I remember reading an article written somewhere in the 80’s that condemned rock music(and anything with beat for that matter) as of the devil. Mostly these people who condemned them are none other than the “self righteous evangelicals who keeps on asserting that they’re saved by grace”. well, most of these people aren’t actually that graceful. They seemed not satisfied to Jesus’ teaching and so they add another teaching straight from their moral code and then integrate it in the Bible(assuming most of the people they’re preaching at are Bible ignorant).

Well ,that’s the 80’s.

And now in the new millennium the reverse seems to take place.

Evangelicals nowadays no longer condemned rock music or anything worldly related but instead they adapted to it to the point that they tolerated some stuff and then decided that maybe this certain thing is not bad at all and therefore integrating their own moral code into their preaching of the Bible again assuming most nu-evangelicals are not Bible readers (i can honestly say most of todays evangelicals got their theology on music and on what their pastors are saying and not even bothering to check the Bible for themselves.

And this is how evangelicals treated rock music nowadays too. Instead of condemning it, they adapt to it to the point that they tolerate it and hence watering down the gospel in favor of coolness..

(sadly, none of the two generations of evangelicals get it right).

See, we can never add nor take away God’s words. It must remain as it is….

So how did God redeemed Rock ‘N ROll in the first place?

By saving legendary rock stars like some members of the following bands:

Black Sabbath’ lead vox,
Iron Maiden’s drummer,
Warrant,
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine,
Anthrax,
The Misfits,
Korn’s guitar player Brian Welch,
Kansas’ Kevin Livgreen,
Alice Cooper,
Jonathan Cain,
Full Devil’s Jacket (now DAY OF FIRE)
etc…..

Ring them names bells? These are the gods of hard rock back in the days. These are the bands the parents of our parents are afraid of. These are the bands that sings about Satanism,drugs, and a whole lot of Sex…

But God keepes on knocking at their heart and they answered and now they no longer save the world but Him by being in the world but not of it.

take for example Brian Welch of Korn. He was a drug addict back in the days and constantly battled depression. Now, he’s completely drug-free and no longer battles depression and infact he’s out there right now helping those in needs in the name of Christ.

These old rockers who denied Jesus both in words and actions back in the days are the same rockers who proclaim Jesus as Lord and God nowadays.

And these rockers’ Gospel is not watered down….

All u have to do is check out new albums from Megadeth-The System Has Failed and Iron Maiden to know what im talking about.

Some of these artists withdraw from their previous bands and started a solo carrier like Brian of Korn.

And what i love about these guys is they love the sinners too just like Jesus did. They understand that we are all sinners and that God loves everyone including the homo and the abortionists and the Democrats and that they need to hear God’s love not in a harsh judgemental way but in a graceful way yet without watering down the message…

the problem of today’s mainstream mega-churches or mainstream christianity is they waterdown the Gospel plus they hate “sinners” as if they’re not sinners themselves…

People just don’t really understand what the Gospel is all about.  This is probably old news but since the movie biopic of Jeffrey Dahmer is coming soon, this issue seems to open up again… Dahmer is mostly remembered as a serial killer who raped and ate his prey. Yes he’s a cannibal and the new movie is kind of like a horror… and it’s based on real life…  The families of the victims were very happy when Dahmer was arrested back in the 90’s and they eventually jumped for joy when they heard he died. Some family members of the victims were not even contented of the way he died. They wanted him to suffer cause according to them, what he did was unforgivable…  …but unfortunately Dahmer was forgiven by none other than the one who created him… GOD. Yes God had been knocking on his heart for so long yet he refused to open it but he finally did on prison. He became a born again Christian in prison upon hearing the Gospel through a prison ministry. Since then, Dahmer started to read the bible and attended in the prison church. He then asked apology to the family’s victims yet he received forgiveness from no one. It’s so sad when we think we’re more righteous than a cannibal. It’s sop sad when we elevate ourselves than that of a thief or a loser or a killer. It’s so sad when we think of our selves superior than others. It’s so sad when we see ourselves as better than others…        …Yet in the eyes of God murderers and liars are all the same to Him. no one is righteous. We all fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) and sin looks all the same to God (look it in Isaiah) no matter who you are. You might be a cannibal or a procrastinator. It’s all the same to God. SIN! And that’s what separated us from Him and that’s the reason He sent Jesus to die on our behalf. Jesus did not die only to murderers. He dies for everyone including you and me because we are all sinners and no one is exempted.  And yet these family members still want revenge. I understand the grief but if only we look at the bigger picture, If only we believe when God said “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”  Or when He said to “CAST YOUR BURDEN UPON ME”. If only we believe on those words “VENGENACE IS THE LORD”, then maybe forgiveness may not be that hard to give and revenge may not be what’s occupying in our minds….  I’m not saying that i don’t have a Jefrey Dahmer in my life. I have. Infact there are a lot. Killing my soul day by day. But thank God by His grace i learn not to hate those people but instead love them because i am just like them in the eyes of God, a sinner…. I don’t know if they accepted God’s gift of salvation. Only God and them know because i don’t see pass their heart. Only the superficial. But one thing I do know. I keep the word of God in my heart and I have Jesus in me and that no matter how I messed up, if i repent and ask forgiveness, He is willing to forgive me cause He died for me… Now does it mean I have to continue sinning cause I know God will forgive? Let me ask you, do you love your parents? Your girlfriend/boyfriend? If your answer is yes, do u intend to continue hurting them knowing they love you so much that they will forgive you??? If your answer is yes, then you must be a miserable man. Love doesn’t operate that way. And same thing applies to the relationship with Jesus. Hope you got that folks,

