JOHN MICHAEL TALBOT HONORED AT SURPRISE EVENT

Christian Artist Releases 50^th Recording, "Living Water" 

(Posted by JMT Public Relations Contact Key Krecker)
 

John Michael Talbot, best-selling Christian music artist whose 50^th album, "Living Water," was just released, was "stunned and surprised"  recently inNashville at a banquet in his honor. The gala event was co-hosted by veteran music industry Executive Producer Billy Ray Hearn and CoProducer and Orchestrator Phil Perkins.
  

Talbot had no idea that 55 excited celebrants had been planning this event for months, flying in from all over the country to await his arrival. Surprising John along with his wife,Viola, daughter Amy Stalling, and other family members were: EMI CMG Label executives Peter York, Greg Bays and Rick Horne;  John W. Styll, President of the Gospel Music Association;  Oregon Catholic Press Director of Artist Relations Tom Tomaszek with staff members Tom Booth and Robert Feduccia; Mark Funderburg, President of Word Distribution; and Dusty Wells, Sr. Director, Field and Telesales for  Word Distribution, whose work with Talbot's music goes back to its earliest days.  The Catholic Association of Musicians (founded by Talbot) was represented by Lynn Geyer and Jim Cosgrove, who is also JMT's Troubadour for the Lord Operations Manager. A singer, songwriter and musician in his own right, Jim was on hand with his wife Paula Cosgrove, also a Troubadour staffer. Several monastic members of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity traveled from Little Portion Hermitage near Eureka Springs, Arkansas to congratulate John on behalf of the community he founded there almost 25 years ago.

 Rounding out the surprise party ensemble were sound engineers Bob Clark, Brent King and John Cotton, along with musical arranger Kristin Wilkinson. Travelling from Houston for the event were JMT friends Mark and Becky Lanier, and videographer Richard Hoggatt, President of Stage Directions.

It was obvious by John Michael's stunned silence that he was deeply moved while viewing the documentary filmed for the occasion. The video, "Behind the Man, the Music and the Ministry," paid tribute to Talbot's three decades of what musician Michael Card described as "selfless service to God and profound influence on both Christian music, and Church music." Billy Ray Hearn, longtime producer of contemporary Christian music via labels like Word and Sparrow, weaved Talbot's video story together with memories and vignettes. Among those congratulating Talbot and thanking him for his role in their lives were Christian musicians including Phil Keaggy, Michael Card, Tom Booth, Joe Hand, and Al Perkins. John's brother, Terry Talbot, currently touring with Barry McGuire, sent video greetings, reminding audience members that John Michael had been quite the baseball player. "He was scouted by the Chicago cubs when he was only 12 years old," Terry confided. Both Terry and Al Perkins were band members with John Michael in the popular country-rock group Mason Proffit during its heyday in the 1970s.

Mercy Corps co-founder Dan O'Neill (author of Talbot's biography, "Troubadour for the Lord"), appeared in the video, thanking John for donating over nine million dollars of money raised from his concerts to the worldwide  relief, aid and development programs of Mercy Corps.

Talbot, still speechless, was then presented with three awards. The first, from the EMI CMG Music Label group, was a plaque featuring four platinum albums recorded by Talbot between the years 1976-2007 commemorating "the milestone event in Christian music of releasing 50 albums."  A specially commissioned piece of art depicting the humble act of service through foot-washing, was presented by executives representing Word Distribution. The last award, actually more of a spectacular gift, was a guitar presented to JMT by Phil Perkins on behalf of all the event attendees-- one of only 30 guitars crafted that are exact replicas of the instrument played by Segovia. With the presentation of the guitar, John Michael's stunned surprise finally turned to grateful thanks as he finally took his turn before his guests at the event's podium.

"Only our Lord Jesus Christ is deserving of such admiration," Talbot said, "and so I thank Him first… The word "saved" can sometimes be overused by us Christians, so I'll say instead that I am thankful that He has "salvaged" me." John Michael then surveyed those in the room slowly, and after some silence and a deep exhale, spoke again: "I look around and realize that I could spend several hours with each one of you, sharing about God in our lives, about things that have been and are happening. Fifty albums don't happen without the work, prayers and cooperation of many, many people. I could not have done this alone. I could never have done it without you, so I am grateful to each one of you." Following his words, the standing ovation that had greeted him upon his arrival was exuberantly repeated.

Talbot then admitted that he had coveted that particular guitar for months. "I finally quit lusting after it, and gave my wanting over to the Lord. And now, here you all are, giving it back to me in His name," he said.

 "Living Water," John Michael's 50^th release, marks the reunion of Talbot with Executive Producer Billy Ray Hearn and Co-Producer/Orchestrator Phil Perkins. Following 49 albums reflecting a diversity of musical genres including everything from folk and chant to rock and roll and music for a ballet, Talbot's latest unit showcases his return to his "signature" style of reflective neo-classical songs. "It's a return to what his fans have always loved most, while giving them some surprises and a few new things to think about," said Billy Ray. 

For more information about Talbot and his three-decade musical career, OR TO ORDER ONLINE go to www.JohnMichaelTalbot.com.  

