Ever Only For My King

I recently (yesterday) acquired Relient K's new album, Collapsible Lung. I was disappointed to find that they have not only switched thier style musically (one song sounds more like Michael Bublé, another like Justin Bieber), which is expected as every album is different, but they switched their style lyrically. The new songs' lyrics remind me of Taylor Swift's new lyrics or most other pop songs. Almost every song on the album is either a love song or a breakup song. 

It's sad to me. Relient K used to be a great band who could make a Christian parallel out of almost anything (Take Wake Up Call and Down In flames for example) and he used to write a lot of funny songs (Mood Rings, May the Horse Be With You, Sadie Hawkins Dance). There is one "fun" song on the new album, That's My Jam, which is a song written using a bunch of band names from the 90's in the lyrics. Very good song, especially because of he fact that it Features Adam Young (Owl City).

He had so much potential. But as Brad, my youth pastor, told me, a lot of people make it big in the Christian industry because its easy relative to the pop industry and then go secular. Katy Perry is a great example. She was the daughter of a pastor and said in a interview, "Growing up I wasn’t really allowed to listen to a whole lot of what my mom would call, secular music,". In 2001 she released her first album, a Christian album, under the name Katy Hudson. She has now gone on to produce very worldy music and is an icon in pop music.  

The whole situation makes me think of the Moriah Peters song Well Done. The lyrics are "let my life speak loud and clear, Lord, I wanna hear, well done." Our lives should speak our faith loud and clear, in everything we do. Our words, our actions, our songs. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." - 1 Corin. 10:31. Everything. Even as basic as eating and drinking. Everything for His glory. Every breath. Every song. 

Talent used on breakup songs is wasted potential. Matt Thiessen has a ton of potential to use his gifts to glorify the Giver. I'm disappointed that Relient K has changed in this way. I love love love his old music. And his songs are still nice musically, just not lyrically. 

Reminds me of a song called Take My Life. The lyrics are:

"Take my lips and let them sing, ever only for my king."

God gave me my voice, my talents, my treasure so that I can bring Him glory. And I pray that I will always use them that way.