Diary of a Redeemed Man

2010-02-12T12:04:00.001-05:00

Operation "Give Love Away" Has Begun

As you all know, I am gearing up to "Give Love Away" to fight homelessness in Hampton Roads. As a result of raising awareness of the cause, I have received an overwhelming response and support through corporate sponsorships, private donations and public service announcements.

I was particularly touched by a gentleman's efforts to "give love away." He purchased a Valentine's Day Teddy bear, started requesting donations at his office for a drawing to win the bear and decided to give all of the donations to the "Give Love Away" Benefit. The florist company in his building heard about his efforts and added a dozen roses for the winner of the bear.

Saturday evening, February 13th will be an incredible night of music and inspiration as we "give love away" to those in need. I will be sharing music from Worship Of A Redeemed Man, Worship Unplugged and the soon to be released Bigger Than I Imagined. There will be a special limited edition surprise offered to those in attendance. My wonderful friends will be joining me: 4LOVE and Alex Holt & Free Worship. This powerful night of music is FREE and open to the public. Meet me at 7:00PM at Gethsemane Community Fellowship Baptist Church located at 1317 E. Brambleton Avenue in Norfolk, VA. Proceeds from the event will benefit Ghent Area Ministry and the Gethsemane Missions Ministry. Both ministries are providing for hundreds of individuals affected by homelessness in our community. Supporting them by "giving love away" will allow us to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Please bring your best financial donation on Saturday so that we can be a tremendous blessing to these organizations. And for my friends outside of the Hampton Roads community, I welcome your donations to this cause. Send your donation payable to: Hayah Sounds, 1409 Oak Knoll Court, Virginia Beach, VA 23464. Let's work together to make a difference in the lives of those in need. Let's be the hands and feet of Jesus, together.

2010-02-02T13:20:00.000-05:00

"GIVE LOVE AWAY" BENEFIT CONCERT

Many of you read the chronicle of my life-changing journey with a homeless guy we called “Joe.” Today, inspired by Joe’s journey and by the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46, I want to help those in my community who, like “Joe,” are taking shelter in under bushes and bridges, in condemned buildings and alleys, or anywhere they can find temporary refuge.

Will you help me help them? Will you join me in being the hands and feet of Jesus?

Fortunately, we do not have to re-invent the wheel. There are organizations in our communities that are doing tremendous work providing for persons in need. I want to help two of them, Ghent Area Ministry and Gethsemane CFBC Missions Ministry. By supporting what they do, we too will be the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities.

Come join me at Gethsemane Community Fellowship Baptist Church in Norfolk, Virginia on Saturday, February 13th 7:00PM for an incredible night of music and inspiration as we “give love away” to those in need. Worship with me as I share music from Worship Of A Redeemed Man, Worship Unplugged and the soon to be released Bigger Than I Imagined. Two amazing Gospel recording artists are joining me: 4LOVE and Alex Holt & Free Worship. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Please bring your best donation so that we can be a tremendous blessing to these organizations. And for my friends outside of the Hampton Roads community, I welcome your donations to this cause. Let’s work together to make a difference in the lives of those in need. Let’s be the hands and feet of Jesus, together.

2010-01-01T18:38:00.000-05:00

My 40-Day Fast

3-Days – January 2-4
Liquid Fast: Consuming only juices, soy or almond milk, and water. No carbonated beverages, no “strong drink,” no pureed foods (blended into liquid form). This fast will be truly milk, juices and water.

3-Days – January 5-7
Eden Fast: Consuming only juices, soy or almond milk, water, raw fruits, raw vegetables. This can include canned, jarred or bottled fruits or vegetables as well as salads consisting of fruits and vegetables. However, no cooked food will be consumed.

28-Days – January 8-February 4
Daniel Fast: Consuming only juices, soy or almond milk, water, raw fruits, raw vegetables, cooked fruits and cooked vegetables. With the Daniel fast, some people go as far as to avoid refined and processed food products (artificial flavorings, food additives, chemicals, white flour, white rice, etc.), solid fats (shortening, margarine, etc.), leavened bread (sandwich bread, etc.) and beverages (tea, herbal tea, etc.). I won’t be that meticulous. The scriptures don’t detail this fast in that type of excruciating detail so I won’t either.

3-Days – February 5-7
Eden Fast: Consuming only juices, soy or almond milk, water, raw fruits, raw vegetables. This can include canned, jarred or bottled fruits or vegetables as well as salads consisting of fruits and vegetables. However, no cooked food will be consumed.

3-Days – February 8-10
Liquid Fast: Consuming only juices, soy or almond milk, and water. No carbonated beverages, no “strong drink,” no pureed foods (blended into liquid form). This fast will be truly milk, juices and water.

Throughout the 40 days I will also be fasting from TV, movies, casual web surfing (not related to work or scriptural studies – including hanging out on facebook & twitter), listening to secular music, reading secular material – unless it is work-related. I will devote special time to the study of God’s word and prayer.

2009-09-22T14:07:00.003-04:00

IT WAS ALREADY IN MY HAND!!

We sat down and looked at the task in front of us. It seemed HUGE! So huge, in fact, that we didn’t want to crunch the numbers and see how much it was going to actually cost. But then God took me once again to that scripture that says… “Write the vision…” (Hab 2:2) and reminded me that in order for me to see it clearly, I needed to write it out. So I did. As I started writing out what needed to be done, God dropped another scripture in my heart. I was reminded of when God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” (Ex 4:2) Moses had a rod already in his hand. God chose to use Moses’ rod to work the miracles that brought about the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt. I didn’t even know what I already had in my hand.

I looked deeply and noticed that I had a practically completed project already – one that wouldn’t take away from Bigger Than I Imagined. You see, on the night of the live recording we included some concert remixes of songs that were recorded on Worship Of A Redeemed Man. I also had a couple of tracks that were recorded but we had decided not to include on Bigger Than I Imagined. On top of that, I had another song that I recorded in demo form that made a huge impact on everyone who heard it. When I rubbed my eyes and looked at it all again I realized that I had a full project that I could release right now. I had already mixed it. We had already done background vocal overdubs. It was already tight and only needed a few tweaks. While it hadn’t gone through all the commercial fixes (band overdubs, mixing by my guru – Rob Ulsh, etc.), it was definitely something I could release and be proud of. And it would have a very low overhead.

So, I pulled the team together and we considered where we are, where we needed to go, and what it was going to cost. I shared with them the vision that God had given me for our “Capital Campaign.” Everyone jumped on board and Worship Unplugged was born.

So, on October 3rd, we will officially release Worship Unplugged. The CD Release Listening Party will be held at 7:30PM at Gethsemane Community Fellowship Baptist Church. This project is all about worship. It is designed to take you right to the face of God. This is the kind of CD that you can play when you are in your personal prayer time. It is the kind of CD that can change your life. What amazes me is that I didn’t even know that I had it in my hand.

God is so AWESOME!!!

2009-08-19T01:06:00.003-04:00

IT'S A LONG WALK FROM THE STREET
My Eulogy for Christopher Mims Simmons, Jr.

This is the manuscript from the eulogy that I gave on Monday, August 17, 2009 at the memorial service for my friend Chris - who most of you know as "Joe."

This morning, we have gathered in this place to remember and to say farewell to our brother, father, son and friend, Christopher Mims Simmons, Jr. It is my distinguished honor to stand before you and share a few words to inspire and encourage this family and to highlight a few memories from the incredible journey that I shared with my friend. I would like to read a passage from the Holy Scriptures that I will use to help guide my moment of sharing. It is found in the first three verses of the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John. We hear Jesus say these words, “1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

As a thought or topic for what I will share with you today, I’d like to borrow the title of the blog that I’ve been writing about my journey with Chris, that title being – IT’S A LONG WALK FROM THE STREET.

Chris’ life was pretty unique. His story is pretty complex. His journey was filled with twists and turns. But when I step back – now that we see the final chapter that will be lived out on this earth – I notice that his physical journey is much like the spiritual journey that we all must take.

The story of Chris starts out in his father’s house. He was born into a family that loved him and a family that he loved. He told me about his wonderful father – the longshoreman. He told me about his loving mother. He told me about his days growing up. He told me about how he used to sing. We would talk about things that he experienced in this neighborhood as a child. He drew the picture of the old landscape – the houses that used to be here. The playground where he played. The schools he attended – all of this, while he was in his father’s house. He was born into a family.

This reminds me of the story of mankind. We were born into the family of God. The bible teaches us that in the beginning God said – “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” – and here we came. We were born into God’s family. We lived in the Garden of Eden – a place of fellowship with God – or can I call it Our Father’s House. We experienced the voice of God. We had a relationship with God. One day, God expanded the family after performing the first surgery, removing one of Adam’s ribs, and creating a wife for him. Together, they lived in the family of God – in relationship with God. They lived in innocence. There was no sin, no wrong-doings, no crime, no evil, no hatred, no pain, no sickness, no death. They were living a life of pure bliss. This is the beginning of our story. We were all a part of that innocence. We are Adam’s seed.

It would have been great if Chris’ story didn’t change. But there was something that happened. Chris experienced something huge, something that changed everything, something that brought a huge trick bag. Chris faced LIFE. Life brought him a whole lot of things. Life brought Chris some temptations, some trials and some troubles. Life brought him some headaches, some heartache and some heartbreak. Life brought him some sickness, some sadness and some sorrow. Life brought him some losses, some lashes, and some lessons. Life came with a loaded bag. And as a result of life, Chris lost his place in his father’s house. He went from place to place – taking shelter wherever he could. He tried to maintain the relationships he knew. He had already lost his father and mother. He tried to maintain his relationship with his brother, his sister, his stepmother and his daughter. But life! Life had brought him some things that made relationships rocky and things that made companionship costly. Very soon, Chris found himself alone, isolated, separated and vulnerable – all because of Life. After an unfortunate series of events and in incredible run of circumstances, Chris found himself on the street. He was homeless. And while there are shelters around this town that provide for the homeless, Chris couldn’t get in a shelter because – he had lost his identification. He could no longer prove who he was.

Adam faced life, too. Life brought Adam that bag of tricks – and soon, sin was born in the world. And because of sin, Adam lost his place in his father’s house and found himself homeless, living on the street, without his identity. You and I came out of our mother’s wombs in that condition. We were born into a life with an open trick-bag. We were born without our identity. Sometimes we find temporary shelter from the storms of life – but without a relationship with our father, we always find ourselves right back on the street.

This is where I met Chris. He was living in the bushes, just around the block from here. Some of the ministers and members from Gethsemane had reached out their hands and helped Chris along his journey. I remember that Wednesday evening in November that my wife, Sharon, was touched with compassion and said, “Let’s go back and see if that man is still out there in the bushes. If he is, let’s take him some food.” Now, I had just recently prayed for a more compassionate, giving heart. My wife seemed to have always had that kind of heart and I wanted it, too. God used Sharon to show me Chris. Then God used Chris to show me how to love.

Chris and I started bonding. Chris would come to church and we would talk. I found myself driven to help him. Now, I thought – okay, he’s homeless. Let’s get him in a shelter, let’s get him into rehab, and let’s get him back on track. But once we started the journey, I realized that it’s a LONG WALK from the street. You see, I had no idea how hard it is for a person to regain their identity once it is lost. I had no idea how difficult it was for someone to get the medical attention they need without medical insurance. I had no idea how difficult it was for someone to navigate the Human Services system. I had no idea how difficult it is for some persons with legitimate disabilities to receive disability assistance. I had no idea just how long a walk it was from the street. All I knew was that God had connected me to Chris and I had to see it through. There was new kind of compassion birthed inside of me; a new drive and desire was burning in my heart. I wanted to see Chris back in his father’s house with his identity and with the benefits he deserved as a citizen of this great land.

I believe that this is where Jesus found us. We were on the streets. We had lost our identity. But Jesus had such a burning desire to see us back in our Father’s house that he laid down his life on the cross of Calvary so that we could have right standing with God. Jesus became our path back home. He restored our relationship with the Father. It is through His powerful act of love that we regain our identity as children of God. It is through His act of love that we receive all of the benefits of being a citizen of God’s kingdom. It is through His act of love that our sins are forgiven and we are saved. I believe that John 3:16 says it very clearly, “For God so loved the world that He gave… “

I remember the day that Chris and I sat in Alice Mae’s restaurant and he called his brother. I remember the look of relief on his face when he made contact with Harry. I remember that day in my car when Chris called Renee. I remember him being so happy when he heard your voice. I remember the tears that ran down his face when he gave me back the phone – because he was so happy to talk with his daughter. I remember the day that we left the DMV office when Chris had finally gotten his state ID card. I remember watching this wonderful metamorphosis take place from Sunday to Sunday. I remember seeing Chris come in with new outfit after new outfit. I remember us talking about Mary always shopping for him. He would say, “I don’t need no more new clothes.” I would remind him that this was Mary’s way of say, “I love you.” Then he’d open his jacket and say, “I know.” You see, by now he was living in his father’s house again. And now that he was back in his father’s house, his life was blossoming. He was eating again. Mary was feeding him good. He was in relationship with his family again.

But of everything I saw, I was most excited about the fact that Chris had entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship had brought about a major change in his life. Chris had gotten free from things that many people never get free from. This guy was free from the vices that had nearly destroyed his life. God had done a work in Chris that was obvious. And every Sunday – rain, snow or shine – Chris made his way to the house of the Lord to worship God. He made himself a part of the Gethsemane family where he was surrounded by people who loved and cared for him.

I thought that perhaps this was as far as I needed to go with Chris. But the Sunday came when I noticed that I didn’t see Chris in church. We found out that Chris had gone into the hospital. Over the next few weeks there was a part of the journey that none of us were prepared for – except Chris. You see, he had gone from his father’s house – to the street – and back into his father’s house. But now he was slipping out the back door of his earthly father’s house into the front door of his Heavenly Father’s mansion. We didn’t see this coming. I thought that he would be coming back to his house on Reservoir Avenue – but God had already decided that the journey had been long enough. Now, it was time for Chris to slip away – from the back door of his earthly father’s house – into the front room of rest in his Heavenly Father’s house.

This is a part of the journey that we all must face one day. We will be brought to the back door of life. But it doesn’t have to be a fearful moment if we follow Chris’ example – he prepared for his eternity. Despite the things that life had thrown at him, the struggles that he had to endure, the times he had fallen and had to get up, despite the loneliness, despite the dark days, despite the mistakes, despite the illness – Chris made a decision to receive Jesus as his Savior. Because of that decision, Chris faced his last days with peace and dignity. And now, he’s resting in the arms of his Heavenly Father. Let’s follow that example.

