Sunday, July 10, 2005

Music and Human Videos

I first started listening to music in 1990 when I was in 6th/7th grade. I remember my father bringing home a christian rap cassette tape. He was the youth pastor at our church at that time and I believe that he was going to use it for a service. It was a tape by Stephen Wiley. I was singing the lyrics to Dust the other day. "I'm Stephen Wiley, and I'm rated highly, and I rap to a T, come listen to me as I rap religiously." Kind of cheesy looking back at it now. Dust cringes because his roommate used to sing those lyrics to him also. "Shake this nation, as we learn the words from Genesis to Revelation."

The youth group at church tonight did some human videos that they used in their Mexico missions trip. The three songs were the typical ones that I heard close to ten years ago when human videos were popular. "This Bloods for you" by Carmen and "I'm running to the mercy seat." It sounds like these songs are still effective in ministry. The visual of Jesus being beaten for our sins transcends the language barrier. It is hard for Dust and I not to have a cynical attitude about the whole cheesy human video thing. Has there not been a decent song that is fairly new to do a human video to? This may be effective in Mexico. And human videos may be effective for people who have never heard of Jesus. There has to be something more creative out there to reach the young people of America. Sorry if I have offended anyone. I'm just throwing some ideas out there.

12 comments:

Jadee said...

Oh wow! Does that ever bring back memories!! Dash will probably remember his youth group doing Carman's "The Champion" at youth camp. I don't know if these were considered human videos, but they did seem effective back then.

Our youth have a dance team that does a routine to current day songs. And as that might not go over with some people, I have been very impressed with the choreography that emphasized the lyrics.

We also have a youth band that plays in and out of church. Many of our musicians play at local coffee-houses too. The stories they come away with in leading people to the Lord through the medium of music is incredible!

f o r r e s t said...

I thought human videos were cheesy 15 years ago and guess what??? they are still cheesy today. I can't believe things haven't changed in 15 years (including the songs.)
My favorit human video nondance move is the "grocery shelf stocker move - bend down to the floor and grab the imaginary cans and then stand up in the opposite direction and reach up to the top shelf and place the cans and then work your way down to the bottom."
I am suprised they didn't do "thankyou for giving to the lord" last night.

Dash said...

*** bunch-o-stuff-deleted ***

Ok ... this is too much to put in a comment. Drive on over to the Dashboard and bring your Simon and Garfunkl

f o r r e s t said...

check out larknews:
http://www.larknews.com/july_2005/secondary.php?page=1

Dash said...

Lark also had a story a few months back about the full ride scholarships that the teens were competing for and the colleges that were recruiting them.

Some skipped college altogether and went straight into the professional draft.

Dash said...

I never quite understood why we send american teenagers to act out songs in english using iconic american evangelical stereotypes.

"Opening the Imaginary Book" and seperating to the right and left of the throne only work because we understand the reference.

The cheerleaders that taunt the crowd in the Champion are only identified as demons by the lyrics ... what is it about an out of context boxing match that makes for a good transliteration of scripture???

T said...

So if this many people think it's not effective....is it really effective for everybody else and we just "happen" to be the elite few?

T said...

finally something we all agree on! LOL

Jadee said...

Oh, I think it is more than an elite few! LOL!

Don't you love how Golden posts a simple opinion and how the comments really grow wild?! =D

windarkwingod said...

Whatever happended to Human Hip-Hop?

roamingwriter said...

Golden - I love that you of all people seem to draw the most comments and controversy. As for human videos I can say I was never in one. They probably fall into the same category with music not to our taste or books - someone is ministered to through this and I won't shoot it down completely, but I can say it's not to my taste. Like the banner wavers and dancers at church Sunday - not my thing but someone is uplifted I guess. It's sometimes nice to be short and not have to see EVERYTHING that goes on.

DJ Johnny Bones said...

You just suffering from analysis paralysis, braddah. Stephen Wiley is totally legit, and that's what's up. Good enough for Curtis Blow, but not good enough for you huh? No way, Stephen Wiley rocks. Real Talk, from DJ Johnny Bones.