About Fr. Rob
Dear Friends in Christ,
In case you are wondering
what this “Fr. Rob” guy is all
about, here are a few words:
My musical adventures
began in third grade when a school
band director recruited me to play clarinet. He said my mouth was a
perfect
fit. (I’m not sure if that was because of an overbite, or he was
desperate for
clarinet players!) Shortly after this my parents signed me up for piano
lessons. At the time I thought this was a huge distraction from other
pursuits,
but—in retrospect—am tremendously grateful for this foundational
education in
music. In high school I was given a guitar as a birthday present and
became a
part of an Episcopal road show called “God Unlimited”, which traveled
from
church to church sponsoring “folk masses”. I can remember those early
years
when I would wait for the three chords I knew and would play them with
gusto.
Composition came as a result of a desire to read through the entire
Bible. When
I came to the Psalms, they struck a resonant chord in me (pun
intended). I
found that when I meditated on a scripture it would sink deep within my
soul, and
when it re-emerged (to my delight) it had become a song. One of the
greatest
joys in my life has been to participate in this mysterious and grace-filled
process.
I have been an Episcopal
priest for over thirty years, and
am currently the Rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Fullerton,
California.
The people there are a wondrous group of Christians who have encouraged my songwriting
and have
given me a venue to try out various new creations. If you ever have
doubts that
church can be real, profound, joyful, and transformative, come pay us a
visit.
(Or pay us a cyber visit at www.emmanuelfullerton.org.)
I am married to Cindy Hofmann Bethancourt, the
beautiful soloist on these albums. We met in college where we both sang
and toured with "God Unlimited". We have two grown children,
Matt and Annie, who are also involved in music. Matt can be found at www.mouseandthebillionaire.com and Annie is at www.anniebeth.com. My other loves include
tennis, scuba diving, and various other adventures. Here is a picture
of Matt, Annie and I as we completed a jump from a perfectly good
airplane.
My encouragement to you
is that our God is an awesome God—in
power, love, and wisdom. You were created in the image and likeness of
God,
and—as a result—have a significant and irreplaceable destiny in the
body of
Christ. Never doubt that you are loved, gifted, and called to a life of limitless grace. Music is
a part of that
adventure. May it encourage, strengthen, and uplift you.
With love in Christ,
Fr. Rob
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