Michael

Rolling Stone Magazine recently held an interview(issue 1033)  where Zac revealed that he didn’t even sang on the first High School Musical movie and CD. It was all lipsync just like any other teene boppy sugar coated bANDS FOR TEENS OUT THERE…

But High School Musical Two would be totally different for him. This time he fought back with Disney until the company let him sing in the record and also in the movie…

Surely this guyt is something more than a teenage idol. Maybe he’ll follow the footsteps of Mandy Moore,Kelly Clarkson,and Backstreet Boys. Three former puppets of the music industry. They fopught back. They won! And now these three artists have finally gain creative control in their albums and singles. Maybe Zac will be the fourth rebel !!!!

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/15824947/zac_efron_the_new_american_heart_throb/2

 THE 1st CD and only CD with the original members…

Rick Heil, the band’s bassist turned vocalist still carry the name SONICFLOOd with different members on every record.While the sound itself isn’t that bad(that if you like pop/rock),Rick should have let the name rest in peace and starts anew.Imagine when Paul McCartney will release a new Beatles CD without Ringo,George,and John? It would be disastrous. Not because Paul make bad music (he’s a good songwriter) but because of the legacy of the Beatles. no matter how you argue to let the music decide and not the band name, still with band of this repertoire,it’s hard!Same thing with SONICFLOOd.

 They are legends in christian music. They redefined the sound of modern worship. Although they’re not the first to do it,they were the one who took this lyric-based genre into the mainstream making way for bands like MercyMe and David Crowder Band to be played on VH-1 and be played on Top 40 radio not to mention David Crowder Band as MSN Artist of the year in 2006.So Rick, better starts looking for a new name for your band or better yet,just name it after your own name or maybe last name like HEIL.Sure it sounds cool. And leave the name SONICFLOOd in peace where it belongs !!!!

THE 1st CD of the all new SONICFLOOd with Rick as lead vocals and a whole new sound.

Recently there’s this show on gospel music channel hosted by brian littlrell of backstreet boys which is kinda like the christian version of american idol (just like nashville star as the country version of AI).

but then looking at the past and current finalists and winners of the show, it seems like american idol is still largely driven by the christian music industry,and for those of u who don’t know, christian music nowadays is where the big money is. Why?

here’s an example. recently a finalist by the name of Chris Daughtry (who is actually from a christian rock band before AI) released a self titled CD. the CD was originally marketed on the mainstream market but with the released of the single “HOME”,which can also be interpreted as a worship song (and with daughtry’s background that song could b possibly written as a worship song), RCA decided to market the single to christian AC/Inspo/Modern Rock stations across the U.S. and then the album as a whole which leads to selling more than was expected (it is the bestselling AI album so far).

And it will be no wonder that WOW 2008 or WOW 2009 will include any Daughtry song or that his CD although under RCA will be sitting next to Day of Fire and Skillet.

And speaking of Day of Fire,Daughtry also co wrote with Josh Brown for the new Day of Fire song.

And here are other AI finalists that are now famous in the world of CCM (contemporary christian music):

Chris Sligh

Mandissa( now officially a CCM star)

Carrie Underwood

Diana deGarmo (being closely related to Eddie DeGarmo,former Forefront Records exec and also of the christian band DeGarmo and Key)

Bo Bice (who is a christian)

Clay Aiken (his christmas Cd is on Provident Music)

Reuben Studdard( is that his last name?. he got a song with worship leader/actor Fred Hammond)

Jordin Sparks (sang with Michael W. Smith before)

and not to mention the latest AMerican Idol anthem THIS IS MY NOW is written by Scott Krippayne(a famous CCM aritst) and that other guy who is actually a pastor ( i forgot his name)…
and so the music business jumps in the bandwagon….

(personal comment: i don’t really care about this christian music thingy going on in the AI.infact im not an AI fan.For me,it all depends on the heart of the artists. It they do what they do because they love their art and they wanan give the glory back to God then its fine. If they wanna do it because they wanna evangelize as in preach then its fine with me too (the first scenARIO IS STILL actually evangelism only not in a direct way.It’s kinda like God revealing Himself through His creation while the latter scenario is like God revealing Himself through scripture)

The band’s Under the Blacklight Cd
could b the tantamount to Nelly
Furtado’s Loose CD. Cds that are
trying to appeal to top 40 radio.

I recently got Rilo Kiley’s Give a
Little Love from the new CD and its
very disappointing. Plus i heard the
whole CD as a whole you would reli
exclaimed as in what on earth is going
on with this band?

The track i got is a huge departure
from their alt.country/alt. rock sound
just like Furtado’s huge departure
from folk rock/pop. It got this hooky
80’s pop early 90’s RnB mood that is
reminiscent to Kylie Minogue that
could be thrown on the Recyle Bin the
next day.Plus the song also uses
programmed beats like what they used
in boy bands back in the day….

And that’s not all. They’re first
single (The Moneymaker) speaks it all.
That it’s their attemp to invade or
better yet join the world of
disposable beats( i wont say noise
since the CD is relaxing..it just that
it lacks soul and too cliche and
instrumentations are bad).

I just hope this is only an
experimental CD. But then again if
experiment clicks… God helps us
all !!!!

Fans of alternative rock band The Fray knows that they started as a praise and worship band then out of a sudden their song How To Save a Life,a song written during Slade’s days at his youth ministry, became an overnight success when it was featured on Grey’s Anatomy, a tv show about doctors,P.G.I.’s,and interns, and most of all though you might not realize it a bit, ABOUT NEW MUSIC. Music mostly despise by radio stations across the globe.

This actually get me to think if TV shows like this would be the new radio. The new haven for people looking for good new music.

For a month i was an intern at the microbiology laboratory here in Cebu Doctors’ Hospital and we listened to nothing but radio since the CD-ROM is busted and the one in BACTEC don’t have speakers.

And what did i discover? From stations to station they almost play the same music and most radio don’t even payed more attention to music anymore than they’re slick promos and radio personality’s (i no longer call them DJs) stupid unfunny jokes…

It is really awful to find the reality of today’s radio.

I just hope that shows like Grey’s Anatomy will continue to showcase new good eclectic music. And hope they will slow down the credits in the end so that those who doesn’t have internet to browse it later can see and read what’s been played or playing…

So you might be a worship band, an ordinary band, a singer/songwriter. No matter what your music is, if you mean it and play it good and responsible enough in your songwriting, then just keep pressing on… You’ll never know where your music would take you….

Tonight is my first night of duty in the clinical chemistry department laboratory here in Cebu Doctors’ Hospital. We do change departments every month.

 Well im not expecting much from this department knowing that all we can do,as an intern, is to centrifuge the specimen or push the serum and move around and sit waiting for the next tube to come.

 but then i’m also kinda hoping they’ll teach me how to operate the machine on special procedure. Kinda interesting how to put on them serums on them different vials (or they call it wells,whatever the name of it hehehehe).

Well, gonna take a shower now casue i only have about two hours before my shift would start.

Currently Listening:

JOHN MAYER- Continuum

From now on guys i will no longer blog on my old site. this will be my new blogsite from now on so hope you guys would check this thingy for rambling thought of the difficult stranger