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June 2001 Table of Contents
Petite Praisers
Hallelujah Heart
Created and written by John Chisum and Nancy Gordon
We all need to have a "Hallelujah Heart"... 24/7. And that is the title of the newly released 2001 Children’s Praise and Worship Musical from Integrity Music.
The song "Hallelujah Heart" was just a fun sing-along-song in Integrity Music's award winning "Just for Kids" series. Now it's the theme song for Chuck Wagon Charlie and Miss Charlene’s great outdoor adventure at the Double "H" Ranch. You can join "Hal" as he discovers the secret to having a Hallelujah Heart along with a whole gang of other Double "H" Ranchers. Meet "Grandpappy" and when he’s finally able to clear his throat, he gives us some good simple down to earth Godly Wisdom from the bible about loving God all the time and making a joyful noise to the Lord. This musical is sure to put "the hoot back into your holler."
Working with Bob Rist at Integrity Music, our goal was to develop this musical from some of their many great children’s sing-along-songs. Released earlier as consumer products, many of these songs are like hidden jewels that just need to be exposed to the church music scene. What a great way to teach the principles of Praise and Worship to our children through these fabulous songs.
Writing, throughout all of a really cold (for Mobile) January 2001, we were happy to be hard at work on this project, we decided to "go country." I don’t think neither of us had ever ridden on a John Deere tractor before, so we had to consult my husband, Bob, a construction expert, when it came to the broken down parts on our tractor. (And no he didn’t get any credits or royalties!) Lots of laughter surrounded our writing the country menu and lingo as Miss Charlene’s red bandana waving "Hoooooooooooo wwwwweeeeeee" is a constant throughout the musical.
Our writing style is much like a volleyball game, with words, phrases, thoughts and ideas volleying back and forth. Often the scripts dictate and demand the songs. This musical was unique for us, because the songs dictated and sculptured our script. It was good for us to work outside the box. We choose scriptures that complimented the songs and then wrote script to build a base for a story with fun characters and situations in which to teach these life-long truths. Basically, the musical teaches these basic Praise and Worship Scripture Truths:
Psalm 100: 1, 2: Enter His gates with Thanksgiving in your heart and enter His courts with praise. Children learn here about the joy of coming into God’s presence through praise. They learn that thankful hearts full of gratitude fill God’s heart with delight. This upbeat song, "Come Into His Presence" is sure to fill your church with anticipation and excitement about worshiping the living God.
Psalm 92: 2: It is good to praise the Lord and make music to Your name, to proclaim Your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night. Knowing that we were made to praise God and bring Him glory in our lives is the one of the most important truths to living a fulfilling and purposeful life. The fun song "All Day" can help our children to understand this.
Ephesians 5: 19+20: Speak to One Another" in Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs is actually a scripture memory song that teaches not only that scripture, but the lesson learned is that each of us was created to praise God. The solo in "I Was Made to Praise You" is sure to be that heart touching moment that makes Moms and Dads pull out the tissues for the tears. This sweet-spirited passionate moment moves us right into the full-speed ahead celebration with the song.
"God is Good All the Time" and "all the time God is good." This fun filled arrangement is sure to have the whole church tapping and clapping along. Guaranteed to warrant a few hearty "Amens."
"Hallelujah Heart" is an easy to learn musical designed for children’s choirs ages 5-11. The set can be as easy as a few bales of hay, a picnic table full of country cookin’ like "hog jowls or pickled pigs feet." Or an elaborate full scale Ranch set-up with a John Deere. Performed in 25-30 minutes it is sure to be a favorite for everybody in the family.
John and I are honored that we have been entrusted with the privilege to write for children’s choirs. This is our sixth musical together.
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