My Musical Heritage (Happy birthday, Dad!)

[My dad, ever the English teacher, enjoys anecdotal stories more than any gift. Well, that and hearing/seeing his three kids sing and play instruments together. Here's a little of both for his birthday]

Take a load off Fanny...

You're my blue sky; you're my sunny day...

No, no, no, it ain't me, Babe...

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you for all my life...

Lord, I was born a ramblin' man...

You can't always get what you want...

Let it be, let it be...

Such was the soundtrack of my childhood.  Dad would be in the kitchen with his patriotic apron singing into his spoon/microphone as he whipped up a batch of snickerdoodles or beef stew or "meat, corn, and potatoes."  I've often wondered how the three of us kids could've ended up so musical when our dad's musical prowess didn't make it past the kitchen or the confines of the van (with a good ol' tape deck).  Two things come to mind: we were around music and we were supported in our musical endeavors.

Music, from the Byrds to Bob Dylan to Buddy Holly to the Beatles, filled our home.  It was the marriage of Mr. Tambourineman and Mrs. Robinson.  Dad was a teen during the 60's and finished college in the 70's, and, as a family, we never really moved on to anything from the 80's or 90's.  This lines up with what the New York Times found when they analyzed Spotify data: the songs you like as a teen set your musical tastes as an adult.  Dad belted out the tunes; we sang along.  I still remember many of the lyrics -- the nostalgia runs deep. Being around music doesn't in and of itself lead to becoming a musical person, but it definitely set the foundation for us.

Rock 'n Roll wasn't our only influence. The other way Dad created an environment of music was by writing songs to the tunes of hymns.  I still remember how he changed the words of "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" to "Marsha, Mommy, we adore you, wonder of the Kinser clan."  He even created two musicals with other hymn-tune-adaptations and witty lines to bring the narratives of Genesis to life.  We have a video of us singing "O Come, All Ye Faithful," one of Dad's favorite Christmas carols (and he insisted we learn and sing all the verses).

When it came to learning an instrument, that was more down Mom's alley.  She has played the organ at our church since she was a teenager.  Dad was more of an air guitarist (especially in the kitchen as he danced around belting out "Like a rolling stone" pronounced just like Bob Dylan did it).  Still, he supported us as we showed interest in playing "real" instruments.  We all began with piano but eventually all added guitar (Jon's purple electric as a 7th grader was the gateway for all of us).  We all joined band class (Matt on saxophone, Jon on percussion, me on trumpet), which turned into nine straight years of marching band.  

How did Dad support our musical endeavors? Let me count the ways... 

• paying for music lessons (and driving Jon a half hour away for guitar lessons because that's where the best teacher was), 
• buying instruments to add to our growing collections,
• being a proud member of the Pit Crew (he had a shirt made that said "My job's the pits"),
• writing articles for the local newspaper about our marching band performances,
• supplying Pez pick-me-ups for us and our friends after long practices,
• dealing with the noise and unpleasantness of practice times (the drum set in the garage had to have been annoying at times), 
• showing up at our concerts, gigs, performances, and recitals over the years (and still to this day! He loves making the drive to watch Matt play in any venue).

I don't know if Dad had the foresight decades ago to know that his investment would lead to songwriters of his own who matured from "We are the Lundquist brothers" to "Sunny Day Blues" and from "I Love to Paint" to over 300 Scripture songs to help kids and adults memorize Bible verses.  Who would have thought that he would have one son still happily playing gigs in his 40s, another son who studied classical guitar at the collegiate level, and a daughter who taught music at a Christian school for four years?  One of the greatest results of Dad's investment, though, is that whenever the three of us siblings get together, music is involved. Our styles and preferences and abilities may vary, but we enjoy jammin' and improvisin' and harmonizin' together.  If that's the end-in-mind I want for my own boys, I need to follow Dad's model of having music in the home and supporting their musical endeavors.

  

A year ago, we couldn't get together to play and sing in person, so we decided to put together a quarantined song for Mom's birthday (and surely, she's part of our musical heritage, too).  After the fun of that, we thought we'd do one for Dad's birthday, too.  When Matt e-mailed me his rendition of "The Weight," I was afraid that the song would be unfamiliar.  It may be called "The Weight," but I know it better as the "Fanny" song -- one of many that Dad sang from the kitchen.  It's about taking the load off someone else and carrying it ourselves.  Dad carried many-a-load for us over the years to set the foundation for three lifelong musicians.  Thanks, Dad!  Here it is (with my inspiring performance on the toy shakers and with a cameo at the end from the next generation of musicians in the family line):

How to Find Scripture Songs

"Are there ways we can find verses set to a tune?"

