I don’t know how you see me, but I am a child of God, and Jesus Christ is my savior.  I’m not by any means perfect.  I enjoy living life and I make mistakes.  I appear to stand on my own two large feet, but the reality is without God by my side, I can’t keep my balance.  To look at me, one could say “Is that what a Christian is like?”  I fall so often my face hurts– I will never be the poster boy for a church.  But the thing is, I realize my need for salvation.  I could never get through life on my own, falling falling falling and at some point not getting up.  THAT’S what I am; one who believes that my strength comes from God, and my salvation comes from Jesus.  Everything I have comes from God, and only by his grace do I have my family, my gifts, my job, my house, my life.  To believe that any of this was from my own doing is a fallacy yet I don’t often give credit where credit is due.  You may see me on stage or in person behaving in a way that doesn’t represent the faith I profess, and I apologize if that’s hard for you.  I want to tell you that me being a Christian doesn’t mean I do everything right and I have no delusions of perfection – it means I’ve realized that I need help and can’t make it on my own.  Now that I think of it, I AM a pretty darn good example of a Christian.  I realize I’m lost on my own.

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Hello. My name is Ryan Barnes, a parent of a 6 and 9 year old. This weekend, I excitedly took my family to see the Bethany Hamilton story “Soul Surfer.” We were very excited to see the movie for its positive and inspirational story as well as it being a family appropriate movie of a real life tragedy-turned-blessing. The previews came as was expected, filled with kids’ movies and family films as that was the genre of Soul Surfer. We were then appalled to have a preview for Jumping the Broom thrust into the the previews. The preview opens with sex and infidelity, continues with racial segregation, and then adds more sexual references. This is an adult comedy with adult themes, and adding PG-13 content to a preview for a PG movie then makes the whole movie-going experience PG-13.
I am extremely disappointed in you as your position in your company could have prevented this from becoming an issue, and yet somehow this was allowed through. I have many friends with children under the age of twelve who were willing to take their kids to this movie for it’s inspirational value, but after I informed them of the preview and they had watched it on YouTube, they fell into two categories: 1) those who would send one parent in and the other wait outside with the kids until the previews are over and 2) those who said they will wait for the DVD or Blu Ray to come out.
Considering the money that goes into and the revenue produced by the previews, this first option seems like it would be pretty detrimental to the other movies whose preview also came before Soul Surfer, making those who chose the first category miss the previews for the intended audience. As for those in the second category, your loss increases exponentially as many who would buy the disc anyway would ALSO see it while in the theater. Additionally, the value to the theater of whole families purchasing snacks would really be felt as these families stayed home. Finally, opening weekend is the best time to sell a movie as the anticipation and hype is geared for that weekend, and for DVD and Blue Ray sales if a non-blockbuster movie wasn’t seen in the theater creating an emotional tie to the customer, it can easily be glossed over to choose another movie to purchase that also was released that day.
If these things weren’t enough, you must consider the faith lost in your company for mixing content. Attentive parents can no longer rely on your judgement to put appropriate categories together, which again leads to your box office sales dropping percentages.

I’m concerned with my family and other families who also care about choosing what their children are exposed to and when, but I hope in this letter you can see how your lapse of judgement or disregard can also effect your company tremendously.

Sincerely,
Ryan M Barnes

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There. It’s fun to sometimes be Coxian

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The second part that amplifies this is I don’t eat before a show. Back in the days of the full band, Mark, Johnny, Trent and I would go to a Chinese buffet before every show, we wouldn’t leave until someone was crowned jello king (have to eat their jello with chopsticks). …we were late to more than one of our shows because of this… But now that I’ve taken over as the lead singer, I don’t eat past lunch (my songs have too many long notes – you don’t want me burping into the mic!!!) and so after a show, a combination of exhaustion and hypoglycemia sets in, making me super tired and decreasing my already suffering intrapersonal skills. Trying to talk to me in this state after seeing the lively personality on stage, the impression of my indifference increases exponentially!

All this to say…don’t be offended if you’re seeing this. I love having you at my shows – I couldn’t play if you weren’t there! But those are my inner-workings, and I want you, my dear fans and friends, to understand so you don’t feel alienated by me.

