My music story!

Man... today was a very interesting day.... very interesting indeed.. though i'm not going to blog much about it in this post... = Instead, i wanna rave about how i'm suddenly having music nostalgia... not sure if that's a good or bad thing...

So here goes...

My music story! Ok i've never really shared this in detail... but somehow feel like doing it now.. I was thinking... we are all called to "transformation", to "giving up" of our old lives/sinful ways... And since this is the only real strong visible way I saw myself transform long time ago.. why not share it now? If not, when? ;)

So.. Here below are my worldly favourites from almost 10 years ago... hmmm! hmm hmm!! might have forgotten some lah! (I began listening to P&W and christian songs since 1999)

Well, back then, I didn't really bother about lyrics... BUT.... today, hearing it again... i can just now hear all-so-clearly... the "depressive", "negative", "cynical" and "angry" messages expressed in the songs.... AND even though these are from 10 years ago... I believe that they are just as "emo" as the songs are today.

Note as we go on, i'm just going to share that these were some of the songs I liked... So if you thought tt today's me is all classical music or P&W music.. then you're wrong! ;)

Everclear
Everything to Everyone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcBOi2k7QhQ
Father of Mine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO-B2XuYUMg
I will buy you a new life http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtdZbm6KRuk
(Somehow I liked the tune,... do you notice the cynical lyrics?)

Fountains of Wayne
Sink to the bottom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF3GHiiUcjs

Splender
I think God can explain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO5_Ce7AL2g

Creed
Higher http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea_iZ3NfwSU
I don't know what you think, Creed may be christian people, but this song to me doesn't seem so... it's cool with all the guitar rifts and so, AS MUCH AS I LOVE THIS SONG -- i don't believe it's truly uplifting But it's quite real lah... so i liked it.

Fatboy Slim
Bird of Prey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unF1QIdwdfs
(Bit morbid.. but it's a pretty cool video actually... har har... ok i STILL think this is nice..)

Goo Goo Dolls
Iris http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsK90GWBVLY
("I don't want the world to see me, cos i don't think that they'd understand...")

Silverchair
I truly loved their music,... their piano is fabulous... but don't you just feel that creepy darkness and anger from their music hearing it now?...this is the worst of my music interests so it may not be as far as other music genres like Metal, but it's still harmful all the same...!

Black tangled heart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dbuZv56qt8
Ana's Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdF98W-ON3Q
Emotion Sickness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBf1UblIMKU
Anthem of the year 2000 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTM5cDIESrY
(This says "we are the youth... etc etc" -- and they're really quite angry!)

So ok this is as far "down" as I got... by the year 2000-2001... (And so we marvel at the wonders of youtube.. can find everything... )

Ahhh... so depressing... hearing them again...

So how was it? Haha... were you surprised or not?

Well.. as much as i'm listening to these songs again after like the last 7 years... and feeling great and bobbing to those once familiar tunes...

Yet inside, i'm reminding myself that I am no longer the same old me... 2 Corinthians 5:17 ... If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

So what is the Spiritual Lesson that I am sharing today? - MUSIC

1997 - I get my first Hi-fi set for my room. I start out with nice friendly radio pop music.
June 1999 - I went for YISS -- My first ever deep encounter with the living Lord Jesus Christ.
1999 end -- The highs and love for P&W (That time it was Hillsongs' Touching heaven changing earth album -- remember?) got drowned out by 2 CDs that I bought, specifically... Creed and Splender... and my taste for music got more "alternative"...
2000 - Bought 3 more CDs - Silverchair, and 2 more others... (which i've forgotten)...all the same same style one lah...
2001 - Finally my Aunt Penny told me... Why do you listen to angry music when you are angry, and P&W music when you are happy? That struck something in me. Finally within that year, i gave it ALL up...!
2001 onwards - I stopped listening to silverchair and other alternative music. Yes, that was pretty drastic... but I turned totally to christ after that - all my energy focused on Him! I was on fire!!!

..... so THIS was what was happening >>

• Matthew 13:19
  19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path.
  
• 1 Peter 5:8
  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

>> To explain further --- this is like us after attending camps like YISS or any deep spiritual encounter we experience --- when we come back to our daily lives, we may tend to face some kind of "turmoil" coz the devil will be hard at work trying to snatch away what we just recevied. For me, it was the buying of those CDs and my music taste which gradually went deeper and more "alternative" which luckily, stopped when I finally got sounded out by my Aunt Penny.

Get it?

So now, after u go hearing the songs... please DO NOT go and be depressed ok and don't start listening to them repeatedly then..... otherwise, I will be doomed for this post...

The old has passed, the new has come... I just wanted to share about my "music" story!

And to remind us all that we may have a "not-so-glorious" past but we do have an "all-so-glorious" future ahead (in Christ). Let's strive on!

Amen,
Sam