I am so pleased to welcome you to my brand new “blog” site! This is certainly new to me, but I’m very excited about (finally) venturing into this new web-based territory. I am passionate about writing, and my deepest desire is to write things that will bring glory to God and will help others grow closer to Him. So, please, come on in, share your thoughts with me, and let’s read, think, study, and grow as we travel together in our Christian journey, and consider what the great ministers and theologians of the past still have to teach us. Thanks for visiting the site….and may we have many great conversations ahead of us on here!
Echoes of the Elect 
I am so very honored to be married to a man who has a vision for sharing Biblical truth! I am sure, though a bit biased, perhaps, that God is honored by the launch of this site as well. Josh, when you write, may your words be a blessing to those who read them. In a slight variation of Eric Liddell’s words, when you write, may you feel His pleasure!
Well Josh, I guess you have now arrived!! have your own site and can go to it, and of course, hoping many will visit and have input. I imagine they will!! You know, IF you build it…..they will come!! I promise I will not comment with some embarrasing message or pearls of information from the past!! Glory Dear and I are so proud of you. Will come back soon. Love You & Karen!! dad..
I took the time to read your three blogs. I liked the way you described your use of the the word ‘echoes’. One aspect of CCM you did not mention was the rock beat that some Christians question. Another aspect of CCM is that it is constantly changing, there isn’t a great deal of continuity since new songs are always coming out. I’m not sure how that thought ties in with building a perspective of CCM. A question is ‘is everything that calls itself Christian worth listening to’, yet you covered that in your point about listening for content, truth, and heart. I appreciated your thoughtful, balanced discussion. Your viewpoint was not rigid and narrow, but sought a wider perspective and appreciation for truth.
Liane,
Thank you so much for your encouraging and thoughtful comments! I agree CCM is constantly changing – just as all music continues to change. The edgier style of music that some bands produce does get some flack from Christians who might not appreciate that style of music, but – as I think I shared in the article – the “style” of music doesn’t (I think) mean as much as they lyrics and the “heart” behind the music.
I, personally, enjoy some of the edgier Christian music (Switchfoot, Skillet, etc.), though I understand that not everybody does. I have two requirements of that kind of music, though, which are (1) I will only listen to bands who are CLEARLY communicating a message that I think is genuine and worth listening to, and (2) I will only listen to / play their music at appropriate times, such as when I’m relaxing at home or traveling in the car. I would not suggest music that intense as an appropriate background for a worship service.
The benefit to that music, I think, is that since the music is a bit more powerful than, say, Steven Curtis Chapman, it enables the bands to SING some very powerful and serious messages (death, suicide, freedom from sin) that pop music isn’t really suited to handle. This, in turn, makes good, Christian rock music an excellent tool for reaching out to teenagers, who often struggle with some very intense spiritual issues.
Regardless, everyone has their own convictions and thoughts about these things, so we just have to be faithful as we believe best honors the Lord. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, though (Feel free to share more in the future!). You are a special friend, Liane, and I’m so pleased that the Lord has permitted me to know you. Blessings to you in all that you do!
Josh, You write beautifully and so glad to see you are still in the Lord’s army and carrying the banner of Jesus Christ. I am blessed to have met you many years ago during my Mission Mississippi days. Glad that we can share our thoughts and ideas through the FB forum and continue to encourage and build each other up as we are in such perilous times and it is much needed throughout the Body of Christ. Thanks for sharing with me and please stay in touch. We have lost some strong Christian leaders of our time. However, we still have many others fighting the good fight of faith and spreading the gospel. God bless you, Josh, and may He continue to bless you and you continue to bless others through your service to Him.
Thank you so much, Janet – and may we BOTH persevere as active members of the Lord’s army, carrying the banner of Christ wherever He directs us to go. Blessings to you, my friend from Mississippi!
Hi Josh,
It’s good to see you in the blogosphere! I’ve had pretty good luck using WordPress for my blog too. One tool that has also helped me a lot is the Windows Live Writer program that’s free from Microsoft. You can use it to compose your posts and then upload them to your blog. The interface is a lot nicer than the one that comes with WordPress.
Blessings on your blog!
Chris
Thank you so much, Chris – Your blog page was my inspiration for this one! I had been thinking about starting one for some time, particularly since all of the Christian publishers are encouraging “blogging” so strongly these days, but when I saw that my good friend Chris had such a great blog site set up, it really made me think that I might could do something similar myself.
Yours is clearly more philosophical than I will probably make efforts to be on here (…your special area of expertise, I assume?). In fact, since I’m just getting started and have so many ideas concerning what I’d “like” to do on here, I’m not precisely sure what this will look like down the road….but, I know that I’ll have fun working on it!
Regardless, thank you so much for your encouragement – and all of the good ideas that you keep sending my way. You are a good friend and a dear brother in the Lord. Please keep in touch with me, and may the Lord continue to richly bless Naomi and you in all of your excellent theological endeavors!
Thanks, Josh! You’re a scholar and a gentleman.
Until ETS, : )
Chris
Good stuff Josh, keep it up and Thank you. john
Thank you for your encouragement, Bro. John – and for letting me preach for you in your absence this past week! Many blessings to you in your ministry at Grace Memorial Baptist Church!
I keep up with you daily, Josh. I’m glad you’re resettled up north, happily married, and ministering…I look forward to following your blog and watching how God works with and in you!! God bless!