Trusting in the power of God's word to give and sustain life and knowing his promise to bless children of believers should excite and motivate us to nurture their faith. My two preschoolers continue to remind me of the enormous challenge parents have for making God's word clear to them. So I was very excited to learn that Emu Music is about to release J is for Jesus, a new CD that primarily aims to teach Biblical concepts to very young children.
J is for Jesus is a follow up CD to Very, Very Big God and contains 21 tracks sung by Matt Roberts, Sarah Bailey, Julie Morrow and Play School favourite, Karen Pang. The songs deal with concepts such as God's sovereignty, providence, redemption and it encourages children to admire God and feel secure in his love and power. The album's content and musical style mainly suits preschoolers, though some tracks will find a home with children as old as seven. People familiar with "Big God' will be glad to hear the new CD open and close with new versions of the "Hello Song'. However, unlike "Big God' the tracks are not organised into thematic blocks but are arranged in smorgasbord fashion. Kids are going to love up-beat tracks like "Jesus is the boss', "God Knows', and "God Made Me Special'. The album is also peppered with slower, reflective tracks and storytelling songs. Although these tracks slow the momentum of the album, ultimately their arrangement provides a more interesting audio and divergent emotional experience. This variety of material also means the CD will lend itself to multiple uses as a resource, potentially enhancing children's talks, for example.
The album's collaborators should be congratulated for their commitment to making big concepts simple and marrying them to memorable, kid friendly, age appropriate tunes. The lyrical content includes the subject of human sinfulness, however rather than dwelling on it the music focuses on what I consider to be the "theological bull's-eye' for the target audience: awe and wonder at God, and the development of trust and thankfulness. Initially I did think the "Bible Alphabet' was a bit contrived. Yet within a short space of time discovered (like an annoying TV jingle) it had covertly lodged itself in my brain. As such the the ‘Bible Alphabet’ is likely to be both a hit with the kids and a successful medium for conveying the gospel. Similarly, some of us won't like "2 Timothy 3:16', yet the kids will get a real kick out of being given a license to be silly while simultaneously learning about the inspiration of Scripture. You've got to love those sugar coated medicine pills!
Emu's latest offering is a great resource that will help us teach our kids in the home, car or at church. But I just love a good kid's CD, cause they teach you big stuff in a breath.
