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From the March, 1998 edition of The Doulos monthly newsletter

by Will Hays

In the Old Testament the Hebrew nation had a word for their devout faith, practice, and teaching, called "Shema". It was often used and recited as a Jewish confession of faith. The "Shema" included Scripture found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 13:21; and Numbers 15:37-41. It was a pronouncement that every Jewish family knew by heart. It was to be used as a teaching tool so that the Jewish faith would be passed on to all generations.

The "Shema" begins by recognizing that The Lord our God is one Lord, and that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and might. They were also to remember His great deeds, and how He brought them out of Egypt and gave them a land of "milk and honey."

All Jewish parents were instructed to teach their children diligently and speak these words when sitting in their house, walking by the way, lying down, and rising up. They were to bind these words as a frontlet between their eyes and write them on the posts of their houses and on their gates. In other words, they were to continually recite, teach and believe these tremendous truths.

As a parent, and now a grandparent, how often I am challenged with he Scriptures of the "Shema". I confess that I have fallen short of this diligence. Maybe you have too. The time we have as parents or grandparents to train our children is so preciously short, we must redeem the moment.

In a slightly different vein - but yet connected, I love Christian music. It elevates the soul and is such a powerful tool for corporate worship. The strong music ministry of The Chapel in North Canton was one of the things that brought our family to this church. We so appreciate the hard work of Brian Kieffer, the adult choir, the children's choir, all soloists, and our accompanying musicians.

How do we insure that our children and grandchildren know and appreciate the great treasures of Christian music? How do we achieve the balance between songs of praise, old hymns of the faith, and more contemporary Christian music? As I reflect over 5 decades, I still can sing at least one or perhaps two verses of many hymns that aren't sung that much anymore.

Hymns such as: "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning;" "Redeemed;" "We're Marching to Zion;" and "Victory in Jesus" to name only a few. You could easily come up with a long list of your own. I'm a big fan of Bill and Gloria Gaither's more contemporary Christian music (especially some of their earlier work) such as: "The King is Coming;" "Since Jesus Passed By;" The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference;" and "I Believe in a Hill Called Mt. Calvary."

In closing, in addition to teaching our families the Word of God (and it is the greatest responsibility and privilege we will ever have), let's praise and honor our Lord by preserving the great wealth of Christian music, by using it and passing it on to all future generations - much like the "Shema" was used in the Old Testament.

In Christ,

Will Hays

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