My east coast grandkids are getting over a round of the flu coupled with colds so today was another non-church day for them. Their folks and I did the round robin with them. They went to early service while I babysat. Then it was my turn for late service – and a VERY good service it was. If you didn’t make it to church and would like notes, write me and I’ll type them up and send them to you. It was so encouraging!

I wanted to do a Sunday School with the grandkids but wound up not sleeping much last night so opted for a singing Sunday School instead. After I finished all my old favorites and they were busily playing with their toys, I started thinking, “I need some new songs to add to my repertoire!” So off I went on a hunt for new songs and I I found some good ones, right in my own bookshelves.

In one bookcase I found a book I’d picked up for a song at a yard sale. “100 Action Songs for Toddlers” by David C. Cook Publishing isn’t available straight from Amazon, but you can order it from them via a second party either used or new. It’s part of an older series that I really like. This particular book has 100 songs with actions and they are all set to familiar nursery rhyme tunes. It’s great for at home, but also for a school or Sunday School. One example from the book is:

Who is Jesus – set to the tune of Are You Sleeping?

“Who is Jesus? Who is Jesus?

Shrug shoulders

He’s God’s Son. He’s God’s Son.

Point up

Jesus is my Savior! Jesus is my Savior!

Clap hands

He loves me! I love Him!

Hug self”

It’s small enough to tuck into my purse and the hand motions will help hold their attention.

In a second bookcase I found a book I bought at the Christian bookstore and love. It’s part of a two book series and I really want to buy the second one as well. This one is “Pray & Play Bible” by Group Publishers. The writers have taken several Bible stories, retold them in a simple yet interesting manner with large and bright pictures. After each story there are simple songs, crafts, snack ideas, and prayers to go with the story. One example is from the story of Abraham and Sarah:

Trust the Lord – also sung to the tune of Are You Sleeping (Honest, I didn’t do that on purpose )

“Trust the Lord, trust the Lord

Every day, every way.

Turn to Him and pray.

Trust Him and obey.

Every day, every way.

Along with that song are several others, as well as a game to teach our grandkids how God keeps His promises, a science experiment to look at the starry sky, a footprint project, making a praise altar and several other fun ideas.

Both of these books would make excellent additions to your library or your grandchildrens’ libraries, as well as to your church or school libraries. Even more important, the Scripture truths you will instill into their hearts by singing these songs will grow wonderful fruit in their hearts.

We are on day 3 of this three-part series of music and Bible songs for grandkids and grandparents to enjoy together. Here are the rest of the shower songs my grandkids and I love to sing:

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus – the lyrics and the tune are also at Timeless Truths.

1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
   I have decided to follow Jesus;
   I have decided to follow Jesus;
   No turning back, no turning back.
2. Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
   Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
   Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
   No turning back, no turning back.
3. The world behind me, the cross before me;
   The world behind me, the cross before me;
   The world behind me, the cross before me;
   No turning back, no turning back.
4. Though none go with me, still I will follow;
   Though none go with me, still I will follow;
   Though none go with me, still I will follow;
   No turning back, no turning back.
5. Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
   Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
   Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
   No turning back, no turning back.

Trust and Obey – I only sing the chorus to this public domain song. You can find the complete lyrics and the music at HymnSite. For just the chorus:

Trust and obey,

for there’s no other way

to be happy in Jesus,

but to trust and obey.

I Surrender All – This is another one where I just sing the chorus to them.

I surrender all, I surrender all;

All to thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

For all the lyrics and the tune, go to HymnSite. Type “I Surrender All” into the search box on the left, and then select the song when it pops up.

Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace Whose Mind Is Stayed on Thee – I couldn’t find this one online. My grandkids and I only sing the chorus which is based on Isaiah 26:3. I couldn’t find the tune anywhere either. If any of you can point us in the right direction, do let us know via the comments at the bottom or a quick email to Kaye@SandwichINK.com :

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee,

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee,

because he trusteth in Thee, O Lord, because he trusteth in Thee.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee.

