GOD SPEAKS TO THE SOUL
John 7:40-50

No man ever spoke like that before. v. 46

No man has ever spoken the way Jesus spoke. Yes, there were teachers. Yes, there were prophets. Yes, holy men had come before. But no one previous or since spoke like Jesus.

Jesus' Words Require a Response

Jesus’ words don’t deny the mind, they simply surpass it. They come forth from the soul of God into the soul of humankind, requiring a response. Because of this, his sayings surpassed the greatest intellectuals, yet were understandable by the smallest of children. The few and simple words of Jesus have challenged theologians, philosophers, lawyers, psychol­ogists, doctors, and scientists, who have filled the world’s libraries with commentaries on his words.

He Is the Incarnation of God's Soul

The Middle Easterner sees words as the extension of the soul, not just intellectual tools. Thus, when Jesus is seen as the Word of God incarnate, he is the incarnation of God’s soul. Such a Word can only be grasped by the human soul, which reflects the image of God. If you try to hold it in the mind, it will elude you. God’s soul must be grasped in the human soul. Otherwise, the real meaning of God’s Word is lost.

The theologians in today’s Gospel reading were incapable of understanding Jesus because they were trying to understand God in their minds alone. Those who understand Jesus were the simple and uneducated, those less conditioned by human theology. Under- standing God to them is not an “ology” or the science of study. . . it is life.

He Awakens Our Heart & Fulfills Our Longings

Nicodemus--theologian, Pharisee, member of the Sanhedrin, also understood because his theology awakened his heart and opened it to Jesus. He was not far from the kingdom of God.

Jesus comes to fulfill the longings of the soul. Do we respond like the typical philosopher or the blessed Nicodemus? Like the scientists or the simple? The New Covenant is most fully written upon the hearts of the humble.

John Michael Talbot

Photo "Children's Day" by carf

SOUTHEAST SOLO CONCERT TOUR ENDS
March 26, 2007

Peace and Good in Christ!

We are finally at the end of our Southeast leg of my solo concert tour. It went much better than I expected. The choirs were great, and the parishes were most hospitable. We also dodged the remaining cold of our Northwest Arkansas winter. Not bad.


I anticipated that I would miss the band a lot, and I did. But I also enjoyed the freedom of playing totally solo. Solo, I am able to move with the Spirit as He inspires me to sing various songs at various times with various arrangements. Also, it was nice to be able to hear the space between the notes and the silence between the lyrics a bit more. Having said that, I missed the fellowship of the boys on the bus, as well as during concerts. They are good brothers.

But the consistent response that we got from sponsors and audiences is that they liked the solo concerts a little better. As good, and as fun as the band concert was, it took time away from pure ministry to do some wholesome entertainment. Most of my audiences come for the ministry. The solo concert can take an audience deeper because there is no conflict of purpose in the evening. It is pure prayer and ministry.

Furthermore, most people say that my traditional solo acoustic music is really unique. The material with the band is less so. With a band I am good, but I remain just another folk/country rocker. As I expressed to the Lord recently, "I am not entirely sure why these simple songs remain so unique. All I do is sing." It was a joy to bring this gift to audiences again without any complications.

As we come to the end of this tour, I remember the more recent concerts: the disabled brothers and sisters in Winston Salem; the beautiful Episcopal Cathedral and community in Atlanta; and the new church at the Incarnation Parish in Collierville, TN. But the rest of the tour is not forgotten: the Enchantment Resort in Sedona; the beautiful people and parishes of Florida; the folks in Birmingham; and the wonderful beginning in Baton Rouge. The entire tour has been a wonderful experience, and I will not soon forget it, or the wonderful people we met along the way.

We also inaugurated a new approach to concerts by using free-will offerings in a couple of places. It worked out nicely. I especially enjoyed sharing about the Brothers and Sisters of Charity and inviting everyone to respond to their own vocational call of Jesus Christ in the Church. Western Europe, the USA, and Canada are the only places where vocations are not on the rise in the Church worldwide. WE have become the new mission field. We no longer need to go to far off places to serve as missionaries. We can meet the greatest need right here in our own backyard. That is why the Brothers and Sisters of Charity are so important. This tour has given me an opportunity to share that with large audiences.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Founder, Spiritual Father, and General Minister
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

Photo by John Cotton - john@frugalaudio.com

ROAD REPORT: WINSTON-SALEM, NC CONCERT EXPERIENCE

Peace and Good in Christ!

