Most people all over the world battle with this question, what is life all about? If you are looking for the answer in anything but the Bible, you are going to be disappointed. Life has no meaning if Christ isn’t in it. You can spend all your life searching for something significant or meaningful but will never find it. The only thing significant or worth living for is Christ. The apostle Paul put it best when in Philippians 1:21, he said “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. The apostle Paul hit the nail on the head; life is significant as long as you are living it for Christ.

Why are the rates of suicides, self injurers, addicts etc going up? The reason is simple; these people find no sense in living, if everything is going to come to an end someday, why not end it today? Or still others are living for friends, loved ones, money, happiness etc and when all of this ends, they see no hope or value to life and decide to call it quits. If you are living for reasons that depend on earthly things, life is never worth it!

So why live for Christ? What significance does He give to life? In the Bible, there are a dozen reasons why living for Christ is worth it but the one I think most dear is the fact that this Perfect, Holy, Righteous Lamb died for your sins and my sins and paid our ransom in order that you and I might have everlasting life and this He has given freely! And I can’t think of a more fitting response than Isaac Watts’s in his hymn where he says, But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of love I owe, Here, Lord, I give myself away – “Tis all that I can do.

Another amazing reason to live for Christ is that He gives hope not only for this life but the next! So while living with Him in this life allows us to conquer sin and be content in any situation, we even have hope for a sinless life. For when we die in this world because of His death and resurrection, we too will rise to a new home, heaven in which there will be no sin, for we shall be like Him. We will have conquered both death and sin! How Blessed is that?!

Hence, every Christian who is living his or her life for Christ, is living a significant life, one that’s worth it and can voice the words of Apostle Paul, For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

The recession has hit every country hard and has got the entire world shaken up, including the Christian world. Most Christians are asking themselves or their pastors, why is there a recession? Sadly, many have forgotten that God is Sovereign even over the recession. Yes, God does have a purpose even behind this recession.

Many of you are probably thinking that God is very cruel to allow the recession or why would God do something like this? Let us take a look at God’s word and see what could possibly be the purpose behind a recession? Remember, Scripture always has an answer to everything. Why is there a recession, how do you beat it? All the answers are in the scriptures, you just need to find it.

When I heard about the recession, the first verse that came to mind was Exodus 20:5 “Our God is a jealous God”. What does this have to do with the recession? To answer that, here is yet another verse, Matthew 6:24 “You cannot serve both God and Money.” I think the recession is here because we have chosen the wrong master. Our God is a jealous God and wants us to serve just one master, HIM! The recession is here to bring us back to God and give Him the Glory due his name.

Take a look at the world around, what is it about the recession that has affected us? Lack of money! Yes, definitely we all need money, there is no debating it but have we let God decide how much money we need? Most of us have a target salary and we don’t settle for anything less than that. In reality, what we are doing is, trusting our money to meet our needs and not God! By this act we are causing our God to be jealous. 

When you are not content in your okay paying job and are constantly on the look out for more money, you’re not honoring God, you’re dishonoring him! You are telling God “Hey God, money is more important to me and sorry I don’t trust you can provide for me and my family if I’m not doing enough earning!” You are telling God that He doesn’t know what you need and that you Infact know better.

How do you treat money and jobs? The book of Haggai really offers us one of the best perspectives. Haggai 1: 6 “You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it”. Isn’t that true? Don’t you feel like the money we earn is never sufficient? We as Christians ought not to be troubled by the recession but depend on the Lord for meeting our needs. Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Money, sadly today is our main concern. We forget that we worship a Jealous God! He will strip away distractions to bring you back to him.

Let this time of recession be a stripping away of your love for money and a time of giving our Jealous God his dues!

About the Author Esther Rathnam:

Hi! I am 23 and bubbling with life. I love life and ever since Christ came in there has been meaning and more joy to it. I have tons of friends and a huge family(practically half the city’s population is known to me). For those of you who think being a Christian is boring or taxing, I am here to let you know that you are missing out on a whole lot of fun! There is no greater joy than knowing Christ, Amen!

