M.I.A at M.I.A

II Corinthians 5:17-18

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation

It's Labor Day weekend and the City of Brotherly Love is doing it big with the first of its kind Made in America festival. Two packed days, filled with live music ranging from rock and roll to neo soul.

Before I was saved, you could say concerts were "my thing”. I love seeing entertainers bring their music to life on stage and to see their talents exhibited before my very eyes. Despite the Made in America festival featuring two of my favorite artists of all time, I am Missing in Action at this weekend's event. The reason is simple; the music doesn't coincide with my lifestyle.

People often ask me questions like: "You don’t listen to Rap anymore?" or "All you listen to is Gospel now?" While these questions irk me to the very core of my being, I acknowledge that they are fair questions nevertheless.

Now, I didn’t just wake up one day and say, “Welp! I’m saved now, no more Hip Hop.” That would be plain bizarre. But because of my salvation and the Holy Spirit (-aka- the Holy Ghost) within me, I find myself physically unable to listen to secular music without feeling grieved in my spirit. This is one of those things that’s hard to explain as a believer of Jesus Christ. People think it’s weird or foolishness. I view it as further validation that Jesus is real and that my relationship with Him is real. If not, how else can one explain such a dramatic change of heart?

Until someone can answer that question, I'm happy listening to “just gospel”.

Here are some artists that are in heavy rotation in my iPod. By listening to Youthful Praise, Tasha Cobbs, Jason Nelson, and Kevin Terry, I’m able to feed my soul instead of my temptations and a mindset that runs counter to my relationship with God.

Time for church!! Gotta run :-)