Chris, you know I love you. My life is forever changed because of you. I’ll see you again when we meet in Heaven.

2009-08-11T13:55:00.007-04:00

IT'S A LONG WALK TO THE STREET - A journey with a guy called "Joe" - the full version!!

This is a long story that is still in the making. So, I’m going to have to tell it to you in pieces.

Part 1

It all started one night as we were leaving church. My wonderful wife has a tremendous heart, which I covet. She is a giver to the core. She’s the kind of person who literally gives the clothes off her back, takes jewelry off her neck and wrists and food from our refrigerator. Every time I’ve wanted to get upset at how much she gives I have to consider how little I give and it makes me repentant. Having had her brother live homeless for a while caused her to become particularly sensitive to homelessness.

We were pulling into the church one evening, headed to the back parking lot and my wife noticed a person lying in a makeshift bed on the ground in the bushes near the church. Brought nearly to tears, she couldn’t dismiss the image from her mind. All that evening, she kept mentioning the person in the bushes. After service, we got in our car and she said to me, “Let’s drive around again and see if the person in the bushes is still there. If he or she is, I want to take them something to eat.” At that time, we were distributing some food from the church’s pantry to persons who were in need of immediate assistance. We circled the block and found the person still there. We didn’t stop because we didn’t want to make the person suspicious or self-conscious. Immediately returning to the church, my wife gathered a bag full of food from the pantry that could sustain this person for a few days. We got back in the car and headed back to the bushes.

Not knowing how this person would respond, I told my wife, “You stay in the car and I’ll go out.” I stepped out of the car, walked toward to makeshift bed and called out, “Excuse me. Excuse me.”

Part 2

This older gentleman unwrapped himself from the bedding and came toward me, clothed in his hat and coat. I told him that my wife and I wanted to bless him with some food. Yes, I admit, I probably didn’t deserve any credit whatsoever. By this time, I heard the dinging of the car. Looking over my shoulder, I saw my wife coming into the clearing where this gentleman and me were standing. I introduced myself and my wife to him. He told us that his name was “Joe”. We told him that we were from the church on the corner. He said that he’d been there several times and knew our pastor. Joe gave us big hugs, showing obvious gratitude for the food we had given him. We invited him to church and he agreed to come.

The following Sunday, sure enough, he was there – sitting in the back. My wife and I got to speak with him after service. He seemed surprised that we remembered his name. I was certainly surprised that he remembered ours.

Ever since then, we couldn’t pass that spot without looking for Joe.

Not long after, I found myself reminiscing on a recent self-evaluation where I cited that I needed to become better at caring for people not only in the immediate moment but carrying their plight to completion – helping them get to that point that things actually get better. I remembered the revelation of how easy it is for me to pray for someone in the immediate moment – then forget about their pain the next day. I wanted God to work on my heart and help me to care enough to carry people in my heart.

Every few weeks I’d see Joe at service. We stayed acquainted. I made sure he didn’t forget me and my wife’s names. I prayed for him often – that God would protect him and provide for him. Several times I wondered what his story was… what brought him to this stage of life. Yeah, this guy was actually on my heart.

Part 3

Our church does wonderful things in the community. For Thanksgiving, like many other churches, we provide food for persons in need. Joe came to the church on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to receive the gifts we were giving and to share in the Thanksgiving service that we held. It was a GREAT service. Afterward, I got a chance to sit and talk with Joe. He shared with me that he was going to give the food he was receiving to a couple of households that help him out so that they could cook the food and give him some of it. He knew that he didn’t have any way of preparing the food himself so he needed to share it if he was going to eat any of it.

Finally, I felt comfortable enough to ask him the one question that had been bouncing around in my head. “Why aren’t you staying in a shelter?” Joe began to explain to me that all of his ID had been lost or stolen and you can’t stay in a shelter without ID. He said he tried to get his ID but found out he needed his birth certificate – and he lost that as well. So he just gave up.

This was the moment for me. This was when it became clear that I was changing. I didn’t feel a hope or wish that someone would help Joe. I felt like this man was now my responsibility. Having worked in a homeless shelter and recovery center before, I had an idea of what I was getting into. I knew that there would be a chance that I could get this guy all the help he needed and get him into a nice residence – and he would end up back on the streets. But, I also knew that this was what I had prayed for. I wanted to be the hands and feet of Jesus and reach out to someone in need. Joe was my man at that pool of Bethesda and I needed to be Jesus, motivating him to rise up and walk.

Part 4

We made a date for that Monday. I would meet him at the church and take him to wherever we needed to go to get him on his feet. Joe expressed his pessimism about my offer. “Don’t be like everybody else,” he said, telling me about the several times people offered to help him and didn’t show up. I assured him that I would be there when I promised.

Monday:
I arrived at the church early because I really didn’t know what to do. I knew that my pastor’s wife – Sister Houston (yeah… I’m Pentecostal. You know we call everyone without an official ecclesiastical title “brother” or “sister”) had recently worked with a gentleman that needed assistance and may have some advice. She recommended a city agency called Second Chances. This organization is designed to give a new opportunity to people that have been incarcerated or have somehow fallen through the cracks of society. Homeless persons like Joe qualified for their assistance. We started there.

When we arrived at the City Hall Building where their office is located, we were told by the security officers that Joe and I would have to wait downstairs until someone from Second Chances’ office came down and escorted us upstairs. You see… you cannot even go upstairs to a city office without an ID card – and Joe didn’t have ID.

A nice gentleman came and escorted us to their office. When we entered, I ran into “Julie.” She and I served together in music ministry some years ago and had a good friendship. She is a great Christian who loved helping people. I didn’t realize that she worked for this city agency. And, sure enough, she was the person that took Joe’s case.

We sat in her small office and Joe began answering the interview questions. I started noticing something that I hadn’t paid attention to before. Joe was pretty sharp. I mean… when I thought of homeless people I often thought of someone of lesser intelligence; someone who wouldn’t be able to do quick math in their head; someone who wouldn’t remember a lot of details. But Joe! This dude was on in! At first Julie was asking the questions and kinda’ leaning to me for the answers. Soon we both realized that Joe had it. He remembered dates of incidences that I would’ve probably forgotten. He was doing quick math and calculating time. I started seeing a glimpse of who this man must have been before his life took the turns that it took.

Julie made some calls and connected with some other agencies. Soon, she gave us some instruction. She told us places to go and people to ask for who would give us the things we needed. Joe needed food, clothes and shelter. He also needed some way of sustaining his life. But, most importantly, he needed some ID. Julie put us on the track. It was late morning by the time we left but we felt like it was time well spent.

Part 5

When we left the Second chances office we went directly to the Department of Human Services office. Now, Julie had spoken with that office already and told us that “Bill” was the one to see but he wasn’t available and she hadn’t been able to get him on the phone. But “Sally” would help us when we got there and she’d get us in to see Bill. Well, when we got to that office, we discovered that Sally was actually at another office, but Bill was there. However, Bill was headed to lunch and wouldn’t be able to see us until mid afternoon. It was a “hurry up and wait” kind of situation.

So Joe and I went to investigate the Salvation Army to see if Joe could spend the night there. I really didn’t want Joe to have to spend another single night in the bushes. When we got there, we were informed that Joe would have to have ID of some sort – either DMV or City ID. We also found out that Joe’s stay would only be for 3 nights. After which, he would have to relocate to another facility. They no longer offered long-term or 30-day stays. However, they did provide meals. So, a person that was staying at their shelter could receive breakfast and dinner at the facility if they came at the right times. We also found out that one of the pre-requisites for staying at their shelter was that you had to be “clean and sober.” If you came and they found that you had been drinking, you would be expelled. And they do test you to see if you had been drinking.

Now, this was a potential problem for Joe. You see, most homeless people use alcohol – not merely for recreation, but for survival. Alcohol takes the edge off their situation; it dulls the reality that they don’t have a place to sleep other than under a bridge, in an alley or in some bushes. It also dulls the senses so that they don’t feel the cold weather as acutely as they would if they were sober. Alcohol also helps them not think about the painful issues that influenced their lives and led them to the stage of homelessness. So, you see, alcohol is like a friend to the homeless. And I could tell by Joe’s distinct aroma that he indulged in alcohol.

When Joe and I got back in the car, we started talking about the importance of him abstaining from alcohol while he was staying at the Salvation Army – if we were able to get him in there. He assured me that he would be able to do it. I didn’t know if I could rest in that assurance or not – but I didn’t have a choice.

Part 6

We went back to Bill’s office. We had about an hour before he would be able to see us. So we sat and waited… and waited… and waited. We read books, watched TV, talked… and waited. We talked about Joe’s family, my family, Joe’s childhood, my hometown, the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday… any and everything we could think of so that Joe wouldn’t get frustrated and say, “I give up.”

During that conversation, I discovered that Joe has a stepmother that lives right across the street from the bushes where he was sleeping. He also has a brother that lives about 15 minutes away. Joe even has a daughter who is married and lives in the neighboring city. Joe became a father at age 14. He never was able to maintain employment because he was epileptic and subject to seizures. He has a bone condition – Osteoporosis – which has led to two broken hips and a knee fracture. As a result, Joe has rods in both hips and a pin in his knee. Joe walks with a limp and doesn’t have good balance. Seeing him walk, one would easily assume that he is intoxicated.

Finally, we were called in to Bill’s office. Now, I was expecting that great and mighty things would happen. I thought that this was the place that held the keys to everything Joe needed. Bill would help Joe get into a shelter, get clothing, get food, get food stamps, get medical assistance. I was dreaming.

Bill was a kind gentleman. He gathered Joe’s information. As Bill went through his computer archives he found that Joe was already in the system. They had qualified him for food stamps before. They even had a copy of his old ID card, food stamps card and birth certificate on record. Oh, I was about to jump out of my seat and do a dance! Bill ordered a new copy of Joe’s birth certificate to be sent to Joe’s stepmother’s home. Then he told us about the City ID card – which he said would be a lot better than the temporary ID card that we were told about earlier from Julie. Bill made some calls and put a package together so that we could go the next morning and get the ID card made.

Then came the surprise. This was all that Bill was going to be able to do from his office. We would have to go to several other offices to get the other things that were needed. While Bill had gotten the ball rolling, we would have to run behind it to make the journey successful.

As we left his office, I started thinking about something. How could a person who doesn’t have a car do all the things that it takes to no longer be homeless?

When Joe came and met me that morning, he had his “Cadillac” with him – his shopping cart that he pushes around all the time, collecting bottles and cans – especially any bottle that had any left over alcohol in it. He also used it to collect any discarded food items so that he could eat it when he got hungry. We parked the cart behind the church when we left that Monday morning. It broke my heart that I had to bring him back to that cart on Monday evening and watch him stroll back down the street to the bushes and sleep one more night under that tent.

Part 7:

Tuesday:
With renewed vigor and determination, I met Joe at the church that next morning. I had been praying for wisdom and direction. The challenges became clearer to me. But my goal was ever before me. By the time I was done, Joe wasn’t going to be living in the bushes. He’d be staying at some shelter somewhere, some housing facility, some safe place… but not the bushes.

Our first stop for the day was Hardee’s. Like the previous day, I wanted to feed Joe. I wanted to restore within him the value of starting the day with a hot breakfast. He liked the sausage biscuit with egg & cheese. He liked it with coffee – I like it with orange juice. It was a good time to talk about our lives and for me to get more acquainted with Joe. The day before, after leaving the Department of Human Services where we met with Bill, Joe and I went to Alice Mae’s Restaurant for a late lunch. While we ate (Joe couldn’t believe how much I was eating. I actually surprised myself too. I was hungry!) Joe told me about his childhood. He explained the effect epilepsy and osteoporosis had on his life. He called and spoke with his daughter and his brother. So, sitting at a meal was our time of bonding. This Tuesday morning would be no different.

After breakfast, we went to the City Hall building and waited for our escort to take us up to The Office to End Homelessness. The receptionist received us and began to gather Joe’s information. During our interaction I sensed that she was a person of faith and later discovered that she was a minister of the Gospel. Once she gathered all the information that she needed, she escorted Joe and me back to the first floor to an office where Joe was able to get a City of Norfolk ID Card.

As Joe took his ID photo, I saw the weight of hopelessness lifting from his shoulders. When the City agent handed Joe his card, it was like a wonderful Christmas gift. I saw a smile on his face that I hadn’t seen before. I was fighting back the tears. You see, without certified ID, you can’t really prove who you are. You don’t exist in the system. It’s easy to become homeless without ID. But with an ID card, Joe could get off the street. He could get in a shelter. As a matter of fact, we didn’t need an escort to go back upstairs in the City Hall building. As we walked out of the City ID office headed back up to the Office To End Homelessness, Joe kept saying “Thank You. You really came through.” I just assured him that I was doing what Jesus would want me to do.

Part 8:
When we got back upstairs, we met with “Keli.” We sat and talked at length about Joe’s case. I realized that I had become a case-worker for my friend. We looked at what the goals were for Joe’s case. We talked about what had been done previously before Joe became homeless. We realized that he was obviously qualified to received government assistance – including disability. However, he was denied. When he received the notice that he had been denied, Joe didn’t pursue it any further.

Keli explained to us that the government office has a practice of denying a certain percentage of the disability claims that they receive regardless of whether the applicants are qualified or not. If an applicant appeals the denial then the office will take a serious look at the application. However, most people don’t know this. Instead, they will either assume that the denial is final and not move on it any further; or they will reapply, which puts them in that category of first time applicants again and set them up to be denied once more. Keli told us that we can expect to be denied – but to appeal the denial. She noted that the fact that Joe had previously received General Assistance payments was a good indicator that he was qualified for disability.

She further assisted us with clarifying the goals for Joe’s case. He needed to be examined by a physician to establish medical records. Some time ago Joe had his medical records from the physician that did his surgeries but all of that information was lost when he was evicted from an earlier residence. He needed to see a social worker and get a case established. He needed to get into a shelter right away. He needed to get to another city office and apply for food stamps. He needed to get into a rehab facility to assist him with getting clean and sober from alcoholism. With all of this done, there would be the possibility that he could get into a city housing facility where he could be self sufficient.

Lofty goals? Most definitely.

When we left Keli’s office, we went to the Ghent Area Ministry. This place provided a lot of assistance for homeless persons. But the one thing that Joe needed from them that day was clothing. You see, Joe’s clothes were soiled and tattered. We were headed into the dead of winter so Joe needed sufficient clothing for the upcoming weather. He needed clothing that would give him a better outlook on his life. We found just what he needed. They had warm outdoor clothing. They had nice dress clothing. They had great winter coats. Joe got the amount of clothing that they allotted for each homeless person that came through – a coat, a couple of pairs of pants, a couple of shirts, a couple of sweaters, a pair of shoes, etc. We left with a large bag of items that this wonderful ministry gave Joe.

