Today I want to recommend another outstanding album. This one is for children (or children at heart), and it’s a real winner.
First, a little background. If you’re a Christian parent with children under 12, or if you work with children in a ministry, you know how hard it is to find great music for kids. There are plenty of fun songs out there, but often their theology is weak or even bad. And then there are lots of theologically-solid songs that are simply inappropriate for children. In my experience, it is not easy to find songs that kids will love and that help them to grow in authentic Christian faith.
When I was pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, I was blessed to have in my congregation a Christian singer known as Junko. She and her family were active in the church. In fact, for several years I worked closely with Junko as we led worship together. Her husband, David, was an elder in the church. Junko had produced several fine albums for adults. But she always had great interaction with children, who dearly loved her. For years I kept bugging Junko about writing music for kids because I thought she’d be great. Finally, Junko began writing Christian songs for children. The results were fantastic: great songs, singable, theologically-sound, loved by kids in our church, across the country, and beyond. Her first songs for children were collected for the CD Big and Small. At one point, my daughter helped Junko with hand motions for her performances . . . a big moment in Kara’s life (see photo)!
Now Junko has just released another CD for children: Special Forces Kids. This collection, like the first, is fun, energetic, and fully based on Scripture. Several of the songs from Special Forces Kids were written for Vacation Bible School at Irvine Presbyterian Church. They were “demoed” with 250 kids who absolutely loved them.
So, if you’re a parent looking for great Christian music for your children, you can’t do better than Junko’s recordings. And if you work with kids in church, you’ll find her CDs to be a rich resource. Junko’s target audience is children from 2-12, but her songs are loved by older kids and kids-at-heart as well.
You can purchase Special Forces Kids online, or download it from iTunes. Either way, you’ll be glad you did. For more info on Junko, or if you’re interested in having her do a concert for your church or organization, see her website.
Oh, by the way, if you think I’m hopelessly biased in recommending this album, I should mentioned that three of Junko’s songs were featured on a recent Kids Discovery CD. (Kids Discovery is a branch of Song Discovery, a ministry that features the finest in new contemporary Christian music for worship.) I am biased because Junko is a friend, but the excellence of her music stands on its own.