{"id":513,"date":"2008-08-19T01:01:38","date_gmt":"2008-08-19T01:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/08\/recommending-another-outstanding-album.html"},"modified":"2008-08-19T01:01:38","modified_gmt":"2008-08-19T01:01:38","slug":"recommending-another-outstanding-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/08\/recommending-another-outstanding-album.html","title":{"rendered":"Recommending Another Outstanding Album"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I want to recommend another outstanding album. This one is for children (or children at heart), and it’s a real winner.
\nFirst, 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.
\n\"junkoWhen 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<\/em><\/a>. At one point, my daughter helped Junko with hand motions for her performances . . . a big moment in Kara’s life (see photo)!
\n\"junko<\/a>Now Junko has just released another CD for children: Special Forces Kids<\/a><\/em>. This collection, like the first, is fun, energetic, and fully based on Scripture. Several of the songs from Special Forces Kids<\/em> were written for Vacation Bible School at Irvine Presbyterian Church. They were “demoed” with 250 kids who absolutely loved them.
\nSo, 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.
\nYou can purchase Special Forces Kids<\/em><\/a> online, or download it from iTunes<\/a>. 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<\/a>.
\nOh, 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<\/em> CD<\/a>. (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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recommendations"],"yoast_head":"\nRecommending Another Outstanding Album - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}