Gifts for Christian Musicians!

One of my side hobbies is creating designs and photos that I enjoy placing on items. As I created some fun music designs and products for myself, friends, and students with instruments and Bible verses, I thought you would enjoy them, also. I think they would be great gifts for the Christian musicians in your life. You may take a look at my Christian music Cafe Press page at Joyful Inspiration Gallery to see all of the designs and items.

Find these and many more @ Joyful Inspiration Gallery !

Sola Christo ~ In Christ Alone

 "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." ~ Galatians 2:20

God gave the beautiful gift of music to all people. He has given composers creative talents and has inspired them to write the most amazing words and music for Him! One song that touches the deepest parts inside of me is "In Christ Alone" by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. As a daily reminder to myself and to those who may pass by this small page, I wanted to share this music with you. I pray that Christ may touch you as you listen to the songs with your heart. (Just click below to enjoy the video.)

"In Christ Alone" Worship Video & Lyrics


"In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand"

Getty & Townend wanted to create a piece of music where the words were grounded in the Word, and presented in a way that would be memorable not only for worshipers on  Sunday mornings, but for believers on any day, any time, in any place.

In Townend's words, “The lyric [of this song] excites me because it places our hope, our assurance, our eternal destiny in the right place—on the solid foundation of Christ. I know in my own life I need reminding continually not to live by my feelings or my circumstances, but by the unchanging truth of the gospel.” ~ Quoted from Song Story: "In Christ Alone" by Debra Akins

 Another song in praise of Christ is this version by Michael English
~ "In Christ Alone" ~
"In Christ alone I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory let it be said of me
My source of strength, my source of hope
Is Christ alone."

Some Scripture to Consider:
"To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." ~ Jude 1:25


"And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith." ~ Philippians 3:9


"And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." ~ Hebrews 10:10

"But now the righteousness of God apart form the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe." ` Romans 3:21,22

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of he glory of God." ~ Romans 5:1,2

"Knowing that a man in not justified by the works of the law by by faith in Jesus Christ even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." ~ Galatians 2:16

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." ~ Galatians 2:20


Christian Music by Keith & Kristyn Getty
Christian Music by Stuart Townend
Christian Music by Michael English

soli Deo gloria ~ Done for the glory of God

Can music alter physical and mental health?

 What do you think? Since I haven't posted in two months due to health difficulties, I've thought about many things. So, here are some of my thoughts!

Can music alter physical and mental health?

Sacred Hymns ~ Music, Lyrics, & History

I find that if I know more about a piece of music that I appreciate it more. That is certainly very important with hymns and praise songs! I'm sad to admit that sometimes I sing along on the hymns, but don't really stop to think about what I am singing. When we think about the lyrics, the Scriptures that they come from, the stories and feelings behind the composers who felt moved to create them, we will understand more about our Maker and can truly use the songs to worship Him as we should! To help myself to do that more (and anyone else who may be interested), I have collected some websites which contain lyrics, sheet music, MP3's, composer information, Scripture references, and other little treasures! I hope they will be helpful to you! 

Sacred Hymns & Their History  from Invitation to Christ

Charles Wesley's Hymns ~ "Great Hymnwriter and Co-Founder of Methodism": Information regarding the hymns of Mr. Wesley.

Church Music ~ Search for sheet music for several hymns, children's resources including videos of ASL, and Learning Materials.

Great Christian Hymns ~ Hymn lyrics listed in several categories for easy searching.

Hymnary ~ Wow, this site has alot of stuff! I was a little confused at first, but once I made my way around, I liked what I saw. Search music by name, composer, lyrics, Bible reference to find sheet music, midi files, lyrics, and important related information. CCEH is a related site - I think it is their older version, but it had some cool stuff, too.

Hymn at Wikipedia ~ research the definition and history of hymns.

Hymn Lyrics ~ Well, Hymn Lyrics! It looks like it some a relationship with Rhapsody in some way, but I didn't read the details. It looks like it has interesting things, but some are by paid membership, others are free.

Hymnal Net ~ This site has the hymns in the categories of classic hymns, new tunes, new songs, children's songs, Scripture songs, and favorites. A midi track, lyrics, and guitar / piano leadsheets are available for free.

