What got you started listening to CCM?

s1mp13m4n said:

Alright you got me. I listen to KLOVE radio and I love that station. Hillsong has changed a lot from when I knew them from the 90s. I love Kutless Take me in....I see what you mean. I had only heard that song done more traditional, I like this version. Alright so where do you begin to find this music. I would like it for a change of pace. Day in and day out I love CCM such as KLOVE but also want to rock out now and then. Thank you for the help and prayers with this issue.

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I'm glad I could help, and I would also recommend Internet radio as a source for some really good Christian music variety. I use Napster, its 5 dollars a month for free streaming and you can find anything on it, they have a huge collection of Christian music...I sound like a commercial...but it is pretty good.

s1mp13m4n said:

For the most part i love the music played on stations such as KLOVE and XM32 The Message. Now we have a Christian Top40=ish station in the area called "The Current" and I like it in doses but not as my main music source. I like a dose now and then of XM32 The Message Amped on Saturday nights. I find that stations like KLOVE make me feel good.

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Yeah K-LOVE is a great station and I listen to it regularly, only thing that annoys me is if you listen to it a lot the music they play gets a little repetitive, still though, a great station. You will not find any rock on that station though nor any lesser known deep worship music. Usually for that you have to go digging on the Internet. But yeah man, just really start seeking out the whole Christian music scene , it is more vast then it looks on the surface and there is some really great music out there.

Here is one more from Hillsong, it's off of their new album Aftermath

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMxKrwqp_4Y&feature=related

Keep the ideas coming and thank you all for helping me and not judging me or looking down on me

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You are welcome brother and I mean that, you are my brother in Christ, and the only person I judge and look down on is my old self.


Third Day is really good too:

YouTube - Born Again - Third Day

YouTube - Thief - Third Day

s1mp13m4n said:

I love 3rd Day. I am just a CCM dude I guess more than a rap and hard rock fan. They have their place but not as my everyday music choice. I did not realize that Hillsong had changed so much from their 90s days. I love Amy Grants Better Than a Hallelujah. My current favorite song is Lead Me by Sanctus Real.

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Oh yeah that's a great song by Sanctus Real! Your right though Hillsong has become one of the leading worship music producers in the industry. They're great and their music really speaks to me and so does Gateway Worship with Kari Jobe, she is one of my favorites right now, I love her music.

YouTube - Kari Jobe | Revelation Song | Live

YouTube - You Are For Me - Kari Jobe

SoldierOfSoul said:

Satan has tried to hijack music, but the plain truth is the lyrics in the secular world are all speaking to dead people and their words are meaningless and confusing, they worship demons (literally in some genres), sex and drugs.

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Not totally true. There are a billion songs in the secular world that have NOTHING to do with sex, drugs, demons, or anything bad whatsoever. Those bad things are often associated with the writers/performers of those songs, but the songs themselves are often harmless.

I do think if someone is a practicing Christian, they still should not be listening to that music on a large scale. But someone strong in their faith can allow some of that, even those especially "bad" songs into their life, and not let it affect them. Me, for instance. 99% of what I listen to is Christian music of the modern CCM genre, but still I like me some Grateful Dead, Van Halen, Eric Clapton, The Cure, Bruce Springsteen, etc, etc, etc. Has it led me to stray from my Christian faith? No. But being raised a non-Christian, it's hard to leave some things behind. I can't imagine a life without Martin Scorcese films or Bruce Springsteen songs . . . and again, not all non-Christian music is bad for the soul.

Zoooma said:

Not totally true. There are a billion songs in the secular world that have NOTHING to do with sex, drugs, demons, or anything bad whatsoever. Those bad things are often associated with the writers/performers of those songs, but the songs themselves are often harmless.

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That is a good point, and I'm inclined to somewhat agree with you. I liken such songs to television programming that might be generally decent despite some of the stars' questionable lifestyles and philosophies. I'm sure that most people here would agree that "Full House" is just about one of the most inoffensive and wholesome TV programs out there (to the point of being considered "sappy" in the eyes of some people). I have also heard that Bob Saget, who played squeaky-clean widowed dad Danny on the show, is in reality an ultra-raunchy stand-up comic. But does this take away from my appreciation for "Full House" and stop me from watching it occasionally? It does not. Therefore, the same can be said for music. Things like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" (which was also a movie), "Everyday People", and "Ebony and Ivory", novelty songs such as "Charlie Brown" and "Pink Shoelaces", and the various instrumentals that had no lyrics to begin with are pretty much what I'm talking about.

Now, I am well aware that there will be some people who can't disagree more with what I just said. That's fine, and that's your right. But I'm not expecting anyone to change their minds on their honest convictions and feelings. I'm merely presenting another perspective, and I only request that you disagree respectfully without passing me off as "lukewarm" or no different from a "common heathen", and simply take it for what it is - another perspective (see Romans 14).

God bless, and I truly hope no one took offense.

