(November 16th, updated November 18th)
I often hear Catholic parents complaining that their kids have lost their faith and no longer believe.  They can't get them to come to church and are very concerned about their spiritual welfare.  Yet, they have an excellent resource that they are ignoring.  Let me give you a couple of examples.

I had a good friend listen to our latest CD and declare that the music was too heavy for her.  When I suggested she get it for her kids, her response was "well, they won't bother listening to it", and she declined supporting us.  In another case, an elderly woman asked me about music CDs as she had heard that I write a music column.  However, she insisted that what her grand-daughter really needed was a traditional hymns CD.  In both these cases, a wonderful opportunity was lost.  In our experience, many youth will listen and be affected by our message.  A recent email stated, "the best possible measure of a ministry is its fruits.  My niece was a Nirvana fan who confused Kurt Cobain with God.  She came to the [Critical Mass] concert and was blown away.  She was so excited, she got the album and a T-shirt and had them sign it.  All she did was talk about it for the next two days.  I know she may have a long way to go but let me tell you that Critical Mass moved this 14 year old girl in ways I never could have imagined".  In the second scenario, that traditional CD that the elderly woman bought will probably sit on the shelf and almost never be listened to.  My kids are exposed to a plethora of spiritual music.  There is nothing more satisfying than hearing them sing "I'm not ashamed to let you know, I want this light in me to grow..." (Newsboys) or "You may not like the message we teach or the words we speak.  The way we live our lives or the way we preach..." (Critical Mass) at the top of their lungs in the car.  If nothing else, this acts as a balance to the Green Days, 50 Cents and Britney Spears of the world.

Now, why is this blog geared towards Catholic parents?  Well, our Evangelical brethren have had this figured out for decades now.  In the 1970's, when the Contemporary Christian music scene was quite amateurish, they continued to support and buy product from these fledgling artists. Some may say that they were insulating themselves from the world.  Well, now the industry that they supported for all these years has grown to be one of the biggest genres of music in the US and artists such as Switchfoot, Jars of Clay, POD and Stacy Orrico are impacting the secular culture in ways that Catholic parents could only dream of.

So, this holiday season, instead of doing the usual gift-giving, why not check out Critical Mass or Cheer Up Charlie (www.cheerupcharlie.com) or Janelle (www.Janelle.cc) or many of the other fine artists at www.CatholicMusicNetwork.com.  These are gifts that not only last a lifetime but could impact lives above and beyond our time on earth.