Kimberly Washington 
The Christian and Gospel music scene has made a dramatic change.  No longer are the days when the elders of the church started a song and the rest of the congregation joined in.  Young people have broken away from traditional praise and started praising in their own way.  Urban America has chosen to praise God through rap, r&b, pop, and other genres of music that were generally thought to be against any religious principles. 

One of our goals is to introduce new artists who are breaking the conventional mold of worship and praise and giving us “new” ways to uplift God.  Each issue we will feature a new artist who has taken a stand for Jesus in an urban nation. 

The first artist to be highlighted is Alex Suazo.  Upon first meeting Alex, he seemed a bit mild and boyish both in appearance and tone.  This is one instance when you should never judge a book by its cover.  Though only 18 years old, this artist is wise beyond his years and has the drive and determination to take his career to the next level.  Alex is extremely grounded and influenced by his Garifuna roots.  He speaks and records in three different languages (English, Spanish, and Garifuna).  For most recording artists, it would be hard enough to record an album in one language, but Suazo has recorded albums in all three of his languages.  He comes from a family of talented people.  He has been guided by his father but is very determined to make his own path in this world.

Alex considers his style as “a new generation in music.”  As I listened to his music,  in all three languages, his English music can be best described  as r&b with a hint of Garifuna flavor through the beats and instruments.  A listener can definitely tell that his music is influenced by his multiculturalism.  With his talent and drive, Alex could have taken his music in any direction, but he chose Christian music.  He says that “God is good” and has blessed him so much that he didn’t feel he should do any other type of music. 

Suazo has performed live and enjoys it very much.  He has even performed at several benefit concerts.  Alex writes, produces, sings, and records his own music.  He even plays some of his own instruments. His family is very supportive of his career and proud of the road that he has chosen.  His extreme faith is what motivates  him to continue on his journey with the knowledge that he will succeed.

Alex has already self-released a Christian R&B album and is working on another solo project as well as a project for Garifuna Nation, his cultural movement.   This artist stays busy with his work.  If he is not in the studio working on music, he is out in the streets promoting it.  He is very goal oriented and is not only working locally to have his music heard, but globally. He is committed to achieving the greater eye of the world through his music and artistic expression to whomever  listens and sees his vision. 

Alex is taking advantage of all media outlets to promote his music and get his name out there.  With the way that the internet has altered the music industry, he is taking this to his advantage with presence on almost all social networking sites as well as other sites.

To learn more about Alex Suazo and hear his music check him out on his myspace page at  www.myspace.com/alexsuazo.    To watch his road to releasing his single and take a glimpse into his world, visit  www.youtube.com/alexsuazotv.    Be on the lookout for Alex Suazo!  And remember, we are all BLESSED to be a BLESSING! 

About the Author:

Kimberly Washington owns a consulting firm and recording studio in Houston, Texas.  For more information visit www.kdconsulting.page.tl  or email kim.kdconsulting@gmail.com

Welcome to a new series presented by [nxtlvl]mag.com, “Crossing Over”. It chronicles the advancement of various Christian Musical acts and their mainstream commercial success. First up in the series:

 By Andrew Conant 

Ever since David danced through the streets of Jerusalem with the Ark of the Covenant, musicians have been “making a joyful noise unto the Lord.”  The earliest recorded examples, of course, were traditional hymns and deep-fried Southern gospel, created for and bought almost exclusively by believers.  The recordings were seen as a niche market, not for profit but for worship. 

But something interesting has happened over the years.  The mainstream record-buying public has become receptive to their favorite artists singing about God.  Dylan boldly proclaimed he was born again in the late 70s.  U2’s Bono sang that he believed that Jesus died for him.  Kiss even covered a song by a Christian rock band in 1992.   

These music giants allowed the developing Christian music industry to step beyond their limited market and expand the audience.  Suddenly, Stryper is playing in front of thousands and opening up for Bon Jovi and Ratt.  Jars of Clay are all over Top 40 radio.  dc Talk’s Jesus Freak goes double platinum. Doors are wide open for a slew of artists willing to call themselves Christian, and mainstream audiences are perfectly willing to listen. 

As long they are interesting. 

As long as they are different. 

As long as they are current. 

