Tour Day 2 - Montreal Adventures

We arrived in Montreal last night after a good day's drive. Our plan was to get up this morning and continue our drive east, but we were having so much fun, we decided to spent the day in this fantastic city!

This morning, we visited Gerald's alma mater, the National Theatre School. (Gerald graduated from their prestigious playwriting program.) A staff member gave us a tour, and it was great to put a physical space to all Gerald's stories.

The National Theatre School.

We spent the afternoon walking around Old Montreal. Gerald was tempted by a lovely Taylor guitar at Steve's Music. We took countless photos of Notre Dame Cathedral. We ate amazing meals. We saw fantastic art and architecture, and just loved the vibe of the city.

Notre Dame - main altar and crucifix.

I visited Notre Dame years ago, and even knowing it was going to be beautiful, it still took my breath away. The paintings, carvings, stained glass - all detailed and glorious.

As I knelt at the altar rail and soaked in the overwhelming beauty, I realized that a church like this had to be designed to make us think of the glory and awe of God. This isn't an intimate worship space. It reflects the grandeur and power of a majestic God.

And as I prayed, I thought,
"This beauty is amazing, but it's truly nothing compared to the beauty of God.
And if this is overwhelming, what will it be like to stand before the glory of God?"

Tour Day 1 - We're on Tour!!!!

After months of planning, booking, and mapping it all out, we've started our East Coast Tour!

Today was a driving day, and we're spending tonight in Montreal. Our first show is Thursday in Stanley, NB.

All our current dates can be found on our Calendar, but check back often as we anticipate adding a few events along the way.

We'll be continuing our Tour Angels program throughout the month. If you haven't signed up yet, please visit our Tour Angels page for more info.



And you can also visit our new YouTube channel! We've started with a video from our recent Plein Air Concert, and throughout the month, we'll be adding lots of tour video.

New photos!

I've been posting a lot of new photos today.

You can see our new Elim Lodge photo album on our site, and lots of new photos on our Facebook page.

Our recent shopping trip to Cosmo Music.
No, this wasn't a purchase!

How Sundays roll...

So, the start of the day wasn't fantastic: we had to make the announcement about postponing our concert, which just felt horrible. I do think it was the right decision, but certainly not one that made either of us feel good.

Happily, the day got significantly better from there!

This morning, we led worship for Chartwell Church's Kerr St. congregation in Oakville. This faithful group meets in the basement of an apartment building, gathering early for coffee, and sitting cafe style for the worship service.

Gerald and I actually led the entire service! We started with 30 minutes of music and prayer, and then presented our version of a musical sermon. We shared stories about God's hand on our lives, interspersed with songs of reflection. After we spoke, the pastor led the group in prayer for us, which was incredibly humbling. We ended with a rousing hymn, and then joined the crowd for a fantastic meal of BBQ!

In the afternoon, we met with our band to rehearse for tonight's Gathering service. Lack of a sound person added a few challenges, but we pushed on, and had a great night of music! Tonight's team included vocals, guitar, piano, bass, and saxophone.

Our pre-service song was What a Wonderful World, followed by songs like Beautiful One and Our God. We sang Psalm 31 set to Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, and for a song of reflection, we sang Martina McBride's Anyway. Drew preached on the subject of Faith or Fear, which led to some great discussions.

After the service, we chatted with team members, confirmed details for next week's service, and then met with Patrick, who'll start as organist and choir director in the fall.

There's nothing like that feeling at the end of a great Sunday - tired, but well earned.

Kick Off Concert Postponed!!!!!!

Unfortunately, we've had to postpone our concert until the fall.

Please stayed tuned to www.InfinitelyMore.ca for a new time and date.

Our apologies for any inconvenience!!!!!!

Concerts In The Park but not In The Park

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city

All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head

That could be our theme song in Toronto right now.

We're in record highs, and there's no break in sight. So you can imagine our concern as we planned for an outdoor concert tonight in Burlington (just west of Toronto). I was really excited to book a spot in the summer concert series, as we were the only Christian act on the line-up.

But we were even more thrilled to arrive at the bandshell today and see the sign "Concert Moved Indoors Tonight"!

What a relief! The fear was that people would stay away with the heat, but the audience started to arrive, and in the end, we had well over a hundred people crammed into the hall.

We knew this would be a really mixed crowd, so in addition to our signature pieces, we pulled out a lot of well known pop and country songs. It was interesting to watch the crowd - some sang along, some smiled, and a few looked at us like, "I have no idea what they're singing about, but I think I like it." Okay, that's my own interpretation, but I like to think I'm on the money.

Doing Christian music in a non-church setting is a real challenge, especially in a city like Toronto where Christians face a lot of political-correctness, but I'm determined to keep pressing forward. I have confidence in our music, and I believe it can inspire people from all walks of life.

And I think in a city as diverse as ours, all voices need to be heard.

Elim Lodge - Day 2

For the past few months, we've deliberately taken Monday as our day off. When you're self-employed, it's easy to work every day, and we found we really needed to designate a day as our own.

Today, we were blessed to spend our day off at Elim Lodge!

We drifted around the campground, enjoying the sunshine and the people, and only paying attention to the clock when it was time to eat.

This afternoon, I set up a writing studio by the water. I brought out all my writing tools: a guitar, my iPhone, my pink MacBook (complete with Masterwriter) and of course, an espresso. The stillness and fresh air created a gently creative environment.

My songwriting studio.

After supper, we gathered at the water with the rest of the campground to watch a wakeboarding demonstration - cool tricks and jumps, and they still were able to use it as a ministry moment.

