Album Review: Sing the Bible Family Christmas

Album Title: Sing the Bible Family Christmas

Group/Artist: Slugs and Bugs (Randall Goodgame)

Release Date: 2017

Stream on Spotify; Stream on YouTube

Sing the Bible Family Christmas is musically influenced by the jazzy-jazz of Charlie Brown Christmas. But these just aren't any Christmas songs--jazz or no jazz. 

These are Scripture verses set to music, good music at that. 

In the Beginning, the lead track, for example is from the first chapter of the Gospel of John, John 1:1-14.

The second song, When The Fullness of Time Had Come is from Galatians 4:4-7. 

Unto Us A Child Is Born, Isaiah 9:6. 

Mary's Song comes from Luke 1:46-49. Joseph's Dream 

Joseph's Dream comes from Matthew 1:18-25. (In my opinion this one sounds very VeggieTales!!!)

O Little Town has an instrumental O Little Town playing in the background while a child reads Luke 2:8-12.

Glory To God in the Highest comes from Luke 2:14; Luke 2:10

Mary and Jesus is instrumental

Zechariah's Prophesy is from Luke 1:68-70.

Sing O Heavens is from Isaiah 44:23; it leads into a lively Go Tell It On the Mountain

Silent Night is  an instrumental "Silent Night" while a child reads Luke 2:15-20.

I Heard the Bells is just I Heard the Bells. Not a Scripture. 

I love, love, love all the Scriptures!!! I love the musical influences. None of the songs felt dinky. It was just enjoyable. I've listened to it several times already since discovering it last week. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Album Review: Waiting Songs

Album Title: Waiting Songs:

Group/Artist: Rain for Roots

Release Date: 2015

Stream on Spotify; Stream on YouTube

Official Website Store

There are ten songs on this children's Christmas album by Rain for Roots. You can stream the album on their official website in a widget (scroll to the very, very bottom of the page.) Or you can stream on YouTube or Spotify. 

From their about us, "Rain for Roots is a collective group of musicians and songwriters who write singable Scripture songs for kids and grown ups alike.  While the albums have featured other collaborators and guest musicians since 2012, Rain for Roots primarily includes four members, Sandra McCracken, Flo Paris Oakes, Katy Hutson Bowser and Alice Smith."

The ten songs are: 

• O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
• Come Light Our Hearts
• Isaiah 11
• Every Valley (It's Hard to Wait)
• The Weight of the World
• Mary Consoles Eve
• Zechariah
• Magnificat
• Great Rejoicing
• Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

The album is a blend of traditional songs and original songs, with the majority being original compositions. One of the compositions is very silly and a bit addictive! (I speak of Zechariah...the one who couldn't speak...for the majority of this silly yet Scriptural story).

There were two or three songs where it was close to love at first...listen. A few that I knew I would want to listen to again, again--as the case may be. But most of the songs had to grow on me. As I listened to the album for a second, third, even fourth time, I began to appreciate the album as a whole. I was not familiar with most of these artists before listening to this album. Again, there was some growing time where I had to get used to the sound, the style, the arrangements, the instruments. 

I would describe the album as mellow, relaxing, original...and most importantly perhaps what I should have said first...Scriptural. 

The most thought-provoking to me was Mary Consoles Eve. 

