When we open our hearts and Your Word sets them free We become as You call us to be When we share Your compassion, Your mercy and love We are standing in Your presence O Lord In Your Presence, Chuck Stevens

Imagine meeting a talented recording artist who’s looking to give away most of profits from his CD sales, whose greatest hope is that he can use his small talents to bring praise and worship to God, not himself. You’ve just met Chuck Stevens, police officer, husband, father of five and Christian songwriter.

Chuck Stevens is one of those people I find most inspiring – ones who don’t just have good intentions, but who look around themselves and take proactive steps to make this world a better place. Having recorded his first CD, In Your Presence, Stevens now works with parishes, church projects and charities to raise needed funds through sales of his music. Active in his home parish, Stevens is currently in second of his four years of preparation to become a deacon in his church.

In Your Presence is a compilation of ten songs, penned and sung by Stevens. The lyrics are simple and inspiring and music is an acoustic folk style that makes for great listening. My personal favorite is title track, In Your Presence, which encapsulates Stevens’ commitment to serving Christ through our compassionate service to those around us.

I’m pleased to share following conversation with Chuck Stevens, and encourage you to visit his web site and support his music ministry.

Q: Please tell our readers about yourself, your family, and your own faith journey.

A: I'm a very fortunate individual. God has blessed me with Kathi, my wonderful wife of 19 years and we have been blessed with (and by) five great kids, (three boys Sean, David , Chris; and two girls Jessica and Kelly) ranging in age from 8 to 16 years . I have finished second of four years of study for permanent diaconate, and am actively involved in music ministry, catechetics, and other activities within our home parish, in Petrolia, Ontario (Canada).

The Church has always been an important part of our family life; in fact, Church has always been our main social outlet/connection since we move around quite regularly. I'm a 'cradle Catholic' having been raised in a traditional Catholic home, born while Second Vatican Council was sitting, so I grew up with all changes while still being influenced by traditions of Church which my parents cherished. My relationship with Jesus has always been important to me, even as a teen when I (as most teenagers do) started questioning everything. God continued to grant me grace to feel His presence regularly.

Perhaps in past I didn't recognize this, but with continuing of my studies, I have found that a more intense prayer life and setting more time aside for Scripture and quiet 'listening' have drawn me into a deeper relationship with God. This has translated itself into music. It's quite funny actually - as a teen I played in a church folk group, and then matured (or so I thought) into playing in pubs. I was playing in clubs and bars about 25 years ago, met my wife Kathi, who became my manager, then my best friend, then my wife. Shortly after that, I broke my left hand and figured, “there goes music biz”. I resigned from musician's union and didn't pursue any other music jobs. About a year later, a small rural parish we belonged to wanted someone to accompany a group of children so they could sing at Christmas Eve Children's Mass. Kathi persuaded me that I wanted to do this (even though I hadn't played at all since breaking my hand)...it wasn't until she pointed it out to me - I haven't played anywhere except churches and church functions in 25 years since then. Now I'm not suggesting for a minute “God broke my hand”; but it just shows me how Holy Spirit takes our circumstances to lead us, if we follow, where God wants us to use our talents.

Q: Please share story of what inspired you to create your CD, In Your Presence.

With publication of her first novel, Gibraltar, author Cami Tapley has gone beyond telling of a good story. Although book is not overtly Christian, Tapley draws on her own spirituality and family resources to share a yarn that is at once enticing and inspirational. Gibraltar moves beyond today’s all too formulaic “chick lit” genre to share a story of family relationships, of intrigue, and ultimately of true meaning of love.

In book, which Tapley self-published under banner of Lindenville Publishing, reader meets Borderline family through narration of eighteen year old Clary. This young woman, in concert with her father and paternal grandfather, seems to live somewhere off beaten path. Her home, Gibraltar, appears inspired by Tapley’s own home turf in Prince Edward Island, Canada. This picturesque backdrop is setting for a tale of twisted interactions and a web of lies that is ultimately and lovingly unwoven through Tapley’s lovely talent for storytelling and dialogue.

Gibraltar is one of those highly readable books – once you’ve become involved in storyline (which happens quickly), you won’t want to put this book down. When you reach end, you’ll find yourself wanting more from these characters and world of Gibraltar. The good news for new Tapley fans like me is that this book is first in a planned series.

Cami Tapley, author of Gibraltar, shared following on her book, her writing and her faith.

Q: Please tell our readers a bit about yourself and your family.

A: My husband, Russ, and I were raised in a Protestant denomination, and met at church we both attended as youth. We shared a faith in Christ that grew us toward marriage and prepared us for our special family. Our first child, Kindle, was born with a rare genetic deformity called Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, and died from internal problems four days later. Our son, Jorim, was born a year and a half later—and although he, too, was born with syndrome, he arrived perfectly healthy, and brought great joy and healing to our hearts. Understandably, we were afraid to have another child, but it was Jorim’s faith and desire at three years of age that led him to pray for a baby sister. A year later, our daughter, Avrie, was born without syndrome, and completed our family.

Q: What is your faith background, and how has your faith journey impacted upon person you are today?

A: Although I had loved God for as long as I could remember, Kindle’s Homegoing rerouted my faith to a deeper place. I began to care less and less about my own plans, which were out of my control anyway, and more and more about what God could teach me about Himself through life’s unexpected trials and tests. Then, some years later, a bold move we made as a family taught me even more about God’s heart for me. Financially, circumstances had pressed us to a point of decision: either stay put in our hometown and struggle, or launch out and experience something new. After much prayer, we did latter. We packed up and left our home in California and traveled to east coast, final dream destination point: Prince Edward Island, Canada. By God’s merciful and miraculous ways and means, we not only made it there, relationships were birthed, tried and tested in a way we would never have known or experienced had we shrunk from unknown at crucial point of decision. After nearly a year of traveling, and confident that God could provide for us anywhere, we felt a drawing to Great Lakes area, and looked forward to making it our new home. Gibraltar is essentially a “soft sell” of way God has led me.

Q: Please give a brief summary of book.

A: Eighteen-year-old Clary relates story of Jem, son of a hard-hearted businessman and his unhappy socialite wife. Jem wants more than anything to escape superficial life laid out for him—and he knows a way. Remembering summer he spent on St. Lawrence Seaway five years before, he forgoes returning to Boston for his second year of college and escapes to Gibraltar, home of his grandfather. There, he uncovers a family secret that will extricate him from web of lies his parents have spun around him all his life—and set him on a course for love and a new hope for his future.

Q: What was your motivation for writing this book?