Moving right along, here is the latest installment on those country songs that have — at least for me — a Christian message.

I opened the series with Beer with Jesus by Thomas Rhett (10/13), way back in October. As I decided to rank my Top 10, I ranked fourth as my favorite country songs with a Christian bent. To date, I shared my No. 10 pick, Alabama’s Angels Among Us (8/17), No. 9, Red Dirt Road by Brooks and Dunn before they split up (8/21) and No. 8, When I Get Where I’m Going by Brad Paisley (8/25).

No. 7 is The Little Girl by John Michael Montgomery. You just have to listen to it to understand its impact.

You can’t help but be moved by the song. A little girl in a dysfunctional family … who witnesses her drunken father shoot her mother then himself while she hid behind the couch … her redemption with a loving, faith-filled family who took her to Sunday school for the first time … and the revelation “that man up there on that cross … I don’t know His name … But I know He got off … Cause He was there in my old house … and held me close to His side … As I hid there behind our couch … The night that my parents died.”

You just want to hug this little girl and keep her close … just like Jesus did.

To remind you of what this series is about, I enjoy country music. It can be raunchy and risque at times, twangy and bring out the best (or worst) of our redneck feelings {aw, come on, we all have them}. But, no matter what, it is always real — addressing real-life issues, warts and all. The country genre lyrics are honest, honest to goodness honest.

But at its root, the country music genre is a compilation of life in America — not the America of cities, but the rural America. It may have been born in the south, but its sound resonates in every state … even upstate New York. Despite its sometimes shortcomings, it buzzes with traditional American values — God, family and country. It’s not unusual to hear a country song with lyrics like “… five-card poker on a Saturday night, church on Sunday morning …” (Boondocks by Little Big Town).

Country music tells a story in less than five minutes, especially contemporary ballads. It’s the lyricist’s story … it’s the singer’s story … It’s your story … It’s my story.

And then there are those times when a country story just stops you in your tracks. Whenever you hear it, you make that connection with God. It returns you to communion.

So this series is about those country songs that have — at least for me — a Christian message.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Tennis is the only game where you achieve love and get nothing.