HymnSite ~ Find tons of hymns to download: lyrics, midi files, and sheet music; online hymn crossword puzzles, search indexes, and links to numerous other hymn sites.

Lutheran Hymnal ~ free MP3 recordings, lyrics, and more.

NetHymnal (Also known as Cyber Hymnal) ~ "Over 10,000 Christ­ian hymns, Author Bios, Composer Biographies, Hymn Histories and Gos­pel songs from ma­ny de­nom­in­a­tions. You’ll find lyr­ics, scores, MI­DI files, pic­tures, his­to­ry, & more. Search­a­ble, ad­vanced Au­to­play fea­ture, free down­loads. New en­tries ev­ery week. Us­er friend­ly. This wor­ship & teach­ing re­source is pro­vid­ed as a pub­lic ser­vice."

Popular Hymns ~ Lyrics and stories of 100 popular hymns.
I have to admit I don't understand all the copyright laws as far as what is public domain and what is not, but I don't want to steal something that perhaps in a copyright infringement as I'm sure you don't either. Please view each site with careful judgement as to how you understand the rules. I am not trying to place judgement, I just know in the music world that it can be confusing at times even within a well meaning ministry. With that is mind, here are some others. ??

Gary LeBlanc Music Ministry ~ sheet music and midi files.

Hymns for a Kid's Heart

As a follow-up of the blog post about doing a hymn study, I wanted to explore more about one of the resources listed at the Hymn Study site. Hymns for a Kid's Heart by Bobbie Wolgemuth and Joni Eareckson Tada is a wonderful series of books (4 volumes) for children to learn the tunes, words, and meanings of many popular hymns. The first two each contain 12 traditional hymns; the third is based on Christmas hymns; and the last is hymns about the Passion.

The website for Hymns for a Kid's Heart has many download-able resources. The 'Creative Ideas' pdf contains four simple scripts to introduce people to some of the hymns, suggestions for use, and several creative ideas for children, adults, Sunday school, Bible study, worship, or mission settings. The free downloads of 'Sheet Music' from each book contain the sheet music to all of the hymns in that particular book, a related Bible verse, and a prayer. The only thing they don't contain from the original books is the hymn story, history, and illustrations. The 'Accompaniment Tracks' may also be downloaded and saved free in MP3 format. The books contain recordings with voices for learning or listening to the hymns for a family devotion, class, or your car!

Along with gaining a deeper understanding of these worship songs, readers will treasure the music, stories, and meaningful pictures of this wonderful series!  :)

 

 

Beneath the Cross of Jesus

The poet who wrote the lyrics to Beneath the Cross of Jesus, Miss Clephane, was born in a little town about 30 south of Ed­in­burgh, Scot­land on the 18th of June, 1830. Little is known about this woman who was the youngest of three sisters. Those who knew the young lady referred to her as "the sunbeam" because of her cheery nature and charitable giving. Elizabeth's few poems were not even published until a few years after her death at age 39 in a magazine entitled The Family Treasure. Five stanzes exist although the order has been changed in some hymnals while other hymnals prefer only to list three stanzas. Please see below for a link for sheet music and a midi file, and a list of references for additional study.

Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Poet: Elizabeth C. Clephane, 1868.

Musical Composer: Frederick C. Maker. Tune: St. Christopher

Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty Rock
Within a weary land.
A home within the wilderness,
A rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat
And the burden of the day.

There lies beneath its shadow,
but on the farther side,
the darkness of an open grave
that gapes both deep and wide;
and there between us stands the cross,
two arms outstretched to save,
like a watchman to guard the way
from that eternal grave.

O safe and happy shelter,
O refuge tried and sweet,
O trysting place where heaven's love
And heaven's justice meet!
As to the holy patriarch
That wondrous dream was giv'n,
So seems my Savior's cross to me,
A ladder up to heav'n.

Upon the cross of Jesus
Mine eyes at times can see
The very dying form of One
Who suffered there for me;
And from my smitten heart with tears
Two wonders I confess:
The wonders of redeeming love
And my unworthiness.