It was asked in our Scripture memory Facebook group. That's a loaded question for a Scripture memory song enthusiast like myself. Yes, yes, there are ways. It will take a blog post to outline all my thoughts, and it still won't be an exhaustive review of all the artists out there.

First, there are two questions to consider:

1. Do you have certain verses you know you want to memorize?

    If yes, then you can do what I did when I was teaching 4th grade at a Christian school, and my students had weekly memory verses to learn. In YouTube, search for the verse reference plus the word "song." If you have a certain translation in mind, you can add that, too. For example, "Proverbs 3 NIV song." Sometimes, there may be a ton to choose from in all translations. Other times, there won't be any, or it will be in a different translation. If I like the song, I'll often learn whatever translation it's in. Or I'll change the words to fit the translation we're learning. Don't be surprised if you stumble upon one of my videos. I have hundreds on there, mainly to add to the "database" for when people are searching for specific verses.

2. Would you rather find an artist you like and learn verses based on what songs appeal to you?

    If yes, then let me offer several recommendations of some of my favorites over the years.  I first started with Seeds Family Worship, after a Facebook recommendation in a group I'm in. I ended up putting the bundle of all their albums on my Christmas list that year, and I listened to one CD a month the following year and learned all those verses. I've added all their additional albums as they've been released. I love that their music is for families but enjoyed by everyone (in other words, they're not too "kid-y"). 

    Through my YouTube searches for particular verses and through my connections in the Scripture memory world, I've found several others I've been able to use to learn Bible verses. Again, this isn't exhaustive, but it is a lot of information! I'd recommend starting with the ones in yellow unless another translation or description or verse piques your interest:

ESV

• Corner Room - I don't know where this group has been all my life! I listen to them on Spotify (which has introduced me to other Scripture song artists) but went ahead and purchased their albums and plan on eventually memorizing all the verses. 
• We learned this one from Isaiah 53:4-7. 
• When Calvin had to memorize Psalm 23 for AWANA, we all learned it together. 
• Psalm 139 is one of my favorite psalms. I memorized it in the NIV84 back in college but am re-learning it in the ESV with these awesome songs: Psalm 139:1-6 and Psalm 139:7-16 and Psalm 139:17-24.
• I often get the first part of this song in my head (Unless the Lord builds the house...) and am looking forward to learning the whole thing: Psalm 127.
• Melodically Memorizing - This is a new YouTube channel by a young gal named Abigail, who plays the keyboard. I love her heart, and I love her songs. I've memorized 
• Titus 3:4-5 (But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Savior appeared...) 
• Ephesians 2:1-7 (But God, being rich in mercy...)
• and Romans 15:13 from her. 
• Eric Graef - This is a pastor/dad who plays guitar. 
• I learned Genesis 1:26-27 from his song,
• and I'm using his Romans 1:16-17 song as I'm working on Romans.
• Perimeter Road Baptist Church - This church committed together to learning Scripture by song during 2019, posting a new song every week. The songs are really well-done with lyrics on the screen. I highly recommend their song for Romans 8:18. 
• Sing Scripture - I've only recently stumbled upon this channel, but the songs are super fun with groovin' beats. Some of them also have rap, if that's your thing (and even if it's not, it's still worth a listen!). 
• I plan on learning this one: John 15:1-11 
• This one is a little slower but with a good beat and tight harmonies: James 1:2-4
• Mark Altrogge - I had recognized his as a songwriter (I'm Forever Grateful, One Pure and Holy Passion, I Stand in Awe). He's also a pastor and has several videos of him singing Scripture songs with his guitar. 
• I enjoyed learning this one: Psalm 32:8.
• Adam Zarn - This is an upbeat song for the protoevangelium: Genesis 3:14-15. 
• Jason Woolever - This is a couple who posted several songs years ago. When I was learning Hebrews 10:24-25, I used their song. Upbeat with good harmonies. 
• Josh and Kirsten Shive - I'm not too familiar with this group, but I used their song for 1 Peter 1:3-4. Their songs are more professionally done than some on YouTube.
• SwordGrip - Stan Blair of NIV Kids Club has teamed up with Scripture Memory Fellowship to provide songs for their SwordGrip program, which is 3 verses from every book of the Bible (OT Vol I and II, NT). My nine-year-old and six-year-old memorized verses from OT Vol I and were able to recite them cumulatively. The only way we made this happen is through songs! Here were some of our favorites:
• Carter is obsessed with the beat and key of this song: Esther 4:14-16. 
• This was my two-year-old's first Scripture song: Psalm 34:1-3. (Of course, it needed some translation. "I will bless the Lord..." became "I will bess a Yord..."
• This one has a regal feel to it: 2 Kings 19:17-19
• Zac Fitzsimmons - Here's a worship pastor who has put several psalms to music
• (also note Seeds Family Worship down below in the kids/family section. They may be for kids, but I listen to them even without my kids around!)

