I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas! Sharon and I certainly did. So did Rocky - our pitbull. I don't think I've ever mentioned him. He is about 6 years old, 80 pounds, white with tan spots. He's adorable.

Anyway, Sharon gave me an acoustic guitar! I'm so excited about it. I'm going to learn how to play it and then I'll be like Michael W. Smith and Israel Houghton - I'll be able to play both piano and guitar when I lead worship or perform a concert. Now, that's HOT!

For those of you that don't know - I was playing football with some kids in my neighborhood about 8 weeks ago and ruptured my achilles tendon. The following week we held the release party and then took a promotional trip to South Carolina. When we returned I had surgery done to repair the tendon. Well, I'm healing up pretty well. I'm out of the cast and back in the brace for another 2 weeks. After that I will begin my rehabilitation. I never knew how weak muscles get when they are not used. My calf muscle shrunk tremendously. I'm slowly working on strengthening it so that my rehab won't be so long. The doctor said 4-6 months. I'm praying that I'll be back at full swing in 2 months. Please pray with me.

Today during my devotion time I was reading Exodus chapter 20 when God gave the 10 commandments. I grew up reading the King James Version of the Bible and always took everything at face value. When I got to the 3rd Commandment (verse 7) I had to re-evaluate my way of talking. It all became pretty convicting as I read it in other translations: "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God..." (NIV); "No using the name of GOD, your God, in curses or silly banter..." (The Message); "You shall not use the name of Jehovah your God irreverently..." (TLB).

So often people use Jesus' name so casually - like it isn't something special. I've been very guilty, myself. Today, I had to repent. His name is holy. His name is powerful. I will not behave as though my salvation gives me license to use the name of my saviour casually. I will respect His name. That's my conviction.

You see, I've been the victim of my own biblical laziness. I've been the person sitting blindly in the pew - not able to discern whether the person in the pulpit was preaching accurately or not. But after having my life negatively impacted by non-biblical doctrine a few times, I am now committed to studying the bible for my self and ensuring that I am living according to what the bible says.

One of my friends once said to me that he believes that, when he goes to church, the role of the minister is to confirm the word of God that he has been reading all week. I believe that God will hold each of us responsible for our lives being lived according to His word. Since I am responsible for living it, I'm going to study it for myself. I have 8 bible translations, a concordance, bible dictionaries and other study aids. Why? Because I really need to know what this book says to Michael. I really want to make it to Heaven when this life is over. Since the bible is my roadmap - I need to study it. I can't just trust someone else at the wheel. I need to read the map myself. And, by the way, I have a wonderful pastor who does confirm the word of God to me every week. He's accurate - and I can say that because I study what he preaches.

Okay - I've gone on long enough for one day. Very little said about the CD, huh? Well, track #10 - "I'm Saved" - has been on WXEZ (Star 94.1) Star 5 @ 5 list for about 16 of the last 20 days. That means it is within the top 5 requested songs each of those days. Hallelujah! God is really blessing this project.

Hey, Dale Murray - thanks!

Every now and then I have sleepless nights... tonight is one of them. My mind is racing... prompted by my wife putting in a CD that we just purchased of one of my favorite artists. They are so awesome. I aspire to have the kind of music ministry that they have. But as I laid in the bed listening to the music I couldn't help envisioning their recording session, then envisioning my next recording sessions, then envisioning my next concert, then wondering if I should continue to promote my CD independently or if I should try to get a deal with a record label. And that last thought is what really woke me up.

So, since I couldn't sleep I figured it would be a great time to update you on what's going on.

I'm trying to take a break for the holidays. As you can imagine, it's been a real grind the past month. But great things are happening!

I noticed that one of my songs is on the R&R chart! How exciting!! Now - for those that saw that as REIJFD LKYJNIV - let me interpret. There are certain radio stations that report to an operation called Radio & Records. These reports impact what gets on the record charts. If your song never gets reported, it never gets on the record charts. It's next to impossible for an independent record to get charted - but by now you know what God I serve. So if you go to this web site (HTTP://www.radioandrecords.com/Formats/Gospel.asp) and scroll down, you will see Gospel Playlists - Search by Station Calls. If you put in "WXEZ" and press "go" you will see the chart for Star 94.1 (WXEZ)... and you will see that "I'm Saved" has been charted on that station.

