Singing with Handbells!

It's that time of year again - Musicfest!

Each spring, the handbell choirs of St. John's York Mills put on a huge, family-friendly concert that literally incorporates every musician in the church. Handbells, choir, soloists, organ, and the worship band share their talents with a packed house.

This year's theme, "From Vinyl to Viral," celebrates the different ways we've listened to recorded music over the years.

Gerald and I will be leading the band and adding our voices to a few of the handbell pieces. We joined the handbell rehearsal tonight to run our songs. I'll be posting lots of photos on our Facebook page over the next week of rehearsals.

Here's a preview....

Gerald working out the opening number - Consider Yourself! 

Working with handbell director, Carolyn Martin, 

on the beautiful ballad, Try to Remember.

BIG NEWS!!!!!!

Gerald has made the shortlist of finalists for The Word Awards! He has 2, yes, TWO, songs that have made the shortlist in the Song Lyric category.

"You Are..." , a love song to God, was recorded as part of our Infinitely More CD.

"If They Knew It Was Me" has been performed at several of our live performances, and challenges us to imagine Jesus walking in our midst.

The Word Awards are designed to raise the profile of Canadian writers who are Christian, and to encourage them in the pursuit of excellence. A black-tie awards gala has been held since 2006 to increase public recognition, honour the winners, and celebrate Canadian writing. The awards currently consist of 19 book categories and 15 other categories for articles, columns, poems, song lyrics, and blog posts.

A full list of finalists can be seen at www.TheWordGuild.com

We'll be attending the gala and taking lots of photos - stay tuned!

How We Spent Easter...

Yesterday was a whirlwind. Not the We're-not-in-Kansas-anymore type, but the kind that sweeps you into a busy day and leaves you on the other side, a little dizzy, a little tired, and surprisingly complete.

I could fill pages describing the day, so let me sum it all up in a few highlights:

- Morning worship with a packed house, awesome worship band, and full choir.

- We sang "Resurrection Hymn (See What a Morning)" as a Communion song, complete with accordion!

- I met a couple visiting from England, and I had sung at their wedding 15 years ago!

- Mom and Dad joined us for the morning service! So great to have them there.

- Ended morning worship with a roof-shattering rendition of "To God Be The Glory" with voices, band, tambourine, and pipe organ.

- Had a little rest between services, with enough time to make up a platter of Easter treats for the band.

- Beautiful Gathering service with a great crowd, including enough children for a children's focus.

- A powerful message by Drew and a moving, intimate Communion led by Anne.

- We enjoyed a late Easter dinner with friends, in a comfortable home with an abundance of food.

Our Gathering Worship Band, tech team, and clergy.

But the real highlight, the best moment of the day for us, was sharing our new song, 

"There's a Light at the End of the Tomb" at both services. 

We'd been working on it for weeks, and as I've shared already, 

the church used our song title as the cornerstone of their Easter advertising.

Our song title on the cover of the Easter bulletins. 

We just used guitar for the accompaniment, but we pulled Patrick and Derwyn into the mix to give us a full vocal quartet on the choruses. It felt so awesome to sing it, and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

We recorded everything, so once we have a bit of Easter recovery time, we'll take a listen and see if we can share any of it with you.

In the meantime, please feel free to visit our FACEBOOK page 

to see more photos of our Easter experience! 

HAPPY EASTER!

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? 

He is not here; he has risen!"

Happy Easter, everyone!!!

The Easter cross at St. John's York Mills.

Check back later today for an update on today's Easter celebrations! 

It's gonna be a good one!

A Dark Saturday...

I always stop and pause today.

We know Easter's coming. We know the Son will rise tomorrow, life has won, and death is no more.

But the disciples of Jesus didn't know it.

Jesus had spoken about it - cryptically, in stories and strange examples - but this wasn't really supposed to happen. Was it?

The friends of Jesus weren't decorating their sanctuaries with lilies, and preparing baked ham and chocolates for a Sunday feast. Instead, I imagine them huddled in a room, hiding themselves from the anger that had erupted just a day ago. I imagine them afraid, confused, and heartbroken...

