Country

Trace Adkins tells a story in song.  “Whad ya do?” asks the guy in the seat next to his. Adkins explains he sings country music.  His plane companion is perplexed asking, “Whatever made you want to sing stuff like that?”  Adkins finishes the stanza [Quote] “I looked at him, laughed and said, ‘Cause they’re songs about me, And who I am; Songs about lovin and living and good hearted women, family and God.” [End Quote]  Blake Shelton takes that sentiment and adds, [Quote] “We all got a hillbilly bone down deep inside, No matter where you come from you just can’t hide it.” [End Quote]   Lyrics that seal the deal for me come from Brantley Gilbert, [Quote] “There’s cowboys and hillbillies, From farm towns to big cities; There ain’t no doubt in my mind, Country must be country wide.” [End Quote]

Right now some of you are checking your radio to make sure you’re not dialed in to your favorite country station.  So why is a professor of Old Testament teaching at a Bible college quoting country music lyrics?   Besides my love of the toe-tappin’, blood-pumpin’, hard-drivin’ melodies, I believe country music captures some of the original intentions meant to be practiced by humans.  Brantley Gilbert continues, [Quote] “It ain’t where, It’s how you live; We weren’t raised to take, We were raised to give, The shirt off our back, To anyone in need.  We bow our heads before we eat, Before we start our day, Before we fall asleep, ‘Cause in God we trust and we believe.” [End Quote]  You see, country music speaks to the reality of life.  It don’t matter if you’re city or rural, black or white, man or woman, drive a pick up truck or a smart car—the essence of country comes from what humanity was meant to be.

What we were meant to be and what we are constantly clash, in ourselves and with each other.  So Ronnie Dunn’s song “We All Bleed Red” speaks to the honesty of country music.  Dunn sings, [Quote] “Sometimes we’re strong, sometimes we’re weak, Sometimes we’re hurt, it cuts deep.  We live this life breath to breath, We’re all the same, we all bleed red.”  [End Quote]  But what gets me about this song is the music video.  There are pictures representing all faith groups, all ethnicities, the young and the old, male and female, as well as every human emotion.  If you’re like me, your eyes will well up with tears.  Besides being unabashedly pro-American, Dunn’s video captures what it means to be human.  You see, country music has a wide listening audience because in country music, we hear ourselves.

For Moody Radio, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.  To be broadcast on Moody Radio, September, 2011.