Our Hymns, Our Heritage: A Student Guide to Songs of the Church

“It is my great pleasure to offer hearty, unqualified endorsement of Our Hymns, Our Heritage. The Leemans understand as few others the crucial importance of theological and musical education among children, but also for people of all ages. The marriage of great texts and timeless music is beyond calculation for how it informs a thoroughgoing and unshakable Christian worldview, and the Leemans achieve this lofty goal in exquisite ways, which makes their hymnal an unmatched treasure for all times and ages. As a concert pianist, Steinway Artist, and inductee to the Steinway Teacher Hall of Fame, but also deeply committed to transcendent Christian worship, I have enormous admiration for the accompaniments and their recordings available as supplements to this hymnal. They provide training of young pianists and singers as significant tools in the art of listening and accompanying, not to mention technical development. Every piano studio whose instructor values hymn-playing and the training of future accompanists should own this hymnal as both reference and resource for students.”

“Our Hymns, Our Heritage represents the finest hymns ever written, both theologically and lyrically. They are hymns that every Christian should sing, memorize, and teach to their children and grandchildren. The accompanying information on the history of the hymn writers and guidance on key elements to focus on while singing the hymns is inspiring and so helpful. These hymns have stood the test of time because they are life-changing and life-giving and stand in stark contrast to so much of what is being taught and sung today.”

“I have been a huge fan of David and Barbara Leeman's work since I first bought their student hymnal and piano recordings several years ago while compiling the Charlotte Mason's Alveary curriculum. I love that the hymns are not from a single denomination. I have learned so many songs that I otherwise would never have been exposed to. The biographical and historical information the authors have compiled is so rich and adds much to the study of the hymns, and the Scripture and inspirational thoughts provided help children think deeply about the ideas they contain. When parents write in to ask if they really need another hymnal, our answer is always, 'Yes! You need THIS one!”

“The history of Christian music is 2,000 years deep and a whole world wide. This collection of carefully selected songs and hymns connects children and their parents with generations of Christian voices who have fallen silent yet still speak through the musical heritage preserved for us today. Our Hymns, Our Heritage is a must-have for family devotionals and a treasure to pass on to the next generation.”

“Psalm 145:4 proclaims, 'One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.' Our Hymns, Our Heritage reminds us that we stand on the spiritual shoulders of those who came before us, but equally challenges us to pass the faith once given on to the next generation. To this end, Barbara and David Leeman have given the church an extraordinary, multi-use resource. At one and the same time a hymnal, hymnal companion, and devotional guide, Our Hymns, Our Heritage seeks to foster the love of singing God's praise for generations to come. I heartily commend this hymnal to churches, families, Christian schools, Sunday schools, choirs, and anyone who seeks to love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.”

“What a stewardship we have received in the church's heritage of hymnody—a gift that we must not fail to pass on to the coming generations. That is why I am delighted that Barbara and David Leeman have edited this hymnal. While their intended audience is elementary children, believers of all ages will find soul-stirring edification in these pages. The Leemans offer us a twofold service. They have curated an excellent collection of many of the finest hymns in the English language, and they have provided brief, illuminating, devotional material to make these songs come alive in our hearts. I commend this excellent resource for families, churches, and schools, praying that the Lord would tune your hearts to sing his praise.”

“We are always seeking ways to instill in our children the reality of how things are—that God is not a thing among things, but The Thing behind all things. 'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him' (Col. 1:15–16). Singing these truths in praise to God sets the imagination and the affections aflame. The special blessing here is how David and Barbara Leeman have artistically, comprehensively, and beautifully told this Grand Story to deeply engage hearts and minds in responsive praise to our Creator and Redeemer.”

“Hymns are a great treasury of Christian faith and devotion. Previous generations of believers not only sang hymns in church on Sunday mornings, but carried private copies of their hymnals for personal use throughout the week. In Our Hymns, Our Heritage, David and Barbara Leeman long to give these riches to you, enabling you to carry the truths of these 120 hymns not just in your hymnal, but in your heart as well. May the Lord use this book in his church to make his praise glorious.”