The Reason I Sing

Music is vital to our health and well-being. It affects our mood, thinking, energy, and ambiance, and so much more. My son is deaf in one ear and wears a hearing aid (or rather is SUPPOSE to) on his other. When he was three years old I volunteered daily in his school-class that was specifically designed for deaf and hard of hearing children. Madison heard the most clearly out of all the children. Most of the fifteen to twenty children in the class were entirely deaf. But they ALL loved music time! They would sway and dance and pound things, they even used their voices. It showed me that music was powerful even when it wasn't heard.

Another experience I've always loved being a part of is singing with patients dealing with amnesia or dementia. I've seen them be nearly out of control, or sedated and inconsolable, I've seen them be mean and nasty in their confused state, and be heartbreaking because they couldn't remember their own children and spouse. Then in the midst of that a song from their past start being sung (in my situations, it's usually a hymn) and that person whose brain can't seem to call up the most important memories, will smile, sing or hum along, I've even seen them clap and dance. It's as if a song is a rescue helicopter, throwing down a ladder to them in their fog-filled house, and when that song is played they get a chance to be lifted up out of the fog. They breathe a bit of peace in that song. 

We all have "those songs" that happened to be playing when we were with a special someone, and even a hint of that tune take us back like a whirlwind to that person, that place. Sometimes it's lovely. Sometimes it's disconcerting. But it happens because music is eternal and is not bound by time. 

When my babies were born I wanted to instill my Christian teachings in them as solidly as possible before the rest of the world got their handprints on them. I wanted to do my part in impressing the teachings from scripture that there is one God, that His name is Jesus, that there has been a very clear plan of salvation given to us in scripture. The law of Moses gave parents the perfect formula for instilling truths into children; talk of them when you lie down, and rise up, and walk along the way, etc.

Instead of singing traditional lullabies to my babies, I started writing lullabies for them; 

"I will live my life separated. I will live free from sin. I am not my own, I've been bought with a price. I will live my life separated."

"There is one God. There is one Lord. His name is Jesus, Emmanuel. Everlasting Father. Our Lord and Savior. His name is Jesus, Emanuel."

I could go on; lullabies about baptism in Jesus' name, about being filled with the Holy Ghost, about repentance. They were all written in lovely moments of communion between me, my babies, & our Savior. 

Then I started writing them playtime tunes too, songs of doctrinal facts. I wanted them to know these things without the "drill" of a classroom setting. I knew that through song learning these things would feel as natural as breathing. When my dad saw the impact the songs had on his grandchildren, he financed the recordings of Plain Path for Kids, & I saw the learning of Apostolic doctrine go from my rocking chair to thousands of homes.

When the opportunity to record the Bible Quiz songs came up I was THRILLED. The United Pentecostal Church International has an amazing "game" that involves memorizing large portions of scripture. My kids were starting to play in the tournaments and the verse songs were vital. Each verse is it's own song. Someone else was doing them at the time. These original writers of the Bible Quiz songs were doing a great job, & my kids loved their work. We mentioned to Gary Powers, the man who oversees the distribution of the Bible Quiz materials, that we were interested in assisting if the original creators wanted. I knew my desire to record them was of The Lord, so it was hard to sit & wait my turn. I don't know the details of everybody's story, but the message that came to me was that the original producers were called into foreign missions, they couldn't continue, and the project passed to us.

After my work with Plain Path for Kids, I felt so "right" investing in children's minds again via song. I write other music as well. I have enough material for a solo album and a choir album. I hope God makes a way for me to do that. But what will make me able to close my eyes peacefully and cross over into eternity will not be the song I sang before Presidents, or the crowds of thousands I've sang before in concerts. It won't be where I've spoken, or even the solo recordings I've made. It will be the Bible music I've made for kids. Children never forget songs. Plus parents (poor, longsuffering parents) get the Word via song in them as well! I've been allowed to take the powerful Word of God & weave it into melody. It's the same method Moses used to ensure the Israelites knew the law. It's a win-win!

