Hallelujah For American Idol

Literally.

I've invested a lot of time in this year's American Idol. I believe it's the strongest season yet - and that's saying a lot, because last year was incredible. I don't watch a lot of TV, but I do make sure I don't miss one episode of American Idol. I am firmly hooked on the show.

Yes, it displays a lot of talent and fulfills dreams. You get to really get connected with the contestants. But you know what one of the best parts is? You can express your faith on the show. If you happen to be a worship leader at your church, they don't keep that quiet. If you want to thank God for a good performance, you can go ahead and do that. In fact, last year during Idol Gives Back, the contestants sang "Shout To The Lord."

This year, however, is the strongest season of American Idol for the Christians, so to speak. "The year of the worship leader", the articles call it.

Why?

Of the top 36, 7 were worship leaders. 5 of those leaders made it through to the Top 13 - and in fact, none of them were eliminated before the Top 10, which means we'll be seeing all 5 of them in the upcoming tour.

Danny Gokey is the one that almost everyone knows is a worship leader. It's his main occupation. This man of faith looks like he'll be running all the way to the finals, probably against Adam Lambert (who's not a worship leader, but dang, that kid's voice gives me goosebumps...but I won't go on and on...and on...about him right now). Never had any formal training in his life, but he still uses the gifts God gave him.

Kris Allen is another worship leader that many know. His humble aw-shucks personality (and his face that's easy on the eyes) has many girls squealing, yet he proudly shows in bold and subtle ways how happy he is to be married to his wife. His proudest moment, he says in the American Idol interview, was when he married his wife. When he blew the judges away on Grand Ole Opry night, he didn't fail to show his wedding ring off to everyone. By the way, kudos to him for accepting Simon's advice to "be more self-confident, conceited, selfish" by saying, "Thank you. I will try to be more self-confident. I don't know about conceited, but self-confident, yes."

Scott MacIntyre, while technically not a "leader", plays music for his church quite often. His story of producing his music while dealing with blindness is inspirational and perhaps the main reason he's still on the show. His vocals are not the strongest, but his story - and probably his faith - keeps him going.

Matt Giraud, as well as being a dual piano player, is also a worship leader. He's really beginning to step out as a contender. We will probably be seeing him for quite some time, along with Kris Allen and definitely Danny Gokey. These 3 Christians probably aren't leaving for quite some time.

And good ole Michael Sarver leads worship on Sundays while he works as an oil rigger during the week. It's a surprise that he's even made it this far in the competition, based on vocals and appearance. While his vocals are good, they haven't stood out perhaps as much as the others, and he doesn't have a "commercial" appearance. Yet I'm convinced it's his humble, gracious attitude that's kept him here this long. People love his personality. "Thank you, ma'am", "thank you, sir," and "I appreciate that" are regulars in his vocabulary. And when doled some hefty criticism from the judges, he responded with a calm, "Hey, I made it to the Top 10 in American Idol, the greatest show in the world." No comment from the judges is going to make him forget the big picture.

It's the year of the worship leader. It's great to see America voting these guys through. Yes, their personalities are likeable - it's amazing to see the names these guys are giving us Christians. It's refreshing. In any other show on TV, Christians would be looked down upon. On this show, however, America is voting through the Christians. They know Danny Gokey's a worship leader. They're voting him through strongly. These men are all representatives of God and America is seeing it and voting them through.

It's a good season. A very good season.

(Make sure you vote for the worship leaders, but put in a few votes for Adam Lambert too...he's phenomenal).