Who remembers the good old days of cassette tapes? We had a tall black upright piano in our living room with a stereo on top of it. Its two speakers sat down on the floor beside the piano. My brother Dave and I used to lie on our stomachs and listen to stories playing on cassette over and over. Some of our favorites included “Down by the Creek Bank” with Dottie Rambo and “Patch the Pirate” stories with Ron Hamilton.

I loved those stories. Mostly I loved the characters in them. Honestly, some of the words from those stories impacted me really deeply as a child.

My Uncle Danny was 5 years my senior and more like my annoying big brother than uncle (at the time). We fought all the time. I distinctly remember the night God changed my attitude toward him, as a 7-year-old. He bossily told me to get him a drink and I stomped off to get it for him. As I was pushing a chair to the cabinet to reach a glass for him, fuming inwardly, the words to a song from “Patch the Pirate and the Misterslippi River Race” came into my head:

Make me a servant like you, dear Lord
Living for others each day.

Jesus was a servant. And I wanted so much to be like Jesus. What did it matter if it took a little extra work to help someone? I could be a servant like Jesus and love Danny.

Two other songs from those stories left a deep impact on me as a little girl. My favorite song on “Down by the Creek Bank” asked God,
Is there anything I can do for you
Is there anything I can do?
After all the things you’ve done for me
Is there anything I can do?

I used to rewind that song and sing it over and over. I wanted to do something – anything – for Jesus with my life.

The second was the song a boy named Samuel sang on “Patch the Pirate Goes to the Jungle.” He decided at the end of the episode to serve God in the jungle with Mr. Missionary. He sang the words of Isaiah 6,
Here am I, Lord, send me
I will serve you faithfully!

My parents wisely gave us good stories to fill our minds and teach our hearts. I’m so thankful for resources available to me that taught me it was a good thing to love and serve God above all else.