It was now my turn to give. I took Joe to Wal-Mart. We found him some comfortable underwear, socks, washcloths, a bath towel, a toothbrush and toothpaste, some deodorant, and a comfortable hiking backpack to carry his things in. Being homeless and navigating the shelters requires mobility. You need to be able to move all of your belongings quickly.

Part 9:
Our next move was getting Joe qualified for food stamps. We were told to go to the office at the Park Place Community Center. When we arrived there, we found out that they actually only give out the applications but you have to turn in the application at the Little Creek office of the Department of Human Services – which is clear on the other side of town. As we walked back to my car, we asked each other how in the world a homeless person with no car and no help would ever be able to navigate this system and go to all of these offices. It would be so easy to just give up.

We arrived at the Little Creek office. This was a huge facility where hundreds of people were seeking assistance. After asking enough questions we found out that we would not be helped that day. But our best chance was to come back on the following morning before the doors open and be one of the first people in line. That way, we would be seen that same day. Well, at least we had a game plan and knew what to expect.

So, we left there and headed to the Salvation Army shelter. With Joe’s new City ID card, he was received as a guest for the night. However, his stay at the Salvation Army would only last through Thanksgiving night. That Friday morning, he would need a new place to stay.

Joe packed what he needed for that night into his new backpack and left the rest of his belongings in my car since he didn’t need to carry the extra weight around. It was so satisfying to know that this night, Joe would not be sleeping in the bushes. As I was about to get in my car and Joe was headed into the line for the shelter, he stopped in his tracks and turned around. He put the bags down and said, “Come here.” As I walked toward him, Joe opened his arms and gave me this huge hug. I fought back the tears once again as he said, “Thank you. God bless you. I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for you.” I thought to myself, “no more bushes for you, man.”

Later, I picked up my wife from work and we talked about the events of the day. She shared with me how at that Thanksgiving service at our church, Joe told her that he didn’t think he would be alive much longer. His view on his life was very pessimistic. I was so moved to know that God was using me to help this man and to change the conditions of his life. But, I was also very concerned about the rest of the week.

You see I didn’t have the opportunity to get him into the Union Mission, which offered a 30-day shelter. Also, I knew that what Joe needed was a 6-month rehabilitation facility where he could be in a different environment. The Salvation Army offered that service but the Union Mission didn’t. So, it would work toward the long-term goal to get Joe into the Salvation Army records. But the thing that made me most concerned was the fact that Sharon and I had a family trip for the Thanksgiving weekend and would be leaving town on Wednesday evening. So, Joe’s family was going to have to intervene and get him into the shelter at the Union Mission or take him into their homes. But if they hadn’t intervened to this point and had allowed him to be on the street, why would they do it now? This had me very nervous. It raised the very real possibility that Joe could end up back under those bushes on Friday night after Thanksgiving.

Part 10:

Wednesday:

Prior to this day, Joe and I had always met up at 9:30AM. But on this Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we needed to meet up at 6:45 AM so we could get near the front of the line that started forming around 7:00. We grabbed breakfast from McDonalds and got a spot in the line. We weren’t far from the front.

We stood there until the outer lobby area we were in was crowded. As more and more people crowded in, more and more attitudes crowded in. Persons with overbearing personalities began to enter. Young ladies in their pajamas began to enter. People who wanted to maneuver to the front of the line began to enter. People who were willing to challenge the security officer began to enter. Once, the security officer threatened to put the entire crowd outside and clear the outer lobby because of the people that wanted to challenge his authority. Sensing that it wasn’t a good idea to pull that authority card, the officer managed to control the crowd while we remained in the lobby.

Eventually, we were permitted to enter the inner lobby – and in the order we had entered the building at that. Thank you, Jesus! Joe and I stood there in line until we were all called into another room. Soon, Joe’s name was called. We went in to an office with “Brad.” He was a very nice, seasoned gentleman. We talked at length. He sternly encouraged Joe to get registered to vote and to exercise his right to vote as an African-American. We talked about the historic election of President Barack Obama and what it meant to the African-American community. Brad told us stories of his time in the military. We talked about the state of young people in America. Brad was a talker. But he was also a man of action. He approved Joe for Food Stamps. Joe’s card would be ready on that Friday.

When we left Brad’s office, Joe was a happy man. He could see that things were starting to come together. I was happy too, but I was also a bit nervous because I knew we were headed into a weekend when I wasn’t going to be in town and Joe was going to need help. We went to Joe’s stepmother’s house to drop off Joe’s extra clothes and belongings that he didn’t want to carry around in his backpack. This was my first face-to-face encounter with her. She was a kindly assertive woman. She seemed genuinely appreciative for what was being done for her stepson.

Once we left there, we left for the Salvation Army shelter. Joe and I had a nice long talk on the way there. We talked about him staying sober. We talked about him calling his family and trying to spend Thanksgiving Day with them. We talked about him trying to get in the Union Mission by the weekend for the 30-day stay. I wanted to make sure Joe was prepared for success while I was away. I also wanted him prepared in case of disappointment. I really didn’t know what to expect. After another brotherly hug, I pulled off and Joe headed in to his residence for the evening.

Part 11:
Joe had given me his brother, stepmother and daughter’s telephone numbers. As my family and I rode out of Virginia Beach that afternoon on our way to our holiday gathering in Georgia, I made several calls. I called Julie at Second Chances and Keli at the Office to End Homelessness to let them know how things had gone and where we were in the process. I told them about my concerns for the upcoming weekend. They both made it clear to me that I had done all I could do that week and that we had accomplished much more than most people accomplish in much more time. They told me that it would take a while for Joe’s relationship with his family members to be restored but that I needed to empower his family to help him make the transition from homelessness.

Next, I called Joe’s stepmother, brother and daughter. I informed each of them of our accomplishments that week. I informed them that I was headed out of town and made them aware of Joe’s challenges as of Friday morning. I encouraged them to take the responsibility to get Joe to the Union Mission that weekend and get him into their 30-day shelter program. After speaking with everyone I could speak with, all I could do was pray that the Holy Spirit would move on the hearts of everyone involved and that they would help Joe to the best of their ability.

You see, Joe’s story wasn’t the story of the typical American. Joe’s situation evolved over several years. His father was a merchant seaman. His mother was an alcoholic. When Joe’s father was out at sea, Joe’s mother had a difficult time dealing with being alone. Joe’s father would come home for brief periods of time and then be gone again. While the money was good, the family unit suffered. Joe’s mother stayed intoxicated most of the time. While Joe and his brother were very young, his mother introduced them to alcohol. They became alcoholics as children. Their mother encouraged them to drink. Joe was very smart in school. He always had good grades and a sharp mind. At age 14, Joe became a father with one of the 16 year-old girls in the neighborhood.

Part 12:

Battling epilepsy made his life difficult. He was prone to seizures. His grandparents, being in a financial position to make sure that he never had to work, became unwitting enablers. Joe never held a job for more than a couple of months. He also has osteoporosis. Because of a couple of common falls and tumbles, Joe had broken both hips. So, he never developed the sense of responsibility that befalls most adults.

Eventually, her physician informed Joe’s mother that she had to stop drinking or she would die. But she could not break the addiction – and the doctor’s prediction came to pass. Joe and his brother were left in their home without a mother and with a traveling father.

Soon, his father married a woman from an island off the coast of Africa and brought her home. This woman now had the task of entering the life of these two young men – Joe, the older of the two, was only 8 years younger then her. She was the “stepmother.” Shortly thereafter, Joe’s father died. After realizing the difficulty of having two grown alcoholic men in her new home, the widowed stepmother told the young men that they needed to start working and help or move out on their own. The younger brother did both.

Joe, however, moved in with a friend who didn’t require him to work and pay rent. Joe was getting government assistance because of his disability and used it to contribute to the household. After a few years, he could no longer live with this friend. He moved in with a young lady. In lieu of rent, Joe helped out with watching her kids. A few years later, she was evicted. Joe moved in with another guy. A few years later this guys lost his residence. This pattern went on for the rest of Joe’s life.

Finally, at 58 years old, Joe had no one else to live with. His alcohol addiction destroyed the relationships he had with his family. His brother had become a weekend drinker – staying sober during the workweek so that he could support his own wife and kids. Joe’s brother’s children didn’t really know Joe because he didn’t spend sober time around them. Joe didn’t establish a relationship with his daughter. She knew him but didn’t have the kind of relationship where she could bring him into her home with her husband and kids. Joe’s stepmother had tried again to let Joe live with her but it didn’t last. You see, she worked the overnight shift and had come home a few mornings to find her door wide open with Joe gone from the house – and later returning in a drunken stupor. Other mornings she had come home to find Joe and some of drinking buddies from the street corner in the house. Eventually, she put Joe out.

Part 13:

So, this is how we got here. After burning relationship after relationship because of an addiction from his youth, Joe was now a homeless man with very little hope.

I remember listening to – then, President-elect Barack Obama as he encouraged this nation to find a way to help our own communities. I remember the story of the Good Samaritan who took out the time to rescue someone who was of another culture but in need of help. I remember all the times in the scriptures when Jesus made himself accessible to the crowd and would stop in the midst of his hectic schedule to help people. I remember the stories of how Jesus would be on his way to an important appointment but would deviate from his agenda to tend to the need of someone whose path he happened to cross.

How can we as Christians be too busy to deviate from our schedules and help people in our communities? How can we be the body of Christ and not literally work to make this world better?

I sat in two funerals toward the end of the year and saw how these two people affected so many lives. They lived lives that truly outlived them. They did things that lived on in the people they helped. I decided that I want to do the same. I know that God didn’t just put me here to take care of Michael. I was placed on this earth to make it better. I was born to help Joe.

Saturday:
Got in the car to head back to Virginia. I couldn’t wait to start calling Joe’s family and see where things stood. I was so incredibly thrilled to find out that Joe’s brother and daughter had combined their efforts and got Joe into the Union Mission. Already, the family relationships were starting to re-emerge. Joe was on the first leg of what would be a 28-day stay.

Part 14:

That following Monday, Joe and I went to pick up his food stamps card at the Little Creek office. It was like watching a big kid get his long-awaited Christmas gift. Joe was happy. I saw hope on his face. That following Wednesday we went back to the Little Creek office for his FSET Assessment so that they could qualify him for receiving the food stamps assistance over time. They gave Joe a medical evaluation form that he would need to have a physician complete. Once a physician verified his disability, Joe would be eligible to receive all the assistance he needed.

As we left Little Creek and headed back to Joe’s stepmother’s house, we passed by the DMV office. I knew that Joe still didn’t have any proof of an address nor his social security card. But he had received a copy of his birth certificate already in the mail. For some reason, I felt like there might be a possibility we may be able to get his state ID. So we turned around and went to the DMV office. We got in line. I started praying for God’s favor. When we spoke with the woman at the counter and explained Joe’s situation, she asked if we could get someone from the Union Mission to fax a letter verifying that Joe was a resident at the shelter. I got the Union Mission on the phone. They promptly faxed the letter. After only about 1.5 hours, Joe had his state ID card. Walking out of the office, Joe looked at me and said, “You did it again.” I asked, “Did what?” He said, “You did what you said you were gonna do.” I told him that I was only trying to do what I believed Jesus would do.

That Monday, we went looking for where Joe could get seen by a physician. We went to a couple of places before we found the right place. We arrived at Park Place Medical Center. There was a sign on the door to let us know that it was closed. I then remembered that it was a holiday.

Part 15:

I haven’t given you an update on my friend Joe in quite some time. Let me get you up to date kinda quickly here. But first, I have to take you back to January.

That day that we went to Park Place Medical Center and found the facility closed due to the holiday left us with some free time. So, I took advantage of this opportunity to sit and talk with Joe and his stepmother. Joe was complaining a lot about her and she had called me a few times complaining about him. So I thought there needed to be some intervention. Sometimes when family units are reconnecting there will be bumps in the road. Sometimes there will be a need for mediation. So I sat with Joe and his stepmother. I listened to her as she complained about what Joe did and didn’t do. I listened to Joe as he complained about what she would and wouldn’t do. I prayed for wisdom and tried as best I could to mediate. By the time I left I felt that God was working in that house that that the relationship was going to grow.

Joe finally got in for his first appointment at the medical center. The doctor didn’t do too much. I wasn’t with Joe for the appointment. Several weeks later, Joe was scheduled for a follow-up doctor appointment. We arrived at the Park Place Medical Center and signed Joe in for the appointment. A few minutes later we were called to the desk and informed that Joe’s doctor didn’t come into the office that day and that the appointment would have to be rescheduled. So, we rescheduled for the following week on that Thursday. A week passed and we arrived at Park Place for our rescheduled appointment. As we were about to get out of the car, I realized that I left a document that we needed Joe’s doctor to complete. So, I dropped Joe off and left to grab the document – which was only 8 minutes away. Four minutes into my eight-minute trip I got a call from the clerk at Park Place informing me that Joe didn’t have an appointment. She explained that while they found the vacant appointment slot during our previous visit, and told us when the rescheduled appointment would be, AND gave us an appointment card… still they neglected to put Joe’s name in the slot. So, again, the appointment had to be rescheduled.

The following Tuesday, Joe called me and said that he called Park Place to make sure they had his appointment scheduled and there would be no problem when we arrived for his Wednesday appointment. When we arrived on the following day, they did have Joe’s appointment on the schedule. We arrived at 10:41 for Joe’s 10:45 appointment. About 11:00, Joe was called into the back for the nurse to take his weight, temp, pulse and BP. We were sent back to the lobby. About 12:45 we were called to the back for Joe to see the doctor. About 15 minutes later, the doctor arrived in the exam room where Joe and I had been waiting.

The physician examined Joe again, looked over the results from the blood work done at Joe’s previous visit, asked for the documents we needed her to complete… then lowered the boom on us. She informed us that, based on her findings, she could not qualify Joe as being disabled. She would complete the Department of Human Services paperwork but would state that he is able to work with limited lifting – only 15 pounds. She would continue his prescription for the chronic pain he lives with. She would write him a prescription to get a walker to help him walk, but he’s not disabled. She did also complete the form for him to temporarily have disability privileges with the public transit system. Finally, she informed Joe that he has a chronic viral condition. He thought that when he was diagnosed many years ago, it was a virus that would go away once he went through treatment. She informed us that this condition was one that doesn’t go away.