Come Light Our Hearts 

For you, O Lord, our souls in stillness wait 

For you, O Lord, our souls in stillness wait 

Truly our hope is in You 

Truly our hope is in You 

O Lord of life, our only hope 

Your radiance shines On all who look -- to You in the dark 

Emmanuel come, come light our hearts 

For you, O Lord, our souls in stillness wait 

For you, O Lord, our souls in stillness wait 

Truly our hope is in You 

Truly our hope is in You 

O Joy above all other loves 

In you we find more than enough 

We come as we are, O heal and restore 

Come light our hearts

Mary Consoles Eve

Eve, my sister 

The one who took the fall 

Eve, my sister Mother of us all 

Lift up your head 

Don’t hide your blushing face 

The promised One 

Is finally on His way 

Almost, not yet, already 

Almost, not yet, already 

Eve, it’s Mary 

Now I’m a mother too 

The child I carry 

A promise coming true 

This baby comes to save us from our sin 

A servant King, His kingdom without end 

Almost, not yet, already 

Almost, not yet, already 

He comes to make his blessings flow 

As far and wide as the curse is found 

He comes to make His blessings flow 

Almost, not yet, already, 

Almost, not yet, already...soon 

Eve, my sister 

The one who took the fall 

Eve, my sister Mother of us all 

The promised One 

Is finally on His way

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Music Review: Christ and His Work

Christ and His Work. (Questions with Answers, volume 3) Songs for Saplings. Dana Dirksen. Find out more here.

Technically, this music series is designed to help children learn about God, to help establish a theological foundation that will serve them all their days. I think parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, Sunday school teachers, pastors, and music directors, etc. should definitely consider using this music with children.

The Questions and Answers are inspired by the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Each song answers one specific question. And each song includes at least one Scripture verse. So children--and adults--are memorizing Scripture too. There are six albums in the Questions With Answers series.

But I would add that you don't have to be a child in order to benefit from the music. It is never too late to learn the basics of the faith, to get a solid foundation going. Too many believers I fear use a piecework approach to the faith. Doctrine matters. What we believe impacts how we live our daily lives.

Today I am highlighting Christ and His Work the third album in the series.

• Can You Repent and Believe in Christ?
• What Is Meant by the Atonement?
• How Were People Saved Before the Coming of Christ?
• How Did People Show Their Faith Before the Coming of Christ?
• How Did Christ, Being God the Son, Become Man?
• Did Jesus Ever Sin?
• What Kind of Death Did Christ Die?
• What Are the Offices Christ Fulfilled?
• How is Christ Your Prophet?
• How is Christ Your Priest?
• How Is Christ Your King?
• Can You Repent?

Take a moment to stop and consider these questions. How many can you answer? Is your answer more a vague, fuzzy feeling? Or can you put your faith into words? Of course, being able to articulate and communicate the truth isn't enough. Faith isn't just head knowledge.

• Our children cannot apply Scripture without knowing what it says. They cannot love Christ without knowing who he is. They can’t obey God without knowing what he has commanded. And they will not know these things if we do not provide deliberate, thorough, rigorous instruction, just as we would do for subjects like math or grammar. ~ Starr Meade, Give Them Truth
• Christianity is, first of all, a body of truth—to be known, understood, embraced, applied, and passed on. “Spiritual” ideas and feelings, divorced from that body of truth, are not Christian, no matter what those who have them say. Our children must know, first of all, the body of truth taught by Jesus, built upon and communicated by the apostles, and passed down in the church through centuries. Without that body of truth, they do not have Christianity. ~ Starr Meade, Give Them Truth
• Children need to grow up with the understanding that, at its very core, Christianity consists of truth—objective, outside-of-me, whetherI-believe-it-or-not truth. While Christianity is more than just a set of correct beliefs, it certainly begins there. Starr Meade, Give Them Truth
• Many people believe that theological study holds little value. They say, "I don't need theology; I just need to know Jesus." Yet theology is unavoidable for every Christian. It is our attempt to understand the truth that God has revealed to us--something every Christian does. So it is not a question of whether we are going to engage in theology; it is a question of whether our theology is sound or unsound. It is important to study and learn because God has taken great pains to reveal Himself to His people. He gave us a book, one that is not meant to sit on a shelf pressing dried flowers, but to be read, searched, digested, studied, and chiefly to be understood. ~ R.C. Sproul, Everyone's a Theologian
• Gospel doctrine matters because the good news is so full and rich and wonderful that it must be opened like a treasure chest, and all its treasures brought out for the enjoyment of the world. Doctrine is the description of these treasures. Doctrine describes their true value and why they are so valuable. Doctrine guards the diamonds of the gospel from being discarded as mere crystals. ~ John Piper, God Is The Gospel

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Music Review: The Fall and Salvation

The Fall and Salvation (Questions with Answers volume 2) Songs for Saplings. Dana Dirksen. Find out more here.

