Again, the answer is that one is no more correct than another. Each style of music is simply different.

A person's choice depends on his cultural background, maturity and age, personal tastes, and how he is using the music.

For example, I prefer quiet hymns when I want an attitude of prayer. In fact, I'm listening to mellow instrumental hymns while writing this paragraph because I want to concentrate. On the other hand, I prefer contemporary praise and worship when I'm driving alone so I can sing at the top of my lungs (without embarrassing anyone else in the car). I like to worship at full volume.

Hymns can help you release tension so your mind can concentrate on the doctrine and attributes of God. They're often in a church service because they help us push out the cares of the day and prepare our minds for the pastor's meat of God's Word.

Contemporary Christian music, on the other hand, is a "battle cry" in the spiritual war of life. Rock praise and worship services are not relaxing, and they shouldn't be. If a hymn helps us to hear the Word, modern Christian music is designed to help us do the Word (James 1:22).

Contemporary Christian music is a call to action. Get off your spiritual rear end and live for the glory of God. Don't just go through the motions of your faith; go out and live for others. Feed the hungry. Give to the needy. This is true worship (James 1:27). Good contemporary Christian music will give you energy and cause you to move. Use that energy to live out your faith. You are not meant to sit on your spiritual duff when there is so much need in the world.

Some folks criticize Christian rock as being the same as secular rock because they both incorporate the same musical emotion—passion, action and urgency.

Christian and secular rock may both have the same feel, but that doesn't mean they offer the same message. The obvious distinction is that most secular rock says, "Live for yourself." Do whatever you want! (action), I mean it! (passion), Do it now! (urgency). In contrast, contemporary Christian music says, "Live for Jesus," Do what pleases God! (action), I mean it! (passion), Do it now! (urgency).

Secular rock musicians have been passionate about sex, drugs, and self for so long that people have begun to assume that all rock music is sexual, sinful, and selfish—as a genre. But that isn't the case. Christian rock music can communicate the same energy as secular rock, but the lyrics and performers can refocus that energy to challenge the listener—live for Christ, not for self! It's the same "meat of the Word" with a different spice.

Some critics of contemporary Christian rock music claim that the volume is often too loud to be spiritual. But exactly how loud is too loud? Is soft music more biblical than loud music? At what volume does it go from being spiritual to being unspiritual?

I have yet to find a command in Scripture that says we should sing softly or quietly to God.

Yet in a casual reading of Scripture—especially Psalms—I have found dozens of instructions to sing loudly (Psalm 33:3), play musical instruments loudly (I Chronicles 15:16 and 15:28), and generally make a loud noise, even shout to praise God.

In fact, Psalm 98:6 encourages believers to praise "...with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the king." No harmony. No melody. And no rhythm. A ram's horn is just for noise! It seems that most Christian rock concerts are following God's command to shout for joy!

I don't believe that full-volume is necessary. Some musicians who don't understand the principle of "passion, action, and urgency" believe they can duplicate the tension needed for good rock music by adding volume. They are unable to compensate for the passion in any way but volume. If the passion isn't there, no amount of volume will create it.

Volume isn't needed to add tension

You can increase tension without increasing the volume.

When my daughters were young teens they were playing a game on the floor, the dryer buzzed to indicate that the clothes were dry and ready to come out of the dryer. My wife, Jan, looked up from her reading on the sofa and said in her usual calm voice, "Girls, I'm really tired! The clothes are done! Please bring them in here and fold them! Is that clear?"

They both nodded and said, "Yes."

Jan went back to her reading, and the girls returned to their game. Five minutes later the buzzer again blared that the clothes were done. At that point, my wife noticed that neither Annie nor Allison had moved. Jan slowly and deliberately put down the paper and looked over at our daughters. "Girls," she said, "I thought I asked you to get the clothes."

Annie and Allison, who were normally very obedient, looked up with their sweet and innocent faces and said, "We didn't know you meant 'now.'"

Jan stared at them straight in their eyes with a look that could cut steel and said sternly, "Girls, I'm really tired. The clothes are done. Please bring them in here and fold them. Is...that...clear?" Their mother never raises her voice, and I rarely have seen her angry. And she didn't get angry this time, but each word was punctuated with the underlying threat, "You'd better move now, kids, or you're in big trouble!" They both got up immediately and took care of the laundry.

Tension! My wife had repeated the exact same words to my daughters, but simply by changing her tone of voice—not her volume—she added an element of urgency to her command. Our daughters immediately moved to action.

We all use different tones of voice for various situations when dealing with our children. We don't say "Let's pray" with the same amount of tension as "Clean your bedroom this instant!"

Do you think our Lord used the same tone of voice while talking to children as he did while flipping over the money changers' tables? Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto me" in Matthew (19:14). The statement is soft and gentle, full of reassurance. Then in John (2:15-16) Jesus says, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!" Jesus calls for an immediate response—fix this now!

Music has many uses in the Christian life:

  * • It can help us worship;
  * • teach and disciple;
  * • challenge us to see the hurting world from God's point of view;
  * • reflect joy and triumph, passion and urgency, anger and fear, guilt and repentance—just as the psalmists did.
  * • To do this, music requires a variety of styles, sounds, volumes, and moods. We must learn to determine which style of music—active or passive, intense or relaxed—best fits each situation and emotion.

II Timothy 3:16 emphasizes this principle, which tells us that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." Since Christian music can simply be Scripture and scriptural principles set to a tune, it too, can be used "to teach, reprove, correct, and train in righteousness." Each of these actions uses a different level of tension.

Rock music and your child

Many parents will say, "Some of the Christian music my child listens to sounds like the pit of Hell." A little over-the-top perhaps—but they simply want to know how to deal with music they don't understand or like.

If you find yourself in that situation, let me suggest that you use it as an opportunity to get to know more about your child. Instead of condemning or criticizing their music, ask your son or daughter, "Does the music you are listening to encourage you?"

If their answer is "No" or "I dunno," then you have an opportunity to suggest some quality Christian music. And if their response is yes, then ask again, "Could you explain how? I'm having a hard time understanding it." Be careful of your tone of voice when asking. Ask with an attitude of love, not condemnation. If your child has a reasonable response, you may have just opened a door of communication that you didn't have before.

A quick summary

Be careful about judging or criticizing another's musical choices—especially if he is listening to Christian music.

This caution is especially true if you are a parent. Young people so closely identify with their entertainment choices that when you criticize their choices, they often feel you are criticizing them personally. Their thought in response to your criticism could easily be, "They weren't satisfied when I listened to secular music; now they aren't satisfied with my choice of Christian music."