As we left that facility, I saw a look on Joe’s face that I hadn’t seen in three months. I saw hopelessness.

Part 16:

I felt frustration. After all this work to try and get Joe some assistance, this man was being told that he didn’t qualify for the assistance that our state offers. This man who had been living on the streets, whose mother introduced him to alcohol as a youth, whose life had been nearly destroyed, who had just begun hoping again, who was just now getting back on his feet, was now being told that he wasn’t qualified for this particular kind of assistance.

But, I knew that it wouldn’t be good for Joe to know what I was feeling. He needed hope. He needed to have a better perspective. So, I began to tell him that this was good news. I told him how he didn’t have to wait any longer for someone else to provide for him. He could now go out there and find some work and provide for himself. He could be self-supporting. I started reminding him of how smart he was, and that he didn’t have to get a job slinging 50-pound boxes. Instead, he could find a job where his brilliant mind would be the key asset.

We arrived back at the church and hung out for a while before Joe left. When he walked out of the door, the smile dropped from my face. I was glad that Julie from Second Chances happened to be conducting a class at the church that day and couldn’t wait to talk to her about the day’s developments.

Julie was ready to call in the cavalry. She told me that we couldn’t just let it rest with this doctor’s opinion. She pointed out the inequity in the social services system… how so many people who are much more physically able than Joe have been qualified for disability assistance. She even told me a part of her personal story. She told me that I should call Congressman Bobby Scott… or call Senator Yvonne Miller – another human rights advocate. She made it clear to me that it was time to fight for this man’s assistance.

But I had a complex combination of emotions going through my head.

Part 17

We kept fighting. As the weeks passed I noticed that Joe was coming to church every Sunday. As we talked, I found that he gave up alcohol completely – just went cold turkey. God set him free. A few weeks later, Joe told me that he gave up cigarettes. A few weeks later, Joe told me that his brother was so impressed with how God was changing Joe’s life that he decided to follow Joe and give up alcohol as well. Joe’s relationship with his stepmother was getting better and better. She had opened the door for him to stay with her temporarily – but it was turning into a permanent arrangement. They were becoming family again.

One Sunday, Joe came to greet me and I noticed his eyes were very yellow. Later that week we met. Joe began to tell me about the health problems he was having. This was before he was approved for Medicaid. We started praying that he would get approved for Medicaid quickly so that he could go to a real hospital. You see, he had been going to Park Place Medical Center, but there was nothing being done about the pains he was having in his stomach, the discoloration of his bodily fluids nor the yellowing of his eyes. He was given prescriptions for pain pills and blood pressure medicine and sent home.

Can you imagine the variety of stories that social workers hear everyday? I’m sure they have to learn how to not take these matters to heart in order to not leave work depressed each day. But while taking Joe around to a variety of appointments, I’ve discovered that sometimes some social workers can seem cold and impenetrable. I don’t know how good that is.

Then we got a big break! Joe came in one Sunday and showed me his medical records from a hospital stay some years ago. He had records that showed the virus that had been diagnosed and the bone mass loss that caused the multiple bone fractures. He finally had enough to make a case for disability. We met with the doctor at the medical center but she did very little with this information. We pressed on with an advocate with the HART (Homelessness Action Response Team) Organization. He worked with Joe’s case and fought for him.

Part 18

Finally that Sunday came when Joe walked up to me after church with a big smile on his face. He said, “Mike, I got good news. We finally got it.” He pulled out an envelope and showed me a document stating that he was qualified for Disability Assistance and Medicaid. He was so happy! So was I.

Working with Joe has shown me how insignificant our society can make homeless persons feel. We can treat them like numbers, like statistics, like a disease to society, like they aren’t a part of the same race. We can treat them like they aren’t significant. But these are people with amazing stories and a wealth of knowledge. Joe, for instance, has a great memory for dates. He’s like a walking calendar. His stories are rich with detail and history. No, he’s not insignificant.

God worked a beautiful work in Joe’s life. He has been coming to church faithfully every Sunday and has received Jesus as Savior. God saved him. He doesn’t even look like the same person.

It was always so cool to see him walk with that slow hobble into the sanctuary with his bible in his hand for the 9:30AM service. We would make our way to each other after service for our quick greeting. He’d tell me his story from that week. We’d talk about the squabbling between him and his stepmother. I’d help him see that her protective ways were efforts to express her love for him.

Then one Sunday I noticed that I hadn’t seen Joe all day.

Part 19

The following Saturday I got a call from Joe’s brother informing me that Joe had been admitted to the hospital. When I got there to see him it scared me. He looked like he was facing death. The doctors found that his liver, kidneys and pancreas had stopped functioning and his heart was starting to malfunction. They determined that the virus was the culprit and was attacking his organs – as is characteristic of this particular viral condition.

We all started praying for him. His condition went from terrible to worse. He was taken to the ICU as they fought to save his life. Finally he started getting better. But we noticed him losing weight. He couldn’t eat much. It would cause abdominal pain. The doctors noticed a mass on his pancreas but weren’t able to diagnose the cause or nature because the fluid in Joe’s abdomen prevented them from getting a scope to his pancreas to effectively see what they were dealing with. Joe was in the hospital for a couple of weeks.

Then on day the family got a call from Joe stating that they had just transferred him from the hospital to the Norfolk Health Care Center. No warning. No communication with the family. No explanation. They just put him in a medical transport and sent him to the health care center with an order for a 10-week stay.

On the first Sunday that Joe was in the health care center, my wife and I were serving communion to some of the “sick and shut-in” from our home church along with some of the our other ministers. We included Joe on our list and went to serve him. His brother was there visiting with him. As we prepared to serve Joe communion, his stepmother walked in. This was the first time I’d ever had all of them in the same room. We served communion to Joe and his stepmother. Then I asked his brother if he would like to join us for the closing prayer. This was a God moment. We prayed for God to use this moment to reconnect this family that has been disjointed for decades. We sensed the Holy Spirit moving in the room and touching hearts.

Joe is getting better. He misses being in church. Please keep him in your prayers. He told me that I could share his picture with you all. He’s like my little older brother. I love him.

Part 20:

This past Friday I received one of the worst phone calls I could ever receive. Joe’s brother called to tell me that Joe’s doctor wants the family to come to the hospital for a meeting so that they can decide on Joe’s final care in the hospital. You see, since my last post, Joe’s condition plummeted. The medical condition that he has started rapidly decaying his body. The years of alcoholism not only damaged his organs but also veiled his declining health. He didn’t realize how sick he was until his body was alcohol free. He thought that the virus that he was diagnosed with as a young man was cured. He didn’t know that it never left his body. And without taking any medication for many years, it had done irreparable damage. Today, Joe is on life support with a deteriorating body, semi conscious and nearly unresponsive.

During my last visit with Joe, I told him how much I had learned from him. I told him how he taught me the value of perseverance; how he showed me the importance of family; how he taught me to be grateful for my health and to take care of myself. I told him that I had learned how huge the struggle was for homeless persons; how much bureaucracy there is in the human services system, but I had also learned the system and now I’m better equipped to help the next person. I told Joe that I had written his story and posted it on the web so that people could see it. I told him about the many responses from people who are being touched by his life and his struggle. I assured him that his life had meaning and purpose and that God was using him to help and bless others.

Joe demonstrated to me that you can share a laugh – no matter what you’re going through. His life demonstrated the miracle working power of God in that God delivered him from his homeless condition, delivered him from alcohol addiction, delivered him from nicotine addiction, reconciled him with his family, saved him, and put such a hunger for God in him that – rain or shine – every Sunday you would see him walk from his home to church. Working with Joe taught me how to love a person back to life. I am a better man because of him.

So, Joe’s brother asked if I would go with the family to meet with the doctor. Joe’s brother doesn’t want to see him suffer any longer – especially after having witnessed their father suffer with lung cancer that traveled to his brain. He doesn’t want to see his brother endure pain and agony if there is no real chance of recovery.

It would be easier for me to receive a call from a doctor to say that my loved one had passed than to be called in to make a decision to let my loved one pass.

Yet my God works miracles. Who knows what He will do as the next act in the life of Joe.

Part 21

The End of The Beginning…

After last Sunday’s service, my Pastor, my wife, my friend and I went to visit with Joe. I had gotten a call early that morning stating that the doctor had informed Joe’s family that he didn’t expect Joe to survive for more than another 24 hours. Our church was in prayer for Joe and for his family.

When we arrived, I saw the shell of the man I knew. I knew that he was all but gone. We prayed for him. We sensed that God was bringing down the curtain on this Act and transitioning Joe for the next Act. There was a sense of peace in the room. My emotions were torn. A part of me wanted to cry because I didn’t want to see him go… I wanted to hear that laugh once more… I wanted to tell him again, “You know I love you,” and hear him reply, “Yeah, I know I love you, too.” I wanted to tell him once more, “You hang in there, now. Okay?” and hear him reply, as he always did, “What else I’m gon’ do?” I was missing him already.

But another part of me was happy. Happy that Joe was about to rest in the arms of the Father… That his stomach wasn’t going to be hurting anymore… that his knees wouldn’t be hurting anymore… that he wouldn’t have to be bored, stuck in a room with nothing but a TV and a portable CD player… that he wouldn’t have to fight with the system to get the help he needed. I was happy that his family had rallied with him… that he had reconnected with his daughter… that his brother and stepmother were working together. I was happy that Joe had met Jesus… that his soul had been saved… that his life had been changed… that his habits had been broken… that his bondages had been loosed… that his hope had been restored… and that he was now being healed right in the valley of the shadow of death.

About 30 minutes after we left the hospital, I got a call from Joe’s stepmother, informing me that Joe had just passed away.

My friend has finally completed his long walk from the street. He went from the street to the front door of the house that was once occupied by his father and mother. And now he had slipped out the back door of his earthly house into the front door of his Heavenly Father’s house. The journey was now complete.

Christopher Mims Simmons, Jr. aka Joe, I will never forget you. Thank you for letting God use you to teach me how to love. Rest well, my brother. I will see you when I, too, pass through that back door and enter into the front door of our Father’s house.

You know I love you.

2009-08-11T10:49:00.003-04:00

IT'S A LONG WALK FROM THE STREET - A journey with a guy called "Joe" - part 21

The End of The Beginning…

After last Sunday’s service, my Pastor, my wife, my friend and I went to visit with Joe. I had gotten a call early that morning stating that the doctor had informed Joe’s family that he didn’t expect Joe to survive for more than another 24 hours. Our church was in prayer for Joe and for his family.

When we arrived, I saw the shell of the man I knew. I knew that he was all but gone. We prayed for him. We sensed that God was bringing down the curtain on this Act and transitioning Joe for the next Act. There was a sense of peace in the room. My emotions were torn. A part of me wanted to cry because I didn’t want to see him go… I wanted to hear that laugh once more… I wanted to tell him again, “You know I love you,” and hear him reply, “Yeah, I know I love you, too.” I wanted to tell him once more, “You hang in there, now. Okay?” and hear him reply, as he always did, “What else I’m gon’ do?” I was missing him already.

But another part of me was happy. Happy that Joe was about to rest in the arms of the Father… That his stomach wasn’t going to be hurting anymore… that his knees wouldn’t be hurting anymore… that he wouldn’t have to be bored, stuck in a room with nothing but a TV and a portable CD player… that he wouldn’t have to fight with the system to get the help he needed. I was happy that his family had rallied with him… that he had reconnected with his daughter… that his brother and stepmother were working together. I was happy that Joe had met Jesus… that his soul had been saved… that his life had been changed… that his habits had been broken… that his bondages had been loosed… that his hope had been restored… and that he was now being healed right in the valley of the shadow of death.

About 30 minutes after we left the hospital, I got a call from Joe’s stepmother, informing me that Joe had just passed away.

My friend has finally completed his long walk from the street. He went from the street to the front door of the house that was once occupied by his father and mother. And now he had slipped out the back door of his earthly house into the front door of his Heavenly Father’s house. The journey was now complete.

Christopher Mims Simmons, Jr. aka Joe, I will never forget you. Thank you for letting God use you to teach me how to love. Rest well, my brother. I will see you when I, too, pass through that back door and enter into the front door of our Father’s house.

You know I love you.

(In honor of Christopher Simmons, I will post his entire story in order. Enjoy, and be inspired to help the next homeless person you see. That person may be your “Joe.”)

2009-08-08T10:40:00.002-04:00

IT'S A LONG WALK FROM THE STREET - A journey with a guy called "Joe" - part 20

This past Friday I received one of the worst phone calls I could ever receive. Joe’s brother called to tell me that Joe’s doctor wants the family to come to the hospital for a meeting so that they can decide on Joe’s final care in the hospital. You see, since my last post, Joe’s condition plummeted. The medical condition that he has started rapidly decaying his body. The years of alcoholism not only damaged his organs but also veiled his declining health. He didn’t realize how sick he was until his body was alcohol free. He thought that the virus that he was diagnosed with as a young man was cured. He didn’t know that it never left his body. And without taking any medication for many years, it had done irreparable damage. Today, Joe is on life support with a deteriorating body, semi conscious and nearly unresponsive.

During my last visit with Joe, I told him how much I had learned from him. I told him how he taught me the value of perseverance; how he showed me the importance of family; how he taught me to be grateful for my health and to take care of myself. I told him that I had learned how huge the struggle was for homeless persons; how much bureaucracy there is in the human services system, but I had also learned the system and now I’m better equipped to help the next person. I told Joe that I had written his story and posted it on the web so that people could see it. I told him about the many responses from people who are being touched by his life and his struggle. I assured him that his life had meaning and purpose and that God was using him to help and bless others.

Joe demonstrated to me that you can share a laugh – no matter what you’re going through. His life demonstrated the miracle working power of God in that God delivered him from his homeless condition, delivered him from alcohol addiction, delivered him from nicotine addiction, reconciled him with his family, saved him, and put such a hunger for God in him that – rain or shine – every Sunday you would see him walk from his home to church. Working with Joe taught me how to love a person back to life. I am a better man because of him.

So, Joe’s brother asked if I would go with the family to meet with the doctor. Joe’s brother doesn’t want to see him suffer any longer – especially after having witnessed their father suffer with lung cancer that traveled to his brain. He doesn’t want to see his brother endure pain and agony if there is no real chance of recovery.

It would be easier for me to receive a call from a doctor to say that my loved one had passed than to be called in to make a decision to let my loved one pass.

Yet my God works miracles. Who knows what He will do as the next act in the life of Joe.

