Elim Women’s Retreat - Day 1

We’re back at beautiful Elim Lodge, just north of Peterborough! This has become one of our favourite places to sing. Sweet people, the sun glistening on the lake, and always interesting speakers create a relaxing and invigorating getaway.

This weekend, we’re leading worship for the Elim Women’s Retreat. Almost 100 women of all ages and backgrounds have gathered for 3 days of worship, teaching, and fellowship.

We’ll be leading four worship sessions, and singing a concert of our own songs tomorrow afternoon. Our speaker is Tara Rye, a writer and teacher from Omaha, Nebraska. Her topic is The 7 Times Jesus Prayed and, judging by tonight, I think we’re in for a great journey.

I just have to say: I love leading worship for retreats! These ladies came ready to worship, and tonight was amazing! They sang with joy and passion. Love it, love it, love it!

Looking forward to tomorrow...

A Day of Dedications....

Today had an unwritten theme - Dedication.

Last spring, Gerald and I wrote "A Divine Heart Imagined You." Inspired by Psalm 139, the song reminds us that God hand-crafted each of us in love. When the song was new, we sang it for our good friends, Deanna and Michael. Well, we didn't know it that night, but Deanna and Michael had a secret - God was already hand-crafting their little girl. After we sang, Deanna and Michael decided they wanted our song at their daughter's dedication.

Today was that day. We arrived bright and early at Calvary Church to rehearse the band and have soundcheck. Some of our Gathering band musicians attend Calvary, so we had them lined up to play, but suddenly a pianist, violinist, and additional vocalist also showed up. In the end, we had a full, 8-piece band! The sound was tight and fluid.

And the worship was powerful! This congregation came ready to praise. 

The message, the prayers, the music, and the beautiful dedication of baby Darragh 

all flowed to create a glorious morning.

Cool Side Story: I was at our CD table after the service, and a woman came up to me, grabbed my "Real Big Fan" CD and said, "I know you!" She bought "Real Big Fan" years ago, and was actually listening to it this morning before church, not knowing we would be at Calvary! When she arrived, she was shocked to see us leading worship. It just reminded me that even though we record the music, we never know who's listening or how it's affecting their lives. Something for all musicians to remember when we hit the studio...

After church, we attended a family luncheon to celebrate Darragh's dedication. Sitting by Lake Ontario, sipping iced tea, nibbling great food, and chatting with interesting folks was refreshment for the soul.

Other Cool Side Story: One of the guests was Herbie Kuhn, "The Voice of the Toronto Raptors"! If you know Gerald and his love for basketball, you know this was a highlight for him!

We slipped out of lunch early to head up to St. John's York Mills for our second dedication of the day - the ordination of our friend, Derwyn. Derwyn and his family came to Toronto to study at U. of T. but God had another plan. At St. John's, they've been involved in music, children's programs, technology, worship, and pretty much anything that needed a helping hand. I love ordination services - watching someone dedicate their life to God's ministry in such a public, formalized way is powerful and inspiring. (No, I don't want to get ordained! Let's not start any rumours...)

Gerald and I led the band, and it was a tremendous time. Derwyn had chosen great music, and our team really stepped up. The choir led a few songs by themselves, and then we all joined together on a few numbers for a huge, full sound.

The highlight was Gerald's new song, written for today - "All I'm Called To Be." 

He played it in the staff meeting this week so Derwyn would hear it in advance, 

I heard the song throughout the writing stages, and it turned out so beautiful. 

Gerald gave a moving performance in the service, and I joined on harmony.

It just felt so special to share it with Derywn and his family tonight.

The response to the music was overwhelming, especially for Gerald's song. I think it gave people a glimpse of what the music at St. John's will be like when we're there for Sunday mornings.

On a day like today, I'm, of course, reminded of my own commitment to ministry. 

But today, I was part of the congregation asked to support both Darragh and Derwyn 

in their lives in Christ. So that got me thinking, 

"What am I doing to support my congregation, 

my musicians, my friends, 

and my family in their faith walk?" 

Food for thought on a richly blessed day....

All Saints Whitby

All Saints Whitby has been on my radar for a while now. Just a few years ago, the entire sanctuary went up in flames, bringing pain and heartache to the entire church community. As they went through their process of rebuilding, I met several parishioners when I led worship for the Peterborough AWARE weekend. This year, thanks to Facebook, I connected with a friend from that weekend who connected Gerald and me with their new priest, and this morning, we visited All Saints to lead music for their Pentecost worship.