God gave us a variety of godly music choices for many reasons. Not all Christian music will sound the same, nor does all Christian music have a single purpose.

II Timothy 3:1

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. . ."

Since Christian music lyrics can often contain Scripture or scriptural principles set to a tune, Christian music can have the same value as Scripture—teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

The average father spends less than five minutes communicating with his child each day. Mothers average only slightly more. The problem may not be that the parents don't want to communicate with their children. Maybe they don't know how.

I decided to be a better communicator than the average Dad, so I used to pick up my daughters at school, ready and eager to talk. I remember a conversation I tried to have with Allison when she was in elementary school. It went something like this:

"Hi, Allison. Did you have fun today?"

"Yes."

"What did you do?"

"Played."

"Oh. Well, what did you do besides play?"

"Schoolwork."

"Well, tell me, what's the first thing you did?"

"Bible."

"Which part?"

"About Daniel."

"What did you learn about Daniel?"

"Lions' den."

"What else are you studying?"

"Missions."

"What about the missions?"

"San Diego was the first."

"What else did you do?"

"Arithmetic."

"What did you learn in arithmetic?"

"Fractions."

"What did you learn about fractions?"

"Numerators are on top."

That was an actual conversation; trying to get some real dialogue out of my daughter was like pulling teeth. Worse yet, it lasted only about a minute. More than four minutes to go to catch up with the average dad. Now what to say? Sometimes when I got lax, my wife challenged me, "AI, why don't you put in your five minutes today?" Very funny! I was doing my best.

I believe I have above average communication skills. In fact, my ministry depends on it. I know that the best way to communicate is to find something in common with your audience. But the only thing I had in common with my daughters when they were little was that we had the same last name and we all loved their mother. They're girls and I'm not. They were pre-teens and I was middle-aged.

I did my best to dialogue about common interests, but sometimes they just didn't want to talk. Sometimes I didn't ask the right questions. Sometimes I talked about things that interested me (baseball) rather than things that interested them. I wanted to communicate with my daughters but didn't know how. Thankfully, I discovered another approach quite by accident.

Breaking down the barriers

When Annie was six, we were in the car listening to a song from the Leslie Phillips album, Beyond Saturday Night. The song was called "Gina." Leslie sang about her friend Gina, who had been killed in a car accident before Leslie had a chance to tell her about Jesus. I didn't realize Annie was listening (after all, she was only six years old), but after the song finished, she asked, "Daddy, does that mean that Gina went to Hell?"

Annie's question hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn't ready to talk about Hell with a six-year-old, but I quickly responded with the Truth: "Yes, if she didn't know Jesus, the Bible tells us she would go to Hell."

"Why didn't Leslie tell Gina about Jesus if she knew Gina was going to Hell if she died?" Annie asked. Should I talk about Heaven and Hell with my six-year-old daughter? I thought about it for a few seconds and decided to go for it.

"Well," I said, "I guess Leslie figured that she had more time, but actually she didn't." At that point, I was able to talk to my daughter about Heaven and Hell and other important issues from the Word of God.

Our conversation had a dramatic effect on how my daughter related to others for quite a long time. From that point on she wouldn't play with new friends for long before asking them, "Do you know Jesus? Do you go to church? Are you a Christian?" She was concerned that her friends might die before she told them about Jesus.

Our conversation also had a dramatic impact on me and planted the seeds of an idea. Annie was willing to listen because she brought up the topic. Then the song gave me a wonderful chance to talk to her about significant issues without lecturing. Could I encourage better communication with my daughters by using Christian music?

Teaching the truth

A few years later I was on a speaking tour, traveling with my family in a motor home. While we were driving through the Midwestern plains, we listened to a Russ Taff song from his Medals album called "Not Gonna Bow." I was enjoying the song, pleased to be the "cool" Christian Dad encouraging my sweet little Christian daughters to listen to this very rocky Christian music. I knew it had a tremendous spiritual message.

"Annie," I asked, "Do you like that song?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Do you know what it means?"

She looked at me and said, "No."

That's when it hit me. I was listening to the song's spiritual content and being ministered to and encouraged as a mature adult. My daughter, who was spiritually less mature, was listening only because it had a sound that she enjoyed. She was 9 at the time and didn't understand the message.

What should a father do in a case like that? Should he criticize his daughter for listening to music just because she likes the sound? Or does he take that opportunity to explain the spiritual significance of the song to her? I chose the latter.

The song tells how a young boy named Bobby was asked to compromise his faith by giving in to the things of the world. All his friends said, "Come on, Bobby, what's the fuss? Come on, Bobby won't you be like us?" But Bobby said, "No, I'm not gonna bow."

The song refers to the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the Bible and how they didn't compromise their faith. So I started by explaining how the Bible story of the three men in the fiery furnace applied to Bobby's situation at his school. Then Annie and I talked about ways the song could apply to peer-pressure situations in her life.

Not long after that, Annie came home from school on a rainy day, which she had spent almost entirely indoors. To pass the time during the lunch hour, the teacher had her pupils ask different questions. One little girl had asked, "How many watch MTV?"

Annie reported, "Everybody raised their hand but me."

I asked, "Why didn't you raise your hand?"

She replied, "Because I don't watch MTV."

"Annie," I said, "that's nice. I'm very proud of you."

"But, Daddy," she said, "Julie raised her hand, and she doesn't watch MTV either."

"Honey, why do you suppose Julie raised her hand?"

"Because she was probably afraid everybody would laugh at her."

I said, "You're probably right. So why didn't you raise your hand?"

"Because I don't watch MTV!" (My daughter is like her daddy—honest to a fault.)

Then I remembered our previous conversation about "Not Gonna Bow." I asked her, "Do you remember that song by Russ Taff?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"Do you remember how Bobby's friends wanted him to be just like them, trying to get Bobby to compromise his standards? See how that relates to how you behaved in school today? By their response, everyone was saying, 'Come on, Annie, won't you be like us?' And by your response you said, 'I'm not gonna bow. I'm not going to bow to that pressure.'"

Annie beamed with happiness. And I was excited about teaching spiritual values to my daughter through the medium of music. After she understood the message, that song became her favorite. And the song stayed one of her favorites even through her college years.

But would that kind of communication also work with Allison?

Innocence and redemption

I remember a time my family attended a Margaret Becker concert. At the concert, Margaret sang "Streets of Innocence" from her album The Reckoning. "You can have your money, you can have your fame, but I've got innocence and I can sleep at night." The song speaks of the joy of being morally innocent while Margaret's friends had compromised their values. And the chorus simply repeated "Innocence, Innocence, Innocence."

