Hey guys. As you know, I’m good friends with Jon and Sherry Rivers. Jenny and I stopped in to see them last weekend on our way back from the Tulsa show and I’m so excited to tell you that they are doing awesome. They are not sure what God has in store for their next season in life, but I reassured them that we hear daily from you all concerning how much you love them and miss them. Someone had suggested that Sherry do the Twitter thing but she was unsure. I thought she would be great at it and it would provide so many of you a way to hear from her consistently again. So I set it up for her. You can follow her: @sherryrivers on Twitter. I’m trying to let as many people know as possible and then in a couple of days I’m going to call her and show her how many people are signed up looking forward to hearing from her. So if you’re already on Twitter, just find her and follow. If you’re not yet, it’s another great social medium and this would be a great time to jump on. You can sign up at twitter.com, then you can follow her at @sherryriver. You can follow me at @agnewsdei. And so many other great Christian artists are on as well. You can search and find your favorites. Now just think for a moment about how you could let as many people know about this new Twitter account for Sherry, whether it’s a RT, a blog, an email, a message board post, a phone call, or just yell out your window. I’m excited about being able to encourage the Rivers in this way. Looking forward to how God uses this.
Todd
Yay! I’m so glad to hear they’re doing alright! And I’m glad you’ve told them they’re missed and we’re all worried about them! Thank you for the Twitter info! I have another reason to use it now! đ
Todd, encourage her to use her FB account too. Soooooooo many people have been praying for her, Jon and Lexi, wondering how they are doing. It is wonderful to hear all is well w/ the Rivers!!
My apologies on hijacking the Sherry blog, but I didn’t know where the appropriate place to post this was. I’m sure Sherry is a lovely lady and I wish her all the best.
NEED- You didn’t think I’d forget to do this now did you? đ Well, my trusty little WV iPod tells me that Iâve listened to these songs about 40 times, depending on the song. And my iPod doesnât lie. So, maybe now Iâm qualified to comment on it. This is so good! But then if you know me, it wouldnât surprise you to hear me say that. Agnew isnât afraid of any musical style is he? This is so different from any of his other works, but it still holds the essential âAgnewâ elements: the voice of course *not going to shine on the voice, been there done that*, the truth (every record he does resonates with truth), musical excellence (this sounds so good!!), diversity (if youâve listened to one Agnew song, thatâs what youâve done, listened to one of them; theyâre all different).
JOY UNSPEAKABLE
âHe supplies my every need⌠as I sit and learn at Jesusâ feetâ This sounds very much like Matthew 6:33 where Jesus says to seek His kingdom first and everything we need will be given to us. This is what I want, I want to sit a Jesus feet, to learn from Him. Nope, Iâm definitely not a Martha. JJ has a great voice, and she does a great job with the background vocals here.
âWhat kind of joy is this?â Youâre right, joy doesnât depend on our circumstances; it comes from God and lives in even the most difficult days, if we let it. He is everything we need, and yet in His great goodness He brings so many other blessings into our lives. We often fail to recognize them and give thanks. âJust a taste of Your gloryâ, how true! During this life we get just a taste of what God has for His children. Can you just imagine how wondrous the next stage in eternity will be!? This is something worth getting excited over. Finally, I love the story behind this one, and Iâm thankful for it.
WRITTEN ON THE WALL
The first time I listened to this one I thought; âyeah I want to hear from God, but I donât ever want to read the words He wrote on that wall.â But the message is great, and so is the tune. The music in this one starts out kind of easy, but booms with the first âI wish you stillâŚâ *remember now, Iâm still musically illiterate, so Iâll do what I can on describing the music.* I love how you always go back to scripture when writing your songs, and this is no exception. If Heâd just tell us what He wants from us, if Heâd just give us the map weâre to follow, weâd do it, right? Thatâs what we want, but for some reason thatâs not usually how God guides us. Maybe thatâs because if He did that, weâd head off on our own, which would preclude the relationship with Him that we so desperately need. Or maybe He doesnât give us the long term plan because it would overwhelm us, and maybe even paralyze us. God knows what Heâs doing. Something else in this one, even if itâs been a while since weâve heard from Him, He hasnât forgotten us. He never will. And âthe sound of this worldâs deafeningâ, yeah, it is. Thatâs probably our fault though. We stay too busy.