I take, O cross, thy shadow
For my abiding place,
I ask no other sunshine
Than the sunshine of His face.
Content to let the world go by,
To know no gain nor loss,
My sinful self, my only shame,
My glory all the cross.

Listen to a midi file download and find sheet music for Beneath the Cross of Jesus at HymnSite. Click on the "Hymn Search" Box on the top left side and enter the name.

Study Devotion ~ You may be interested in the following verses from which Miss Clephane was inspired: Genesis 28:11-12;  Jeremiah 9:2;  Isaiah 4:6;  Isaiah 28:12;  Isaiah 32:2;  Ezekiel 33:6-7;  Matthew 11:30;  Galatians 6:14.

 

 

April 2010 Poll ~ What is you favorite traditional hymn?

Traditional hymns are my topic for April, therefore I am hoping to find out which ones are your favorites! Don't worry, I'll do a poll and blogs posts in May about contemporary worship music. :D

If you have a favorite that I did not list above, please feel free to leave me a comment with the name of a hymn that touches your heart. Thanks & God Bless You! ~ Pamela

Worship Music Poll

Results of  the March 2010 Poll ~ Thank you to all who participated!!
"What styles of music do you prefer during worship?"

Traditional (hymns) 2 (25%)
Contemporary (modern styles) 3 (37%)
Gospel 1 (12%)
Organ 1 (12%)
Rock Band 1 (12%)
Orchestra 0 (0%)
Mixed instrumental ensemble 1 (12%)
Choral 2 (25%)
None of the above 1 (12%)
Combination of all the above 1 (12%)

Scriptunes! - Bible Scripture Memory!

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105

What is the most important thing Christians should be filling their hearts and minds with? God's amazing Word, of course! When His Word is ingrained into our souls, it is there when we need it ~ to guide our thoughts and actions, to help us make wise choices, to lovingly help others, and to uplift and support in times of need.

But what if your memory skills need a little boost (like mine)? I find that when studying Scripture, I can remember the concept that I want, but have a difficult time quoting exactly without paraphrasing. I also have a hard time remembering the reference from where the verse is located in the Bible.

Why is it important to remember the verses and references exactly? When going through daily life, knowing the Word exactly and correctly is going to aid me in all I do or say. By knowing the reference I can easily refer to it to share that knowledge with others. it's much more convincing to be able to locate a verse and allow them to contemplate it than to just say that its in the Bible somewhere.

 

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, 

rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 

so that the man of God may be thoroughly

equipped for every good work. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17

A method of making memorization easier is through music! So, one way my family has been memorizing Biblical Scriptures is using catchy, lively tunes. I believe all music should be used to glorify God in some way, so by singing Scripture we may worship Him and at the same time be implanting and teaching verses to ourselves, children, and anyone else who may listen.

The children have been participating in a wonderful program called Upwards for the past few years! It is a Christian organization for children and their families based around the fun games of basketball, soccer, and football. Several churches in our area band together to reach out to children grades K-8 in this mission. Not only do they have weekly basketball games and practices in which they learn to strengthen their sportsmanship and athletic skills, but they also have devotions and work together memorizing Scripture. They also have the option of cheerleading squads where the young ladies learn to be fantastic encourages to their fellow Christians.

"Upward Sports, the world’s largest Christian sports program for children, was created with a vision to provide the best sports experience possible for every child.  Each year some 1 million people around the world play, coach, referee, or volunteer in Upward Sports leagues and camps hosted by more than 2,600 churches.  Anyone – children and volunteers of any faith or no faith – can participate in Upward Sports.  Specifically designed for children in K5- sixth grade, Upward Sports aim to bring out “the winner” in every child – regardless of the game’s score." from Upwards Sports Site.

He replied, "My mother and brothers

are those who hear God's word 

and put it into practice."

Luke 8:21

Okay, Pamela, this blog is supposed to be about Christian music, so where are you going with this? Well, when the children start the yearly Upward program they are given a CD of incredible Christian music called Scriptunes! It contains an exciting, memorable song for each of the ten Bible verses the children will be studying. The songs are bouncy, repetitive, and easy to memorize! They contain the verse itself, a life application attached to it, and many time the reference right within the song itself. The music is composed and performed by a gentleman by the name of Mike Blackwood, a musician and pastor from Charlotte, North Carolina. My children and I have loved listening to and singing these songs to help to memorize each week's verse, then since the children enjoy them, listen to them year round. Since we have been participating for 5 years, we have 5 different CD for hours of inspirational listening!