Later, the weather turned and a storm started brewing in the distance. I sat outside and watched the fork lightening and the changing palette of the clouds. The air had shifted, and birds started flying for cover. It was awesome and beautiful. The storm still hasn't hit, but until just a few minutes ago, the power was out.

Storm watching...

The next few weeks will be busy with concerts and touring. I'm so grateful for this quiet and calming day...

I think I'm one of the few people who honestly loves Mondays.

Elim Lodge - Day 1

We’ve spent the weekend here at Elim Lodge, north of Peterborough. This family-friendly Christian campground host activities all summer long, including daily worship and weekend Gospel concerts.

Our view!

We arrived yesterday and settled into our cozy cabin by the lake. After a fantastic BBQ feast, we had our sound check and set up our product table.

Setting up last night made for a relaxing Sunday morning. As we rechecked our sound, a few families drifted into the sanctuary. Ten minutes before the service, we gathered for prayer with the service leaders. When we left the prayer room, we discovered a packed sanctuary of over 400 people!

The service was wonderful, with robust congregational singing, and a great message based on the book of Jonah. Gerald and I sang “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” and “Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone.)”

After a relaxing afternoon, we gathered back at the chapel for our evening concert. This kind of audience presents a unique challenge. We knew the crowd would represent a mix of denominations, ages, and interests, so we prepared a very eclectic program. We mixed hymns, praise & worship, Gospel, country, originals, and even a Beatles song.

Selling our Blue Bag Special at the concert.

At the last minute, Gerald decided to do his 9-11 song, “Angels in the Dust”. At the product table after the show, Gerald had the chance to speak with a woman who actually found her faith because of her 9-11 experience.

It’s amazing - you never quite know how a song can affect someone.

You never know when you might be singing someone else’s story...

Plein Air Concerts

Tonight, we opened the Plein Air Concert series.

The list of summer concerts and workshops, featuring our opening night concert!

Each summer, artist Susan Brown hosts a variety of musicians for a series of concerts in her lush backyard. The centerpiece of the garden is a gorgeous wooden pavilion that provides both a stage and a surprisingly good acoustic.

When we get the opportunity to bring Infinitely More into a non-church environment, we're always excited by the challenge of providing inspiration and encouragement without getting, well, too "churchy." We pulled out a real mix of songs, including popular standards like "People Get Ready" and "Lean on Me." We also chose soulful songs like Gerald's "Real Big Fan", and artsy pieces, like my "Sing Me a Song".

As we sang the gentler songs, we were accompanied by soft breezes and singing birds. Surrounding the stage were paintings, a waterfall, and candle-filled lanterns. Truly, a glorious place to sing!

Gerald filmed the concert using our new video recorder, so I'm hoping to post some video soon.

There's nothing like singing outdoors, especially in such a beautiful environment. We have another outdoor concert in Burlington this month. Hoping for another fantastic night!

East Coast Tour Kick Off Concert!

Mark your calendars for a great night of music!

Featuring the music of Infinitely More, and lots of special guests!

All moneys raised will support our East Coast Tour.

Tour Angels in the $100 level and higher will receive FREE TICKETS to this event.

The Lord Giveth, and The Lord Postponeth...

I'm writing this with a heavy heart.

When we heard that our church was installing a new sound system with the ability to do high quality recordings, our artistic hearts leaped with joy! The concept of gathering our friends together to do some recording was irresistible, and we started to make plans. Having an Infinitely More CD for our East Coast Tour was an awesome thought, so we booked an engineer and made arrangements for each step of the process.

But to quote John Lennon, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

We received news today that the sound system won't be in place until at least a week later than originally planned.

Ugh.

Given our tight summer schedule, there's no way we'd be able to make the CD before our tour. We've just called everyone involved to give them the news.

Obviously, by the opening line of this post, I'm disappointed. But I'm just taking a few deep breaths, looking out the back window at the sunny day, and seeking blessings in all of this.

A few thoughts come immediately to mind:

• This gives us more time and resources to put towards our July concerts and our August tour.
• We're not canceling but postponing. We'll still have all our great ideas and fabulously talented friends when we're able to record in a few months.
• By the time we're able to record, we'll probably have a whole new set of original songs for the album.
• When I think of the serious issues plaguing friends of mine - illness, grief, financial despair - I really have no right to complain about delaying a recording. I mean seriously, I make a living creating music with my husband - who am I to complain about anything???
  

So, keep that $15 in your pocket, and in a few months, we'll have a fantastic new CD for you to purchase!

We're making a CD!!!!

You know when people talk about summer being the time to relax and take it easy? Well, they're probably not musicians!

Our summer is shaping up to be awesome and filled with great stuff. We have lots of concerts in July, and our huge East Coast Tour in August.

We're also having an East Coast Tour Kick Off Concert on Wednesday, July 27. Mark your calenders, and I'll post more details soon.

As we've been planning the tour, one thing has been weighing on us (besides the price of gas!). Even though I have 2 great CDs, we still don't have an Infinitely More CD.

Well, that's about to change!

In an already crazy summer,
we've decided to record an Infinitely More CD!!!

Our church is about to install an awesome new sound system, so we're gathering a few musician friends for a few days of worship and recording! The CD will have a mix of hymns, praise songs, and our own originals.

All our songs will be recorded live-off-the-floor, which means everything will happen in one take. It's an old school style of recording, hearkening back to Elvis, Studio B, and Sun Records. In its best moments, live-off-the-floor feels like you're in the room with the musicians. It captures the sounds and spirit of the creative moment like few things can.

We're really, really excited about this, and all the details are falling into place. I'll post more as it all comes together!

