Seph Schlueter turns hit ‘Counting My Blessings’ into children’s book about gratitude to God 

Seph Schlueter didn’t set out to become a viral sensation when he and two friends sat down in 2022 to write a song about the many ways God had blessed their lives and careers.

At the time, Schlueter and his two songwriting partners – Jonathan Gamble and Jordan Sapp – simply wanted to put into practice the biblical command to give thanks, reflecting on God’s faithfulness and the countless prayers He had answered over the years.

But the song Counting My Blessings eventually soared to No. 1 on every major Christian music chart and crossed into mainstream culture, becoming the soundtrack for social media videos posted by Hollywood celebrities and everyday people alike, all finding a way to express their gratitude through Schlueter’s uplifting anthem.

Counting My Blessings has been used in millions of social media videos, generating more than 1.2 billion views across short-form video platforms.

Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot used it as the background music in a birthday video. Hugh Jackman of The Greatest Showman used it in a personal video, too.

“God is so cool,” Schlueter told Heartlander News. “It’s just wild, because you’ll see it in just the most random places. Celebrities, sports people, viral videos that come up. And it’s like man, I never expected this song would do this for so many people, so it’s just one of those moments where it’s like, ‘I didn’t do it.’ It was a God thing.”

The song’s success inspired Schlueter to bring its message of gratitude to a younger audience through a children’s picture book, Counting My Blessings, inspired by his chart-topping hit. The book encourages children to recognize God’s blessings in everyday life and develop a habit of thankfulness from an early age.

The book follows a young boy who learns to recognize God’s blessings in both ordinary and unexpected moments, from the love of family and the joy of friendship to the beauty of the stars and sea.

“The song’s just resonated so much with so many different people, but especially kids,” Schlueter added. “It’s just that simple message of gratitude and that counting aspect of it has really just been so easy to grab hold of. And we were like, man, let’s write a kids book about it. … It is just a way to teach kids about gratitude and finding God in all the little details of their lives.”

Schlueter is still amazed that it all began with three friends sitting in a room, musical instruments in hand, putting their gratitude into words as they reflected on the many ways God had answered their prayers.

“All of us were kind of in places in our lives where we were living in the answer to prayers we prayed years ago. And it’s so easy to chase the next dream, the next moment, the next whatever. But we forget oftentimes just to pause and thank God for what He’s already done in our lives.”

(Image credit: Provident Entertainment)