"Teach us all the art of speaking with the accent of your love."

Hymn: “Lord, Thy Church on Earth Is Seeking” – Hugh Sherlock (1905-1998)

            [Text copyright renewed in 1959 by Nazarene Publishing House]

Various Tunes

Those of you know me are aware that I have a distinct accent. It is at its core an east Tennessee accent; when I’m back home in Pigeon Forge, I sound just like everybody else. When I moved to Texas to attend the seminary, I added on some bits and pieces of Texas talk. I guess you could say I’m a hybrid. I lived in Denver for thirteen years but never picked up any new speech inflections – probably because most of the people who attended my church there were transplants from the south.

When I took an advanced French class in college, my professor said, “Monsieur Huff, I think that you must be from southern France!” It’s just one of my burdens, I guess. I’ve tried not to be ashamed of my heavy accent, but now and then I still am!

We pick up our vocal accent from our parents, our family, and the people we hang around; it's the same way with our spiritual accent.

I would hope that in spite of my flat vowels and my slurring from word to word, the people I encounter will realize that whether speaking about or acting out my faith, I’m communicating in an accent that is in keeping with that of the one who created speech and sound and music.

I currently stand in front of classes at two local colleges (read my bio!), and as I teach them about music and the other fine arts, I want them to “get it,” and to be half as excited about it as I am. Sometimes I am successful… sometimes I nose-dive. But I keep trying. In this hymn-line, we are asking the Great Teacher to help us with our accent -- like a speech therapist, maybe.

This should truly be our concerted prayer: that the world around us might realize whose we are by the accent with which we speak to them – and that the accent they hear and see is the one of our heavenly Father, the same way I picked up my earthly father’s accent… and that of everybody on both sides of my family.

So, c’mon, y’all. Let’s us begin ta speak da King’s English in way that’ll jist might ‘nigh make it obvious who we belong to… where we’re a comin’ frum and where we’re headed! Thar ain’t nothin’ ta be ashamed uv!

 (Ask someone from Pigeon Forge to translate!)

 Listen to a Reading of This Hymn

I couldn’t find a good recording of anyone singing this hymn,

but this is a good reading of the text with which you may not be too familiar.