Let me preface this with a warning: I have fairly eclectic musical preferences and backgrounds. This list includes, worship music, rock, rap, R&B, electronic, southern rock, soft CCM (Contemporary Christian Music), pop, even pop punk. How many of you even knew that the paradox of "pop punk" existed? So not everyone will enjoy every song or artist that I mention, but hopefully there is at least a song or two here that you will like. And the first few songs are acoustic/organic and R&B. So very easy listening (good for listeners of Brandon Heath and folk like bands like the Vespers).
Carolyn Arends – Seize the Day (British Columbia) [Folk/Acoustic]
Greg Sczebel – In the Pocket (British Columbia) [R&B/Acoustic]
Downhere – A Better Way (Saskatchewan) [Contemporary]
Carried Away – Mystery (Ontario) [Contemporary/Worship]
Carried Away has special meaning for me, as they are from my home Province, and one of the main members has the same name as my Mom. Additionally I once based comic characters off a few of the members. There's another little tidbit about me, I used to make comics :)
Thousand Foot Krutch - Look Away (Peterborough, Ontario) [Soft Rock]
These guys were founded nearby. I won't say how nearby though ;) This is the internet after all.
FM Static – Crazy Mary (Peterborough, Ontario) [Pop Punk/Pop]
To those who aren't familiar with these guys, they are actually a side project of the aforementioned Thousand Foot Krutch. Also to those who aren't rock fans, I must warn this is the most up beat song in the list so far.
Manafest – Avalanche (Pickering, Ontario) [Rap/Rock]
Musician Manafest's real name is interestingly similar to mine “Chris Greenwood. This is pretty upbeat, and has rapping, so if you don't like that, feel free to skip it. But I mean, hey, this is one of my Mom's favourite songs (I'm serious). PS: Listen using the video I put here, but don't watch the official music video on YouTube, it feels really forced, like Mr. Greenwood is trying to be "cool" but comes off creepy (to me) instead.
Nine O Five – Your Love Goes On (GTA, Ontario) [Worship]
While I am really not familiar with this particular song (but they didn't have much on YouTube) this band is one I have interacted with personally. They actually used to lead worship at a church that both, and they, formerly attended. Both they and I have moved on to other churches now, but they are some talented people who love Jesus :)
Hello Kelly – Ten Good Reasons Why (Orangeville Ontario) [Rock/Pop/Pop Punk]
I've met this band as well, and actually once filmed them! They're nice guys and Francois has an amazing testimony, which is worth hearing, so I have included that video below as well.
Here's François (Francy) Goudreault's story. PS: I noticed they spelled the bands name wrong in the video, in the thumbnail (Hello Katy?).
To Tell – The Problem (Canada, somewhere) [Piano driven pop/rock]
One a special side note, I referenced this song and it's lyrics in the sermon I delivered titled, "Being in Love with Jesus Part 1: Prayer".
Hawk Nelson – Take Me (Peterborough, Ontario) [Pop punk/contemporary]
Matt Theissen (who was born in Ontario) of Relient K – Be My Escape [Acoustic]
Todd Green – Love Heals Your Heart (Third Daycover) [Southern rock/acoustic/contemporary]
Now here is a musician whose music and person I literally grew up around! He is after all, my Dad :) As a point of interest for those who listen to Shadows and Daylight he also plays the character of Commissioner Steven Delaney. I hope you enjoy these songs! :) Do you have some favourite musicians that are local to where you live? What did you think of the Canadian music? God bless, In Christ, Christopher Green
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Previously I published a post entitled, “Tread Lightly”, which I recommend reading for context, before proceeding with this post. While it didn't garner the most attention out of my posts thus far (that honour goes to the “Optimist versus Pessimist Test”), it did gain some of the most genuine responses yet. People shared about how their family had experienced the loss of a child, like ours had, or how the post made them think about their current sibling relationships.
