How Led Zeppelin Taught Me Proper Reverence to God

Just in case you haven't picked up on it by now, I'm something of a music snob. I like what I like, I like it passionately, and I'm just as passionate about the stuff I don't like.

One of the greatest things about living in the technological age that we find ourselves in is the advent of portable music. For instance, my iPod. I have so much music on my iPod that if you pushed play when the ball drops on New Year's, you wouldn't be done until March 1st. And that's just the stuff I can fit on my iPod. So I can drive around in my truck with over 1,000 albums at my instant disposal and listen to just a ton of music whenever I want. Frankly, it's awesome.

But for all the music I've got, there's only one band that I am always, always, always in the mood for: Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin is my THING. They are IT. My goodness. Top of the list, no question, no hesitation, no competition.

The worst thing about having that iPod is that I'm kinda spoiled now. Recently, my sister and I made the five-hour drive to a family reunion in Arkansas without an iPod adapter... We had no choice but to listen to the radio. It was easily the worst thing to happen to me in months. Oh, the torture.

Not only am I accustomed to hearing music without commercials, I'm accustomed to hearing music that is only made up of things that meet my standards for "good." Foreigner does not meet my standard for "good." Neither do The Scorpions, Journey, Bruce Springsteen, or Def Leppard. And yet, for some reason, classic rock radio stations across the country consider all of these awful, awful, awful things worthy of being played alongside Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, and - most terrifyingly of all - the one and only Led Zeppelin.

As far as I'm concerned, there isn't a bad Zep song. They're all awesome. It's Led Zeppelin. How can it be anything less than amazing?

My love for Led Zeppelin is no secret. When I get to hang out with the guys and we're exposing each other to new music, they all know to soften my expectations for a band by prefacing it with, "Well... It's not Zeppelin or anything, but it's good."

I don't let people make comparisons to Led Zeppelin lightly, because I take Led Zeppelin way seriously. They're IT. They are THE BEST THING. They're Led Zeppelin, man... So you'd better believe that I don't bring them up unless I'm actually talking about "bands that are so awesome that I am a completely different person for the simple reason of knowing that they exist."

And I think I'm finally there with God, too.

For a long time, I didn't really have any problem taking liberties with mentioning God. It wasn't always reverential. Sometimes it was just downright blasphemous. Taking the Lord's name in vain never seemed like it was that big of a deal until I realized just how much I actually care about God.

Now, I don't say "God" unless I'm talking TO God or ABOUT God. I just take God way too seriously. He's become real to me in a way that honestly blows my mind. He's become THE BEST THING.

And yeah, I've spent my whole life knowing God was the most important thing, but that doesn't necessarily mean I did anything about it.

But over the past days, weeks, months, years... God has been showing me more and more of Himself in such a way that I can't help but make Him the topmost priority in my life, and quite frankly, it is an unbelievably fantastic experience to be going through, I gotta say.

I don't really have much to say this week except that I want to encourage you to take God seriously. Take Him seriously enough that you understand just how important He is. Take Him seriously enough that you understand why He deserves a reverence that everything else is just not worthy of. Give God the first place in your life and SEE what happens.

(And listen to more Led Zeppelin.)