NLT

• Sing through the Bible - one girl took the challenge over the course of 2016 to post 365 original songs straight from Scripture. Each day's song lyrics were pulled from The One Year Bible's daily reading. You would think that with that frequency, the videos and/or songs would be sub-par, but they're excellent. Most of them are of a girl singing, but occasionally her husband joins her.
• Here's a playlist for fear and anxiety 
• This is one I'm interested in learning. It features both of them: John 10:27-30 
• I love this song that I learned last summer: Psalm 37:23-24

NIV(84)

• Sons of Korah - This is a group based out of Australia that put whole psalms to music (back before it was cool). I've purchased three of their albums, and I love the variety of music styles and of psalms 
• from confession Psalm 51
• to praise Psalm 148
• I listened to this one on repeat after our miscarriage four years ago: Psalm 46b
• Greg Stultz - Great guitarist and vocalist who writes songs for extended passages (like the first half of Romans!). I'm pretty sure he uses the NIV, and it's from over a decade ago, so probably NIV84.

NIV(2011)

• Truth Songs - This is another one of my favorites. There have been a few times that I've used their songs when I had specific verses to memorize, but other times, I just find a song I like and learn those verses. It's a couple named Zander and Janine who are originally from Samoa. He plays guitar, she plays keyboard, and their harmonies are rich. They've been doing this for awhile, and they've incorporated their kids over the years since they were babies. Now their four daughters join them on some of the songs.
• Philippians 4:8 - I already had this verse memorized with a different song and still decided to learn this one. So good! (Whatever is true...)
• 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 - I memorized this one when I needed to remind myself that "we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God." This is an anthem to take your thoughts captive.
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 - This is a beautiful one with Zander and their two oldest girls. 
• Jeremiah 29:11-13 - We're currently learning this one during our homeschool time.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 - I haven't finished learning this one yet, but I absolutely love it. A worshipful song about heaven straight from Scripture.
• This is a great one with the whole family: Ephesians 1:3-7
• Lantern Music - This is a children's pastor named Andy who was discouraged when the kids in the children's ministry weren't retaining their memory verses. So, he started writing songs! His videos are really well done and could be incorporated into children's worship at church. My 5th grade class loved learning this one: Ephesians 2:8-9
• Scripture to Song - These songs include lyrics on the screens and Michelle singing awesome acapella harmonies with herself.
• I learned this one last summer: Proverbs 4:25-27 (Let your eyes look straight ahead...)
• and this one: 2 Cor 1:3-4 (Praise be to...the God of all comfort who comforts us...) 
• I love this version of John 15:5 (I am the Vine, you are the branches...)
• I also learned this one: 1 Timothy 1:13. Michelle's husband is Indonesian, so the first part of the video is her singing in Indonesian. 
• Mr. Pike - I stumbled upon this fellow 4th grade Christian school teacher when I was searching for songs for our memory verses (they use the same curriculum -- Purposeful Design). He had the same idea I did of putting all the verses to songs, and his students have remembered their verses for years. He became a bit of a celebrity in our class. We sent some messages back and forth, and my students were soooo excited to hear from Mr. Pike! 
• This one has his class singing along with him: Matthew 3:16-17 (Jesus' baptism)
• I love this one about His divine power giving us everything we need: 2 Peter 1:3 
• and this one: Galatians 6:9 (Let us not become weary...) 
• His Sheep Am I - This is a gal based in Singapore. She plays the piano and then often the second half of her song is just the piano accompaniment to test yourself. She also has several songs in Chinese.
• I like this one about different people planting and watering but God making it grow 1 Cor 3:6-7 
• I learned this one last summer about living at peace with others: Romans 12:18 
• My class learned this one and loved trying to sing with her accent: Hebrews 11:1
• Psalms4Guitar - This couple hasn't posted in awhile, but I LOVE their song for Psalm 99:5. This is one that my one-year-old can finish. When I sing, "Exalt...the Lord...our ___" he can finish with "God."

