Steve Bell

Last Saturday night, David and I played with Steve Bell at St. David's Presbyterian in Campbellville, ON. It was a nostalgic evening, as it was the first time I had ministered in that sanctuary for almost three years (after pastoring there for thirteen years). It was the place where Steve played a number of times in the early years of his career, and where we forged our friendship. I love that room! Besides the terrific acoustics, beautiful decor, and great people, it is a place where God's Spirit seems to have the freedom to move.
Afterwards, I reflected on the success of Steve's career and calling. He was struggling to remember lyrics that night (he's got so many songs in the repertoire) and while he can be the consummate professional when he needs to be (extraordinary fingerstyle guitar, evocative vocals, and superb storytelling) he is disarmingly human in the end. Yet, for whatever distractions those gaffes bring, it does not mitigate what to me is the essential character of a Steve Bell concert - an event which opens the possibility for an encounter with the holy. It is because of Steve's lack of self-consciousness, that the listening participant is freed for God-consciousness. It is because he is tuned into a Christ-centered spiritual frequency, we are allowed to listen in and receive. I've probably played with Steve at least fifty times over the last twelve years, and these things prove themselves over and over. I am proud to be associated with him, Dave Zeglinski and the great folk at Signpost; their friendship is one of our great treasures.

He is Risen!

We've been having some technical difficulties with our web-sites, so I'll use that as an excuse for this absence, but now that we are in the season of Easter, there's new hope for blogging!
I love walking into a church on Resurrection Sunday, and without saying anything else, just launching an 'He is risen!' and having an 'He is risen indeed!' come back at me! It says a great deal about the connectedness of brothers and sisters in Christ across time and traditions as well as regularly astonishing me at how such a simple exchange explodes into worlds of meaning and deep joy. It's the secret handshake of the community of Christ, but as Lesslie Newbigin so beautifully put it - it is an 'open secret', one we should have no desire to keep hidden.