2009-07-20T13:47:00.002-04:00

IT'S A LONG WALK FROM THE STREET - A journey with a guy called "Joe" - Part 19

The following Saturday I got a call from Joe’s brother informing me that Joe had been admitted to the hospital. When I got there to see him it scared me. He looked like he was facing death. The doctors found that his liver, kidneys and pancreas had stopped functioning and his heart was starting to malfunction. They determined that the virus was the culprit and was attacking his organs – as is characteristic of this particular viral condition.

We all started praying for him. His condition went from terrible to worse. He was taken to the ICU as they fought to save his life. Finally he started getting better. But we noticed him losing weight. He couldn’t eat much. It would cause abdominal pain. The doctors noticed a mass on his pancreas but weren’t able to diagnose the cause or nature because the fluid in Joe’s abdomen prevented them from getting a scope to his pancreas to effectively see what they were dealing with. Joe was in the hospital for a couple of weeks.

Then on day the family got a call from Joe stating that they had just transferred him from the hospital to the Norfolk Health Care Center. No warning. No communication with the family. No explanation. They just put him in a medical transport and sent him to the health care center with an order for a 10-week stay.

On the first Sunday that Joe was in the health care center, my wife and I were serving communion to some of the “sick and shut-in” from our home church along with some of the our other ministers. We included Joe on our list and went to serve him. His brother was there visiting with him. As we prepared to serve Joe communion, his stepmother walked in. This was the first time I’d ever had all of them in the same room. We served communion to Joe and his stepmother. Then I asked his brother if he would like to join us for the closing prayer. This was a God moment. We prayed for God to use this moment to reconnect this family that has been disjointed for decades. We sensed the Holy Spirit moving in the room and touching hearts.

Joe is getting better. He misses being in church. Please keep him in your prayers. He told me that I could share his picture with you all. He’s like my little older brother. I love him.

2009-07-18T22:14:00.001-04:00

IT'S A LONG WALK FROM THE STREET - A journey with a guy called "Joe" - part 18

Finally that Sunday came when Joe walked up to me after church with a big smile on his face. He said, “Mike, I got good news. We finally got it.” He pulled out an envelope and showed me a document stating that he was qualified for Disability Assistance and Medicaid. He was so happy! So was I.

Working with Joe has shown me how insignificant our society can make homeless persons feel. We can treat them like numbers, like statistics, like a disease to society, like they aren’t a part of the same race. We can treat them like they aren’t significant. But these are people with amazing stories and a wealth of knowledge. Joe, for instance, has a great memory for dates. He’s like a walking calendar. His stories are rich with detail and history. No, he’s not insignificant.

God worked a beautiful work in Joe’s life. He has been coming to church faithfully every Sunday and has received Jesus as Savior. God saved him. He doesn’t even look like the same person.

It was always so cool to see him walk with that slow hobble into the sanctuary with his bible in his hand for the 9:30AM service. We would make our way to each other after service for our quick greeting. He’d tell me his story from that week. We’d talk about the squabbling between him and his stepmother. I’d help him see that her protective ways were efforts to express her love for him.

Then one Sunday I noticed that I hadn’t seen Joe all day.

2009-07-17T02:31:00.002-04:00

IT'S A LONG WALK FROM THE STREET - A journey with a guy called "Joe" - part 17

We kept fighting. As the weeks passed I noticed that Joe was coming to church every Sunday. As we talked, I found that he gave up alcohol completely – just went cold turkey. God set him free. A few weeks later, Joe told me that he gave up cigarettes. A few weeks later, Joe told me that his brother was so impressed with how God was changing Joe’s life that he decided to follow Joe and give up alcohol as well. Joe’s relationship with his stepmother was getting better and better. She had opened the door for him to stay with her temporarily – but it was turning into a permanent arrangement. They were becoming family again.

One Sunday, Joe came to greet me and I noticed his eyes were very yellow. Later that week we met. Joe began to tell me about the health problems he was having. This was before he was approved for Medicaid. We started praying that he would get approved for Medicaid quickly so that he could go to a real hospital. You see, he had been going to Park Place Medical Center, but there was nothing being done about the pains he was having in his stomach, the discoloration of his bodily fluids nor the yellowing of his eyes. He was given prescriptions for pain pills and blood pressure medicine and sent home.

Can you imagine the variety of stories that social workers hear everyday? I’m sure they have to learn how to not take these matters to heart in order to not leave work depressed each day. But while taking Joe around to a variety of appointments, I’ve discovered that sometimes some social workers can seem cold and impenetrable. I don’t know how good that is.

Then we got a big break! Joe came in one Sunday and showed me his medical records from a hospital stay some years ago. He had records that showed the virus that had been diagnosed and the bone mass loss that caused the multiple bone fractures. He finally had enough to make a case for disability. We met with the doctor at the medical center but she did very little with this information. We pressed on with an advocate with the HART (Homelessness Action Response Team) Organization. He worked with Joe’s case and fought for him.

2009-07-15T03:03:00.001-04:00

IT'S A LONG WALK FROM THE STREET - A journey with a guy called "Joe" part 16

I felt frustration. After all this work to try and get Joe some assistance, this man was being told that he didn’t qualify for the assistance that our state offers. This man who had been living on the streets, whose mother introduced him to alcohol as a youth, whose life had been nearly destroyed, who had just begun hoping again, who was just now getting back on his feet, was now being told that he wasn’t qualified for this particular kind of assistance.

But, I knew that it wouldn’t be good for Joe to know what I was feeling. He needed hope. He needed to have a better perspective. So, I began to tell him that this was good news. I told him how he didn’t have to wait any longer for someone else to provide for him. He could now go out there and find some work and provide for himself. He could be self-supporting. I started reminding him of how smart he was, and that he didn’t have to get a job slinging 50-pound boxes. Instead, he could find a job where his brilliant mind would be the key asset.

We arrived back at the church and hung out for a while before Joe left. When he walked out of the door, the smile dropped from my face. I was glad that Julie from Second Chances happened to be conducting a class at the church that day and couldn’t wait to talk to her about the day’s developments.

Julie was ready to call in the cavalry. She told me that we couldn’t just let it rest with this doctor’s opinion. She pointed out the inequity in the social services system… how so many people who are much more physically able than Joe have been qualified for disability assistance. She even told me a part of her personal story. She told me that I should call Congressman Bobby Scott… or call Senator Yvonne Miller – another human rights advocate. She made it clear to me that it was time to fight for this man’s assistance.

But I had a complex combination of emotions going through my head.

2009-07-13T22:54:00.002-04:00

IT'S A LONG WALK FROM THE STREET - A journey with a guy called "Joe" part 15

I haven’t given you an update on my friend Joe in quite some time. Let me get you up to date kinda quickly here. But first, I have to take you back to January.

That day that we went to Park Place Medical Center and found the facility closed due to the holiday left us with some free time. So, I took advantage of this opportunity to sit and talk with Joe and his stepmother. Joe was complaining a lot about her and she had called me a few times complaining about him. So I thought there needed to be some intervention. Sometimes when family units are reconnecting there will be bumps in the road. Sometimes there will be a need for mediation. So I sat with Joe and his stepmother. I listened to her as she complained about what Joe did and didn’t do. I listened to Joe as he complained about what she would and wouldn’t do. I prayed for wisdom and tried as best I could to mediate. By the time I left I felt that God was working in that house that that the relationship was going to grow.

Joe finally got in for his first appointment at the medical center. The doctor didn’t do too much. I wasn’t with Joe for the appointment. Several weeks later, Joe was scheduled for a follow-up doctor appointment. We arrived at the Park Place Medical Center and signed Joe in for the appointment. A few minutes later we were called to the desk and informed that Joe’s doctor didn’t come into the office that day and that the appointment would have to be rescheduled. So, we rescheduled for the following week on that Thursday. A week passed and we arrived at Park Place for our rescheduled appointment. As we were about to get out of the car, I realized that I left a document that we needed Joe’s doctor to complete. So, I dropped Joe off and left to grab the document – which was only 8 minutes away. Four minutes into my eight-minute trip I got a call from the clerk at Park Place informing me that Joe didn’t have an appointment. She explained that while they found the vacant appointment slot during our previous visit, and told us when the rescheduled appointment would be, AND gave us an appointment card… still they neglected to put Joe’s name in the slot. So, again, the appointment had to be rescheduled.

The following Tuesday, Joe called me and said that he called Park Place to make sure they had his appointment scheduled and there would be no problem when we arrived for his Wednesday appointment. When we arrived on the following day, they did have Joe’s appointment on the schedule. We arrived at 10:41 for Joe’s 10:45 appointment. About 11:00, Joe was called into the back for the nurse to take his weight, temp, pulse and BP. We were sent back to the lobby. About 12:45 we were called to the back for Joe to see the doctor. About 15 minutes later, the doctor arrived in the exam room where Joe and I had been waiting.

The physician examined Joe again, looked over the results from the blood work done at Joe’s previous visit, asked for the documents we needed her to complete… then lowered the boom on us. She informed us that, based on her findings, she could not qualify Joe as being disabled. She would complete the Department of Human Services paperwork but would state that he is able to work with limited lifting – only 15 pounds. She would continue his prescription for the chronic pain he lives with. She would write him a prescription to get a walker to help him walk, but he’s not disabled. She did also complete the form for him to temporarily have disability privileges with the public transit system. Finally, she informed Joe that he has a chronic viral condition. He thought that when he was diagnosed many years ago, it was a virus that would go away once he went through treatment. She informed us that this condition was one that doesn’t go away.

As we left that facility, I saw a look on Joe’s face that I hadn’t seen in three months. I saw hopelessness.

2009-06-25T15:47:00.001-04:00

Traveling to Atlanta

Tomorrow I will be traveling to Atlanta, GA for a promotional weekend. This series of engagements is designed to generate awareness in the Atlanta market about Worship Of A Redeemed Man. Having lived in Atlanta prior to moving to Virginia, this is a homecoming for me. My team and I will be looking for all of my friends and supporters in the Atlanta area to come and worship with me. Please don’t hesitate to let any friends and family you have in Atlanta know about the engagements so that I can have a chance to worship with them.

Stops include:

Sat, June 27 at 4:30PM – Coan Park (Kirkwood neighborhood) - Singing for Greater Smith Chapel AME Church’s 100th Anniversary Cookout and Celebration
Sun, June 28 at 9:00AM – Gospel Tabernacle Stone Mountain (5580 Rockbridge Rd., Stone Mtn.) – Singing at the morning worship service
Sun, June 28 at 11:00AM – Gospel Tabernacle Cathedral (277 Clifton St., SE) – Singing at the morning worship service
Sun, June 28 at 7:00PM – Church Of Atlanta Lighthouse (1380 Boulevard SE)– Singing at the evening worship service

While in the area, I will also be giving interviews at Atlanta radio stations, including a 9:30AM live interview on WTJH 1260AM. The single, “We’ve Come This Far By Faith” is being added at stations throughout the Metro Atlanta market.

Here are the two places I need your help:

Please have your friends and family in Atlanta start calling the stations now and request the song. You can help me let Atlanta know how much of a blessing this project is by letting them know how it has blessed you. The more calls the stations receive, the more they will play the song. Even if they say that they don’t have the single, keep calling.

The second thing that I ask of you is that you will pray for us as we travel this weekend. Pray that the Spirit of God will move and that the plan and purpose of God will be fulfilled. I am excited about what God is doing. He is up to something good.

Shalom!

2009-05-29T02:39:00.001-04:00

"I've Got To Break Away!"

I decided to change the topic of my sermon for tonight. Instead of "The Power Of A Break-away" I've decided to go with "I've Got To Break Away." The sermon is about the story in Luke 17 about the 10 men with leprosy who Jesus healed. The scripture tells us that only one of the ten took the time to return to Jesus and thank him for his healing.

Using an analogy that my pastor uses, I sought to find where to "slice" the text so that the sermon would have a smooth flow. Here are the points I found. This is just a rough overview. I can't give you all the goods on my blog. You'll have to meet me in Beaufort. :-0

1. The Request of the Lepers -
They all shouted out to Jesus, in what seems like unison voices, that they wanted Him to - get this - not heal them, but to have mercy on them. That's loaded.

2. The Response of Jesus -
Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests. He never said that he would or wouldn't heal them. He just gave them an assignment.

3. The Reaction of the Ten -
Unlike Naaman in the book of 2nd Kings, these ten men with leprosy didn't hesitate to obey the word of the Lord. It was during their completion of the assignment that they discovered that healing had taken place. But now this crowd was moving toward the priest. They were excited. They had been together for quite some time. I'm sure it was difficult for any one of them to break the peer-pressure of the group and step to the beat of a different drum.

4. The Return of the One -
One of them realized that they were moving away from Jesus instead of toward him. This one leper decided that it was more important to him to worship God than to be reaclimated with society. You see, in order for them to be released back into society, a priest had to acknowledge that they were indeed "cleansed" or healed of their conditon.

Okay, I'm about to give you too much. I've got to finish packing. Pray for me that God will move mightily tonight in Beaufort, SC.

2009-05-18T12:49:00.001-04:00

What An Amazing Weekend!!

This weekend was fantastic! On Saturday evening I had the honor of singing at Dominion Ministries, International in Hampton. God showed us His glory in that place. It was the first time I'd ever shared my testimony about being sexually assaulted when I was a teenager. Wow! I'm growing.

Then on Sunday morning our praise team sang my new song, "Hope Thou In God" for praise & worship at my home church. They NAILED it! It was so amazing seeing the congregation really grab on to the song.

And then Sunday evening my wife gave a powerful word at our ministers training class. She addressed the class on the need for us to have a servant's heart just like Christ. It was a compelling and convicting message. I am so PROUD of her!!

So... yeah... I had a great weekend. How was yours?

2009-05-09T01:03:00.002-04:00

Lessons From The Show

Recently I had the opportunity to enjoy a concert here in Hampton Roads. The event featured three of Gospel Music’s finest performers. Now, since I am an upcoming artist, I’m always observing what others are doing… especially those who are on the national stage… to see what I should (and shouldn’t) be doing.

Here are a few things I learned from this recent concert:

• When people ask you to do a concert, don’t preach – SING! I did notice a couple of the artists eating away the clock by preaching – or rather talking about what we need to do. You know, everybody has a sermon about what church folks need to do. You don’t need a text or topic for that one. But it became obvious that these artists had more time than they needed. So, rather than singing their full time, they spent about 1/3 or more of their time “preaching.” It wouldn’t been different if the “sermonettes” had something to do with the songs they were singing… but… nah.

• Be prepared for the unexpected. Travel can be tricky. Delays happen. But if you know that you are arriving at the venue very late and you need to be on stage in a matter of a few short minutes, be prepared. You may need to start changing your clothes during the ride on the way to the venue. Sometimes what you wore while you were traveling won’t be the best thing to wear on stage. Don’t let your attire kill your whole show.

