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Key Bible Verse: You say, "I am allowed to do anything"—but not everything is good for you. You say, "I am allowed to do anything"—but not everything is beneficial (1 Corinthians 10:23). Bonus Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:31-33

Image. The message a song delivers rides on the back of the words and explodes in the mind of the hearer. It can cause you or your kid to stumble. Many songs on the top 40 charts paint inappropriate pictures of desire for the opposite sex. Others paint mental images of extreme violence or destructive lifestyle.

Mood. The pulse of a song, combined with the chording, creates a mood. Over time that mood can sink into the listener's soul, affecting how he thinks, acts, and feels. Many songs are dark, bringing you low, making you angry, and transporting you into a trance-like state. I watch Nathan listen to these very carefully. If I sense his mood change negatively for a period of time, his playlist is one of the first things I screen.

Effect on other hearers. We also must ask ourselves, "Would the music I listen to cause another to question his or her faith or be overly offended by the words or style?" Is a hard rock song, for instance, appropriate to blast in a room filled with 2 year olds? As a dad, I'm hyper-sensitive about such questions. So is the New Testament!

—Todd Stocker in An 8-Track Parent in an Mp3 World

My Response: Am I only tuned into radio station WIIFM (What's In It For Me?), or open to varied genres in my home? … to varied worship styles at church?

Thought to Apply: Well, we play Country music; we're just not sure what country it is. —Jerry Jeff Walker

Adapted from An 8-Track Parent in an Mp3 World (Kregel, 2010) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher.

Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Thank you for your gift of music to calm anxieties, lift spirits, and express feelings. May it be used for your glory and not to the Enemy's advantage.

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