Mike Rimmer spoke to BRYAN DUNCAN about his return to the CD racks

Bryan: The 'Conversations' record is probably the most positive, upbeat record I've ever done. After a long haul there I thought maybe I was through with music -just because there was no financial ability to record another album. So when we did this whole record, raised an entire budget through a crowd-funding source, I was elated. Hey, I got a chance to keep singing and write something worthwhile! I think the focus has been more about deliberate focus on gratitude and thankfulness that God allows you to continue to use your gifts: what a great thing that is.

Mike: Music styles change and the whole industry has altered amazingly. What do you feel about that?

Bryan: Change is always uncomfortable. There was a long period of time when I thought the music business was dying, but it's not, it's transforming - in good ways. It takes awhile to understand new technology and discover 'Wow! This is better than it ever was!' Crowd-funding for a record - who knew that was possible? This gives artists like myself a chance at a second career. All those people that have bought your records in the past, now have the opportunity to not only buy your project, but be a part of it. That seems like more community to me than rock stardom or record companies dictating what the parameters should be: you're talking directly to the audience. I kind of see it as church: it feels like my body of believers, the people that resonate with what I'm saying. It gives them a chance to feel a bigger part of what an artist is doing. I think it makes for a better connection between artists and their audience, and who wouldn't want that?

Mike: Is it true to call 'Conversations' a comeback record?

Bryan: I wouldn't say that: I never feel in my own mind that I left. I certainly recognise that I've been in the shadows for the last decade, but most of that was not within my control. It certainly contributed to my humility over the years. It's hard to say what this record will do, and like all the records before it we don't get to choose what the impact will be. My hope would be that it would lead to more work, and get me a chance to present what I do to more people than I have in the last decade. But, again, that's just not in my control: we do what we do, and we trust God with the rest.

Mike: Apart from music what other things are you involved in?

Bryan: I started writing books, because I had a little more time on my hands than I used to. As a lyricist, in songwriting, I always gravitated toward things that were well said, or turns of a phrase that had more impact than it appeared in the beginning. The first book I wrote was called Hogwash; it was for a newsletter. It was just smart-alec observations of motorcycle madness - so fun to do that I thought I'd try another one. I did a book call Prayers You Won't Hear In Church. I'm a back-row believer most of the time, and I always have a smart-alec thought to match anything that's deadly sincere. I think pragmatism and sarcasm come with the acknowledgement that there's more truth than you are aware of. That book did really well, and it was little 250 word prayers -- 'Dear God, I need you to kill someone'. You don't hear that one in church a lot, but I'm pretty sure most people have prayed that at some point. The next one was kind of tied around my devotions. I go through my ritual of devotion - reading, I'll throw up a couple of prayers, then I'll split and start doing my own thing. It never dawned on me that I should wait and hear what God wants to say. I made it short - we called it A Five Second Devotional. God is a God of few words most of the time, but that doesn't mean he doesn't stop talking. So we added a sense of humour to it. 'I spoke to God, and he said, "My favourite colour is out of the blue"'. Or 'I spoke to God, and he said, "Jesus would've taken a bullet for you, but at the time they only had nails.'" So it's just for my own entertainment more than anything. I've got a second book of Five Second Devotionals almost done. And my favourite new writing is called I Follow Jesus Because. It's just funny to give a reason for your faith that's not boring and dead serious all the time. 'I follow Jesus because I can't fix you, and I wish somebody would.' Or 'I follow Jesus because there are too many Elvis impersonators'. It keeps me focused on Christ in my relationship with him in a way that's daily and vibrant. It's not boring; devotions aren't boring. Waiting for God to say something is way cool. When he speaks to you through people around you; I hear comedians and I think, 'That's something God could've said'. 'I spoke to God and he said, "Here's your sign"'. Those things just keep me entertained for the most part, and they've proved to be entertaining to the people who have bought the books.

Mike: Tell me about your radio rehab programme.

Bryan: My radio rehab programme was inspired by step 12 of the 12 Steps Of Recovery that says, 'We sought to give back to the programme of recovery as a result of having had a spiritual experience'. I hadn't taken it too serious for about three or four years; I blew off step 12: I thought it was a weak link. But it turns out giving back to what has contributed to your life might be the most inspiring purpose in life. I was always hearing songs on the radio that seemed to fit recovery themes. I set out to do 30-minute radio shows, mostly of music that inspire the thought process that comes with recovery - then to interject my sarcastic thing, like a morning show host would do, to keep it from sounding like a Sunday school lesson. I think the songs speak for themselves; it's an easy to listen to series; I take a number of the principles of recovery and apply them in some kind of storyline. I don't assume to dictate to you what your problem is: I let you work your steps of recovery and fill in your own dependency that makes your life unmanageable. That's why it's been around for 15 years. It's on the armed forces radio network, it's been on four networks internationally, and a myriad of radio stations have played the 30-minute shows late at night. It's on radiorehab.com - easy to find, easy to listen to.

Mike: Do listeners' responses encourage you?

Bryan: It's hard to tell these days whether I'm encouraging people or they're encouraging me. I think both happens when you step outside of your own boundaries, look at the lives around you, and try to find ways to be encouraging to them. It does more for you than you ever could've expected. That's why step 12 of the recovery programme is so powerful and has changed my outlook in so many ways. Right where I think that I'm the one encouraging someone, I realise that what I'm doing is a way to encourage myself better than anything I know. It keeps you out of being isolated and self-involved and empathetic in a self-pity sort of way.

Mike: Through your career you've stood on a few toes, particularly with your sense of humour.

Bryan: There's no doubt that stuff I've had to say has a twinge of sarcasm most of the time. I've been in trouble my entire career. My manager used to have a formal apology letter with some fill-in-the-blanks sections we'd almost fill out every week. Not everybody gets the sense of humour. Humour has softened the blow of hardship. It's accepting hardship that leads you to a pathway to peace. In the long run, humour paves that road just a little bit.

Mike: How did you approach Sweet Comfort Band's 'The Waiting Is Over'?