WannaWitness said:

That is a good point, and I'm inclined to somewhat agree with you. I liken such songs to television programming that might be generally decent despite some of the stars' questionable lifestyles and philosophies. I'm sure that most people here would agree that "Full House" is just about one of the most inoffensive and wholesome TV programs out there (to the point of being considered "sappy" in the eyes of some people). I have also heard that Bob Saget, who played squeaky-clean widowed dad Danny on the show, is in reality an ultra-raunchy stand-up comic. But does this take away from my appreciation for "Full House" and stop me from watching it occasionally? It does not. Therefore, the same can be said for music. Things like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" (which was also a movie), "Everyday People", and "Ebony and Ivory", novelty songs such as "Charlie Brown" and "Pink Shoelaces", and the various instrumentals that had no lyrics to begin with are pretty much what I'm talking about.

Now, I am well aware that there will be some people who can't disagree more with what I just said. That's fine, and that's your right. But I'm not expecting anyone to change their minds on their honest convictions and feelings. I'm merely presenting another perspective, and I only request that you disagree respectfully without passing me off as "lukewarm" or no different from a "common heathen", and simply take it for what it is - another perspective (see Romans 14).

God bless, and I truly hope no one took offense.

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I think along the same lines as you do.

For me, the style and craftsmanship of the music is probaly more important than the lyrical content. I say that because there are many Christian-themed songs that I simply do not enjoy. I don't listen to the local Christian music station because the style of the music annoys me.

At the same time, however, I prefer listening to music with biblically-themed lyrics, so I also don't listen to the local "secular" music stations.

Here's a portion of one of my favorites: YouTube - Neal Morse - The Creation pt1

holyrokker said:

At the same time, however, I prefer listening to music with biblically-themed lyrics, so I also don't listen to the local "secular" music stations.

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That's why I'll always hang onto the Christian music because of the rich Biblical truths and message of God's love. Listening to it is like listening to a "sermonette" of sorts, and we as Christians should always have the want to get into God's Word, through whatever works best, and music is one of many methods He uses to speak to us, His people.

My novelty and "sappy" music comes mostly from thrift shops and yard sales, costing all of a quarter or two.

s1mp13m4n said:

I will admit I do struggle with a bad lie...and I know that it is a lie that says the worlds music is better than our. I do struggle with fighting to not listen to secular music like the XM 80s and XM 90s channel.

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I don't struggle with not listening to secular music -- I just do sometimes and it doesn't negatively affect me. Same thing with watching Family Guy or R Rated movies. I see myself as someone who puts up a force field, ya know, a shield so I can laugh at the jokes, enjoy real good acting or film making, and enjoy real good music. What goes against my Christian faith I can let all of that roll right off of me. I also personally don't want to live in a bubble, not exposed to what's out there in the world. Knowing about things that are completely non-Christian allows me the greater potential to connect with someone which could lead to me sharing my faith with them.

As far as secular music being better than (or not better than) Christian music, I think that's a toss up. The world of Christian music is rather small, unfortunately. For some bands/artists, there are just no Christian counterparts. Miles Davis, for instance. Who is the Christian Miles Davis with that amazing talent or body of work??? Nobody. Or Bruce Springsteen. Or sooooo many more, I could go on and on and on. I was raised on rock and roll and also fell in love with jazz. After becoming a Christian, that's something that's hard for me to throw away/leave in the past. I love music, listen to it daily, and if I listened to Christian music only, I'd get rather bored with it. I do listen to about 99% Christian music but still I get the urge to listen to something else every now and then. I would say, though, that in general, Christian music *is* better because of the message in the lyrics. Hands down. But if you strip away the lyrical message and compare Christian music to secular music, secular is way better partly because there's more of it and because of who, in the past 50 years, has recorded it i.e. a lot of amazing musicians. But while I still enjoy secular music, I do know that if I listened to it a majority of the time, it would drive quite a wedge between myself and Christ and that's not good. Christian music actually helps me grow in my relationship with Christ but a little secular stuff now and then doesn't hurt me any.

s1mp13m4n said:

I find that listening to stations like XM32 The Message or KLOVE for example just makes me feel better inside. It feel happy and joyful, not burdoned or frustrated.

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I listen to WAY-FM, I've got it on now actually. I've built up a pretty good Christian music collection thanks to hearing so many artists on this station. It's the only radio station I've been tuned to for a long, long, long time. They're a network of stations like KLove but not as big. They have a morning show and an afternoon show that are pretty good to listen to, and a Top 20 show on the weekend. Music doesn't range too much, it's pretty much all modern day CCM -- Sanctus Real, Casting Crowns, Switchfoot, Francesca Battistelli, Tobymac, Chris Tomlin, Skillet, Superchick, FM Static, Tenth Avenue North, Todd Agnew, Jeremy Camp, Newsboys, etc, etc, etc. Good stuff, I think . . . keeps my soul young and, most importantly, feeling worshipful all the time.

If anyone's interested in checking them out, you can listen online:

Welcome to WAY-FM

Chris Lizotte
YouTube - Chris Lizotte & Marc Ford "Sweet Mercy"

YouTube - Glenn Kaiser Crossroads Live

YouTube - Glenn Kaiser "Most of All"