You’re all still the best!
Ryan

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Let’s start with the disclaimer, because I’m sure this will lead into the rest as I never backtrack when writing a blog.  I am  a Christian.  I am.  What does that mean, exactly?  Does it mean I don’t drink?  Don’t swear?  Don’t smoke? Don’t kill people?  No – being a Christian doesn’t mean any of that.  It means ONE thing – I believe that through the death of Jesus Christ the debt for my sins have been paid and I am now saved as I recognize that death as the payment for my transgressions.  All the rest are things that have NOTHING to do with being a Christian (see definition, previous sentence).  A Christian and “living by God’s law” are not synonymous, although many of us have been taught that since we were children.  A general practice by many Christians is to follow God’s law out of fear, obligation, or honor, however that does not a Christian make.  When I was a kid, what I heard enough times to make me cringe even now is “that can’t be Christian music!” when referring to something that was atraditional (yes, I made that word up today).  Although I can write pages on the second part, let’s focus on the term here: Christian music.  The definition hasn’t changed – music can have no belief in a deity or its salvation.  Music has not, in fact, become self-aware.  So let’s dispel the idea of “Christian music.”  With that, we must also take away the idea that other inanimate things can be Christian.  I grew up hearing, and still do by family and friends, terms like “it’s a Christian movie” or “Christian books” or even “Christian clothes!”  Ok…so if I bend the rules of English a bit and allow that “Christian xxx” refers to things FOR Christians, that brings me to an even more frightening view: as a Christian (don’t forget our definition), I’m either obligated or required to only use things that are “Christian.”  Only read Christian books, listen to Christian music, watch Christian movies, and use Christian toilet paper.  Sorry kids, but Jesus didn’t even lay such horrid restrictions on his disciples, and they were the ones that he was most often seen with.  The whole notion of judging a tree by it’s fruit (Luke 6:44) applies to the big man himself, as I don’t feel he was in the habit of being a hypocrite.  So if he’s hanging out with thugs, fishermen, and tax collectors (the lowest of the low) who likes to have fun and actually DRANK (as he did himself) and he’s calling out to be judged by those who’s lives he’s affected, then following the logic: a man’s faults, whether real or perceived by those around him, have no correlation to his belief in Jesus Christ as his personal savior.  That belief – that defining-one-as-a-Christian belief – is something personal…not visible.

{Are you still with me?}

So as the only requirement to be a Christian is what’s above, why do many Christian folk do so many other things under the guise – or granted, belief – of religious practice? That’s actually, strangely enough, rooted in the Hebrew law (note: Hebrew=old Jewish=folks who killed Christ for not being like them. Christ=root of Christian). Most people are familiar with the 10 Commandments (be it the words themselves, or Charlton Heston’s [or Mel Brooks'] versions). Many people don’t know that in addition to those 10 Commandments given by God in order to function as a society, the Hebrews created THOUSANDS of laws in order to keep from breaking those commandments, and those laws became punishable. So folks take God’s simple rules, turn them into a Bar Exam-like tome, and create their own version of God’s Law. But the thing is, those laws created by man in order to keep people from breaking the commandments became THE law, and the way of life. If one was observed breaking one of these mini-laws, it was seen as a disregard for God. As the religion and race were synonymous, it was also a disregard for society. That was like, at least 3000 years ago and that system of mini laws are the reason Christ was killed, yet Christians today still feel that this is a valid practice. Many religious beliefs have relaxed on many aspects of these mini-laws, but others still hold strongly to them. My dear friend Akeel is Muslim, and although he strongly agrees with many aspects of Judaism, he will not consume alcohol, pork, or shellfish, and strictly observes the holy days with a tenacity I can’t help but admire. I have another friend, Brian, who attends a Church of Christ where the elders strongly feel that guitars or drums in the church are an abomination. The old pastor of my church, although having many good qualities, was very bigoted against my piercings and tattoos and often made embarrassing comments to me and other friends sharing similar decorations, alienating those who in his opinion were part of the lost. None of these transgressions have ANY correlation to God’s Commandments, and (with the exception of my Jewish and Muslim friends to whom this wouldn’t apply) the belief in any of these “cultural sins” violates the teachings of Christ. All this to say that a Christian is not defined any of these other things that have culturally and pharisaically become synonymous with the title. Because of this, what many don’t understand (including some Christians as well) is that Christians live normal lives. Songwriters write primarily from their own experiences. Living normal lives, a Christian’s experiences are as great, horrible, and diverse as anyone else’s. I do not write Christian Music. Christian Music doesn’t exist (see: definition of “Christian” above). I am a Christian who writes music. I write about about my life experiences – sometimes they have to do with my spiritual beliefs, sometimes they don’t. That’s what makes my music real, and that’s what I look for in other artists I listen to. If it’s a whole album consisting of positive, encouraging music, it’s very likely it’s not real – not 100% from the heart. Christians who don’t shelter themselves off from the rest of the world don’t have rainbow and butterfly lives, and to pretend that they do doesn’t do anyone any good. I am not a Christian Musician. I hope to God I will never be considered as such. But I am a Christian, and I do write music. I hope some folk take away a positive feeling from what I do, whether it’s a song about God, about love, or about drunkenly acting like a pirate. Because I’m going to play the music I like and if you like it, feel free to listen to me. I love having you there. I’m going to sing about broken hearts. If you don’t identify with that, don’t feel you have to. I’m going to sing about drunkenly walking home. If you don’t drink, enjoy the concept of the song. I’m going to sing about God – if you don’t believe in God, I hope you enjoy the beauty of the lyrics, but don’t think I’m preaching to you. I’m singing about things that matter to me. You don’t have to like them all. And if you ARE a Christian, please don’t think you only have to listen to “Christian music,” read “Christian books,” and only watch “Christian videos.” Because just putting an ichthus on a cover doesn’t make the content better, and just because it’s sold in the “mystery” section of Borders doesn’t mean it’s bad. Christian = belief in Jesus Christ for your salvation. Anything you add to that definition is a fallacy and takes away from enjoying your life. Just enjoy the music.

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