• Remain humble. Enjoy the ride while you’re on it – but don’t be fooled to think that the ride is real life. Fame and fortune are all temporary. You can be the cream of the crop today – filling arenas and coliseums all by yourself. But that is temporary. You can be back at calling around trying to get someone to let you sing at their church on tomorrow. Don’t let the fame go to your head. Today’s headliners can often be tomorrow’s opening acts.

• One song can change your life. You never know what song is going to move the nations. Who knew what “Our God Is An Awesome God” would do? Who knew what “Shout To The Lord” would do? Who knew what “How Great Is Our God” would do? Who knew what “Friend Of God” would do? And, who knew what “Never Would Have Made It” would do? One song can change your life.

2009-03-18T23:04:00.003-04:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy called "Joe" - part 14

That following Monday, Joe and I went to pick up his food stamps card at the Little Creek office. It was like watching a big kid get his long-awaited Christmas gift. Joe was happy. I saw hope on his face. That following Wednesday we went back to the Little Creek office for his FSET Assessment so that they could qualify him for receiving the food stamps assistance over time. They gave Joe a medical evaluation form that he would need to have a physician complete. Once a physician verified his disability, Joe would be eligible to receive all the assistance he needed.

As we left Little Creek and headed back to Joe’s stepmother’s house, we passed by the DMV office. I knew that Joe still didn’t have any proof of an address nor his social security card. But he had received a copy of his birth certificate already in the mail. For some reason, I felt like there might be a possibility we may be able to get his state ID. So we turned around and went to the DMV office. We got in line. I started praying for God’s favor. When we spoke with the woman at the counter and explained Joe’s situation, she asked if we could get someone from the Union Mission to fax a letter verifying that Joe was a resident at the shelter. I got the Union Mission on the phone. They promptly faxed the letter. After only about 1.5 hours, Joe had his state ID card. Walking out of the office, Joe looked at me and said, “You did it again.” I asked, “Did what?” He said, “You did what you said you were gonna do.” I told him that I was only trying to do what I believed Jesus would do.

That Monday, we went looking for where Joe could get seen by a physician. We went to a couple of places before we found the right place. We arrived at Park Place Medical Center. There was a sign on the door to let us know that it was closed. I then remembered that it was a holiday.

2009-03-04T00:02:00.001-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy named "Joe" - part 13

So, this is how we got here. After burning relationship after relationship because of an addiction from his youth, Joe was now a homeless man with very little hope.

I remember listening to – then, President-elect Barack Obama as he encouraged this nation to find a way to help our own communities. I remember the story of the Good Samaritan who took out the time to rescue someone who was of another culture but in need of help. I remember all the times in the scriptures when Jesus made himself accessible to the crowd and would stop in the midst of his hectic schedule to help people. I remember the stories of how Jesus would be on his way to an important appointment but would deviate from his agenda to tend to the need of someone whose path he happened to cross.

How can we as Christians be too busy to deviate from our schedules and help people in our communities? How can we be the body of Christ and not literally work to make this world better?

I sat in two funerals toward the end of the year and saw how these two people affected so many lives. They lived lives that truly outlived them. They did things that lived on in the people they helped. I decided that I want to do the same. I know that God didn’t just put me here to take care of Michael. I was placed on this earth to make it better. I was born to help Joe.

Saturday:
Got in the car to head back to Virginia. I couldn’t wait to start calling Joe’s family and see where things stood. I was so incredibly thrilled to find out that Joe’s brother and daughter had combined their efforts and got Joe into the Union Mission. Already, the family relationships were starting to re-emerge. Joe was on the first leg of what would be a 28-day stay.

2009-02-27T14:04:00.002-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy named "Joe" - part 12

Battling epilepsy made his life difficult. He was prone to seizures. His grandparents, being in a financial position to make sure that he never had to work, became unwitting enablers. Joe never held a job for more than a couple of months. He also has osteoporosis. Because of a couple of common falls and tumbles, Joe had broken both hips. So, he never developed the sense of responsibility that befalls most adults.

Eventually, her physician informed Joe’s mother that she had to stop drinking or she would die. But she could not break the addiction – and the doctor’s prediction came to pass. Joe and his brother were left in their home without a mother and with a traveling father.

Soon, his father married a woman from an island off the coast of Africa and brought her home. This woman now had the task of entering the life of these two young men – Joe, the older of the two, was only 8 years younger then her. She was the “stepmother.” Shortly thereafter, Joe’s father died. After realizing the difficulty of having two grown alcoholic men in her new home, the widowed stepmother told the young men that they needed to start working and help or move out on their own. The younger brother did both.

Joe, however, moved in with a friend who didn’t require him to work and pay rent. Joe was getting government assistance because of his disability and used it to contribute to the household. After a few years, he could no longer live with this friend. He moved in with a young lady. In lieu of rent, Joe helped out with watching her kids. A few years later, she was evicted. Joe moved in with another guy. A few years later this guys lost his residence. This pattern went on for the rest of Joe’s life.

Finally, at 58 years old, Joe had no one else to live with. His alcohol addiction destroyed the relationships he had with his family. His brother had become a weekend drinker – staying sober during the workweek so that he could support his own wife and kids. Joe’s brother’s children didn’t really know Joe because he didn’t spend sober time around them. Joe didn’t establish a relationship with his daughter. She knew him but didn’t have the kind of relationship where she could bring him into her home with her husband and kids. Joe’s stepmother had tried again to let Joe live with her but it didn’t last. You see, she worked the overnight shift and had come home a few mornings to find her door wide open with Joe gone from the house – and later returning in a drunken stupor. Other mornings she had come home to find Joe and some of drinking buddies from the street corner in the house. Eventually, she put Joe out.

2009-02-24T13:49:00.001-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy named "Joe" - part 11

Joe had given me his brother, stepmother and daughter’s telephone numbers. As my family and I rode out of Virginia Beach that afternoon on our way to our holiday gathering in Georgia, I made several calls. I called Julie at Second Chances and Keli at the Office to End Homelessness to let them know how things had gone and where we were in the process. I told them about my concerns for the upcoming weekend. They both made it clear to me that I had done all I could do that week and that we had accomplished much more than most people accomplish in much more time. They told me that it would take a while for Joe’s relationship with his family members to be restored but that I needed to empower his family to help him make the transition from homelessness.

Next, I called Joe’s stepmother, brother and daughter. I informed each of them of our accomplishments that week. I informed them that I was headed out of town and made them aware of Joe’s challenges as of Friday morning. I encouraged them to take the responsibility to get Joe to the Union Mission that weekend and get him into their 30-day shelter program. After speaking with everyone I could speak with, all I could do was pray that the Holy Spirit would move on the hearts of everyone involved and that they would help Joe to the best of their ability.

You see, Joe’s story wasn’t the story of the typical American. Joe’s situation evolved over several years. His father was a merchant seaman. His mother was an alcoholic. When Joe’s father was out at sea, Joe’s mother had a difficult time dealing with being alone. Joe’s father would come home for brief periods of time and then be gone again. While the money was good, the family unit suffered. Joe’s mother stayed intoxicated most of the time. While Joe and his brother were very young, his mother introduced them to alcohol. They became alcoholics as children. Their mother encouraged them to drink. Joe was very smart in school. He always had good grades and a sharp mind. At age 14, Joe became a father with one of the 16 year-old girls in the neighborhood.

2009-02-17T00:10:00.001-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy named "Joe"

Part 10:
Wednesday:

Prior to this day, Joe and I had always met up at 9:30AM. But on this Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we needed to meet up at 6:45 AM so we could get near the front of the line that started forming around 7:00. We grabbed breakfast from McDonalds and got a spot in the line. We weren’t far from the front.

We stood there until the outer lobby area we were in was crowded. As more and more people crowded in, more and more attitudes crowded in. Persons with overbearing personalities began to enter. Young ladies in their pajamas began to enter. People who wanted to maneuver to the front of the line began to enter. People who were willing to challenge the security officer began to enter. Once, the security officer threatened to put the entire crowd outside and clear the outer lobby because of the people that wanted to challenge his authority. Sensing that it wasn’t a good idea to pull that authority card, the officer managed to control the crowd while we remained in the lobby.

Eventually, we were permitted to enter the inner lobby – and in the order we had entered the building at that. Thank you, Jesus! Joe and I stood there in line until we were all called into another room. Soon, Joe’s name was called. We went in to an office with “Brad.” He was a very nice, seasoned gentleman. We talked at length. He sternly encouraged Joe to get registered to vote and to exercise his right to vote as an African-American. We talked about the historic election of President Barack Obama and what it meant to the African-American community. Brad told us stories of his time in the military. We talked about the state of young people in America. Brad was a talker. But he was also a man of action. He approved Joe for Food Stamps. Joe’s card would be ready on that Friday.

When we left Brad’s office, Joe was a happy man. He could see that things were starting to come together. I was happy too, but I was also a bit nervous because I knew we were headed into a weekend when I wasn’t going to be in town and Joe was going to need help. We went to Joe’s stepmother’s house to drop off Joe’s extra clothes and belongings that he didn’t want to carry around in his backpack. This was my first face-to-face encounter with her. She was a kindly assertive woman. She seemed genuinely appreciative for what was being done for her stepson.

Once we left there, we left for the Salvation Army shelter. Joe and I had a nice long talk on the way there. We talked about him staying sober. We talked about him calling his family and trying to spend Thanksgiving Day with them. We talked about him trying to get in the Union Mission by the weekend for the 30-day stay. I wanted to make sure Joe was prepared for success while I was away. I also wanted him prepared in case of disappointment. I really didn’t know what to expect. After another brotherly hug, I pulled off and Joe headed in to his residence for the evening.

2009-02-09T00:40:00.001-05:00

Challenged!

That’s the only way I know how to describe how I feel right now in one word. I am challenged.

Tonight, a friend called me and told me about a service taking place tonight where a group was going to be ministering that he thought I’d want to hear. I was lying on the couch watching a movie, recuperating from a very long and busy weekend. I told him that it sounded interesting but gave him very little reason to believe that I wanted to leave my house.

Shortly thereafter, I got a text from him stating that the group was made up of about 25 young people all delivered from addictions, crime, homosexuality, etc., and their praise was on fire. I replied and asked if they were on stage already? He replied that they weren’t up yet but they were worshipping from their seats and on their knees, praising hard and being radical. That stirred me a little.

Shortly thereafter, he sent me another message to say that the group was just getting up. Okay, I was sold now. Since the venue was less than 10 minutes from my house, there was little reason for me to miss it. Besides, I was feeling that tug in my spirit that says that the Lord wanted me to see something.

What I experienced tonight was revolutionary. I saw these kids, from teenagers to early 20s, who were walking in the kind of deliverance that I grew up around. These young people sang under an intense anointing! Their music was amazing. The band was off the chain. The vocals were tight. But, the WORSHIP!!! The worship was so infectious. The songs were incredibly powerful. They spoke of the delivering power of God and the freedom that He brings.

The group was led by Eddie James. I felt pretty stupid that I hadn’t heard of him before tonight. This worship experience included a 9-piece band, more than 7 vocalists, dancers – male dancers who didn’t dance in any way that looked gay. These people brought it! The night went from amazing song to amazing song. We danced, we bowed, we wept, we shouted, we lifted our hands, we leaped, we danced some more.

Then there was a moment when Eddie let about nine of the young people who were with him share their testimonies. Each of them briefly told us what God had delivered them from. As I stood there listening, I thought about how powerful these testimonies were for the people in the audience. It made the people on the stage much more tangible. It made them human. It gave their radical worship even more credibility. But I also thought about how important it was for the young people on the stage. When you share your testimony publicly, you make a declaration that you have no intention of returning to the old lifestyle. It reaffirms your commitment to the freedom you’ve now found in Christ. Furthermore, it puts you on blast. It makes you feel obligated all over again to live the life that you are now declaring. And, finally, it backs the devil up in a corner. It reminds him and you of the fact that you have been set free by the power of Christ. Yes… the bible declares that the devil is overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

So, the testimony time was followed by the most incredible altar call I’ve ever seen at a concert. Many people came to the altar for salvation. The singers and some of the band members came down and worked at the altar, praying with those who came up for salvation as well as those who came up for deliverance. This took me back to my days in revivals with my mother in South Carolina. This was an altar call with fervency and power. People did more than recite the sinner’s prayer. They prayed with these people until yokes were destroyed, deliverance came and people were set free.

To top it all off, the most amazing thing happened. The pastor of the church had some of their ministers and altar workers go up and prepare the baptism pool. And many people who gave their lives to Jesus went up to be immediately baptized. I am still amazed.

But the reason I was challenged is because I saw someone effectively using the tool of music to bring people beyond the veil, and not letting them leave with just a feeling or a touch. He was pulling people to the cross and compelling them to let the Savior change them. And people responded. Eddie was provoking change and deliverance. He wasn’t just being an artist. He was totally focused on worshipping until the power came and then using the power to bring change to the lives of people who needed a change.

As an artist, I can easily be drawn into the music and the art and overlook the need to be focused on the deliverance that needs to take place. My pastor preached a message a week ago that described how so many people today are demon possessed, displaying the same characteristics that demon possessed people in the bible displayed. But we can be so shallow in our spirituality that we overlook their condition and never use the power of Christ to cast those spirits out.

What am I doing? This is my challenge. Am I just making music so that people will join me in worshipping Jesus? Is that all that God wants from me? Doesn’t he want to use me to bring deliverance to his people? Jesus didn’t just provoke worship. He provoked change. Should I aspire to be like the wonderful worship leaders I see or should I aspire to be like Christ? Should we stop at the worship and the presence or should we press in until we see change?

I am challenged to stop stopping when we enter the presence. I am challenged to now press in until I hear the popping and clinking of yokes being destroyed and falling off. I am challenged to compel people to not just gaze at the cross but to grab hold of it until there is a difference. I am challenged to stop being shallow in my thinking, stop being shallow in my prayer, stop being shallow in my pursuit of God. I am challenged to reach for something fresh, something new, something different. There are enough worship leaders… I need to be exactly the thing God created me to be.

And I will know for sure that I have arrived when I get there.

2009-02-04T07:57:00.001-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy named "Joe" - part 9

Our next move was getting Joe qualified for food stamps. We were told to go to the office at the Park Place Community Center. When we arrived there, we found out that they actually only give out the applications but you have to turn in the application at the Little Creek office of the Department of Human Services – which is clear on the other side of town. As we walked back to my car, we asked each other how in the world a homeless person with no car and no help would ever be able to navigate this system and go to all of these offices. It would be so easy to just give up.