KJV

• Scripture Songs - I see this gal pop up all the time when I'm searching for verses. I don't typically memorize in KJV, but I know many of you do, so I wanted to include her. 
• I was looking for a song for Isaiah 43:18-19 and stumbled upon this one. Apparently, during a Friday night worship service, people were put into groups to create a Scripture song in 20 minutes. This was the result of one group's time. I LOVE it, and the ukulele sounds great with their voices. 

NKJV 

• Esther Mui - "This channel is dedicated to worshiping YHWH with songs written straight out of the Bible." Esther is from Malaysia. She plays the keyboard and sings, usually slower ballads and often longer passages. Here are some I've committed to memory:
• Isaiah 25:1 (O Lord, you are my God. I will exalt You...)
• Revelation 21:3-5 (And God will wipe away every tear from their eye...)
• Psalm 73:21-26, 28 (Whom have I in heaven but You?...)

Other/Various Translations

• Integrity - Perhaps one of my greatest ever thrift store finds was stumbling upon the "God's Grace" album from Integrity Scripture Memory Songs. I have since bought two other albums from iTunes (although I still occasionally check the CDs at Goodwill). Each CD has a theme and incorporates various translations. They sound like 90s Christian music because, well, they are. Here are some of my favorites:
• Revelation 12:10-11 NKJV (And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb...)
• Romans 6:14-15 NIV84 (You are not under law but under grace...)
• 2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV (...that though he was rich, yet for our sakes, he became poor...)
• Glory Revealed - Folksy Scripture songs from various Christian artists such as Mac Powell from Third Day. Here are two of his songs I love: By His Wounds and Restore to Me
• Scripture Lullabies (Hidden in my Heart Vol I-III) - My oldest sons have been listening to these CDs on repeat throughout the night for years! I like that they have full orchestration. Here are two examples:
• Everything is Possible 
• Lord's Prayer
• Leah Carolan - This is a worship leadin' mom who has become very prolific in writing Scripture songs over the past couple years. She has completed several projects and uses various translations.
• Jason Silver - This is a guy who posts videos multiple times a week thanks to his Patreon supporters. He has done all the psalms and hopes to eventually have songs for the whole New Testament. I'm planning on re-learning Philippians using his songs to help me remember them better long-term. 
• Bible Song Word for Word Ministries - David is currently adding a song for each 1st chapter of the New Testament books. He doesn't use a specific translation, from what I can gather -- more of a combination of several.
• The Psalms Project - "In 2006, singer/songwriter Shane Heilman felt inspired to set the Psalms to music in a way few had heard before." He uses a combination of Bible translations to put the lyrics together. He doesn't follow any specific translation word for word, but tried to balance faithfulness to the literal text with the aesthetic quality of the song.
• Scripture Snacks - "Throw away your flash cards. Scripture Snacks fills the gap by memorizing scriptures in the form of a song." Some have kids vocals and some are only adults. These songs are acapella with "pop-driven melodies and low bass vocal percussion." I've saved many to my "to learn" playlist, but I'll probably start here: 1 Corinthians 1:31 and Jeremiah 9:23-24
• Ralph Merrifield/New Hope Music - Ralph has written over 750 original Scripture-based songs and over 300 hymns. All are free to download, copy, and share with others. I learned these last summer: Ecclesiastes 7:10 and 2 Cor 7:5-6.
• Me! I have 345+ YouTube videos with songs that I've either written or adapted from other translations (giving credit to the original songwriter in the description). My songs have come from my own Scripture memory projects, such as Psalm 119 (NIV), James (NIV), and Titus (ESV). I've also made playlists of all the K-8 weekly memory verses (NIV) from the Christian school where I taught. And now I'm working on songs to help my boys remember their verses for AWANA (ESV) and SwordGrip (ESV). Always more to learn! Here are some of my favorites that I have written

• James 5:13-20 - this was the finale of my James project
• The Fasting Song (Scriptures from Psalms, Joel, Luke, Acts, Nehemiah, Daniel)
• Genesis 3:22-24 - This is one of Calvin's all-time favorites, which makes me laugh. We call it "He drove out the man"
• John 3:3 - normal, then in different, silly voices
• Galatians 5:14 (For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command...)
• 2 Chronicles 7:14-16 (If my people, who are called by my name...)

