My Day With Duke

 

A number of years ago, while I was in Northern Ireland, I was introduced to the tunes of Duke Special. Little did I know that one day I would be driving to the airport to pick him up for a house concert in our living room!

Initially I wasn’t that keen on Duke’s music. Possibly because of his thick accent (I hadn’t learned to appreciate the Northern Irish accent at this point) but mostly because I hadn’t heard anything like it before. Sometimes I like a song or band right at the start, but I have found with some of my very favorite music I have had to allow room for growth and appreciation. Duke Special is one of those that took me a bit of time and I’m realizing part of this is because of the depth of his music and lyrics.

In December of 2008, I saw him play live at St. Georges Market in Belfast. I must say that it was at this point I fell in love with Duke Special. His performance and the whole set up of the entire gig was creative and very impressive. After that gig I started listening to Duke a whole lot more. As I tend to play my music quite loudly, My dad got a few rough listens of Dukes music through my door. Finally my dad started listening and became a huge fan. This was quite pleasing to me, seeing as my dad was always showing me (new or old) music…now it was my turn to return the favor!

Long story short, my dad saw that Duke Special was coming to states and emailed his manager Phil, asking if Duke would be up for a house gig. Good news…he was! Needless to say, I was VERY excited!

We gathered a group of about fifty people (some we knew and some we didn’t) to come over the day after Thanksgiving for the show. We transformed our living room into a little venue after our delicious turkey dinner Thursday night, and Friday morning my brother and I made the drive to DIA to pick up a very favorite musician of mine. Was this really happening? To be honest I was really nervous… I mean Duke he really is Special!

With my heart pounding I stuck out my hand to shake Peter Wilson’s (Duke) and introduced myself. He was as nice as a guy could be, so down to earth and right on with the N .Irish humor. I feel so honored to have spent most of the day with him. He asked how he had come to be in Colorado of all places and I told him how I heard about his music and the connection I had with Northern Ireland. It was fun to hear him talk about where he went to school, how he started playing music, what he is currently working on for his next album and how he knows so many of the bands or other musicians I listen to. He asked a lot of question to my brother and I which meant a lot and we talked about art and school and Northern Ireland and traveling. It was so nice! On the way back he even bought me a coffee!

We had a lovely dinner with my family, a family friend and a guy from our church who did sound and Peter of course. Then for the show! The sound check alone was wonderful! I was getting something out of the bathroom and just hearing the piano and words to Portrait and knowing it wasn’t just coming out of our speakers was amazing! Aaron (the guy who did sound) did an incredible job with the setup and we had such clear sound. To open the night we had a second cousin of ours play traditional Irish music on the uiellann pipes. Then… it was just Duke and the piano and simply beautiful. Honestly, I like all of his songs. There’s not one that I don’t get bored with… I don’t remember all the songs he played, and he didn’t have a set list, but a few to mention were…

Last Night I Nearly Died

Freewheel

Diggin and Early Grave

Mocking Bird Wish Me Luck

Apple Jack

Sweet Sweet Kisses

Why Does Anybody Love

Everybody Wants A Little Something

Wanda, Darling of the Jocky Club

Brixton Leaves

I Let You Down

Portrait

Closer To the Start

As Good As It Gets

Yvette

Love Is A Series of Scars

… he played my favorite… Salvation Tambourine … he also played Hard Times Come Again No More by Stephen Foster.

After he played his first set, we took a break and he suggested that other people get up and play. This just shows how cool of a musician he was...it wasn't all about him (even though we thought it was!) he enjoyed rocking right along as we listened to everyone else play. He had a few musician friends there that he had met before, so they played and a few other people played. Under pressure from both Peter and my dad I sang Catfish with him. I could not believe this! My nerves got the better of me at the start, but eventually got into the song and was stunned after the fact, realizing I had just sung with Duke Special! After this little interlude, Duke played a few more songs, finishing with Come Thou Fount. He had a very honest introduction to the song, sharing with us that he had faith, yet he had many questions too.  This meant a lot to me, because I felt like I was right there along with him... As I am in a stage of life with so many different opinions and ideas, so many thoughts about God and Christianity being thrown at me, I couldn’t help but agree with him. Needless to say the song was breathtaking!

