It did not end well for Sheba, the rascal rebel horn man who tried to lead yet another uprising against Kind David. In fact, he was pursued by General Joab and was beheaded by his own townsfolk in order to stop the king's forces from sacking and razing the Israelite town. Rock anthems (or any genre anthem for that matter) has the potential to create a buzz with people that can end up badly in the long run depending upon the spiritual force behind the sound. My constant prayer is that the Lord examines my motivations not only in the musical realm but in all realms of my daily walk. Otherwise, there is no point in the show going on. That being said, Christ was the penultimate rebel in a good way by bringing truth to light and exposing the misunderstanding and hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. That's a rebel yell I can get behind!
Since there is a lull in interview requests (and a backlog in music reviews), I thought I'd take this opportunity to fill your screen with random Christian thoughts from a neophyte's perspective. Hey! It's my blog so I can do what I like! :)
My new band, Patient Chill, has released their debut album of the same name. We are mixing and mastering the last track, From Now to Eternity. The EP is a concept album which offers a Christian response to the pandemic--a topic that has become morbid and rightly so, but this release offers hope through trusting in Christ after subtly exploring the situation and redefining it musically in a gentle way. The titles of the five tracks should give you a clue:
1. Patient Chill
2. VaRiAnCe
3. Injection 6
4. Boost Her
5. From Now to Eternity
Some may criticize its seemingly secular sound and overt appeal to worldly sensibilities with its initial EDM track and psychedelic rock riffs, especially in Injection 6, but I offer here an early apologetic based on Scripture.
In the Book of Acts, Paul addresses the Athenians in the Areopagus and acknowledges their religiosity before telling them about Jesus and salvation. It is an attempt to reach people on their own level before praying that the Holy Spirit will lead them to repentance and a higher level of existence through the conviction of solid preaching. As he writes in 1st Corinthians 9:
19For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
Now the obvious danger in adopting this approach is that you must have the clear objective of ultimately giving the gospel as your final appeal. In other words, be like the Lord was when He so graciously dwelt among us rebellious sinners. His presence affected them with holiness and His holiness was not affected by our sin natures. And as Shakespeare so aptly put it: Aye! There's the rub!
I will feature you or your Christian band of any genre music on my quickly growing blog which averages 5000 views per month. I can also review your music and create a custom promo video of it and I will aggressively promote items on at least six social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter. I do not accept requests from artists with music that promotes sex, drugs, self mutilation (including transgenderism), suicide, or contain any kind of explicit lyrics or hate speech towards any individual, race, creed or color. I reserve the right to reject proposals based on this criteria or any other Scriptural guidelines for holy living. Send me links to your music before you purchase.
Christians beware: the devil let loose in these end times is a roaring lion found everywhere. Last night I watched a 2021 documentary on Amazon Prime Video called Cryptopia: Bitcoins, Blockchains and the Future of the Internet. I couldn't help but fit it all into a Scriptural point of view tempo track so here's my take.
There's a certain sort of successful music promoter on the East Coast who claims to be follower of Jesus Christ (he won't deal with explicit music at all) and he has several irons in the fire within the industry from selling beats to selling bitcoins. Or at least he claims they are bitcoins. The documentary I watched explained how easy it is now to forge bitcoins into what is called 'bitcoin' cash and market the product over the Internet as the genuine item. I can't accuse him of that but since he's a Spotify playlist pusher for pay, red flags immediately go up for me. That's a shady venture to be into and it suckers people into paying to get their music heard for a limited time with very small fiduciary results that don't come near to matching the cost of the service. It's called vanity based marketing and Omari, in the name of Christ, appears to be good at manipulating the unsuspecting.
Those of us who read our Bibles are probably familiar with the lament of Ecclesiastes:
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity! (Eccles 1:2)
In other words, every action that a natural man makes is based in selfishness and I can't help but believe that the bitcoin phenomenon is also self serving although many of its proponents claim they are decentralizing currency for the good of mankind. Such altruism sounds skeptical even to the least educated but what would Jesus say and isn't that what really matters?
In Matthew 6:21, Christ says: "For wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also." In the documentary, the producer was allowed limited access to a massive, nuclear proof vault deep in the heart of the Swiss Alps somewhere to see and to show us where bitcoin digital keys are kept securely offline in mainframes protected by guards with shoot-to-kill orders without prejudice against unauthorized intruders. For me, it was a hellish descent into the bowels of the earth that reminded of the line from the Revelation 6:16:
And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.
I don't know about you but I don't want my heart buried kilometers beneath the earth's surface awaiting a resurrection of the damned. I would prefer that my thoughts and imaginations sing freely at the top of peaks overlooking the wonder of God's green earth and touching the lower atmosphere of heaven! Sure, money is important and music to me equals a currency that is magnified throughout the Bible as gift from the Creator to His people given so that they may sing His praises forevermore. That's the beat that I live for!
[This is another segment in the Music in the Bible series which begins in Genesis and finishes in Revelation.]
"Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’ ” (2 Samuel 15:10)
image source: eniolaositelu.com
There is always intrigue at play within any king's court and David, who had by this time been Israel's sovereign for 40 years, was not exempt to the evils of treason under his feet. His third son, Absalom, was a charming and manipulative prince who had his eye on the throne and you can almost sense a Satan type and shadow in his attitude and behavior. He was not happy with being favored among the Israelites and trusted by David. He wanted it all so he planned to usurp the king, his father, through a subtle grassroots rebellion that would come to fruition when he gave the signal to sound the trumpets after all his schemes had been laid out and his army had been prepared. How painful this betrayal was for David and the schism that arose because of it left a deep scar on the society as all civil wars do. Aside from intrigue and spy stuff being cool in its entertainment value, there was nothing else 'glamorous' to be found in this biblical account except for the way Absalom finally met his untimely death--his beautiful head of hair got caught in some low hanging tree branches and he ended up a swinging duck for the darts and spears of his enemies from David's camp. His mission failed.
[This is another segment in the Music in the Bible series which begins in Genesis and finishes in Revelation.]
"So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore." (2 Samuel 2:28)
image source: 8tracks.com
Anyone who likes rock music knows what a 'face melting' guitar solo is. The shred blows you away and immobilizes you with its searing riffs and causes you to pause and admire the sound of the performance.
In this passage, civil war has been raging in the Promised Land for seven years after King Saul's death between those who supported David and those who were still loyal to Saul's tribe. This particular battle takes place in the wilderness of Gibeon which was not far from Jerusalem. The limited but ferocious conflict was led by Joab from David's immediate clan and Abner of the Benjamites who were still loyal to Saul. Both sides fought bravely but Abner's men suffered greater losses and he called for a truce which Joab agreed to and signaled with the blowing of the trumpet that stopped everyone in their tracks--a face melt if you will and a purposeful solo to end the bloody game.
WARNING:THIS video may cause serious injury or death, side effects may include melting of face due to awesomeness, hair falling out, and eyes and ears to explode!
This Italian priest makes you an offer you can't refuse
Don Pasquale Ferone hails from a parish in Naples, Italy and is a Catholic charismatic priest who plays some spirited guitar and writes songs unos post alium. Check out his songs and bio HEREand follow this talented and gifted padre on his Facebook page along with thousands of others. CMA is officially an international blog now!
The Good Thieves is the creation of Hugo James from the United Kingdom and is a very eclectic collection of songs that feature instrumental tracks with lyrics that stick closely to Scripture stories. Read more HERE. Business is good at CMA through my fiverr gig and the reviews are all 5 star so praise the Lord for that!
Our new EP is in the works now. Fee Nix is another concept production centered on the idea that our redemption cost has been PAID IN FULL by Christ's sacrifice on the cross. This collection introduces teen singer/songwriter, Katelynn McKinney, who adds a brilliant new, young and energetic dimension to vocals on at least one song so far. We are looking to make it available around Easter. Visit patientchill.com and subscribe if you want to be kept in the calm loop.
Thanks for subscribing to the CMA newsletter and remember: As crazy as things appear on earth these days, all is right in heaven! Just keep calm and listen!
For example, what can beat wading out into a chill stream on a warm summer day, gracefully tossing fly after fly onto the water's surface, anticipating a riser who will struggle with the hook until you pull it in, your adrenaline rushing the entire time? It takes patience and practice but the beauty of the catch is its own reward.
So it is also when you toss out lead after lead either on social media or in person and find an interested response that is willing to hear the sound of the musician you are advocating for and to actually do something about making their dreams a reality. That's another kind of a rush that comes with the exchange of abstract spiritual gifts.
Both skills demand not only a tailored surgical approach but also a 'shotgun' approach. Some times you just have to go for broke and cast like crazy in all directions until you find a spot where the fish are biting. But without the right bait and technique, you're just wasting your time--a commodity that grows increasingly valuable everyday into today's lightning speed, fast paced world. Patience. Chill. God will provide.
[This is another segment in the Music in the Bible series which begins in Genesis and finishes in Revelation.]
"And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying:
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?” (1 Samuel 21:11)
image source: WRWH
We are all aware of the power of music in triggering an emotion or perhaps a memory of some (hopefully) past event in our lives. But did you know that hero songs were common in biblical times? Since there weren't any digital capabilities to capture and preserve sound, songs were learned and relearned to keep important people and their deeds fresh in the collective memory. But sometimes the blowback is not good.
In this case, David is fleeing from King Saul who wants to kill him out of jealously. When he ended up in foreign territory and was brought face to face with Achish the king of Gath, the king's servants reminded him of this song and David was afraid because he did not want his fame as a warrior to proceed him in these circumstances since he was looking for shelter. So he started acting weird and the king dismissed him as a madman. Safe by reason of insanity!
I will feature you or your Christian band of any genre music on my quickly growing blog which averages 5000 views per month. I can also review your music and create a custom promo video of it and I will aggressively promote items on at least six social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter. I do not accept requests from artists with music that promotes sex, drugs, self mutilation (including transgenderism), suicide, or contain any kind of explicit lyrics or hate speech towards any individual, race, creed or color. I reserve the right to reject proposals based on this criteria or any other Scriptural guidelines for holy living. Send me links to your music before you purchase.
