a conversation about Christmas 2011

I know this guy, he told me for the first time in his entire life that this year he hadn't received a single gift for Christmas.
He said his family was not exchanging names for gift giving this year. He'd been unemployed so he had no co-workers to buy for or vice versa. due to the economy and his lack of a job his wife decided that gifts were out of the question this year. as he woke up Christmas morning the reality set in..."why get out of bed ?" he pondered. nobody cares, whats the point?
as he shook off the self pity and low self esteem he looked out the window, the sun was beating down, not a cloud in the sky. he began to reflect on Christmases past. huge family gatherings at Grandma and Grandpa's, The time his mom and dad hid the huge box under the small Christmas Tree until the very end of gift opening and then he opened it to find (at age 14) he was the proud owner of a beautiful hi-fi stereo, or the time the woman he was dating (who is now his wife) showered him with dozens of boxes of presents for Christmas, beefing up his wardrobe and overwhelming him with her generosity. an over 40 year streak of gift opening on Christmas day is all of a sudden ended. but then he thought, of all those gifts he'd been given, how many does he still cherish TODAY? "don't ask" he says.
the aroma of breakfast wandered into his bedroom, the thought that his gorgeous wife would hop out of bed on Christmas morning to fix bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and the works deeply touched him, he remembered he had not received a gift but neither had she from him(also a first). He recalled the Christmas Eve service at Church "you can have peace this Christmas, God's goodness and Grace are his gifts to you" now there was a gift! he did remember that he had received that gift and he still cherished it, or did he ? was he taking God's love for granted too? suddenly he sat up in bed, his prayers were focused on God's goodness and what he was thankful for, he began to pray "God, thank you for my health, so many folks in my life have died this year, some younger than me. God thank you for a loving wife and family, thank you for keeping Mom and Dad healthy, thank you for sending Jesus to this earth to solve my sin condition, thank you for the promise of a job, the opportunities to work, thank you for this house and the vehicles that sit in it's driveway, and GOD thank you for this renewed Hope, this true sense of peace for the future, although politically, culturally and economically this country is worse off than maybe it's ever been, you rise above all that stuff and reveal our hope in YOU. Amen".
"so" he says to me "it may not have been the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! but once in a while, God nudges you in your materialism and pride and speaks loudly. REMEMBER ME ? and I'm so glad that God did that." he says "now I'm ready for whatever 2012 will bring. 2011 was just a building block, a temporary setback, now it's time to get busy living and stop thinking he's dying."
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

a Blog about my brother Steve Collard who turns 50 today

November 2nd, 2011 my older Brother Stephen Richard Collard celebrates his 50th Birthday on this planet. which is not his home. I want to blog fifty things about him today in response to a wonderful Daily Blog he started fifty days before his birthday http://stevearino.wordpress.com/

you might think that someone writing 50 blogs about their life influences sounds self serving, we'll you'd be wrong. Steve doesn't really have a selfish bone in his body, he did it I think to remind himself of how good his life on this planet has been thus far, to remember what's important, and what life lessons have stuck threw time...

here are 50 things about my brother in no particular order:

1. My mom told me while I was a child that I had my Brother Steve to thank in part for being alive, you see, he would say his prayers every night to my mom and one day he started praying to God for a little Brother, Mom would tell him in a mommy kinda way, "no honey, we have a complete family now" I was born 6 years after Steve, his Prayers worked, Mom wasn't too happy. Thanks Steve

2. every young boy needs a playmate, and even though our age difference was large Steve was always willing to go out in the backyard to our own half acre version of Tiger Stadium and play wiffle ball, I know we cracked a ton of those wiffle balls, we would go thru ALOT of duct tape and eventually we realized the ball would sail alot farther with those Taped repairs, the ball would also sting a little if you clobbered a hit right at the pitcher...one of my favorite memories was when I decided one day to charge the mound and hit my brother with a yellow wiffle bat, Steve who NEVER showed rage unless provoked came unglued, he chased me down after 10 minutes and the bat returned the favor. good times.