Suggested Summer Reading...

It's that time! The weather is consistently warm and the garden is green. It's the perfect time to grab your favourite lawn chair (or beach chair, if you're that lucky), a tall iced tea, and a great book.

To celebrate summer reading, I thought I'd pass on a few books that I love. Please note this is only a very, very small list - as I looked at my book shelf and got excited by each tome, I realized that this could be the never-ending blog post!

(FYI - These are just my opinions. Unlike my book reviews, no one is giving me anything to write this. Of course, if you like one of the books, you're always welcome to send me a Kitkat bar...)

THE ARTIST'S WAY
By Julia Cameron


A classic for all artists, and never to be underestimated. If you haven't read it yet, stop messing around and get it. And don't just read it, do it.


TALENT IS NEVER ENOUGH
By John Maxwell


A fantastic book demonstrating that talent is only one small piece of success. With his vibrant illustrations and clarity of writing, Maxwell shows how character, courage, belief, and other personal traits can help you develop your talent to its highest level.


BLUE LIKE JAZZ
By Donald Miller


Not just because it's about God and jazz, but because it's brilliant. I've read it twice, and I've used the example of the confession booth more times than I can count. Read it before the movie comes out this summer.


RISE UP AND SING
By Lex Buckley


Written specifically for female worship leaders, but filled with lots of great, basic worship leading advice. My favourite are the chapters on leading worship as a pianist, a guitarist, or with no instrument (like me!)


THE BOOK OF NEGROES
By Lawrence Hill


A historical fiction tracing the life of a West African girl who is sold into slavery. Hardly easy summer reading, but one of the most challenging, disturbing, and inspiring books I've read in years. I can't recommend this enough!!


SNOW FLOWER
AND THE SECRET FAN
By Lisa See


One of the most beautiful books I've ever read. Another historical fiction, this time set in 19th century China. A wonderful story of friendship, with fascinating chapters on foot-binding and nu shu - a 'secret code' of women's writing. Another one to read before the movie comes out (though I secretly have high hopes for this film).

Oh, so hard to limit it to just 6! I may post another list next month.

Please list some of your faves in the comments section.
I always love a good book referral!

Book Review: Tithing by Douglas LeBlanc

When I saw another book in the Ancient Practices Series, I jumped at the chance to review it.

I'm often challenged by the concept of tithing, and in discussing it with other people, lots of difficult questions arise:

• Is tithing only an Old Testament practice, no longer required of modern Christians?
• If we see tithing as relevant for today, do we practice the Old Testament's 10% or the New Testament's give-it-all-to-God?
• Are the unemployed required to tithe?
• What if you want to tithe but your spouse isn't Christian?
• What if you're in severe financial crisis and tithing will only add to your debt?
• Is tithing only financial, or does it include Time and Talents?

Unfortunately, this book answers none of these questions.

LeBlanc chooses to teach about tithing through profiles of tithers. That could work, but in the average 12 page chapter, 10 are dedicated to their personal history while only 2 are dedicated to the person's thoughts on tithing. My other issue is that most of these people are not your average tithers. Instead, they're often people who have dedicated their lives to extreme examples of giving, or living in dedicated communities that consume less.

That would be fine if this were a book on generous giving, but it's not. Unfortunately, it relegates tithing to a mere subtopic.

I really wanted to like this book, but in the end, I'm afraid I just can't recommend it.

Ugh.

I hate having to write something negative about someone else's creative project. It gives me a stomach ache.

I'm going to write a post featuring some of my favourite books - kind of a Summer Reading List. Stay tuned...

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The First Gathering...

Okay, not technically the "first" Gathering, but the first where we've been in charge.

Tonight was pretty awesome. It's kind of the different between dating and being married. The stakes are higher, the commitment stronger. We can now think about long-term dreams...

Our team tonight was fantastic, and at the risk of bragging, we chose great songs (which makes all the difference!). Drew has decided to add pre-service music, so we shook it up a bit with The Beatles' "All You Need is Love."

"All Who are Thirsty" and "Come, Now is the Time..." provided an invitation to worship, leading into the always powerful "Our God."

Gerald then brought us into a place of focus with his song, "A Prayer Will Find You" which sounded so beautiful!

Drew gave a powerful and interactive message on the role of an informed conscience in discipleship, and we sent them out singing with "Beautiful One."

We've already started to make a few small changes. The pre-service music is one. I'm also posting a song each week on the church's Facebook page. Sort of a teaser video, so people can know what we'll be singing at the next service.

And because I'm blessed with an awesome Dad,
and so many wonderful men in my life:

Happy Father's Day!!!!

BIG NEWS!!!

Gerald and I have been on staff at St. John's York Mills for almost two years now. Our role has been as musicians and assistant directors of the Worship Team.

I'm thrilled to announce that we've just finalized a brand new contract:

Starting this week, we are now
the Worship Leaders of The Gathering!

We're so excited about this new position! We've completely fallen in love with The Gathering. This casual, contemporary evening worship blends the best aspects of music, fellowship, and challenging, spiritual dialogue.

With this new schedule, we'll be at St. John's every Sunday evening, which will allow us Sunday mornings to visit other churches.

We're grateful to the leadership of St. John's for entrusting us with and supporting us in this new position. We're excited about leading the band, and creating an inviting and invigorating worship experience for our team and our congregation!

If you'd like to check it out, please join us some Sunday night:

The Gathering
St. John's York Mills Church
19 Don Ridge Dr.
North York, ON
M2P 1H3
Near York Mills subway, and Yonge & 401
Free parking
5:00pm
Come early for coffee and sweets!

