As a worship leader, I am drawn to the thought expressed by the Psalmist, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” (Ps 84:10 NIV). In modern times, a doorkeeper is an example of a servant. When a doorkeeper is doing his job well, he is not noticed, but simply gives people access to what’s “inside”. I want to spend my life helping others access the “inner sanctuary” where they will experience both personal and corporate fellowship with God Himself. I love my Master and am glad to be His “Slave for Life”.

One of the most important truths every Christian needs to grasp if his/her relationship with Jesus is going to be vibrant is the fact that God desires their worship, their fellowship, and their devotion.  One of my favorite passasges in the Bible is that of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.  There we read that God is seeking, looking for, eagerly desiring worshipers who will worship in Spirit and in Truth.  In fact, the original text implies that He “earnestly covets” this kind of interaction with people who will be honest enough with themselves  to be truly honest with Him in giving their affection, devotion, and praise to their Lord.  To understand that God truly longs for honest worship from His children only deepens my desire to please Him not only in the making of music, but in the everyday details of living.  I want my life t be and “alleluia”: an expression of praise and adoration.  For that to happen, I have to be utterly honest with myself and with Jesus.  When I dare to be completely truthful (anything less is a lie), He is always eager to forgive me and count me as righteous in His eyes by virtue of His gift of grace; His “cleansing flood” of His very own blood spilled to pay for my guiltiness.  Consequently, I can “enter in” to the His holy presence with boldness and joy.  I bow before Him not in fear that I may be rejected, but with a giddy dlight that I belong there in His presence; He wants me there.  He went to extreme measures to make sure I could hang out (fellowship) with Him without guilt, or fear, or pretense; only honesty.  God is holy.  I have come understand that His holiness does not mean He is untouchable.  On the contrary, He is truly unlike any other so called god because He reaches out to touch us enven in, and perhapse especially in our very personal and private filth.  His touch is what enables us to stand in His presence.  His gift is what invites us to bow in joiyful gratitude and cry “holy, holy holy”.  True spirituality and real worship starts with being honest before Him.  My prayer is that this project will encourage you to give  God what He earnestly covets: You, as a truthful and spiritual worshiper.  The first step: Be Honest.

Just a note about myself to let you know the heart and the who behind the music .  I am a Worship Leader.  That is the centerpiece of my call to ministry.  Since 1993, I have been privileged to serve Calvary Community Church, a Calvary Chapel in Phoenix, AZ, in partnership with Senior Pastor, Mark Martin. Though our attendance is around 12,000, God has blessed our church with a rich sense of community.  I just love what I do, and am so grateful for the opportunity to lead others in expressing their devotion to Jesus.  This is my heart: to simply help others give their undivided attention to Jesus Christ, and offer Him their honest, heart-felt praise, affection, and devotion.  I experienced my call to ministry while in High School in Amarillo Texas, where I was given the opportunity to give leadership to a student group called Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  I saw God do some amazing things then that changed my life.  Since then, I have been involved in several Worship Ministries and served the Body of Christ as a Worship Leader/Associate Pastor/Youth Pastor for over 20 years.   I’ve been writing love songs to Jesus since I was a teenager, and hope to continue until I’m old and gray.  All of the songs on this recording spring from my desire to consciously pursue the call to be a worshiper of Jesus Christ before anything else.  The context of my life is worship, whether in simple praise or adoration, seeking refuge, rejoicing in God’s great gifts, declaring what I know, or acknowledging what is a still a mystery to me.  I learned to love the Lord in my youth as I watched my mother and my father model uncompromising faith, as did my grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins on both sides of my extended family.  I learned from them, the definition of faithfulness and integrity in Christian faith.  I saw in them what it means to make Christ the beginning and the end and the in-between of life.  I want my life to display the same.  I have lived in the Phoenix metro area with my incredible wife, Marian, and my precious daughter, Jena since 1986.  Beyond making music, I love being at home with my favorite girls in the whole wide world, making furniture, remodeling our house, being a desert rat on my ATV, hiking, and pursuing the perfect practical joke.  I hope you hear my heart in this project, and that it resonates with yours.