a small part in the big story...

I was at a concert last night volunteering for Compassion International. It was fun to be able to talk about something I feel strongly about, and to hang out with a few new people, too. The concert was at a local megachurch packed with junior high girls (the headlining band's main demographic). It was crazy. I went in to see a couple of the bands play for a few minutes. One was pretty good, actually, the others were, well... again, I'm not their demographic. It made me think, though: why does "Christian music" exist? Outside of worship music - I get that. But, really, is it so people can have an alternative to the evils of popular music for their children? Is it for a certain image? Is it for the artists to not have to sell out to "secular" music? (So that, in many cases, they can sell out to the "Christian" labels instead?) I am partially okay with it all and partially not. I think that's how I've been with lots of things lately, though. Crazy-in-my-head-ness.

Anyway, some highlights of the night:
*The headlining band had the following lyrics in the second of the two songs I was in the room for: "You need that boy like you need a bowling ball dropped on your head - which means not at all" - this made me smile. I feel like I'd write that type of a song, if I were a songwriter and all...

*There was this girl who absolutely could not have been more than 12 totally gothed out: black leather headband with silver studs on it, a long scarf in her hair with lots of skulls all over it, black shirt, black short skirt with knee-high black boots, tights with skulls and hearts all over them. She didn't even smile in the pictures she was asking her friend to take of her with the bands. I told Amber that this girl's mom is probably very worried about her, and probably shouldn't be, considering she had to have her picture taken with December Radio and Superchick...

*Amber, by the way, is this awesome girl I got to volunteer with last night. She graduated from the same school I did, only 5 years later. She went to a tiny school in northern Georgia, is back and trying to figure out if and how she's going to become a naturopath, and she's so, so cool! (When the volunteers asked which church I went to - since I was the only one not from the church we were at - , she was the only one who seemed genuinely interested and not looking at me like I had three heads when I replied about the Quaker meeting.)

*The other volunteers really did look at me like I was completely crazy when, first, I said I didn't attend this particular church, and second, when I said I went to the Quaker meeting. I think they completely stopped listening when I was explaining silent worship to Amber.

*32 children were sponsored last night at our table! Rockin'!

I was fun to get out and do that. I absolutely love the Compassion organization, and I love advocating it. It's fun to see junior high and high school students, too, and to talk with them. There was one super amazing girl who gave me $32 for her child's first month, and said that she hoped she could figure it all out with her allowance and all, after lunch money and such, but that she babysat, too, and she hoped that would cover it. How cool. It bugs me when people don't believe in younger generations. I've known so many who are going to actually change the world, like so many of us talk about. They are the ones who are my heroes...

posted by Anne @ 8:35 AM