3. Steve started working as early as he could, he began as a dishwasher at the Mexico Lindo in Waterford, owned by the Quintana family ( I once had a crush on their daughter Liz, but I digress...) Steve would often bring home with him after work (which featured a scalding hot sink) a fabulous tasting So papilla (honey,cheese nacho) or deep fried tacos. he was always generous like that.the last few years on my birthday my brothers will often take me to lunch at the Mexico Lindo. and I get to see Liz :)

4. my Annual Birthday gift for years from Steve were tickets to see the Tigers play the Anaheim Angels who were always in town around the time of my birthday(May 5th), Steve would take me and we'd get a hot dog, coke and peanuts and relax and enjoy Tiger Stadium. those are GREAT MEMORIES.

5. Steve made me HONEST. When I was a in 5th grade I had this stupid idea to stand outside of Wilhelms party store with a jar asking folks to give to Jerry's Kids, I had NO intention of throwing Jerry Lewis a penny, I did have dreams of playing "Defender" and "pacman" at area code 313 for endless summer days...by some coincidence Steve stopped in at the store, probably the daily Bread and milk run for mom, and he saw me. he asked "what are you doing ?!" I explained myself and the next thing I know I'm sitting in the Station wagon being driven to 7-11 where they had a Jerry's Kids fishbowl, you drop coins in the bowl and if they land in the small cup at the bottom you would receive a free slurpee. I had atleast $6.00 in change and I missed the cup with every coin, in fact the cashier felt sorry for me and gave me a slurpee anyway. but the lesson had been handed down to me, Stealing is BAD. and it will disappoint those who love you.

6. growing up Steve and I used to share a room, so I witnessed his work ethic virtually every night, I learned to fall asleep with a light on because he was always up doing homework while I went to sleep.

one night we stayed up mimicking the vocal inflections of various Praying men from our Church, we had to "name the speaker" as it were...hilarious.

7. Steve made a huge impact on my life, when I was in 5th grade and 6th grade Steve was doing a daily radio show on WTSD at his high school, I would go home for lunch or be out for recess with a small transistor radio listening to my big brother introduce Seger, Alan Parsons, ELO and in fact I would call in a request every once in a while. he also was the play by play announcer for Waterford kettering's basketball team, I remember one night when they played Pontiac Central at home during halftime a breakdance competition "broke out", Steve in his genius, ran down the hallway to WTSD studios where they had a Don Cornelius photo, he presented it to the winner.

8. continuing with the Radio theme, I began making Radio shows on cassette as a kid, and thus my love for radio was born, WJR was a big part of my life thanks to my Mom and Dad and brother Steve Years before I spent 18 years working there. we listened of course to the GREAT Ernie Harwell & Paul Carey, we woke up every Sunday morning to that haunting Patterns in music theme with Ted Strasser, Mike Whorf or Mike Deja, I remember when Frank Beckmann gave birth to "Sportswrapfoodland supermarket in Waterford and Steve drove me down to Southfield's Specs Howard School of Broadcasting, there I met with a finance counselor and enrolled to learn the wonders of radio, you see, by the time I got to Kettering there was no sign of a radio station or radio class at all. this was the only option I had to "Catch up" to my brothers knowledge of the field. I was the first in my class to receive a paying job in radio, due in part to my promise to Steve not to let his LOAN go to waste.

9. Steve would prove our friendship when he decided to marry his wife Lydia back in 1982, I was a Sophomore in High School and yet he asked me to stand up for his wedding. I was Honored. it took place in Montreal, Quebec and while we were driving up there Steve ran over a Squirrel, you had to be there. but BOY was it funny.

10. Steve coached my elementary school football and softball teams, he stepped up when nobodies Dad was willing or had the time, one year he enlisted Dave Ham to help, for football he had Jay Moultrop pitch in, he had a great play book, I was a fullback and would run back kick off returns. once a year we had a "Game under the lights" which was always a thrill, you felt BIGTIME, I believe we were playing Jayno Adams, it was pouring cats and dogs, the field was nothing but mud, the first play of the game I received the kick off, it felt like super slow motion as I followed Lee Lusk and Greg Brown as they blocked for me and one by one those defenders were dropping in front of me, I ran it back ALL THE WAY for a touchdown! Steve is my only family witness. I'm SO glad he was there to see me do it, no one would have believed it.

