Sing to the Lord a New Song.

Ever since Luke was about four months old, he has had a specific bedtime routine. 

 It all starts with bath time.

 Then there is story time (added once he got a little older).

The last and most essential part of the routine has always been rocking and singing to him for a few minutes before putting him in his bed. We started out at 4 months singing "Jesus Loves Me" to him every single night. Even babysitters and grandparents knew to sing a few rounds of "Jesus Loves Me" before putting him down. After many, many months of the same routine and same song, Phil decided he was tired of singing the same song over and over and over. He started singing some of his favorite songs instead, like Coldplay, Weezer, and Death Cab for Cutie songs. I have always stuck with "Jesus Loves Me", because I love the message and also because it is a song that I know so well that I can sing it over and over while simultaneously thinking about what I am going to make for dinner or what chore awaits me the minute I walk out of the room or which of my TV shows is on tonight or whatever (hey, a mom's got to multi-task). A few months ago, though, Phil started singing a new song to Luke. It is a song by our good friend, Ryan Kiesshauer (pronounced KEES-ow-er), who released his first album last January. The song is our favorite song on the album and is sung in Globalscope ministries around the world. It is a praise song called "King Forever", but Luke just calls it "Kee-OWWW-er". It has become his most favorite song to date, and he asks for it at every nap time and bedtime. In fact, it's the only song he will let us sing at those times. He asks for it all the time in the car, too, and when the next song on the album comes on, he says, "No. I wan' kee-OWWW-er gen!". We've tried explaining to him that all the songs on the album are Kiesshauer, but he refuses to believe us. While it is a challenge for me, one of the most musically disabled people in the world, to sing "King Forever" a cappella and not sound like a howling dog, I love the song so much that I don't mind. (I just pray no one turns on the baby monitor downstairs while I am singing.) My favorite line in the song can bring me to tears at almost any given moment:

Never again will I ask the world to tell me who I am
For I know I am Yours.

So good. And such a good message for the Stinker. Not to mention every other line in the song is totally awesome too. So I am not sad that Luke has chosen to 'sing to the Lord a new song'. It's a darn good song. And I can't wait till he starts singing it in his own words. I'm sure it'll melt this mama's heart.

Since I want you to be able to hear Luke's new fave, here is a link to our friend Ryan (yes, the real deal!) singing "King Forever" on YouTube as part of a contest to win the opportunity to have his song played on the radio in Atlanta. Unfortunately he didn't win, but he should have. I hope you like it as much as we do.
(and if you do, buy it!)