When the song was through, Allison turned to me and asked, "Daddy, what does 'innocence' mean?"

What a joy it was to share with her. I said, "Honey, you're innocent because you don't know how much pain sin can bring into your life. I can't really explain to you what it's like not to be innocent. But it's my prayer that you will remain innocent of sin and greed your whole life."

Normally, Allison would have had a hard time sitting still if I were to try talking to her about innocence. But she brought up the topic, so Allison sat in rapt attention as we discussed what was on her mind.

That one song gave me the opportunity to talk to my preteen daughter (for quite some time) about how God's Grace has made us innocent and how sin can wipe away that precious innocence.

Towards spiritual growth

At this point I began to encourage Annie and Allison to listen to as much Christian music as I could. I wanted them to think about the spiritual significance of everything they did, and these lessons were best learned by listening to a Christian song. I brought Christian music with us whenever I traveled with either daughter.

Of course, playing Christian music doesn't guarantee good communication. But the music provided a good starting point and common ground. After a while, I learned how to communicate with my daughters by finding common ground in a song and discussing the values shared.

It became natural. I didn't have to force them into a spiritual discussion.

Over the years, my daughters and I have had some of the deepest spiritual discussions about honesty, love, sex, spiritual values, choices, and the Christian life—all because music introduced the subject and we were able to have wonderful dialogue right then and there.

Sharing Christian music gave me insight into how they thought, how they felt, and who they were. I saw sides of them I had never seen before. I was able to discuss things with them that I had no idea how to bring up otherwise. I could talk about spiritual Truth in very natural ways.

Letting go

More than once I've had my theories about music put to the test.

One time Annie asked if she could have a certain album by a relatively innocuous secular performer. She had heard it at a girlfriend's house. I was not naive enough to think Annie would never listen to secular music, but I was a little disappointed that she wanted to own this particular album. We did have a rule in our home about avoiding music that was against biblical values. But this artist didn't oppose biblical values. She was simply empty, not evil. What should I do? I was stumped, so I prayed for wisdom.

This was a situation where it would have been a lot easier to think for the child than to challenge her to think for herself. As Annie's father, I had every right to tell her that I didn't want anything but Christian music in my house. But I didn't want to take the easy way out by making a decision without considering her.

After much prayer and thought, I decided to challenge Annie to think through the situation and make her own decision. I asked her some questions: Why did she want this particular album? Why did she want an album that looked at life from a perspective that left God out?

As we talked, I realized that it was time to let go. I told her that my desire was to give her the strength to handle these situations on her own. The day was coming soon when I no longer would have control over her actions. I had always encouraged her to think for herself within our guidelines. It was time to widen the guidelines with her entertainment choices.

In the end, I decided not to buy that album for her because I didn't believe it would be in her best interest. But I told her if she really wanted the album, she could buy it with her allowance money. I also reminded her that I would buy any Christian album she wanted, and I suggested a new Christian album that was very similar to the secular artist she liked.

Eventually, Annie decided that she didn't want the secular album badly enough to spend her own money. I'm not certain if she chose not to buy it because she didn't approve of its values or because she realized it wasn't worth spending her own money. But it didn't matter. My goal wasn't to make her decisions. My goal was to teach Annie how to think on her own.

Summary

I could share dozens of similar stories I had with my daughters, not because I was a special father or a great conversationalist, but because I took advantage of opportunities that were before me. You can do the same thing, too.

Now that they are adults, Annie and Allison are strong in their faith and character. Perhaps they would have developed into godly women anyway. But I see discussions we had—because of a song—manifest themselves in many of their decisions in life.

Ultimately, with children, it's not a matter of "evil secular" versus "godly" music/entertainment. It's a matter helping them not be overly distracted by this world's values and to use Christian music to encourage an attitude of worship.

One year I challenged the congregation at a major evangelical church in Northern California to incorporate Christian music into their everyday lives at home. To communicate a point to the parents, I said to the youth, "Kids, fill in the blank. Christian music is..."

With one voice, they answered, "Boring!"

The parents couldn't believe it. You could see it on their faces: "Not only do our children listen to the enemy's music, but they think our music is boring! With this attitude, how are we ever going to get them to listen to Christian music?"

These families were in one of the largest and strongest Christian churches in that area. I get the same response at most churches where I speak. Adults everywhere tend to assume that new Christians and young people automatically enjoy traditional church music. It has never occurred to many of these parents that it takes time and effort to teach young people to value and enjoy Christian music, whether traditional or contemporary.

Don't just clean house

Jesus once told of a man who cast a demon out of his house. Then he cleaned his house and put it in order but left it unattended. The empty, unguarded house was filled with seven demons when he returned, and the man's condition was worse than ever (Luke 11:24-26). Jesus is illustrating a point here.

Nature abhors a void. In this case, the void created by removing negative philosophies from our entertainment choices will be filled with good or with evil. I'm suggesting that it is not enough to simply remove the negative philosophies of the entertainment industry from your home.

We should fill the void with something positive and meaningful, such as a diet of Christian music.

I have seen many people, young and old, decide to throw out their secular music but then reverse their decisions later on. Remember the story of my "record burn." When the students went back to secular music, they became even more devoted to it. Their intentions were good, but they couldn't find a positive replacement for the music they gave up.

If your family is going to let go of secular entertainment, then you need to fill the void. Deuteronomy 6:7 is a good place to start.

Deuteronomy 6:7

This verse instructs us to...

"...use every opportunity to teach our children God's commandments. We are to discuss God's commands when we are at home, as we walk along the road, when we lie down, and when we wake up. Every chance we get." (author's paraphrase)

This obligation can be very convicting. Many church families do not think much about God and may actually be focusing on the things of Satan through their choices of entertainment. When they "sit at home," they absorb empty philosophies through television, video games, DVDs, or music. When they "go along the road," they cruise to the emptiness blasting from their car stereos. When they "lie down" and "get up," their clock radios and TVs can focus on the values of this present age instead of the age to come.

Satan is often influencing our families during the times God commands us to be teaching our families His commandments.

Teach Your Children

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young sang a popular song in the 1970s called "Teach Your Children." One line in the song is particularly poignant. It's a challenge for parents to share their dreams with their children.

"And feed them on your dreams, the one they picked, the one you're known by."

I didn't understand the significance of this until I became a parent. We have to do more than simply tell our children what to think. We have to take the time to teach them how to think.

