I remember growing up in the 90s and my mom putting on Christian music in the car or at home. I hated listening to it! I thought the lyrics were cheesy and I didn’t like the musical style of it too.
Thankfully the music industry has changed a lot since then. With the advent of Spotify, iTunes, and the numerous other streaming platforms more artists than ever can now be heard and make a living off their music. This has resulted in a big renaissance in the Christian music industry.
Today you can listen to anything from mello Christian tunes to Christian rap and hip hop. Many Christian artists such as Lauren Daigle, For King and Country, and Lecrae have also had success not only in Christian circles but in the mainstream as well.
I started listening to Christian music in 2014 during a difficult time in my life. I was reeling from a painful and hurtful situation in my personal life. During this time my parents had invited my daughter and I to go to a Sanctus Real and Josh Wilson concert. Before the concert I decided to start listening to some of their music. I remember hearing the song “Carry Me” by Josh Wilson and thinking that it sounded exactly how I was feeling in my life. Come to find out at the concert he had written it after inexplicably having major panic attacks and anxiety. During times when I was experiencing the same thing I would lay on my couch and listen to that song on repeat. It was amazing how much better I would feel after doing that.
I also realized that musically and lyrically this was also not the same Christian music I grew up with. So I started listening to Christian radio and to other Christian artists. I found that I really liked listening to the music and would always feel more upbeat and encouraged in my faith after listening to it. I also started going to concerts to see my favorite bands like Tenth Avenue North, Hawk Nelson, and Matthew West when they came to town. Some of my favorite memories are at those concerts with my wife and daughter!
Unfortunately, there is a lot of music out there now that talks about things and sends messages that I would not want my daughter to have seeped into her soul. Miley Cyrus is a very popular artist but also not necessarily someone I would want my daughter looking up to as a role model either. It has been a terrific experience to listen to upbeat Christian music with my daughter in the car and have her hear the messages of hope and love that they talk about.
My daughter has her own playlist and whenever we are listening to a song together in the car that she likes she will ask me to add it to her playlist. She just added her 100th song recently. They are all primarily songs from Christian artists. As she gets older I am thankful that she will have good music with positive messages to continue to listen to and shape her.
