Awesome God: Worship Songs for Children, Sovereign Grace Music (BMI), 2004. This is a very gospel-centered children’s worship album by Bob Kauflin, Mark Altrogge, and the other leaders of Sovereign Grace Music. “Almighty Creator,” “Jesus Came To Earth,” and “Mighty, Mighty Savior” are all SojournKids’ music favorites. Samples, lead sheets, transparency lyric sheets, and chord sheets are all available for free at the Sovereign Grace site. Piano scores, MP3 downloads, and even accompaniment tracks are available for a small fee. The album is also available on iTunes. I highly recommend it.
Songs that Jesus Said: Scripture Into Music by Keith and Kristyn Getty, Getty Music, 2005. Many of you are familiar with the music of Keith and Kristyn Getty. They are the modern hymn writers who, along with their writing partner Stuart Townsend, have brought us modern hymns like “In Christ Alone.” What you may not know is that the Gettys have their own children’s music album. The Gettys plan a series of albums which will incorporate key bible passages and stories into new songs that give children the big picture of the Bible. Some favorites with SojournKids are “Stop and Think” and “Once Upon a Boat. Some of the songs sound a little like show tunes, but they are all very well done. If you are interested in learning more, check out the
album, sheet music, and lead sheets.
Seeds Family Worship This is not a single album, but a series of scripture memory albums for use in family worship. Their mission is to “plant the seeds of God’s Word in the hearts of families.” When you order one packet of seeds (a CD), Seeds will send you a second copy to give away to a friend. The scripture memory songs are based on the New International Version. A favorite with the Kennedy family is the Seeds of Faith album. Doug Wolter recommends their Power of Encouragement CD, and he has referenced a “doable devotion” that accompanies the song, “Heavenly Lights.” On the Seeds website, you’ll find free chord sheets and scripture memory cards as well as links to other Seeds Family Worship resources. You can find Seeds Family Worship on iTunes, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
Teach Me While My Heart Is Tender by Judy Rogers, Judy Rogers, 1995. Here you will find over 30 of Judy Rogers’ songs for children in one album. Songs 1-16 rehearse truths taught in the Catechism for Boys and Girls. “God Made Me” is a SojournKids’ preschool favorite. The remaining songs on the album rehearse biblical truths for children from the Proverbs and about spiritual warfare. You will find audio files on Judy Rogers’ website. You can also find complete lyrics here. Sheet music for most of the songs is also available for purchase at Rogers’ site.
Hide the Word: Scripture Memory Songs, Volumes 1-8, by Mark Altrogge (Forever Grateful Music) Mark Altrogge’s eight scripture memory albums are a great value, because they contain about twenty songs apiece. Hide the Word combines the power of music with the power of repetition to aid the listener in memorizing God’s Word. Each Scripture, including its reference, is made into a song. Then, each Scripture is repeated at least 3 times per song. The early albums in the series are based on the New International Version. Later albums are based on the English Standard Version. I’ve put together a Scripture Index for volumes 1-7. Recently, Sojourn’s kids have been memorizing Romans 5:8 from volume 2.