11. I quit going to Church on my 16th birthday. I knew it was breaking my parents hearts but sadly I didn't care, I remember Steve sending me a touching note, not to order me to give in and continue to go, just a gentle prompting, saying "we miss you and need you" this has been Steve's way in my life on several occasions, more on that later...

12. GOLF. need I say more ? I really only have three golf buddies in the whole world. my two brothers and my Uncle Tom in Arizona. Mark and Steve have been my Michigan connection, we have Golfed on his birthday(today) right here in Michigan several times. my ball is often located between the duck crap and the falling leaves...

13. ADVICE. Steve has ALWAYS been one of the first people I consult when I face a huge decision, he usually has sound wisdom and respect for my decision, for example I know he did not really want me to move to Aspen, Colorado in 2009 and he expressed several smart concerns, but when I packed up the Ford Escape and left he said he's be praying for me and that he'd miss me, the truth is, I missed him far more.

14. UNCLE KEVIN. I became an Uncle three times over thanks to Steve & Lydia, all three of his kids Andrew, Kristi and Allie are gems, Steve always included Lorna and me for his kids concerts, games and graduations,my life is richer because of those relationships, and now we have Dave & Karalyn as well, great kids!

15. Steve lives a mile away, so if he has extra pizza from dinner or a free hour to talk he always invites us over, we have never reciprocated the favor, keeping our home to ourselves, yet he has never stated to me that this is weird or unfair or strange or anything. that's pretty amazing. and the truth is ? he's someone who can come over my house anytime he wants.

16. keeping in line with the house, I will never forget when Steve would care for our pets when we would leave town, he's mowed my lawn before and I didn't even ask him to, he's even cleaned out my gutters and loaned me his snow blower. a great neighbor.

17. when Steve asks me to lunch, he always takes care of it. that's just wrong.

18. when I was going thru a spiritual struggle in the late nineties Steve invited me to a men's retreat with his Church, normally I loathe these kinds of invites but this time I felt I needed to reconnect with my Creator, during this weekend I was introduced to several great guys like Bob Wilson, Greg Lynn, Phil Minaudo and many,many more.

19. when the Pontiac Silverdome was opened Steve read in the paper that it was hosting a Skateboarding event, he and I REALLY wanted to see the inside of the Dome, so we drove over there only to discover that the event was on the ramps OUTSIDE the Silverdome. Fail. but good try

20. but let me list a few special moments at the Dome, Steve took me to see the Detroit Pistons play many, many times, without Steve I would have Never seen the likes of Dr. J, "Pistol" Pete Maravich, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, George "The Ice Man" Gervin, Daryl "Dunk"ins, and we saw Kevin Porter get his 10,000 assist one night, even though Dick Vitales Pistons were bad, the folks coming into town were magical.

21. speaking of Dick Vitale, Steve heard him on WJR say he would not turn down ANYONE from the media, so Steve and Mark Farnsworth secured an interview with Dickie V AND they brought me along! as we entered his office he threw me a T-Shirt that stated "Pistons Pride" and signed a basketball to me that said "Kevin, Have Pride! Dick Vitale 120%!" I cherish that basketball even today.

22. Steve along with my dad also took me to the Silverdome to see the Detroit Express soccer team, stars like Trevor Francis, David Bradford, Steve Seargeant, Goalie Jim Brown, Keith Furphy, Eddie Colquhoun, Brian Tinnion, Angus Moffat, Pato Margetic, took on teams like the Tampa bay Rowdies, Tulsa Roughnecks, the Chicago Sting and the New York Cosmos, I would have NEVER seen the Great PELE or Chingalia play if not for my brother Steve.

23. Steve also introduced me to the legendary Dick Purtan radio show, we would listen to "Purtans People", folks like the bagman, the whoa boys, Colleen Burcar,Joe Nipote and so many more would make us laugh each day, later in my own radio career I became a friend of Gene Taylor the Producer of Purtans show, he was a wonderful Christian man who died way too soon.

