Redeeming my iPod

I grew up on pop music. At 7 years old, I was already a big fan of Madonna & Cyndi Lauper that I insisted that my baby sister Angelie, born in 1985, to be nicknamed after Madonna or Cyndi. Madonna seemed too crazy for a baby name so they all finally agreed to give her the latter. I knew a lot about 80s pop music because I was surrounded with teenage aunts gushing over Menudo, Wham, Depeche Mode, Michael Jackson, Tears for Fears, Spandau Ballet, Sheena Easton…etc … until I discovered my own teen pop idols Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, New Kids on the Block… and the list goes on…

My parents even fueled this love for pop by constantly supplying me with cassette tapes. I was always updated with the latest Top 40 hit. Back when MTV did not reach Philippine airwaves yet, I preferred watching Video Hit Parade than afternoon cartoons. A lot of those videos I believe weren’t meant for 7–year-old eyes but our TV was my nanny. While our yaya was busy listening to her favorite afternoon radio drama, and while mama and papa were at work, the TV was my best friend.

In the early 90s when MTV was creeping its way into Asia and into our cable TVs, I just knew that somehow someday I would find myself in that world. And true enough I got to work with MTV, and this company was solely responsible for my “career” in Media. Finally I had closer access to the pop stars that I adored. What more could I ask for? I had a steady supply of CDs, concert tickets local and even abroad. I was just waiting for Madonna and U2 to finally do their world tour in Manila. Or better yet, I was just waiting to be sent to watch them at their concerts abroad. That would have completed my MTV career.

But of course, God had other plans for me. I don’t even have the two latest Madonna albums. I don’t even watch MTV that much anymore. (Eeep. My former bosses might not give me projects anymore) I didn’t even watch the Eraserheads reunion concert. People must be thinking that I’ve become boring and conservative. Jill ain’t cool anymore.

Sifting my music preferences was one of the hardest things I had to do when I turned back to Christ. There were a lot of artists/songs that I didn’t want to let go. Not because I really loved the meaning of their craft but because I had so many of my poignant memories hinged upon them. They were part of the soundtrack of my life. I thought that letting them go would mean dismissing all those years of wonder and wander. I always believed that my past defined me. Who would I be now if I erased all of them?

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

This was one of the very first Bible verses that I put to heart. It gave me an overflowing comfort. Looking back, yes my life was filled with adventures and odd-ventures that will truly thrill, tickle, and even terrify anybody who would hear it. I did it ALL. And I left nothing of myself. I had a blazing life indeed but like any fire, it consumed the whole of me and I was reduced to ashes. I came to the point of zero and that’s when God brought me back.

A voice in my head said, “What’s the point of being afraid of losing your old self when you have already lost her?”

That’s right! There was really nothing to resuscitate. That girl is gone. She has lived her life. A life that wasn’t exactly seen through rose colored glasses but God allowed it to happen that way for a reason. I am now a brand new person in Christ. When most of us think it’s impossible to start on a new slate, God will prove us wrong.

As a new Christian, I am still discovering the beauty of worship songs. Honestly, one of the reasons why I didn’t want to become a Christian back then was because I thought the people at church were corny. Hehe. That all they sang were hymns. Of course that’s all changed now. In fact I love hymns now. Makes me feel it’s always Christmas. :-)

On my last birthday, my mom gave me an iPod Touch. It was tempting to revive the former play list I had with my old iPod Mini. It was quite a coincidence that my Madonna-filled iPod Mini died when I was having my spiritual transformation. I haven’t had an MP3 player since then. Now that I have a new one, I am redeeming my iPod with more spiritually uplifting songs.

Of course since I still partly work for the media, writing for TV shows here and there, it’s inevitable that I would be encountering secular music. I’m not saying that I have totally covered my ears from them. I think that’s quite impossible to do. We still live in this world after all. The only difference is that I just have a better discernment on what to digest and what to spit out. Honestly, in my new music magazine TV show where we have to promote rock bands, I pray that those trashy bands wouldn’t ever come our way. There’s a very limited opportunity in media to provide positive examples for the youth and I really do hope that the show that I’m working with right now would continue to walk along that line, especially since one of its hosts is a son of a professed and famous Christian couple. I would like to believe that his ideals don’t fall far from the tree.

I’m not a musician (I’m a videoke queen but I can’t say I’m brave enough to sing on stage) but I really feel a growing passion to redeem music for God. Pop music was able to program my secular beliefs and ideals successfully so I believe that in the same principle, we can do a lot of ministering, discipleship and spiritual transformation with contemporary Christian music.

I am so blessed that I have a husband who’s well versed in that genre. It helps that he’s a musician too. I have been discovering a lot of great Christian artists with splendid musicality that certainly deserved more Grammys than Eminem.

We at the Young Adults Ministry are excited for this little project that we are about to do for the Lord on October 3 (O.M.N.I.Christ) or Open Mic Night In Christ. We believe that as we are all beautifully CREATED by God in His image and likeness, we have inherited at least a part of His creativity too. We may not all be PROFESSIONAL artists but we are all CREATED to CREATE only beautiful things that please Him.

“…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – think about such things.” – PHILIPPIANS 4:8