Around 12 O’clock everyone (except one good friend) had left and I thought surely Peter was exhausted after and early start and lots of traveling plus a long concert. However he shot on over to piano and said he’d like to play my family, uncle friend and I a few more songs. A private concert at 12 AM with Duke Special? Does it get any better? He played Sweet Baby James (STUNNING!) Regarding the Moonlight in Eastbourne, (So beautiful just him and the piano and the lyrics) and a few more covers I didn’t catch the name of…ending on a Bob Dylan song.  At this point it was around 1 AM and everyone was beat…(especially Peter!)

What a night! What an afternoon! What an experience! This one goes down in the books and my description here doesn’t even do a little bit of justice to the day. I’m thankful for Duke Special (Peter Wilson) and his music! It has brought so much joy to my life and to my family, and to so many others!

My Little Niece Clara Bae

I was finally able to go see my little niece. She is the cutest thing in the world!

The Edge Retreat

Have you ever had one of those times when you say you'll do something, or go somewhere? Maybe because someone wants you to, or maybe because everyone else is doing it, or maybe you have no idea why... and then you go...and you know 100% God knew and WANTED you there?

Well that is the story of my life recently. The Edge (college group I go to) went on it's fall retreat this past weekend. Friday after classes we went across Idaho to Silver Mountain resort and stayed there Friday and Saturday night. Walking into the first session Friday night I found myself asking... "Why am I here?" I didn't know very many people, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, already plugged into deep conversations about God...and I felt like the awkward quiet kid who sits in the corner. Then the speaker starts preaching and after a little while I found myself being critical of a lot of what he was saying and how he was saying it. NOT A GREAT START. However God in His great mercy decided to bless me despite my attitude.

Later that night I was talking with two guys from Moody Bible Institute about our majors. One of the guys didn't go to Faith Bible, but he was just there as the drummer for the worship band that was playing. I asked him what his major was and he said International ministry, I asked why and he said...have you heard of this band called Dizmiss? My jaw dropped, because this is a band that goes throughout Europe playing concerts and sharing the Gospel, but the thing was is that this band is based with Josiah Venture (which is the missions organization that we go through to do English camps in the Czech Republic). I couldn't believe it. I told him that I have done English Camps with JV for the last three years! Long story short we found out that we were in Czech at the same time last summer, same training camp and that we actually rode on the same train had a two minute conversation about living in Spokane...and then we meet again here. WoW. This was a huge encouragement to me and could only have been orchestrated by God. What are the chances that we had actually met (I didn't remember him, but he remembered me after we started talking about all of this) in Czech this summer on a train? Again, WOW! Things that may seem so small to other people, but so big to me is just a reminder of how good God is, how he brings good gifts that aren't even deserved, but I know he was smiling when Wes and I were talking about Czech =)

That night I thanked God and I asked Him to help me listen with open heart and open ears. The next two days were incredible. The speaker still spoke in the same way but this time I could hear God talking in it and through it. The theme for the weekend was "All About Jesus" and thats what it was...He basically asked us if our life was all about Jesus. If he was king of our hearts or if we had placed something or someone else on His throne. He talked about Jeremiah 2:13...

13] for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.

This is something that I have thought about before, but it really hit home this past weekend. I would like to say that I have Christ reigning on the throne of my heart all the time 24/7... that I only drink from the living waters...that Jesus is #1 in everything. I found myself sitting there realizing instead I settle for dirty, stale water from broken cisterns... or making mud pies like an ignorant child because I can not imagine the offer of a holiday at sea - (C.S. Lewis). This made me so sad. I know I can't be perfect, but why do I settle for less when Christ has given me the means to an abundant life in and through Him? I cannot help but think of Paul in Romans where he says "For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do, and if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good, As it is, it is no longer myself who do it, but it is sin living in me." (7:15-18) It makes it even harder when the things that are good, that are given to me by God...that I love...I can love to much, like friends, family, school, music, even the beauty of creation, if I love them even a little bit more than I love the one who created them, it is still idolatry. It is still leaving the lover of my soul. Paul goes on to say,

"So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a priosoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? THANKS BE TO GOD-through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!" (21-24)


So I am stuck it seems...and then... there was the Gospel.  The euangelion. The good news!
"Therefore, there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death!" -8:1-2
This is good news... and my heart is filled with a renewed gratitude and worship to my Savior! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is powerful and when confronted by it we can't help but grow more in love with Jesus. I pray that my heart never becomes neutralized to the Gospel!

So although I had ears that didn't want to hear at first, God was gracious and opened both ears and heart, and I left Sunday different from when I arrived Friday. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to go, and to meet a few new faces, be challenged and encouraged, and really taste and see that the Lord is good!