In one case, someone told me how people often told them that they looked like one of their siblings, similar to the way people had told me the same thing. For this person though, it drew out feelings of jealousy, as they didn't feel they measured up to the sibling they were being constantly compared to. Eventually God helped them appreciate the comparisons as compliments, just like He did for me. When I think about the genesis of the “Tread Lightly” post, it's quite interesting. I was lead by God to write a post about a very personal experience and about learning to let the Holy Spirit guide us so that we avoid saying things that could inadvertedly hurt someone else. But it hasn't been lost on me that in publishing that post, God taught me the flip side of the same lesson. Not only should we be listening to God for what we shouldn't say to others, but we should equally be listening to God for the things that we should say to others. I had a small personal wrestling match with God over whether or not to actually publish the original post, “Tread Lightly”. I wondered if it was too personal, or perhaps too hyper-specific and unrelateable to those who would read the blog. But I wasn't interested in following Jacob's lead in Genesis 32:22-32. I didn't want to wrestle with God. As my Dad pointed out to me after listening to a Christian radio program recently, “Obedience is a crucial step towards intimacy with God”. So I obeyed and posted the post. Even reading the post to my family was more difficult for me than I had expected. Not because I was embarrassed for them to hear it, they already knew the story, but because the topic was so personal to me, that I started to choke up as I read it. But I read it and I posted it, and it's no credit to me, other than the fact I obeyed God. The point is the story in the first post was God's experience not mine. What I mean is, as the Apostle Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20) Even my experiences, past, present and future, all belong to Him. And if He wants me to write about them and post them to touch other people's lives, that is His choice, and I want to obey His choices in my life. So here's my point: sometimes we won't know how much God can use something we say or do to reach someone else. Just like the people who said to me, “you guys look like twins” didn't know how that could hurt me, I didn't know that telling people about that could actually help others. But in both instances, God knew. And that's the key, the Lord knows what goes on in a man or a woman's heart (Jeremiah 17:10). And He knows what things we should avoid saying or doing, and what things we should be proactive in saying or doing. My Dad has pointed out to me before, that their are two main categories of sins. First, there are “sins of commission”. These are things that are actively committed. These are the ones that I imagine most of us think of when we hear the word “sin”. The second type are “sins of omission”. These are the things that if we do not do them, then we've missed the mark. Because sin's basic definition I missing God's mark. God teaches through scripture that all sin is equally bad in God's eyes. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10). So whether you omit or commit, it's all as bad in His eyes. If I hadn't posted that blog, I would have been missing what God had asked me to do. I find the balance in these two lessons fascinating. The bottom line being, whether we are to speak, or not to speak, we must only do so as the Lord leads. And how do we know what He is leading? We must ask Him! And that is what I would like to encourage you to do. In and throughout your day, invite God to be in and throughout you and in and throughout your speech and actions. Keep “one ear cocked to Heaven” to see whether or not God wants you to speak, or to refrain from speaking. Remember, there is a time for both. “[There is] a time to keep silence and a time to speak;” (Ecclesiastes 3:7 NKJV) Weather you are to be silent, or to speak today, let it be Lord led. Amen! God bless, In Christ, Christopher Green I came across this from the Canadian Broadcasting Channel's website today. It's a theoretical prediction of the possible outcome of the upcoming federal election in Canada for 2015. This map represents the parties by their Canadian colours (Conservative = Blue, Liberal = Red, NDP = Orange, Green Party = Green and so forth) showing them covering ridings that CBC predicts those parties will win seats in. Political jargon aside, here's the part I found funny, since Canada holds the claim to the Arctic, this is listed in the political map as well. Though no one actually lives there. So from this, should we assume that the CBC believes that our polar bears will be voting for their local Liberal candidate (based on all the red in the Arctic)? Hmm, I guess we know where polar bears stand on the issues now. Please, vote. In all seriousness, if you are a Canadian of voting age (or know a Canadian of voting age), please be sure that you (or that voter you know) vote by October 19th (check out Elections Canada for details). God has blessed us with a lovely country, and although it is God who keeps our land glorious and free, I believe he does want us to be responsible. Remember, if you don't vote, you have no right to complain when a government you don't like is elected. So please vote!
God bless, In Christ, Christopher Green |
I'm a lover of Jesus, and he has called me to love and obey Him. One of the ways He has me do that, is by glorifying Him through media.
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