Remembering Harold Lane

Since I heard of his passing this morning, I've spent a lot of the day remembering Harold Lane.

Many Gospel fans will remember Harold as a songwriter, arranger, and member of The Speer Family. But like many of my friends, I'm remembering a Stamps-Baxter essential.

In 2005, I attend the Stamps-Baxter singing school for the first time. There was an older gentleman who sat at the back of group singing. He didn't say much, but people treated him with a lot of respect. I only knew his name was Harold, and people called him H.

When Ben heard one of my songs, he pulled me aside and said, "H isn't teaching anymore, but he's a great arranger. Would you mind asking him to arrange your song? I'd really appreciate it."

Who was I to say no to Ben Speer?

So that afternoon, I found Mr. Lane and asked him to arrange my song. He looked at it and asked why I didn't just arrange it myself. I told him I didn't know how.

And that was the tipping point.

He told me to sit down, open my notebook, and grab a pencil. Over the next hour, Mr. Lane began teaching me how to write 4-part harmony. For the rest of the school, I met with him for an hour a day for private harmony classes. To say it was amazing was an understatement.

On one particular day, I brought along a book called "The 100 Greatest Gospel Songs" that I was going to use for my voice lesson later that day. Mr. Lane picked it up and said, "I wonder if I have any songs in this?"

I thought, "Is this guy serious?"

The book contained not one, but two of his songs.

To look at Mr. Lane that year, you saw an old man. Every part of him - physically, spiritually, mentally - seemed to move slower than the world around him.

But when he taught, a young, vibrant musician appeared. The transformation was almost magical, and always wonderful.

Over my time at Stamps-Baxter, I got to learn more about Harold Lane - the man and the musical legend - but my most treasured memories will always be those hours when he taught a young singer how to write harmony.

Enjoy heaven, Mr. Lane.

One of my favourite Harold Lane songs,
performed during a Stamps-Baxter closing program.

Country Vespers

With Rev. Margaret Rodrigues

Jazz Vespers has become a popular worship style in Toronto, and St. Philip's in Etobicoke has taken it one step further. In their Vespers series, it's not uncommon to find Mariachi Vespers, Klezmer Vespers, or even Polka Vespers.

This afternoon, we were the featured musicians for Country Vespers!

We put together a great program featuring some of Gerald's country songs, and some songs made famous by other artists.

I'm so excited by our song list, that I'm just going to share it with you here:

• Just a Closer Walk with Thee
• Somebody's Angel (Gerald)
• A Church Song Broke Me Down (Gerald)
• Anyway (recorded by Martina McBride)
• We Shall Be Free (recorded by Garth Brooks)
• God's Will (recorded by Martina McBride)
• Every Church is a Small Town (Gerald)
• Will the Circle Be Unbroken (The Carter Family)

In between songs, we read beautiful prayers focusing on the evening, the community, and praising God through music. Rev. Margaret Rodrigues shared a brief message based on Johnny Cash's "I Walk The Line."

After the service, we gathered for a short reception. I loved working on this service, and I know we'll be adding the new songs into our concerts this summer.

FYI: We'd added a number of Southern Ontario concerts to our calender for July. For more info, please visit www.InfinitelyMore.ca/Calendar

Be a TOUR ANGEL!

Infinitely More is taking on a great adventure this summer: our month long East Coast Tour!

This August, we'll drive over 6000 KM as we bring our music and message to the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland.

We're super excited about our tour and all the great people we're going to meet, but over the last month, we've been watching a record high in gas prices, and it's giving us some apprehension about the practicalities of the tour.

We believe strongly in this tour, and it's important that we keep our expenses low, so that we can make our concerts accessible to churches of all sizes.


With that thought, we'd like to invite you become a

TOUR ANGEL!


As a Tour Angel, you will partner with us to support our East Coast Tour, and ensure that every church who wants our music and ministry can receive it.

In gratitude for your financial support, we'd like to offer you lots of presents! The more you give, the more you get!


HERE ARE THE GIFTS YOU CAN RECEIVE:

$20+ Level - an mp3 of your choice from any of our CDs, and the special Tour Angels E-newsletter. This email list will receive exclusive news regarding our tour adventures!

$50+ Level - an autographed CD of your choice, and the Tour Angels E-Newletter. If you already have all 3 of our CDs, we'll mail an autographed CD of your choice to your favourite friend in Canada or the USA.

$100+ Level - an autographed CD of your choice (again, for yourself or a friend), the Tour Angels e-newsletter, and 2 tickets to our East Coast Tour Kick-Off Concert! Details of the concert TBA very soon! (Tickets: $15 x2)

$200+ Level - an autographed CD of your choice (again, for yourself or a friend), the Tour Angels e-newsletter, and 2 tickets to our East Coast Tour Kick-Off Concert. PLUS: You will be entered in a special draw to receive a FREE HOUSE/BACKYARD CONCERT by Infinitely More! We'll determine a date that works for both of us after our tour.


HOW TO BECOME A TOUR ANGEL:

To donate using Paypal or a major credit card, please visit www.AllisonLynn.com/Store

Cheques can be made out to "Allison Lynn" and mailed to:

Allison Lynn
c/o St. John's York Mills Church
19 Don Ridge Dr.
North York, ON
M2P 1H3

If you're unable to donate at this time, please know that we would love your prayer support!

Please send any questions to Allison at Allison@InfinitelyMore.ca

To learn more about our East Coast Tour, please visit www.InfinitelyMore.ca

And THANK YOU for supporting our music and ministry!

A Morning at All Saints, Toronto

Stained glass at All Saints.
The "No Smoking" sticker hints at the challenges faced in this unique ministry.

