How to make Elephant noises for Jesus

Nearly a year ago a friend of mine asked me if I'd help create a recording of kid's music. She runs an orphanage down in Jamaica called Robin's Nest Children's Home. I'd never made a children's album. It sounded really fun.

So I called up my friend Andrew Best who is a fantastic kid's songwriter and we got to work. We got to travel to Jamaica last October to meet the kids and the staff. They taught us some songs and we came back and wrote some more. One of my favorites is about elephants trying to climb trees. You may not be aware of it, but they find this task particularly difficult. Real stubby fingers - afraid of heights and so on.

Tonight my brother Sam (a potter and sculptor) and I were recounting the day's activities. In the aforementioned elephant song,  Andrew and I had done some ridiculous muppetty scat vocal soloing and elephant trumpeting. Sam described singing the Dukes of Hazard theme song with an adult Down's Syndrome friend earlier in his day.

I realized that mine and Andrew's elephant noises and Sam's crooning of the Dukes of Hazard theme had been real ways of participating in Jesus' Kingdom life with our God-invested gifts. Isn't that wild? It's incredible to me the variety, joy, and beauty available in the life and kingdom that Jesus has opened to us. Just like I know of no other God more beautiful than Jesus, I also know of no other God whose rule brings such joy and fun.

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More about Robin's Nest Children's Home: www.robinsnestchildrenshome.org

More about Andrew Best: www.andrewbestmusic.com

More about my brother Sam's art: www.etsy.com/shop/samclarkart