Someone sent out an email blast to me and a whole lot of record execs, industry big-wigs and recording artists this week. However, this person did not use the nifty BCC feature... No! All of the email addresses were in the TO box - so now I have some very valuable email addresses. You'd better believe I will be using them!

We stopped by a record store today that is carrying my CD. They didn't have any in the store. The clerk told me that they can't keep it in stock. I said, "well it's a hot CD." She replied, "that's what everybody keeps saying. We can't keep it on the shelf." I told her that it was great news and then revealed that I was the artist. I was really happy to hear that.

My laptop crashed! I spent nearly a week moving data via floppy disks, formatting my HD and then reinstalling all my software. But, BLESS GOD I had the ability to do it myself - with the help and advice of my "learned friend." He's a brilliant guy who gives great advice. So, ultimately I didn't lose much at all. And I didn't have to pay a dime for the repair. HALLELUJAH!

Can I tell you something personal? My wife, Sharon, is an incredibly beautiful woman. I love just staring at her when she sleeps. I'd do it when she's awake but you know how it is when you see someone just staring at you. So, I like watching her sleep. That way I can stare and it won't bother her. She is just gorgeous. I wish I could describe in words how much I love this woman. She has been such an incredible source of encouragement to me throughout this process. She's amazing!

Babe - I love you. After 11 years of marriage, you still amaze me.

Oops! I'm sorry. But I really believe in PDA - Public Displays of Affection - for married couples. If anyone in the world has a right to publicly display their love for each other it is those of us whose love has been consecrated by God in marriage. Besides, I like my marriage like I like my Buffalo Wings - HOT!

Okay, I'm winding down. It's 5:24AM and I'm hungry. I think I'll grab a snack and go back to sleep.

Oh - and to the person that asked - I'm sorry but I do not know how to make picked pigfeet. But I do know how to make some awesome barbecued pigfeet!

When I was growing up in South Carolina, I had no idea how my childhood would affect other people's lives. I was the preacher's baby boy - the singing little boy that became the organ playing, singing choir director. But so often people in that position can create a lot of damage within a church. When you are young you have no concept of the future and how the things you do and say will mold the lives of the people around you.

But I am so humbled as I hear from people that I haven't heard from in years who are telling me about how the things that I did as a child helped to usher them into their ministries today.

I heard from a young man in North Carolina who reminded me of how I took him as my brother as we were growing up and how I prayed with him at the altar when he received the Holy Spirit. He is an awesome preacher today.

I heard from another young man in Georgia who is in the studio recording his own Gospel project. He told me how my music ministry inspired him to begin playing the keyboards and organ - which eventually led him into this leg of him music ministry.

I've heard from several other friends and classmates who remember my life as a child and how it influenced them to walk with the Lord.

But, how do you take credit for just living and growing up and being a kid in church? How do you pop your collar when you hear things like this? I was just a short little boy who loved God and wanted to make music to praise Him. So, I guess the answer is - you don't take credit for it. I was just serving God's purpose. God is always at work, putting people in strategic places so that they can influence others according to His plan.

Just like the "good" preacher's kid (PK) influences people, so does the "bad" PK. I've been around the PKs who did lots and lots of dirt in their parents churches. I wasn't all good either. I did my share. But I saw enough of the "bad" to realize how ugly it would be if I became the drinking, smoking, foul-mouthed, sex-aholic PK that runs people away from the church.

Even more importantly, at some point I developed a serious relationship with God that steered my life. Because of that relationship, I didn't want to hurt or harm God's people nor His churches. I wanted to help. So I tried.

I guess on some level, I succeeded.

While God doesn't expect perfection from us - knowing that we are imperfect beings, I do believe that He expects us to try our hardest to follow the instructions He gave us in the bible and live lives that will point people in His direction. You don't have to be perfect to lead people to Jesus - you just have to show that you love Jesus.

