So after 18 days in Nashville, I have returned home to Atlanta. Most of the record is done tracking – the guys are finishing up a few final touches over the next few days – and it will then be sent for mixing & mastering! Hopefully we’ll have mixes to listen to within a couple weeks. In the meantime, if you haven’t checked out the photo album on Facebook of all the precious moments from my time in Nashville, check it out here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150578800070680.404443.838110...

There have been some really cool things that the Lord has been stirring in my heart in the process of recording and during my time in Nashville, and a potential change in direction on a few things in light of this stirring. It may be a few months before the album is actually released due to it all…but we’ll see what the Lord has in store! The Lord seems to keep telling me, “You know what you need to know today, just walk in it…” and so that’s what I’m trying to do, even though I can’t see the whole picture and that can drive me crazy sometimes!

One change is that I’m getting ready to move this weekend into a new housing situation that I believe is God’s provision to reduce my monthly expenses and help make me a bit more “mobile” for a while. It’s hard to let go of my little “home” and summers by the pool at my apartment complex….but I’m so thankful for God’s provision as my current day job is coming to a close, and I’m also looking forward to living with some dear friends after a few years of living alone. I think it will be good for my soul.

One of the things that has been stirring in me is in realizing how the Lord has walked me through a tough couple years, how blessed I am to know the Hope that I have in Him in the midst. I grew up in Church. I have pretty much been on staff in churches since I was 18. Leading worship in churches is about all I have known. But I feel that in this season of my life, God is calling me to more than that. I’m excited and terrified all at once about what that means or what it looks like! I really long to be used by Him to take hope to hurting people who don’t know Him. I have been feeling like the Lord may be calling me to go out more and more to share my music in places outside of the Church. Like Jesus says in Mark, chapter two…

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

It might be that my travels over the next few years consist of a combination of Sunday mornings leading worship in churches and nights playing in clubs, coffee shops, or bars - not a new concept for some artists – but a new adventure for me! The songs I’ve been writing the last few years seem to lean in this direction, but we’ll wait and see what the Lord does with it all.

I would love your prayers joining me as I seek Him about the next steps. If this stirs your heart and you have any ideas or want to partner with me in some way, I’d love to hear from you!

More soon!
Sheri

Hello from Nashville, where I’ve been since February 1st! The Lord opened a very unexpected door at the last minute for me to record a “Side B” to the Weathered EP – another 5 original songs – with a couple wonderful producers here. God is always full of last minute surprises!

The project has been funded by an anonymous donor who felt like the Lord encouraged them to invest in my music by helping me get my next album recorded (I about fell of my chair when I got that call)! The next call that afternoon was from Josh Robinson (one of the producers). He told me that the artist lined up to start recording an album with him on February 1st had called him the night before and told him he needed to bump it back a month. Josh had the studio time & musicians booked but no artist to work with, so he and his wife were praying together that night about what to do. Amazingly it left an open window for me when the funding came through – at the perfect time!

So after praying on it for 24 hours, talking it over with my dad and my pastor, looking at budgets and the realities of what it all meant, I decided to go for it. Unfortunately, the next day I got horribly sick with a head/chest cold out of nowhere, but as soon as I felt well enough, I threw most of my closet in a giant suitcase and headed north a few days later – ready for the adventure - though I have no idea quite where this will all lead!

My apartment lease happens to end at the end of February and my time on staff at Perimeter Church is coming to a close due to changes in my department, so I am soon to be without a day job and there are still many unknowns…but I feel like God is saying I know all I need to know today, and I just need to be faithful to walk this out and trust Him with the rest. We will see what He has in store!

This actually all started when Josh called me about a month after my mom passed away to check up on me. He and I had met last July when he came to Atlanta to play drums on my Weathered EP. Since then we had only been connected via Facebook, really, but while he was out on tour in November playing drums with another artist, for whatever reason, he woke up that morning and the Lord had put me on his heart. He called to just ask how I was doing, what was going on in my life, what I really wanted to do with my life, assured me God had a plan, and that he was praying for me…and it began a conversation that continued off and on through the holidays via texts, email, & phone.

