“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16
“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” – Luke 12:8-9
And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. – Acts 4:33
My husband and I are big fans of the TV show American Idol. It’s a talent competition for hundreds of young people who audition from all over the US and around the world. The best of the best have the opportunity to perform before three celebrity judges: Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan. 20 years ago, Carrie Underwood actually won American Idol herself…which launched her fantastic singing career. This is the hope of each contestant on the show – to win the competition and to make music their life’s work.
This season’s contestants are now down from 20 (last week) to 14 finalists. For this special week, for the show on Easter evening, the producer and host Ryan Seacrest highlighted the faith of the judges and many of the contestants with a show focused on Songs of Faith. The judges all sang, as did the contestants, along with some guest entertainers.
It was a moving and inspiring evening. Below are just a few of the videos from the songs of faith performances. Canaan James Hill is one of the contestants, a 17y/o from Dallas, Texas. He finished high school early as he pursued his dream (calling) to be a teaching pastor. He not only teaches the Bible, he also sings great worship songs to the Lord. In fact, I think every song he has sung during the competition has been focused on God. Have a listen and worship with Canaan.
Luke Bryan sang a ballad “Jesus ‘Bout My Kids”. In the lyrics, he told how when his kids were small he talked to them about Jesus. As they have gotten older and more on their own, he now talks to Jesus about them. How well I resonated with that song! We still talk to our children (and grands) about Jesus, but more, we talk to Him about them.
The amazing CeCe Winans also sang “Come, Jesus, Come”, with an assist from American Idol alum Roman Collins. They have sung together in other venues, including her 2024 Christmas tour. They began singing together with last year’s American Idol finale show when they sang “The Goodness of God”. Whew!!! Glory to God!
Jelly Roll, a mentor to the contestants on American Idol, sang with Brandon Lake on the recent song of theirs “Hard Fought Hallelujah”. So good! If you follow my blog, you have enjoyed some of Lake’s worship songs on here. He is a favorite of mine. Such a joyful worshipper! Jelly Roll has rediscovered his own faith in Jesus and it shows in his demeanor and performances.
These were just the highlights of the show for me. 3 hours of songs of faith. The last song came from beautiful Carrie Underwood who belted the classic “How Great Thou Art”! If you missed this show, here is the song by Carrie. It reminds me of the old days in church. My Mom would have loved it, and I know my sweet mom-in-law will.
If this TV show is any indication of the coolness factor of following Jesus – or at least singing about him, then we seem to be looking at a cultural phenomenon. For some of these young artists and the greats on stage with them, my sense is that their faith is real. Using their platforms to raise the name of Christ is beautiful. Discipleship can be costly, but the gains of knowing Jesus and being loved and known by Him are worth everything.
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