Forever being dubbed "In My Life Lord Be Glorified" man, America's BOB KILPATRICK was quizzed by Tony Cummings

Bob has also written another book, Secrets Of The Silence: The Power Of Praying Without Words - A 21 Day Journey Of Prayer. He explained, "The book is about meeting God in silence and is well received among the modern mystics and those who actually believe in a God who desires to communicate with us. It's available on my website, www.bobkilpatrick.com - and at www.ibethel.org. A companion book will come out next year. Tentatively titled Sacred Synergy, it is about the power of praying together."

In view of Bob's massive output its hardly surprising that in recent times he's found the need to be more selective with his creative/spiritual energies. He confessed, "I started cutting things out of my life when I began work on The Art Of Being You. I stopped producing other people's albums, stopped my radio programme that I had had for three decades and worked very hard on the book. Now that it's done I'm working hard at introducing this great message to everyone who will hear it. I've also got several other books in varying stages of life. That said, I don't do leisure very well. I'm not a big television or movie guy. Maybe I have a sense of urgency about communicating what's inside of me. Of course, I can't think of anything more arrogant than to say that I've got something the world simply must hear! I do travel a fair bit around the world. (I've got to get to the UK soon!) Cindy travels internationally with me most of the time, which is a treasure. When we're home we get to talk together by the fire many nights, so my life is simpler than it might appear. I have also become keenly aware of the present and the Presence. I only have this moment to meet Jesus and be with him. If I'm distracted I might miss him, and I don't want that."

In view of Bob's international travel and his God-centred perspective on the way our world, particularly the USA, seemed to be heading I asked him whether our British perspective that America is currently becoming more and more politically polarized was a fair one. "Yes, it is true. People focus on the 'class' warfare as being economic in nature but, in reality, we are divided less by economics and more by morals and faith. There is the moral class and the amoral class; those with a faith and those with none, or essentially none. This is the true class warfare. In many instances what passes as faith in America is more a self-serving religion of convenience. God is appropriated on every side of every issue. We have a long history of mixing God and politics because we have traditionally believed that God was involved in the birth of this nation and had a special role for us in the world. This is a difficult and foreign concept to many outside the US whose own national histories are either non-religious, other-religious, anti-religious or apathetic toward religion. For the past few decades there has been a war in the US to remove God, and especially the Christian God, from any and all public reference. In my opinion, 'economic class warfare,' 'tolerance' and 'multiculturalism' are all covers for a deeper, spiritual battle; to eradicate the mention of Jesus Christ everywhere."

So how was the American Church responding to this change of attitude in American life? "I alluded to one weakness in the previous point; that our faith can be one of convenience. We want Jesus to be like us rather than for us to become like him. Secondly, we have a tendency to invite Jesus into our lives without ever letting him lay a hand on our lifestyles. I suppose our concept of God's grace is rather thin. We have also developed what can only be called an American folk religion. Our Christianity has been steeped so long in Americanism that it's hard to separate the two. On the good side, American Christians are far and away the most generous group in the world. We rush to help in every emergency and we give sacrificially. We are wholehearted and passionate in our devotion. When Americans rise to a challenge, we don't go halfway; we give it our all."

The latest release by Bob's Fair Oaks Records is what will eventually be a five CD series, 'The PrayerCanvas' albums. He said, "These are a new and exciting direction for me. Each album is one hour of uninterrupted ambient music paired with sounds from nature. 'Reign', of course, has rain. There are five albums planned and in various degrees of completion. Last year the second in the series - 'Deep', with the sound of ocean - was released. Over the next few years we'll release 'Glow' (fire), 'Soar' (wind) and 'Pulse' (bass & drums). The 'Reign' CD is the most different 'music' I've ever made! Some people would call this 'soaking' music, but I had never heard any of that until after I had finished this and the 'Deep' albums, and I still haven't heard much of it. Strangely enough, it's one chord for one hour. Of course, I stretch it here and there but, really, I wanted the music to go nowhere because I didn't want it to attract attention to itself. Occasionally an ancient hymn will float through in the background, like the Gloria Patri or the Doxology, or a chant of Scripture. I call it musical nothingness. I made it to occupy that part of our minds that is so easily distracted when we pray - brain static. It's anti-brain-static! Every 10 minutes there is a very slight lull in the music. These are time markers. I think of them as off-ramps on the prayer highway."

I concluded my inquisition of this wise and erudite saint by asking Bob what spiritual lesson he's learnt in the last couple of years. He responded, "I have neither the future nor the past in which to meet Jesus. I can only meet him in this present moment. He is not waiting for me elsewhere. He is here. I will not meet him later if I can't meet him now. This is, I think, what Paul meant when he said that to live is Christ. I find it as well in the phrases that say 'in him we live, and move, and have our being' and 'The kingdom of God is at hand!' If I am wondering at any moment where I might find him, I should look down. I invariably meet him at the lowest spot. The Master of all is the Servant of all. He upholds all things.

"I'm also intrigued by the notion of the self: Who am I? Some Christians, when faced with this question, rattle off some rote agglomeration of scriptural quotes about who we are 'in Christ'. Those can be helpful, perhaps therapeutic, but they don't answer my true question. Around the world we have seen the knocking away of the financial props under us, and the loosing of the moral anchors we had trusted. These have been part of how we defined ourselves. Personally, I wonder how I have defined myself - by what I do, the things I own, how I present myself, what I know, who my friends are. None of these are truly who I am. Even my very name is not me: It was put on me by someone else! But when God introduced himself to Moses he called himself not by a name but simply as I Am. Jesus repeated this - 'before Abraham was I Am' - which sounds grammatically incorrect. There's something there for me. When I know I Am I will know I am. I'll know who I am in Christ."