We arrived at the Little Creek office. This was a huge facility where hundreds of people were seeking assistance. After asking enough questions we found out that we would not be helped that day. But our best chance was to come back on the following morning before the doors open and be one of the first people in line. That way, we would be seen that same day. Well, at least we had a game plan and knew what to expect.

So, we left there and headed to the Salvation Army shelter. With Joe’s new City ID card, he was received as a guest for the night. However, his stay at the Salvation Army would only last through Thanksgiving night. That Friday morning, he would need a new place to stay.

Joe packed what he needed for that night into his new backpack and left the rest of his belongings in my car since he didn’t need to carry the extra weight around. It was so satisfying to know that this night, Joe would not be sleeping in the bushes. As I was about to get in my car and Joe was headed into the line for the shelter, he stopped in his tracks and turned around. He put the bags down and said, “Come here.” As I walked toward him, Joe opened his arms and gave me this huge hug. I fought back the tears once again as he said, “Thank you. God bless you. I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for you.” I thought to myself, “no more bushes for you, man.”

Later, I picked up my wife from work and we talked about the events of the day. She shared with me how at that Thanksgiving service at our church, Joe told her that he didn’t think he would be alive much longer. His view on his life was very pessimistic. I was so moved to know that God was using me to help this man and to change the conditions of his life. But, I was also very concerned about the rest of the week.

You see I didn’t have the opportunity to get him into the Union Mission, which offered a 30-day shelter. Also, I knew that what Joe needed was a 6-month rehabilitation facility where he could be in a different environment. The Salvation Army offered that service but the Union Mission didn’t. So, it would work toward the long-term goal to get Joe into the Salvation Army records. But the thing that made me most concerned was the fact that Sharon and I had a family trip for the Thanksgiving weekend and would be leaving town on Wednesday evening. So, Joe’s family was going to have to intervene and get him into the shelter at the Union Mission or take him into their homes. But if they hadn’t intervened to this point and had allowed him to be on the street, why would they do it now? This had me very nervous. It raised the very real possibility that Joe could end up back under those bushes on Friday night after Thanksgiving.

2009-01-28T01:02:00.004-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy named "Joe" - part 8

When we got back upstairs, we met with “Keli.” We sat and talked at length about Joe’s case. I realized that I had become a case-worker for my friend. We looked at what the goals were for Joe’s case. We talked about what had been done previously before Joe became homeless. We realized that he was obviously qualified to received government assistance – including disability. However, he was denied. When he received the notice that he had been denied, Joe didn’t pursue it any further.

Keli explained to us that the government office has a practice of denying a certain percentage of the disability claims that they receive regardless of whether the applicants are qualified or not. If an applicant appeals the denial then the office will take a serious look at the application. However, most people don’t know this. Instead, they will either assume that the denial is final and not move on it any further; or they will reapply, which puts them in that category of first time applicants again and set them up to be denied once more. Keli told us that we can expect to be denied – but to appeal the denial. She noted that the fact that Joe had previously received General Assistance payments was a good indicator that he was qualified for disability.

She further assisted us with clarifying the goals for Joe’s case. He needed to be examined by a physician to establish medical records. Some time ago Joe had his medical records from the physician that did his surgeries but all of that information was lost when he was evicted from an earlier residence. He needed to see a social worker and get a case established. He needed to get into a shelter right away. He needed to get to another city office and apply for food stamps. He needed to get into a rehab facility to assist him with getting clean and sober from alcoholism. With all of this done, there would be the possibility that he could get into a city housing facility where he could be self sufficient.

Lofty goals? Most definitely.

When we left Keli’s office, we went to the Ghent Area Ministry. This place provided a lot of assistance for homeless persons. But the one thing that Joe needed from them that day was clothing. You see, Joe’s clothes were soiled and tattered. We were headed into the dead of winter so Joe needed sufficient clothing for the upcoming weather. He needed clothing that would give him a better outlook on his life. We found just what he needed. They had warm outdoor clothing. They had nice dress clothing. They had great winter coats. Joe got the amount of clothing that they allotted for each homeless person that came through – a coat, a couple of pairs of pants, a couple of shirts, a couple of sweaters, a pair of shoes, etc. We left with a large bag of items that this wonderful ministry gave Joe.

It was now my turn to give. I took Joe to Wal-Mart. We found him some comfortable underwear, socks, washcloths, a bath towel, a toothbrush and toothpaste, some deodorant, and a comfortable hiking backpack to carry his things in. Being homeless and navigating the shelters requires mobility. You need to be able to move all of your belongings quickly.

2009-01-26T16:39:00.001-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy named "Joe" - Part 7:

Tuesday:

With renewed vigor and determination, I met Joe at the church that next morning. I had been praying for wisdom and direction. The challenges became clearer to me. But my goal was ever before me. By the time I was done, Joe wasn’t going to be living in the bushes. He’d be staying at some shelter somewhere, some housing facility, some safe place… but not the bushes.

Our first stop for the day was Hardee’s. Like the previous day, I wanted to feed Joe. I wanted to restore within him the value of starting the day with a hot breakfast. He liked the sausage biscuit with egg & cheese. He liked it with coffee – I like it with orange juice. It was a good time to talk about our lives and for me to get more acquainted with Joe. The day before, after leaving the Department of Human Services where we met with Bill, Joe and I went to Alice Mae’s Restaurant for a late lunch. While we ate (Joe couldn’t believe how much I was eating. I actually surprised myself too. I was hungry!) Joe told me about his childhood. He explained the effect epilepsy and osteoporosis had on his life. He called and spoke with his daughter and his brother. So, sitting at a meal was our time of bonding. This Tuesday morning would be no different.

After breakfast, we went to the City Hall building and waited for our escort to take us up to The Office to End Homelessness. The receptionist received us and began to gather Joe’s information. During our interaction I sensed that she was a person of faith and later discovered that she was a minister of the Gospel. Once she gathered all the information that she needed, she escorted Joe and me back to the first floor to an office where Joe was able to get a City of Norfolk ID Card.

As Joe took his ID photo, I saw the weight of hopelessness lifting from his shoulders. When the City agent handed Joe his card, it was like a wonderful Christmas gift. I saw a smile on his face that I hadn’t seen before. I was fighting back the tears. You see, without certified ID, you can’t really prove who you are. You don’t exist in the system. It’s easy to become homeless without ID. But with an ID card, Joe could get off the street. He could get in a shelter. As a matter of fact, we didn’t need an escort to go back upstairs in the City Hall building. As we walked out of the City ID office headed back up to the Office To End Homelessness, Joe kept saying “Thank You. You really came through.” I just assured him that I was doing what Jesus would want me to do.

2009-01-20T01:16:00.001-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street
A journey with a guy named "Joe" - part 6

We went back to Bill’s office. We had about an hour before he would be able to see us. So we sat and waited… and waited… and waited. We read books, watched TV, talked… and waited. We talked about Joe’s family, my family, Joe’s childhood, my hometown, the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday… any and everything we could think of so that Joe wouldn’t get frustrated and say, “I give up.”

During that conversation, I discovered that Joe has a stepmother that lives right across the street from the bushes where he was sleeping. He also has a brother that lives about 15 minutes away. Joe even has a daughter who is married and lives in the neighboring city. Joe became a father at age 14. He never was able to maintain employment because he was epileptic and subject to seizures. He has a bone condition – Osteoporosis – which has led to two broken hips and a knee fracture. As a result, Joe has rods in both hips and a pin in his knee. Joe walks with a limp and doesn’t have good balance. Seeing him walk, one would easily assume that he is intoxicated.

Finally, we were called in to Bill’s office. Now, I was expecting that great and mighty things would happen. I thought that this was the place that held the keys to everything Joe needed. Bill would help Joe get into a shelter, get clothing, get food, get food stamps, get medical assistance. I was dreaming.

Bill was a kind gentleman. He gathered Joe’s information. As Bill went through his computer archives he found that Joe was already in the system. They had qualified him for food stamps before. They even had a copy of his old ID card, food stamps card and birth certificate on record. Oh, I was about to jump out of my seat and do a dance! Bill ordered a new copy of Joe’s birth certificate to be sent to Joe’s stepmother’s home. Then he told us about the City ID card – which he said would be a lot better than the temporary ID card that we were told about earlier from Julie. Bill made some calls and put a package together so that we could go the next morning and get the ID card made.

Then came the surprise. This was all that Bill was going to be able to do from his office. We would have to the several other offices to get the other things that were needed. While Bill had gotten the ball rolling, would have to run behind it to make the journey successful.

As we left his office, I started thinking about something. How could a person who doesn’t have a car do all the things that it takes to no longer be homeless?

When Joe came and met me that morning, he had his “Cadillac” with him – his shopping cart that he pushes around all the time, collecting bottles and cans – especially any bottle that had any left over alcohol in it. He also used it to collect any discarded food items so that he could eat it when he got hungry. We parked the cart behind the church when we left that Monday morning. It broke my heart that I had to bring him back to that cart on Monday evening and watch him stroll back down the street to the bushes and sleep one more night under that tent.

2009-01-16T00:39:00.002-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street - A journey with a guy named Joe - Part 5

When we left the Second chances office we went directly to the Department of Human Services office. Now, Julie had spoken with that office already and told us that “Bill” was the one to see but he wasn’t available and she hadn’t been able to get him on the phone. But “Sally” would help us when we got there and she’d get us in to see Bill. Well, when we got to that office, we discovered that Sally was actually at another office, but Bill was there. However, Bill was headed to lunch and wouldn’t be able to see us until mid afternoon. It was a “hurry up and wait” kind of situation.

So Joe and I went to investigate the Salvation Army to see if Joe could spend the night there. I really didn’t want Joe to have to spend another single night in the bushes. When we got there, we were informed that Joe would have to have ID of some sort – either DMV or City ID. We also found out that Joe’s stay would only be for 3 nights. After which, he would have to relocate to another facility. They no longer offered long-term or 30-day stays. However, they did provide meals. So, a person that was staying at their shelter could receive breakfast and dinner at the facility if they came at the right times. We also found out that one of the pre-requisites for staying at their shelter was that you had to be “clean and sober.” If you came and they found that you had been drinking, you would be expelled. And they do test you to see if you had been drinking.

Now, this was a potential problem for Joe. You see, most homeless people use alcohol – not merely for recreation, but for survival. Alcohol takes the edge off their situation; it dulls the reality that they don’t have a place to sleep other than under a bridge, in an alley or in some bushes. It also dulls the senses so that they don’t feel the cold weather as acutely as they would if they were sober. Alcohol also helps them not think about the painful issues that influenced their lives and led them to the stage of homelessness. So, you see, alcohol is like a friend to the homeless. And I could tell by Joe’s distinct aroma that he indulged in alcohol.

When Joe and I got back in the car, we started talking about the importance of him abstaining from alcohol while he was staying at the Salvation Army – if we were able to get him in there. He assured me that he would be able to do it. I didn’t know if I could rest in that assurance or not – but I didn’t have a choice.

2009-01-09T13:14:00.002-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street
A journey with a guy named "Joe" - Part 4

We made a date for that Monday. I would meet him at the church and take him to wherever we needed to go to get him on his feet. Chris expresses his pessimism about my offer. “Don’t be like everybody else,” he said, telling me about the several times people offered to help him and didn’t show up. I assured him that I would be there when I promised.

Monday:
I arrived at the church early because I really didn’t know what to do. I knew that my pastor’s wife – Sister Houston (yeah… I’m Pentecostal. You know we call everyone without an official ecclesiastical title “brother” or “sister”) had recently worked with a gentleman that needed assistance and may have some advice. She recommended a city agency called Second Chances. This organization is designed to give a new opportunity to people that have been incarcerated or have somehow fallen through the cracks of society. Homeless persons like Joe qualified for their assistance. We started there.

When we arrived at the City Hall Building where their office is located, we were told by the security officers that Joe and I would have to wait downstairs until someone from Second Chances’ office came down and escorted us upstairs. You see… you cannot even go upstairs to a city office without an ID card – and Joe didn’t have ID.

A nice gentleman came and escorted us to their office. When we entered, I ran into “Julie.” She and I served together in music ministry some years ago and had a good friendship. She is a great Christian who loved helping people. I didn’t realize that she worked for this city agency. And, sure enough, she was the person that took Joe’s case.

We sat in her small office and Joe began answering the interview questions. I started noticing something that I hadn’t paid attention to before. Joe was pretty sharp. I mean… when I thought of homeless people I often thought of someone of lesser intelligence; someone who wouldn’t be able to do quick math in their head; someone who wouldn’t remember a lot of details. But Joe! This dude was on in! At first Julie was asking the questions and kinda’ leaning to me for the answers. Soon we both realized that Joe had it. He remembered dates of incidences that I would’ve probably forgotten. He was doing quick math and calculating time. I started seeing a glimpse of who this man must have been before his life took the turns that it took.

Julie made some calls and connected with some other agencies. Soon, she gave us some instruction. She told us places to go and people to ask for who would give us the things we needed. Joe needed food, clothes and shelter. He also needed some way of sustaining his life. But, most importantly, he needed some ID. Julie put us on the track. It was late morning by the time we left but we felt like it was time well spent.

2008-12-22T16:58:00.002-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street
A journey with a guy named "Joe" - part 3

Our church does wonderful things in the community. For Thanksgiving, like many other churches, we provide food for persons in need. Joe came to the church on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to receive the gifts we were giving and to share in the Thanksgiving service that we held. It was a GREAT service. Afterward, I got a chance to sit and talk with Joe. He shared with me that he was going to give the food he was receiving to a couple of households that help him out so that they could cook the food and give him some of it. He knew that he didn’t have any way of preparing the food himself so he needed to share it if he was going to eat any of it.

Finally, I felt comfortable enough to ask him the one question that had been bouncing around in my head. “Why aren’t you staying in a shelter?” Joe began to explain to me that all of his ID had been lost or stolen and you can’t stay in a shelter without ID. He said he tried to get his ID but found out he needed his birth certificate – and he lost that as well. So he just gave up.

This was the moment for me. This was when it became clear that I was changing. I didn’t feel a hope or wish that someone would help Joe. I felt like this man was now my responsibility. Having worked in a homeless shelter and recovery center before, I had an idea of what I was getting into. I knew that there would be a chance that I could get this guy all the help he needed and get him into a nice residence – and he would end up back on the streets. But, I also knew that this was what I had prayed for. I wanted to be the hands and feet of Jesus and reach out to someone in need. Joe was my man at that pool of Bethesda and I needed to be Jesus, motivating him to rise up and walk.

