Hello Friends,
It seems like every year I tell myself the same thing, “This is the last time I’ll ever watch the Grammy’s!” The explicit dance moves, the over dramatic routines, the lack of imagination.
On the other hand there were some great moments. I enjoyed watching Paul and Ringo on stage, the young and talented 17 year old Lorde was amazing and I always love me some Civil Wars.
And yet, the Grammys’ made me feel conflicted inside. 
On the one hand, I love music, we all do. Like most, I too want to be inspired by the talent and skill of these amazing artists. But on the other hand, I often feel disturbed by what I see. Does art has to be so dark to be good? Why do so many artists seem to sell out to fame, money and success? Is there an alternative to the Grammy’s?
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This morning I was reading my Facebook and Twitter timelines saw some of the comments made by my friends and wondered if they’re motivated by hate more than love. There are some strong opinions being shared out there.
You know what I’m talking about.
During the Grammy’s, 33 couples (about half who were same-sex couples) got married. This has many people talking, some call it a historic moment, others are strongly against it, and many are stuck in the middle.
Here are my questions:
1. How do we express one’s faith without becoming judgmental, mean and filled with near hate?
2. Regarding some of the performances, does art have to border on evil to be successful (there were many evil, fire, darkness references last night)?
3. Is Taylor Swift’s neck sore today? Okay, I just wanted to lighten the mood a bit, but one does wonder
Last night I felt conflicted, I wanted to enjoy some great performances but instead I was left in turmoil. And maybe that’s part of the point of art, to comfort and to stir things up.
But hate is divisive.
It destroys and hurts people deeply and does terrible things. Music doesn’t have to be dark to be good, in fact the opposite is true. When music is spiritual, honest and filled with perspective and hope, all of us are brought to a higher place. Music has the power to bring us to a place of creativity and imagination, of dreams and innovation, to make us dance, weep, imagine, think and feel.
Ultimately, we as humans long for hope. We will have disagreements and express our preferences, but my hope is that in the process, we will learn to love one another and be people filled with the love of God wherever we go.
Thanks for being here,
Trig