24. currently I'm unemployed, not a great place to be in my life at 44, I've lost my confidence at times and my hope at times, Steve is one of those people who I need to have around, he reminds me that my life experiences are priceless, he keeps seeing the potential in me. ultimately he has been one of my biggest sources of support since birth.

25. Biblical wisdom. Steve often preaches at his Church, for the longest time I made it a point NEVER to miss his messages, his relevant, compelling sermons always challenge me and I never find myself being lulled off to sleep. in recent years he even let me suggest books or authors or insight when prepping his sermon, I consider this a huge honor. although of late I have failed him as a parishioner and as another point of input. but believe me. it's all me. he hasn't said or done anything to scare me away.

26. WORK ETHIC. Steve has never backed away from a project that needs to be done. recently, I went with him to east Lansing to help his daughter Kristi move into her apartment. we had a huge trailer and two cars filled with stuff to be moved from Steve's basement to her place, when we arrived I quickly learned that Steve and I were the moving "Crew", with help from Allie and Kristi and one of Kristi's friends who came after we arrived...Steve (without complaining once) and I (complaining the whole time) unloaded virtually everything! now what makes this amazing to me is up until the moment he left for East lansing he didn't even know if I was going, Which would have left this job to just himself, furthermore he was going thru some weekly therapy for his neck! so he shouldn't be carrying anything! I suggested we go down to the local Michigan unemployment office and pick up a couple stragglers who could use an extra few bucks and have them do the heavy lifting, Steve and I got it done. and he once again taught me an important lesson.

27. a few years back Lorna and I had arrived at our yearly vacation in Arizona, we stay with my Uncle Tom and Aunt Linda each year, well, this particular year Steve and Lydia and the kids went, their week ended as ours was starting, in fact we passed them at the airport, as we arrived at the house Steve had left an envelope in the spare bedroom addressed to Lorna and me, enclosed was a very sweet note and some money to "get a nice dinner" while we were here. awesome.

28. another trip Steve would provide for me growing up was a yearly visit to the LIONS training camp at Oakland university, we kids could literally walk alongside Monte Clark and his players as they prepared for each losing season, I have wonderful memories of speaking to Gary Danielson, Benny Riccardo, Al Bubba Baker, Charlie Sanders and many more as we followed them down the hill for autographs.

29. I can't leave out the Redwings, Steve took me to several games over my lifetime,, Steve Grew up on the Esposito brothers and Bobby Orr and Daryl Sittler, we were both huge fans of Steve Yzerman, Jacques Demers, Bob Probert and even Petr Klima...

30. The Shamrock. These days Steve has a "favorite spot" in Utica. its a burger joint known as the Shamrock, he often calls me if he's anywhere near home at lunchtime and simply says "want a Shamrock burger?" how could I possibly say no ?

31. MUSIC. I was so proud to introduce Steve to some quality Christian music back in the 80's, I started with Michael Card and then tried the Imperials and others, he has since become a fan of folks like Rich Mullins, Tenth Avenue North, and many others.

32. MUSIC 2: Steve and I went together to see Simon & Garfunkel on their reunion tour at the palace, he went for Simon & Garfunkel and I went to hear the Fabulous Everly Brothers. I will never forget it.

33. MUSIC 3: back when Steve was in High School he became a member of the Columbia Record club, 10 records for a penny was just too good to pass up, plus he needed new music for his Radio show, I doubt I can name all ten records but I'm gonna try: ELO-Out of the blue, Walter Murphy-Rhapsody in blue, Alan Parsons Project-I Robot, Smokin in the boys room-Thin Lizzy...that's all I got. boy my memory is bad. but it changed my listening habits for the better.

34. When my wifes dad was in the hospital, the overnight nurse decided to put a straitjacket on him, not because he was crazy or anything,  he simply suffered from Parkinson's disease, but when Lorna and I found out what happened from him we were FURIOUS! I called my Brother Steve who worked for a hospital and the nurse was terminated. He knew no matter what hospital it was in that the good treatment and well being of a patient is a hospitals #1 priority.

