Yesterday I received an email from a reader named Mary.
Here’s what it said:
You obviously love music and I do too, I just haven’t really listened to Christian music since Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Carman were practically my only choices. I’m a huge fan of country music and that’s pretty much all I own. I would really love to find some good Christian music to listen to though, I’ve been very convicted lately about what enters my heart through my ears and eyes, and I’m hoping you can help.
Here is the question:
If you had to choose 10 cd’s to take on a cross country road trip (no more than 10!) what would you choose?
Thanks so much!
Oh, Mary – you’re exactly right. I’m slightly obsessed with the music. And about five years ago I really got convicted that I needed to pay more attention to what I was listening to. I still listen to a wide variety of stuff – I like all sorts of music and find it difficult to listen to any one genre exclusively – but I have to say that listening to Christian music on a regular basis has had a huge – HUGE – impact on my thought life.
Also: thanks for the reminder about Carman. Took me right back to youth group circa 1987. Good times.
Anyway, here are the first ten CDs that I thought of when I read your email:
Pages
Alive Forever
The Best of Passion (So Far)
God Speaking
Glory Revealed
A Grateful People
The Twenty-First Time
Tell Me What You Know
Recollection: The Best of Nichole Nordeman
So Far: The Acoustic Sessions
So those are my ten. Until I think of the next ten. And since I’m a huge believer that we shouldn’t let the old hymns fall by the wayside, I’d also suggest having a couple of CDs that feature hymns. Here are two of my favorites:
Greatest Hymns
Hymned No. 1
Not to mention that there is one more CD we should all own because IT IS A CLASSIC, PEOPLE and never goes out of style:
Amy Grant: The Collection
Which brings us to thirteen CDs. There you have it. I did the best I could, Mary.
Finally.
I will also tell you that I’ve been listening to the latest Third Day CD for the last few days, and it is EXCELLENT. It’s called Revelation, and I actually have ten (TEN!) of them to share with you, the internets.
So if you’d like to win one of the new Third Day CDs, leave a comment that tells me your favorite road-trip CD. Doesn’t have to be Christian music – any kind of music will do.
Happy 4th, y’all!
This giveaway is now closed.
Anything by Travis!
Kenny Chesney…LOVE IT! Any of them…any of them…
For some odd reason BlackHawk music says ROAD TRIP to me.
Phillips, Craig and Dean: Top of My Lungs and James Taylor’s Greatest Hits
any of the “seeds” CDs…my kids love them and since they are all Scripture, help me to keep my mind focused on things other than the fact that i am on the road with 2 children who love to annoy one another.
I only listen to Christian music on my Sirus radio. However, if I had to choose a favorite CD, it would be probably anything by Mercy Me.
I cannot get enough of David Crowder band!!! (Although Best of Passion (so Far) is a close 2nd)
Oh – just one favorite? I’m not sure I can do that! And if I listed them all, well I might just break your blog with more content than your comments can handle!
On our most recent road trip, we were kicking it with Phil Wickham, David Crowder Band, and Passions God Of This City.
Can’t wait for the latest Third Day cd!
Rich Mullins, especially the Jesus Record/demo. And anything by Nichole Nordeman. She has such great lyrics, and such a beautiful voice, and she’s so stinking pretty…I want to BE Nichole Nordeman, not just listen to her. :)
Okay, this is probably not what you were expecting, but my favorite road trip CD is “Stadium Jams” – you know, We Will Rock You, Who Let the Dogs Out, Pump Up the Jam, Oh Yeah – the classics! Actually, when my niece was 15 months old, 4 of us took her on a 16-hour road trip and Who Let the Dogs Out was the only thing that kept her happy and us sane the whole time (think Friends/Baby Got Back)!
Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! Now I have somewhere to start with my shopping. And you are so welcome on the Carman reminder. Could you really forget….”Who’s in the house? J C!”
Thanks too for listing the hymn cd’s. I recently purchased a hymn cd because they never sing the old hymns at our church and I want my son to hear them. The problem is that it’s a very old fashioned choir type cd. For a girl that grew up in an Assembly of God church with one rockin’ pianist, this just isn’t working for me.
Since I’m still on my country kick, I’m going with Pat Green for road music. His style is defniately windows down, arm hanging out the window kinda music.
I’ve mentioned them before and if Mary happens to read this she would LOVE 33Miles They are just amazing and pretty much sound like Rascal Flatts,but totally amazing Christian lyrics. Loved your choices of music, too! Also, I didn’t comment on your previous posts b/c I was late reading them, but I will say that I laughed and cried while reading them OUTLOUD to my dh as we are on a roadtrip right now! Just love you, Sophie :)
Sierra is a favorite road trip group for me. Unfortunately they haven’t had anything new in a while. (though you can still get their older stuff)
Thanks for the giveaway.