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth." Deuteronomy 11:18-21

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4 

We want you to understand things, to get a true knowledge of them. The reason why men forsake truth for error is, that they have not really understood that truth; in nine cases out of ten they have not embraced it with enlightened minds. Let me exhort you, parents, as much as lieth in you, to give your children sound instruction in the great doctrines of the gospel of Christ. ~ Charles Spurgeon

Technically, this music series is designed to help children learn about God, to help establish a theological foundation that will serve them all their days. I think parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, Sunday school teachers, pastors, and music directors, etc. should definitely consider using this music with children.

The Questions and Answers are inspired by the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Each song answers one specific question. And each song includes at least one Scripture verse. So children--and adults--are memorizing Scripture too. There are six albums in the Questions With Answers series. Today I am highlighting the second volume: The Fall and Salvation.

The playlist

• What is A Covenant?
• What Was Adam's Part in the Covenant?
• Did Adam Obey God?
• How Did God Punish Adam's Disobedience?
• What is Sin?
• Who is Satan?
• Who is Stronger, God Or Satan?
• What Was The Sin of Our First Parents?
• Who Tempted Adam and Eve to Sin?
• What Happened to Adam and Eve When They Sinned?
• What Did Adam's Sin Do To You?
• What Does Every Sin Deserve?
• How Sinful Are You By Nature?
• Can You Go To Heaven with a Sinful Nature?
• What Is This Change of Heart Called?
• Who Can Change a Sinner's Heart?
• Who is the Redeemer of God's Elect?
• How Is Your Heart Changed?
• What is Grace?
• What Work Did Christ Do To Save You?
• Can Anyone Be Saved By His Own Works?
• What Do We Gain From the Work of Christ?
• What is Justification?
• How Were You Justified?
• What Is Sanctification?
• What Are The Two Parts of Sanctification?
• For Whom Did Christ Die?
• Who Will Be Saved?
• What Does It Mean to Repent?
• What is Faith In Christ?

In the first place, every deviation from truth is a sin. It is not simply a sin for me to do a wrong act, but it is a sin for me to believe a wrong doctrine. Lately our ministers have absolved us all from obeying God in our judgments; they have told us point blank, many of them, in their drawing-rooms, and some of them in the pulpit, that we shall never be asked in the day of judgment what we believed. We have been told that for our acts we shall be responsible, but for our faith we shall be irresponsible, or something very much like it; they have told us plainly, that the God who made us, although he has authority over our hands, our feet, our eyes and our lips, hath but little authority over our judgments; they have told us, that if we make ever such blunders in divinity, they are no sins, so long as we can live right lives. But is that true? No; the whole man is bound to serve God; and if God gives me a judgment, I am bound to employ that judgment in his service; and if that judgment receive an untruth, it has received stolen goods, and I have sinned as much as if I put forth my hand to take my neighbour’s goods. There may be degrees in the sin. If it be a sin of ignorance, it is nevertheless a sin; but it is not so heinous as a sin of negligence, which I fear it is with many. ~ Charles Spurgeon

Doctrine—what we believe—is foundational to how we live. And if you miss it, you’ll never get to where you want to be. It is the ground we stand on as we build our lives. Doctrine, you see, simply means teaching. It’s the content of what we believe, the understanding of reality that shapes our faith. The soil of doctrine in which we’re planted can make us beautiful and help us point others to the beauty of Christ and His gospel. But only if it’s the right doctrine. Even those of us who are long-time Christians can be misled by false or skewed beliefs we’ve picked up somewhere. If we aren’t intentional about where our hearts and minds are planted and watered, we can’t expect to end up with a healthy crop. ~ Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

There is one song on the album I don't like musically. There is one song on the album that I love, love, love "What Do We Gain From the Work of Christ."



© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Music Review: God and Creation

God and Creation (Questions with Answers vol. 1) Songs for Saplings. Dana Dirksen. Find out more here.

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth." Deuteronomy 11:18-21

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4 

My son, keep your father's commandment,
and forsake not your mother's teaching.
Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
When you walk, they will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life. Proverbs 6:20-23

Technically, this music series is designed to help children learn about God, to help establish a theological foundation that will serve them all their days. I think parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, Sunday school teachers, pastors, and music directors, etc. should definitely consider using this music with children.

The Questions and Answers are inspired by the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Each song answers one specific question. And each song includes at least one Scripture verse. So children--and adults--are memorizing Scripture too. There are six albums in the Questions With Answers series. Today I am highlighting the first volume: God and Creation.

The playlist

• Who is God?
• Who Made God?
• Has God Ever Had a Beginning?
• Will God Ever Die?
• Are There More Gods Than One?
• In How Many Persons Does This One God Exist?
• Who Are The Three Persons of God?
• Where is God?
• Can You See God?
• Does God Know All Things?
• Can God Do All Things
• Who Made You?
• Why Did God Make You?
• What Else Did God Make?
• Why Did God Make All Things?
• How Can You Glorify God?
• Why Should You Glorify God?
• Who Were Our First Parents?
• How Did God Make Adam and Eve?
• What Did God Give Adam and Eve Besides a Body?
• Do You Have A Spirit As Well As A Body?
• What Were Adam and Eve Like When God Made Them?

But I would add that you don't have to be a child in order to benefit from the music. It is never too late to learn the basics of the faith, to get a solid foundation going. Too many believers I fear use a piecework approach to the faith. Doctrine matters. What we believe impacts how we live our daily lives.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Music Review: Songs from the New City Catechism

I really love The New City Catechism. This is a companion album that is currently free to download from The Gospel Coalition. It was released on March 30, 2017.

The songs on this album cover questions one through fifteen. The lyrics of the songs are inspired by the catechism, but, do not strictly follow the wording exactly.

For example, the question might read:

How and why did God create us? God created us male and female in his own image to know him, love him, live with him, and glorify him. And it is right that we who were created by God should live to his glory.

And the lyrics might read:

How and why did God create us? God created us male and female in His own image--His own image to glorify Him. 

The songs are sung by children. The music was written by Frank Hernandez.

If you plan on sharing and learning the catechism with your children--or with your class--it only makes sense to include the music in the process.

I found the songs appropriately catchy. In particular, I loved, loved, loved the first song:

What is our only hope in life and death?
That we are not our own, but belong to God
That we are not our own, but belong to God

What is our only hope in life and death?
That we are not our own, but belong to God
That we are not our own, but belong to God

While technically, "for children," I think adults can benefit from listening to this one as well! I hope there will be future albums to tackle the rest of the catechism.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Silent Night

Silent Night. Joseph Mohr. Illustrated by Susan Jeffers. 1984/2003. Penguin. 32 pages. [Source: Bought]

Silent night, holy night.
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
sleep in heavenly peace,
sleep in heavenly peace.

This one is a picture book adaptation of the Christmas carol--or hymn--"Silent Night." Included are the traditional first and second verses. Also included is the less familiar verse about the wise men. The verse about the wise men is not traditionally included in lyrics for the song. So it isn't even a traditional fourth verse! And versions of the song with more than three verses, don't have this verse either. I saw one adaptation with six verses--none of them about wise men!

I like this one. I love the song, of course. And it's nice to have a picture book adaptation of it with lovely illustrations. I just wish Jeffers had gone the traditional route and included the third verse of the song. I think the third verse of the song is the BEST AND MOST IMPORTANT.

Silent Night! Holy night!
Son of God, love's pure light,
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!

