Many people idolize musicians. Be it secular fans or those who love Christian music, it still happens. I’ll go more into that concept in another blog, because this one seems to be taking a different direction.

Take a look at the show American Idol, for example. The title of the show points directly at this idol issue.

Honestly, I avoided watching that show because of its title. I thought to myself, “If they are going to publicly proclaim idolatry, then I don’t really want anything to do with it.”

Years later, we’ve got Christian artists formerly on Amerian Idol making a name for themselves. Take Mandisa, Jordin Sparks and Daughtry for example.

Upon further thought, I think it’s good those people infiltrated the show. God used them to draw people to Himself.

I flip out about trivial things such as the title of American Idol and vow to avoid those trends completely. I’m very word oriented. If someone uses the wrong form of a word to describe something, there is much potential to upset me. But, I realize later that I can’t completely avoid or boycot trivial word things.

I can’t run away from the influence of the world. Instead, I need to influence the world around me.

My perceptions of Christian music and what it is and what it should be have really changed, especially since I moved to Nashville a little over a year ago.

I’ve gone through phases that saying any artist that doesn’t fully proclaim and market themselves as a Christian artist isn’t really a true Christian.

I’ve believed that just because some artist (mostly the secular artists) thank God in their acceptance speech that they must be a Christian, too.

I was wrong in both of those perceptions. Now I’m glad when I find out there’s a Christian in a band that’s being an example to the secular world. Rather than get upset that they are in the mainstream market, I become excited that they are impacting the secular world with their Christian life.

And as far as secular artists thanking God in their acceptance speech, I’ve learned to judge that by their fruit. If they thank God for a Grammy and then go sing a song about objectifying women and abusing drugs, it’s not too hard for me to see that they don’t authentically honor God in their lives.

Although the title American Idol still makes me cringe a bit, I’m glad that God has used that show to bring glory to the only person that should be worshipped. That’s Him, by the way.

And, I can’t end this blog without bringing up the song “Lose My Soul” by tobyMac, Kirk Franklin and Mandisa. In that song, Kirk starts rapping and says, “America has no more stars/now we call them idols/you sit idle/while we teach prosperity.

A few seconds later, former American Idol contestant Mandisa starts singing.

It’s just ironic, I think. I originally got upset about that song because I was still bent up about the use of the word idol in American Idol’s title.

However, as I saw Mandisa perform and learned more about her, I realized that she’s totally in it for God. Yeah, she mentions American Idol in every interview that she’s had. (And, I must say that it used to annoy me that she did that.) But now, my opinion of that has changed as well.

Just because she was on that show, more people are going to listen to her. They give her more of a platform because of the American Idol contestant label associated with her name.

And though I’m sad about the reason why more people listen to her, I’m still glad that more people do listen.

Regardless of what I think about a particular person or their music, the most important thing to me is that the Gospel is shared.

As you can guess, I also used to become upset and say I didn’t like a band because of the way they acted or some things that they said.

And, instead of me sitting here bashing on someone because I don’t agree with their approach or labels, I need to join in unified step with them to promote the Kingdom.

I concluded, “If God’s ok with them, then I’m ok with them.”

When people are united in the glorifying of God, then God draws people to Himself.

American Idol’s new season starts tonight. I sincerely hope there’s another Christian in the ranks bringing glory to God rather than participating in the sought-after idolization of themselves.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

As the 4th of July draws near and thousands of Americans venture out to buy fireworks to shoot into the sky, independence is on my mind.

However, it’s not the kind of independence that the July holiday celebrates.  Instead, I’ve been meditating on our days of dependence in Christ.

In recent days, I’ve come to notice that many Christians are ashamed to be totally dependent on Christ.   It’s interesting how ridiculously hard it is for people to come to the end of themselves.  To get to that point of the utter famine of self-reliant resources.  When they can no longer pretend they are ok in their own strength.

Why is it so hard for Christians to get to rock bottom?  Why are so many ashamed to bow their heads in personal defeat?

I think it’s because people are born independent of God.  Until the point of conversion to Christianity, a person has spent their entire life learning how to live for themselves.

When Jesus comes along He offers salvation through Himself, counsel through the Holy Spirit and a dependable, capable, loving Father.

Unfortunately, many Christians don’t make it past the point of belief.  They stumble at even really trusting God.  And if they don’t trust God, then can’t don’t depend on Him for everything.

I was just reading in 2 Kings today about the Israelites.  They knew God and at times worshiped God.  However, they also worshiped idols and served other gods at the same time.  They were the poster children (of God) for a lack of dependence.  Instead of proceeding swiftly to their Promised Land, they paused and tarried for 40 years in the wilderness in defiant independence.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend 40 years of my life wandering.  Nah, I’d rather get this dependence in Christ thing down now and be productive and fruitful.

In an attempt to tersify the point I’m making, too many Christians still live independent of God even though they are in a relationship with Him.  It’s kind of like they turn to God and say, “I love You, kinda.”

Let me assure that it’s not a shame to be dependent on Christ.  In truth, it is totally ok and biblical to rest in Christ.  I challenge you to the title of this blog: be dependent in Christ every day.

If Christians get to the point of depending on God, many do not make it past a few moments of dependence.  And maybe minutes, hours or a few days of dependence.  Sadly, however,  after they make it through their current struggle/trouble/problem, they stop totally depending on God and go back to a life of self-dependence.  Then, after the next problem causes their life to go into a downward spiral, they return back to God for more moments of dependence.  It’s a cycle.