There is always 2 or 3 passion cds playing in our car…
Journey, baby, Journey.
Circus life, under the big top world.
We all need the clowns to make us smile…
Through space and time-
Ahem.
Sorry. Got a little carried away there.
Deep Forest is always on our road trip pile!
Yay! Third Day!!
My road trip favs would be (in no particular order):
Shawn McDonald: Scattered Pieces
Shane and Shane: Carry Away
DC Talk: Supernatural (classic, in my book)
Nichole Nordeman: Woven and Spun
I could go on.. but anyway!
I just got the Pages by Shane and Shane but haven’t had a chance to really listen to it yet. Can’t wait though! I love them!
My favorite–any cd by Third Day and Casting Crowns. Gotta love them! :)
Steven Curtis Chapman Speechless is a classic. It stays in the CD holder in my car and gets pulled out regularly along with Alive Forever by Travis =)
Sara Groves – any of her CD’s especially Add to the Beauty and All Right Here. Also love Mark Schultz – Stories and Songs or Broken and Beautiful
Just ONE! Anything by Michael Card…it’s all good. My other picks would be Speechless by Stephen Curtis Chapman, Short Term Memories by Chris Rice, For the Record by Bruce Carroll, and Out of Breath by Go Fish. Thanks for making my laugh and making me think. Your blog is something I look forward to reading whenever I get a chance to sit down.
Blessings,
Terri in AZ
My new favorite cd is Coldplay’s latest, Viva la Vida. So that would be my pick for the next road trip!
Right now we have a lot of kiddie music playing in our car on any road trip.
Mary – if you love country, try Aaron Watson. He’s a Texas artist, strong Christian, and a great guy with a terrific family. He has a gospel album called Barbed Wire Halo.
Casting Crowns! Oh the Lyrics those boys can write!
They are my favorite right next to Third Day!
We like to take James Taylor with us on road trips.
Smiles!
Along with Alive Forever I really like Living Proof Live 3 (so much so that I was praying there would be a Living Proof Live 4 at Deeper Still). It has Shackles on it – enough said!
This list looks great!
We love Rich Mullins, Phil Keaggy, and Fernando Ortega.
We love to listen to Seal on roadtrips…great to sing along with.
“Radio Skies” by Kelleigh Bannen! Check it out; she’s incredible.
Garth Brooks’ Double Live is hard to beat on a long drive.
Have a safe and happy 4th!
Ok, my favorites are an Eagles Live CD as my secular choice and Steven Curtis Chapman’s Speechless. But in reality on a road trip, I’d probably have to listen to VBS music and Disney GirlsRock. :)
I love some good ole’ praise music. I think David Crowder would be my first choice.
My favorite road trip CD is a Christian mix that my best friends husband made for her about 6 years ago before they were even dating and she copied it for me (ya follow?) Anyway, it has everything from I Can Only Imagine to classic hymns to the christian version of Lean on Me that was done in the 80’s by that band…oh what were they called?…anyway, yeah that’s my favorite. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE Third Day so please include me in your giveaway. Thank you and b-bye :)
–That is if we aren’t listening to Doodlebops or nursery rhymes or Awesome Bible Kids…
Right now, any road trip we take nowadays involves a little “Psalty” 24/7. Thankfully, that blue singing songbook is quite bearable (and I actually love it). Otherwise, you’ll catch me listening to early Caedmon’s Call, Third Day or Jars. What can I say? I’m totally stuck in the 90’s.
I’d LOVE to win that new CD!
I really like Christian music and Third Day is one of my favorites!! For a road trip though my family and I really like anything by John Cougar, not much can beat a really loud rendition of Rockin’ in the USA!
-Laura
My new favorite is “Go” from the Newsboys. Love it love it!
hmmmm. travelling home for the weekends when i was in college, i always picked my most sing-along-able CDs. singing helped me stay awake :). anything by weezer, blessid union of souls, waterdeep, and definitely third day were often in the rotation then.
now, i am an XM listener–flight 26 and the message are my top 2 channels.
Road Trip essentials for The Gang: anything Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Little Big Town, Amy Grant’s hymns collections, or Jars of Clay’s Redemption Songs. Love me some James Taylor but the kids protest after one round!
I love anything by the Passion Worship Band! Hope you have a great 4th as well!
Allison Krauss. And Jars of Clay. How come nobody talks about Jars of Clay? Their hymns album is The Best Ever.
I love love LOVE Christian music.