In researching churches for our summer tour, I continue to be amazed at the number named "All Saints". But the All Saints at Dundas and Sherbourne in downtown Toronto continues to be a special place for us. Every time we go there, I'm reminded of my first visit - convinced in my ignorance that I was going to be such a blessing to the congregation, and leaving with more blessings than I could fully comprehend.

As Maya Angelou says, "When you know better, you do better."

This morning's service was just beautiful. Parish priests Kate Merriman and Susan Haig led a thoughtful service with space for prayer and reflection. A guest pianist lead the hymns in a bright and spirited style.

We played "Your Grace is Enough" after the sermon, and Gerald's "A Prayer Will Find You" during Communion.

After the service, we drifted around the sanctuary, marveling at the stunning stained glass.

All Saints drop-in centre, located at the back of the sanctuary.

But this is a not a church that focuses on its building. The focus is the unique community of Dundas and Sherboune. There are no pews in the church, and during the week, the large space is used as a community drop-in centre. A small library fills one corner. A marble column has been encased in knitting projects, created by the women of the Female Sex Trade Outreach. Bible study happens before worship, and a free lunch is served after.

Knitted art, created by members of the Female Sex Trade Outreach.

The resources at All Saints are limited, but the grace and mercy know no limits.

If you're a musician living in Toronto and you're looking for a great place to volunteer your talents on the occasional Sunday morning, I highly, highly recommend you check it out: www.AllSaintsToronto.com

Jazz in Worship Workshop

Tulips on Bloor Street - a welcome sight on a gray morning.

After our wonderfully late night, Gerald and I were up bright and early (well, early at least...) to attend two very different all-day workshops. Gerald headed west to attend NSAI's Music Row North. As I write this, he's in the thick of songwriting workshops and song critiques.

I went to St. Andrew's Church to attend a workshop on jazz in worship. Sponsored by the Southern Ontario Chapter of the Hymn Society, the workshop was advertised as a "beginner's guide" to adding jazz to your worship repertoire. The workshop was facilitated by Rev. Tim Elliot and drummer, Brian Barlow. The first half of the day, Tim and Brian gave us the history of their fateful meeting and how Jazz Vespers began. We discussed the unique quality, and some of the challenges and triumphs, that jazz can bring to a worship experience.

The afternoon session kicked off with the sounds of an amazing jazz quartet (see photo below). Tim and the quartet lead us in the singing of several classic hymns, all arranged in a jazz style. We ended the day with a mini-Jazz Vespers.

What an incredible way to spend the day! My mind is buzzing with ideas...

Jazz Vespers quartet:
Mark Eisenmen, piano; Alex Dean, saxophone; Scott Alexander, bass; Brian Barlow, drums.

Tin Pan North with Danny Wells

Tonight brought us to The Moonshine Cafe for the always fantastic Tin Pan North Songwriter's Festival. Gerald was scheduled for a great round with Steve Rivers (who's recording an album in Nashville), Terry Maxwell (who we played with at Winterfolk 2010), and Nashville songwriter, Danny Wells. Danny has had lots of hits, and fans of American Idol heard his song "Check Yes or No" on the final night of competition.

Every time I hear a round, I remember how much I love this stuff! Hearing writers sing their own songs in an environment as cozy as the Moonshine is such a fantastic way to spend an evening. Tonight's round was no exception. Everyone was so talented, each with their own style. As Danny sang each of his hits, fans in the audience sang along.

Gerald was awesome (I'm biased, but it's true). He did some of the songs we've demoed, like "When Saturday Morning Was All Day Long" and "Watertower" and even debuted a new song, "Neon Angels." He brought me up for the final song, and I added harmonies to "Every Church is a Small Town." People loved the songs, which is always so satisfying.

Great, great night!

Danny Well, Steve Rivers, Gerald Flemming, Terry Maxwell

Return to Trinity...

Trinity College Chapel

I spent the afternoon at my alma mater, Trinity College. Even though Trinity is in Toronto, I rarely get back there. Walking through the quad, memories of my undergrad days washed through the air. I was reminded of the person I was back then - the things that have remained a part of me, and the things I've left behind.

Next month, Gerald and I will be leading the music for the Trinity Divinity Associates' Conference. The theme is Reconciliation, and the speaker is Anne Mallonee from Trinity Wall Street, NYC.

Today, I met with organizers Joanne Davies and David Montgomery for our first planning meeting. I knew the plan was 4 services - 2 Eucharists and 2 Evensongs - but I wanted to get a sense of the overall feeling of the event.

Conferences provide a really cool challenge - how do we present songs that people will sing easily, but also present something different than they can get in their church on a regular Sunday morning?

Joanne and David are both creative and innovative souls, so I'm excited about the possibilities. We'll be doing 3 services in the gorgeous chapel, and 1 in Seeley Hall, which will allow for a flexible worship space. Today, we discussed the possibilities of all kinds of music - hymns, praise songs, paperless music, and finding new ways to sing the psalms.

Next step: getting the music slots and choosing the songs...

East Coast Tour - booking!

Maps of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, mapping out our tour route.

Despite the gray, drizzly weather that's claiming to be spring here in Toronto, summer is a'coming! I can't believe we're just months away from our first East Coast Tour.

Many years ago, Gerald and I did a short tour of Newfoundland. As the organizer, I made almost every planning mistake I could make, but we still had a great time singing at different venues and spending time with family.

I'm happy to say I've learned a few things over the years, and I'm really excited about how things are shaping up for August. I ordered maps from each province's tourism agency, and I've put them up on the walls of my new music room. As you can see by the photo, I've chosen to map out our tour route with post-it notes. I've used different coloured markers to indicate churches, travel days, etc.

