One of America's best selling CCM artists, MARGARET BECKER, will be playing in Cross Rhythms SW as one stop in a three month European sojourn. She spoke at length to Jan Willem Vink.

I feel almost embarrassed for asking, however the subject intrigues me. I ask what has caused Margaret to go back to the church of her upbringing. Margaret responds, "I think the full chance began the first time I visited Europe in 1985 and I realised that God was not offended by the traditions that were handed down by my grandparents. One of those traditions was the fact that we as a family were brought up in the Catholic church. I realised that it is so wrong that people were attempting to take away my culture. There's a word here that we say, it is 'homogenize' and it means to take out all elements that are harmful and it's a process we use on food. It's the only word I can think of to describe this, but people were trying to homogenize my life and take out anything they thought was harmful, while I realised after my first visit to Europe that God was much bigger than our limited imagination. He is not offended by culture, but it's part of his creation. We all must culturally have some sort of identity otherwise we're completely robotic and bland and without that life who will ever look at us and say, 'That is something I really want. I like to be without any identity or any difference, I just like to be a little clone or a little robot.'

"It began then and it came to an end when I realised I am in this church right now and I am not really growing spiritually and I need a place to go and I searched and searched and finally, less than a half mile down the block I found one and as soon as I walked in I thought, 'This is the marriage between Margaret Becker as a total being and Margaret Becker as a believer,' and I believe that God has had his hand upon it."

I ask Margaret in which areas she feels she has grown since she started visiting this church. She answers, "Well, the Catholic church, one of the things they excel in is the area of social work. They not only attend to the people who are in their church but one of the things they have always excelled at is saying, 'Let's go into our local community and provide, let's go into our community and let's find out what people need and let's give things to them and let's do it in a way that we're not bugging, we're not saying, "If you believe then we will give you some food," or "If you believe we will give you a pair of shoes.'" But rather they go in and say, 'Here's a pair of shoes and take some food.' But the people, they naturally respond, 'Why are you being kind to me?' The Catholic church will say, 'Well, we're kind to you because Jesus Christ says if we do this to you, then we actually do it to him.' To me that's where I feel comfortable, to live a life that is provocative in giving, to live a life that is passionate in giving and then give the explanation, 'Why am I giving? Because Jesus Christ has given, that's why I'm giving.' That's what has really grown in my life since I have been there."

Margaret has found a peace with her more holistic approach to faith. She agrees this has impacted the songwriting on 'Grace'. Says Margaret, "It has definitely impacted my music and I think the evidence of that is on 'Soul' and 'Grace', especially on 'Grace' where there are some more person-to-person songs, more than on any project that I have done, because I'm realising that's part of what Christ is desiring of us, is our upkeep of relationships that he has placed in our lives. And I think that's really one of the biggest callings we have as Christians to understand who God has committed to our lives and to be faithful to these people and there are songs that reflect that on 'Grace'."

As a whole, 'Grace' may be the most understated album on a musical level for Margaret. Once being heralded as Christian music's premier female rock singer, who danced and played the guitar, Margaret has opted for a keyboard-based production with 'Grace'. "The idea that it was understated was deliberate on my part," comments Margaret. "I feel like vocally I wanted to try things with my voice, by more of an understatement. The lyric content I wanted to reflect part of the peace I have been feeling, part of the fact that the struggle has taken more of a different turn, it's not so much personal clamouring for acceptance from Jesus Christ, but it's more saying, 'I know that Jesus Christ accepts me, what do I need to do with that kind of security?' What I need to do is live a life where I seize every moment and live it passionately, because you have granted me that privilege. That is something that did take on an understated tone. Is that what the next album will reflect? I don't know. But I need to be true to my present experience and this album is an understated album because my present experience is an experience of rest. An experience of living a new kind of life within that rest."

When I spoke with Margaret about her previous release 'Soul', she commented she had both a quiet and a screaming side of her, that both come out on her recordings. So has the screaming side disappeared on 'Grace'? Margaret agrees. "At times I felt like screaming to catch someone's attention or out of frustration or to express some of the anger that I have felt. I think at this point those emotions are not my experience but that's not to say they won't be again, but at this moment in my life, my experience is much more peaceful and less frustrating, because God had given me a sense of identity and movement in my life that doesn't really incorporate those emotions."

Margaret definitely has chosen a more keyboard-oriented album. "I have seen in concert that the more gentle I am, the more people respond and the more people seem to understand what I'm trying to say. I wanted more Peter Gabriel, for a reference, and less Heart, for another reference. Demanding attention in a quiet way."

This summer, as Margaret will come to Europe, she will tour with the Norman Barratt Band and also do a number of gigs on her own, she and her guitar. It will be interesting to see how the keyboard production values of her latest recording will translate in an unplugged atmosphere with the acoustic guitar. Those who will have a chance to see her perform will definitely be treated to a concert by a woman who has found peace with God, wants to do everything she can to build bridges between Christians and has the abilities to communicate that very, very well.