That being said, on a road trip with my favorite gals, Journey’s Greatest Hits is my JAM!!
Also, because I can never pick just one, Avalon’s Testify to Love (Greatest Hits) is fun if you like to belt it, and you’re in a car where no one likes to sing the same part, Praise Him!
Third Day (ANY! Love them all!)
Bon Jovi
High School Musical 1 & 2 (yes, I’m an adult!)
Hootie and the Blowfish
Any old MWSmith
Van Halen
Daughtry
Boston
Petra
Altar Boys *think the 80s*
We love all of the Seeds Family Worship music (though it’s on the Ipod, not CD’s!) But I do tend to jam out to some Third Day when it’s just momma in the car by herself….
The Fray reminds me of driving between Austin and Houston with my hubby!
Really, right now I love me some Monk and Neagle. They just mix it up so the whole CD lifts you up without every song sounding the same. Terrific!
Not that I wouldn’t switch their CD and give Third Day some time too…
I prefer a good mix tape, but if I had to pick one complete cd, Janis Joplin’s Greatest Hits would work.
This so doesn’t fall into the Christian genre, but no road trip is complete without Jimmy Buffett’s “Songs You Know By Heart”. It’s makes me dance in my seat!
anything on channel 20 (pop), 21 (more pop), or 32 (christian) on xm radio will make any road trip fly by!
thanks :)
Todd Agnew – Grace like Rain
Crack me up. I’m on the flip side. After years of Christian music, and Christian music only, I switched to country. “Gone country…look at them boots…She’s gone country…back to her roots…”
Well anyway. When I DO listen to Christian music, Sara Groves is DA BOMB.
Look, I said that like I was cool or somethin’.
Third Day is actually my favorite Christian group of all time. My whole family loves their “Offerings II” cd. We know almost all the songs by heart and since I always drive, my husband and daughters play air guitar and drums during a couple of the songs!
christian music–jars of clay (the one with “flood” and “love song for a savior”).
anything casting crowns!!
other music–the outfield (“stay the night but keep it under cover…”, the indigo girls (“closer to fine…”), and old drivin n cryin get me singing out loud on a trip!
gotta be the old, old, old Amy Grant
or the new, new, new Kenny Chesney
My favorite road trip cd is the WOW the 90s collection. So nostalgic!
I love Amy Grant. I could sing to her songs all day. :) Also love 3rd Day.
Oh yes, that Amy Grant Collection CD will make your heart soar, won’t it. SOAR LIKE THE WIND. My favorite gift to give friends who are down and in need of a little soul revival. :)
I can’t leave the house without a David Crowder CD. Also lately I’ve gone back to the first Enter the Worship Circle CD. it’s great! and of course, I’m a fan of 3rd Day!
It depends on the trip; since we’re going to the beach this weekend it’s probably Jimmy Buffet.
David Crowder Band & Alabama!
Home by Collective Soul
Totally David Crowder Band. And/or Tim McGraw.
I always make a mix CD to travel with upbeat music. I thelps to keep me awake!
Chris Rice, Living Room Sessions, Christian music, just piano. That CD convinced me to buy the book and take piano lessons again. A wonderful CD.
Gina
I love, love, love the needtobreathe CD, The Heat.
How about my favorite HOLIDAY road trip CDs? All of Amy Grant’s Christmas CDs but especially the first two. Oh, they take me back to the good old days, driving 200 miles, in the dark, to my Grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
I miss that.
Neil Diamond Greatest Hits Vol 1 and 2. I am such a geek.
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Greatest hits!
This world without music would be torment for me!!!
I love it!
Any cd by any of these:
CASTING CROWNS ( Mark Hall is amazing!)
THIRD DAY (Mac Powell is my son’s hero)
DAVID CROWDER BAND (Talk about worship)
CHRIS RICE (this guy can write lyrics)
CHRIS TOMLIN (oooh the worship)
NICOLE NORDEMAN (can you say QUEEN?)
TOBY MAC (make you screamsing he rocks)
LEELAND (this is one talented dude/band)
NATALIE GRANT (beautiful inside/out)
FFH (these people make my heart sing)
I could go on and on…..
GOOOOOO BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!!
LISTEN AND LOVE!
Wow, this is hard. Really hard to narrow it down to one – so I won’t really try that hard!
I love BarlowGirl, especially their debut album. And Casting Crowns. And Third Day.
My kind of off-beat pick would be Lone Justice – an 80’s alternative Christian band. I love the vocals and the lyrics.
I’d better stop or I’m going to go crazy.
Oh me too me too. I am hooked…..
Hyperstatic Union! Very funky, Stevie Wonderish.
jodee messina. heads carolina, tails california, dude.
