It can be very easy to take shots at the Christian music industry. The name itself seems like a contradiction I terms, and I know I’m not saying anything that we haven’t all considered and discussed time and time again. But at this time of year I observe a very telling variation, one that may indicate more of a difference than we might think.

This week is part of a period of about two weeks in which everything pretty much shuts down, industry-wise. There won’t be a whole lot of new releases, news items coming in, and certainly no interviews are scheduled, as artists gather with families to regroup, to get charged up again, or just to remember what generates their ministry to begin with. Yes, I know other businesses slow down also, but I’ve not seen a slowdown as complete as the one I observe in the Christian music industry. And this speaks to me of a major difference in orientation.

Believers, who recognize the true value of life, of what it cost our Savior, have every reason to value relationships highly. We know, or should know, that if our activities are an end in themselves we’ve missed the boat. Artists write and perform music that honors Christ because they are called to share the good news that changed them for eternity. Their business associates manage the details of their ministry hopefully so that that ministry can reap spiritual fruit. And those of us who write content for Christian music websites also do it with spiritual ministry in mind; our hope, in the midst of all the interviews, reviews, and news items, is that readers will find beneath all of the entertainment details a genuine work of ministry, of elevating the name of Jesus Christ. And so we take these two weeks to pull back and spend time on the relationships that we are called to first: with our Lord, and with the families and friends He has placed us in for His purposes. Our prayer is that you will find refreshment in doing the same. Now that is time off well spent.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 26th, 2007 at 11:01 am and is filed under Staff Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.