Thank God for Rock 'n' Roll

One of the things I thank God for these days is rock 'n roll. I grew up where anything secular was 'bad' & hence didn't get to listen to it other than at school when friends had stuff playing... & have to admit, I liked some of it. Loved some of it actually. used to wear a walkman around for a while listening to AM106 & all the (bad) '80's tunes they were playing... and, once i was banned from listening to it, I'd sneak a listen in my bedroom at night, listening to the "top 10 @ 10" and letting the music sink in....

... Over the years since university, I've made the musical progression to Contemporary Christian Music to various folk/rock types - U2 & Toad the Wet Sprocket - and have kept progressing until now I listen to pretty much anything (even went through a country phase - there are some beautiful songs that speak about real life stuff in country tunes).

And there is such richness in the music outside the church. (and, no question, there are artists within the Christian subculture that create beautiful & amazing art & music as well). There are songs that just talk about life & what it means to be human. There are many deeply spiritual songs, songs that speak of a God who is real & tangible - sometimes He is more obvious in the songs of the secular than in the schlock of the 'sacred' music industry.

Last Saturday night I was in at Boston Pizza on 16th Ave. enjoying some BP's grub while reading through some of Donald Millar's "Searching for God Knows What". The place was packed, so I chose to give the hostess a break & wandered into the lounge so she wouldn't have to try to seat me in packed house. The lounge was good. Smokey, all kinds of interesting people. Loud people behind me talking about bar escapades & such. A couple of guys (who may have been a couple) to my left wearing, well, sweaters that I'd expect to see on girls.... maybe they were european or something & just know fashion better than I do.... The service was great & the food was good & the time was magical.

And woven into this was the radio playing.... and I let the sounds wash over me... grinding guitars, beats pounding out...and mixed into this came the lyrics.... songs like "Angels losing sleep" by Our Lady Peace, "The Future is X-Rated" by Matthew Good, and...

"I’ve been on Heaven’s doorstep,/With the Door open,/One foot inside/I’ve cried out…God give me answers!
Please hush child I’ll tell you why/You have/Loved me when you were weak,/You kept
Giving unselfishly,/Kept you from/Falling…Falling/Everywhere but your Knees!

You set me free!/To live my life
You became my reason to survive the great divide/You set me free!

Oh…our love is beautiful/Oh…oo…oh…Isn’t it beautiful?
Times have changed/But you remain/My everything
Our Love is Beautiful/Stood by my side/Helped me survive
My great Divide/Isn’t this is beautiful.

You set me free!/To live my life
You became my reason to survive the great divide/You set me free! "
- Scott Stapp, "The Great Divide"

" If I were of the highest cliff, on the highest riff
And you slipped off the side and clinched on to your life in my grip
I would never, ever let you down
And when these words are found
Let it been known that God's penmanship has been signed with a language called love
That's why my breath is felt by the deaf
And why my words are heard and confined to the ears of the blind
I, too, dream in color and in rhyme
So I guess I'm one of a kind in a full house
Cuz whenever I open my heart, my soul, or my mouth
A touch of God reigns out"
- Kanye West "Never Let You Down"

And there were others (K-os was in there, too)... but it was just beautiful to recognize in the middle of a smokey lounge with the everyday people, that the good news was being preached to the poor.... or at least whispered over the airwaves for those who want to stop & listen....