This is very low tech, I know, but I helps me visualize the full scope of the tour. We still have some open dates, so I'm continuing to book concerts and make plans.

Given the thousands of kilometers of driving, it's probably obvious that gas prices are a concern. I have a new idea that's brewing in my head, and I'm probably going to have a cool announcement to make next week.

Stay tuned.... and enjoy the long weekend!

Musicfest

What an epic day!

This morning, we lead the worship team at St. John's York Mills for a vibrant service blending our contemporary sounds with the traditional tones of the organ and choir.

After a short break, we returned back to the church for Musicfest. (I posted a photo earlier this week showing Gerald in rehearsal.) 3 handbell choirs, 1 vocal choir, 1 organ, 1 keyboard, and our Worship Team joined forces to create 90 minutes of summer fun in the midst of our gray and rainy spring.

We opened the 4pm show with a Santana inspired version of "Let the Sun Shine In." We formed a jazz quintet to play Gerald's gorgeous arrangement of Gershwin's "Summertime." Gerald and I shared vocals, and Tim lifted the song with his sax. Gerald and the men of the team formed "The Beatles" and played with the handbells on "Here Comes the Sun." The band-meets-handbells combo was a challenge, but the results were fantastic. Later in the program, we beefed up the band with a few more singers and players and rocked the house with "Wipeout" and "Summertime Blues". We closed the show with a reprise of "Let the Sun Shine In," took a short break, and did it all again at 7pm.

Tonight marked the 20th Musicfest. It originally started as a handbells event. Early on, Monika and I were invited to sing a duet or two, and over the years, it's become a family friendly event that incorporates all the musical talents of our church, raises money for great causes, and provides a relaxing afternoon for the people of our community.

I'm so proud of the work our team did for this, and now, I'm ready for a few days sleep!

Rocking with the Handbells

Gerald on guitar, Derwyn on vocals, and Carolyn leading the bells.

Next Sunday, St. John's York Mills will play host to Musicfest - a family friendly musical event featuring handbells, organ, choir, and our Worship Team.

This year, Gerald and I have been asked to lead the Worship Team for the 2 concerts. Thinking on this year's theme of Summer, we've chosen to do Gerwshin's "Summertime" and summer classics "Wipeout" and "Summertime Blues." We'll also collaborate with the bells for a few songs.

This afternoon, we met with the handbells to rehearse "Here Comes the Sun." This is the first time the full band has played for Musicfest, and I think the results are going to be pretty cool.

For more details on the shows, please visit here.

Name spotting...

Gerald and I spent some cafe time this week, sipping cappuccinos and chatting with friends. As Gerald and his buddy played chess, I flipped through Wholenote magazine, and saw this ad with our name in it!

This is the same church where we played a Country Mass just last week.
Join us on Sunday, June 5 for our Country Vespers service!

The Gathering and Surface

Our 3-church-Sunday continued with The Gathering at St. John's York Mills. Tonight, we began a 5 week mission featuring the inspired preaching of Guy Chevreau. Guy has preached around the world, and I'm really excited to hear his story and message.

After a wonderful time of worship at St. John's, we had a quick turnaround before heading to St. Clement's for Surface. This intimate Eucharist blends scripture, prayer, poetry, and music for a relaxed and inspiring evening worship. The music was an eclectic mix, and I was reminded of Louis Giglio's thought, "All music is worship music, but who are you worshiping?"

Images and stained glass at Surface

The theme for the service was Hope Filled With Doubt. Finding songs that reflected that human contradiction was a challenge. For our congregational songs, we chose "Here Comes the Sun," "Stand By Me," and "Your Grace is Enough." I sang Martina McBride's "Anyway" as a song of reflection. During Communion, Gerald sang his song, "A Prayer Will Find You."

Today was crazy busy, with over 30 different songs on the palette. But it was a wonderful day, filled with great energy, wonderful people, and inspired worship.

Monday = day off!

Country Mass

This is a Sunday so epic, it'll need 2 posts to cover it.

Today is a 3-church-Sunday. We usually try to do 2 churches a Sunday, but it's a great challenge to have 3 different worship services in one day. When we have multiple events in one day, I usually try to repeat a few songs to ease up on preparation, but each of today's services is so unique that we'll literally perform 30 different songs today!

We started at St. Philip's with a Country Mass. The brainchild of music director, Doug Cowling, this service married country melodies with an Anglican liturgy. Doug creatively set the Gloria to "Streets of Laredo," the Sanctus to "Aura Lee," and the psalm to Lenard Cohen's "Hallelujah." One hymn was set to "House of the Rising Sun," featuring Rev. Al Budzin on saxophone!

Gerald and I chose a mix of Gospel hymns and Gerald's original country songs for prelude, postlude, and Communion music. The choir sang on the congregational songs, and it was awesome to have their sound behind us.

Rev. Al is leaving for a sabbatical, so to close the service Doug chose "Happy Trails." Yes, as a closing hymn! Well, if you're going to do "Happy Trails" in church, you've got to go all the way. I sang the intro, and as Gerald played a quick turnaround, I and the choir all pulled out cowboy hats and plunked them on our heads! Gerald's was Johnny Cash black; mine was pink, of course! The congregation loved it! They laughed and sang and took photos.

The reaction to the service was wonderful! We may have led the music, but I need to give Doug so much of the credit for his creative planning. We've already been invited back, which is awesome.

And now, for a quick rest before service #2...

Our Easter!