I think we need to think about this experience for two reasons:

#1. It's the truth of the story.

and #2. There are so many living like this today.

Without hope.
Without light.
Believing that death has actually won.

They don't know Easter is coming. They might not even know that Easter is a possibility.

So today, I encourage you to lift a prayer for those who are living in the shadow of Good Friday.

Fear not, my friend. Sunday is coming...

Happy Palm Sunday!

Some Sundays allow for a greater range of creativity than others, and Palm Sunday is one of them. At St. John's, we open our worship with the praise of Palm Sunday, but then move into reading the Passion (or Holy Week story) using a dramatized reading. At The Gathering, we thought this should also incorporate music.

As the readers told the story of the Last Supper, Gethsemene, the trial, and the crucifixion, we lead songs that helped expand on the emotions and implications Jesus's journey.

Our song list included classic hymns like "Hosanna, Loud Hosanna" and "Were You There," alongside newer songs like "Beautiful One" and "Gethsemene." We finished the story with Gerald's song, "All Things are Possible to Thee."

Guitars waiting for worship...

There's part of me that only wants to sit in the joy and triumph of Palm Sunday, but now that we've moved through the Passion, I'm ready for Holy Week.

Let's start our walk towards the cross...

March Break Madness...

This past weekend, we enjoyed the final days of March break with a busy weekend up in Collingwood.

For those of you who live outside of Southern Ontario, Collingwood is an area known for beautiful lakes, winter skiing, and one of the biggest annual Elvis festivals in North America.

We arrived Saturday afternoon for a mini-workshop with the worship band from All Saints Anglican Church. We rehearsed the music for Sunday's worship, while also throwing out as many ideas as we could for introducing contemporary elements into their Sunday worship music. On a future visit, we'd love to have a full afternoon to really work through these concepts and have some creative time together. Hopefully, we can make that happen soon...

That evening, our singer friend, Cheryl Bourne, hosted us for a house concert! It was a fun and intimate evening of music in her living room. It was full of things you only get at a house concert:

- we sang in our slippers

- a little girl danced during All You Need is Love

- intermission had birthday cake for a guest

- the smell of chocolate fondue filled the air

- a dog sat in the front row

Gerald working with the All Saints Church worship band.

The next morning, we arrived back at All Saints for morning worship. After a quick rehearsal with the band, we played our preservice music, and we felt welcomed from the start. The congregation actually applauded for one of our preservice songs! That's a first for us!

The whole morning felt wonderful! The congregation and staff were all so open, and sang along so easily. We were even able to do part of the children's focus, which felt very special.

After church, it was back in the car for the 2 hour drive back to Toronto. We arrived just in time to unload the car and head to St. John's for The Gathering. Rehearsal at 3pm, service at 5pm, and, you guessed it, collapse in our jammies by sundown!

So much work, but worth every moment!!!

To see our photos, please visit our FACEBOOK page.

The Iceberg of Creativity

The last few weeks have been behind-the-scenes kind of busy:

- music planning for Holy Week

- cowriting a new Easter song with Gerald

- writing a new psalm setting for each Sunday in Lent

- booking for upcoming tours

- planning this weekend's events in Collingwood

- strategy planning for the future of Infinitely More

It all sounds powerful and creative when I write it out, but the truth is, some days it just feels like a lot of work. I look at this list, and I can see all the little details between the lines.

Then I found this photo on Facebook today:

And it captured what I was thinking far easier than I could ever say it.

I think every artist gets this image...

The performance is tight, but the audience never sees the hours that went into polishing those harmonies.

The painting looks great, but the viewer never sees the canvases that didn't make it out of the studio.

The song is moving, but the listener never hears the 38 words that rhymed with "love" that never made the cut.

And I think, ultimately, that's a good thing. As artists, we know what it takes to make art, and the selfish part of us wants everyone to know - "Hey, this is hard! This takes work! I did a LOT to make this happen!!"

But the generous part of us never wants the audience to think about that. Instead, we want you to hear the message, feel the emotion, and be transformed by the art we're sharing with you.