35. When Lorna's Dad died, Steve and Lydia (along with Church Elder Raju Kunjamen) were the first ones at my mother in laws doorstep, hugging us and mourning with us.

36. When Lorna was out of work, Steve did everything within his power to find her a job. he came thru for her. she worked at that job for many years.

37. Steve was someone who helped me acquire a love for the delicacy known as the "Coney Special" a loose hamburger/hotdog with chili combo including fries...

38. Steve would often try and listen to the varying radio shows I produced over the years, he would listen to David Newman or Frank Beckmann or Ken Calvert and he really enjoyed Foster Braun. I always felt better hearing from when a particular show was good and worthy listening.

39. When I was a kid and Steve was my coach I think I quit his football team every day. he would make me run laps and tell me to pay attention, for some reason I thought since he was my brother I should get away with stuff. it was actually the opposite. I needed to prove to him I wanted to play and hustle and ultimately WIN.

40. back in 1988 I had the opportunity to visit the country of Haiti on a missions trip, I was allowed at WWCM Radio at the time to invite folks to sponsor me if they chose too, Steve was first in line to put some bucks up to send me to Haiti. it was life changing.

41. one of the few times I remember Steve not being the strong, Rock of the family was when he was coming down the hallway at the Hospital where our other brother mark was deathly Ill, the Doctor had just told Steve to prepare for the worst, that Mark may pass away. he told me this as his voice cracked and tears were welling up saying "I just don't know why God is allowing this" both our family and Laurie's family gathered in the waiting area and Steve lead us in prayer, Mark has a new liver today and is feeling much better, Steve and Lydia's intense commitment to Mark & Laurie and their constant Prayers for him played a large role in his recovery.

42. Steve is the guy you call when your tire goes flat, car breaks down, when Mom or Dad are heading to the hospital for unknown reasons, he's THAT GUY. the one who cares. the one who follows thru.

43. Steve is a faithful man. no one would EVER think of Steve being unfaithful to Lydia, or picking up a DUI, he isn't perfect, then again...

44.there's a joke in our family that I use more than most, it simply requires someone saying out loud "what would Steve do ?" or "call Steve, he'll do it, he'll do anything" I don't know how he so consistently pleases our entire family but he does.

45. Steve has introduced over the years to some great authors, he gave me "Blue like Jazz" by Donald Miller, books by Joe Stowell, and books with topics like how to be a better husband, how to serve Christ, how to have a healthy prayer walk...

46. another Silverdome memory with Steve was the Promise Keepers gathering, 60,000 men singing hymns, eating lunch, and listening to speakers discuss matters like marriage and racism.

47. Steve invited me to join the Church Softball team, I was terrible, in fact one game I got kicked out for telling the umpire "he needed Jesus" after calling me out for leaving third too early after a fly ball. but I started several friendships on that team but I was glad when I retired (I retired the same year as Barry Sanders)

48.Steve is still one of those people who will pray for our meal out loud in public, this is a precious quality that is taken for granted these days, where everyone is trying not to offend the folks at the table next to you, Steve is actually praying to his Creator in front of them.

49. recently I had a job interview, Steve loaned me a suit. I didn't get the job but he told me to keep the suit. don't worry Steve I'll pay you back :) soon as I get a job.

50. Today Steve turns 50, he has such a bright future. he will be a phenomenal Grandpa, he will love retiring near a golf course and his kids, he will serve God in some capacity until the grave. I for one am only scratching the surface here for the kind of individual Stephen Richard Collard is...I'm so grateful he's my Brother, best friend, mentor, Elder, sounding board and fellow sports fan. the Bible says to give Honor to those whom Honor is DUE. this expression of heartfelt thanks is LONG overdue. thank you again bro. many times over

My Brothers Mark & Steve stand up for me at

my wedding in 1993.

