I used to...Keith Green, DC Talk, Rich Mullins, Steve Camp...

Now I like lounge music and chill out.  But it's straight from hell...LOL!!!

Actually times are a-changing because they are using hillsong for items and I believe they sing "Shout to the Lord" as a chorus.  I think it's strange how they can sing these songs that are originally sung whilst raising hands and dancing - So it's okay to sing Hillsong's songs just as long as you don't do it like Hillsong or King David for that matter

But yeh I have Hillsong and Alabasterbox and stuff by Andrew Ironside - want heaps more but.

Here some funnies for ya but http://www.apologetix.com/mp3/mp3s2.html pop songs turned into gospel songs LOL

"A regular RCI meeting consists of at least 50% music" quotes a Senior Pastor in a larger than most northern assembly. After all, Israel went into battle with horns blowing as did our BI descendants (agony bags etc...) (ps I like Celtic music)

Being very involved with the music department of my assembly, I became quite familiar only too well with the seriousness of choosing the appropriate song and whether it was, in fact, written specifically for the Lord. (Of course, we must be careful that outsiders don't get the wrong impression). Regimented hands to the side is most appropriate and if (heaven forbid) we must raise our hands above the hanging position, then clapping would be an acceptable movement.

Of course smiling and showing that you are actually are enjoying yourself may also be construed to be exhibiting egotism. Not the sort of thing we want to get across to anyone contemplating a joyful and blissful life in the Lord (Woops - RCI, I mean. Sorry).

And... "No, just make sure that the songwriter was writing about the Lord in the first place, otherwise write your own songs. Of course, these have to be approved as well (by people who somehow know exactly who you have in mind when composing)" quotes the Musical Director.

Eventually getting fed up being treated like a 2 year old and after putting on concert outside the assembly's official approved yearly program of activities (in the world) (and, by the way, the oversight were advised several weeks earlier and had no problem with it) , I was stood down as the music group leader despite the fact I resigned first. (Funny, I was told I wasn't ALLOWED to resign. CONTROL!!!) And I was to apologise to all involved for my untoward behaviour and for allowing a person into the concert with a bottle of wine. (apparently) and thereby exposing the junior members of the music group to danger. (Despite the fact that their parents were with them as well)

Thankfully, the Lord has made provision for such rebellious people like me. It's called being an overcomer. Whew!!

Want to hear more? Don't bother asking. It's just as boring. I now get amongst people who have real needs and not ones who live on Prozac and are kept in a cotton ball lined church so they won't hurt thenselves.

Our local Revival F would put on football games and Aust Ido finales etc on the big screen and the congregation would go wild and silly and yahoo etc. But put on a chorus session and you have to get all serious and solemn and heaven forbid actually do anything other than clap. Get physically excited about football but not God. I used to chorus lead, and as a chorus leader I was allowed to sway my arm left to right with the music... weeeeeee!

Re: 'worldly music' ... is that any music that doesn't mention jesus? Why do some christians find it so taboo to sing about love and relationships in a church. Does it always have to be about 'you are worthy' or 'we will praise your name' or 'we will lift you up'.  Of course He's worthy.  Worthy of what? Worthy enough for us to sing to Him? Sounds like we are being condascending to God. "Hey God, I find you worthy enough for me to botther singing. The love we have for our partners is something we should sing about. Sad songs. Political songs. funny songs. nonsensical songs. Must they all be outside the church and 'worldly'? I know what you meant by using the worldly tag... i just thought it was funny.

I can't stand it when all youth group bands sound the same... they all say GEEZUSS in that deep aussie slang... Geezusss GEEEEZUSSSah

I can't think of any tongue themed choruses sung in the SE Qld sector apart from the following versed attached to an old song... I speak in tongues by the power of the Lord; the word of God is a two edged sword; all my sins are washed away; praise the Lord. What a stupid verse.

Our most beloved PD once told the assembly that if anyone stayed at home to watch the State of Origin final (Wednesday night) instead of going to the meeting would be immediately put out of fellowship.

At another church meeting I briefly attended after leaving RCI, cancelled their regular Wednesday night meeting to play the State of Origin a big screen in their hall. They had over 100 new people all sitting amonst the saints and actually enjoying themselves. Some even stayed and became Christians.

