Carol Power

By Rick Bundschuh | Kauai Christian Fellowship | Koloa, Hawaii

It started off as a wild hair dinner idea to help new adults in our church get to know people by sharing some flaming BBQ ribs and a touch of something personal – but not scary personal. It became something far more significant.

The invitation to the party included the following instructions:

… for something completely different, please imagine that you have been banished to a desert island for an indefinite future. You have been given a solar-powered CD player but you are only allowed to bring ONE CD with you. Which would it be? Please grab that CD and bring it along with you (we may want to play it) — if it is the Grateful Dead’s Greatest Hits, be prepared to explain yourself. Heck, be prepared to explain anyhow!

Now, being a clever guy, I thought that this would be a sneaky way to get to know something about these new folks without having to do serious gut-spilling — a safe and fun glimpse into new lives. But I was shocked and unprepared for what happened at that party. And in reflection, I realized that I should have known — after all, music can be more than mere entertainment; it can be the milestone or rally points for the most important events in a person’s life.

Why was I shocked? Because over half of the people who attended brought, of all things, Christmas CDs – carols and old, old songs. (I on the other hand, mysteriously brought Leif and Liege by Fairport Convention.)

As they started to share why they picked those Christmas carols to accompany them on their banishment, their reasoning made sense. These are songs…

To read the rest of Rick’s article, go here.