Books by Dale Harris

Books by Dale Harris
A Feast of Epiphanies

Though I Walk, A Novel

Daytime Moons and Other Celestial Anomalies, a book of poems

Second Wind

Second Wind
An album of songs both old and new. Recorded in 2021, a year of major transition for me, these songs explore the many vicissitudes of the spiritual life,. It's about the mountaintop moments and the Holy Saturday sunrises, the doors He opens that no one can close, and those doors He's closed that will never open again. You can click the image above to give it a listen.

The Song Became a Child

The Song Became a Child
A collection of Christmas songs I wrote and recorded during the early days of the pandemic lockdown in the spring of 2020. Click the image to listen.

There's a Trick of the Light I'm Learning to Do

This is a collection of songs I wrote and recorded in January - March, 2020 while on sabbatical from ministry. They each deal with a different aspect or expression of the Gospel. Click on the image above to listen.

Three Hands Clapping

This is my latest recording project (released May 27, 2019). It is a double album of 22 songs, which very roughly track the story of my life... a sort of musical autobiography, so to speak. Click the album image to listen.

Ghost Notes

Ghost Notes
A collections of original songs I wrote in 2015, and recorded with the FreeWay Musical Collective. Click the album image to listen.

inversions

Recorded in 2014, these songs are sort of a chronicle of my journey through a pastoral burn-out last winter. They deal with themes of mental-health, spiritual burn-out and depression, but also with the inexorable presence of God in the midst of darkness. Click the album art to download.

soundings

soundings
click image to download
"soundings" is a collection of songs I recorded in September/October of 2013. Dealing with themes of hope, ache, trust and spiritual loss, the songs on this album express various facets of my journey with God.

bridges

bridges
Click to download.
"Bridges" is a collection of original songs I wrote in the summer of 2011, during a soul-searching trip I took out to Alberta; a sort of long twilight in the dark night of the soul. I share it here in hopes these musical reflections on my own spiritual journey might be an encouragement to others: the sun does rise, blood-red but beautiful.

echoes

echoes
Prayers, poems and songs (2005-2009). Click to download
"echoes" is a collection of songs I wrote during my time studying at Briercrest Seminary (2004-2009). It's called "echoes" partly because these songs are "echoes" of times spent with God from my songwriting past, but also because there are musical "echoes" of hymns, songs or poems sprinkled throughout the album. Listen closely and you'll hear them.

Accidentals

This collection of mostly blues/rock/folk inspired songs was recorded in the spring and summer of 2015. I call it "accidentals" because all of the songs on this project were tunes I have had kicking around in my notebooks for many years but had never found a "home" for on previous albums. You can click the image to download the whole album.

random reads

The Gift of Understanding

The other day my son said to me in passing and with all seriousness, "Dad, now I understand what you do and how hard it is."


Perhaps obviously, this stopped me in my tracks. "What do you mean?" I asked.


"Well, I realized that, basically, you have to write an essay every single week." He went on to explain that his teacher had assigned him an essay that day, and since this was the second one in as many weeks, he had groaned inwardly. He said, "I thought, 'I don't want to write another essay, we just did one last week.' And then I realized, this is what Dad has to do all the time. Now I understand."


That was it: "Now I understand." And it's hard to explain, but as we talked, it was like I could feel a belt in my chest that had been two notches too tight for too long suddenly loosen; as if those two simple words, "I understand," had spoken balm over a place in my heart I didn't even realize was itching until they touched it.

And I think I understand a bit better, now, too. I understand why the prayer of St. Francis has that bit in it about being a channel of God's peace by seeking not so much to be understood, but to understand. Because if this moment of empathy with my son is any indication, then to really understand another person, and to let them know they are really understood, this is, or can be, a profound invitation to peace.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is an awesome post!!! I'm so glad for you!