If you would like to obtain a copy of one of the CD's, you may join Upwards, or just visit Mr. Blackwood's site or Amazon to order some for yourself! The songs are rewarding for all ages of believers!  :-D

If anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him.

1 John 2:5

Flute Profiles - Pamela Johnson

Flute Profiles - Pamela Johnson

Hymn Study

 
Although I enjoy several styles of music for worship, traditional hymns are ones that touch my heart the most. Why? Maybe it's because that is what I have been singing the most since I was a child, maybe it's the familiarity of memorized words and well known tunes, maybe it's the knowledge that innumerable Christians worldwide have sung them before me throughout centuries, or maybe it's a little bit of everything! Whatever the reason, the lyrics have such strong messages of faith and hope ~messages that are deep and sincere that I find strength in! They contain faith building words that I would like my children to hear, know, and understand.

How can I go about teaching the songs to them? We sing some of them on Sunday mornings, but there are so many inspirational ones. What about teaching them the meanings and stories behind these great hymns of faith? How do I make it interesting and meaningful to them? Squidoo author, Jimmie, has some wonderful suggestions for parents and teachers on making the hymns and their messages familiar to children in her article,
 Hymn Study for Homeschool. Although she writes it in the view from a Christian homeschool parent, her suggestions and ideas would be wonderful for any parent or teacher.

She includes articles which explain the benefits of studying the traditional hymns for you to consider. Given are sources of free hymn music and lyrics, discussion topics, and curricular connections. Several free online hymn study lesson plans are listed to give you suggestions for study and guide you in choosing ones that are helpful to the children you are working with.

Helpful reference books in print for reading and study are listed for you. Sources and samples for notebooking pages and worksheets for study notes are near the bottom of the article. The information may be used as a huge unit study about the hymns, an occasional study with a particular hymn that fits with your study topic, or as a family or choir devotional source. Whether you are a parent, homeschool teacher, Sunday school or Christian school teacher, or children's choir director, I think you will find this information useful!

Hymn Study by Jimmie

The Donut Man ~ Rob Evans

The doughnut man? Oh, I love doughnuts ~ sugared, glazed, powered ~ chocolate is the best! Fresh, soft, tasty ... mmm! That wonderful round shape is just perfect to hold and eat ... if it weren't for those pesky holes in the middle. Who's idea was it to cut out the middle anyway?

You know, sometimes in life we can feel like doughnuts. No, I don't mean we feel like eating doughnuts, I mean, sometimes although we may appear fresh and sugary on the outside, but we have a hole in the middle of our hearts ... like there is something missing.   Hhmmm ....


Hey, wait a minute! What's this doughnut man have to do with children's Christian music? Rob Evans, a.k.a., the "Donut Man" and his sidekick, "Duncan the Donut" have been performing Christian concerts for children and their families for over 25 years! Their infectious energy, wit, fun and enthusiasm for the gospel have been enjoyed by many in their live concerts, and on CD and DVD recordings. They now also have resources for Bible lessons with coordinating Bible theme songs and songbooks.

With the Donut Man, children will learn that "life without God's love is like a doughnut ... cause there's a hole in the middle of your heart!" They will also learn in an object lesson that "Jesus Christ, God's living Word, fills the empty place in our hearts with His incredible love!" ~ just like a doughnut hole can fill the hole in a doughnut! So clever and memorable for children ~ and adults!

On the Donut Man website you can join the online "Donut Repair Club", visit Duncan the Donut, listen to songs or watch videos, and print a coloring picture! The teacher section has interesting resources for Sunday School, Christian School, Homeschool, and VBS!

