Bryan Moyer Suderman’s music (SmallTall Ministries) is my very favorite, in terms of theological content. A teacher at heart, Suderman’s love for both God’s word and Christ’s body shines through every lyric. I love how he translates big concepts into catchy songs that speak to the hearts of children and grown ups alike. For example, “When You Learn to Follow Jesus (You Will Act A Little Strange)” is about our distinctiveness as believers.
I also love how he often pulls together the narrative of Scripture. For example, the first verse in “God Loves a Picnic” tells of God providing manna in the wilderness. The second describes Jesus’ feeding of large crowds (with a little boy’s bread and fish). And I think the third encourages us to welcome others to the Lord’s table (it simply says, “We follow Jesus, yes we do. We follow Jesus, yes we do. Tell our friends to come on to join us for God’s picnic).
Finally, I appreciate how the tone of each song reflects the heart of its message. Sometimes I’m turned off by other children’s music that I don’t feel matches a song’s style with its message, as well. For example, I recently heard an upbeat song teaching about sin. I just feel like a lot of it’s too peppy. Or all of their songs sound very similar. By contrast, Suderman employs many different musical styles to communicate various aspects of the biblical story. For example, “New World Coming” (about the Kingdom of God) is upbeat bluegrass whereas “You’re Not Alone” and “Take Good Care” (about solidarity and environmental stewardship) are slower and feel more reflective.
This playlist just gives you clips of each song, but Spotify users can access my playlist here.