I arrived in San Francisco this past September exhausted. I had flown through the night from Alaska and my head was spinning from the culture shock of having spent the last few days in the back country of Alaska, only to arrive in a city where people ride bicycles...

Something happened in Iowa last weekend. I was playing a Promise Keepers event for 5000 men in an arena.  As my solo set got closer, I could feel my hands getting a little cold and my heart rate accelerating.  I was nervous.  Usually, I like being nervous, it means...

Last month I did a gig with Toby Mac.  A pretty cool honor to share the stage with Toby- he’s written so many great songs and has survived in a very tough business for a couple decades now. Before the show, I was sitting in the auditorium checking emails on my phone. ...

In the late 1980′s, Eddie Van Halen was asked how he became such an innovator on guitar. He replied, “Man, that’s crazy. You can drop a guitar and it makes a cool noise. Just have fun with it. Bang it, hit it, whatever.” As a high schooler learning to play, something...

I remember the first time I was in a chemotherapy room. I was 22 years old and Cyndi, my wife of 6 months, was beginning treatment for Hodgkin’s’ Disease. We were young, confused, and finding it hard to breathe as fear tightened its hold. The room was clean and...

The oppressive heat of California’s San Joaquin Valley made everyone feel like muffins in an oven and the air conditioning didn’t quite make it all the way to the far back of the family station wagon. There, in the rumble seat facing the opposite direction, sat a dark...

One night last fall, I was lying awake discouraged with my parenting. Earlier in the day, all three of our wonderfully angelic children were. . .driving me crazy. We were on our way to school, late and stressed. Noise, fighting, selfishness, we had it all (and I’m not...

Sunday night, June 5th, was pretty special for me. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. It all began last May, sitting in my room, computer on my lap, guitar leaning against the chair, looking out the window with a deep breath, beginning work on new songs. It may sound...

Recently, I heard a very cool story about Clara. Clara was a gifted piano player. As a little girl, she took lessons from a few different teachers in town. But eventually, her musical intuition and improvisational ability led her down her own musical path. And so it...