SRV Fan

[wilkat1]

Originally Posted by rags71

.. You are the only Tele playing pastor I know.

Make that two. I'm a Tele (and Strat, and Taylor) playing pastor (and seminary student).


God bless, and

[thunderbyrd]

yo, blues guy: here's something i'll share with you, try this at your local Chistian coffehouse, to the tune of "Pride and Joy":

you've heard about love givin sight to the blind
my Lord's love makes the sun to shine
He's the great and mighty King, He's my pride and joy
He's the great and mighty King,
i'm his little errand boy

you'll have to find the rest of the song for yourself, that's all i've got, i was given it one day...if you come up with some excellent lyrics for the rest of it, share 'em with us!

[thunderbyrd]

blues guy: everyone has given good advice, but i think praisecaster has given you the best. be honest before God and man and you'll be fine. SRV's music gives me courage, man, like nobody else. it takes courage to walk with God in this world.

[tonytrout]

Originally Posted by thunderbyrd

yo, blues guy: here's something i'll share with you, try this at your local Chistian coffehouse, to the tune of "Pride and Joy":

you've heard about love givin sight to the blind
my Lord's love makes the sun to shine
He's the great and mighty King, He's my pride and joy
He's the great and mighty King,
i'm his little errand boy

you'll have to find the rest of the song for yourself, that's all i've got, i was given it one day...if you come up with some excellent lyrics for the rest of it, share 'em with us!

WOW! I like those lyrics! How 'bout trying to come up with the rest of them for this song????

WOW........................that's all I can say!

[thunderbyrd]

Tony: i'd love to have some more lyrics for it, but that's all i got right now, like i said, i was GIVEN those lyrics one day. ask and see if you can get the next verse...it don't belong to me, it belongs to all the Kingdom. i bet Stevie would just totally dig it...

[randy_mc]

I did that too when I first got saved.

Dumb.

There was some trash in the collection, to be sure. But I could kick myself for throwing out Hendrix "War Heroes" (unavailable these days) and "Rainbow Bridge" (also unavailable).

Some of them did have a bad effect, taking me somewhere that wasn't good. But, most of them were just cool old records that I wish I still had.

BTW, if anyone has a copy of War Heroes or Rainbow Bridge, let me know, I'd love to get a copy.

[bluesbishop]

Originally Posted by Blues-Guy

I am Christian who loves the lord but I also love the blues and still enjoy listening to guys like SRV, Clapton, etc. Is this a contradiction of my faith if I still listen to these guys? I love the old gospel tunes but just cant get into any of the contemporary Christian stuff.

Thanks for the feedback!

I know That I'm late getting on this topic, but I'm New to the forum :-)

Blues Guy, I believe that ALL Music is gift from the Most High. Even when SRV was at his lowest point in life , you could see his divine gift in his playing. Before Stevie was tragically taken from us, he did come to know the Lord, and I pray for his soul daily.

If our Blessed Lord was to walk into a church today, he would hear music that is much different than he and the apostles would have heard 2000 years ago....Listen to the soundtrack of the Passion for some Ideas on what music may have been like in the Lords time.

I "try" not to judge other, and am open to many musical influence. I grew up Listening to Led Zep, ZZ top, Muddy Waters, Clapton, and many others. I still pop in my SRV DVD in listen to "life without you", and it still brings chills to me, and puts tears in my eyes. Go to many of the African- American Churches, and the Spirit of the Lord is really moving them as the "Rock out"!

It's Ok to let secular Music influence your playing. God gave them the gift to play as much as he did any Christian artist. BUT...there is some music I won't listen to, nor let my daughter listen to.

[chicknpikr]

been gone for a while..strange how the same topic re surfaces from time to time"christians and secular music.All I can say from experience is that I know quite a few"christians" who have isolated themselves soooo much from the world that they r basically useless in relationships with people who really need Jesus.Am I saying "go out and play in the bars and preach the word ....? NO...What I am saying is that I have relationships with un believers that I wouldn't normally have if I kept my music in church Do I live the kind of lifestyle they do? no..would they more likely come to me with "religous" questions than set foot in a church ? YES . iF SEC MUSIC MAKES U OR SOMEONE STUMBLE..STOP IT..If you can be a real person to have a relationship with someone and not compromise your relationship with God you are an evangelist..my 2 cents

[dwcle]

I'm also a huge SRV and Clapton fan.. I'm also into Pink Floyd, Skynyrd, various other classic rock bands, as well as some newer bands.. Alterbridge, Creed, Audioslave and many others.

