The discovery of this gift-and her own unique expressions of worship-is nothing new for Christian recording artist, Cheri Keaggy. The discovery began when, as a novice worship coordinator for her local church, Cheri flipped through endless music books, looking for songs that would best express the pastor's sermon on Psalm 91. When she didn't find what she was looking for, her husband suggested she write something of her own. Skeptical of her songwriting abilities, Cheri gave it her best, and within one afternoon "You, Oh Lord, Are My Refuge" was born. She taught it to the worship band that evening, and on Sunday the song became a part of the worship at her church. But that was just the beginning. 

Three albums, nine number one songs and a Dove Award later, Cheri Keaggy is recognized as a mainstay in the adult contemporary and inspirational genres. She has written every song on each of her albums with the exception of two, which she co-wrote one with Randy Stonehill and the other with Charlie Peacock. Her music expresses the reality of her walk with God. Honest songs with timeless truths. 

There Is Joy in the Lord, which has already earned Cheri a Dove Nomination for Praise &Worship Album of the Year, finds her taking a short break from her normal recording to reflect on and reintroduce the songs first born in her heart, songs of praise penned specifically for worshipers. "This is not a departure or a change of direction," says Cheri. "It's something we've wanted to do from the beginning, to have all my worship material on one recording." Produced by Billy Batstone, Tommy Coomes and Eddie Keaggy (known for their work with the Maranatha Praise Band, Greg Laurie's Harvest Crusades, Franklin Graham Crusades and Promise Keepers), There Is Joy in the Lord is a collection of upbeat, passion-filled songs for worship, presented in a "praise band friendly" format. Easy to sing, easy to play, and easy to teach, the record progresses much like a contemporary worship service would, from the call to worship in "We Have Come to Worship Him" to the praise and adoration of "Glory Be" to the consecration of "I Want to Follow You" and meaningful communion in "In Remembrance of Me." 

"Because of the role I had, being in charge of the worship at my church, a lot of my early songs were worship songs, easy to learn and full of specific scriptural truths," Cheri says. "On this album, we wanted to highlight those songs in a new way and in the way they were originally intended, as a tool for the worship leader." But beyond that purpose, Cheri's latest album is intended as a soundtrack for worship, regardless of setting. "One of the things I've learned is that my idea of worship was so small," she says. "As a child I equated worship with singing in church, but He has shown me that worship is so much broader. The trees of the fields clap their hands. I worship Him when I look at Him in wonder, and I may not be singing a note. Worship is so much more about the heart condition than anything else." 

"My writing comes out of a personal relationship with the Lord. That's my whole worldview -- Christ in me. So my songs come from that place of humility, that place of looking not at myself but at Him and all He's done." 

To write from an honest place-whether out of worship experience or other life experiences-requires the vision to see what God is teaching, where God is at work in the day-to-day. "When we began thinking about this record, the first thing that came to mind was this notion of taking time out to worship," she says. "We miss so much of what God has for us because we're consumed with the stuff of life, the busyness." Cheri recalls a specific instance when that truth was made plain. Working around the house, doing laundry and dishes and going through her "to do" list, she had barely noticed the first snow flurries of winter, an event she'd anxiously awaited for days. As she stood in the kitchen, she felt the Lord prompting her, "Cheri, you've waited for this. If you will stop, you will see. I've got all these things to show you, but you need to be looking for where I'm working." "That snowfall," she says in retrospect, "was a worship experience." 

"I hope the songs on There Is Joy in the Lord will give voice to all of life's moments like that," she says, "a worshipful pause from life's hectic pace.. These songs aren't just for singing at church, but for all of us, for busy people who really want to make time for God in the everyday, at home, in the car, wherever we choose to worship Him." 

Time to discover the gift of worship and to discover anew that there is, indeed, joy in the Lord. 

C O N T A C T   D E T A I L S 
Contact: Cheri Keaggy 
Web Site: http://www.cherikeaggy.com/ 
Email: cheri@cherikeaggy.com 

EMI Christian Music Group
Web Site: http://www.worshiptogether.com/
Contact: Karin Siccardi
Email: ksiccardi@emicmg.com
Phone: (615) 371-4415