Soon Josh asked if I’d ever want to come up to Nashville to work with him, and I told him the idea really excited me if the Lord would ever make it possible. I started emailing some songs his way as we talked about vision, song selection, etc. We both just started putting the project to prayer and surrendered it to God. Josh and I both believed if it was meant to be that the Lord would make a way.

It’s funny, but talking to each other about it now, we both honestly wanted it to work out, but never thought it would really happen – between his busy schedule, me pulling the finances together & being able to get to Nashville for a season, me taking a risk on a producer I didn’t really know, and he taking a risk on artist he didn’t really know either, etc. I think Josh about fell off his chair, too, when I finally told him it was a “go” on the “Side B” EP! We were really excited to get started.

So when I arrived, we spent the first few days here in the studio & on Josh’s back porch listening through songs I’d written, doing some re-writes, and even wrote a brand new song together in honor of my mom. We’ve also been working with a guy that Josh co-produces and plays a lot with - Matt Campbell. They make a great team! We wrestled through song choices, finally focused in on what we felt were the best five, and have already laid down what are called “scratch tracks” for each song (basically a quickly/simply done guitar & vocal track to act as a guide to all the other instruments as we "track" (which means record) them - drums first, then bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, strings, etc….and eventually we will delete the scratch tracks and finish up with the final vocals & background vocals last).

It’s been a REALLY awesome week. I almost feel like I’m on an incredible vacation to have the opportunity to do what I love and feel so wired to do. I really feel the Lord breathing life into these songs, and the whole process. It’s so exciting to see these beautiful new tunes begin to come together. Josh & Matt are so talented & creative; it’s a blast to witness them at work, and we’ve only just begun!

As I venture into this new project, I sense the goodness & faithfulness of God – and I also sense the enemy hard at work to discourage, bring fear, and bring sickness. I ended up at a medical clinic in downtown Nashville today (at the recommendation of a friend who works there) to get checked out as my lungs are still congested, my voice is still affected, and my right ear has now been completely plugged for several days. The doctor says I have some inflammation in my left lung and fluid in my right ear, so have been put on some meds to try and combat both. Would love your prayers for continued healing and rest in the midst. I really don't "feel" all that sick, which probably makes it worse that it's hard to want to "rest."

Josh called me this afternoon, concerned for me and asking if I felt like I wanted to continue or if I thought we needed to take a break. I told him it was funny, but right before he called I’d been waiting on my prescriptions at Starbucks and was reading 1st Corinthians. I had come across a verse that was used in a sort of funny way to assure my heart very clearly…

"For the present, I'm staying right here in Ephesus. A huge door of opportunity for good work has opened up here. (There is also mushrooming opposition)."
(1 Corinthians 16:9, The Message)

I love how it’s put in The Message version; the “mushrooming opposition” is something that I can very much relate to! I sense the opposition, but I also sense the Lord speaking to me today, saying, “stay right there in Nashville, there’s an opportunity for good work.” I sense His peace and presence here with me, and I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. He is taking care of things. I just need to rest and stay on mission. I'm blessed to stay in a wonderful "host home" of some dear friends in Franklin who are also taking very good care of me - another piece of God's great provision this month!

So…what does the schedule look like? How can you pray?

Wednesday – tracks drums
Thurs-Saturday – edit drums, track bass, guitars, piano
Monday – track electric guitars
Tuesday – track strings
Then vocals will be last….so I have a little over a week to get well! ☺

I should also mention that the FIRST day we started working at Josh's he had a pipe leaking in the ceiling of his new home and they had to do some major repairs. Please cover Josh Robinson, his wife DeNae, and Matt Campbell all in prayer as well.

I will be in Nashville until at least February 18th, then I’ll be back in Atlanta to lead worship at my home church on February 19th (come worship with me at the Hanger service at 10:45am!). The “Side B” EP (which will have a much better name revealed soon) should (hopefully) be ready to mix by then, and we can get a start on artwork, digital downloads, web work, etc. It shouldn’t be TOO far down the road that it will be available for you all, God willing!