Have you ever noticed that when you demonstrate that you are in love with a person, that person becomes more interesting to other people that never gave that person a thought. Suddenly they start asking you 101 questions about that person - where is she from? Where does he work? How much does she make? What kind of car does he drive? Does she have any kids? People are the same way when they see that you love Jesus - they want to know more about Him.

So, for the record - I AM IN LOVE WITH JESUS! If you don't believe it, just hang out with me and you'll notice it.

You are more than welcome to comment on my ranting. You no longer have to open a blogger account - I fixed that problem. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Just click on comments below and type away!

"Any door God opens, I'm going in with a bulldozer!"

That's been my motto ever since the release of this CD.

I was speaking with one of the DJs from a radio station in Charleston,SC today. I called to thank her and the other radio personalities at that station for playing my CD. In the conversation I told her that anyway God blesses me, I'll take it. I said, "I'm not picky, but I am greedy."

We all have so many ideas about what God wants and expects from us. There are so many different doctrines... so many views. Let me share mine on this matter.

I believe that God knows exactly what is best for us. I also believe that our humanity causes us to be subject to various desires, most of which are sparked by wanting our own way, wanting everything we see and boasting about what we have or what we do. But if we could ever get that nasty part of our humanity under control then we could simply accept God's actions. I really believe that God knows what is best for me. I really believe that I can trust Him to make decisions for me.

When I embraced this belief, it caused me to seriously reduce the amount of time I spent asking God for things and seriously increase the amount of time I spend thanking Him for things. My desires usually get me in trouble. But God's plan always puts me ahead.

What if we could stop presenting God with our "Father, please..." lists? What if we could take a week off from begging God for things? Can you imagine going on a one-week fast from petitions and spend that entire week just thanking God for His plan for your life? That would be AWESOME!

So, I'm not picky. I don't ask God for much. But every door that He opens for me - I'm going in with a bulldozer. What does that mean?

In 1 Samuel chapter 30, David asked God about going after the Amalekite bandits that had raided his camp and taken the children and wives of him and his men. God told him to pursue because he would be able to catch the bandits and rescue his people. David didn't go passively after the Amalekites; he went with all his might and strength. He went violently after them. David and his men rescued all that was taken from them.

When God opens a door for me to pursue something, I need to go violently after it.

That's how I've pursued this CD project. That's how I am pursuing the marketing and promoting of this project. God is opening doors left and right. I don't want to leave any avenue vacant. Every door God opens, I'm going in. And I'm going in with a bulldozer. I trust that He knows what doors to open for me. All I have to do is pursue!

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of me, I'll probably talk more about the CD on Friday. Some great things are happening!

She told me - but I didn't really believe her.

Before I did this recording I met with another local recording artist for lunch. We discussed the process of successfully making and marketing a recording. She told me that I needed to allocate most of my budget toward marketing and promotion rather than production.

Being the perfectionist that I am, I didn't realy believe her. I thought, "I can't make a sloppy record. It needs to be as close to perfect as possible. Once I get it heard and played on the radio then people will buy it and it will pay for itself."

Well, she really did know what she was talking about. I had no idea how much it costs to market a product. I manufactured my CD through Oasis CD Manufacturing. Oasis offers a program called the Tools Of Promotion. It comes automatically with a sizeable CD order. It allows the artist to have a lot of free stuff and an online presence. But the conventional world of music dictates that the music has to be played on the radio and has to be available in stores before people will spend money on it. Now there are independently owned (aka Mom & Pop) stores that will sell your CDs on consignment all over the country.

But why didn't anyone tell me how much it costs to buy the nice presentation folders that I need to send the CDs in? If you want the radio stations to open your package it needs to be a very nice, professional presentation... something that will stand out from the rest of the mail that they get... something that will cause them to actually put the CD in a CD player and listen to it. You can't go with the 25 cent folders and 10 cent envelopes. You have to spend some money.

Any why didn't anyone tell me how much it costs to get the black & white photos done? And why didn't anyone tell me how much postage I would be spending to send out all of the promotional CDs?

Sounds like I'm complaining? Not really. I was just surprised at the cost of marketing and promoting a project. Now I understand why artists try so hard to get a record deal. The industry is designed for the deep pockets of record labels. Without deep pockets, you need God's favor - and thank God I have it!