It is our responsibility as parents to convince our children that Christian music can be exciting and dynamic and that the gospel it presents can cut like a "two-edged sword." But how do we get our families to change their focus? How do we get our kids to focus their minds on the things of God if they fundamentally believe Christian music is boring?

Get their attention. Then show them how Christian music is relevant. Getting someone's attention is usually the easy part. Las Vegas excels at flashing lights and bling. Keeping someone's attention is a little harder, but that's the key. People pay attention to what matters to them. People listen longer when something is relevant.

Christian music can play both roles. You can get your child's attention by using the musical "spice" they prefer. You can keep their attention by giving them the steak. Make the music relevant.

Christian music can be a springboard to launch all sorts of discussions about personal and spiritual values with young people. It can help us talk to our children, listen to them, understand them better, and help them work through the values, morals, and spiritual issues in their lives. This is what I serendipitously did with Annie and Allison. But there's more than one way to do this. There's more than one way to feed your child on your dreams.

Sharing your testimony song

Another way to cultivate a taste for Christian music is through a "testimony song." This is a song that expresses your love for God and describes your walk with Jesus Christ. It doesn't necessarily express who God is or describe the great things that He does. It's just a song that expresses how you personally feel about your relationship with God. Every Christian should have at least one testimony song.

Pick a song that accurately shows how you feel about Jesus, not one you think others will like. A mature adult and a young child rarely have the same taste in music, so don't worry if your children don't like the style of your testimony song. You aren't looking for them to like it. You are looking for your children to understand your heart, which will hopefully inspire meaningful conversations. Pick a song that is the dream your soul is known by.

My first testimony song was "Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul." The first time I heard it, I got all excited. I thought, "That's it! That's exactly what happened to me in 1971 when I committed my life to Jesus." Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!

Several years later I heard a B.J. Thomas song called "He Gave Me Love When No One Gave Me a Prayer." It made me recall my spiritual struggle soon after my mother was hospitalized. My Christian friends had given up on me and quit praying for me. And my mother was too far gone with Alzheimer's disease to pray for me as she had for so long. But God, in His mercy and grace, chose to love me and save me anyway. God gave me love when no one gave me a prayer.

You may not want to pick your song too quickly. Many parents want to choose a favorite hymn because it's familiar and easy. But I challenge you to listen to a variety of Christian songs and artists. This is important. When was the last time you told your children why you love Jesus? Do you just assume that they know? You can make certain they know through your song, which is your testimony.

Ask your kids for five minutes of their time. Take one minute to give some background about why you chose this particular song.

Next, have them read the lyrics with you while the song is played to make sure they focus on the message of the song more than the musical arrangement. Do your best to make this a pleasant experience, and don't force participation.

The goal is to let your family share your soul and to see your love for Jesus. Follow the song with a question or two. Don't simply ask, "Did you like that?" or "Wasn't that cool?" Ask instead, "Now do you understand why I love Jesus?" or "Do you understand a little more about why I am a Christian? My faith is very important to me."

This exercise can accomplish a number of things:

  1. 1. First, it shows your children at least one Christian song that you personally connected with. The music may not have been their favorite style, but they will begin to see Christian music as something that can be personal, deep, and interesting. This may be a new experience for them.
  2. 2. Second, you model vulnerability by exposing your innermost spiritual feelings to your children. Be willing to discuss any issues that arise from listening to your testimony song. Be prepared to extend the five minutes as long as they seem genuinely interested in the discussion.
  3. 3. Third, children will often follow your example, and they may begin to seek out songs that speak personally to them. Whenever I give this challenge during a seminar, many people begin to think through their library of songs for one that defines their love for Jesus. Your children are likely to have the same response. Encourage them to find a song to share with you. This could be an immensely rewarding experience.
  4. 4. Finally, your child will subconsciously learn to evaluate his own music for its ministry value. Previously, he may have thought of music simply as a means of entertainment. Now he will begin to understand that music can be more.

A quick sidelight

By the way, these principles can easily be applied in a group setting. I hear from pastors, Christian school teachers, youth workers, Sunday School teachers, and others who have utilized the principles and techniques of the testimony song with great success.

This works for married couples, too. If you want to have more meaningful discussions with your spouse, take a few minutes to listen to your song together. Then discuss why it's meaningful to you. Ask your spouse to share her song with you. Parents, ask your children to find a song and, after listening to it together, discuss its meaning. Allow them time to explain what it means to them. As they do, I'm certain you will find opportunities to have meaningful discussions.

Hey, single adults, this also works great as an ice-breaker with that special someone. Don't be afraid. Godly singles are looking for godly partners.

When dreams come true

My children are my future. When I heard the song "Somewhere in the World" on the Giants in the Land album by Wayne Watson, it became my most inspiring testimony song. The song challenges parents to pray for the person their child will marry.

"And I don't even know her name  
But I'm prayin' for her just the same  
That the Lord will write His name upon her heart."

The song was certainly relevant. Jan and I had been praying that our girls would find the right spouses since our daughters were toddlers. The song resonated with me so much that I used it in my material when Annie was just 9. A friend videotaped my family in the appropriate scenes with the music in the background. It was cute and showed how we felt.

"That little girl's learnin' how to care  
She's pickin' up her mama's charms  
Or maybe swingin' around in her daddy's arms."

Years later, that song came true for Jan and me as God answered our prayers. Annie married a wonderful young man she met while both were working in the youth department at a church in Northern California. I acted as the MC during the wedding reception and was getting ready to show the video of my testimony song that featured Annie as a little girl in a wedding gown*. It was going to be a cute conclusion to a joyful day, showing how our prayers for our daughter to find a godly man had turned into the wonderful godly man she had just married.

Just before I started to show our video, Annie's new mother-in-law, Chris, tapped me on the shoulder and asked if she could share a few words before I started the video. I wanted to tell her that we were short on time, but we'd just become related and I didn't want to hurt her feelings. I had no clue what was coming.

Chris told the audience that she and her husband had shown a video of their son to Annie on the evening they met my daughter for the first time during the Christmas holidays. Naturally, Annie told them her parents had also made a video of how they were praying for her to find a godly man, and she showed my testimony song, "Somewhere in The World," to her future in-laws the next evening.

When Annie played her video, Chris realized that she'd seen it at one of my seminars. Annie was the little girl in the video who inspired Chris to pray for her son and eventually to make a video of her own testimony song. Chris hadn't remembered my name from fifteen years before, but she never forgot the seminar or the video of my song.

The first time Chris realized that the little girl in the video was the same young woman who was going to marry her little boy these many years later was when Annie showed her video.

