oasisCHURCH

Invites to Oasis

I just ordered 1000 of these professionally printed postcards from Overnight Prints and we should have them in hand by next Sunday. These will be available for you to use as invitations to our new place of gathering beginning on August 27. Mail them to friends, family members, or a handful of people in your neighborhood. Or just take a stack and hand-deliver them. We will be passing these out at our Party In The Park on August 18 at the Middleport pool, and also at the Oasis Band concert at the Meigs County Fair on August 17. Help spread the word!!!

Holy Hip-Hop

This summer my kids have become enticed by the crunk sounds and deep beats of hip-hop music. Being the concerned parent that I am, and recognizing that most of the songs I have heard of this genre have similar themes (none of which I particularly want my 2nd grader and kindergartener to be repeating down the halls of Morrison Elementary School this fall), I began the search for some good, uncheesy, hip-hop that actually gives glory to God in the song itself and not just behind the grammy podium or in the magazine article. Well, after a couple of weeks of listening, reading, and comparing, I have found three favorites. All of which love Jesus and are completely sold out to glorifying their Maker. The first of the three I know personally.

Wut Metaphysical (AKA Jake McDonnell) has a unique sound and some of the most passionate and honest lyrics you will find in Christian hip-hop. Not only do I know Jake personally, I actually introduced him to a personal relationship with Jesus while serving as a youth pastor in St. Louis, MO. Jake was a punk skateboarder who I met in the parking lot of our church building after our church bus had been set on fire (he said he had nothing to do with it). After helping me put together an outreach event called "SkateDay" Jake began to put some trust in me and he wanted to hear stories from the Bible. For a while I went to his neighborhood and sat down with 5 or 6 of his friends and told a Bible story once a week. But eventually those guys began coming to our youth service, and a few months later Jake completely surrendered to Jesus Christ, put his faith in God and was baptized. He became one of the most intensely committed members of the church and to Jesus Christ that I have ever had the pleasure to know. He is very talented, and he is a brilliant thinker. He has a missionary's heart, and this becomes obvious as you listen to his CD. You can go to Jake's MySpace page here. His CD is available on iTunes or you can purchase a hard copy here.

Lecrae is definately one of my favorites. He is a theologian with a mic in his hand. The flows and rhymes this guy creates with a solid biblical foundation are incredible (and the beat will undoubtedly make you bob your head). He even uses the word "propitiation" in one of his songs, so you gotta love him! You can listen and buy Lecrae's CD on iTunes, or by clicking here. If you buy this one, be sure to turn the bass all the way up in your car.

Pettidee is for fans of Lil Jon. He drives every song with a deep, powerful and commanding voice. This is definately the crunk sound, but the powerful punch it delivers is the Gospel, hands down. Pettidee is fun to listen to. You can listen and purchase his CDs on iTunes or by clicking here.

It seems to be a summertime thing for our family. The summer brings out the "hip-hop" in us. I have to admit that I like it a little myself. But I am grieved at how base and carnal the lyrical content of (not all, but) the majority of mainstream hip-hop music is. It really is a shame, because there are some incredibly talented writers, musicians and vocalists in the hip-hop genre.

I am thankful for guys like Jake, Lecrae, Pettidee, and many, many more. There is no shame in blaring their songs as we cruise down the road in our Honda Odyssey minivan.

PS... If you or your kids like hip-hop music and would like some other alternatives to radio, I have found several others besides the three above that may fit your tastes. Just let me know and I will be glad to pass some samples to you.