Jonathan Sherrill: A Mission Takes Flight
Jonathan Sherrill: A Mission Takes Flight
By: Vickie GardnerÂ
There is a promising new artist on the Christian Country scene and the industry is taking notice. I have been impressed with Jonathan Sherrill from the beginning so I decided to dig a little deeper to find out what this 24 year old is all about. Make no mistake, this Christian Country artist is one to watch.
Jonathan was raised in church and grew up in a small fishing village in Horseshoe Beach, Florida. Both sides of his family were musically inclined, and Jonathan’s mother always encouraged him and his sister to sing in church from a very early age. Jonathan says, “I began playing guitar and singing at age ten, but I have to admit, I was a little shy in the beginning and really didn’t want to do it.” Because of his mother’s prodding, Jonathan developed a very strong interest in music and readily admits he gives his mom a lot of credit for where he is today.
Country music caught Jonathan’s attention more than any other style, and he grew to love it! Jonathan says, “I was drawn to it. I think mostly because I didn’t have to listen to it ten times to understand what it was saying. I loved the stories behind the songs and you can’t beat a good ole steel guitar and fiddle crying out on a chorus of a sad or happy song.”
While Jonathan’s interest in music continued, he also had an interest in becoming a pilot and started taking flight lessons in high school. By the age of 17, he had earned his private pilot license and at 18 he was a part-time corporate co-pilot based out of Cross City Florida. He dreamed of flying for a major airline but would come to realize God had other plans for him.
Jonathan says, “I have been writing songs since I was seventeen and I’ve always wanted to record and perform, so I made the decision to make the trip to Nashville and to record my first CD, Whose Side I’m On.”
With encouragement and much excitement, the title cut from his CD was released to radio by HMG Nashville. “Whose Side I’m On” has received great response from radio and fans. It is flying up the Christian Country charts hitting the No. 3 spot this month! Jonathan’s debut CD will be distributed nationally after the first of 2008.
When asked what inspires him the most, Jonathan said, “My inspiration to write songs comes from real life situations. I want every song I write to have meaning and really come from my heart. I critique every song I write and try to put it out there in a way to really drive the message home. ‘Whose Side I’m On’ was written when I paid my last respects to a fifteen year old boy who had gotten killed in a three wheeler accident. Life seemed so unfair that night. My heart was so heavy and questions were flying through my mind. What is life? Is it just a game we play? In the days to come life seemed so uncertain. I found myself praying that I would be right when my time comes. I had to know ‘Whose Side I’m On.’ What inspires me most in continuing my music career comes from knowing I can make a difference in people’s lives through my music.”
Jonathan is also heavily involved in foreign missions and tells me of a trip he took to Haiti in 2006 with a missionary who has been working there for over 20 years. He says, “It is a trip I will never forget. The reason for the trip was to meet with some churches on the island for the purpose of coming up with a plan to build a block church which would serve as a school and a hurricane shelter. The only churches they have now are made from coconut tree branches and don’t provide much shelter from the elements. We went down to the south end of the country to a little town called Cayes. We then took a ferry about five miles to an island called Ile-a-Vache. That island amazed me! There is no electricity, no running water and no automobiles. The people who live there are fishermen and make a living catching fish with homemade nets. The poverty on the island is much the same as in the mainland of Haiti but it is the most beautiful tropical island I have ever seen. When we took a boat over to a village on an island called Madam Bernard where everyone goes to buy and sell their goods one day a week, I felt I was looking at the Sea of Galilee back when Jesus walked its shores. It was exactly like I had always pictured it. There were home made sail boats, people riding donkeys on home made straw saddles. Everyone grew their own vegetables and made their bread. Everything they had was pretty much made from scratch. The trips I have taken there have made a positive influence on my life and I plan to go back and continue the work we have started there.”
I asked Jonathan if there was one trip he could share with me that touched his heart the most. Jonathan said, “I was privileged to spend some time at an orphanage in Haiti where there were several children who had cerebral palsy. This disease is marked by muscular impairment and is often accompanied by poor coordination, sometimes involving speech and learning difficulties. However, they understand perfectly what is going on around them. While there I got to know them and fell in love with them. It was because of that experience, I wrote my song titled, “Sometimes I Cry,” dedicated to those who suffer from that and similar illnesses.” Jonathan is also involved in a wheel chair ministry called Hope Haven International in Guatemala.
When I asked Jonathan how he felt about Christian Country and its growth, he said, “I think Christian Country Music is the best music in the world! I feel that God is using it in a mighty way to touch people right now and will continue to do so from now to eternity. I love the fact that I can reach people outside the church as well as people in the world that have no hope. That is really what I love about what I do.”
At 24 years old, I believe Jonathan has a promising career in front of him. He has a huge heart for the music and a strong desire to help the hurting people in this world. God works in mysterious ways and He has a plan for all of our lives. It just may be in God’s plans for Jonathan to use his piloting skills to fly all over the world singing his songs of inspiration and bringing hope and encouragement to the thousands upon thousands who need to hear of God’s love.
This article has been reprinted by permission from Powersource Magazine.