I haven't decided if the lack of the third verse is enough of an annoyance to keep me from liking this one. The edition I have is from 1984. It was reprinted in 2003, but, I'm not sure if any changes were made to the book.

Hymnsite.com 
Hymns and Carols of Christmas
Hymnary.org
Various English Translations of Silent Night--most from nineteenth century
Cyber Hymnal
Silent Night Lost Verses

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Music From Our Lord's Holy Heaven

Music From Our Lord's Holy Heaven. Gathered and Sung by Gloria Jean Pinkney. Art by Jerry Pinkney, Brian Pinkney, and Myles C. Pinkney. Prelude by Troy Pinkney-Ragsdale. 2005. HarperCollins. 48 pages.

Music offers a magical space for children as well as adults. Within a song one can find warmth, motivation, and a chance to express oneself.

From the prelude, "Spirituals are so melodic that even a very young child can quickly hum a tune and often remember the words...Sharing inspirational songs with children is a unique way to teach the wonders of God, for singing lets them actively participate in the learning process."

I loved this one. I just LOVED it. There are three sections in the book, "Adoration," "Spiritual Wayfarers," and "The Good Shepherd." Each section has seven to eight songs. Some of the songs included: "Old-Time Religion," "This Is My Father's World," "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah," "Go Down, Moses," "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder," "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho," "Go Tell It On the Mountain," "Tell Me The Stories of Jesus," "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands," and "This Little Light of Mine."

Readers get the chance to listen to the music--a CD is included with the book--read the lyrics, and look at the illustrations. (The illustrations are diverse in style. Included are some photographs.) One feature which I especially enjoyed was how Gloria Pinkney paired each song with a psalm--a bible verse. For example, "Old Time Religion" is paired with Psalm 9:1-2. ("I will praise Thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in Thee: I will sing praise to Thy name, O Thou Most High.") And "This Is My Father's World" is paired with Psalm 148:5. ("Let them praise the name of the LORD: for He commanded, and they were created.")

I would definitely recommend this one. It would pair well with He's Got The Whole World In His Hands, All Night, All Day: A Child's First Book of African-American Spirituals, All Things Bright and Beautiful, Let it Shine, All God's Critters, and Sunday is For God.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Music Review: Slugs, Bugs, And Lullabies

Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies. Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame. 2008. 41 minutes.

I will do my best to put into words how much I love, love, love this CD. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I mean I love, love, love Andrew Peterson. And I've never been disappointed in any of his projects. So I had high hopes for this one. And wow, what a great album this is!!!

It is a children's album. But I don't think you *have* to be a child to love this one. (Perhaps just a child at heart.) Eighteen songs--well, seventeen songs and a very cute, very sweet poem (Up). You'll find a blend of silly, sweet, catchy, and thought-provoking songs. (Yes, there are a couple of songs that make you think--deeply--about God, about faith. Not all the songs are 'religious' however. Plenty are just silly, silly, silly.) Some are fast; some are slow.

Here's the video for God Made Me. (One of the catchiest tunes from the album.)

• Stop
• Post Office
• Piggy Little Toes
• God Made Me
• Dreams
• Bears
• Who's Got The Ball
• Up
• Tractor Tractor
• Chicken Wiggle
• Beans
• Tiger
• The Boy Who Was Bored
• You Can Always Come Home
• May the Lord Bless and Keep You
• Beautiful Girl
• My Baby Loves to Dance
• Settle In, My Child, and Sleep

Favorite silly song? Hard to choose between Bears, God Made Me, and Piggy Little Toes. (I loved Dreams too.)

Here's "Bears" live...

And a live version of "Piggy Little Toes"

Favorite lullaby? I loved May the Lord Bless and Keep You, Beautiful Girl, You Can Always Come Home, and My Baby Loves to Dance.

You can order the album from the Rabbit Room or on Amazon.

http://www.slugsandbugs.com/

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible