Welcome to this online journal which seeks to explore the intersection of spirituality and the classical guitar.

As an Episcopal priest, I have had the privilege of leading four different congregations over the last 43 years. It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve and grow in each of them. I know I am biased here, but I believe life goes better with a community of faithful friends. The life of faith and its emphasis on human flourishing and self-giving love is the deep river that sustains my life.

As a musician, I find a profound connection between matters of the spirit, or simply “the heart” and the creative arts. That connection is found in any experience of beauty. The object of all art is beauty, and beauty has a way of making us nostalgic for something deeper and for something more. There is beauty to behold in all dimensions of the human journey, even in the encounters we have with suffering, disappointment and loss.

If we are capable of apprehending beauty in the midst of all that is happening around us, what is its ultimate source and to where or to what does it point? C.S. Lewis describes that search with forceful eloquence in his book, “The Weight of Glory.”

“We do not merely want to see beauty, though God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words—to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.” — C.S. Lewis

And, if you are a classical guitar aficionado, or simply enjoy the guitar in general, I will be writing about various aspects of learning and performing on the instrument, sharing tips and resources, and keeping an eye out for new and interesting news about the classical guitar world. Faith, beauty, and classical guitar – that will be the general focus of my explorations on this website.

Peace and all good,

Rick+