Steven M. Bell

Music

Honest songs about the battles we fight inside and the grace that meets us there.

Wars Inside My Head
A friend once told me their brain never shuts off. It keeps replaying the past, wondering if that's who they really are and whether people still see that old version of them. I felt that one in my bones. The things I did while drinking can feel like they belong to a different man than the sober one writing this. Wars Inside My Head is for anyone stuck in that fight between who they were and who they're trying to be.
Not Again
This one's my story, and probably a lot of yours. I'd wake up hungover, my wife and kids watching me be that guy again, and I'd swear “not again.” Then I'd do it again. I was wrecking my marriage and the people I loved most over a bottle. Not Again is for anyone who's made that promise to the mirror and broken it more times than they can count.
Small Town Halo
This one's for my hometown of Brownfield, Texas. Small towns are just different. Any small town in Texas gets this song, and probably most across America. We've got a moral code, we mean it, and we live by it… mostly. We might get a little frisky on Saturday night, but we're in the pew Sunday morning asking for forgiveness. That's the halo. It's a little crooked, but we wear it proud.
I'm Letting Go
This one's for everyone who's risen from the ashes and started over. We all have a redemption story, and some of us have more than one. Mine was finally beating the bottle after it beat me for years. I'm Letting Go is about that moment you quit holding on to what's killing you and let grace take over.
I Cry to Heaven
I started this song years ago, writing about the people I've lost, the same ones I wrote about in my memoir, Uncomfortable Truth. I could never finish it. Then Iryna Zarutska was killed on a train, and not long after, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. All that grief and anger finally broke something loose, and the rest of the song poured out. I Cry to Heaven is for the ones we've lost, and for every time the world leaves us with nothing to do but look up.
Gentle Rain
This one's for anyone carrying someone they miss. That quiet ache that shows up on ordinary days. No speech needed. Just press play when you're ready.

Out now: Gentle Rain
For anyone carrying someone they miss.

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Speaking

Steven M. Bell is a singer-songwriter and author from Lubbock, Texas, and the front man of the Christian rock band 7 by 3. For years he led worship every Sunday while hiding a bottle the rest of the week. He grew up in the Church of Christ, served as a worship leader in a Lutheran church, and then, after his son Hunter said, “Dad, I think we're supposed to be Catholic,” found his way to the Catholic Church. His memoir, Uncomfortable Truth, tells that story honestly and is rated 4.7 stars on Amazon. His writing has appeared in Catholic Exchange and Crisis Magazine.

Steven doesn't speak as an expert. He speaks as a husband, a father of two sons, and a man who knows what it's like to look fine on the outside and not be fine at all.

Conversion

“Dad, I Think We're Supposed to Be Catholic”: A Convert's Road Home

It started with a question from his teenage son. Steven grew up in the a cappella Church of Christ, led worship in a Lutheran sanctuary, and thought he knew his Bible well. Then he and Hunter started reading the Church Fathers, asking where the Bible came from and what the first Christians actually believed. This talk follows that journey into the Catholic Church: what he found, what it cost him, and why the Eucharist changed everything. It's a good fit for RCIA/OCIA classes, parish evenings, and anyone who has a Protestant friend or family member asking questions.

Story & Song

Worship and Whiskey: A Testimony in Story and Song

Steven tells his story with a guitar in his hands. Between songs from his own catalog, including “Not Again,” “Wars Inside My Head,” and “I'm Letting Go,” he talks about the years he spent leading people in worship while drinking in secret, the night everything came apart, and the grace that met him there. The songs give people room to breathe and reflect, and the story gives the songs their weight. It works well as a parish mission night, a men's group evening, or the closing session of a retreat.

For recovery audiences

Still Functioning Doesn't Mean You're Okay

A lot of people who are struggling still show up to work, to church, and to their kids' games. Steven was one of them. This talk is about the hidden kind of addiction: the shame that keeps it secret, the promises made to the mirror and broken, and what finally helped him stop. It's honest without being graphic, and it's about hope more than war stories. It fits recovery events, sober-living groups, and parish ministries that serve families affected by addiction.

Formats & Lengths

Keynote: 30–45 minutes, with or without music
Retreat session: 45–60 minutes. Can be one talk or a series of two or three sessions across a weekend.
Parish evening or mission night: 60–75 minutes, including songs and time for Q&A
Men's group or Knights of Columbus meeting: 20–30 minutes, informal, with time for questions
Talk only or with music: any talk can be given with no music, a few songs, or as a full story-and-song evening.

What Steven Brings

His acoustic guitar and original songs. For larger rooms he only needs a vocal mic and a DI input, or he can bring a small PA.
Copies of Uncomfortable Truth for a book table, if your group would like one.
A willingness to stay afterward and talk with anyone who needs it.

Steven speaks to Catholic parishes, men's groups, retreats, RCIA/OCIA classes, Knights of Columbus councils, and recovery events. He's based in West Texas and will travel for the right event.

To check dates, email Steven. Please include your group, the date, the location, the approximate audience size, and whether you'd like music.

Book Steven to Speak