Songwriting is one of the best tools one can use in expressing thoughts, emotions, and yes, even faith.  It is a powerful way of moving people through words incorporated in every song that we hear.  In this day and age when most songs are written to stimulate pleasure and worldly desires, writing songs with a drive to inspire and to encourage can lead people to a life centered in Christ.

Most songwriters follow standards in writing.  From the theme to the lyrics, to the melody, each song is created uniquely.  Place is another thing to consider in gathering ideas on what to write about.  It has to be conducive enough to set a perfect mood.

Whether you’re a beginner or an expert in songwriting, these tips can guide you in your mission.

5 Best Places to Gather Ideas:

1. In Our Room – This is surely the most comfortable place where we can be quiet and alone.  Just like in our quiet time, we can spend time here putting into words good things we can imagine.
2. The Church – Of course, the church will always be a place where we can get some ideas on what to write for and about God.  It is always fresh to be surrounded by people who are one with us in faith.
3. A Nearby Park – Certainly, this is the spot where you find most people enjoying the time of their lives, where different people engage in different activities.  You can write about them and how you think God works in their simple yet joyful lives.
4. The Beach – The serenity of the beach could send us a peaceful vibe that can transform words of admiration to a song of praise for God’s amazing creations.
5. Out on the Streets – The Street is such a busy environment. But, as sure as it is a strident place to be reflecting on, it opens our eyes to the real events of everyday life.  It could inspire us to write a song about people from all-walks of life and reach out to them as well.

Now that you’ve found a place to settle in writing a song, let’s find out how we can start to write about it!

5 Out-of-the-Ordinary Methods of Songwriting:

1. Have the Inspiration – The thought of God alone can set us in high spirit.  However, our concern for our loved-ones and others can also be one of our greatest inspirations.
2. Meditate and Pray – Meditate on what you want to write about and why you want to write about it.  Ask God for wisdom and understanding.  Pray that He leads you through your writing so that, His words will emerge with yours.
3. Read the Bible – The Holy Bible is definitely the best source of lyrics in Gospel songs, especially the books of Psalm and Proverbs.   This idea makes it all the more interesting for us to study the bible.
4. Real-life Experience – Even our worst life experience can give us the urge to write a song.  Knowing how God worked in our rubbish lives and allowed us to be transformed into a new creation is something we can share and be most grateful for.
5. Reach out to Others – Learn about other people’s needs and address them in the sincerest way possible.  Be more concerned about touching their hearts with your song rather than feeling good about your own composition.

With all these tips in mind, you can now start writing a song and be an inspiration!

One of the fasting growing industries is Christian music. Producers and record labels have come to realize that Christians are just as eager to hear good music. They now have Christian music in every genre. You can find rock, techno, hip-hop, pop, and country, just to name a few. These bands and performers also put out great live concerts. They have all the energy, pyrotechnic effects, and light shows that your main stream concerts have. So you can actually feel good about allowing your teenager to attend a rock concert. Not only will they be entertained but they will pray and fellowship with other teens that have also given their life to Christ. The music also contains a good message, so even if you don’t care for the style of music that they listen to, you do not have to worry about the message in the lyrics.

With the popularity of the movie, “Passion of the Christ,” produced by Mel Gibson, you can also see that Christian movie producers are starting to take the chance and putting the money into their films so they don’t come off as such low budget “B” movies. This last year you had the release of many well-made Christian films that did quite well at the box office. “Facing the Giants” did very well and was a great entertainment for any age. “The End of the Spear” was also well made, and well received by the Christian public, it is based on a true story, and was rated PG because the real life story was somewhat violent, but it is great for your older kids, it gives a great message of hope, forgiveness, and salvation. You also had lesser know movies like “One Night with the King,” it is a bible story brought to life on the big screen. All of these films were well written and well produced and had great messages throughout them.

You might not realize it but there is also a growing industry of Christian stand-up comics. They will crack you up with good, clean humor. They are set up in large theaters just like your secular entertainers. You can go out and be entertained without hearing all the filth that your well known stand-ups think is so funny. It is a great night out and tickets are affordable, and you can actually take your children, when you think they are old enough to understand the humor.

Take music for example. When I was growing up, if you listened to Christian music, you were listening to hymns. This is marvelous in church, but it is not what a child wants to hear when they are hanging out with friends. So there is now every type of music you can conceive of, with a positive Christian message. It does not matter if your child likes rock music, or hip-hop you can now find it. So even if you don’t like the style of music your child listens to, you can rest easy knowing that they are at least getting a positive message.

Many Christian publishers have also realized that Christians are just like the rest of the population. We like reading magazine and we will purchase them if they are written from a Christian perspective. For your teenage girls you can find magazine that are filled with all the same type of subjects as secular magazines, but they are written with Christian standards. These magazines are hip and up with the current teenage trends. There are also many new magazines available for women. They talk about all the topics you could ever want to cover with out the negative, godless information you get from the mainstream media.

Christian television has also come along way. They have programming available for every age group. They have music video channels for the teens, cartoons for the little ones and dramas for the adults. They have programs for every topic you can imagine, they have game shows, stand up comedy, you name it they have it. You can now purchase satellite service from a provider that only has Christian programming on it.

One thing that has really come along way is Christian radio. They now have radio stations that are just like the secular stations. They have morning DJs, traffic and weather updates, and play a great variety of music. They tell you all about the actives happening around your area that you and your family can attend. The great thing about most of these stations is that they are listener sponsored so you won’t hear all those commercials. Many of these stations are also available via the Internet.

It is like one day people woke up and realized that Christians are the same as everyone else. They like to laugh, listen to music, and generally be entertained. We just don’t want to be bombarded with the smut and immoral images that the mainstream public seems to except. So when you make the decisions to only purchase Christian entertainment, you send a strong message, “make it and we will come.”