The band Relient K meets all three criteria, and has consistently maintained its relevance and freshness.  They have encountered a good deal of success (over 2 million CDs sold), played all over the place (including Leno, Conan, and Kimmel), and still remain unapologetically Christian.  Their fans don’t seem to care, so long as they keep churning out the hits and entertain them. Relient K are only too happy to oblige, and don’t mind throwing a little spiritual food in for good measure.

Where did they come from? Toby McKeehan of dc Talk was able to use his experience as a producer and artist to cofound a record label called Gotee Records in 1994.  One of its primary goals was to find and produce acts that would appeal to the mainstream.  The label’s first find was Out of Eden, an R&B sister trio out of Virginia.  They eventually cracked Billboard’s Top 200 and were nominated for a Grammy, but broke up a few years ago.  Relient K, named after the guitarist’s Plymouth, was discovered in 1998.  They were quirky, accessible, and sounded as fresh as anything out there. 

They have managed to get better, more original, more polished, and more mature over time.  Two of the original band members are still around – Matt Thiessen (guitar/vocals), and Matt Hoopes (guitar).  True to rock and roll form, the drummers and bassists have rotated like a rotisserie chicken.  Nevertheless, the two Matts have been able to craft positive, thoughful, and meaningful pop-punk anthems that speak to the listener in various ways.  The videos are fun, energetic, and yet every one of them can be seen as parables.  There are many layers and many interpretations. 

The video for the song “Be My Escape” (Mmhmm, 2004) shows the band playing in a room that is closing around them while Thiessen calls for help.  While the song itself never mentions God as the savior it is understood in lyrics like “I know to live you must give your life away” and “I can’t ask you to give what you already gave.”  At the end of the video the walls fall down and the band is playing in a deeply rich and somewhat mysterious grassy field at the edge of a cliff.  It’s a beautiful picture of what God can do for each of us. 

The video for the song “Pressing On” (Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek, 2001) has the band stepping out of a tour van to a crowd of adoring fans trying to get their attention.  A beautiful girl steps right in front of them waving a sign, but they keep walking right by her.  A screaming shirtless fellow is caught by security before he can reach them.  The B roll footage of the band playing in front of the audience has them facing the other way.  The connotation is that they are not going to be swayed by distraction. Thiessen sings “Somewhere back there I left my worries all behind / My problems fell out of the back of my mind,” and the viewer can’t help but believe him. 

A lot of Relient K’s appeal is their humor.  In “Pressing On” all four band members are inexplicably wearing fanny packs.  At one point Thiessen pulls out a cell phone that was obsolete in the mid 80’s.  The bassist whips out a chapstick.  Past album titles include Two Lefts Don’t Make a Right – But Three Do and Deck The Halls, Bruise Your Hand.  More than a third of their song titles are plays on words, like many pop-punk acts.  In concert they have covered, among others,  Paula Abdul, Gnarls Barkley, Kenny Loggins, and the theme from the TV show Full House. 

The key to the band’s success, much like any Christian band that reaches the mainstream, is that the lyrics are more about faith and a deeper sense of spirituality than simply proclaiming Jesus is the Christ.  It’s as though Thiessen could be talking about his relationship with God or his relationship with another human.  For example, there are pictures of a girl on the walls in the video “Be My Escape.” Is she his escape – his desire? Or is it that the singer is asking God to help with an unhealthy or immoral relationship?   

Ultimately it’s left up to the listener, and most listeners are just digging the drum beat and power chords too much to care.  The message is clear, however.  Relient K is seeking God in their lives, and they seem to be having a lot of fun in the process.

About the Author, Andrew Conant:

After graduating with a degree in Music Business Marketing (yeah, I know – it’s useless outside of Nashville, LA, or NY…), I worked in the Christian music business for a number of years.  You can thank me for such WELL-KNOWN bands as Broomtree, Polarboy, Jesse’s Vineyard, Common Children, Christine Glass, etc, etc, etc.  All incredible artists and dear friends.  I had the…ummm…honor of marketing Katy Hudson in 2000, when she was a fresh faced teen out of CA and hadn’t kissed a girl yet.  We had a great sister group on there too called Aurora, and I jet-setted around with them on a big ole tour with someone that I can’t remember now.  Anyway, the list goes on and on, but no one’s ever heard of any of these bands, so now I write about bands people have heard of.  That’s for reading!