I've performed the song, "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," many times. And I've had moments when I felt hypocritical for singing, "I sing because I'm happy." I don't always sing because I'm happy. But I sing because it makes God happy. I sing because it helps people see their path to God. I sing because it can be felt by the deaf and heard by the blind. 

I sing because the song is strong.

Plain Path for Kids can be purchased through iTunes, the Pentecostal Publishing House, CD Baby.

www.DeneeRichardson.com 

All Bible Quiz songs can be purchased from www.bqpowers.com.

What Goes In; Parents' Inspiration

Some may say I do things to the extreme. I'd like to describe my methods as "thorough."

Ok. I'm fully aware of the reality in my tendencies. In the spirit of that knowledge let me explain that as a young mom, I took Deuteronomy 6:7, absolutely literally. It was my to do list from day one of my children's arrival on this planet.

"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

I'm a singer and writer, so music was my gateway to accomplish this. While feeding and rocking my babies, I wrote and sang song after song about the oneness of God. As a Christian it is very important to me that if ANYONE is going to understand who Christ is, my own children should first and foremost. So I wrote, rocked, and sang lullabies, "All in Him... The fullness of the godhead is all in him."

I figured the world  already had in it a LOT of nonsensical lullabies ("When the bough breaks the cradle will fall?!" Really?!) My kids would learn those classics as well. But I wanted an understanding of God, an appreciation for WHO Christ is, interwoven in their earliest thoughts.

I also wrote and sang playtime songs like, "When I wake up in the morning and I get out of bed... la-la-la! Our God is one!" 

We happened to be in Europe for my son, Madison's, second birthday. We had played music and worshiped with some really exciting and motivated people in Serbia, Hungary, and before we came home we went to Rome and toured the Vatican.

My son gets hyper-activity very honestly. Energy is funneled into that child's DNA from every possible branch of the family. He's deaf in his right ear, and wears an aid on his left ear. Consequently, "loud" is also a part of his presence. He's loud and he requires everybody around him to be loud. He has bright blue eyes, laughs easily and (of course) loudly. He's not afraid to try almost anything. (Which keeps me in a constant state of intercession!) So THIS bundle of pent-up energy was being carted through the Vatican.

My daughter is 18 months older than Madio. Morgan was born "old." She knows stuff, understands stuff, teaches stuff that I didn't even know existed. She was QUITE into the Vatican! Her three and a half year old self was pointing at art, she would stand and gaze at various pieces for extended periods of time. (The CLOTHED pieces, I must say for my evil, joking friends!) She was typically "Morgan" there. Happy to be experiencing the height of sophisticated art.

Madio, on the other hand, thought he was going to DIE!

Because of all the various levels and staircases, we weren't allowed to use a stroller. And Madio could not be left for ten seconds without an adult hand in contact with his person. So he was carried. We were not allowed to take snacks or bottles for the kids either. After a couple hours of this Vatican tour, he was ITCHING to get down to play.  Every adult in our group was equally itching to PUT HIM DOWN!

His first opportunity was in this beautiful, ancient courtyard that seemed to be in the dead-center of the whole of that palatial structure. And that's where pure, epic awesomeness occurred.

That baby's feet barely touched the ground, when his pointer finger went up in the air, and my man-child waddled all over the Vatican courtyard singing, "la-la-la! Our God is ONE!"

I don't know if anyone else in history has ever had the opportunity to walk into the seat of the Trinitarian doctrine and proclaim, "Our God is ONE," but my baby did!

He's a teen now, and he doesn't remember the event at all. But as usual, the scripture worked. I purposefully taught it diligently from morning, throughout the day, and at bedtime. What goes in, comes out. And it sparkled out, all over the Vatican!

Plain Path For Kids, & Plain Path For Kids, Vol. 2, can be downloaded on iTunes!

Denee also makes Bible memory songs!

You can find links to download Denée's music at her website:

http://deneerichardson.com/