Rejoice in the Lord Always, And Again I Say Rejoice – This song is under copyright. The lyrics can be found at Higher Praise . For the tune, if you have iTunes, you can go to the iTunes store, type in “Rejoice in the Lord Always.” Several versions will show up and you can click on them to hear a sample. The top three I got were all the basic chorus I sing to them and you could hear the whole chorus. My grandkids and I have fun singing this with the echo. I’ll sing the verse and they’ll echo rejoice and vice versa.

Have I Not Commanded You Be Strong & Courageous…For the Lord Your God Will Be With You Wherever You May Go. Based on Joshua 1:9, this is one of my favorite songs for them and me. I learned it when my children were little and we listened to GT and The Halo Express kids’ tapes. They now have them available on audiocassette or cds (no dvds, sadly). This particular song should be on the cd titled, Winning the Great Race of Faith; How to Overcome Adversity . I highly recommend it as it will be an encouragement to both your little ones and you! I sing it often to my grandkids and they love it!

God is Faithful – Finally, my own little song:

God Is Faithful, God is True, God is Love, God loves you.

God Is Faithful, God is True, God is Love, God loves you

(Sung to the tune, Frere Jacques.)

Well, there you have it. My top 12 music and Bible songs to sing to our grandkids while giving them a shower – and other times as well . They’re catchy little tunes, so don’t be surprised if you occasionally find them in your head for your shower as well. And what a wonderful thing that is!

For more music and Bible songs, be sure to read Song Memories for Grandkids and Song Memories for Grandkids, The Sequel.

Yesterday, I wrote about the music and Bible songs I sing my grandchildren as I give them a shower. Using this as a means to hide God’s Word and principles in their hearts musically makes shower time even more special and cleansing.

For any of you who would like to know the lyrics to the Bible songs I listed, here are the lyrics for those songs no long under copyright, or the links for those that are under copyright. One caveat: I usually only sing 1 or 2 verses for each song. I am posting all the verses available, though, for any of those who are better at memorizing than me:

Jesus Loves Me – Probably one of the best known children’s songs ever, it has tons of verses. I usually only sing the first to my grandkids, but here are all the official ones. For even more that others have added, check out DLTK:

Jesus loves me! this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
they are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me! loves me still,
‘tho I’m very weak and ill,
that I might from sin be free,
bled and died upon the tree.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died
heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
let His little child come in.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He will stay
close beside me all the way.
Thou hast bled and died for me,
I will henceforth live for Thee.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me when I’m good.
When I do the things I should.
Jesus loves me when I’m bad,
but it makes him oh so sad.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Joy to the World, The Lord Has Come – Yes, a Christmas song. I am infamous in my family for loving all Christmas songs all year. My grandkids think it’s great, though, so I’m happy. And if you check out the next song, you’ll find I have Easter covered, so really, I’m just working on doctrine.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Alleluia by Charles Wesley, 1707-1788 – I have to be honest, my version is a bit different. I discovered there are more than two versions of this lovely hymn. I don’t know how, but I managed to mangle all of them into yet another version but it contains the gospel in a nutshell so I typically sing – “Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia; Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia; Who did once upon the cross; Alleluia; Suffer to redeem the lost, Alleluia.” You should hear my grandkids and me belt out those Alleluias! For the purists among you, here is one of the proper versions (You sing Alleluia after each line) Here’s another version:

1. Christ the Lord is risen today,
Sons of men and angels say.
Raise your joys and triumphs high;
Sing, ye heavens, and, earth, reply.

2. Love’s redeeming work is done,
Fought the fight, the battle won.
Lo, our Sun’s eclipse is o’er;
Lo, He sets in blood no more.

3. Vain the stone, the watch, the seal;
Christ has burst the gates of hell.
Death in vain forbids His rise;
Christ has opened Paradise.

4. Lives again our glorious King;
Where, 0 Death, is now thy sting?
Once He died our souls to save;
Where thy victory, O Grave?

5. Soar we now where Christ has led,
Following our exalted Head.
Made like Him, like Him we rise;
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies.

6. Hail the Lord of earth and heaven!
Praise to Thee by both be given!
Thee we greet triumphant now:
Hail, the Resurrection Thou!

I’ve Been Redeemed (And That’s Not All, I’ve Been Baptized) – This one is under copyright so just find the lyrics to sing to your grandkids here and if you want to know the tune, you’ll enjoy this piano version!

