My good friend and artist, Mela Kamin, did a bit of an interview with me for the release of "Blessed is the One' to radio. You can read it here and while you're at it, check out some of her music and ministry as well!

Tuesday, January 16th, 2012 - Well, today is Radio Single Release day. It's been several years since we sent a song to radio, the first time was back in 2008 with the song called "Climb the Mountain". We released it through a service out of Nashville and it was eventually picked up by around 45 radio stations that used the song to varying degrees. A few stations put it into a regular rotation for a while, a few used it Sunday mornings and then that was it. This year we are hoping that we will be able to release several songs to radio and "Blessed is the One", is a great way to start off the new year.

I'm still new to this part of things, but I've spoken with a number of other artists who have pushed to radio, folks from record labels and Christian Radio Weekly, who is handling the release of the single this time. The basic idea is that as a new artist to radio, it takes time and persistence and ultimately GREAT SONGS, in order to have much of an impact on radio. Stations get bombarded with requests to play new music, from the major labels and touring artists to the indie artists who made music in their basement. I have a number of friends who are radio announcers and DJ's and they have remarked that it can be one of the more annoying parts of their jobs, while for others it's part of the fun. To have a single picked up at radio, even just one station, is a great blessing.

So the goal is going to be to see how this is received and then save up the finances to release another one later in the year, my hope would be for 3 all together hopefully. Working with Creative Soul Records and the Nashville sound, has given us a CD that can compete with the major artist sound and hopefully will give us a chance to share the music with a wider audience. We're excited about it, but we could also use your help. Check out the RADIO page for more information about how you can get involved. We will be updating this link with the radio stations who are airing the song as well so you can track the progress.

I have to still write it out a bit more, but reflecting on New Years resolutions a number of scripture verses have conspired to open my eyes (there's that Holy Spirit again). We look at our lives and we hope for change and want to work for change, which is fine I get it. But one of the things that hit me in 1 Kings chapter 8 was a spot in the scripture where God is remarking about how the temple in Jerusalem was built "For My Name" He says it over and over. When we lose our identity, or when we want to exchange it for another one, we sometimes look in the mirror and feel quite lost and wonder, what this life thing is all about. But here is where it gets exciting. In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Paul says this " 16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple." Because of the work of the Holy Spirit living inside us, we are that temple and we were built for the name. Isaiah 43:6-7 says this "Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth - 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”... and 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

I love it, the purpose of life summed up, lived out with such rich history. The temple, that God himself praised because it was built "For My Name", because of Jesus death and ressurection, we are made into the temple built "For My Name" - a person who is called BY that name, created for HIS glory, that we would proclaim his praise. In Him, Love Him, For Him - in all things Through Him - Isaiah 43:19 says "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" Now THAT is exciting and I hope we will be encouraged in our identity in the new year and for all time!

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Hi Friends!
Did you ever see a movie that left such an impression on you that you just had to tell somebody? You got out of the theater (or maybe even during the movie), you had to start tweeting about it, calling people up, facebooking friends about it. Did you ever have a life experience with your family that left you reliving it with a big smile on your face over and over again? Or perhaps someone ripped you off or left you slighted... ever go to a friend and just have to tell them the whole story about what happened to you? It's interesting that in this culture we tend to wear what happens to us in visual and verbal ways. When we have an encounter it leaves us moved. We have a natural reaction to what just happened, sometimes good, sometimes not so good - but somehow or other, we let people know.

One of the things that we tend to do, living in the crazy pace of December, is just soak up information. What time is the mall open till? When is that basketball practice? If this happens at work now, can I get home in time... Information, helps us make the decision so I can do as much as and as efficiently as possible. While information becomes the driving way to do life, it all too often leaves us failing to have a real "Encounter"... with people and with Jesus. My prayer for all of us this December... this Advent... this Christmas... is that we don't simply take in the information about Jesus, stuff it away and check it off our list, but that God rocks our world so greatly that we have an encounter with the Savior, our King of Kings, our Redeemer, our Promised Messiah our "God With Us". The kind of encounter where we just have to tell someone about it, how it moved us, how it gave us peace, how it challenged us, how it rocked our pride and our depression and our busyness.

That there was ONE moment in this time of preparing, that we sat in humble quietness with the God who made us, who holds us, who loves us despite our many imperfections and the sin that can make our lives so ugly... the God who gives us real life... That from that quiet encounter, causes in our hearts a crescendo of praise with an Amen, an Alleluia that overflows into our work places, our families, our neighborhoods, our churches such that the people around us also encountered Jesus, maybe even through us bringing Jesus to them. As we live for a risen and reigning King who has told us "Behold I am Coming Soon - my reward is in my hand", I'd love to invite you to take a look at John chapter 4 and the Encounter the woman at the well had with her Savior and how she responded to it. May you and I encounter our Jesus now and every day.

Mike - Comment Here

We're also giving away the single for a time as well so that as many people as possible can enjoy the new song. You can download it here

We have a lot of other plans coming up too. A new photo shoot was done last week and we're starting to work on new promotional items. We are looking at possibly shooting a music/promo video to help people understand what we're about and what we do. We're beginning the next steps toward a new CD, either Christmas or another record and trying to understand what sort of financial help we'll need to do that. And most importantly, we just want to get out and sing the songs, tell the stories and share the journey with people.

So please tell people about the song, facebook, email, tweek, whatever you can do to get the word out, will be a huge help. The next step would be, have us for some live music. If you've never experience a live concert with us, we would love to share with you.

So we started with a song that speaks to this pain called "Grey Street", written by Dave Matthews. We moved to "Color Through the Grey", a song about life's boxes and God's canvases. To the song "Undefined", the title track of my latest CD talking about not being defined by circumstances, but by the Love of God for individuals, a love that doesn't change and then the proclamation of "How He Loves" by David Crowder Band.

As we ended that song, the plan was to let our sax player, Tom Jones, play the refrain for "How Great Thou Art". As he soulfully played that refrain I decided to just go with it and sing the song. As we started into the first verse, you could hear the voices of the people beginning to grow and hit that first refrain moving into full volume. We invite the crowd to stand making it easier to sing. Moving into the lyrics of the third verse "And when I think, that God his son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in"... I noticed a cross at the top of a spire beginning to glow gold in the setting sun. Before heading into the last verse the crowd turned to see it, breaking into an applause that can only mean "Amen"...

It's amazing how God speaks some time. Coincidence... sure I suppose so, but I can tell you we didn't plan it this way and the moment held a point for everyone who experienced it. With the cross glowing and the people singing "When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home what joy shall fill my heart. Then I will bow, in humble adoration and there proclaime "My God How Great Thou Art"... How can we not stand in awe at Jesus who has said to those who love him "I will never leave you nor forsake you". A fitting end to a story about how God is still loving us in the grey moments of life.