April 27, 2007

Peace and Good in the Risen Christ!

We are having a great tour of Texas in this Easter season! 

We started slowly in Houston at Christ Covenant Church for an intimate environment for a video shoot with Stage Directions. During the two days of shooting we were treated to an NBA Playoff game between the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz. This was my first NBA game. My friend, Mark Lanier, let us share his corporate suite. But the highlight was getting to trade off quarters in the first row floor seats! It was great hearing the conversations of the players, coaches, and referees. Plus, those guys are REALLY TALL!

In Houston, our sound and lighting engineer, John Cotton, received word that his mother had passed away, so he needed to return home to Buffalo, New York.  Richard Hoggatt, the president of Stage Directions, volunteered to help us out for the rest of the tour. He did a fantastic job, and was a complete joy to work with. Thanks, Richard! We also continue to pray for John's mother, and for the family members who survive her.

From Houston. we went on to the Victoria Diocese in Ganado for a more typical JMT concert. Then we were off for two days WAY down south in the Valley where we were received with unusually great enthusiasm by the sponsoring Class of Deacons and their teachers. This included a lunch with the Bishop and other diocesan officials. I will remember my time there for many years to come. Next we were off to Austin, for a nice concert last night.

We concluded in Wichita Falls. It was my first time to this city, and the reception was much like that of my first concerts in many cities where I have returned many times. There is always such a sparkle of enthusiasm in these concerts. We were also treated to the birthday celebration and first communion of one of our nieces. This made that stop especially fun and meaningful.

Through it all, offerings for the Brothers and Sisters of Charity and Mercy Corps were high. This always humbles me, and makes me feel most honored to participate in such great ministries.

Of special note is my addition of a vocation appeal during every concert. This begins with an invitation to pick up some of the informational brochures about our Brothers and Sisters of Charity community.  But I go on to encourage all vocations in the Church, clerical and lay, celibate and married. I can tell that people are being challenged and touched by God's grace from this appeal.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Founder, Spiritual Father, and General Minister

The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

Dear MySpace Friends,

Peace and Good in the Risen Christ!

I get to peruse the blog sites regularly, but I cannot respond to all of you personally. Please forgive this group response.

I looked over the comments a few days ago, and am deeply touched that so many of you have found the music God has let me make meaningful in your life. I am also touched by your brief stories. I read them all.

I am a hermit when I am not on the road or recording. As such I take the ancient caution about too much correspondence seriously, though I do respond to a handful of trusted friends and associates regarding community and ministry. I really believe that a discipline against too much computer and e-correspondence is absolutely necessary for a good monastic contemplative life, especially in hermitage. But please know that this does not mean that I am blocking any of you out. It is through this discipline that I can still my body, emotions, and thoughts enough to actually carry you more deeply in my heart in meditation and prayer. I promise you this during this Easter season, and beyond.

I hope that all of you have a happy Easter season!

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Founder, Spiritual Father, and general Minister

The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

Dear MySpace Friends,

Peace and Good in the Risen Christ.

Christ is risen! He is truly risen!

We now reach the greatest gift of Jesus, and of Christianity: The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We have already celebrated the great gift of God's love for us by sending His own Son to die so that we might live. After all the theological and scriptural references and reasons, this is the ultimate truth of the cross of Jesus: God's overwhelming love for us. But there is more.

As a final declaration of the victory of love over hatred, gentleness over brutality, humble meekness over arrogance and pride, forgiveness over judgment, justice over revenge, and all the similar manifestations of light over darkness, Jesus is risen from the dead. Yes, on a mystical level the paradox of these realities is seen in the cross alone. But such mysticism is usually perceptible only to a few who have so purified their bodies, emotions, and thoughts so as to be able to intuit this great mystery of love. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was one final revelation of these truths. God has raised His Son from the dead so that there will be no misunderstanding or doubt, not only for great mystics, but also for the average person who sincerely loves God. Light is ultimately triumphant over darkness. 

But this is true not only on the corporate level. It is also very personal. Most of us struggle with this, that, or another recurring sin or frailty in our life. All we need do is look at the Ten Commandments, or ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />St. Paul's various lists of vices to find ourselves described there. Some of us have come to settle for a way of life that God never intended for us. We have settled for a second best life, and a second best self identity. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is God's final and unquestionable seal that there is a new way of life possible for all who believe. As scripture says, "With God all things are possible."

What is this new life like? The paradoxes mentioned above, the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, the fruit of the Spirit, and the love chapter of St. Paul in Corinthians all describe aspects of this wonderful way of life we all hunger and thirst for deep within. These scriptures demonstrate for us that the sins we have struggled with most of our life can be overcome. Victory is possible. No matter how great the sin, or how deeply ingrained the behavioral pattern, Christ has shown us a way to defeat them. The person we have settled for need not rule over us for months, years, or even for decades of our life. The resurrection of Jesus is God's promise and seal that victory is possible in Christ. It may come after many crosses, struggles, and setbacks, but it will come. Some of us will battle some of these things all our lives, but through Jesus we can gain substantial freedom from them on this earth, and complete freedom in the life to come.

