Ministry Full of Encouragement - Jeff and Sheri Easter Concert Review

Shannon Easter, Sheri Easter, Jeff Easter and Kyle Calloway (on drums)

Jeff and Sheri Easter were in concert on Sunday night at the Little Rock Church of God. I always enjoy seeing them in a concert setting by themselves, and that night was no exception.

The night started with their standard opening number, "Life is Great and Gettin' Better." Then, Sheri sang "Praise His Name." This is one song that I never get tired of hearing. Sheri's rich alto voice always shines on this song. It's such a great song that reminds us to praise Him no matter what circumstances we might be facing.

They sang "Come See Me" next. I hadn't seen them stage this song in a while, but really enjoyed hearing it again.

Jeff made introductions next. Shannon, Madison's wife, sang the third part that weekend. Morgan was at her Senior Breakfast that Sunday morning. While Morgan was missed, I really enjoyed getting to hear Shannon sing. She has such a great voice and was featured on the Karen Peck and New River song, "Hold Me While I Cry." She did a beautiful job on it, and it really fit her voice well.

Madison joined his parents next on "Workin' on a Road." Even though he has never taken a large role vocally in the concerts, he has a great voice and definitely has the vocal talent of his family. They brought Maura on stage next. After entertaining the crowd with a few jokes, she sang a little bit of "Livin' in the Rain" and then played the drums, which I think might have been her favorite thing! :)

Shannon, Madison and Maura left the stage, and Sheri began sharing about her battle with breast cancer. In July she will celebrate four years cancer free. She read an excerpt from her book that was a journal entry from the time she got the cancer diagnosis. It set up beautifully the song "Hear My Heart." This has become one of my favorite Jeff and Sheri songs. It's a song that Sheri wrote when she was going through breast cancer, but the song can relate to people in a variety of different circumstances. Sometimes we don't know what to say and words fail, but God can hear our hearts and know exactly how we feel.

Madison Easter steps up to the mic to sing "Workin'
on a Road" with his parents.

After the song, Jeff and Sheri both shared about their mothers. Jeff lost his mom last August. They talked about what a character she was while she was alive and some of the funny things that she would say. Sheri's mom was diagnosed with Parkinson's and Lewy body dementia eight years ago. They sang "I Get To," a song all about cherishing the little things in life. You don't have to do things, you get to.

Sheri then shared about their work with Compassion International. All of their family members sponsor children and have for years. They shared a video on the sponsorship program, and then sang "Thank You Lord for Your Blessings on Me." Jeff's voice always especially shines on this song for me. Shannon sang the second verse that Morgan normally does and did a great job as well. They had the congregation join with them and sing the chorus at the end. It was a great moment and a great reminder that no matter what or how much we have that it is all a gift from God and His blessings on us.

Jeff decided to pull up some help from the audience on the next few songs. They called their friend Chopper Ward to the stage to sing "Mercy Walked In" with Jeff and Sheri singing harmony. You can check out this clip of him singing the song with them a few years ago. He has a great voice, and really enjoyed him singing this song.

Brian and Angela Monehan sing with Jeff.

Then, they called up Brian Monehan, who is the pastor of the church, and his wife, Angela to join them. They have both sang with gospel groups, Kevin Spencer and Friends and the Perry Sisters. Brian sang "The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn" with Angela and Jeff singing harmony. Brian did a great job on the song, and even got a little extra help from his daughter who also joined them on stage!

After a brief break for the offering, Jeff asked for requests. I always love this about Jeff and Sheri concerts; they want to be sure the audience hears their favorite songs. They don't have to go by a certain set list every night. They sang "I Know I Love You" and "Is There Anything I Can Do?" by requests.

Next, they brought Angela Monehan back to the stage to sing harmony on a new song they are working on for their upcoming project called "I Won't Have to Worry Anymore." Jeff explained that it's the song his dad was singing to his mom as she was passing. It's a great song, and I can't wait to hear it on their new album! They, then, had Angela sing "Thread of Hope" with Jeff and Sheri singing harmony backing her up, and she did an outstanding job on it!

Sheri sang "Two Sparrows in a Hurricane" by request. Then to close, she sang "I Just Came to Talk to You, Lord." I have never heard her sing this song live just on one of the Gaither videos, but I love it! It is a beautiful song and was a great way to end such a great concert!

I've only seen Jeff and Sheri a handful of times in concert by themselves, and each time I am amazed at how much they care about the people they are singing to. The audience can become an active part of the concert whether you get pulled on stage to sing or you request your favorite song. They want to make sure that everyone is enjoying the concert. They are sure to put a smile on your face not only through the jokes and funny stories, but in their ministry of encouragement through their songs. It was such a great night of random moments, funny stories and laughs, but most importantly we all left encouraged having heard Christ uplifted all evening.