something i have learned...from an UNBELIEVABLE source

i was reading a magazine (actually the only magazine i actually subscribe to--more on that later) on the plane to naples the other day when i came across this quote:

we're still a viable band--bring it on...as long as it doesn't interfere with our family lives, which is the number-one priority for all of us. which makes (our band) number two. sorry, everybody out there. but if our families came second, the band would implode.

you might be like me and read a quote like that and ponder the wisdom of the statement. you might think this statement came from a giant in the "Christian" music sector, who has learned over the years to champion the cause of his or her family because they realized ministry has to start in the home. you might think about giving this band a listen, since obviously their priorities are closer to where they "should" be. or you might even be taken back by the sincerity of the statement, but i can almost guarantee you that you never expected this statement to come from the source it came from.

you see, the ONLY magazine i currently subscribe to is rolling stone. it was a personal choice a few years ago when i realized i was getting everything from similar sources. i have NOTHING wrong with other magazines or magazines that would be labeled "Christian." i pick them up from time to time and even make mental notes about things that challenge and spur me on. the reason i chose to no longer subscribe to any of the "professional" Christian mags was simple...i was tired of looking at pages that seemed to advertise every possible way to get my ministry to succeed. ads for software, hardware, marketing, books, conferences, etc. if you don't believe me, just pick up a journal or magazines for vocational minsters and look at the ads...promises to help anyone be successful...and quite frankly it just bugged me.

i chose rolling stone for a couple of reasons. one, it was highly recommended by a good friend in ministry...someone i did and still do look up to. someone with a great ministry to people on the "outside" of the church culture. the second reason was even simpler. i could get a LIFETIME subscription for $99. that's right, for two years of a journal, or a few years of "help" mags, i could get an issue every other week for the rest of my LIFE...so i did it. i subscribed.

i love the way rolling stone (rs) is written. i like the wit, biting satire, and most importantly hearing what people (who i had no clue ever existed--the "other" side) believe. all that being said, it's important that i point out, I DO NOT ENDORSE OR AGREE WITH EVERYTHING PRINTED IN ROLLING STONE. it has language that would get my kids (and my own) mouth washed out with soap more often than not (but words i have heard more than once--even recently--on the youth football field, by coaches, parents, and even kids!). it is completely slanted to a non-God and unbiblical view, and the political section is quite possibly as far away from what i believe as possible. i have the UTMOST respect for matt taibbi, who is the political guru there, because i enjoy his style, wit, and biting sarcasm--something we might have in common. i have to admit i wonder often why he is so anti-God and anti-Christianity. my own opinion is that he has experienced hurt in the form of church like so many of us have. i have seen it more than once, this time it's being thrown out in the open rather than hidden. rs many times glamorizes things that i believe makes God show His mercy by holding back His wrath for another moment. for every morsel like the one above, there are 3 more that make me cringe. i have to rely on God to show me what i need to read. it helped tremendously that rs put the above quote in one of its captions under a picture (which having severe ADD helped me find it!).

so, you probably want to know who said it. i was amazed to know, it was metallica's kirk hammett. i have to admit, metallica was one of the groups that was "off-limits" for me growing up. their album titles like, "kill 'em all, master of puppets, and ride the lightning" were just too "out there" for our family, so like with so many other taboo things, i chose to hide it.

i read that quote and am amazed by it. it could have come from a marriage conference, a pulpit, or any number of places, but it came from one of the heaviest metal bands ever. a band that has come through addictions, losing a member in a tour bus crash, anger issues, counseling, and more funk than anyone can imagine, and triumphed. they have found sobriety (for those who chose it), family, and fun...all without Jesus. THAT'S the worst part. how many people do i know or bump into who appear to have things all worked out, or even figured out? do i even look past the surface, and do i even care?

so there you have it. i subscribe to rolling stone, play rock band on the xbox 360, and am amazed by quotes from metallica (didn't even have time to talk about their new album or the song, "the judas kiss," here). maybe i'm mixed up, but i'm definitely going to let my LIFE speak to others who are searching, hurting, and looking for something out there in this crazy world...

oh yeah, my boys love music to. dmoney has a guitar that he's seriously thinking about trying to learn to play, lane is a wiz with one hand on the piano and keyboard, and e-dub is SERIOUSLY a drummer. what if they grow up to be in a band?

businessmen? is it all really a metal act?