Some videos to enjoy!
Donut Hole Song
Donut Hole ~ Jesus Helps Us Share God's Love!
The Donut Repair Club ~ Celebration House Video


I bought the curriculum package many years ago to use with a children's choir because I knew that they loved the songs. It comes with a songbook, 52 lesson plans and songs, play scripts, CD's (split-track and regular) , and, my favorite ... a Duncan puppet!! In the choir situation, I would use parts of the lessons to intro the songs and reinforce the Biblical concepts. It also was helpful for teaching in Junior Church and VBS. When the children sang in worship services, we would sometimes have the piano play the accompaniment from the songbook - I also arranged it slightly to have the kid's bell choir and instrumentalists play along. A few times we used the CD as accompaniment in the services. The kids loved to choreograph  the songs, also!

Kids have so much fun singing songs like The Bath Song ~ "When I take a bath, I think about the Lord. Jesus fills me up with hope and washes me with super soap!" Not to mention the fun motions that go along with it! What a way to fill the children's hearts with the gospel when they start singing at every bath they take! (Not to mention a slightly silly choir director dancing and singing in the shower! ~ I suppose it's a good thing I've never slipped and broke anything. Can you imagine explaining to the paramedics ... "How did you fall, Ma'am?" ~ "Well, you see, I was dancing and singing about Jesus' Super Soap and ..." )

Have to tell you, at the end of each Donut Man concert there are doughnuts to repair and eat!!  Yum! "DonutForget" to check out The Donut Man where you will find a "great way to invite children to join the Donut Repair Club and to never forget that God loves to fill their heart with all of His blessings!" (Quotes from The Donut Man website.)

Cedarmont Kids Classics

Graphic Thanks to Gospel Clip Art

Continuing the theme of Christians recordings for children, I'd like to tell you about the resources from Cedarmont Kids Classics. The CD that I have in my collection is entitled, Little David Presents Sunday School Songs - 15 Classic Christian Songs for Kids. The recordings contain simple but pretty versions of popular songs with a group of children singing.

The series of  CDs are wonderful for Christian schools, Sunday School time, children's church, vacation Bible school, children choirs, and at home. What I enjoy about it them that the songs are easy for the kids to learn, and they remember and enjoy the songs! There are two sections on the CD. The first section contains the whole recording of voices and accompaniment; the second section uses a split-track recording where you may turn the sound balance to only have accompaniment for your children to sing with. Lyrics are included on the CD cover.

Other categories of recordings include Bible Songs, Action Bible Songs, Songs of Praise, Silly Songs, Hymns, and several others. Video recordings of the songs has also been created. I was pleased to find 3 songbooks with piano and guitar accompaniment on their site along with a new line of products in Spanish.

With the songbooks and recordings, teaching songs to children's choirs is a breeze! Whether they learn by listening, then singing with the accompaniment side only, or singing with live accompaniment that you provide, these lovely songs are ones that all children will enjoy using in worship.

No, I'm not an affiliate of Cedarmont. These reviews are simply meant to assist parents, teachers, and choir directors be aware of the possibilities for the children you love and work with. I am picking ones that I have felt the most beneficial and economical over 20 years of working with youth choir groups and classes. I hope this information is helpful to you.  :)

Christian Music for Children

What Christian music recordings do your children like to listen to? Please leave your suggestions and favorites. Thanks!

Supersized-Energized with Steven Courtney!

Supersized-Energized Sunshine-Funtime! is the name of one of Steven Courtney's many recordings for children. With a title like that, kids can't resist joining in the fun singing and dancing with Steven Courtney & His Band of Friends!

 The first time I ever heard of Mr. Courtney was a little over a decade. He came to a local church to put on a concert for the children. Friends who had heard of him gave rave reviews, so I took my then preschool children to check it out and have some fun. And fun we had! He has such a exciting way to get kids and parents to participate in the concert and spend some great time together. We've been lucky to see him perform live a few times around the area (he lives in Pennsylvania), and enjoy listening to his CD's and video tapes.

Mr. Courtney's website  states that he has performed "4,500 concerts, recorded 27 full-length albums, received 7 Children's Music Web Awards and the Arpeggio Award for "Outstanding Work with Children" through the Arts, as well as produce three concert-length performance videos and an award winning Children's TV series" over the past 15 years! Not bad, huh? He has provided both secular and Christian concerts for children through school assemblies, family concerts, churches, and more. His music includes several song themes emphasizing positive thoughts and attitudes, compassion and respect for one another, perseverance to go on in an upbeat way, and other character traits.