It's not about having other people fully get all that goes into making the art. 

We know. 

Other artists know. 

God knows. 

That should be enough.

The true joy comes in the making, and the giving.

So let's share our art, and the next day, we'll dive in the water, and build up that iceberg all over again...

Workshop with Ron Klusmeier

Many years ago, Dad invited me to a workshop featuring two hymn writers: Ron Klusmeier and Fred Kaan. It was a beautiful night of creativity and worship! I brought Monika to a workshop, and together, we recorded a few of Ron and Fred's songs.

A few days ago, I received an email that Ron was doing a workshop in Toronto this weekend!

Today's workshop at Leaside United Church.

This afternoon, I joined 30 other singers for an afternoon with Ron Klusmeier and his team. They're on an epic one-year tour of Canada! They visit churches to lead workshops and concerts featuring the music of Ron and his cowriters.

Our group today was composed (pun intended) of choir singers and music directors, so you know the sound was great. We sang new songs, and learned about Ron's ministry of making songs available to churches of all shapes and sizes.

Me and Ron Klusmeier!

After the workshop, Ron and I had a chance to catch up. I'm so inspired by Ron. First, there's his incredibly large body of work - over 750 hymns, and more coming every year. He works with cowriters from around the world, and many of his partnerships are decades long. And second, I'm inspired by his desire to put his songs directly into the hands of church musicians. These workshops are so user-friendly, with songs the average choir can pick up on the first pass. And in addition to his songbooks, there's his incredible website that makes charts and arrangements available for any kind of musical configuration.

Today has left me feeling encouraged and inspired.... the perfect way to leave Saturday and go into Sunday...

Our Fireside Concert!

It's been weeks of prep and planning, and today was the day - our Fireside Concert!

Last night, all the furniture in our living room was cleared, and rearranged with rows of chairs and our sound system by the window.

This morning, we had a final soundcheck, shovelled the front walk, and put on the apple cider.

This afternoon, the house was filled with happy, smiling people, ready for an afternoon of music and stories by the fire.

I'm so happy with the day! We had people who know us well, and people who've never heard our music before. We debuted several new songs, and created new arrangements of old favourites. We had some great sing-along moments, and the puppies were thrilled to have so many people ready to cuddle them.

We weren't able to get video, but we've got some photos, and maybe a bit of audio. I've also written a draft of an article to help other artists self-produce their own house concerts. I'll share what I've got next week, but tonight, we're just sitting in the calm of the evening...

I'm a Guest Blogger!

This week, I'm guest blogging over at SGMRadio.com!

The post was inspired by the recent passings of two wonderful women in my life.

You can read "Who's Watching You?" by clicking HERE.

My guest post was inspired by my Aunt Alma, far right.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Seven years ago, Gerald and I gathered with friends and family to start our greatest adventure ever: becoming husband and wife.

One of my favourite shots!

Montreal, QC - from our East Coast Tour 2011

Today, I'm flooded with memories of that week, and of the past seven years. 

It's flown by, and at the same time, I'm amazed at all we've done in that time:

- lived in Nashville for 3 years

- recorded 4 CDs

- written hundreds of songs

- started Infinitely More

- traveled and toured in 6 provinces and 3 states

- survived an insanely dangerous car crash

- adopted 2 beautiful puppies

- spent countless hours laughing, chatting, and loving our family & friends

This afternoon, we'll stand in the exact spot where we exchanged vows, and we'll lead our Gathering community in worship. How awesome is that? God's plan for our lives never fails to surprise, delightful, and overwhelm me.

Today, I'm so thankful for everyone who has been a part of our journey - family, friends, mentors, musicians, colleagues, pastors, congregations, and everyone who has ever read a blog post, attended our concert, downloaded our music, or watched our videos. We love you!!!

To read the story of how we met, 

please check out this LINK.

Love At First Listen!

We were recently asked to share the story of how we met for SGMRadio.com 

They've included our story in an article featuring the love stories of different Gospel artists.

Click HERE to read how the perfect voice mail became the start of our love story...

Having fun on our Infinitely More CD photo shoot last summer.

Break Forth Photos!

It's been less than a week since we returned home from Break Forth. I really wish we'd had three or four days just to sit, review our notes, and reflect on our experiences. Instead, we arrived home in the middle of the night (literally!), did a huge load of laundry, and got right back to work Wednesday morning.

So, instead, I'm sneaking in my reflections - 

a thought here, 

a memory there...

Today, I went through all our photos of the weekend. 

I've put them together to give you a sense of what we experienced.

You can view them on our SITE and FACEBOOK pages.

Enjoy!

Singing in the hallway of the Shaw Centre...

Break Forth - Day 3

Our final moments of Break Forth were filled with 

learning, friendship, creativity, and extraordinary beauty.

The bracelets are off. Break Forth is done for another year.

Learning...
We studied "Songs that Impact" with Paul Baloche, and "Taking Your Worship Band to the Next Level" and "Harmony and Improvisation" with Sheri Gould. So much incredible information, and so appropriate for where we are now with our writing and worship leading. Sheri's harmony workshop was particularly awesome. Her approach to ear training and singing harmony was really effective and musical.

Friendship...
I think this is the year that we've met the most people at Break Forth. So much of today was filled with wonderful conversations with new and old friends. We met people from across Alberta, learning about their churches and lives.

Creativity...
At October's GMA Week, we met Natalie, a singer-songwriter from Edmonton. This afternoon, she and Gerald grabbed a guitar, found a piano in the hallway of the Shaw Centre, and started writing a song. They'll finish it over skype, but they definitely started something good.

Extraordinary Beauty...
There's been so much loveliness this weekend. Talented musicians making stunning sounds. Inspiring songs. Beautiful faces in worship. Bright sunshine, and laughter in restaurants. The closing worship session ended with a rousing rendition of "How Great Thou Art" led by Paul Baloche. The band created an awesome, joyful ending, and as the final chord lingered, Paul led the worshippers in one more chorus. Thousands of voices singing "Then sings my soul..." in glorious acapella harmony. Beauty beyond compare...

This weekend has been so full for us. We've learned so much already, taken so much in, and I know we'll be feeling the vibrations for months.

Full of gratitude tonight...

Break Forth - Day 2

Today has been long and awesome and I'm so tired I popped a couple of chocolate-covered espresso beans just to write this post. I ask for grace for typos and non-sensical jibber-jabber.

The morning began with a mass worship session. There's truly nothing like gathering with thousands of believers to sing, pray, and praise. Brian Doerkson led a beautiful worship session with songs of praise, love, and lament.

The message came from Francis Chan (author of "Crazy Love") and it was incredible. Francis is funny and passionate and visceral when he preaches. The message of creating disciples was simple but so very powerful. If I was planning this thing, I would actually have scheduled him as the last speaker, because I think it would have been the perfect message for people to have on their hearts as they return home.

The bulk of the day was filled with smaller workshops. Gerald attended an honest and powerful session by singer-songwriter Kari Jobe. Kari mixed practical worship leading advice with deeper spiritual messages of living in expectancy of God's grace.

I loved my Creativity workshop by songwriter Carolyn Arends. She took us through the stages of the creative process as it applies to songwriting. So full of things that I needed to hear right now.

I spent part of the afternoon in a "level ground" worship session with Brian Doerkson. The session was intimate and casual - in a hotel conference room, with the band on the floor level in the middle of a roomful of chairs. A few candles decorated the band area. Things weren't unplugged, but only amplified as much as they needed to be. Brian has been setting a lot of psalms to music lately, and they were beautiful and artistic. I found so much inspiration in this session.

We also got to do lots of casual things today - lunch with friends, buying new books and CDs, looking at the exhibit hall, and just enjoying the glorious sunshine.

Kari Jobe leading worship at tonight's service.

Tonight's worship session was led by Kari Jobe, and I'll just get to the point: awesome and wow!! I loved watching her lead. By the way she dances around and related to the huge congregation, you can tell she's used to leading worship in a big church. I loved that she and I both lead without an instrument - just a hand-held mic and our words. I'm a fan of her voice and songs and could just watch her for that, but the thing I love the most is her passion. When she sings, she's committed to the message of the song 110%, and that commitment is more powerful than any perfect note or artful riff.