Steve takes mom and Dad and me to visit Lydia

in Montreal, Canada

Music from my past

10/08/2011 DATELINE: London, Ontario-  Friday night I went to see an old friend, oh, he's not a personal friend, he's a man who influenced my life via the vinyl records of my past, but because of him (in part) I made a choice to believe in Jesus Christ, because of him I went to the Country of Haiti when I was 21 years old,

 

because of him I value artistry and songmanship (is that a word?)

His name is RANDY STONEHILL, I first heard Randy when I was 9 years old, I purchased his record "Welcome to paradise" and the songs blew me away, "king of hearts" was my favorite...listen to these lyrics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDJOZEN3HUo&feature=related 

Randy had a unique comedic approach to faith, he didn't slam it down your throat and he basically said to be a Christian "the least of these" must come first, you can't "brag" about being a follower of Jesus if you don't reach out to the hungry and downtrodden, Loving those in need begins the journey...another lesson Randy taught me was that sincereity and transparency are crucial elements to integrity and representing your Faith. sadly I placed folks like Randy on a pedastal back then and as I began to work in Christian radio I witnessed my musical heroes failing, falling or freaking out and not one of them today is on my manmade pedastal, but I must tell you that Randy Stonehills recent visit to London, Ontario did my soul a world of good, you see, Randy played to about 40 people! a far cry from opening for Petra in 1985 at Pine knob to about 9,000 of us...yet he was gracious, he performed many songs from his huge catalogue from all four decades, he even did an encore of one of his first recordings from back in 1971 (called "I Love you")  he hung around after the concert to discuss anythinig and everything from his career to his wonderful wife, he just treated all of us with respect and humility. WOW! was that refreshing. it gave me hope for this Christian music industry again, perhaps they could learn some things from pioneers like Randy Stonehill. never forget why you do this, never forget Who you do this for and most importantly, never forget how blessed you are to still be doing it. Godspeed Uncle Rand. the new album "Spirit walk" is spectacular and your voice is still in fine form. now let the world tour begin again :)

Randy's "Wild frontier" cover AARP edition

http://www.randystonehill.com/ 

MY TOP TEN STONEHILL SONGS

1. Thankful
2. Light of the world
3. King of hearts
4. Hymn
5. Keep me Runnin
6. Life is tough, God is good
7. Celebrate this heartbeat
8. Christmas at Denny's
9. When I look to the Mountains
10. That's why we don't love God

Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary

sunday we held a party. it was really a celebration! my Mom and Dad had their 60th wedding anniversary on September 15th and we invited family and a few close friends to Frankenmuth to celebrate the occasion. what it really became was a tribute to the institution of marriage. no one who sits at the front of a Church at age 20 really truly expects "til death do us part" to last 60 or more years! I know I don't, I fully expect Lorna to have had enough of me by our 20th anniversary...but I must admit that time does something to a marriage. it creates such a need, such a bond that the couple really begins to wonder how they could survive without the other. that's where I'm at. I really find that I need my wife. not just for dinner and a movie but for so many important tasks. I need her to be a friend first. I need to know we can do stuff together and have fun and not put on a fake front...I need her to be a counselor of good advice, someone who will tell me honestly what I'm doing wrong, I need her to keep me sane. to show me her confidence in me when I lose mine. I need her to put things in perspective so I don't start hitting the panic button. I need her to simply say "I love you". and she does. my Mom and Dad had a nice day gathering with loved ones and remembering the days of their youth. but I think I came away the most blessed because I witnessed the future and discovered it's possibly not as scary as my mind wants to make it. and that was only one lesson of a dozen more I experienced sunday. thanks mom and dad for your committment to us kids, each other and God. I hope to be half the person you have lived out in front of me. I will always strive to make you proud.