What a wonderful Easter!
I'm stuffed with Easter dinner and Easter chocolate, and that happy kind of tired that comes from a long day of singing and socializing.

Favourite songs of the morning:

- Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble
- In Christ Alone
- Mighty to Save
- Jesus Christ is Risen Today

The beautiful flowers in this post were part of the glorious Easter decorations at our church. What a contrast to the starkness of The Stripping of the Altar. You may recognize the large wooden cross from my Maundy Thursday post.

An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!


Lyric: Because He Lives, by Bill and Gloria Gaither

Happy Easter!!!!!

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!


Lyric: "In Christ Alone" by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Good Friday

This afternoon, we were invited to sing our Hymns and Their Stories program at a seniors home in Richmond Hill.

We were set up with a good crowd in an intimate room. The audience smiled and sang along. To celebrate Holy Week, we did a special set of songs, including "O How He Loves You and Me," "Because He Lives," and "In the Garden." Gerald sang the classic "Were You There" acapella - just beautiful.


After the concert, we spent a lot of time chatting with the staff and residents. They just loved the music, but it was more than that. It really felt like a time of worship. Several people thanked us for the 'service.'

I was going to try and find a evening service today to celebrate Good Friday, but between last night and this afternoon, I really feel like I've worshiped.

I'm in waiting ... I'm ready for Easter ...

Maundy Thursday

Cross in the entrance of St. John's York Mills

Maundy Thursday remembers a night that started with ordinary things - food, water, friends, and dirty feet.

Our worship service tonight was simple and powerful. We participated in a ceremony of foot washing, and shared Holy Communion. The sermon reminded us that Jesus showed love to his friends, right up til the last moments he spent with them. We sang hymns of worship. And as the Gospel was read, we witnessed the powerful ceremony called The Stripping of the Altar. Each piece of decoration is removed from the altar area, preparing us for the starkness of Good Friday.

I sang Keith and Kristyn Getty's "Gethsemane" during Communion, and led the congregation in "Go to Dark Gethsemane."

As I reflected after the service, I thought about the intimacy of Maundy Thursday.

Good Friday is very public - the trials, the walk to the hill, the crucifixion. In each of these acts, you can feel the push of the crowds, you can hear them yell "Crucify."

But not Maundy Thursday.

Jesus meets in a room with his friends. They walk to the garden, singing. Jesus asks a few friends to wait for him while he prays alone. A kiss on the cheek...

Intimate.
Quiet.
Personal.

Ready for Friday...

Book Review: Max on Life by Max Lucado

Max Lucado's latest book is subtitled "Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions." Drawing on letters and inquiries he's received over his years as a speaker and pastor, Max attempts to answer questions on the topics that concern us most: God, pain, family, prayer, peace, conflict, sin... you name it, it's in there. Each answer is brief (generally just one page), but full of insight and wisdom.

I love Max Lucado's writing. It's like you're sitting in an cafe, having this very open, casual discussion with a brilliant mind.

I would call this a purse book or possibly a bedside table book. You won't sit down and read it in one sitting, but it's good to keep with you when you need a quick page or two of inspiration.

Side note: My Dad has also published a review of this book! You can read it here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Palm Sunday!

Our day started with a vibrant Palm Sunday service at St. John's York Mills. Despite the snow, we gathered on the front steps of the church to welcome people, playing songs with acoustic guitar and mixed percussion. The best was "Hosanna, Loud Hosanna!" We played a vibrant mix of djembe, gourd, maracas, and various shakers, complete with an 8-bar instrumental breakdown. Great way to start the morning!

In the service, we had a true blend of worship team, handbells, choir, and organ. The music reflected the triumphant nature of Christ's entrance into Jerusalem.

This evening, we were scheduled to just sing one song at the Gathering service, but due to Monique's laryngitis, we were called in at the last minute to lead vocals for the service. It was kind of neat to just stand and sing with Gerald, sans guitar. The team was chock full - percussion, 2 guitars, piano, keys, bass, violin, and us on vocals.

For the first part of the service, we combined readings and music to tell the story of Holy Week. But the highlight was the baptism of Max. Max has been attending the Gathering for several months and has played keyboard on the team. He gave a testimony about the experiences that lead him to choose baptism in our church. The whole event was moving and beautiful.

As an intro to the baptism, we sang our new Agnus Dei. It was such an honour to have our song as part of this special event.

And now, we are officially in Holy Week. The journey has begun...

Infinitely More is on Facebook!

We've just started our new Infinitely More band page on Facebook!

If you're a Facebook member, please visit our page and click "Like." And we'd love it if you'd please share our page with your friends!

If you're not a Facebook member, you can still visit the page and take a look around.

Here's our page: www.Facebook.com/InfinitelyMoreBand

To start us off, I've added a photo album of our recent Worship Team Workshop.

Book Review: "The Sacred Meal" by Nora Gallagher

Of the books I've reviewed so far, this is definitely my favourite.

Part of The Ancient Practices Series (edited by Phyllis Tickle,) I expected The Sacred Meal to be a fairly academic book, and to my pleasant surprise, it really wasn't.

Nora Gallagher weaves history, tradition, and memoir to explore Holy Communion. Her writing is effortless, full of imagery, and at times, poetic. Even though she explores the practicalities of this universal practice, she keeps the ultimate story of Communion to be a personal one. How does Communion affect you, today, and in these circumstances?

In reading other reviews of this book, I found it interesting that a lot of reviewers would have preferred a more academic approach to the topic, and that's definitely a fair opinion. I guess, for a lifelong Christian like me, it can get easy to fall into the sameness of Communion. Nora's book reminded me that everything I do pre-altar can feed into my Communion experience, and likewise, my Communion experience can feed into everything I do in 'real' life.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

New Video!