One cool thing I've observed this weekend with the worship leaders:

These are the top of the food chain worship leaders on the continent, and yet, they're not all serving in famous, mega-churches. Kari leads in a big church, but Paul's church, by his description, is mid-sized and rural. Brian leads in a church plant and Andy Park is leading worship in a house church.

I guess this reminded me that, despite what our culture tell us, the size of your congregation is no reflection on the size, scope, and scale of your ministry and/or its potential impact. It's also an awesome testimony about following God's calling. All of these guys could be making mega-bucks in mega-churches. Instead, they've asked God, "How do you want to use me?" and then said "Yes" when the answer comes.

Oh, that we may all have the courage to say "Yes"...

Break Forth - Day 1

Today was so many kinds of wonderful that it'll be hard to summarize it in just a few sentences...

Break Forth opened today with the Worship Leadership Intensive. In past years, Gerald has done the songwriting intensive, but this year, we decided to do the same workshop, and really work our skills as worship co-leaders.

Kari Jobe was on the teaching roster, but a last minute illness delayed her flight to Edmonton. Songwriter, Andy Park, filled in, and the challenges began. Andy spoke on the topics of rejecting the ego-driven lifestyle, centring your life on the Lord, and worshiping God in the wilderness. It was the kind of talk where light bulbs were going off, we were scrabbling to write everything down, and six months from now, we'll still be making realizations.

Paul Baloche kicked off the afternoon session with his trademark good humour, and dedicated approach to worship. He interspersed practical lessons on working with your band, choosing songs, and creating flow, with the deeper issues of personal worship and our pastoral role as worship leaders.

The day ended with a panel composed of Andy, Paul, and Mark Hall of Casting Crowns. It could have gone on for hours and hours. So much wisdom and practical information.

Every once in a while, the room would be invited to sing. If you want a glimpse of what heaven might sound like, check out the most beautiful moment of the day:

The conference had it's awesome, huge, opening session tonight at the Shaw Centre. Thousands of people gathered for an inspiring time of worship by Casting Crowns, and a fantastic message by John Ortberg.

I was so excited to hear John Ortberg (and Casting Crowns, of course!) and I wasn't disappointed. From the simple start of "I'm going to talk about Jesus tonight," he took us through a 2000 year journey of how Jesus and the Jesus movement has affected every conceivable corner of our world - art, political theory, education, compassion, human dignity, and even champagne! The talk was simple, entertaining, meaningful, and super, super smart.

Can't believe this has only been one day! Looking forward to tomorrow!!

Break Forth .... Ready to Begin!

The worship leaders were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of workshops danced in their heads...

Break Forth begins in the morning!!!!

The view from our hotel window...

NEW VIDEO!! Wedding at Cana

This past Sunday night, we did something we haven't done in ages - Duelling Guitars!

Okay, technically we're not duelling, because Gerald is a wicked player and would totally win against my 3-chord playing. But we did pull out 2 guitars and put together a fun arrangement of my song, Wedding at Cana. We recorded it on my first CD, Real Big Fan, in a Jazz setting, but Sunday's arrangement was a little different, and we had a great time putting it together. Our best friend, Monika, joined us on harmony.

Happily, it was all caught on video! Here 'tis:

Please enjoy, and share!

Welcome to Edmonton!

The alarm on my iPhone started beeping at 5:00am. Yes, A-M!

My father-in-law was at the door by 5:15, ready to drive us to the airport.

A smooth 4-hour flight later, and we arrived in Edmonton, Alberta!

This is what greeted us:

We're here for a week to visit friends and attend the amazing Break Forth worship conference! Thursday night, we'll head to our hotel downtown, and Friday we begin 3 long, intense days of workshops, worship, and fellowship... and lots of caffeine!  

I'll be blogging every night, and posting photos and updates at

  www.Facebook.com/InfinitelyMoreBand 

All our Facebook content is public, 

but if you're on Facebook, we'd love your Like!