Pentecost is one of my favourite Sundays for music. Between the images of wind, flame, Holy Spirit, and speaking in tongues, the day is overflowing with powerful and creative musical choices. The music team at All Saints had today off, so we led the congregation in our signature blend of contemporary praise music and revamped classic hymns. A few months ago, Gerald wrote a new song called Light Me, which was perfect for today's message of letting the Holy Spirit ignite the fire of Jesus's love in you, and bringing that light into the dark places of this world.

Gerald at soundcheck. Hard to believe this sanctuary was once destroyed by fire.

We were humbled by the response to the music. My favourite was the very-senior woman who told me that she's not a fan of contemporary music, but she "could feel God glorified in the music" and because of that, the music and worship were powerful for her. Mission accomplished.

After the service, we were blessed by the beautiful hospitality of a parishioner. A small gathering, beautiful food, and a glowing spring garden set us up for a relaxing afternoon.

It's strange not having the Gathering today, but having such a rich day is getting us through. Tonight, a barbecue with the family, and then, two glorious days off!

Happy Victoria Day Weekend!

New Photos!

Now that we're in our new home and surrounded by everything we own in boxes and bags, 

I finally had time to update my photos!

We've got some great photos of Ali Matthews Songwriting Workshop, 

and all week we're adding photos for this Saturday's Musicfest concert.

You can see them all on our Facebook page, even if you're not a Facebook member.

You can see the Songwriting Workshop HERE and Musicfest HERE.

And if you are a Facebook member, we'd love your Like!

Band rehearsal for this week's Musicfest concert!

Moving Day!

We're in our new home!!

After weeks of packing, cleaning, and moving, we're finally in our new place. This new space is such a good fit for us. Can't wait to find out how we'll live and create in here.

Is it totally ironic that, just this Wednesday, I saw the Wizard of Oz?

There's no place like home...

4 Years Ago Today...

... we were driving home from leading worship at Harpeth Springs Community Church, just outside Nashville, when an 18-wheeler changed lanes without looking and hit, pushed, dragged, rolled, flipped, and threw us down the highway at 70 miles an hour. (May 3, 2009)

We've told the full story countless times at concerts and worship events, and it always sparks conversation. Some people are amazed that we walked out with so few physical injuries. Others share their stories of God's grace in frightening situations. And others choose to have a moment of thanksgiving, for what God did in our lives, and for what He's done in theirs.

So today, as I think back on May 3, 2009, I remember with gratitude our friends, our church family, our neighbours, and our parents, who cared for us, fed us, supported us, and prayed for us during both those early moments and 3 years of physical, emotional, and financial challenges the began that day. I'm thankful for the continuing lessons that have come from the accident - reminders of the fragility of life, the power of community, and the importance of treating others gently.

And I'm reminded today that Gerald and I, like each of us, is loved, valued, and covered by the grace and provision of God.

Today, 

we're going to take a little time 

to slow down, 

enjoy the moment, 

give thanks, 

and have a little celebration.

I encourage you to join us in this...

Ali Matthews Songwriting Workshop

I'll ask a bit of forgiveness in the slow blogging on this - it's Moving Week! Every day we're taking trips to our new home, packing the last of our stuff (which in reality is most of our stuff) and trying to fill out all the change-of-address forms. Crazy week, but really exciting too!

On Saturday, we joined the awesome Ali Matthews for her all day songwriting workshop. Gerald and Ali started weekly online meetings not long after GMA Week last November. I was so excited when they started - creatively they're such a good pairing. Writing, mentoring, and lots of story sharing led to an invitation to teach a few sessions at the workshop. 

Ali and Gerald sharing their songwriting wisdom!

Ali opened the day with the basics of writing, a great listening exercise, and an invitation to be brave in our writing and creativity. Gerald finished the morning with a session on creating lyrical hooks. Over lunch, we learned more about each of the songwriters - What are you writing? What are you goals? What are you listening to these days?

Gerald opened the afternoon by showing how harmonic theory can create tension and release in your music. Ali ushered the writers in the challenge of the day - write! Try something new - find a new cowriter, try a new style, or just do something that scares you.

After an hour, we gathered to hear the results, and it was incredible. One team wrote a bouncy song for spring, a young writer created the start of a worship song, and some dug deep into their broken hearts to share their pain and hope in song.

There was such a great feeling of creativity and community in everything. Ali is so generous with her knowledge and wisdom, and it was an honour to be part of today.

Photos to come soon...

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.