Tag Archives: The Jersey Shore

The Crossover Connection Week 33: The Christopher Cross of Christian Music

After being born in New Jersey, my parents took me to the Jersey Shore each summer as a child. Before Atlantic City, New Jersey was known as a casino destination, this is where I fell in love with searching for shells on the seashore. On the ride there and back, the radio was tuned into soft rock where I was first introduced to Christopher Cross.

Be alert and on your guard; stand firm in your faith ([b]your conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, keeping the trust and holy fervor born of faith and a part of it). Act like men and be courageous; grow in strength! 14 Let everything you do be done in love (true love to God and man as inspired by God’s love for us), 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.

Songs like Sailing by Cross set the mood and tone for my visits to the beach. When I first purchased the Maldwyn Pope album Love Will Find a Way years ago, I was brought back to my youth listening to Christopher Cross. While Mal has evolved over the years to more of a crossover artist, if you want to listen to soft rock to conclude the official summer of 2023, Mal Pope is your artist to listen to. Since I couldn’t find a full album, I included a mix of Mal’s music. I hope you enjoy this sound.

by Jay Mankus

Stirring Up Wars

Not much has changed since the Jets and the Sharks began their fictional turf war over a girl, Maria, in the 1961 musical West Side Story.  Today, anger, bitterness and discord have built up within human beings to create ideal conditions for dissension zones.  Good intentions often fade into the night as roots of bitterness suffocate any thoughts of forgiveness.  As a result, floodgates open up for a culture of bickering and backstabbing.

Beyond the boundaries of Super Powers, factions leave third world nations with a battlefield of broken hearts, fragile souls and shattered relationships.  Hatred has found a home, setting up shop as a spirit of division is holding unwilling citizens captive.  While once foreign, America has open its doors to this nature through reality television.  A generation of Jerry Springer and Jenny Jones viewers have spawned hits shows like Big Brother, Survivor and The Jersey Shore.  Seeking to get rich over night, individuals do whatever it takes, forsaking integrity, to achieve success and victory.

Going unnoticed by those with moral blinders on, the acts of the sinful nature has imprisoned lost souls, Galatians 5:19-21.  Selfish ambition has become their driving force, the wind beneath their misguided wings.  When you add envy and jealousy as fuel to this fire, carnage is aired daily through shows like Bad Boys, Cheaters and Divorce Court.  As long as comedy, sex and violence continue to sell, this process will repeat itself, stirring up more wars.  May God protect the innocent bystanders, caught in the crossfire of this mudslinging.  Pray the words of Galatians 5:16-18 so that this vicious cycle will end soon!

by Jay Mankus