Be sure to follow me on Facebook/Twitter for updates/pictures/videos along the way, and I’ll blog when I can!

http://twitter.com/shericarr
http://facebook.com/shericarr

Thanks for all your support & prayers! God is definitely up to something…He always is! Even in the face of “mushrooming opposition,” He is always in control.

“…he told me, ‘My grace is enough; it's all you need. 
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.’ 
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.”
(2 Corinthians 12:9-10, The Message)

Staying right where I am...
Sheri

P.S. I’m putting together a "Prayer Army" that I can email from time to time as urgent needs arise. If you’d like to join my team, send an email to sheri@shericarr.com and just let me know. I know the more people praying over this project and in this season the better! Thanks!

My beautiful mama, Annette Keller, went home to be with Jesus on October 27, 2011 at 12:45am. Thank you for the incredible love & prayers poured out on her behalf, and ours. He is still God, and He is still good. We know that my mom fought valiantly, that Christ already won, & that this world is not our home. This is an excerpt from one of her Bible study journals near her bedside, which I shared at her memorial service last week:

"The proper attitude in meeting adversity is to count it all joy, which is not an emotional reaction but a deliberate, intelligent appraisal of the situation from God's perspective, viewing trials as a means of moral and spiritual growth. We do not rejoice in the trials themselves, but in their possible results. Testing carries the idea of proving genuineness. Trials serve as a discipline to purge faith of dross, stripping away what is false. Patience is not a passive resignation to adverse circumstances, but a positive steadfastness that bravely endures." (from one of the last entries of Annette Keller's study journal; appears to be a quote by Jack Hayford, anyone know the actual source??)

I think one of the things I learned most from my mom was about giving praise in all circumstances - not the kind of praise you FEEL like giving in the moment - but the kind of praise that you know an all-powerful, completely capable, merciful, just, healing, holy, sovereign, awesome God is absolutly worthy of in SPITE of your circumstances. It is when we offer up praise in the midst of our trials that our God is the kind of God that can shake the earth, bring healing, and open jail doors - but ultimately, whom is most glorified in those moments when we choose to trust Him and worship Him in spite of what we see.

Just as my mom held my hand through divorce and I held her hand through seventh months of horrific cancer treatments and ultimately her homecoming to be with Jesus, this kind of sacrifice of praise was always evident in how she lived her life, loved others, loved God...and worshipped. I only hope that it will always be as evident in mine.

I love these verses from 2 Corinthians that remind us that we're just "passing through." Mom was just passing through, we're all just passing through...and one day we'll all go home to be with him together. What a glorious day that will be. "To live is Christ and to die is gain." Amen & Amen!

2 Corinthians 5 (The Message)

1-5For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we'll never have to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less.

6-8That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.

9-10But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that's what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions. Sooner or later we'll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what's coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad.

11-14That keeps us vigilant, you can be sure. It's no light thing to know that we'll all one day stand in that place of Judgment. That's why we work urgently with everyone we meet to get them ready to face God. God alone knows how well we do this, but I hope you realize how much and deeply we care. We're not saying this to make ourselves look good to you. We just thought it would make you feel good, proud even, that we're on your side and not just nice to your face as so many people are. If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.

14-15Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.

Dear friends,

I hope by now that you have all had a chance to listen through the new Weathered EP at least a time or two. :) I'd love feedback - specifically what song is your favorite?!?!

If you'd like to tell friends about Weathered, it's now available on iTunes! If you are willing to leave a short review on iTunes letting folks know what you think about the EP, that would be awesome as well! http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/weathered-ep/id452793414

The day has arrived!!!

TODAY, you can hear my brand new 5-song EP "Weathered" and download a digital version for only $5!

It will be available on iTunes & many other online retailers soon, but for now visit http://shericarr.bandcamp.com/

Tell everyone! Share it on Facebook and Tweet about it to your heart's content. :)

I owe thanks to so many who took part in making this project possible!

Weathered & worn...for His glory,
Sheri

After a photo shoot Monday with the talented Drew Kimball (Braintrust Creative), he began to immediately tackle my artwork and pulled it off in just days. It's amazing! Thanks so much, Drew, I love it! Then, after two long days of mixing at The Murray Sound Lab, the EP is done. Yes, you heard it right: DONE!!!

