Friday, August 15, 2014

Ancient Liturgy and For King and Country

Earlier this week Mike and I went to a funeral at a Catholic Church. We were all there to honor the mother of one of our friends. We aren't Catholics but we recognize a lot of the liturgy they speak and sing, as it is from Bible verses. We sing much of it at our church services as well, although often to different melodies.

There was a young woman there who sang several solos as well as led us all in the congregational singing. She had one of those voices, one that I wished came out of my mouth as well. It was just so beautiful! She sang with such reverence; I could close my eyes and imagine it was an angel singing. I could have listened to her sing all day. I hope she has children and I hope she sings them to sleep sometimes. Her voice was that relaxing.

Two days after that angel-singing-liturgy experience, I went to hear a concert with my friend, Nicole. We loved listening to For King and Country as well as Building 429! It was loud and stimulating. We stood, we clapped, we swayed, we bounced on the balls of our feet a bit. I could feel the drum beats vibrate through my chest.The grandstands were loaded with Christians singing their hearts out. It was really an uplifting experience.

So, did I enjoy the angel voice or the bands best? I couldn't say one way or the other, really. They were both quite rewarding. What they both reminded me of, though, was how very powerful music is. Music makes you FEEL something that spoken words can't quite do, at least for me. It must be true for many others as well.

The more I thought about the power of music and how it makes you feel, I felt even more convinced that we need to be proactive about the music to which we listen. I listen to music that isn't necessarily Christian music and I don't think that is wrong. However, I think it is important to me to often listen to uplifting, inspiring music if I want to live my life in an uplifting way.  I want to FEEL the music, to really absorb its meaning into my soul. That is why I want to be careful what kind of music I am absorbing. While I enjoy many different styles, I want to be careful what kind of content I let into my brain.

That is what I was thinking about today.

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