Do we serve a big God or what? When I showed the video, there wasn't a dry eye in the audience as the wedding guests saw the power of prayer and a testimony song.

We received this following letter from a young woman who shared how Christian music and the grace of God changed her life. This is her, "testimony song" and it brings tears to my eyes every time I read it. I thought you would like to read it as well. —ed.

Use Christian music to help you understand, connect with, and communicate with others. Christian music is also an excellent way to share your faith in Christ.

I Peter 3:15

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. . ."

When I was a young believer, I attended a seminar to learn God's will for my life. The audience was filled with lots of people just like me, and we all had the same questions. Should I marry my fiancée? Should I buy a house or rent? Where should I work?

We all wanted to please our Savior and didn't want to make any mistakes. But how should we do it?

I don't remember many specifics, but I'll never forget our teacher's most important lesson. In the search for God's direction, we can always be certain of one thing. Follow the commands in Scripture that are specifically addressed to believers. While you follow what you know He wants you to do, it will be easier to understand the direction He is leading. It is easier to turn a moving ship than one sitting in the dock.

I came out of that seminar determined to do two things. First, I was going to search the Bible to find God's commands. Second, I was going to do my best to follow them. I wanted to be moving and make it easier for God to direct me.

Finding commands was the easy part. I found the Ten Commandments, of course, and the Sermon on the Mount and a number of others, especially in Psalms and Proverbs.

The more I studied Scripture, the more I came to understand the following:

  * • If God says something once, we should sit up and take notice and apply it to our lives.
  * • When God says something twice, it should be a life principle!

The more times a word or phrase is used in Scripture, the more it indicates its importance. For example, take the word "holy." "Holy" is used 546 times in Scripture to describe God or to instruct believers how to behave. The word "holy" is never repeated in a sentence until Isaiah 6:3. The angels were crying out to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is our Lord..." They were worshiping God and knew that one "holy" wasn't enough to praise Him. They wanted to emphasize God's holiness by repeating it. According to R.C. Sproul in his commentary, The Holiness of God, when Scripture is repeated, it is a way to emphasize its importance.

When God repeats His command to sing praises to Him more than 30 times throughout Scripture, obviously it is more than a simple request. Scripture is shouting at us that singing praises to God should become a way of life for believers. We should be singing to our God, affirming who He is, and singing to others about Him throughout the day (I Chronicles 16:23).

We sing to Him and praise His name, not because He is like us and needs to hear our praises. We sing to Him because He deserves our praise. We sing to God, not to remind Him of who He is; we sing to Him to remind ourselves of whom we worship and why. Bob Dylan's song, "Gotta Serve Somebody," hit the nail on the head.

When we aren't serving God, we are serving ourselves or someone else, and we aren't doing what we are created to do—serve and worship God.

Direct commands from Scripture to sing

The following are direct commands for us to sing to our God. The number of verses that command us to sing to the LORD reveal how important singing godly music is to God and how important it should be in the lives of every believer.

Exodus 15:21 – Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.

I Chronicles 16:9 – Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

I Chronicles 16:23 – Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.

Psalm 5:11 – But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.

Psalm 9:11 – Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.

Psalm 30:4 – Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.

Psalm 33:1 – Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Psalm 33:3 – Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

Psalm 47:6 – Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.

Psalm 47:7 – For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.

Psalm 66:2 – Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious.

Psalm 68:4 – Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the LORD.

Psalm 68:32 – Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord...

Psalm 81:1 – Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!

Psalm 95:1 – Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Psalm 96:1 – Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Psalm 96:2 – Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.

Psalm 98:1 – Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things...

Psalm 98:5 – ...make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing...

Psalm 105:2 – Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

Psalm 135:3 – Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.

Psalm 147:1 – Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

Psalm 147:7 – Sing to the LORD with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp.

Psalm 149:1 – Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.

Psalm 149:5 – Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.

Isaiah 12:5 – Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.

Isaiah 12:6 – Shout aloud and sing for joy people, of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.

Isaiah 42:10 – Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth...

Jeremiah 20:13 – Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.

Jeremiah 31:7 – Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard...

Ephesians 5:19 – Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord...

Colossians 3:16 – Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

James 5:13 – Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

Download these verses as a printable PDF: <http://bit.ly/2tkpUSJ>

Surveys reveal that less than ten percent of the church population regularly listens to Christian music outside the church worship service setting. Fewer actually sing to the Lord.

That's a shame—and it certainly doesn't reflect God's priorities in Scripture.

Do you sing songs of praise to the LORD? No? Why not? He has commanded us to praise Him with singing. You don't have to be a good vocalist or be worried about singing off key. God is not so concerned with our voices—which is a good thing because I have a voice like a frog.

But He does listen to our hearts sing His praises. If you can't sing, then a good way to fulfill God's commands is to listen to Christian music and allow it to move your soul to worship Him.

The people in Scripture knew that singing was important to God. In addition to David's many Psalms, there are many stories in Scripture illustrating how God chose to use singing and music to glorify his name. Here are two of my favorites—one from Exodus and one from Psalms with a direct correlation to my life.

Celebrating Freedom From Slavery

(Exodus 15:1), "Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: 'I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.'"

Most people are familiar with the story of "the parting of the Red Sea"—you may have seen the TV series, "The Bible," on the History channel. It portrays the Israelites encountering the barrier of the Red Sea while fleeing Egypt.

The people became afraid, but Moses told the people "stand firm" and watch how the Lord would rescue them. In the 1957 classic, "The Ten Commandments," Charlton Heston did the Moses thing with his staff, and the Israelites crossed the sea on dry land. When the Egyptians tried to follow, the waters closed in on them and killed the whole Egyptian army.

Before you dismiss this Exodus song as a simple afterthought, consider this. After 400 years of slavery, the first thing the Israelites did was to sing a song of praise to God! This song—the first 18 verses of Exodus 15—is the first recorded event after the parting of the Red Sea. And it didn't stop there. Verses 19 through 21 tell us that Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a timbrel (a tambourine) and continued singing and dancing with all the women following her.

God considers singing important. Do we?

Finding our purpose

(Psalm 66:4), "All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name."

All of God's creations give glory to God. They all sing praises to God—that is, except humans!

My friends and I were driving through Italy on vacation a few years back when we came across huge fields of sunflowers. I'd seen a few sunflower arrangements and I've eaten a lot of sunflower seeds, but I had never seen acres and acres of big yellow sunflowers like they have in Tuscany. It's an amazing sight, almost a religious experience.

