Throughout history, tragic events have sometimes given way to beautiful artistic works. The grief of a devoted husband was the impetus behind the hauntingly exquisite architecture of the Taj Mahal. The terrible events of September 11th, 2001 inspired Bruce Springsteen to write and record The Rising, which critics are hailing as one of his best albums.

It was a personal tragedy that served as a catalyst for much of the music on Al Denson's latest release, With One Voice. Several years ago, Al's brother died unexpectedly of a blood clot just before the release of Al's Spring Hill Music project From This Day On. Al was particularly close to his brother and the sudden loss was devastating. In the course of recovering from the event, Al found himself unable to write songs anymore.

"My whole life, ideas for songs have always come to me in the middle of the night," says Al, "like between midnight and 5:00 in the morning. That's just the way it works with me. But this time, nothing was coming out."

In a conversation with a trusted friend and mentor, Al described his struggle. His friend told him, "Instead of trying to write, just sing hymns. They are some of the greatest songs out there. You just sing those hymns."

So that's what Al did. Night after night, instead of trying to write, he pulled out hymnals and sang songs like "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," "How Great Thou Art," "I Surrender All," and more. Over a period of time, as the music and the words began to heal his pain, Al found himself beginning to write again.

"I started to wonder if I could write a new song that would work with a hymn. So I took the theme of a song like ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness' and wrote a companion to it called ‘The Arms That Won't Let Go.' The second song takes an element of the hymn and amplifies it," he explains.

Apart from being known as a contemporary music artist, songwriter, speaker and author, Al has always been involved in worship music. The worship leader of choice at many American Association of Christian Counselor (AACC) events, he also works closely with authors John Maxwell and Bruce Wilkinson, leading worship at many of their speaking engagements.

"I've been doing praise and worship music for 15 years, starting back when I did events with Dawson McAllister," explains Al. "It always has been, and always will be, a part of my ministry."

Eventually, Al began using some of these "hybrids" in concert, along with some other new worship songs he had written, and found that people responded very positively to them. "Al's songs have been a tremendous benefit in creating a wonderful atmosphere of worship at the events where I have spoken," states John Maxwell. "I always know that people's hearts have been prepared to hear the Word when he has led worship for me." With the explosion of the praise and worship genre in the last few years, many churches have found themselves with divided congregations when it comes to what sort of music is featured in their services. With some clamoring for modern worship songs and others holding to traditional hymns, the issue has become a thorny one for many music directors in churches across the country.

With One Voice addresses the modern/traditional worship tug-ofwar by taking some of the classic hymns of the church and marrying them with original praise songs written expressly to blend with the hymns. In keeping with the unifying theme, Al decided to involve other artists in the recording and the album features appearances by Ron Kenoly, Babbie Mason, The Martins, Lisa Bevill, the Christ Tabernacle Choir and others.

Some of the artists that appear on With One Voice have long-time ties to Al. "Babbie and I are old friends," Al says. "It was a huge blessing to have her and the other artists appear on this project. I don't like these folks because they can sing well—I like them because of who they are. That's what makes them phenomenal artists to me."

Lyrically, the songs address topics such as faith, hope, unity, redemption and oneness with God. From the rippling notes of "Undivided," to the comforting combination of "The Arms That Won't Let Go/Great Is Thy Faithfulness," to the exhilarating "Holy Is The Lord/He Is Exalted," the songs of With One Voice were written to enable congregations across the country to unite in worship.

In addition to the new album, Al is continuing his work with young people. He hosts a weekly youthoriented television program, "The Al Denson Show," which combines advice from experts on issues impacting young people with performances from many of today's top Christian recording artists. "The Al Denson Show" currently airs on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), The Inspirational Network (INSP), and the Sky Angel satellite network, among other networks.

But along with his youth-oriented work, Al is extending his ministry in a new direction—he now feels called to provide encouragement and direction to parents. Al and friend Dr. Tim Clinton currently cohost "The Parent Factor," a live call-in radio program specifically geared towards parents.

"In working with kids over the years, one of the things I've realized is that frequently— especially when you are dealing with troubled kids—the kids aren't the problem. Sometimes it's the parents," he says bluntly. "I told Dawson, ‘You're doing a great job when the kids get to you, but maybe some of them can be helped earlier.' And that's where you have to go to the parents. Hopefully, this show will work in that direction."

In addition to the new radio show and his regular weekly television show, Al has been touring to celebrate his 15 years in ministry. With numerous radio hits throughout his career, Al designed the tour to support and promote Christian radio. Other than basic travel and lodging expenses, any proceeds of the event, if ticketed or love offering, will go to the radio station that sponsors the concert. Another possibility is that a station not charge admission and use the concert as a "thank you" to its listeners.

He felt it only appropriate that he commemorate this career milestone by helping those that have facilitated his ministry so much over the years. "There is a lot to be thankful for when I look back over the last 15 years. Doing this tour is only a humble gift back to show my appreciation for what I have been given. Every tour has a purpose and since the Lord continues to bless our ministry, we want to share those blessings. It is in our hearts to be part of encouraging stations to continue spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Fifteen years may have gone by, but it is apparent that Al's enthusiasm for ministry is as strong as ever. And if the passion displayed on With One Voice is any indication, it's not likely to be diminishing soon.