"We are here to create the kingdom of heaven here on earth."
(Melissa Etheridge - Rolling Stone July 2008, page 20)"
i don't listen to a lot of songs by melissa but i admire her melody writing, and was instantly (and slightly annoyingly) hooked to a song she wrote years ago . . . "come to my window. . . " melissa has a lot to say in the july '08 article about faith and creativity, and recounts an incredibly sad tale of how she was insulted early in her career by legendary guitar player phil keaggy. ultimately his comments had an ironic impact on the trajectory of her career. instead of feeling rejected she was driven outside her initial leanings towards "christian music" and into making great music separate from religious labeling. still, it would seem that she has never lost her awareness of something bigger than herself.
"In high school I had dreams of maybe having a career in Christian music." (Her first real gig was opening for Phil Keaggy in her hometown, and after the show she asked him what he thought of her set).
"He basically said, 'I don't think there's a place for people like you in Christian music.' But he said it very nicely. I thought, 'Ok. They don't want me, I don't want them."
people can say some pretty harsh things, and for me it's a good reminder that no matter who you're influenced by . . . they are not God. don't let people ruin God for you. sometimes people give you good advice, and sometimes people blow it (like phil did). regardless, if you want to know who God is, and what He thinks about you, start by asking Him and go from there . . . my experience is a little openness goes a long way.
No comments:
Post a Comment