To be brutally honest, I don't listen to hardly any Christian music.. not that I have anything against it, but there's not much of it out there that I like.. I used to listen to DC Talk, Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline and such back in the day.. but I've grown out of them.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Had it not been for Stevie's music I would not be playing guitar 4 nights a week at church leading worship. He inspired me to play, and inspired me to keep at it. Plus, I draw a lot of inspiration from the bands I listen to. I wouldn't play like I do without them.

All I know is that I listen to the music I listen to and I don't have any convictions about it. I love the Lord with all my heart and that's what it's all about. As far as I'm concerned God took all these secular bands that I listen to and used them for good in me.

Like I said before.. had it not been for what God did in me through their music, I wouldn't be playing at church and at outreaches, and other events..

Just my 2 cents..

[bek]

http://www.christianblues.net/
I like it.

[jony]

Yes. I can relate with you. I am into blues and blues rock stuff. All ca be really used in the worship setting.

[kamera1133]

The way I see it, there can be no contradiction between music and God.

God always has a hand in the act of creating music. Man cannot create something out of nothing, only God can. God works through a musician, fills him with music and message, and the musician acts as a catalyst. If you read enough interviews with songwriters, a point that always comes up is that they feel that the best of their stuff wasn't written by them, it simply came to them and they could only barely keep up with writing it down, recording it. Some call it inspiration, but to me this is the most explicit manifestation of God. It is, in a way, a miracle. A miracle that has become so mundane that we barely notice it, and yet it is there, lurking beneath the surface of every love song, behind the scenes of an inspired performance.

Now, as for music that some might feel is 'contradictory' or 'out of line' with their faith, I guess it is a matter of personal belief. To me, angry, loud, nihilistic music is just another face of God. Not that we haven't seen it before... The Old Testament portrays a violent, unforgiving, tormented God, wiping out hundreds of people like an annoyed man would swat a fly. The book of Judith, with its beheadings and its blood and its adultery... Examples are plentiful.

I guess from there on it is a matter of your own personal faith and the trust you put in it. Christ has always encouraged his followers to question every aspect of what he preached prior to accepting it. Life is a quest(-ioning), a soulsearch. And if one is to be fair to the experience of life, part of that search has to deal with the darker side. Sincerity, integrity, and honesty to yourself is the most important part. To be brutally honest, I do not hear as much sincerity in most of Christian Rock as I do in Nine Inch Nails' tormented meanderings. I feel much more of a longing for God in Clapton than in Creed. And I feel just as much God in Nick Cave's work as I do in the great old Gospel music.

The bottom line is, ultimately, when you feel that within you there is a disagreement between what you think God's way is and your church's way is, follow God. Because it will not be your congregation or your Pastor that will greet you on the other side of the gates.

Comments and disagreements are very welcome.

[geddins]

except to tell you to check out John Called Mark if you like bluesy type gospel music. I first discovered him 3 or 4 years ago, and love his stuff.

www.johncalledmark.com is the website. Sorry if this has already been mentioned.

Greg

[agent2x4]

I don't think just because EC is singing about... cocaine for example, you should quit listening to it. I've never been one to linger on lyrics or be influenced by them. If the chord changes are nicely put together and the song is well thought out, I'm going to listen to it, period.

Not once in my life, (not even in my youth) have song lyrics "made" me do anything blasphemous or even remotely subversive. I must have heard cocaine about a zillion times now and not once have I ever had an inclination to do any myself.

I suppose it all comes down to what degree you believe in god's "wrath" for listening/playing it. I tend to believe in a god that knows he gave me a fully functioning brain to discern the difference between lyrics and reality... and not let mere words lead me foolishly astray from my personal morals. I guess I'll find out the validity of my theory someday...hopefully not too soon! :)

[Joel Terry]

Originally Posted by reverbbb

A guy at my church said that he saw SRV perform in Nashville just a few weeks before the crash. If I remember his story correctly, Stevie openly discussed his new found faith and began to witness to the crowd.

I can personally attest to this, as I was there. It was an amazing show, really. It took place in June 1990 at the then-named Starwood Amphitheatre (now called the AmSouth Amphitheatre), and the weather during Joe Cocker's opening performance threatened the remainder of the show--just this huge, summer electrical storm; lightning and thunder crashing all around. When Stevie Ray took the stage, the weather calmed; I've never witnessed anything quite like it. And he did witness. It was riveting and touching, all at once.

And in just two short months afterward, Stevie was gone. God bless him.

Joel

[ravindave_3600]

Originally Posted by Joel Terry

I can personally attest to this, as I was there.

That's great! And it's great to hear from a witness, not "I read somewhere" or "my cousin's soundman's brother says that...."

Personally, I listen to all sorts of stuff, but pick and choose because the brain does hear and assimilate lyrics and attitudes.