I was excited today to find sheet music and midi files, and music videos on the website - I'll hopefully have a chance to use them with some of the children I enjoy working with! If you are a kid, parent, grandparent, teacher, or musician - check out his music. It's a real treat to listen to!!

 

Wonderful Source of Worship Music

I wanted to share an incredible resource from my 'Facebook Friend', Gary Lanier, that I think all worship leaders and musicians will enjoy and find very useful. Gary's site is The Lanier Company ~ Sharing Worship Music with the World. There he shares free sheet music, lead sheets, hymn sheets, MP3, videos, Bible studies, and other worship materials, many of which are his own compositions. There are many other worship resources there for purchase also that look fabulous, also. Gary works in conjunction with eMusic for Worship.

Hide 'em in Your Heart!

Children's music ministry has been where my heart has been serving the Lord for the past 20 years (officially - longer unofficially)! God has blessed me by allowing me to direct children's choirs and accompany them on the piano at churches, schools, and homeschool groups.

One of the most awesome things about serving this way is seeing the lifelong impact that may be given to the kids. I couldn't tell you all the names of the songs I've picked for the kids or even how many pieces they have done, but there are some that will never be forgotten by me -and hopefully not by the kids either.

This month I will be starting this new Christian music blog by presenting some of the recordings and sheet music that have been more that cute songs or musically aesthetic for the kids. I try to pick musical selections that will teach them something about the character of God, review a Bible story, share a message with the congregation or audience they sing to, and most importantly, help them remember a key Bible passage or concept.

The first materials I wanted to share are recordings and music books by Steve Green. They are phenomenal! Entitled Hide 'Em in Your Heart - Bible Memory Melodies, Volumes 1 and 2, they do just that - plant key Bible verses into the children's little beings! A friend had mentioned them to me numerous years ago as something her children enjoyed listening to, so I decided to purchase them for my children. Wow - what a treat that was the first time listening to them. Volume 1 has 20 short pieces based on the Word directly from the Bible, and Volume 2 has 21. Each song is short (1-2 minutes long) and to the point. Mr. Green and the children on the recordings sing significant Bible verses in a simple, pleasing, repetitive way that are easy to learn and fun to sing. I searched out companion sheet music books for the accompaniment and away we went.

The children are usually presented with the verses of the month for memory. I have them look it up in the Bible, read it several times, and discuss what it means to us and how we can apply it in our lives. Then, of course, we learn the song and sing it repeatedly until thoroughly and internally memorized. Long after we are "done" with a song, the children request to sing them at rehearsals! I have been using them with my own children and children in the groups I work with frequently over the years.

Now here's the cool part ~ parents of the children (along with my own) sing the songs at home and other places they go, simply because they enjoy the songs. While they do, they are placing those verses deeper and deeper into their hearts and sharing the Word with anyone who may hear them! The verses come up in conversations and the children are able to take those oh so important verses with them as they go through their daily lives! I've been told that the kids remember them many years later as they go to recall certain verses. I know I've many a time been able to remember a verse by simply singing the precious tunes in my mind!

As I sit here and look at the worn covers, scratched on the plastic, paper crumpled, I continue to pray that these Biblical truths will stay with the children, guiding them in all they do!

I'll be sharing some other favorites throughout the month, so if you have a resources for children's Christian music, please leave me a note to share. Thanks and God bless you! :)

March 2010 Music Poll

Would you please select your favorite styles of music you prefer for worship times and services? I know there is quite a debate among people and am curious of your thoughts on the subject.

I truly like a combination of many styles. As long as it is praising and serving God, I'm happy! I would like to write about many of these types of worship music, but am interested in what my readers enjoy, too! If you have more to say about it than the few words I have in the poll, leave me a note. Thanks for visiting and voting.

Hello ~ I love all kinds of music, but as a Christian, I believe every note of music comes from God, and each note should be served back to Him for His Glory! I hope to create this blog with an emphasis on Christian music - it's purpose, styles, musicians, artists, composers, and anything other thoughts that God reveals to me about music - HIS music!