Not the normal Christian life

Just watched a clip at davidcn.com where fans in Wuhan celebrated his 7/11 birthday singing his songs. They send the clip to tv station who broadcast it, it was so good esp the last part where 4 guys sang My Story accapella. Wuhan is a city with a long history and glorious revolutionary tradition, where the first shot of the Revolution of 1911 overthrew the rule of 2000 years feudalism in China; an important ancient town since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Spring and Autumn Period, as well as the Warring States; one of the famous important towns in China in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties; used to be the political, military and cultural center of the whole country for times. So being David fan u oso get history lesson hahaha. But it was great for me cos dun know where or what is Wuhan, now I know thanx to David :P Anyway hope they send the clip to David and he should be so touched.

This blog I wanna show what sorta ppl David and Tension r cos a lot of criticism that they r ABC and not very chinese, that their music is too westernised. Well, look at the clothes u r wearing, the computer u used, the furniture & utensils. Are they not westernised? If u hate westernised things so much, then u should go and wear oriental clothes, & not used computer and live in mud building. Cannot stop progress and that means westernised. Music is the same, so long as its sincere, dun matter its westernised. David & Tension r sum of the most sincere artists who believe in music being able to spread love. If u think that is corny, well its beat music spreading hate & prejudice rite, that's what I think anyway.

Xiao Yan Yu Yue is a taiwanese program where the host Xiao Yan interview celebrity. Tension & David were the guest last yr, u should be able to recognise their faces and stream watch if u know chinese. Great interviews to get to know & understand David & Tension more, esp David when he talked abt his dad, his HK concerts & his purpose in life.

Oso in January this yr, David appeared in a CNY Christian concert in Singapore. This christian magazine Impact has interview with David called Not The Normal Christian Life — An interview with pop singer David Tao Cos its been archived, I transcribed it here:

