Is this acceptable?

Last week, I wrote a blog about Billie Joe Armstrong's meltdown at the iHeart Radio Festival in Las Vegas. I don't think I need to re-post the video.  What we saw was a childish temper tantrum by someone old enough to know better.  Fans of Green Day and other so-called "non-conformist" types chimed in on several posts either on YouTube or Facebook, praising Billie Joe for his "taking a stand," all the while, ignoring the guy may have some serious issues not dealt with.  When it all came down, Billie Joe was very self-centered in his approach to the whole thing.  I doubt he really took into account of how it would affect the rest of Green Day.  To say the least, it was all about him.

Similarly, I read an article on the Blabbermouth site about Anette Olzon leaving Nightwish, a well-known Finnish symphonic metal band.  From what I gathered, the band would have had to cancel several shows due to Anette being too ill to perform, so they hired two substitute singers to take her place so that the shows would not be cancelled.  Unfortunately, this didn't go well for Anette, and she was quite miffed.  Although she didn't go off like Billie Joe did, she certainly showed her disapproval, as if no one could possibly take her place.

Two different situations, two different reactions, but the same attitude that many who are in entertainment seem to give off.  I'm not sure if anyone would see the same thing I do in this, but if I had children, I would never accept this type of behavior.  I'm sure I'm talking to several parents out there.  They talk about the "terrible twos" where kids would often throw themselves on the floor and yell and scream about not getting what they want.  Most parents I know will let that child wear himself or herself out.  Often, I've heard stuff like, "Too bad, you're not getting it."  As the Rolling Stones said in one song, "You can't always get what you want."  If we don't accept this from our children, why then, do we as a society, accept it from our entertainers?  Why are we so quick to jump to their defense when an entertainer feels he or she is being wronged or snubbed?  Is it an illusion of invincibility, that somehow, we blind ourselves to the fact that our entertainers are actually real people who somehow need to be brought down to earth?

I can even remember when I was in college and feeling like I was at the top of my game, and sometimes acting like it.  That was until I went to California State University, Fresno.  Literally, I was brought down to earth when I realized there were other female singers who could outdo me in range and performance.  That, in itself was a humbling experience, and something that needed to happen before I went any further in life as a musician.

So, what does the Bible have to say about this?  Plenty.

Proverbs 16:18

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁸ Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

This lesson may not yet apply to Anette Olzon.  Billie Joe ended up learning it the hard way.  All his reaction did was bring him a broken guitar and a trip to rehab.

Jesus had a few words to say as well. 

Matthew 23:11-12

King James Version (KJV)

¹¹ But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

¹² And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Being humbled may not be the most comfortable thing in the world.  In fact, it can make a person feel smaller than small.  However, consider that the "least shall be the greatest" in the words of Jesus.  He knew how to lift us up in a way that HE gets the glory, not us.  So, as such, we should continue to pray for our entertainers.  After all, they are seen as leaders, but like any of us, they need to be brought down to earth to understand what life is really like away from the glitz.  In the end, they're just like you and me.  They're just in the spotlight, more.

40 Days of Prayer for America - Google+

40 Days of Prayer for America - Google+

I wanted to make sure I posted this and created an event on the Google+ site.  I haven't given up on our nation, yet.  So, we should be diligent as ever.  Rarely am I ever going to discuss politics on my page, and this is not about that so much as it is about prayer.

Ode to Billie Joe?

Bobbie Gentry recorded a song back in 1967 called, "Ode to Billy Joe" which was a ballad about a young man who threw himself off the Tallahatchie Bridge.  While there seems to be some mystery behind the song, there's no mystery behind the meltdown of Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day.  Recently, he threw himself off into a rant mode at the iHeart Radio festival in Las Vegas.  After being told he had only one minute of performance time,  a frustrated Billie Joe went into a long, profanity-filled diatribe about the music industry.  The end result?  Rehab two days later.

