CPM/DMM: Big Haired Counterintuitive Lifestyles Part I
CPM/DMM: Being Catalysts—A Necessary Role (Part I)
Lead Me On
(Being Catalysts; A Necessary Role in Launching Church
Planting Movements-CPM)
Bethany Dillon applies this generation’s well-honed musical
skillset to cover the song entitled Lead Me On[1],
the song that originated in an age of Christian music when big hair reigned.
Big hair, high heels for the female artists (thankfully just for the females),
along with oversized jackets accented with exaggerated proportioned shoulder
pads of interestingly patterned designs were the norm.
I used to joke that my husband and I survived through the
disco era and are so grateful for its death and annihilation as we caution this
generation to never long for that scary forest domain ever again. More
recently, I have come to realize that we have also lived through the various
transitions of what was established as an industry in the 1980’s until present
day; the contemporary Christian music scene.
It can be said that the 1980’s were the best of times in
contemporary Christian music offerings, and yes, these were some of the worst
of times.
Being counterintuitive
game changers is the norm for the follower of Christ.
Amy Grant walked onto the stage canopied by the crisp
northern California star spangled sky. Holding court for all who attended the
outdoor amphitheater music event in the summer of 1985, she sang her heart out.
That night marked my personal witness of the convergence of the attempt to
intersect the old style of what was known as contemporary Christian music into
the growing evolution of what would be to come.
Funny to assert, but in so many ways, she was a tipping
point catalytic fire starter for Christian artists; big hair, spiked heels and
all. Though you might think that comment a stretch to say, it can be said that the
doorway to communicating the Christ life through the vehicle of song to non-believers
had not yet been penetrated to that point in time.
In the 1980’s Phil Keaggy, Randy Stonehill, Keith Green,
Benny Hester, Larry Norman, Steven Curtis Chapman, Leslie (a.k.a Sam) Phillips,
Petra, along with others all had their unique followings which at times could
reach the flow of those outside the flock (believers) as well. However, as I
recall though free to be contended with, after Amy Grant took her music to a level,
which could potentially connect with non-believers, Michael W. Smith was the
next in line to expand his influence in order to see non-believers stirred
toward the beauty and the power of the gospel. O.k., yes admittedly, the song “Baby,
Baby” which ushered this breakthrough in for Amy Grant was largely bee bop fluff.
However, this song broke the unwritten plane of separation between the sacred
and holy, in terms of the music industry.
Spencer and I, along with some colleagues, Becky and Bruce, in
our early years ministering among Muslims in Southeast Asia, had the highly
random opportunity to meet Michael W. Smith while he came to town on tour. To
highlight the randomness of his visit to this outpost of humanity would be like
comparing an astronaut’s trip to the moon with stopping by Venus enroute.
From a human standpoint, his early 1990’s hit singles into
the secular music realm had launched a newer platform of influencing the lost
among his newfound fans. For whatever reason, perhaps his management team was
being somewhat Kingdom strategic in their flying him to a highly remote large
population of Muslim Unreached People groups or perhaps the bookings in the
U.S. market had all but dried up (not likely). Either way, we decided to go to
all of the events related to his arrival in said location. Let me emphasize
that there were many common items of our home culture not available in this
cross-cultural context; like toilet paper, cheese, or butter. Amazingly though,
we stood in front of one momentary import, this music artist who loves Jesus.
At one point, being the only foreigners and Americans
present at the two day event lauding his arrival to our territory we talked
with him privately. We mentioned his opportunity to push the bounds to share
about Jesus with this predominantly Muslim audience scheduled to enjoy a
concert later that same evening. He smiled graciously at our request. Later
that evening at the question and answer time during his concert we threw him a
“softball” to hit out of the stadium type question. “Michael, we so appreciate
your music. Could you explain to all of us the inspiration and meaning behind
your song entitled Secret Ambition[2]? “
(a great song highlighting the reason for Christ coming to this world. You can
see this on YouTube. And yes, he had kind of the big hair thing going at that
time as well).
From this time of our brief brush of being around Michael W.
Smith we began to pray that God would move him to compose songs which could
break open the thin veneer of worship music available at the time in the Bride
of Christ international. Soon thereafter, he began to produce worship focused
songs and subsequently opened the heretofore blockades for inability to make
money for the music producing companies. (Many secular parent company ownerships
existed for several major Christian music company labels in the mid 1990’s.)
I am not asserting here that a few of us who chose to pray
were the only piece in this tapestry of God’s design for this particular artist.
I am asserting, though, that God does have His bride participate with what He
wills, largely through intercession as well as being the hands and feet of His
heartbeat.
What if we saw our participation with the Holy Spirit in
intercession as a sort of catalytic “tipping point” to accomplish His will in
this world for His own glory?
Being catalytic fire starters reads well in retrospect but
during the process blazing new paths can cause push back to existing patterns
of “doing” the accepted norms.
[1]Lead
Me On by Amy Grant (version 2004-without the big hair do) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5hLGmTH-
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