We are getting close to the end of our Southeast leg of my solo concert ministry tour. At this point, tours can easily become a blur of parishes, highways, and hotels. Last night I was treated to a concert that will live a bit longer in my memory.

First, the concert was for the purpose of raising money for a ministry that provides guide dogs to the disabled. Viola and I were greeted by a wonderful Secular Franciscan couple who brought one of these beautiful dogs, Phoebe, a Golden Retriever. Phoebe was given to one of the recipients of last night’s concert. She is a wonderful dog: gentle, loving, and sensitive. She will make a great gift to one of our most beautiful brothers or sisters.

Second, before the concert we were treated to a performance by a wonderful choir of people with disabilities, who sang sacred songs as the audience gathered for the concert. I listened from a dressing room door through my in-ear monitors, and was moved to tears as these wonderful brothers and sisters sang to our Lord and for our audience. Also of note were the four ladies who helped our brothers and sisters move from song to song, with solos, and with piano accompaniment. As the choir director said, she loves the work so much that the only problem is trying not to cry too much as these wonderful children of God sing so beautifully. I more than understand.

Lastly, it was good to be sponsored by a Secular Franciscan fraternity and a Franciscan parish, Our Lady of Mercy in Winston Salem, NC. I discussed with the pastor a mutual friend, Fr. Larry Kubera, OFM Conventual, who had been in Fr. Larry's class. Fr. Larry died from damage sustained to his lungs during a rescue of people from a burning building. Father Larry was known for his booming preaching voice. We called him "The Boomer." Anyway, I was touched sweetly by God as I remembered Fr. Larry and the selfless ministry of the Franciscans during this concert.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Founder, Spiritual Father, and General Minister
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

JMT Sedona Photos

ROAD REPORT: CHRISTIAN MUSIC PUBLISHERS EVENT IN SEDONA, AZ
March 19, 2007
Sedona, AZ

Peace and Good in Christ!

The team just returned from Sedona for the annual conference of CMP (Christian Music Publishers). It was held at the beautiful Enchantment Resort, built in a valley that some Native American tribes believe is their Garden of Eden. The conference featured world class speakers on music publishing. Of special interest this year was the increasing piracy of music through free peer-to-peer music downloads, and the devastating effect this has had on the music business in general, and Christian music in particular. This is a topic that will continue to be of great interest for years to come.

I was able to present a short concert with Phil Perkins and some great chamber players from the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. I was deeply humbled to hear Phil Perkins' flattering introduction of me. It was also great to just fellowship with so many old friends in the Christian music publishing business whom have not seen in years. I was stunned to hear how much the music God has given me has touched them through the years.

We left wishing that we could spend a few more days in this magical spot. But we had to return to finish the rest of the Southeastern Tour. The travel to and from Sedona was a bit much. Fourteen hours each way in cars, airports and delayed planes saw the team safely back to Orlando to complete this leg of the tour. The tour bus never looked so good!

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot
Founder, Spiritual Father, and General Minister
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

DEALING WITH ANGER

Matthew 5:20-26

Everyone who grows angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. v. 22

Anger is a major problem today although it is seldom obvious because we tend to suppress it nowadays. Although it is no longer socially acceptable to duel or to break out in arguments or tantrums in the professional world, suppressed anger does not go away unless we handle it in God’s way.

Anger is Destructive

We project the anger we are carrying onto every relationship, and it causes us to habitually enter into destructive relationships. Frequently, the problem is not with the person or thing with which we have the destructive relationship, but it is with someone from our past or with ourselves.

Usually when someone hurts us anger starts small. Perhaps a mother or father, a brother or sister, a teacher or minister does something, and we take it wrong or blow it out of proportion. We don’t often respond in a way that will set us free from the haunting curse of anger, even with a major wrong.

