Jeff Ling

It’s rare that I listen to a CD all the way through. I tend to get bored easily and if something is not grabbing me lyrically or musically then I start punching the “next” button. Yesterday I was driving from Baltimore back to Manassas, Va. and I put on Sherri Youngward’s CD, “She Looks to the Sky,” released at the tail end of last year. I listened… all the way through.. and then repeated a few songs. I’m embarrassed to say that I wasn’t  familiar with Sherri’s work before now. Beginning in 1997, she has released 9 albums including “No More Goodbyes,”  ”Sons and Daughters,” and “Scripture Songs.”  The arrangements on her albums tend to be simple, often sparse, leaving room for her airy but beautiful vocals. Her singing is a treasure. One moment almost childlike and the next like a seasoned pro but always spot on.

Her current work is a collection of  old hymns as well as new songs, some penned by Sherri and some by others. Her “Fairest Lord Jesus” is one of the most lovely arrangements I’ve ever heard. “It is Well With My Soul” leaps from a reflective style into a up tempo treatment that is so uplifting. “How Great Thou Art” is done with minimal accompaniment or variation. She simply let’s the timeless words of that classic stand on there own. She knows when to stylize vocally but she never over does it.

Sherri’s song, “She Looks to the Sky” is a brilliant picture in words.

“This song was inspired by a poem written by Jonathan Edwards about his fiancé Sarah Pierrepont. The poem made me think of what the bride of Christ looks like to those who are watching.”

She Looks To The Sky
Words: Sherri
Music: Sherri and Ted Morton

They say she is loved by the greatest of all
Who have walked in the world
He lives far away, still she spends all her days
Content with only His words

She often walks alone, but never is she lonely
You can offer her anything
Her affections are all for Him only

She looks to the sky
As if He is coming down through the clouds up above
Though no one has seen Him you cannot deny
She is drenched with His love

She often walks alone, but never is she lonely
You can offer her anything
Her affections are all for Him only

All the day long she sings sweetly
She says He speaks to her mind
She’s only rich with affliction
Yet a bitter word you won’t find

She lives with assurance He loves her too deeply
To let such distance remain
She’s brimming with longing for Him to come calling
And sweep her away

Of the three songs written  by Sherri, the standout for me is “This Dream of Mine.”  It’s a song of hope – expectant, joyful hope. This is the one song in the collection that has a big orchestral arrangement and it’s absolutely perfection.

This Dream Of Mine
Sherri Youngward

I had a dream I heard a great sound
It was God coming down to find me
There was light all around
It was brighter than lightning
And it covered the earth like a blanket

I shed all sadness and striving
Like worn out old clothing
And I was relinquished from gravity

I breathed a sigh of relief, like a soldier after war
Like a soldier that finally made it home

When I opened my eyes
To six inches of sky
Through the half opened blinds on my window
I had to smile, full of the feeling
That this dream of mine would come true

The line “I breathed a sigh of relief, like a soldier after war. Like a soldier that finally made it home.” brought tears to my eyes. Such a powerful image and in her hands it reaches deep and captivates your heart.

I highly recommend Sherri to you. You can listen to samples and check out lyrics here.

Tony Reinke shared this on his Miscellanies blog which I highly recommend to you.

Here’s a helpful organization of the “one anothers” of Scripture as they appear in Tim Keller’s study guide, Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything

Affirm

1. Affirm one another’s strengths, abilities, and gifts.

• Romans 12:10: “Honor one another”
• James 5:9: “Don’t grumble against each other”
• Romans 12:3-8: Confirm the gifts of one another

2. Affirm one another’s equal importance in Christ.

• Romans 15:7: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you”
• 1 Corinthians 12:25: “Have equal concern for each other”
• 1 Peter 5:5: “Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another”
• James 2:1: “Don’t show favoritism”

3. Affirm one another through visible affection.

• Romans 16:16: “Greet one another with a holy kiss”
• James 1:19: “Be quick to listen, slow to speak”
• Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind and compassionate to one another”
• 1 Thessalonians 3:12: “[May] your love increase and overflow for each other”

Share

4. Share one another’s space, goods, and time.

• Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love”
• 1 Peter 4:9: “Offer hospitality to one another”
• Galatians 6:10: “As we have opportunity, let us do good”

5. Share one another’s needs and problems.

• Galatians 6:2: “Carry each other’s burdens”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Encourage one another”
• Hebrews 3:13: “Encourage one another daily”

6. Share one another’s beliefs, thinking, and spirituality.

• Colossians 3:16: “Teach and admonish one another”
• Ephesians 5:19: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”
• Romans 12:16: “Live in harmony with one another”
• 1 Corinthians 1:10: “Agree with one another”

Serve

7. Serve one another through accountability.

• James 5:16: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other”
• Romans 15:14: “Instruct one another”
• Ephesians 4:25: “Speak truthfully”

8. Serve one another through forgiveness and reconciliation.

• Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”
• Colossians 3:13: “Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another”
• Galatians 5:25: Don’t provoke or envy one another
• James 4:11: “Do not slander one another”
• Matthew 5:23-24; 18:15: Reestablish broken relationships with one another

9. Serve one another’s interests rather than our own.

• Hebrews 10:24: “spur one another on toward love and good deeds”
• Romans 15:1-2: Don’t please yourself but please others
• Galatians 5:13: “Serve one another”

There is a story of a Hasidic rabbi, renowned for his piety. He was unexpectedly confronted one day by one of his devoted youthful disciples. In a burst of feeling, theyound disciple exlaimed, “My master, I love you!”
The ancient teacher looked up from his books and asked his fervent disciple, “Do you know what hurts me?”

The young man was puzzled. Composing himself, he stuttered, “I don’t understand your question Rabbi. I am trying to tell you how much you mean to me, and you confuse me with questions?”

Replied the Rabbi, “My son, if you do not know what hurts me, how can you truly love me?”

The other night, a good friend of mine pointed out what he viewed as a an intentional change of vocabulary by the current administration, substituting the words “freedom of worship” in place of “freedom of religion.” The implication was that this was an effort to narrow the definition and application of the word religion to only that private exercise of devotion between a person and their God and thereby minimize the role of religion as it relates to society.  I filed that away and then today and article showed up on Crosswalk entitled “Freedom of Religion is More Than Freedom to Worship” by Tony Bean. Mr. Bean (I can not help laughing when I say that!) is a talk show host (who isn’t?) and the Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville College in Tigerville, SC.  He succinctly expresses the problem with the semantical change:

“Is it really a big deal that the President and members of his administration have migrated from freedom of religion to freedom of worship?  Yes, it really is a big deal because, as stated at the beginning of this article, words mean things.  The freedom to worship is an exclusive term that relates only to the way people express their relationship with God inside the walls of the church.  Freedom of religion carries the idea of religious expression beyond the walls of the church into the public arena.”

And the consequences of this change of meaning?

By shifting from freedom of religion to freedom of worship, the administration would be laying the groundwork for censuring religious thought and expression in the public square while sanctioning worship as long as that look remains tucked away from public view within the confines of the church.

I have to admit that I’m a bit of a skeptic here. I know the tendency of both the left and the right to look for ways to twist each others words and ascribe motives to each other that may or may not exist. I did a bit of research by googling the words “freedom to worship” along with the names of Republican leaders:

Today, while religion is suppressed in perhaps one third of the world, we Americans are free to worship the Almighty as we choose.” – Reagan

“I love America because you can join Cub Scouts if you want to. You have a right to worship as you please. If you have the ability, you can try to be anything you want to be. And I also like America because we have about 200 flavors of ice cream.” Well, truth through the eyes of a child: freedom of association, freedom of worship, freedom of hope and opportunity, and the pursuit of happiness — in this case, choosing among 200 flavors of ice cream — that’s America, everyone with his or her vision of the American promise.” – Reagan at the ’88 GOP convention

In George H.W. Bush’s first state of the Union address he declared:

“And around the globe, we must continue to be freedom’s best friend. And we must stand firm for self-determination and democracy in Central America, including in Nicaragua. It is my strongly held conviction that when people are given the chance they inevitably will choose a free press, freedom of worship, and certifiably free and fair elections.”

Dwight Eisenhower said:

“Kinship among nations is not determined in such measurements as proximity of size and age. Rather we should turn to those inner things — call them what you will — I mean those intangibles that are the real treasures free men possess. To preserve his freedom of worship, his equality before law, his liberty to speak and act as he sees fit, subject only to provisions that he trespass not upon similar rights of others — a Londoner will fight. So will a citizen of Abilene.”

Abraham Lincoln used the words interchangeably as did  Thomas Jefferson:

“Among the most inestimable of our blessings, also, is that… of liberty to worship our Creator in the way we think most agreeable to His will; a liberty deemed in other countries incompatible with good government and yet proved by our experience to be its best support.” –Thomas Jefferson: Reply to John Thomas et al., 1807. ME 16:291 (These words were also quoted in a speech by George Bush)

“The constitutional freedom of religion [is] the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights.” –Thomas Jefferson: Virginia Board of Visitors Minutes, 1819. ME 19:416

I think the jury is still out on whether this is a calculated move by the current administration. But, for a moment, let’s consider the possibility that Mr. Bean (heh heh) is right. What if his thought that “the government can grant me the freedom to worship but without freedom of religion that same government can prohibit me from sharing my faith with my neighbor.” became the actual experience of Americans?

Consider the following:

“So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.’ ” (Acts 4:18-20 ESV)

“ ‘We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’ “ (Acts 5:28-29 ESV)

“…and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

(Acts 5:40-42 ESV)

There’s a good reason why Tertullian noted that, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” If our freedom of religion was curtailed to outlaw proselytizing, would the real church stand up? I think it would.  Glen Beck may be right or wrong (he strikes me as a bit of a demagogue)  but the church being prophetic and powerful in the day of persecution? That’s Bible baby.

In the meantime, check out ways you can help and pray for those denied the freedom of religion that we hold dear: