Sandra Priest
Guest writer
“But Mom, I don’t really listen to the words. I only like the music. I don’t pay attention to what they say – I just like the beat.”
That’s the response many parents encounter when initiating conversation with teens about questionable – or outright ungodly – song lyrics. Kids today are barraged with an onslaught of subtle innuendos and even more overt messages of violence, substance abuse, and sexual promiscuity. The question of what should be considered acceptable music for tweens, teens, and even adults can be a daunting task in the entertainment driven culture we live in today. With easy access to downloadable music and new technologies, parents are increasingly unaware of what songs and artists their children have playing in their earbuds.
Research shows repeated exposure to certain types of music has been associated with depression, behavior problems and suicide. Explicit messages in music, particularly music videos, affect our kids. While many parents and Christian youth workers are concerned with the music choices young people are making, they are often at a loss as to how to handle this issue.
Al Menconi Ministries has worked for over 30 years educating and equipping parents and youth workers as they connect with kids. When Menconi first came to know Christ, his life was heavily under the influence of “sex, drugs, and rock ’n roll.” Challenged by a roommate’s comment that his newfound faith wouldn’t last 30 days, Menconi gave up the old lifestyle completely for the next month to prove his friend wrong.
“As I grew in my faith, I realized I was saved by grace, not by turning off my rock ’n roll and simply listening to Christian music,” Menconi explains. “That’s a great place to start, but it’s just a beginning.”
However, the peace he found in replacing secular music with Christ-centered music made a dramatic impact on Menconi. It was a peace he wanted others to experience in their lives as well. Realizing the lack of joy and peace in the lives of professing Christians is a direct result of a spiritual battle, he felt moved to provide resources to encourage believers through Christian music.
Thus, the 30-Day Christian Music Challenge was born. The challenge is simple – a commitment is made to listen exclusively to Christian music for 30 days. Menconi has developed a free 30-day video devotional available at his website, christianmusic
challenge.com. Only 90 seconds long, the video devotionals – plus one free downloadable Christian song per day – are designed to help Christians keep their minds focused on the transforming peace of Christ as they participate in the potentially life-changing journey.
“We are commanded to ‘take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5),” Menconi told AFA Journal, “and Colossians 3:2 mandates this task: ‘Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.’ That’s the reason we developed the Christian Music Challenge – to help you take every thought captive, to enable you to set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.”
Menconi urges parents and youth leaders to take the 30-day challenge along with their tweens and teens.
“I’m hoping whole churches will go on a Christian music diet for 30 days, and that Christians will have a time of spiritual renewal. Let’s show our children by our example.” 
Sign up for a 30-Day Christian Music Challenge video devotional at thechristianmusicchallenge.com.