Impact: Is it true what we learnt, that you led your dad to Christ while you were a little kid?
Tao: My parents send me to Bethany, a Christian school in Taipei, when I was six or seven. At that time, my dad wasn't even a Christian, but my mom was a Catholic. I didn't know much about Christianity or religion or anything. When I was about 11, my dad's mother passed away, and she was a Christian. My dad was very distraught because he was very close to her, so I read him verses from the Bible, to comfort him. My dad took something from those verses that I read to him, and he started to read the Bible that my grandmother left for him. It was through that that my dad got to know the Bible for himself. My dad became a strong Christian. For me, it was not until the end of high school that I started to develop my faith and relationship with God. At 11 or 12, I called myself a Christian but I can't say I had a real relationship with God.
Impact: What were the turning points in your faith?
Tao: There were many turning points...one was during my second or third year in college. I was studying psychology, but I didn't know if I wanted to be a psychologist. Everyone seemed to think I was going to be a musician. During that time, my dad was at the height of his career, and my mom was busy with him. It was a tough period. During that period, I could have easily turned to drugs, could easily have had bad friends, and not done well in school academically, or, lost direction in life. But it was in fact at that time that I found my direction; it was God's intervention. I did not have a burning bush experience but I just knew He was there. God guided me through that very confused period.
Impact: Were there any church or youth groups that you grew up with?
Tao: I was a stubborn and unruly sheep! I was always the one that questioned the most, argued with other Christians and challenged them, even the pastor. I'm not a Christian who spends a lot of time in church because half the time I'm not in one location.
Impact: But you say that prepared you for your life now?
Tao: A lot of times I was by myself, I'm now in a business that has a lot of temptations, a lot of things that could lead me away from God - money, fame, pbysical temptation, drugs - all those kinds of things. Yet it is in the midst of the temptations that I really feel God. His guidance, His love and His power. When I'm at my most confused and most lost, God always comes through. Two years ago, I was very depressed. I didn't know why I was doing music anymore. I made money; I was famous, but there was no point, no meaning to that. That Sunday, one of the rare times I was in church, the pastor preached on the Parable of the Talents, about a wealthy man who left his three servants with various amounts of money before leaving for a trip. On his return he called them to account for what they did with he had given them. I felt God was talking to me. That I'd been given these talents, and it doesn't matter if it's 5000 or 1000, I just need to make use of it. It doesn't mean to be more famous or make more money, but to spread God's word.
Impact: Do you feel that you're optimising your "talents"?
Tao: I don't think I can ever say I've maximised using my talents, but I think I strive to multiply the talents that God has given me. In my business, I'm most touched when I get letters from fans saying that my music has changed their lives. For them to say that because of what I've said and done, they've become Christian. Maybe through the music that God gave me the ability to make, He speaks through me.
Impact: Would you ever write or sing Christian songs?
Tao: I would, but not right now. Now I want to speak to people who are non-Christians, not to preach to them, because I think being too preachy can turn them off. I don't think that to serve God you have to be in a church community. God gives people different talents. It's where we can serve God and spread His message the most.
Impact: Wht is your Tao for Christian living then?
Tao: Before I undertake a project, big or small, I always ask God if this is what He wants me to do. A lot of things I'm involved in...they're so out of my control. Like holding a concert, standing in front of thousands. When I'm on stage, when I open my mouth, what comes out, I believe is what God wants. If you don't have faith and trust in the Lord, you may not hear Him. But if you just trust Him, He'll do what He needs to do. The biggest problem for humans is fear - that's where doubt and greed come from. You need to eliminate that fear through trust and faith in God. "Ye of little faith", is a term in the Bible, which is talking about all of us.
Impact: Is there a Fellowship of Singers?
Tao: Sharing is very important to me. One of my production co-ordinators is a Christian, and he's also a gift of God. He's one of the very few people, other than my Dad, whom I share my faith with all the time because we're always together. I'm no different from any other Christian, and as a Christian, which doesn't mean the word perfect, I need to pray, to read the Bible, read books by Christian authors, about everyday life.
Impact: What are you reading now?
Tao: There's a book I'm reading right now, the title is something about how to have God find your mate, written by a husband-wife team. It's about how to find your significant other, and the book isn't some fluffy abstract stuff. I'm nearing that age that I'm going to get married, and have kids.
Impact: And a book in the bible?
Tao: Because I'm a musician, the Psalms often speak to me because they were songs in those days. There are some phrases that hit me at different times.
Impact: If you were to share your faith in a direct testimony, what would you say?
Tao: I think it would be the immenseness and the absolute perfect love that God has for us. Men and women talk about love in relationships, kids think about how their parents love them, and vice versa, but none of that love is perfect - one that has discrimination, no prejudice and is absolute - that's God's love. We may not love Him absolutely because we're humans, but His love has no flaws. I try to share things which are concrete, things in my life, not abstact concepts, and that's what jian zheng, witnessing, is about. It's about that power of love. Not just that God loves us, but God wants us not to just love Him but for us to love one another.
Impact: Love is a recurring theme in your music?
Tao: Love is a powerful message, but it's not just paying lip service to it. It's something you need to do, to take action. Through God's love and our love, we can change the world and make it a better place while we're here.
Impact: But there are also songs like "Wang Ba Dan" (Bastard) that you've written?
Tao: I have rage and hate, and I get mad and angry. I wrote that song after an incident in the States: I'd just bought a new car, and two weeks later, someone took a key and scratched it. Badly. Wang Ba Dan is a song dedicated to the person who did it. My aim is to remind people who do these things, or think of doing such things, that someone else gets hurt. It's to create a certain awareness. The words attract attention, but the song is about the world. Sometimes I'm that wang ba dan, when I'm selfish and I don't appreciate other people. So these are things which are a real part of me; that part that steps out and says what I feel. I don't know if God approves of it or not, but I try to address some real issues.
Impact: So who do you identify with the most in the Bible?
Tao: I'd like to say King David. (Laughs.)(Ponders for a long time.) I want to say Peter, because he was the headstrong one, I'm kinda like that someimes. He's headstrong but also passionate. Wasn't he the one who cut off the ear of the guard who came to arrest Jesus? YOu always identify with people who're similar to you. I think he's very human. I think Wang Ba Dan is a song Peter would have written, but later, he'd wonder whether he should have done it or not.