Sunflowers tilt their blossoms so the petals are constantly facing the sun as it moves across the Heavens. It wasn't just a few passionate sunflowers that turned to face the sun. Every sunflower in every field moved as one as the sun crossed the sky from east to west.

As my friends and I watched these fields throughout the day, the sunflowers moved in unison like choreographed dancers on a stage. For this city boy, it was a moving experience—no pun intended.

Even the flowers of the field praise Him. The sunflowers were giving God glory with all they had. Their job was to face the sun, and they did it. Not one was rebellious and turned the other way. Not one did its "own thing." They all were doing what they were created to do.

Not so with humans.

We are created to glorify God and to worship Him. Do we? All the earth bows down before our God and gives Him praise. If the flowers of the field do it, shouldn't we?

A young wife wrote this poem after a seminar. I have this framed, hanging in my office to remind me why I continue to teach The Christian Music Challenge™. —ed.

To Al Menconi, with Love

I grew up with my radio beside me day and night.

I'd listen to each song until I knew the words just right.

(II Tim. 4:3-4)

When Mom would drink and scream, my music made me feel so good.

No matter what the problem was, my music understood.

(Deut. 32:37-38)

The rock stars were my idols. Their advice was my instruction.

They persuaded me to live a life of sinful, vile corruption.

(II Tim. 3:6-7)

At twenty-one, I married Phil, to help my emptiness.

It didn't magnify my joy. It magnified my mess!

(Eccles. 1:2)

I finally screamed, "God take my life! I'll do no good down here!"

(Jonah 2:2)

What followed was a blessed peace that calmed my deepest fear.

(Phil. 4:6-7)

Then Phil and I accepted Christ. Our sins just dropped away!

(I Cor. 5:17)

We made a pact with God. We said, "You speak and we'll obey.

We'll give you everything we own, except our rock-n-roll.

You understand, we love it Lord, with heart and mind and soul."

(Psalms 16:4)

But then, God whispered in our hearts a change that there must be.

(Rom. 6:21)

"You both must give me everything before you can be free."

(Exodus 20:3)

Ironically, at New Song Church, was where we really changed.

(Psalms 40:3)

It took place at a seminar that God had pre-arranged.

(Proverbs 16:9)

When we heard Al Menconi speak, all barriers fell away.

(Acts 9:18)

We found ourselves absorbing all the things he had to say.

Before my eyes, he stripped my idols down to what they were.

(I Cor. 8:5-6)

He didn't judge—just stated facts. His voice was clear and sure.

He backed his words with Scriptures that will always stay with me.

(Is. 55:10-11)

Colossians, chapter two, verse eight—Second Timothy, chapter three.

(Heb. 4:12)

And also in the book of Psalms, in 101, verse three.

This verse was so convicting, we got rid of our T.V.!

(Heb. 10:26)

It's amazing how our lives have changed, by what we listen to.

Al Menconi, we want you to know, we owe a lot to you!

(II Cor. 3:5)

Through Christ, who truly strengthens you, you've used your

talents well!

(Matthew 25:21)

How many peoples' lives you've touched, only God can tell.

(Heb. 6:10)

I love you deeply in the Lord, and thank you from my heart, for allowing God to work through you to give me a new start.

(Phil. 1:3)

—Phil and Lisa, Portland, OR

We are created to worship God. Christian music can help us worship and praise Him throughout the day.

Matthew 4:10

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"

Frankly, I believe that our world is "going to Hell in a hand basket." Morals are at an all-time low. Divorce, abortion, pornography, and couples cohabitating outside of marriage is commonplace. Society labels you a bigot if you don't support homosexual marriage. On top of the moral crisis, it seems that our planet is falling apart with unprecedented disasters—tsunamis, hurricanes, famines, and worldwide political unrest. The world's financial system is teetering on the verge of collapse.

Could it be that God has been trying to get our attention?

"You are the salt of the earth," says Jesus in Matthew (5:13). If the world is going to Hell in a hand basket, then maybe it's because we as Christians are not living as we should. Often there's very little difference between the world and Christians. How can we be the "salt of the earth" if we've lost our saltiness?

Pornography is the scourge of society, but 50% of Christian men are addicted to it. Divorce is rampant in the world, but the percentage of Christians divorcing is no different from the rest of society—and in some elements of society, we are worse! We continue to entertain ourselves with the sinful values of this world and don't believe it affects our spiritual life.

Jesus taught us to let the world know we are his disciples.

John 13:35

But most Christians are known for what we are against rather than by our love and service to others. We probably lie, steal, and cheat as much as non-believers. I know many people who will not do business with Christians because these people had been burned more than once by people who claim to be believers.

What's the result? Most non-believers believe Christians are as phony as they are portrayed by the entertainment industry. Most of America sees us as merely a political special interest group, not as disciples of the Living God. What a waste.

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

How does this affect our families? Most young people raised by Christians will leave their faith after high school. How can this be? There are only two reasons for this: Either we don't have the right answer in Jesus Christ, or we have the right answer but are not conveying it properly. I believe it's the latter.

As a friend once remarked, "The world doesn't have a problem with Jesus, but they don't like His 'bride' very much." Ouch! We are the Bride of Christ! People have a problem with us—not Christ.

It's clear that most Christians are not living as they should—so it's no wonder that our children are getting a distorted picture of Jesus! How can we teach our children to worship God when our lives are a contradiction to our own faith? How can we teach our children to worship a God who isn't strong enough to keep parents together and isn't attractive enough to change lives?

How can we show the world God's love when we live as if His love hasn't changed our lives? Either we are living for eternity or we are living for the here and now! "You cannot serve both God and money" (Matthew 6:24). If we no longer demonstrate the life of Jesus, then we no longer salt our society with holiness. We are the salt that has lost its seasoning.

When King Solomon dedicated the first temple in Jerusalem, God gave a promise in exchange. In II Chronicles 7:14, God says, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

This isn't a godly agenda to "heal" our politics, crops, finances, and economy. He will heal our land through our personal repentance and changed lives. God wants us to humble ourselves, ask forgiveness, seek Him, and turn from our wicked ways. God wants us to have a relationship with Him. Healing our land is a side effect of getting our spiritual act together.

When Christians have a strong relationship with their Savior, then the fabric of our society will change because our faith will be real. Instead of going through the motions, our faith will be new and different because we will understand that we are the children of God and were created to worship Him.

We can be a part of the Third Great Awakening

When America has gone through morally dark times in the past, God seems to have stirred inspiring times of renewed interest in spiritual things. The first of these in the 1730s and '40s became known as The Colonial Great Awakening or the First Great Awakening. A second Great Awakening began in the late 1790s and gained momentum in the early 1800s with new believers, peaking from the 1820s to the 1840s. A few resources refer to the time after the Civil War to about 1910 as a Third Great Awakening, but there is little evidence to support this.