So this Easter let's not settle for the negative and the seemingly impossible anymore. Let's dare to believe the impossible. Let's dare to continue the struggle against darkness and sin with the assurance that there is victory in the end. We need not remain defeated forever. And once we realize at least some of this in our own life, let's begin to share that faith and belief that something as wonderful as the gospel of Jesus Christ can really go out to all peoples and set them free as well.

Have a most blessed Easter this year!

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Founder, Spiritual Father, and General Minister

The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

Dear MySpace Friends,

Peace and Good in Christ!

And so it begins, the culmination of Lent and the high point of our whole liturgical year: the Holy Triduum. Its name refers to the "Holy Three Days" when the last three major events of Holy Week are celebrated.  These consist of The Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday; the Lord's Passion on Good Friday (the reading of the Passion, Solemn Intercessions, the Veneration of the Cross, and a Communion Service, but no Mass); and Christ's glorious resurrection at the Easter Vigil. Liturgically, this is what the whole year has been anticipating and preparing for. The wait is over. It is upon us.

To make all these celebrations come off smoothly a lot of planning, preparation, and hard work is necessary. The Triduum can be every liturgist's greatest dream or worst nightmare! Their dream comes true if all goes fairly well, and their worst nightmare is realized if something goes really wrong. But I always tell our monastic community that the worst thing that can happen is to really screw things up! Then we discover that things still get done, Jesus still works in our midst, and forgiveness is readily given. However, this does not mean that we do not prepare, and do our best.

The Triduum lets us really enter into the incarnational reality of what the historical Jesus and HIs disciples went through. It is a drama in which we now participate. For Jesus and His disciples, it was non-stop for three days, and excruciatingly painful on the spiritual, emotional/intellectual and even the physical level.  During the longer services we experience something of the real life drama they went through. It is no longer limited to a one hour Mass on one day of the week. It is three days of intense prayer and work. It does not let up until after Easter Sunday, though Easter itself is filled with overwhelming joy. It is our liturgical way of sharing at least something of what He went through.

What this holy season brings out more than anything is the paradox of our finding relief from human suffering through Jesus' entrance into suffering. Religions such as Buddhism are based on overcoming suffering. This is not a bad thing, but it can never be complete on this earth. Suffering happens. It is part of the human condition. One way to alleviate suffering is to simply make things better. Feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowing, and practicing other great spiritual and corporal works of mercy are certainly a big part of any good religion. This is true especially for Christians who follow a Jesus who taught that we must "love one another." This is good in so far as it goes. But in this world there will always be things that we simply cannot fix. Suffering will still continue.

This is where most great religions, including Buddhism, make the leap into mystery, where we move from objective doctrine and morality to the mystical experiences of meditation and contemplative prayer. This place of mystery is built upon that which we can understand , but must go beyond human comprehension, at least in its fullness, to a truth beyond ideas, images, or words. 

What are these mysteries? That we free ourselves from suffering by embracing it; that we find life in death. That we find ourselves by losing ourselves; we find wealth in voluntary poverty. The list of paradoxes goes on. Every religion has its own version of this mysticism, with correlating practices for those who seek a deeper spiritual way than the popular norm. These mystics can usually be found among the monks, ascetics, and renunciants of all faiths—among clergy or laity—from the greatest to the simplest of believers.   These mysteries and mystical practices cannot be confined within any religion's strict boundaries.

What makes Christianity unique is that these mystical paradoxes are not just taught, or even partially lived and modeled by our founder's example. Jesus actually EXISTS as the paradox. He IS life through death, comfort through suffering, wealth through poverty. He simply IS this paradox. In this He complements the good in all other faiths (and there is much), and completes them, yet without religious self righteousness. He loves and respects all that is good, for He is the ultimate author of all good.

Among the many Christian saints who followed this way of Jesus radically I am reminded of St. Francis of Assisi. He had a fear of lepers. The smell of their infected open sores made him physically nauseous. He did not overcome that fear by healing all lepers. He overcame his fear by embracing one leper at God's command. Likewise, he had a fear of what was found in their begging bowls. The mixture of often spoiled leftovers made him ill. He overcame that fear by dipping his hand into a leprous beggar's bowl, and eating from the same dish. In both of these experiences he was enlightened and expanded spiritually. Only then was he able to really minister to beggars and lepers.

So as we enter into the Triduum, let's embrace the suffering of Jesus by working with and for our brothers and sisters, and so come to more fully understand His resurrection. Let's do the external practical work assigned to us to make these celebrations go well. But let's not forget the more important inner mystical work. Let us make the journey through Christ's death and resurrection internally, and so come to know of and share His greatest gift of salvation for all the world. Then we can share this gift with others.
 

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Founder, Spiritual Father, and General Minister

The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

WINSTON-SALEM, NC CONCERT EXPERIENCE

Hello, MySpace Friends,

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

March 19, 2007

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's 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 muc:.  !4 hours each way in cars, airports and the usually 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

Brothers & Sisters,

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