Why I Create

First of all I am an analyst

I write and I make music because I feel called to analyze life, the human condition in all its messy reality, our foibles and our nobility and I am called to bear witness to it. I create to provide a counterweight to the distraction and division of our time, offering a space for reflection, for metaphors that stick, and for the kind of plainspoken truth that helps us see ourselves and each other more clearly.

But beneath that desire to understand our world lies a deeper purpose. I write to bear witness to God’s love and His enduring offer of salvation. Though I am very diciplined in my craft, my work doesn't come from a place of polish or perfection; it comes from the quiet conviction that even in our most broken moments, there is a grace that sustains us.

Whether you’re looking for a poem to read in a quiet moment or a song to carry with you through the day, I hope you find something here that speaks to your spirit and feels like home. I’m glad you’re here.

My Story

I was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where I attended Hunter College Elementary School. My mother took advantage of every free art, music, and science program the city had to offer, making my childhood feel like magic.

I grew up watching productions of Carmen, Aida, and The Magic Flute at the Met. I listened to the New York Philharmonic perform Peter and the Wolf and the Peer Gynt Suite. I was a member of the New York Museum of Natural History Paleontological Society, spending my time taking trips just outside the city to dig for fossils. I also was a bit of a dare-devil, jumping from roof to roof over an eight-story alleyway, and playing in the abandon buildings that were slated to be torn down to make way for the Eye and Ear hospital.

When I was 12, my parents became the caretakers of a 600-acre summer camp in Putnam County, New York, where I created my own adventures. Those days were defined by a restless energy: hiking, camping, playing hookey to hop a freight train into the city, and at 19 trying my hand at riding a bull (though I still wonder if three seconds truly counts as riding).

I've lived in 3 states, visited 2 countries, I've climbed the corporate ladder, Ive run over 20 businesses, mostly with my wife of 40 + years, we've raised 2 kids, I've written more than 10 books, relased a country album, and have 2 more in the works.