Consider the age-old question:  Should Christians have a higher standard in their musical tastes than non-believers?  Actually, it probably is not ‘age-old’ because in ancient times there was not the onslaught of different musical genres or questionable lyrics that we are faced with today. Even looking at church worship, we see in recent decades division among congregations based on contemporary songs vs. traditional hymns. Though both praise our Lord and have edifying lyrics, we still find partiality.  Some argue traditional hymns are more reverent and holy than the upbeat worship songs while others argue the hymns don’t invoke a […]

  It will surely happen: I know it! Promptly on January 1, 2016, the annual countdown will begin! Sometime during that day, without warning, a cheery, sweet voice will indubitably say, “Only 11 more months to Christmas dear!” It happens every year, and then…all year.   My Christmas fanatic! I live with a Christmas fanatic, a holiday zealot, an ardent Adventist! She’s wholeheartedly committed and engaged with the impact and message of the Christmas season…and can’t seem to get enough of it! Yes, Christmas in July is something like the beginning of the runway toward the November takeoff into the […]

  Often country music gets a bad rap. My dog ran off, my girl left me, yada yada yada . . . I’ll spare you the stereotypes. And truth be told, there is a lot of cheesy-bad country music. But there is a lot of cheesy-bad music in the “Christian music industry” too. While there seems to be a genuine resurgence in recent years of original, creative musical expression within the church, there is still a large amount of “Christian” music that does little more than attempt to sound like whatever is hip at the moment on the secular radio […]

  As the world becomes more and more centered on technology and science, the arts seem to be fading. While math and science are necessary, it’s essential we don’t lose sight of the beautiful effect music has on people. One of the most influential ways to study music is through a choir. Chorus America launched a study in 2009 that investigated the impact group singing had on students. The results are astounding. The study shows that the percentage of children in choir getting straight A’s is higher than those who aren’t. It displays that a majority of the children who […]