Wednesday's all-day mixing session ended around 2am on Thursday morning, and Thursday's all-day session ended around 5am on Friday morning. Needless to say, we're all a little tired, but it's been so worth it! Thank you to Jered Schuerman, James Majors, & Phil Rogers for a great job on the mix!

We sent the final mixes off for mastering this morning - to Minnesota nonetheless (technology is amazing!) - and when we got the masters back we were able to have a little "listening party" tonight with some of the guys that played on the EP and our friends/family. It was a sweet night to share together!!! I was thrilled that my mom was released from the hospital this afternoon and was amazingly able to be there as well. What a precious gift from God. Thank you to so many who have been praying for her - and for me & the guys - through this entire process!

I'm now working frantically to get this music in your hands as soon as possible! I just can't wait to share it! I'll be sending an email to every Kickstarter backer with a download code that will allow you to download your digital copy very soon! :)

Finally, I should have artwork printed and in hand on Monday, and then will have a CD assembly party at my apartment that night to save the money of having the printer put the artwork in the jewel cases. God-willing, I should be able to get hard copies of CDs in the mail to all the backers shortly after, which is good because I hit the road Wednesday night for the little mini-tour! I'll be accompanied by Duffy, Drew, & Chad for this first leg. We'd love prayers - especially for safe travels while we're driving. If you live nearby, please join us!

Weathered EP Release & Love146 Fundraising Mini-Tour Dates:
Rolla, MO - Thursday, July 14 @ 6:30pm
St Louis, MO - Friday, July 15 @ 7:30 pm
Centennial, CO - Sunday, July 17 @ 9am, 10:45am & 6pm
Midland, MI - Sunday, July 31 @ 9am
Sterling Heights, MI - Sunday, July 31 @ 6pm
More details at http://www.shericarr.com/sc/co​ntent/event-dates
Booking Contact: booking@shericarr.com

I have also been given a very last-minute unique opportunity to perform at Creation Festival Northwest (Enumclaw, WA) on July 21st. I have to pay my own way there & back, but it's a great opportunity at a big festival, and there could be a potentially good "prize" involved since it's a contest as well - I could win a slot to play at all 20 of their festivals next year and win a 3-song recording session in Chicago to boot. I'm praying the Lord makes a way for me to get to Creation. Plus I'd love an excuse to see some of my Pac NW friends! :) If you live out there and your church might want to host a worship concert to help me offset some of the travel costs, let me know!

We've been so busy with tracking & mixing the EP that a few of the other backer rewards will have to wait until we return from this trip (like the 3 bonus acoustic tracks, Skype sessions, and song videos), but it is all forthcoming!

Thanks again for all you've done to make this possible! We're so excited to get this music in your hands VERY soon. You can find more pictures from this week's adventure on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150220837775680.337795.838110679

Blessings & Thanks!
Sheri

It's been three very hectic and full weeks, but I'm so hoping the hard work will soon pay off! After a grueling 2.5 days of vocal tracking (thanks Duffy & Jered for bearing with me!), the project is completely tracked and ready to be mixed next week! Thank you to Ryan Van Kirk for lending some background vocals yesterday as well. It's coming together! It hasn't been an easy road getting here, and continues to be an uphill climb up to the last moment of tracking last night, but the Lord continues to encourage me in the process and we keep pressing on for the glory of His name.

One surprise is that we have been given a pretty cool gift - an opportunity to mix at the incredible Sound Lab at the Murray Arts Center next week! Along with the blessing of the incredible mixing console & stellar gear comes the daunting task for Jered to mix all five songs in just two days without the ability for us to go back and make fixes later, but we continue to lean on Him and I believe He'll meet us as we step out and take the risk. We would love your continued prayers over the entire mixing process! God-willing, we'll have a finished master in hand one week from today!

I'll be sending out emails soon to all my Kickstarter backers to collect info I need in order to get you each your backer rewards! Thanks again for making this all possible!

Keeping my eyes on Him!
Sheri

What a week. In between leading worship at Perimeter four of the last seven days and praying mom through her first chemo treatment, all of our instrumental tracking is DONE. I certainly could not have done it without Duffy & Jered often working while I wasn't able to be there. Thanks so much, guys!