How to Handle Anger

How should anger be handled? First, admitting anger is much healthier than pretending it is not there, which only causes it to fester like a boil. Next, confess to another person. Then try to resolve differences. Make amends for a wrong by making repayment, if that is appropriate. Ask forgiveness. If you don’t feel you have done anything wrong, ask forgiveness for any hurt you may have caused without knowing it.

Let Go, Let God

Finally, let your anger go. Forgive the person you are angry with regardless of how they
respond. Remember that God loves you more than you love yourself. This is also true of others. God can handle the justice of a matter better than we can. Once you have done all you can do, let go of the situation and let God handle it. Then you will be free.

Are you angry today? Have you been angry for a long time? Maybe for years? Maybe most of your life? Be reconciled to God and others as soon as possible.

John Michael Talbot

Anger Photo by courgettelawn

Viola Talbot, BSC, at Little Portion

Jesus Lifts Up Humble Hearts
Matthew 20:17-28

The Mother of Zebedee’s sons came up to him and said, “Promise me that these sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” vv. 20-21

Two Different Stories

A brother gifted in singing came to our community and I invited him to sing harmonies with me in concert. Later, his mother asked me in a confrontational way why her son was not singing more solos. Sometime after that I retuned to solo concerts. In response, this brother told me I would lose a good part of my audience because they actually came to hear him sing.

My second memory is of a religious sister who had substantial training and experience in parish ministry and religious commu­nity, but came to our community with only the desire to be a servant. She was happy cleaning toilets, sweeping floors, and being obedient to her less experienced sisters. This made them nervous and threatened, so they asked her to leave. Today this sister is in charge of all the sisters in our community. She is also now my wife as we pioneer the married monastic way of life together in today’s church.

These two stories represent two aspects of today’s Gospel. The first shows a mother and a son like Zebedee’s sons and their mother at the beginning of their time with Jesus; the second portrays a person who journeyed with Christ and came into humility and maturity. Both stories show servants of Christ, but at two different periods in their walk with him, at two different levels of maturity.

Serve Christ, Not Self

Jesus lifts up those with humble hearts who are willing to do menial and insignificant tasks and calls them great in the kingdom of God. It is only when gifts and talents are allowed to die that he resurrects and uses them mightily.

Have we come to sing a solo or to wash a toilet? Have we come to serve or to be served? Anyone who comes to serve Christ with their own agenda cannot serve him at all because they are serving only themselves.

John Michael Talbot

REPORT FROM THE ROAD

From John Michael Talbot
Southeast USA Solo Ministry Tour

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Peace and Good in Christ!

We completed our first two concerts in Baton Rouge and Birmingham last night. Both went very well. The first night was a sell-out. Last night was a free will offering. Although I was pretty sick, the ministry went very well both nights.

At first I felt pretty lonely without a band, doing solo concerts again. But after a couple of songs, everything felt right once more. In many ways the actual ministry goes a bit deeper in these solo evenings because there is no switching from one guitar to another, one sound to another, one style to another. Consequently, there is the ability to meditate a bit more with each song. It is not unlike Gregorian Chant that sounds similar from one piece to the next, but takes the listener deeper and deeper into meditation from one setting to the next. The same thing happens to a certain degree with my more meditational songs.

I am most grateful for everyone's prayers. Please keep them coming! I am much better today, but I am not fully recovered. Also, please pray for the rest of the team, that they stay healthy to do their jobs as well. They continue to be wonderful in their hard work and support. David keeps us safe with his driving, John makes sure the sound and lights give non-intrusive support for the audio-visual side of the evening, and Viola makes the information, book and CD tables inviting and easy for concert attendees to use. We especially thank our parishes and sponsors in each town. They do a great job, and always greet us with great hospitality and warmth.

I invite you to come out and attend these concerts. I am always humbled when God works in deep and powerful ways through my simple prayer songs. I am grateful to be allowed to minister in this way for our Lord.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot
Founder, Spiritual Father, and General Minister
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

EXPECT & ACCEPT A MIRACLE

Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find.
Knock and it will be opened to you.
MATTHEW 7:7

Today’s Gospel message has three action words: ask, seek, and knock. And because everything we do needs to be done in love, and love is never self-centered, each of these three actions needs to be motivated by selfless love.

Ask in Confidence

To ask is to petition another to do what we cannot do. This involves both humility and acknowledgment of our poverty. Yet, we ask in confidence because our expectation is in Jesus and not in ourselves. He says in Matthew 7:8 that in order to receive we must believe what we ask will be done. And in the next verse He likens this to the attitude of a child towards its father. The child knows the father will grant or deny the request according to the child’s highest good.

Accept God's Answer

To see God’s miracles we ask, seek, and knock expectantly. After we have done this in faith, believing that He will, then we accept God’s answer, confidently believing in a loving Father interested in the highest good in every situation.

It is sad that this analogy often breaks down in modern society where relationships between parent and child are often torn in families because of abuse or abandon­ment. Re-establishing a trusting parent/child relationship with God can bring healing to broken relation­ships on earth.

Two Concepts in Asking

So, there is a balance in prayer. Asking of God comes down to two concepts: (1) expecting a miracle when we pray, and (2) accepting how the miracle is given. This is possible when we see God as the loving Father He is.

John Michael Talbot

PHOTO: Popo Sunrise by Rainy City

PLEASE PRAY FOR MY HEALING AND
SOLO CONCERTS

From John Michael Talbot
Little Portion Hermitage/ Berryville, AR /

Monday, March 5, 2007

Peace and Good in Christ!

Last night during our Sunday Monastic Chapter meeting, I felt a pall of thick congestion descend upon me. At first I thought I just had a little cold or allergy symptoms. Today, however, I feel terrible and am really sick. When I went to the doctor, he told me I have an upper respiratory infection. He prescribed some heavy-duty decongestants and antibiotics and said that without them this would surely become a full-blown sinus infection.

Why am I telling you this? Because I need your prayers. Tomorrow morning we roll out of the Hermitage on our tour bus for the Southeast leg of my Ministry Tour and I must be ready to sing in Prairieville, LA by Thursday night. One thing I have learned as a result of over four decades of concert touring is that "the show must go on." I have rarely had to cancel concerts because of illness.

In fact, upon reflection I can see that I have ministered at some of my largest and most important appearances when I was sick on my feet. For instance, I played World Youth Day in Denver before 600,000 people with barely any voice. I had to tune my guitar down a full step to be able to croak out the notes I could still sing. Fortunately, I felt great for World Youth Day a few years later in Toronto.

This upcoming concert tour will feature my return to the more contemplative style I am known for. It will just be me and my guitar onstage, so the mood will be prayerful and intimate. Most concerts will also have choirs participating. I admit I am looking forward to a roomier bus than if I was sharing with a full band, and the concert set up will be simpler for my sound and lights engineer, John Cotton. When I tour with other artists and a band there is less pressure on me to carry the entire evening. It is nice to get 30-45 minutes off each night as the other guys carry the concert during that time. As a soloist there is no such luxury! If I am sick (like now) there is no one to cover for me. So I will miss the guys who have toured with me previously for several reasons. I also love the energy and charisma of playing with, and off of, others in a live performance. I especially like harmonizing with my brother Terry, and with Tom Booth and Joe Hand. But there is something very special about these solo concerts. They are very prayerful and intimate, and the audience sees my heart and soul with no distractions or intermediaries. Perhaps that is why my solo concerts have been so well attended throughout the years.

From my perspective, solo concerts can be a little scary. If I have an "off night," it is much more likely to show. Then again, I have often witnessed God working far more powerfully when I am weak than when I consider myself strong. It is often when I think that I have done the worst, that God works the best. The whole thing about prayer concerts is for the Christian artist to become a doorway for grace. We must get out of the way so God can walk through the door of our ministry to bless others.

So please pray for me, that I heal soon and not make too much a fool of myself on this leg of the tour. I would really like to be able to do my best for the audience, and for God.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot
Founder, Spiritual Father, and General Minister
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage