Just a note to let you know the heart and the who behind the music you’ll find on this album. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is that of young Samuel, who was dedicated to the Lord by His mother, Hannah.  The scripture records that he was “…ministering to the Lord…And it happened as Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, ‘Here I am,’ ”  (1 Samuel 3:1-5 NASB).  Samuel heard the Lord speak to him as he was “ministering” to Him.  We hear the Lord speak when we are close enough to listen to His still, small voice.  This happens when we invest ourselves in the intentional act of ministering to the Lord in worship.  A life laid down in worship is what God desires from us (John 4:23, Romans 12:1).  Hearing God whisper is breath-taking joy for those who devote themselves to being close to Him.  Worship is where that communion is nurtured,  the essence of “listening with your heart.”   I am a worship leader.  That is the centerpiece of my call to ministry.  I delight in 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 had the opportunity to give leadership to a student group called Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  I saw God do some amazing things that changed my life.  I have since been involved in several worship ministries serving the Body of Christ as Worship Leader/Associate Pastor/Youth Pastor for over 20 years.  Since 1993, I have been privileged to serve Calvary Community Church, a Calvary Chapel in Phoenix, Arizona, in partnership with Senior Pastor J. Mark Martin.  All of the songs on this recording spring from my desire to consciously pursue the call to be a worshipper of Jesus Christ before anything else.  The context of my life is worship, whether simple praise or adoration, seeking refuge, rejoicing in God’s great gifts, declaring what I know, or acknowledging what is still a mystery to me.  I learned to love the Lord in my youth as I watched my mother and father model uncompromising faith, (as did my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins on both sides of my extended family).  I learned the definitions of faithfulness and integrity from these precious people; 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 reflect the same.  Beyond making music, I love being at home with “my favorite girls in the whole wide world”, making furniture, remodeling our house, four-wheeling in the desert, hiking, and pursuing the perfect practical joke.  I hope you hear my heart in this project, and that it resonates with yours.  More importantly, I hope you hear the still, small voice of God speaking to you as you “listen with your heart.”