Music has been a large part of society from the earliest of times. Each generation thinks that theirs was real music. I sit here listening to my 80's music. Enjoying the heavy rock rhythms. I forgot how much I enjoy listening to the music of my youth. As I got older, the music of my youth was replaced with Barney singing "I love you, you love me". Not horribly upsetting but yet a reality of life. My second oldest daughter recently came to me and said they were having an 80's themed prom. I got excited!
Music has incredible power to move people in many different ways. Many people today find great hope and consolation in listening to christian music. Others listen to some of the more violent rap music and say they are stirred to violence because the "music made me do it". Songs that speak of promiscuous living; sex, drugs and over indulgence of other kinds often help people justify that type of behavior.
Maybe that is my real point in all of this. Media; from songs to TV to movies have great effect on us and help shape our social norms. For example, TV in the 50's never showed people in bed together. In fact, it always showed married couples as sleeping in separate beds. Now, showing people in bed is nothing. As people in the media continue to push the social boundaries we get used to them and accept them as the "norm". Our challenge is to fight society and the media. If enough people will say no to watching or listening to this "stuff" then it just might move to a return to a simpler and more moral time.
I will definitely not say that the music of the 80's was the epitome of moral goodness(far from it) but it is better than most of the stuff that is out there today.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
I Wanna Know What Love Is
The title is from a very popular song from the 80's by Foreigner. I grew up in the 70's and 80's. It was the era of "sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll". Our society was going through a period of "free love." What they really meant was a promiscuous era of free sex. I never really knew what love was and the few ideas that I had were pretty screwed up. I believe all people are built with the desire for "real love," the type of love that can only come from relationship with God. Unfortunately, most people only grasp what they learn from society. We substitute God's love for love of possessions, love of money, and the physical manifestation of love -- sex.
In 1988, I decided to begin a journey to find out what love was. That journey started with a desire to get myself to church and quick. I started attending the Lutheran church (where I was baptized as an infant). It was as if God was instantly rewarding me, I met a beautiful girl and got married in August of 1988. On Easter 1989, I was confirmed into the Catholic Church. I was starting to understand what real love was but I was still missing the boat, fighting off some old habits and misconceptions.
Some years later, I remember the day I prayed specifically to God to fill me in on this “love thing.” I was going to a pro-life meeting at the church. I got there a few minutes early and received a very strong response from God. It was like someone turning the light on and talking to me like they were trying to wake me up. The message was, "Hey, I sent you four teachers, what else do you want?” I knew in an instant the four teachers He was referring to were my four daughters. You see, most of the misconceptions I had about love centered around my relationships with women. My wife and four young daughters were definitely good examples of what love was supposed to be. It seemed pretty ironic that the teachers he sent were females, the very source of my problem.
I am still on the journey. I understand better each day. I now have 6 children. You see, as part of my “love” training God blessed me with two more children. My youngest child, a daughter, demonstrates to me on a daily basis what love is about as she runs up to me, jumps into my arms and says, “I just love my Daddy.” I can just imagine Jesus standing there waiting for me to run, jump and tell Him that I love Him. No grudges, no conditions, just love -- freely given.
In 1988, I decided to begin a journey to find out what love was. That journey started with a desire to get myself to church and quick. I started attending the Lutheran church (where I was baptized as an infant). It was as if God was instantly rewarding me, I met a beautiful girl and got married in August of 1988. On Easter 1989, I was confirmed into the Catholic Church. I was starting to understand what real love was but I was still missing the boat, fighting off some old habits and misconceptions.
Some years later, I remember the day I prayed specifically to God to fill me in on this “love thing.” I was going to a pro-life meeting at the church. I got there a few minutes early and received a very strong response from God. It was like someone turning the light on and talking to me like they were trying to wake me up. The message was, "Hey, I sent you four teachers, what else do you want?” I knew in an instant the four teachers He was referring to were my four daughters. You see, most of the misconceptions I had about love centered around my relationships with women. My wife and four young daughters were definitely good examples of what love was supposed to be. It seemed pretty ironic that the teachers he sent were females, the very source of my problem.
I am still on the journey. I understand better each day. I now have 6 children. You see, as part of my “love” training God blessed me with two more children. My youngest child, a daughter, demonstrates to me on a daily basis what love is about as she runs up to me, jumps into my arms and says, “I just love my Daddy.” I can just imagine Jesus standing there waiting for me to run, jump and tell Him that I love Him. No grudges, no conditions, just love -- freely given.
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