The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock – My grandsons and I really love this song! This site is nice as it has several other children’s Bible songs.

That’s enough music and Bible songs for your grandkids for today. More tomorrow…

Found some interesting articles today for you to enjoy on the topic of grandparenting.

The Grandparenting Blog had a great article on “Five Ways to Make Phone Calls with Grandchildren Fun” by Shayne and Tanda Packer. As anyone who has tried to carry on a conversation with a young child can relate to, it can be hard work! I like to sing hymns and Bible songs with my littler ones and they really enjoy it. Their mom tells me they get great big smiles on their faces. With the older ones, we talk about books, and food, and the weather, and I often end with a song with them too. I have a few favorites that we sing together and my hope has always been that when they hear those songs at other times it will trigger fun memories of our phone times together.

Shayne and Tanda Packer of The Grandparenting Blog had a similar thought in their great article, “Five Ways to Make Phone Calls with Grandchildren Fun.” Grandparents of eight, they also have a lot of experience in this area. I especially enjoyed reading the idea of making up stories together on the phone. I just did this with one of my local grandkids while we were waiting in the car. I started the story, told a few sentences of it and then waited for him to add more, he did a little, then back to me. We went back and forth like this for ten minutes and had a great time. Not only is it fun, it is teaching them creative and critical thinking skills! I am definitely going to give this a try the next time I am on the phone with one of my blessings.

They also mention videophone calls with their grandkids. I haven’t tried that but I have used Instant Messenger by MSN and a webcam that came built into my computer to see and talk to my grandkids and that was fun, though not the easiest thing to do. Fortunately their mom is VERY good at it and helped talk me through it.

You can read the rest of the Packers’ article and see other articles that may interest you at their grandparenting site . One of their most recent articles tells how they made Sticker Books for their grandkids. Woo hoo, I see a great rainy day idea there, for sure!

“Share Everyday Moments with Grandkids ” by Donna Erickson was an interesting article, which pointed out how important it is for our kids to get regular breaks “from the daily demands of raising [their] kids.” Helping them to build a strong marriage helps our grandchildren as well! She recommends regular overnighters at your house, as well as giving some fun ideas of what to do when they are there. You can read more about her at her website, DonnasDay .

For more fun ideas, check out my article playing outside with your grandkids .

I am always on the lookout for fun, creative, and educational ideas to enjoy with my grandkids. Do you have any you would like to share? We’d love to hear from you. Just click on the Comments link at the bottom of each post and share away.

Church was great today! The music was wonderful and the sermon was interesting, educational, and funny (I love that combination). We were reminded of the importance of hiding God’s Word in our hearts that we might not sin against God. My memory is not so hot for memorizing any more but as I keep helping grandkids memorize their verses it plants those seeds into my head as well. I love that! I have fun making cute little charts for them with their verses and posting them all around the house. I have one hanging in the guest bedroom, I have one beside the toilet, and another one in the shower. I also keep one in the car for when we’re driving. During the school year, I use Awana’s verses and school verses. Each summer, we work on special projects. This past summer, we memorized The Lord’s Prayer. As soon as they have it totally memorized, we’re headed for Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate! For my grandkids who don’t live as close, I have fun making coloring pages and putting Bible verses on them. I also love singing Bible songs to them on the phone as we chat. It’s a great way to build memories, deepen our relationship, and share God’s love and Word together.

Another way I have found to plant God’s Word in my heart is to Scripture pray for others on a regular basis. I made a chart in Excel and listed over 90 of my favorite verses on it. Each day I pray for all of my beloveds – family, friends, neighbors, and others God brings to mind. (Yup, I have a chart with their names as well – that whole memory thing again J). I pray for various needs I am aware of.  I pray Romans 10:9 for any who are unsaved or not walking with the Lord. Finally, I read through and pray out the three verses I have listed for that particular day. Over the course of the month, I wind up praying 90 verses for all those people, as well as myself.  After doing that for several years, I’m finding many of those verses becoming more and more familiar to me and I trust that if ever it was necessary, God could bring those verses to my mind.

What ways have you discovered to hide God’s Word in your heart? We’d love to hear your ideas!