Haiku of the day

Life blows far away

Like a sea it roars softly

relaxing my mind.

Why is music different?

Working in Christian radio I often hear people make comments about Christian artists like, “Why did they sing a secular song?” or “they must have sold out to secularism because they were signed by Sony records”.  These kinds of statements have always baffled me. 

If someone entered a career as a vacuum salesman, would someone comment that he was “selling out” God’s plan for his life because he was not selling Christian vacuums? (work with me)  What he sells does define him to a point (more on that later) but it does not effect his belief system.  Those vacuums do not change his beliefs in any way.  He will live his life the way he wants to regardless of whether he is a good salesman or a bad salesman. 

Now when it comes to Christians singing secular music the same things applies.  If someone is truly a Christian then the music they sing will fit with their worldview.  They would not sing something that would compromise their beliefs. 

I know quite a few artists that looked into working in the Christian music versus secular and after weighing the pros and cons decided to be a secular artist with uplifting lyrics.  Why you ask?  Because this allows them to sing quality moral music at venues that would never have a “Christian” artist.  After their concert they then have the opportunity to speak with people about Christ that would never be in a situation to hear about Him otherwise.

I believe that we should be bringing up quality Christains who sing music instead of people who sing “Christian music”. That mentality is the fight that churches have fought for many years.  It is the mindset that people come to church and then go live their lives during the week.  This “dualism” is hurting Christianity faster than anything else. 

The secular world sees people who live a life completely different from beliefs that they say they agree with.  This shows non-Christians a hypocritical lifestyle that turns them off to Christianity.  This applies to music for some reason as well.  Music might be looked at differently than other mediums because it seems to be more closely connected to the human soul than many other things in life.

So, be a Christian who happens to sing, not a Christian singer.

Toilet Paper (and the value of choice).

One of the nice things about being a college student is that your parents are always giving you free stuff.  Sometimes it’s the more down to earth items that are commonly used in real life yet never talked about, namely toilet paper.  Being a single college student living by myself, (and rarely ever being at home to use it) I have amassed quite a large collection of toilet paper.  My mother seems to think that I go through large quantities of toilet paper at regular intervals because I will often open a care package only to find that half of it is filled with biodegradable dried former trees.

Of course, being the thrifty woman that she is, the paper in question is always the sale brand at Wal-Mart.  Which, although I am not complaining about free toilet paper, is not really all that good.

I’m sure everyone has experienced that moment in the bathroom when, after doing the things implied, you reach to grab the good old “papers” only to realize you are grabbing a piece of cardboard.  That is the moment where you weigh the pros and cons of getting off the toilet to find some more in a very compromising position, or find some way to kill yourself so you don’t have too.

Fortunately in my case I have a well-stocked supply underneath my sink for just a situation.  At this point I look over to see what selections I have to choose from. (Benefits of Wal-Mart rotating sale brands.)  I see, “PREMIUM BATH TISSUE! *extra soft and quilted*” (emphasis mine) in two different packages, one with a green logo, one grey.  First, I know this is a misleading statement because neither of these tissues, although the package subtly implies “premium”, are extra soft or quilted.  This gives me a feeling of discomfort immediately which is never a good thing when you are in your private time.

The big decision comes down to green or grey.  I finaly decide after weighing the pros and cons that to a color-blind person it would be a moot point anyways, so I grab the grey.  I carefully pull it out of the packaging and place it on the roller and proceed to do what the item was intended to be used for.

I say all of that to make a point.  Because of capitalism we are free to make choices between different brands in our everyday lives.  Although this may seem simple, without capitalism I would not have been able to choose between grey and green.  What if green was all that was offered to me and because the grey logo package was found to be OBVIOUSLY better after thorough testing, (Trust me, it was thorough) I missed out on a better bathroom experience.  It is these kinds of things that I reflect on after a Fourth of July weekend.

So make your choice America.  YOU live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.  YOU have the right to choose your bathroom tissue, whether or not it feels like sandpaper.  Run to your local capitalism-supporting Wal-Mart and prance down the tissue isle.  Look at all the brands.  YOU have the right to buy every type of toilet-paper known to mankind, take it home, and try it to your satisfaction.  YOU even have the freedom to choose your favorite brand and swear by it when you talk to your friends/spouse/dog/cat/etc.

But that would be awkward and no one would know how to respond.  So it is best just to giggle inside and enjoy your freedoms.  God bless America.