Good old RCI is still the same. No one is game to laugh or exhibit any form of joy for fear of being branded a heretic egotist. Apart from a few families with virile husbands with subservient wives producing enough kids to form several Queensland Teams, the numbers of regular members is falling. Must be a worry having one's income dependant on assembly numbers to provide a reasonable income. Thankfully, RCI isn't about numbers.

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It's all so stupid. You'd be singing "I've got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart" with a sombre look on your face. You're just standing there clapping. Are you joyful? Since when does God prohibit the show of joy by jumping up and down and shouting? This is how King David sung the very same songs that the Revival sing. No one was ever able to tell me why you weren't allowed to raise your hands and dance. Their answer? (and still is) "We don't need to" Well neither do I...but do you WANT to? I'm almost certain our chorus leader wanted to hey...but alas...he wasn't ALLOWED to (and yet it doesn't say it in the bible - go figure).

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I'm sure there are some Ex RCI chorus leaders who visit this site that could tell you first hand of the rules and regs relating to chorus time. As an ex RCI chorus singer, well we used to get to sit through several meetings a year where we were given the rules list and the lecture regarding standards and do's and don'ts of chorus singing. All so very serious. If you didnt toe the line, you got booted very quickly.

Incidently, the first meeting I attended outside RCI at another pentecostal church was uncomfortable for me because the people stood, clapped, danced and raised their hands during the singing time. The music was amazing, full of JOY. Then the talk was all about raising hands during praise and the different forms of worship, quoting LOTS of scripture to support it. I was madly taking notes the whole time as I had never heard any of this stuff in RCI. The only thing I ever heard repeatedly was 'decently and in order'. What the hell does THAT mean?

The downside was that my kids were FREAKED OUT by the other meeting coz they had been raised in RCI NOT to do anything but clap politely during choruses. When a woman danced past banging a tamborine, they looked like she would eat them. Instead, she stopped, introduced herself and welcomed us, then danced away. It took a while for me to realize that my indoctrination had made me very discriminatory towards others and their beliefs. A dear friend once told me that just because they are DIFFERENT doesn't mean they are WRONG.

It all comes back to one thing - CONTROL!! If anyone in the RCI exhibits any form of extraversion such as dancing or raising hands during the chorus session, one thing would lead to another and eventually the meeting would be out of 'CONTROL'

Decently and In Order is a very interesting topic in itself. Who is decent? Someone who smiles and calls you brother and in his heart is thinking 'you can't be trusted' or Someone who portrays a life of pureness but rules his family with an iron fist? In Order? A subservient wife obeying without question or an assembly member who knows his place in the assembly? In the RCI I've heard and seen it all.

The only thing that is decent and in order in this world is the Lord.

This person has been posting a lot so for the sake of consistency I will place this message at the top of all their posts.  This way you can identify all their posts as theirs.  - RH
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Music:

How about Sonic Flood,

Winds of Worship - Brownsville, New England and Seattle are really nice.

Arise Jerusalem

Awake America (Brownsville)

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Let's see now, if anyone is still viewing this thread then the groups / people I listen to are:

Mercy Me (5? guys / Rock), Avalon (2 guys / 2 girls), Point of Grace (4 girl group), Nicole Nordeman (solo), Bebo Norman (solo), Allen Asbury (solo), Phillips Craig & Dean (these guys are 3 pastors of different churches), Selah, Tree 63, Go Fish, Jaci Velasquez, Michael Card (one of the originals that started contemporary music), Nicole C. Mullen (What a voice,... she has a version of "My redeemer lives" that is awesome), Scott Krippayne, Casting Crowns (These folks rock!!!), 4 Him, The Darins, Chris Rice, Chris Tomlin, Todd Agnew, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir (talk about raising ya hands!!!), Susan Ashton (very new but great voice), Fernando Ortega (great voice, great for worship), Third Day (Rock), Jennifer Knapp (Sounds kinda like Alanis Morrisette,... only better), FFH (means Far From Home), Michael W. Smith (Solo)

also ex-pat aussies, Newsboys and Rebecca St. James.

 

Just to name a few.  If you want to hear others go to www.plr.org and listen.

Cheers, enjoy the music

Lost in the Sauce

Hey sfj we can all be friends on here, takes time for some people to warm to otheres thats all

Gods richest blessings on ya sister

earth5

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When I used to be inclined to listen to 'Christian' music, I loved the music of the band Lamb. Great songs with a sort of hebrew style.

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