Oh dear!  What a mess!  Well, it seems that Billie Joe is no stranger to controversy, and he will always have that certain smugness that goes along with the pop-punk attitude that showed through in early songs like "Longview," and "Basket Case" from the Dookie album.  As he got older, the songs became more introspective, though negative, which is quite plain in the song, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."  He has a mocking fascination with Catholic symbolism, as stated in songs like, "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Church on Sunday."

Whether he checked into rehab on his own or whether his management insisted he'd better "clean up," it's very clear that this attitude of absurdism coupled with nihilism has basically burned him inside out.  Maybe this stint in rehab will make him realize just how fallible he really is, and maybe give him a look into his own life.

The Rock of Intercession group spent an evening praying for Green Day, but mainly, Billie Joe.  I've never been a huge fan of his music, but somehow, the Lord impressed on me that we should be praying for him.  Well, we had a bit of prodding from my best friend after reading on Twitter about this episode in Las Vegas. It was necessary to do just that, and I hope more people get on board.  Part of what Rock of Intercession does is helping the Body of Christ understand that our entertainers, though they have a lot of money and fame, are like the rest of us, broken and frustrated.  I believe Jesus said it best when it comes to the whole issue of who is master:

Matthew 6:24 (KJV)
"No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will hold to the one and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Those of us who are believers are going to continue to pray for Billie Joe.  Hopefully, he'll find healing inside AND out.

Hymns: Bringing Them Back in a Modern World

I am impressed when I hear how hymns are making somewhat of a comeback. I have been an advocate of doing more hymns since the early worship team days of when I attended a church while at Fresno State University.  Shortly after that, I became a worship team member, playing piano and singing for the entire congregation.  Years, later, I'd be doing another worship team and in a spot where I'd have to learn newer music, but sometimes, I could see that it'd be just a bit lacking in substance.  This is not to say that all modern worship is like that, but I have to wonder sometimes where it all goes.

Well, fortunately, there is a comeback within modern worship circles where hymns seem to get more of a twist.  One of my favorites is Chris Tomlin's "Amazing Grace," that along with the standard hymn, features the "My Chains Are Gone" chorus.  Beautiful.

Now, oc foucrs, it doesn't stop there.  As we have seen in this one, there are others that are just as beautiful.  Here is yet, another contribution to a hymn, with Kristian Stanfill.  This would include a very amazing version of the song, "Jesus Paid It All."  It's true to the original hymn, while adding an extra chorus:

O, Praise the one who paid my debt

And raised my life up from the dead.

And yet, I couldn't possibly show my appreciation for modern hymn adaptations without adding this gem.  Yes, the words come from a hymn.  Very few people actually know this one unless they pick up your average hymn book from the old standard church.  Let's just say that this one will probably escape you, but the band, Casting Crowns did it just beautifully, although they changed the title.

I sure hope more music writers for worship will be willing to venture out and raise up more old standards. Our culture needs to review them and look at what these old writers had to say in these classics.  If we are able to modernize them, that's good.  If not, and we sing them to a modern style, that's good too, but we should never lose them.

What Does Your MP3 Player Say About You?

At least everyone has an MP3 player or ipod, and if you don't, you probably have an exstensive CD collection.  If you're years older, you probably collected records.  I don't know anyone who doesn't like a certain kind of music.  Of course, I tend to go all over the place with my musical selections.  I find that I run the gamut between classic rock, classic Christian rock, classic CCM, moldy oldies, and every type of Christian metal you can find.  It's all there for the taking.  Oh yes, even some goth.  Yeah, I know.  Some dark stuff is very impressive.  My friend Jane suggests that I need more 70's R&B.  Perhaps, she's right.  Oh, and I almost forgot.  I'm a sucker for anything 80's, including the weirdest new wave around. 

So, as I studied the music on this player, everything lyrically ranges from the super-spiritual to the somewhat irreverant.  I don't know.  My mind must be fragmented.  I'm surprised I don't have MP3-player MPD.  Unfortunately, it just shows that sometimes, I'm not always the most super-spiritual in the world.  I don't have to be, but I realize that I'm a fallen human who needs redemption.  My MP3 player probably tells of every triumph, every struggle, every test, every temptation, but most of all, but since I'm finding a lot more Christian music on it these days, itl tells of the very God that loves me and bids me to "go and sin no more."   