[GospelPicker]

Hi friends in Christ,

I am the guitarist in the Breakin' The Bondage Blues Band (www.sonicbids.com/breakinthebondagebluesband). I have been a fan of the blues for most of my 32 years. I often find myself asking those questions like "does this music challenge or strengthen my faith or does it weaken it?", and the answers are somtimes tough. I am a HUGE fan of The Howlin' Wolf and his legendary guitar man, Hubert Sumlin. Some of Wolf's songs are a little rude, and I have to be careful about playing too much secular blues because I came out of a very hard-living non-Christian life. All that said, however, the blues is a powerful musical vehicle for expressing love, hate, sadness, joy and a wealth of other feelings, and it is our responsibility to not only use the blues to tell others of Jesus, but to do it WELL (with all our might, as unto the Lord and not unto men)! I am glad to have found a place where these things are being discussed rationally. To the original poster, I would simply suggest that you surround yourself with Godly friends and fellowship and a deep prayer life combined with a transparent and honest relationship with your pastor(s) and elder brethren in the Lord. That way, as long as you are tethered to solid brothers and sisters, you have at your disposal a team of loving family in Christ who are ready to point out potential sins and trouble areas. I am building that daily, and I ask all your prayers as I continue to do so. Speaking of SRV, let's not forget his brother Jimmie, whom Stevie called his "favorite guitarist". Jimmie went through a revival of his faith at the same time Stevie did... we can chalk that up to Stevie's fiancee and his mom encouraging the brothers Vaughan to attend church with her back in Oak Cliff. Jimmie has written several songs that deal either plainly or subtly with the idea of faith, hope and love, and his playing has kept him in the blues hierarchy for nearly 35 years now. Looking forward to more talks like this. Also, friends... if there are any blues-favoring Christian guitarists in NJ, get with me by email... I would love to jam, and I am currently seeking musicians for a second band to compliment and suppliment my work with Breakin The Bondage. Be blessed.

[PraiseCaster]

Hey GospelPicker, welcome to the TDPRI! Glad to meetchya brother!

[ravindave_3600]

Welcome, GP. I hadn't heard that about JV, either, so it's nice to think that we'll be seeing both guys in the long term. But I guess that pretty much ruins my hopes of playing lead guitar in heaven....

[Dr. T]

"I, Doctor Martin Luther, wish all lovers of the unshackled art of music grace and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ!

I truly desire that all Christians would love and regard as worthy the lovely gift of music, which is a precious, worthy, and costly treasure given to mankind by God.

The riches of music are so excellent and so precious that words fail me whenever I attempt to discuss and describe them.... In summa, next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. It controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits...

Our dear fathers and prophets did not desire without reason that music be always used in the churches. Hence, we have so many songs and psalms.

This precious gift has been given to man alone that he might thereby remind himself that God has created man for the express purpose of praising and extolling God.

However, when man's natural musical ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, His product and His gift; we marvel when we hear music in which one voice sings a simple melody, while three, four, or five other voices play and trip lustily around the voice that sings its simple melody and adorn this simple melody wonderfully with artistic musical effects, thus reminding us of a heavenly dance, where all meet in a spirit of friendliness, caress and embrace.

A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs."

- Martin Luther

[Platefire]

I'm a gospel picker who loves to apply the blues treatment to old classic hymns like "When the morning comes", "Bound for the Kingdom" and have written and recorded my own share of gospel blues originals. Everytime I have attempted to go back and listen to the great players like SRV I really enjoy hearing the talent God gave then but I find there is a spirit that is contrary to God spirit start effecting me after spending so much time listening to that mucic. About 6 months ago I was listening to a SRV "Double Trouble" back and forth to work and I felt this spirit effecting me in a negative way
and I just had to let it go. As for me I guess I can't handle it. It starts to draw me away and hindering my relation with Jesus and since that's the most important thing I had to let it go. I've tried this with several famous secular players and it's the same thing every time. So I tried but it just don't work for me. My 2 cents. Plate

[jazzrat]

I'm a little late to the party here but here's my .02
I play for two a.m. service doing the ususal P&W stuff.
What has been eye opening has been to play for our satellite church call Epic.
The other guitarist is a fine blues player while my background is more prog rock and fusion. For some reason I missed the blues in my early years of playing.
A typical set list at this church is very broand ranging.

For instance last weeks tunes:

Don't Pass Me By--Georgia Satellites
Higher---Creed
Meant to Live---Switchfoot
Tiil the Day I Die---Third Day
All of the Words---
I lift My Eyes Up---
Johnny B Goode---Chuck Berry

An eclectic mix to be sure, but each was tied to a spiritual truth(with word change if required)

I am having an absolute blast and most importantly the ministry is seeing changed lives as God blesses.

I said all that to say...it's all good....the Lord judges the content of the heart.