The first Great Awakening pulled believers away from their ritual and ceremony of church and encouraged individuals to rely less on dogma and more on a personal relationship with God through Jesus. The many people who experienced a personal relationship with Jesus Christ during the first half of the 1700s positively impacted society. God was healing our land through the faith of individuals.

When our founders based our nation's Declaration of Independence and Constitution on the Bible, it seemed the natural thing to do because so many people relied on the Bible for inspiration and truth. We never were a "Christian" nation, but our founding documents were based on the biblical principles. Many people had a personal relationship with Christ, and their lives influenced those who weren't believers. Christians made a difference because they openly lived their faith. Because of this, those who weren't believers respected those who were.

The Second Great Awakening was similar to the first in that it emphasized piety and personal relationships with Christ over religious schooling and theology. It brought millions of new believers into existing evangelical denominations and led to the formation of new denominations. This Great Awakening stimulated many reform movements—especially a focus on anti-slavery.

This time period from 1800 to around the time of the Civil War is often referred to as "the western movement." People began migrating to the vast open territories that came with the Louisiana Purchase.

As these Americans, with their newfound faith, moved west, they were compelled to consider the question of slavery. Again, their faith guided their decisions. The Bible said that all men are equal in God's sight, so how could a person justify owning slaves? In I Cor. 12:13, Eph. 6:7-9, we read that Christians became the champions of emancipation. Once again, Christians who lived their faith openly influenced society. There are a few things that are relevant here.

The Great Awakenings began by encouraging individuals to humble themselves before God, to live moral lives, and to serve others. Because so many Christians lived their faith openly, Christian principles permeated society. God began healing our land through the lives of individuals.

These spiritual awakenings changed American society, and these converted people were agents of change.

What does that tell you? God isn't going to heal our land through politics or through any other means than us. God is waiting for us to live our faith openly.

A little side light here. The Church at Philippi was known as the "Church of Joy." I can't say for certain, but if I were a betting man, I'd bet that some of the founding fathers of the church were a forgiven jailer and forgiven former prisoners. Who would have more cause for joy?

When enough Christians are living openly for Christ, it will change our society. He wants you and me to change our society by changing our lives to glorify Christ.

Our nation needs a third spiritual awakening, and if Christians aren't being the catalysts to start that revival, then who will be?

You may not be able to change the whole nation for Christ. But you can change one person for Christ—yourself.

Maybe it seems absurd to say that we are what the world needs. But I believe the world needs Christians to "walk the talk." We are called to make a difference. But we can't be a difference if we aren't different (Matthew 5:13-16). Sometimes Christians try to show the world they are different by what they don't do.

But that isn't what Jesus was talking about.

He said we are different because we have put our faith in Him and He put His Spirit in us. We have the hope of the resurrection. He made us alive in a world that is dead. He made us light in a world that is dark. We are different because of what He has done in us (Ephesians 5:8).

So what does that have to do with the Christian Music Challenge™?

When we sing praises to God, we will begin to see life from His perspective. When we see life from God's perspective, we realize how far we, as individuals and as a nation, have fallen from His Glory. This is a humbling experience.

A diet of Christian Music can help individuals repent and heal their minds. If Christians were living a victorious Christian life, we would make an impact on our world that could lead to revival. We must start with ourselves—one person, one family, one church, and one community at a time. Then our changed lives can have a positive influence on those around us. And we can help to inspire a Third Great Awakening.

Singing God's praises will not guarantee you an easy life

In fact, it could be just the opposite. Let's go back to II Chronicles 7, when Solomon is dedicating the temple to God. God's promise to heal the land (verse 14) comes within the context of verse 13. "When I shut up the Heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people...."

God didn't say if tough times come. He said when tough times come.

Since I believe baseball is next to godliness, allow me to use a baseball analogy to illustrate my point. As I mentioned before, I'm a fan of the San Diego Padres. Friends think I'm crazy to be so attached to a perennial loser. As I write this, my Padres have had only 13 winning seasons since the franchise was founded in 1969. That's a lot of suffering if you are a true fan. But it doesn't matter what people think. I love baseball and I'm a Padres fan—win or lose. Wait until next year!

How much more so with Christ. Are we Jesus fans only when times are good? Or do we worship God even when we are experiencing losing season after losing season?

It's easy to worship God when good times come, but God's commands and promises apply when bad times come, too. Paul writes in Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice."

You might be thinking, "How can I have joy when I'm going through hell? I've Iost my job. My house is in foreclosure. My spouse doesn't understand me, and my children are rebellious."

Life hurts. Our loved ones die, our friends betray us, and our enemies are out to get us. It isn't easy to trust that God cares for us—much less to rejoice and worship God when life is in chaos.

But let's pause to consider this: Paul writes this letter while he's sitting in a Roman prison waiting for Nero to cut off his head. Yet he commands us to rejoice in all circumstances. He just exudes a joyful spirit.

Trials give us a chance to show that we're not just fair-weather fans of God. We're committed to Him. "Naked I came from my mother's womb," says Job 1:21, "...and naked I will depart. the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." God is in control!

Others will notice our faith and hope during times of trial. When they ask us what gives us strength, it gives us an opportunity to share. It gives us a chance to make a difference.

Knowing God sets us apart.

One of my favorite Bible stories is from Acts 16. Paul and Silas were preaching in Philippi when they were arrested and thrown into prison on trumped up charges. Then they were severely beaten with rods. (When "severely beaten" is used to describe how someone is punished, it implies that they nearly died from the beating.) Then Paul and Silas had their hands chained to a post and their feet locked in stocks. Not only was their punishment severe, but it was unjust. They were Roman citizens, and the Roman law stated that citizens couldn't be put in jail without a trial.

Yet they didn't complain, cry, or moan. "But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." (emphasis mine) (Acts 16:25).

Just imagine what the other prisoners were thinking. These guys just got severely beaten, and here they are singing and praising their God. Their God must be something special.

If something like that happened to you, what would you do? I know exactly what I'd do. I would demand my rights—throw those false accusers into prison! Then I'd complain until someone rescued me.

A while back, a man bumped into my car in a parking lot. I was at a dead halt, just waiting for him to stop, but he just kept on backing up. He didn't see me or hear me blow my horn to get his attention. Thud! It took every bit of my will power not to get angry with him.