Romans 3:23-25 (King James Version)

 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

 25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm glad it doesn't just end there with Romans 3:23.  Read further on, and you understand although we are all sinners, we find redemption through our Lord.  No, we can't do anything on our own, but once we seek His grace, we know we can truly be free.  Let's not forget such a great sacrifice He made in order to give us this grace. 

One of these days, maybe I'll change the music on the player to represent more of who God wants me to be.  That might be a good idea in the long run.  At least, in my life, my MP3 player DOES indeed say a lot about me.

So what does your MP3 player say about you?

About the Whosoevers

If anyone is remotely curious as to who the Whosoevers are, I am going to include this video.

P.O.D., My Response

LadyRocker (Lia), Sonny and Jane (TigerRefuge).

When my fiancé and I decided to go to Cornerstone, this year, we wanted to make sure we bought plenty of CD's for our collection and we wanted make sure we had current material for our album features we do on Christian Rock and Fellowship.  We had no knowledge of the current controversy surrounding the band, Payable On Death, otherwise known to most folks as P.O.D.  It was told to us that there were two versions of the album, one for the Christian market and another one for the secular market.  I decided I'd get a good listen to the album before I made any judgments. On the left is my picture with Sonny Sandoval, along with my friend, Jane.  This was taken at Cornerstone in 2010.  We had the opportunity to talk to him, personally about his new ministry team called "The Whosovevers."  This description is taken from John 3:16, and yes, it was in the King James Version.  I believe his heart is right, but I had to take a pause as to why he, and the others in P.O.D. decided to make this decision.

The album, Murdered Love was played in the Christian Rock and Fellowship room in Paltalk, minus the final track, "I Am."  In it, Sonny describes the types of people that they come across every day, the ones who are being ministered by the whole Whosoever team.  Having seen the presentation once at Cornerstone, 2011, I believe I really understand what they're trying to do and who they're trying to reach.  However, there's a bit of a discrepancy when they use the f-bomb in the last line of the chorus when they say, "I know this is the only Son of God, but tell me who the f*** is He?"  The song is from the point-of-view of someone who knows about God, but can't quite fathom Him in the midst of the struggle.  That, I understand, but as a seasoned believer in Christ, one who has been in the Word for approximately 30 years, it is a bit disturbing.  I could even understand from a new-believer perspective, but not from a seasoned one.  Here is why:

Ephesians 4:29

King James Version (KJV)

²⁹ Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

I understand the nature of what we see in 2 Corinthians 9:22 about "being all things to all people that we may save some.  Don't have a problem with that, but here's something that we need to think about when we use words that are not designed for edifying.

Here's my advice to Sonny and the others.  You've got a great ministry, and it is well-spoken of, and is doing great things.  I cannot fault you for that.  On the other hand, be cauttious about what you are doing.  Don't try to be so much like the world you're reaching by stooping to their level.  It would be good to recognize what Paul had to say in 1 Corinthians 6:9:12:

1 Corinthians 6:9-12

King James Version (KJV)

⁹ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
¹⁰ Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
¹¹ And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
¹² All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

I won't sit to be judge and jury, but I do have a simple warning, and one out of love.  Paul is talking about some of the same people that P.O.D. were describing in the song, but take note that the verses afterwards say, "and such were some of you."  A seasoned believer would understand that this would likely be a past behavior, and something that they don't want to go back to.  We don't want to brag about our salvation in Christ, but rather, we need to be able to show them the better, more perfect way.  In doing so, I think we will make a much better witness than attempting to try to copy the world's ways.

As such, you will probably not hear "I Am" in Christian Rock and Fellowship or in Rock of Intercession.  This is a decision I have made, and I will stand by it, simply because I don't want to cause offence to new believers.  As for Sonny, I hope you do well with what you're doing and also with the Whosoevers.  I just won't stand behind this final song for the reasons I mentioned above.