All that's left to track are the vocals, which we bumped to next week (Mon-Wed). The week after that is mix week, so we're still on track for a soft release around July 12, God-willing! Keep the prayers coming!

Huge thanks to Drew Kimball for tracking percussion, Phil Rogers & Duffy James for tracking acoustic guitar, and Jered Schuerman & Ryan Van Kirk for tracking keyboards! It's sounding GREAT! Thanks for everyone's prayers helping carry us (and my parents) through a big week. Mom had a couple rough days, but is doing better and my folks are on a belated 40th Anniversary trip this weekend, so we're praising God for that!

I would love your continued prayers for health & energy to get through everyone's hectic schedules & our tight timeline. We need to fit in time for artwork, a couple bonus acoustic tracks, & tour prep/rehearsal these next few weeks as well.

For those of you in the Atlanta area, we'll be singing one of the songs off the EP ("Home") for the offertory during Perimeter's 10:45am service in the gym. Don't miss a chance to get a sneak peak of one of the new songs! :)

Check out some additional pictures from the adventures in the studio this week on my Facebook profile as well: http://facebook.com/shericarr

Have a blessed weekend!
Sheri

So last night around midnight we wrapped up our first week of tracking! I absolutely cannot WAIT to share these recordings with you all. I am so very humbled by and proud of the team that God put around me to make this happen, and by the support of each of you all who made this time in the studio possible. I can hardly put into words what this week has been like for me. It has truly been a dream come true to watch these songs evolve into something way more beautiful than I ever imagined.

If you kept up with me this week on Twitter/Facebook, you'll already know that Monday we tracked drums (Josh Robinson) and started on bass (Duffy James & Phil Rogers). On Wednesday we tracked more bass & started electric guitars (Chad Russell). On Thursday we finished bass & electric, and last night we added strings (Rachel Ashley w/ Jered Schuerman overseeing the orchestral arrangements)...and let me just say WOW. Just WOW.

In the middle of the week we received news that has made this all quite bittersweet - my mom's cancer has progressed and they want to start her on a new treatment of chemo, but we are pressing on for the glory of God and continue to ask God for miraculous healing, and would so appreciate you all joining us in prayer. My mom and dad were able to be in the studio while we were recording the title track "weathered" on Thursday. It was such a sweet and special time to have them there with me, and is a day I will always treasure. My parents are my biggest fans, and they have always supported my dreams and believed in me more than I have believed in myself. I am truly blessed.

We still have much to accomplish next week - piano/keys, acoustic guitar, percussion, & other extras...as well as the dreaded vocal tracks (for me at least!). Please pray that as we're burning the midnight oil that we can all stay healthy (especially Duffy who's not been feeling great this week) and that God would be glorified by each note played and sung. I have so sensed His presence in our sessions this week, and feel like I'm so incredibly blessed to watch God at work in and through my dear friends who are so gifted and talented at what they do.

Thank you Duffy, Jered, Chad, Josh, & Rachel! It's sounding INCREDIBLE!!!

For the glory of our great God!
Sheri

P.S. Check out some more photos from this week in the studio on my Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150220837775680.337795.838110...

Dear Friends,

So I'm winding down for bed and wanted to just let you all know that we are headed to the studio tomorrow at 9am to track drums for all five tunes on the weathered EP!!! I'm still pinching myself. It's hard to believe it's really happening!

The talented Josh Robinson is heading down from Nashville to do us the honors on the drums, while Jered Schuerman from The Lodge Atlanta will be at the console with Duffy James alongside to help produce. I can hardly wait. The schedule looks a bit like this:

This week - drums, bass, guitars
Next week - keys & vocals
Third week - mixing

We're still shooting for a mid July release but definitely need the grace of God to see that happen! I'll try to post some pictures, video clips, and updates along the way...

Be sure to follow me on Twitter or Facebook to keep up in real time. :)

http://twitter.com/shericarr
http://facebook.com/shericarr

Would love your prayers for God to breathe life into these simple songs!

With a heart full of gratitude,
Sheri