Doug Horley
Fans of Doug Horley will love this collection of 50 tracks taken from eight albums spanning 20 years. If you’re not a ‘Duggie Dug Dug’ fan, it may still be worth a look as the third CD has a different feel from the fast-moving songs that dominate the first two and introduced me to a side of Doug that I wasn’t aware of. These songs are softer, with some uses for developing the ministry of children.
‘God you’re so amazing’ is an interesting song to think about God having plans for children, and adults, to do things. ‘You can reach out with a heart of love’ is worth listening to for everyone. Some songs may be recognised, even if you don’t realise they are by Doug, including ‘We want to see Jesus lifted high’. ‘Throw your hands up!’ demonstrates the need to listen carefully if you need to display the words for songs as some parts in the chorus are sung by different people, which isn’t indicated in the CD booklet. The song also highlights an issue with rhyming words, with the Holy Ghost being used to provide a rhyme for ‘angel host’, which could need explaining especially as the first verse mentions ‘his Spirit.’ Word choices in some songs seem more about the rhyming than anything else, for example ‘Lovely jubbly’ includes the line, ‘He made birds that poo, upon your shoe’. That said, some children would find that funny.
Most of the songs are easy to pick up, which can be a plus point, although it also means wider conversations may be needed to help consider issues that arise from the songs. For example, while ‘God can do anything’ emphasises that God can do anything, we know that it doesn’t mean he will, which can be hard to understand. It would be easy to assume that the songs are all jolly and easy to leave playing in the background without having to think about it, but don’t fall into that trap. ‘Rise up’ talks about saying no to broken marriages, which could be hard for anyone involved in such a situation; the implication of the song being that Satan and the heavenly battle is the cause. Say no to child abuse also features, which may require some explanation.
‘Wonderful Lord’ is tucked away on the second CD and is a quieter, more reflective song that would work well for bedtime and includes a gentle instrumental. It is followed by another quieter reflective song, ‘May the God of hope’, which would work well as part of a reflection, although getting the words to actually join in with it would involve a significant amount of work. Given that most of the songs are fast-paced, these provide a welcome change.
Louise Warner is children and families officer for the Diocese of Leicester and a volunteer children’s worker
Various
My first Bible story songs contains 14 songs that cover some of the most famous Bible stories for children. Each song tells a story. My first lullaby album includes 16 songs that combine calming and soothing music with a message of God’s love.
However, I would recommend this album to families to listen to in the home, in the car, or even just as background music while the children are playing. The lullaby album would be most suitable for bedtimes.
Leanne Johnson is mum to three children and a children’s leader from Kent
Bethan James and Heather Stuart
The Read and play Bible offers 66 doublepage spreads, each with a short Bible story, illustrations and a few related activities. The short stories cover the life of Jesus and the early Church. There is a wide variety of activities, both word-based and visual, which encourage children to find answers from the story and illustrations.
Some eight and nine-year-olds tried the book out for me. They tended to go straight to the activities, although they were able to read the stories. The instructions were written in small print making them difficult to read and the activities didn’t hold their attention for long.
The book might make a nice present or prize. Parents might see it as a useful filler activity on a journey or a day out. It wouldn’t be my first choice for encouraging children to explore Bible stories, but at £7.99, it is reasonably priced for the quality and quantity that it offers.
Nick White is children’s and youth work adviser for Rochester Diocese
Pete Maidment and Barry Brand
While on the surface this book is aimed at providing activities that will help men and boys engage more fully with Messy Church, don’t be fooled into thinking that it is aimed at them only. This book is just as much about ‘doing’ as ‘making’ and is full of ideas that will appeal to everyone. The options range from relatively mess-free friendship bracelets and giant Jenga to messy exploding art and fruit catapults.
Most activities need minimal preparation, which is certainly a bonus for those who have spent long nights cutting out craft pieces and, each activity comes with suggestions for discussion, so there is the opportunity to take the mess to a deeper level. For those who are looking to give their Messy Church a more active, adventurous and potentially boy-friendly edge then I can’t recommend this book highly enough!
Mina Munns is the founder of Flame: Creative Children’s Ministry