Yesterday, I wrote about our performance of Isaac Everett's Psalm 130. Thanks to Rev. Tay Moss, we have a great video from the service.

I've decided to use this video to kick off the new Video page of our Infinitely More site!

Please visit www.InfinitelyMore.ca/Video to see the new video!

The Emergent Psalter

One of the things we love is receiving a cool creative challenge.

This week, we returned to Church of the Messiah where we were asked to sing Psalm 130 in the style of The Emergent Psalter.

The brainchild of composer Isaac Everett, The Emergent Psalter introduces a new musical style to the ancient art of singing the psalms. Isaac has written a simple, singable refrain for each psalm, and it's up to the musician to create the musical setting for the verses. On his podcast, he meets with different musicians who improvise until they create something they think works. The same refrain could be used to create a psalm setting that is gentle and reflective or urgent and rocking.

Since we were singing Psalm 130 in Lent, we decided to keep it simple but with intensity. For the verses, Gerald riffed on the guitar, while I did mixture of singing and speaking. Luckily, we got a great video of it, so I'll post a link to that tomorrow.

In this same service, we also performed The Wood Song, which we rehearsed last week. It went really well, and the addition of the extra voices and violin was a real pleasure.

This evening, we played for the Gathering at St. John's, which was awesome. We're nearing the end of our Lenten musical themes, and as we sang the final lines of Mighty to Save, I could feel Easter rumbling underneath, ready to break forth...

Saviour
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever
Author of Salvation
He rose & conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

Hymns & Their Stories

A small sample from my collection...

Tonight, we presented our new program: Hymns and Their Stories. We designed the show to be used in seniors homes (which was our venue tonight), but really, it could also be used for any kind of gathering that needs a light, 60-minute musical presentation.

I love collecting hymnals, and I love finding the stories behind my favourite hymns. It was that love that inspired Hymns in the Key of Grace, and it was also the inspiration for this new show.

Tonight, we sang lots of favourites - "Be Thou My Vision," "How Great Thou Art," "In The Garden," and "Amazing Grace." We told the stories behind their creation, and encouraged lots of singing along.

We knew we'd hit the right note after the show, when staff and residents alike stayed behind to share their own favourite hymns and stories. If you'd like to bring Hymns and Their Stories to your seniors home or event, feel free to contact me.

Church of the Messiah & The Gathering

Our busy weekend continued this morning with an awesome service at Church of the Messiah. We love visiting Messiah because they're very open to all kinds of musical voices. This morning, we lead most of the music, but we also had organ and choir for certain pieces.

Messiah's beautiful Sunday school room. The mural spreads around the room and over the ceiling.

For the Kyrie (Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy), I decided to try something different. I took a very traditional setting, shifted the metre a little, and turned it into a round. I lead from the centre of the church, directing each side in their part. It sounded so beautiful!

After the service, we met with Laura and Betsy to rehearse for next week's service. Betsy has chosen an Indigo Girls song that she thinks will resonate with the congregation. The four of us will trade off on the verses, Gerald will play guitar, and Betsy will play violin. I think it's going to sound great.

Betsy and Gerald rehearsing for next week.

This afternoon, we met for the Gathering service at St. John's York Mills. Our friend, Susan, had originally been assigned to piano for the night, but when she showed up with her guitar, it changed everything. She's a great guitar player, so to have her and Gerald playing together was just awesome. Susan is also a songwriter, so after the service, we took some time to share some of our songs with each other. It was a great way to end a musical weekend!

Gerald and Susan, trading axes.

Worship Team Workshop - Sharing Break Forth

As you may remember, this past January, Gerald and I flew to Edmonton to attend the awesome Break Forth conference (You can see photos of our experience here.)

Our church generously provided some financial assistance for the trip, so as a thanksgiving, we organized a Worship Team workshop today to share some of the things we learned at the conference.

We started by sharing the basics of Break Forth - the enormous crowds of worshipers, the amazing speakers, and the freakishly cold weather. We gave the highlights of each class we took, and shared a few nuggets of information that we felt would be interesting or useful to our team.

Then, Gerald and I took turns teaching on one specific topic. I loved what Paul Baloche taught about our role to "minister to the Lord" and the practice of personal worship. I played a clip from one of his training DVDs that addresses this exact topic, and shared my notes and thoughts from the workshop.

Then, we broke the crowd into small discussion groups of 3 or 4 people. Each group was asked to the following 2 questions:

1. What is one thing you do Monday through Saturday (ie: not going to church) that you consider an act of worship?
2. Thinking outside the box, what is one new thing you could try that could weave more worship into your everyday life?

After 15 minutes, we regrouped, and each group shared one or two ideas that they found particularly interesting or inspiring. The discussions were spirited, and it was awesome to hear some of the new ideas.

After a short break to refresh the coffee and grab more snacks (it's a church event - of course we ate!), we gathered for Gerald's talk on songwriting. We don't have a lot of active songwriters in our group right now, but we have a lot of people who are interested in songwriting, so we're excited about nurturing and developing this in the team. Gerald based part of his discussion on Brian Doerkson's class "The Agony and the Ecstasy." He talked about the writing process, the challenge of writing songs that actually minister to people, and the power of a great idea. There were a lot of questions and some great discussion. Gerald shared our dream of starting a Christian songwriting group, where we could meet together to share songs, learn new skills, and encourage each other to write great songs for worship.

All in all, it was a great experience, and the feedback was very positive. I'm hoping to get some photos soon, so I'll let you know when they're up.