Kids/Family

• Seeds Family Worship. As I've mentioned, I am a huge fan! When they began, they used NIV word-for-word. When the NIV updated in 2011, they switched to ESV.  I have memorized all the verses from all the albums (except maybe the newest one). It is very difficult to narrow down to a list of favorites, but here are some:

• Isaiah 41:10 - really upbeat. This is a pump up song. I love to raise my fist in the air when the drum punctuates "with...my...riiiighteous riiiight hand"
• John 10:9 - this one is more folksy with a female vocalist. I wouldn't mind if this gal did a whole album in this style.
• Lamentations 3:22-23 - on their lullaby album. Currently working on it for homeschooling.
• 1 Timothy 4:12 (Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young...)
• Romans 8:38-39 - This is from their first album. When I taught music, I made this album into our spring concert. I especially loved incorporating sign language into this one. And when I switched schools, I had my 4th graders do this for the talent show (For I am convinced that neither death nor life...) 
• Slugs and Bugs - Randall Goodgame is known for his silly songs like "Tractor, Tractor" and his Slugs and Bugs show on Right Now Media, but he also has a couple albums with Scripture songs. 
• I stumbled upon this one the other day and adapted it for the translation I needed. Galatians 4:4-7 (When the fullness of time had come, God sent his son...)
• I also love his song for learning the Old Testament books
• Psalmist Laura - "Laura Lonero is singing scripture to help plant God's word into the hearts of children." I found her when I was searching for memory verse songs for our K and 1st graders. Apparently, they use the same curriculum (not sure if she teaches at the school or just supports them with songs). She often includes puppets and plays the ukulele. Here are some I've used:
• Psalm 91:15 
• Psalm 111:4
• NIV Kids Club/Stan Blair - I didn't grow up with these, but I sure wish I did! I purchased the mp3s on his website for $2 per album. What a deal! The songs are soo fun and singable! My boys LOVE them! There's an album for Proverbs, Psalms, Colossians, and The Family of God. It's kind of hard to find the songs on YouTube, but I included a link to his website and for the video of Proverbs (be prepared for 90s clothes and hair!).
• Corner Room Kids (ESV) - so fun! I'm a new fan of The Corner Room music, and I also purchased their kids album.
• Psalm 106:1 - I like cranking up this song and dancing around the house.
• We used this one in homeschooling to learn Isaiah 9:6-7.
• Jump Start 3 - "JumpStart3 meets an immediate need in the Christian world by combining modern music in the styles with lyrics straight from the Bible! Our goal is to create an exciting and innovative way for kids to memorize and hide God's word in their hearts so they can evangelize and share God's love."
• My class loved this slower song: Deuteronomy 31:6 
• Here's a more upbeat one that I learned last summer: Proverbs 16:9 
• Hillsong Kids - These are well-done for kids ministry:
• Jeremiah 29:11 - My class loved watching the kids dance on this video so much that we ended up making their own music video singing and dancing to this song.
• John 1:1-3 (In the beginning was the Word...)
• Spencer Family Music - This is one of those bunch-of-kids singing families. They have high quality recordings, and their videos feature various combinations of their children (I can't keep track of how many they have!). I've learned Psalm 34:8 (Oh taste and see...).
• Steve Green - I think there are two Hide 'Em in your Heart albums for kids. They are a little dated now, but I LOVE this version of Psalm 34:13 (Keep your tongue from evil)
• The Rizers - upbeat with fun videos. Here's an example: 2 Peter 3:18
• Doorpost Songs - This is another group focused on family worship. I like their songs, but I already had many of the verses memorized, so I opted not to purchase any albums.

[Whew! That was a labor of love! See why I couldn't "just" post a comment when she asked if there were ways to find verses set to a tune? Please let me know if there are any broken or incorrect links]

Oh, and one final note: 

If you can't find a song for the verse you want in the translation you want, 

or if you just aren't crazy about an existing song, 

WRITE ONE! 

"Sing a new song to the Lord (Psalm 96:1)"  

It doesn't have to be fancy or in-tune or with an instrument. 

It doesn't need a YouTube video or blog post. 

It doesn't even have to be shared beyond your living room! 

If it helps you worship the Lord and remember his Word, it IS a success!

(and who knows, you may find that you really love it!).

However, as it is written:

"What no eye has seen,

what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived" --

the things God has prepared

for those who love him.