So, with no real budget for marketing and promotion, we have been able to secure radio play on four radio stations in the Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads area, three stations in the Charleston, SC area and one station in the Beaufort, SC area. We have people working the Columbia/Orangeburg SC area and the Richmond, VA area. We have record stores carrying the CD in Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Portsmouth, VA as well as Charleston, North Charleston, St. Stephens and Beaufort, SC.

Doors are opening daily. I am still hearing from people in the industry that have heard the CD. There are people making contact with record labels about the CD. God is doing what I can't do for myself.

I was reading the story of the Exodus today. Exodus chapter 14 verse 14 really came alive for me today... "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Didn't I write a song about that?

This thing called the record industry is very interesting. I understand why most recording artists just try to get a record deal - even though it usually means that for the first two or three records you simply do what you are told while you make no money and own no rights. But God's favor is greater than anything I know - including the system of the record industry. I am watching God do awesome things! I'm going to try to bring you up to date without getting too excited.

When you release a record there are two main things that you need to have happen so that your record will have a chance to be successful. You need the general public to hear your music. The best way for this to happen is through the vehicle of radio. You need radio stations to play the music - not just once but several times - so that people can decide whether or not they like it. The other thing that you need to have happen is for stores to sell the CD for you. But you don't just need one store; you need stores all across the country.

Now, here is the catch! Radio stations always get music sent to them from local artists in their regions or independent artists ("indie artists") from around the globe requesting that they play the music. The term "indie artist" refers to any recording artist that isn't signed to a record label but is promoting their music indepemdently. Most of the time the music they receive from "indie artists" do not carry commercial grade quality - the kind of quality that would cause them to want to put it on the air. Also, stations usually look for a "hit" - that one song that will cause people to want to hear it over and over. Since most indie artists don't produce this kind of music then when a radio station receives music from a indie artist it usually goes into the "indie artist black hole." Very rarely does it get played - if ever. Now the record stores want to stock and sell CDs that people want to buy. People come in looking for music that they hear on the radio. If the music isn't on the radio, most record stores won't carry them. Furthermore, the larger record stores only carry CDs that they get from distributors. These distributors only carry CDs that are getting a lot of attention - like national radio play.

If you are signed with a medium to major record label then all of this comes automatic. The record label will have the clout with the radio stations across the country to get the music played. They will also have the national distribution in place to get the CDs into stores all across the country. But what does an independent artist like me do?

While praying about this product and seeking God's direction on marketing it I was made clearly aware that this project is "for the body of Christ." My objective is to get this music into the churches. So, that's what I have been doing. By doing so God has blessed me with some very supportive Christians that are calling radio stations and requesting the music. I can't say enough about Charleston, South Carolina. While we don't have the CD in stores in Charleston yet, the music is in rotation on their stations and I've been invited by the station to come and do a concert. So, as an independent artist, I take it church by church, city by city, state by state. And thus far, every where I've tread my feet, God has given to me.

I must add that God has given me some incredible friends that have been relentless at helping me get this music heard. I am so grateful to you! Because of the support of members of the body of Christ, it appears that we will have national distribution sometime in early spring. Wow! With God's wisdom, His favor and His people, even an independent artist like me can reach the masses with songs of worship. Isn't our God awesome?!

There's no place like home! There's no place in the world like home. Did you know that I am originally from Charleston, SC? I was born in Charleston. I lived there in the 60's and early 70's. It was a lot of fun. I remember on of my favorite things to do was to race cars with my playmates. However, our cars were simply old, discarded car tires that we found in the alleys. So we would race, rolling those car tires down the sidewalks as fast as we could - trying our best to keep them from rolling into the street or into someone's fence. Those were the days... when pickled pigfeet were a major industry at the corner store. And you could always find someone frying fish or steaming crabs or oysters. It was a simpler time. The neighborhood came together to raise the children. I remember one day I did something dangerously wrong (and I'll leave it at that) and "Mr. Chris" who was the owner of the corner store saw me. Well, he ran out of his store, called me over to him, took off his belt and wore me out. Then when my mom got home he told her and she wore me out some more. Of course, when my dad got home he heard it from my mom and... you guessed it... he wore me out, too. Yes, the entire neighborhood raised the children.