Dan Peek, Singer Songwriter and co-founder of the band AMERICA

I was saddened to read today that DAN PEEK, the singer-songwriter who co-founded the folk rock band AMERICA had passed away at the age of 60 on July, 24th..I met Dan a few times, the first time was when I was 17 in Canada at a music festival, he was a very kind, friendly and soft spoken artist, he performed with his brother Tom Peek and included several of the AMERICA songs in his set, he was proud of the association he had with the band AMERICA but he was most proud of his association with his Christian faith.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dan Peek (November 1, 1950, Panama City, Florida – July 24, 2011) was a former member of the rock band, America from 1970 to 1977, together with Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell. He contributed lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and harmonica to their recordings during his tenure in the band. As a member of America, Peek contributed with four Top 100 singles: "Don't Cross The River" (#35), his most successful single "Lonely People" hit (#5), "Woman Tonight" (#44), and "Today's the Day" (#23). "Lonely People" and "Today's the Day" also hit number 1 on the Billboard AC charts.
Peek left America shortly after the February 1977 release of the Harbor album. He renewed his Christian faith after years of unhappy recreational drug use and a fast lifestyle, and had begun to seek a different artistic direction than Beckley or Bunnell. He went on to sign with Pat Boone's Lamb & Lion Records, and found success as a pioneering artist in the emerging Christian pop music genre. Outside of rejoining Beckley and Bunnell on stage on one spontaneous occasion several years after, Peek has not reunited with America, contrary to various inaccurate reports which have arisen over the years. Chris Christian co-wrote, produced, and contributed backing vocals on Peek's debut solo album, All Things Are Possible, in 1979, but that was in the context of Peek's solo career, and not as America. This was the first Contemporary Christian Hit to reach the Billboard charts, reaching the Top 10 in the A/C Billboard chart. Gerry and Dewey sang on "Love Was Just Another Word" written by Steve Kipner and Chris Christian in LA which was the last time the three original members of "America" recorded together. Peek followed "All Things Are Possible" with "Doer of the Word". "Doer of the Word" was a Christian hit and Gerry Beckley sang background vocals on the record, but he did the recording at Chris Christian's studio in Dallas and Dan was not present.
Peek would later release an autobiography entitled An American Band, based on America's most successful period, and his own spiritual journey.^[1]
Peek's first album and single became big hits on contemporary Christian music (CCM) radio stations and charts. The single "All Things Are Possible" not only hit number 1 on the CCM singles chart, it also crossed over to the Billboard singles and adult contemporary charts, becoming one of the earliest CCM's crossover hits.
Peek lost much of the momentum gained by the success of his initial hit by not releasing a second album for five years, 1984's Doer of the Word. While several of his songs would make the CCM charts, none crossed over to the Pop or Adult Contemporary charts. The delay really may have cost Peek in that regard with the title track, "Doer of the Word", which was an upbeat, very "America-like" song that was backed by Beckley. It hit number 2 on the CCM charts. 1986 saw the release of his Electrovoice album, again to the CCM market, which included a remake of "Lonely People", featuring a very similar lead vocal treatment and overall arrangement that was done on the original America version years prior. He changed some of the song's lyrics to reflect his Christian faith, for example the lines "And ride that highway in the sky" and "You never know until you try" became "And give your heart to Jesus Christ."
Peek spent much of the 1990s in semi-retirement, occasionally recording music at his home in the Cayman Islands. He released several solo projects and collaborated with Ken Marvin and Brian Gentry as "Peace" on three albums. In recent years, before his death in 2011, Peek released music via his web page.^[1]

^{here's a link to a Dan peek interview from 2007  http://www.drewmarshall.ca/listen2007.html#071110}

Life Improves...

Life is improving, I'm finding my way back onto the path of truth and what matters. first my wife Lorna has been a GODSEND, thru my loss of a career and confidence she has been a rock, believing in me and supporting the process, we have such a sweet need for one another and the bonds of love are cement like...so far in 2011 I have experienced adventures galore, we went to Arizona together.

I've been to several Concerts like U2 360, Jonny Lang/Buddy Guy, we went to the Sparky Anderson tribute at Comerica park, this weekend we're going to Traverse City, it's just so much fun to be together and explore...now the tough part arrives, I've chosen to leave the position I had at Salem Broadcasting on the paul edwards show and focus my efforts on a good paying job ANYWHERE in the USA, God has to open the door but I'm confident someone will realize I'm a hardworking, creative soul who deserves a chance...so just wanted to update the handful of Blog readers who wondered what happened to me, I will try to start writing on this thingy again, be well. Kevin