“With eyes wide open to the differences of the God we want and the God who is, but will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle.” ~ Caught in the Middle, Casting Crowns.

Recently I have been completely “enthralled” with the latest Casting Crowns cd, “The Altar and the Door.” Partially because every time I listen to it, if I close my eyes I can imagine myself in the place where I first fell in love with that cd (a cabin dorm room in a camp in Chile)

The real and persisting reason is with every song I am struck with the validity and impact of the words. Whether they (the group) is praising God, lamenting past mistakes, or praying for a lost friend, the lyrics are heartfelt and deep. I have found that so many Christian artists have “fluff” lyrics. Every song is about a. themselves, b. how God loves them, or c. that God saved them and they are going to heaven. All of this is may be true but, the songs have no depth or personality or real spiritual meaning.

The other thing I find so often in current Christian music is the vagueness of the lyrics. Half the time I cannot figure out exactly what the song is talking about, let alone if it is Christian or not.

Now, I am not talking about groups like Lifehouse and ( ) who have moral, often uplifting songs. I am talking about singers and song writers who attempt to write a song about God but can’t even mention His name; like they are afraid if it says His name their song will not get on all the radio stations. So, their songs of praise to God often get confused with odes to a girlfriend or a boyfriend.

Casting Crowns sample:

“Who am I that the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt? Who am I am, that the Bright and morning star would choose to light the way for my ever wandering heart? Not because of who I am but because of what you’ve done, not because of what I’ve done but because of who you are.”
~ Who am I Casting Crowns, self titled cd

“Here I am Lord and I’m drowning in your sea of forgetfulness. Chains of yesterday surround me, I yearn for peace and rest. Don’t want to end up where you found me and it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight. Lord you’ve cast my sin as far as the east is from the west and I stand before you now as though I’ve never sinned but today I feel like I’m just one mistake away from you leavin’ this way. Jesus can you show me just how far the east is from the west… from one scarred hand to the other.”
~ One Mistake Away, The Altar and the Door

Love to all!
Lizzi