I NEED NO OTHER
This is beautiful. Once again Todd wakes up an old hymn that the church has left in the dust. âItâs enough for me that Jesus saves; it ends my fear and doubt.â How true, and yet how easy to forget. âIt is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me.â There really isnât anything else, is there? Thereâs nothing that compares to this anyway. Thereâs a majesty in the music on this one, and Agnewâs voice adds gravitas. (I like that word, and it is such a good description of Agnewâs work.) Itâs so good to hear a very deep masculine voice singing love songs to and about Jesus. Youâve got to love it!
GIVE ME JESUS
Aw, another love song, and a reference to Spaffordâs âIt is Wellâ. But this one picks things up a bit, and I donât remember whoâs doing the BGV on this one (and my liner notes are at work), but she does a great job. âTake the world but give me Jesusâ, we get so caught up in whatâs going on around us, and the things of the world seem to carry so much weight. Itâs easy to forget that this world is not our home, and that our time here is so short compared to all eternity. Thanks be to God that our eternity can be spent with Him. I have to say, I just smile through this whole CD every time I listen to it, and the more I listen, the more I like it.
HIGHER GROUND
I love this!! Really, I do! It was so good to hear it in AZ last winter. Youâve outdone yourself with this one. The music is great, parts of it make me want to dance, and other parts of it make my spirit soar. The vocals are great; the BGVs at the end are amazing! And yes, Agnew does pretty good here too. And the message is so true. One thing it presents is that we canât do it. We canât get to where we want to beâŚâheavenâs table landâ (and I like that picture), but we need God to plant our feet there. He needs to lead us to higher ground, if weâre going to get there. Well done Agnew!
TELL ME THE STORY
Yeah, write it on my heart too, and may I never get tired of hearing it. Love the âtude in the vocals on this one. This is one to jam to; itâll have people stompinâ and swaying. And yet it tells the most amazing story of all time. Most of us have heard this story so many times that it sometimes looses its poignancy. May we always be moved by the story of the Christ.
DID YOU MEAN ME?
This is definitely a favorite! Of all the songs on this record, this one speaks to me the most. âDid You mean me?â How could He? What a relevant message to all of us. âI donât see much of You in this reflectionâ, me either. And yet, He uses you, and he uses me. Thatâs a testimony to His greatness and His goodness. The music in the beginning is a bit reminiscent of âCornersâ. The music is simple and elegant. And yes, the âJesus at the felt boardâ part is touching.
GLORIA
What a beautiful anthem. This is pure worship, and music doesnât get any better than that. What will that day be like? What will it be like to stand before our King and sing with âsaints of every raceâ? How amazing that we have that to look forward to. Well done Todd.
THE LOVE OF GOD
This is another one of my favorites. Itâs hauntingly beautiful, and so simple. (I like simple) The love of God is immeasurable, and this song brings that to light. The old English phrasing is lovely. The vocals are amazing too. (but this isnât supposed to be about shining on those vocals) âGodâs love so sure shall still endureâ Heâs so patient with us, and His love comes through no matter what life throws at us. âCould we with ink the oceans fillâŚâ Itâs incomprehensible. And yet itâs true. Beautiful!
BREAKABLE
And then we get all woke up with this one. Thatâs a good play on words too. âTo save me from my brokenness⌠You became breakable.â It holds so many scriptural truths, which is one of the things I like about Agnewâs stuff. The music is great in and of itself, but in so many of his songs there are scripture references.
DEEP LOVE
This is another one of my favorites. This one must qualify as a musical masterpiece; itâs so fun! It definitely gets me dancing. The BGVs are spectacular, all of them. But in the midst of all the fun, thereâs truth. And when you think itâs done, it just gets better. âThat set me free.â Thatâs some kind of love.
JESUS, THE HOPE OF GLORY
I love how this one came about. Youâre right, it sounds like a great old hymn of the church, and if you didnât know better, thatâs what you think it was. But itâs a great new hymn of the church. This one reaches right into the heart and draws the listener to the throne of Grace. Amazing!!
I was a little surprised by this one, because itâs so different from your other records, especially BQâŚwhich I love!
All in all Todd, itâs a job well done. Bravo! (and yes, Iâm fully aware that this would get poor marks on writing style, but I donât care) I hope God continues to write His songs in your heart, and I hope you continue to share them with us. Thank you for this one.
Tess
Thanks for the info on jon and sherry…. miss them greatly!…. especially at Christmas and all the stories jon read with his lovely radio voice and all the fun stuff sherry did… God Bless them I just love their family!
Thank you for this update! I really miss their morning show on K-LOVE.
Please let them know that they are missed!
I had only been listening to Jon and Sherry a few months, but became pretty attached. I to am very grateful to hear they are working things out and trusting the Lord for their next move. All the best to them and their families.