Great list! Also I just had to say how totally jealous I am of you listening to the Third Day CD! I bet it’s good. ~:-D
I love Bebo Norman for the long car trips.
Nichole Nordeman is my favorite — oh, and then there’s Point of Grace, Third Day and Casting Crowns. Oh why would you limit it to one cd? Or even 10? Get a MP3 player and load that baby up!
Can’t gon on a roadtrip without my praise and worship cd’s from what we sing in church!
I love Nichole Nordeman.
Not Christian, but Kasey Chambers makes great road music.
right now all me and my bunch listens to is the David Cook cd we made by d/l his studio performances off Itunes. xoxo melzie
My most recent favorite is “Conversations” by Sara Groves, but I would also take along her other two CDs “Past the Wishing” and “Add to the Beauty”. I guess I’d put together a compilation CD for the road.
I love me some Chris Rice and Keith Urban. I also LOVE the hymns CD by Selah…great stuff!
A Night In Rocketown – it is a Live recording of all of the artists that were on the Rocketown label at the time:
Michael W. Smith, Ginny Owens, Chris Rice, Cindy Morgan, Watermark …. etc…. in concert.
How could you POSSIBLY go wrong with that?!?!?!?!
PLEASE pick me for the CD!!!!
Acapella – Set Me Free
hey! my favorite road trip cd( that’s a hard one) is anything by Sara Groves. She’s my absolute favorite.
My husband and I love canadian artist Sam Roberts!
And Keith Urban is great too :)
I am going to cheat–My favorite road trip CD is a mix I put together of songs I’ve downloaded. It’s everything from worship songs and modern hymns to more upbeat Christian music. Love it!
David Crowder Band’s A Collision – perfect road trip music!
Probably, I’d have to say:
Toby Mac – Portable Sounds
David Crowder – A Beautiful Collision
Phil Wickham – Cannons
Since being at Deeper Still this wknd, Mandisa is the CD of choice with Kirk Franklin’s Hero being second. Of course, if the boys are in the car with me we must listen to “Dive” by Steven Curtis Chapman. My husband said they listened to it at least 28 times while I was in Atlanta. I just replied “Welcome to my world.”
I was so excited to meet you during lunch at Deeper Still Saturday. I was so nervous for some silly reason but it was definitely nice to meet you. The wknd was ssssooooo awesome, I feel changed for good.
My favorite roadtrip CD is one I made myself, with a mix of country, MoTown, jazz, worship music, and contemporary Christian. You could call me a music nut too. :)
Angela
Oh how fun!!! We like to switch up genre’s too….Here’s mine. NOT dh’s. MINE.
Alison Krauss
ABBA Greatest Hits
Caedmon’s Call
Chris Rice
Chris Tomlin
Hillsong United – I Heart Revolution (my newest)
Jack Johnson
Journey Greatest Hits
Martina McBride
Over the Rhine
That’s just the beginning…
Oh…finally listened to your last podcast yesterday in the mri waiting room. Was DYING laughing. I am so fixin’ to look up Tony Orlando and Dawn and see what Thelma looks like now.
Currently, I always make sure I have plenty of David Crowder & the Glory Revealed CD.
As far as secular, I gotta have some Eagles and Steve Miller Band (greatest hits).
Just one CD…hmmmm…Are you sure I can’t take my iPod? I guess it would be one of my Jami Smith CD’s. However, I could just as easily take some Third Day, Casting Crowns, Selah, David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, etc.
Favorite road trip CD has to my Barenaked Laides Greatest Hits. Their songs are about total nonsense–and they are so fun! Perfect for a road trip!
OK…come on number generator…help Kelley win that little CD. Do I need to send the number generator people some monster cookies or something? : )
BooMama – Seriously – only one cd. Like you, my list just grows and grows. We actually have very similar music likes – so I will add another to your list “Hymns Ancient and Modern” that was released by Passion. I love throwing that one in on a good long ride!
Anything by Jon Bon Jovi
I’m so out of touch with actual albums that I don’t think I can name one, but I love oldies and Christian music. Third Day has some great music.
It would definitely be Casting Crowns ‘The Alter and the Door’ I absolutely LOVE it and I was blessed to see them in concert not long ago.
Keith Urban
Kenny Chesney
Jason Aldean
Taylor Swift
Hannah Montana
What I have to listen to:
Music Machine
What I’d choose to listen to:
Paul Brandt
Casting Crowns, I think it’s called “The Altar and The Door” Not sure about that though. I don’t pay attention to details (like titles)! :)
LOVE IT!
But it doesn’t matter. ANYTHING by Casting Crowns is wonderful!