Upside Down and Inside Out

i love all different types of music– from 80′s rock to 90′s alternative, from michael jackson to mumford & sons. i especially {love} listening to songs that remind me of God– usually in the form of hymns, christian rap, and christian worship songs. unfortunately, there are some really bad “christian” “music” artists/songs out there. note that both are in quotes. separately. sometimes the bad music comes in the form of uncreative & boring melodies, and sometimes it comes in the form of horrible lyrics that make me ashamed that they exist under the name “christian music”.  and then sometimes, for those poor few, they have the worst of both worlds. enter in scott stapp {sorry, creed.}. that’s usually when i begin to convulse.

isn’t it amazing that music can have that strong of an effect on us? we are so influenced by what we listen to. it can make my day when i wake up in the morning and turn on { good, creative, edifying, gospel-centered, Jesus-exalting, God-glorifying } music and listen to it as i drink my morning coffee. it stays with me the whole day, and i end up being reminded over and over again, as i repeat the song in my head, just how much i have been given through life in Jesus.

i want to introduce you to some amazing music. last week i bought on iTunes trip lee’s new album called “the good life”. trip lee is part of this amazing record company, {REACH RECORDS}- home to other rap artists such as {lecrae, andy mineo, kb, tedashi, & pro}. this record is doing insanely well on the charts. it debuted at no. 3 on the top rap album charts, and no. 17 on the top 200. the most awesome thing about trip’s album making it big in the secular music world, is that the message he speaks is a call to repentance for all from the ‘good life’ we have culturally been indoctrinated into following {ie: our joy is found in money, cars, big house, career, etc.}, and he boldly calls us to turn to the TRUE Good Life– the ONLY Good Life– found in living for a God who has shown His love for us through our Savior, Jesus Christ, despite our rebellion against Him.

a year ago when i worked in the inner city of washington d.c. in the foster care system, i would have kid after kid come into my car as i would transport them to different medical appointments. their favorite escape while in the car was listening to rap on the radio. i got so sick of the disgusting, degrading music that would play day after day, i finally made copies of my lecrae, tripp lee, & tedashi albums to give to each child as they came into my car. i would play the music for them and they all loved it. it would spark conversations up about who God is. i gave 30 cds out in 6 months. what an awesome ministry these men have in the lives of so many they don’t even know. so grateful that God has given these gifts to these men. praying that they continue to use them for the glory of God. here is a quote from one of the songs on the album, ‘love on display’:

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