The Song Project

“What would you have me do?”

It was the prayer I sang over and over in the prayer meeting I was leading worship for.

I had been leading this meeting for close to two years — praying for the fatherless in our city and around the world.

I always felt engaged in prayer for the orphan; truly, it moved my heart. The Bible is full-time of verses showing how God’s heart is moved by the cries of the orphan, the innocent, the alone. He is a Father first and foremost. He is the One who promises to set the lonely into families. Yes, I felt these prayers.

I knew it wasn’t a time the Lord was calling my husband and I to fling wide the door of our home to take in kids. And so I pressed in, heart full for them each week, praying that God would raise up fathers and mothers.

“Open hearts, God,” I prayed. “Open arms. Open homes.” And I meant it.

But one week in particular, my heart was unsettled. My prayers were the same but my heart felt rubbed raw by the words I sang. And I began to sing a new prayer…

“What would you have me do, if true religion is caring for the orphan?”

Over and over and over we sang it.

It may have been just another moment in a meeting for the others in the room, but for me each word carried a sober weight, and I felt the impact of each one as I sang. I meant it, but also, somehow, in that moment, I knew God would answer me.

Fast forward two months. I was in Dallas, tagging along as the Plus-One for my husband who was speaking at a conference for creative professionals.

The evening speaker was world-renowned celebrity photographer, Jeremy Cowart. Jeremy spoke about how photographers nation-wide had mobilized to take portraits of homeless families at shelters and give them their portrait.

I was so moved by the simplicity and generosity of these photographers, and it got me thinking about us. Yup—you and me. Worship leaders, singers, musicians. Our churches in America are rich in music. Most congregations have full worship teams, nearly all with at least one singer leading the congregation in worship each week.

What if we used our musical gifts — our strengths — to “throw a feast for those who cannot repay” (Luke 12-14).

Many times as singers and songwriters we are looking up and out to “reach a greater audience” and to “get our message out there”. These are good things! This is part of being a good steward. We market our music and do it well to speak the message God has put on our hearts through song and also to make money to continue doing music.

But I think God is inviting us to something more.

He wants us not just to reach up and out…

He is inviting us to look down. To the weak. To the broken. To those who “cannot repay” with money or exposure or likes on social media. He is inviting us to true religion.

The fatherless are the “least of these” in our culture. They are the most overlooked and have the place of least honor in our society. They are in many ways silenced and defenseless. The enemy has come in with neglect, abuse, and rejection.

But Christ’s love is stronger than rejection and neglect.

* * *

There is a foster care facility a few minutes down the road from my home. The children receive a blanket when they arrive. And, for many of them, this is one of their only possessions. They often keep their blanket long after they age out of the foster care system.

And so, as I stood in my hotel room in Dallas, thinking about the thousands of singers scattered in congregations across America, I also thought of these broken children.

Not just a blanket…what if they had a song?

Music is able to reach through the hardness, the walls, the pain of the heart like nothing else can.

Defenses that have been honed to reject input of all kinds crumble under the power of music.

A song is a way we can give a message of hope to a fatherless child in a way that it can take hold for years, decades. If these children had a song, it could shift the course of their lives.

* * *

When I returned home from Dallas, we launched Song Project.

We gathered 46 songwriters and singers from various ministries and churches in the Kansas City area. We gave each singer/songwriter the first name of a child who lives at the nearby foster care facility.

The singers then went on to write a song of hope, from the heart of God, with the child’s name in it. We then put these songs onto sound modules and stuffed them into teddy bears to give to each child. They push the belly and the song plays.

The response was amazing, touching, heartbreaking.
Boys and girls had tears streaming down their faces as we gave them their teddy bears and they listened to their song.

Many said, “I’m crying, but I’m not sad!” They had never known tears apart from sadness before.

Many also said their songs help them in the nighttime.

One twelve year old boy curled up in the fetal position, crying as he listened to his song for the first time.

The songs are bringing peace during the day as they are in the midst of “emotional storms”.

These songs got past the walls. Hope is getting in.

* * *

My prayer is that these gifts of hope will not be contained just to Kansas City. There are orphans all throughout America in the foster care system. They are waiting to be seen, to be loved. You have something to give these children.

Join us in giving songs of hope to the fatherless. It’s incredibly simple.

The best way to participate is by connecting with the foster kids in your own congregation. Many churches have one or more foster families with foster kids coming through. Ask the foster parents for the kids’ names who are currently in their home. Have your worship team members write a short, simple song filled with hope with their name in it. Give the child the song. You can record it on your iPhone and give it to them on CD or MP3.

It’s so simple. And it is true religion.

We can sing a song over a child in foster care and be singing straight to the heart of God. “What we have done to the least of these we have done to Him” (Matthew 25:40).

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You can find more information about The Song Project here.