My family has been part of St. Tim's since 1974 when we moved to California after living in many locales, including 3 years in Asia. My wife Susanne is very active in the music ministry, and our two-year-old son, Jesse, loves being at St. Tim's. My stepson Austin is in his third year at UCSC, and recently experienced the birth of his first child, Sophia.

I look to my work with great joy. To be able to use music as a path towards a relationship with God, and have the support and friendship of this incredible community in my work is deeply moving.

I love these lines from Isaiah:

Who are these that fly like clouds, a dove unto the window. ?You shall see, your heart shall thrill, the radiance will sustain you. The sun will no more be your light, the moon will soon withdraw. ?We cannot keep silent, we sing praises to the Lord.

Isaiah describes the joy and deep mystery of being in the presence of those who are radiant with divine light. Music can open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, and guide us in relationship with God. With the help of a prayerful community, we can tap into this mystery to see, feel, hear, touch and taste the light of God all around us.

It's sometimes difficult in this society to maintain our covenant relationships with each other. There is so much pressure to attain social and economic status that the accepted purpose in life becomes more about acquisition than relation. I struggle with this myself, sometimes assessing our ministry based on how many people show up for service, or whether the music reaches a high technical standard. When I am living in the Spirit, and aware of the beautiful mystery of covenant faith, those issues fall away and our ministry becomes a joyful work, based on how moving our worship experience can be for all of us. All the other stuff then falls into place.

My job is to help the music in our services to be a catalyst for transformation. The praise songs can make us exuberant with the joy of celebration, or contemplative as a prelude to prayer; they can make us think, or help us stop thinking for a while. A musical piece can convey a tradition, or tell a story to help us understand and appreciate the lessons we are learning.

St. Tim's now has three contemporary multimedia services, offering many different ways to be involved. This parish has provided the most vivid and real experiences of my life. I hope that this community can do the same for you.

If there is anything that you would like to share with me, I would love to talk with you. Email me.