-1 Corinthians 2:9

Ten Things - Montana

This was a picture that popped up in one of my Facebook memories this summer. A participant from a YouthWorks youth mission trip to my site in Lame Deer, Montana, had posted it from the summer of 2005. When I "shared" the memory, it prompted so many thoughts and memories that I posted ten things that came to mind. I thought it would be fun from time to time on this blog to post a picture along with "ten things."  Some challenges on Facebook are to share pictures without any explanation. Well, I like the explanations :-)

1. Living for 10 weeks on the Northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana was my first experience (in America) where I was the minority. It was one of the most transformational (and amazing!) summers of my life.
2. Yes, I lived in a high school for a summer! I slept on an air mattress in a classroom, cooked food in the cafeteria, and took showers in the locker room. It's fine when there are 70+ teenagers there. It's a little unnerving when it's just you and your team of 4 over the weekends.
3. I miss those pants. They traveled with me to Thailand, Myanmar, and Lame Deer, Montana. Also, I wish people had tried harder to convince me that they are definitely pajama pants and should not be worn out and about as "regular" pants. I think I was just excited that I had pants that were long enough!
4. Max the guitar is still going strong, all these years later! He replaced "Bently" that fell apart at a youth event in Florida the summer before. I've considered Bently and Max my "learning guitars," and after almost 20(!) years of playing guitar, I don't know that I'll ever upgrade to a non-hand-me-down.
5. This is the room where we did the skit that involved using a teammate's mouth as a "bowl" to eat cereal and milk out of. How did I ever think that was okay?
6. Taco Tuesdays just aren't the same without Indian fry bread from Alfretta.
7. This is where I learned "the eagle song" that spread to my next YouthWorks site in Colorado and everywhere I've gone since then.
8. I still wear my YouthWorks hat. It's definitely not dark blue anymore. I'm kind of sad that I don't have any of my YW shirts anymore. Nonconformist!
9. I've never seen as many shooting stars as I did in that football field outside.
10. Powwow music still gets me pumped up! (Note: I'm not playing powwow music, but this picture makes me think of it!)

Here's the "powwow music" I was referring to:

Grandma - Centering on Christ

Back right pew.

Left side near the aisle.

That was their spot, so it became our spot, too.

As yummy as the chicken and noodles were, I'm so glad that Grandma passed down more than her food; her faith was incredibly important to her. My family attended the same church where my grandpa was the elder for 25 years and where my mom played the organ ever since she finished college. It was the one "just down the road" from my grandparents' house where we would attend before our Sunday night family gatherings.

I don't remember a ton of conversations with her about faith, but even as a kid, I recognized her spiritual influence. I remember intentionally giving her one of my VBS crafts (a butterfly picture that hung by her bed) because I wanted her to know how I appreciated how she had passed on her faith to me.  Whenever we would spend the night at her house, she'd remind us, "Say your prayers."  At church in that back pew, she'd slip candy to us when we were getting restless. She'd also give us a dollar to put in the offering plate as it passed.  

I learned more about her faith at her funeral.  Family members referenced her love for Jesus -- how she'd share the Gospel, study her Sunday School lesson, pray for her family, help the needy (financially, spiritually, in prayer). She looked for the good in people. She could always find something good to say about someone. If my uncle would be talking about someone singing way off key, she'd say, "Wasn't that good they sang with love in their hearts?"

There were three songs in particular that I remember Grandma particularly liking. I can still hear her singing "be glory-fied" in her warbling voice. Though we never had conversations about the words, I choose to believe that the song lyrics were the cry of her heart. This, too, is part of her legacy. I join the chorus, Lord. As my grandma sang, be glory-fied in my life today, too.

In my Life, Lord, Be Glorified

In my life, Lord, be glorified, be glorified

In my life, Lord, be glorified today.

In my song, Lord, be glorified, be glorified

In my song, Lord, be glorified today.

In Your church, Lord, be glorified, be glorified

In Your church, Lord, be glorified today.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee

I am weak but Thou art strong
Jesus keep me from all wrong
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee

Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be

Here's a video my brothers and I made for my mom with the song 

"Just a Closer Walk with Thee"

I'd Rather Have Jesus

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold.

I'd rather be His than have riches untold;

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands.

I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain

or be held in sin's dread sway.

I'd rather have Jesus than anything 

this world affords today

This is a compilation of songs from our Free Will Baptist hymnal.  

At the 14:35 mark, there's the song "I'd Rather Have Jesus."