At the age of 10 we moved to a small town outside of Charleston called "Cainhoy." This was my father's hometown. I graduated from Cainhoy High School. "Go Tigers!" I learned to play the organ and began my musical journey. I played at all of the churches in the surrounding area, directed several choirs, started a couple of groups, and even had the pleasure of playing for my high school's Gospel Choir.

My mother was a pioneer. She was one of the very first black women to declare her call to ministry. She was the founder of Cainhoy Miracle Revival Center - which eventually grew into Miracle Revival Centers, Incorporated - a body of more than 15 churches. She was ordained to the office of Apostle on July 1st, 1973.

For my first promotional trip I had the privilege of going back home. It was so amazing to hang out in Charleston, Eutawville and Beaufort, South Carolina; places where my mother preached many sermons and ran many revivals. The reception was so wonderful. I had the opportunity to preach, sing, do a radio interview (thanks LJ and Bryant) and Sharon (my wife) and I even got to record a commercial with Bryant for one of their corporate customers.

My greatest memory from the SC trip was this... I taped the radio interview at about 11:00 Monday morning. It aired at about 2:00 PM. I called some of my friends and relatives so that they could tune it. To close out the interview, the station gave away one of my CDs. After the giveaway, they were playing another artists song. Then the announcer cut into the song with one of my cousins on the line - she's in her 70's. My cousin was just raving about how proud she was that her "little Mike" grew up and was doing something good for God. I was nearly in tears hearing her delight. It never crossed my mind that my seniors - the people that labored over my childishness and helped me get where I am today - would be so blessed by my accomplishment.

So, to my cousin Rosa and to all that helped me get to where I am today - I thank you. I wouldn't be who I am today without you. My mom and dad have already crossed over. But in you I feel their delight.

This has been an amazing ride. Through many fears and tears my wife and I have been able to bring to fruition a CD that we are very proud of. But, as an artist, my greatest fear is how people are going to react to my music.

My first great test was being invited to do a concert at a church that was not of my own ethnicity. I kinda' knew how to read an audience of my own culture - I would know how to adjust and win them over. But this was a room of more than 2000 people - about 95% of whom were of a different race and accustomed to a different style of music. And here I come with my band and singers, cranking out this Gospel influenced, Contemporary Christian music. These people were used to a "rock" feel and here we come with a gospel/R&B/Pop feel. But - they LOVED it! About 200 or more people came running to the front of the stage and they were there - hands up - jumping to the music for the whole concert. We were in there!

So, now was the real test. How would my culture respond to my music? We put together a release party - unlike any that has been done in this area. We had a $10 cover charge. We employed dancers, mime artists, the band and vocalists that did the live session as well as the studio overdubs. We got the word out via email, radio, and my website. I really feared we would have lost the momentum and anticipation of the public since we had already postponed our highly publicized first date by one month. But, to my great pleasure, people came in droves and packed the church!

The moment finally arrived and the energy and excitement in the room was so high, you'd think Kirk Franklin or Usher was expected to arrive. Once we kicked of the first song, people were up, clapping, cheering, screaming, dancing and celebrating. The party lasted for 85 minutes. It was non-stop excitement. Everything flowed beautifully. To seal it all, you could feel the powerful presence of God in the room. It was an awesome worship experience.

We adjourned to the reception where we had wonderful food for everyone. We dined on shrimp, scallops wrapped in bacon, fried chicken wings, chicken salad with crackers, meatballs, pasta salad, shrimp and crab-filled eggrolls, deviled eggs, cakes, sweets, punch, and more. We sold boxes of CDs - I haven't done my final numbers yet but I think it was more than 200. I signed probably 150 autographs. One person bought 30 CDs for her friends around the world.

So today is the day after the party and we have personally sold more than 14 CDs out of our home. The word is still spreading. But we are just getting started. Once we sell 5,000 units then I can relax a bit. Until then - "Hey, would you like to buy one of my CDs?"