When I contacted his insurance company, I found that he had lied and told them we hit when I was backing out! The customer service rep told me it was his word against mine because there were no witnesses! I was fuming! My response was the opposite of Paul and Silas's! It was only a small accident, but I wanted justice. The other guy lied and I demanded justice. I wasn't beaten. I wasn't bleeding and chained to a post. Some guy made a little dent in my car and lied about it! That's it.

We do know what happened with Paul and Silas. There was a violent earthquake. Living where I do, I've experienced a number of earthquakes, but this one must have been "off the charts." It was so violent that all the prisoners' chains fell off and the prison door flew open.

When the jailer saw the open prison door, he drew his sword to kill himself because he knew then that the Romans would kill him anyway for letting the prisoners escape. But Paul cried out, "Don't do it! We are all here!" Can you imagine Paul being concerned about the well-being of his cruel jailer? They didn't leave when the door flew open, and they were concerned about their jailer's life. Unlike my response when I got into a fender bender, they kept cool and sang praises to their God.

I often wonder why the other prisoners didn't run away when their chains fell off. We'll never know for certain, but the Bible emphasizes that they had been watching and listening to Paul and Silas (Acts 16:25). I believe that they knew there was something special going on. I believe the other prisoners didn't want to leave until they knew what made Paul and Silas sing and praise God even in their awful circumstances.

Also, notice that the jailer didn't ask any questions about the situation except "What must I do to be saved?" Can't you imagine him listening to Paul and Silas singing praises throughout the night and wondering what was up with these guys? "How can they sing during these terrible conditions? I wish I had a little of what they have." Paul and Silas led the jailer and his family to Christ.

Did all of this happen because Paul and Silas sang when they were in prison? We will never know. But we can be certain that nothing worthwhile would have happened if they had been complaining instead of singing.

What trial are you going through right now? How are you responding? People are watching you. Are you leading your jailor to Christ or getting angry at the service rep? Maybe by singing in your heart to the Lord instead of demanding your rights, you can be a catalyst for changing your world.

I hope the service rep for the insurance company doesn't remember my name. And if she does, what will she think of me calling her client a liar—especially if she learns I'm a minister? What are the chances she'll want to listen to me teach a seminar on rejoicing?

When you blow it like I did, ask forgiveness when it is possible. We can't be perfect every time, but we can exhibit growth. God's grace will cover your sins, and God's grace will give you another chance.

As I was having coffee with my friend Bill and his wife, Janie, we shared how we became followers of Christ. Janie's story really touched me and reminded me of how the jailer and prisoners watched Paul and Silas praise God in their suffering. I'd like to share a short portion of her story with you. —ed.

Janie was raised in church but never had a personal relationship with Christ. After marrying Bill, they went to church together and Janie made a profession of faith. As a new Christian, she really didn't understand the abundance of God's grace, peace and hope. That understanding was to come in a way no one could expect.

Seven years later, while on a family vacation with Bill's parents and other family members, Bill's 9-year-old niece drowned in a tragic accident that devastated the family. Janie also suffered fractures to her leg and ankle, which required immediate surgery. It was the first time Janie had been around real Christians who encountered a tragic death. While they had deep sorrow and grief, there was a sense of hope Janie had never seen before.

Two days after the accident, recovering from surgery in their shared hotel room, Janie saw her grieving sister-in-law sobbing deeply while reading the lyrics from a hymnal. Janie watched as the grieving mother's tears fell on the page, seeking comfort and whispering "All to Jesus, I surrender/All to Him I freely give/I will ever love and trust Him/In His presence daily live."

When she watched how Bill's sister handled grief by praising God through reading hymns, Janie knew she wanted faith like her sister-in-law's. It was at that point that she began to understand what a personal relationship with Jesus Christ meant. That night Janie surrendered her whole life to the God who is able to heal broken hearts.

Some final thoughts

We are in a spiritual war for the control of our minds. The more we allow our minds to wander through Satan's lies, the more difficult it is to keep focused on Christ and His Truth (Colossians 2:8).

Henry Blackaby and Clyde King write in their book, Experiencing God, "You may have been frustrated in your Christian experience because you know God has a more abundant life for you than you have experienced." I agree. Many Christians want to know God in a way that is more tangible. They wish God were more real to them.

Many of us are merely going through the motions of our faith because we don't know who we are in Christ. So we are living by the values of this world fed to us through so much of today's entertainment.

Don't believe the lies you hear in the entertainment media about God, immorality, and living for personal pleasure. Keep your mind focused on Truths of Scripture!

Join us on The Christian Music Challenge™.

For the next 30 days, I challenge you to listen exclusively to Christian music. Godly music can help us to see ourselves as God sees us. We are a light on the hill and the salt of this world (Matthew 5:14). You may think it seems absurd to say that we can make a difference, but from how far away can you see a light on a hill?

At the very least, when we know who we are in Christ, it will make a difference in us. When we are changed, then people begin to understand that their purpose in life is to worship God. When that happens, we will see our nation change!

Remember, this is a personal challenge for you. Don't judge others who aren't taking part in the challenge.

Let's change our world one song at a time, one person at a time. Go for it!

In His service and yours,

President

Al Menconi Ministries

www.AlMenconi.com, www.ChristianMusicChallenge.com

Let the world know you are a disciple of Christ by your love and service to others.

This is the Lord's command to you. When you love and serve others, people will notice. When people ask why you are different, share how Christian music helped bring peace and purpose into your life.

John 13:35

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

James 1:27

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Psalm 29:11

"The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace."
Acknowledgments

I thank God for His patience and Grace with me. I can't imagine where I would be today if He hadn't rescued me from the "pig sty" of the life I was living.

I thank God for Christian music to help me wash my brain.

I thank God for Joyce and Randy Ross, who took pity on this poor confused soul in 1972 and took me to Scott Memorial Baptist Church, where I could learn to grow in my faith.

I thank God for Tim LaHaye, who taught me to understand how to live for God.

I thank God for Bill Kelly, who took a chance by hiring this eager but young Christian to teach at Christian High School of San Diego.

I thank God for Mike Wilkins, who taught me Grace, and for Rick Myatt, who taught me that what God supplies is enough.

I thank God for my ministry advisor, Stu Smith, who wouldn't accept a manuscript that was less than a "home run."

I thank God for my former student and new friend, David Blyth, who made the simple babble from my heart into a coherent and readable book.

I thank God for Mark and Sandy Rayburn for editing with the help of Dr. Jim DeSaegher and Janie Compere.

I thank God for Josh Van Wynen for designing the cover and interior of this book.