2008-12-17T09:53:00.001-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street
A journey with a guy named "Joe" - pt 2

This older gentleman unwrapped himself from the bedding and came toward me, clothed in his hat and coat. I told him that my wife and I wanted to bless him with some food. Yes, I admit, I probably didn’t deserve any credit whatsoever. By this time, I heard the dinging of the car. Looking over my shoulder, I saw my wife coming into the clearing where this gentleman and me were standing. I introduced myself and my wife to him. He told us that his name was “Joe”. We told him that we were from the church on the corner. He said that he’d been there several times and knew our pastor. Joe gave us big hugs, showing obvious gratitude for the food we had given him. We invited him to church and he agreed to come.

The following Sunday, sure enough, he was there – sitting in the back. My wife and I got to speak with him after service. He seemed surprised that we remembered his name. I was certainly surprised that he remembered ours.

Ever since then, we couldn’t pass that spot without looking for Joe.

Not long after, I found myself reminiscing on a recent self-evaluation where I cited that I needed to become better at caring for people not only in the immediate moment but carrying their plight to completion – helping them get to that point that things actually get better. I remembered the revelation of how easy it is for me to pray for someone in the immediate moment – then forget about their pain the next day. I wanted God to work on my heart and help me to care enough to carry people in my heart.

Every few weeks I’d see Joe at service. We stayed acquainted. I made sure he didn’t forget me and my wife’s names. I prayed for him often – that God would protect him and provide for him. Several times I wondered what his story was… what brought him to this stage of life. Yeah, this guy was actually on my heart.

To be continued…

2008-12-15T01:01:00.002-05:00

It's A Long Walk From The Street
A journey with a guy named "Joe"

This is a long story that is still in the making. So, I’m going to have to tell it to you in pieces.

Part 1

It all started one night as we were leaving church. My wonderful wife has a tremendous heart, which I covet. She is a giver to the core. She’s the kind of person who literally gives the clothes off her back, takes jewelry off her neck and wrists and food from our refrigerator. Every time I’ve wanted to get upset at how much she gives I have to consider how little I give and it makes me repentant. Having had her brother live homeless for a while caused her to become particularly sensitive to homelessness.

We were pulling into the church one evening, headed to the back parking lot and my wife noticed a person lying in a makeshift bed on the ground in the bushes near the church. Brought nearly to tears, she couldn’t dismiss the image from her mind. All that evening, she kept mentioning the person in the bushes. After service, we got in our car and she said to me, “Let’s drive around again and see if the person in the bushes is still there. If he or she is, I want to take them something to eat.” At that time, we were distributing some food from the church’s pantry to persons who were in need of immediate assistance. We circled the block and found the person still there. We didn’t stop because we didn’t want to make the person suspicious or self-conscious. Immediately returning to the church, my wife gathered a bag full of food from the pantry that could sustain this person for a few days. We got back in the car and headed back to the bushes.

Not knowing how this person would respond, I told my wife, “You stay in the car and I’ll go out.” I stepped out of the car, walked toward to makeshift bed and called out, “Excuse me. Excuse me.”

2008-10-28T10:44:00.002-04:00

Coming Down The Home Stretch

The year 2008 is coming to a close. I was talking with one of my friends who is a business owner and he was telling me that he is now evaluating his business and looking at the ventures of 2008 and determining what worked, what didn’t, what needs to be cut and what will continue on into 2009. I jokingly said to him that I need to do the same thing about my business. And, yes, I was referring to the music business. Then it dawned on me… I really do need to see this as a business.

Okay… before anyone misunderstands what I’m saying, let me clarify. There is ministry at the heart of what I do. I am a worship leader, a minister (deacon, if you will) of music, recording artist, songwriter and a producer. But I run a music production company called Hayah Sounds. This company exists to handle the creation and sale of the music I write or produce. It’s very easy to be so focused on the ministry aspect of what I do that I fail to be a good steward over the business aspect.

The Lord provides us with gifts and talents with which to provide for the needs of our families. I know that music is my gift from God by which to provide for my family. But because I work with churches and Christians, sometimes I draw back from making sure that the business is negotiated fairly so that my family’s needs are taken care of. But the bible teaches us to be mature when it comes to handling business. That’s a lesson that I can more readily apply to negotiating with non-Christians than with Christians. But God is helping me.

So, for 2009, things will be a bit different. I’ve got to use the gift that God has provided and do all that God has designed it to be used for. I’ve got to take care of the business that God has made me steward over. One thing is certain… It’s time for me to take the music God has given me into the churches across this great country. This takes me to my big question.

I need your help with this. What are some of the best ways for an independent Christian artist to get engagements to minister at churches? You can even make it more personal… What do I need to do to come and minister at your local church? Please take a moment and reply to this blog and let me know what you think.

2008-10-03T13:23:00.002-04:00

The Starving Church Musician

It’s challenging for professional musicians. Very few of us are able to make a decent living in Gospel music. Very few churches are willing to pay the kind of salary that allows you to be focused on that one ministry. As a result, you have to take on multiple responsibilities – often you end up playing for more than one church as well as in the band for a few groups, choirs or artists. This way, you can make the ends meet.

It is always interesting how many people say, “you should just give your gift to God as an offering – and not do it for the money.” My response is this… the next time your automobile needs repair, take it to a Christian auto mechanic that attends your church and ask him/her to repair your car with his/her tools and not do it for the money… just use their gift to bless you. What do you think they’d say?

Does everyone that picks up an instrument to play at church need to be paid? I don’t believe that they do. But the people that do more than come to a rehearsal and play in one or two services on the weekend… the people that put lots of time and effort in planning the music for the services… the people that develop the music ministry… the people that train and mentor the younger musicians in the church and cultivate their gifts and talents… the musicians that invest 2-3 hours per week in preparation, 6-10 hours per week in rehearsals, and 5-8 hours per week playing in church services… those kind of musicians should be compensated. That’s what I believe. Those are more hours than most of the other volunteers who serve in ministry at the church. These persons who take their gifts and use them to bless the people that congregate at a church for worship shouldn’t be ignored.

Besides… doesn’t scripture teach that you shouldn’t muzzle the ox that treads the corn? Trust me when I say… the music ministry does a lot of treading – every Sunday.

Enough for now… more to come next week.

2008-09-21T22:35:00.002-04:00

So… here’s what’s been going on

I haven’t said much lately… no blogs… no newsletters… no engagements… not much of anything. There’s a reason. I needed to, as a former bishop of mine would say, “walk softly before the Lord” so that I could hear His voice clearly. Now, I can let you in on what’s been happening.

After my recording session in April, I took some time away from production on my new project. During that time, I made contact with an independent record label in New Jersey that was interested in re-releasing my first project and investing in the completion of my second project. After a few conversations with the label owner, I developed a budget for the completion of the project to help them make their decision. We planned for the label owner and his family to come and visit with me and worship one Sunday at my home church. Things were looking pretty good. So, I decided not to do anything until I saw how things were going to pan out.

Well, last week I spoke with the label owner. He informed me that he had taken a beating in the stock market and, as a result, wouldn’t be investing in my project. As disappointing as this could be, for me it brought peace. My prayer had always been that only the will of God would be done. When the door closed, it made the answer very clear.

One of biggest blessings in it all for me is the fact that my band and singers are so tremendously supportive. They all have said that they are ready to work and complete the project, whether I have the dollars I want to pay them or not. They are committed to helping me. I feel so blessed and humbled that singers and musicians of this caliber are willing to work with me. This is the favor of God. I also believe that another contributing factor is that I always try to compensate them when they minister with me. I respect each of them as singers and musicians. I respect that they have lives, and bills, and amazing talent. I respect the fact that they do not have to share their gifts and talents with me. When we do work together, I respect their time as well as their other commitments.

And I understand the challenge of professional musicians in the Gospel music arena. I’ll talk more about that later this week.

2008-08-21T00:47:00.002-04:00

August 17, 2008 Testimony Time!

Okay… I feel like taking it way back for a moment. Go with me to a little old church down a dirt road in a country town in the summer time in the state of South Carolina. This is how my very true testimony would sound…

Praise the Lord, everybody! I said praise the Lord, everybody! Giving honor to God who truly is the head of my life. I give honor to my pastor, my first lady, to all the ministers on the rostrum, to all the saints and friends. You know, saints, God really is good! You know, he may not come when you want Him but – Hallelujah! – He’s always right on time!

You know, saints, my wife and I had been getting along with one car for the last several years. And God’s been good. Our car has been very reliable. And it was a blessing – we didn’t have to pay a dime for it. But you know, saints, as my wife and I started getting busier in ministry work, it started getting harder and harder to get along with one car. Then lately we’ve taken on an additional family responsibility that made it very tough. So, we talked about getting another car – but knew that we weren’t in the position to make the purchase right now. So, we prayed about it and left it in God’s hands. And, saints – Hallelujah! – we got a call that a family member was giving us a car. Yes, God blessed us with another car – and we didn’t have to pay a dime! Glory!!

But, that ain’t all, saints! Oh – God is so good to us.

When we had our first car inspected a few months ago, they told me about some repair work that needed to be done soon. This weekend, the part that I was told about – the lower ball joint – gave out on the car. Saints, if you’ve never seen a car with a broken lower ball joint – let me tell you, it’s a scary sight. But, thank God for AAA. We had the car towed to the shop. The next morning, the mechanic called to tell me what the total cost would be. About the same minute I told the mechanic to go forward with fixing the car, my business phone began to ring. It was a call to come and sing for a gospel cruise on the Spirit of Norfolk that very day. The pay check for singing on the cruise plus the CD sales essentially paid for the repairs of the car.

Tell me God ain’t good! He’ll come through for you right on time. Hallelujah!!

Y’all pray much for my strength in the Lord!

2008-08-03T00:06:00.001-04:00

Then, the BIG question…

I remember my visions of grandeur. We were working on Worship Of A Redeemed Man, my first album. I thought that some major record label would hear my project and just leap for joy, then come running to me with a contract. I could just see myself traveling all around the globe, singing on the big stage with the big names, leading countless thousands in worship through song. I could see it so clearly. Boy, was I wrong.

I remember my days of realization. After researching the trends in the recording industry… seeing that as many or more artists were being dropped from major labels than artists were being signed… seeing that many Gospel music labels were folding or being sold off as commodity… seeing how much more stability independent artists had… and after attending GMA Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee… I decided that it was better for me to remain independent and just rough it on my own.

I remember my days of frustration as I determined that I really couldn’t do all of this by myself. I sent out a mass text message to people I knew, asking if anyone had recommendations for a booking agent. I needed some help getting engagements. As an artist, you have to keep working if you are going to make any kind of a living. Independent artists don’t try to get rich – well the smart ones don’t – because we know that it’s an illusion. Most signed artists on major labels aren’t rich. The videos and wardrobe create the illusion. But the reality is that these artists are struggling – just like the indie artists. No… independent artists just try to keep the lights on and the bills paid. And the bills get paid a lot faster when you are working. So I started looking for a booking agent.

Then one day I get a contact from an independent record label. They are interested in releasing my second project. I’ve spoken with the owner. He seems to be a wonderful Christian family man. So, we talked about a way to make this thing work. It sounds really good. I’d been praying about how I would be able to afford the post-production work on this new project. Perhaps this is God’s plan – a partnership with an independent label that will allow me to maintain ownership of my project and control of my career… a partnership with someone that will handle much of the business that I’m trying to maintain so that I can spend more time being creative and writing the music that God is placing on my heart… a partnership with a company that will be able to help me reach the kind of audience that I believe I’m destined to reach.

But these moments are so tricky and prompt lots of questions: Is this God’s plan? Is this a test? Is it a distraction? Is it a diversion? Is it God’s answer to my prayer? Is this my destiny? Then, the BIG question… Should I SIGN?

So many questions!

I’ve been praying about it. I believe that partnering with this label is the will of the Lord. I feel peace about connecting with this company. We’ve started talking figures and logistics. I’ll be meeting with the owner in person next month. My prayer is that God will confirm His will to me by then so that when we meet I will know whether or not to proceed.

Please pray with me.

2008-07-19T23:48:00.001-04:00

Painful Peace?

I’m sure that almost sounds like an oxymoron. Let me try to explain…

I clearly remember that evening. I had just arrived home from church. This was 1995, just as cell phones were becoming a popular item but before they had become the permanent appendage they are today. I had a message on the answering machine at home to call my sisters. When I called, they told me that my father had just passed that evening. That was the moment I first experienced what I call “painful peace.”

This was a feeling of calm helplessness coupled with restrained security. This was “peace” because at that moment I knew that the perfect will of God had been done. This was “painful” because the perfect will of God was very different from the will of Michael. I wanted God to heal my dad. He had suffered enough and deserved, in my opinion, to be healed of the cancer that was destroying his body. But, God chose to take my father home with Him and let him enter his eternal reward for all the work he had done for God’s kingdom. Besides, God and I had agreed that my father had suffered enough. So, although realizing that my father had gone on to be with God was painful, knowing that my father was no longer suffering was peaceful. That was a moment of painful peace.

Recently, I was reacquainted with “Painful Peace.” It has been my hearts desire for the past decade to travel to the continent of Africa to minister – either through serving in missions, ministering through the preached word or ministering through music. Well, my BIG CHANCE came!

I was at home talking with one of the neighborhood kids that I’d been mentoring when my cell phone (my permanent appendage) rang. It was a local pastor who had allowed me to minister at his church. He was about to head to Kenya this month for a conference with several pastors and churches in the region. There was a well-known international artist scheduled to travel with him who had to cancel on the trip. As he considered a replacement, he thought I’d be a great fit and asked if I’d accompany him to minister in music nightly before he ministered the preached word.

My heart started racing!! In my mind I was already seeing my brothers and sisters in Africa singing and dancing to “Dance In My Feet.” I could see them rejoicing to the words of “Fight For Me.” This was it! I was headed to Africa to minister.

Then reality set in. It became clear that my life wasn’t only about my personal ministry. As I sat with the calendar at my church, I saw that my sudden unplanned absence would affect several events for which I was responsible; and shifting things around wasn’t as easy as I thought. It came down to a decision. Everyone was willing to work with me so that I could go – but was it the right thing to do? Would it be God’s perfect will for me to leave this abruptly (the trip would have been three weeks away) and throw this many things off balance? Would it be good leadership for me to create this great a challenge for my leadership team?

As much as I wanted to justify it all in my head, the answer was clear to me. I couldn’t take this engagement. It wasn’t God’s perfect will. His will was that I deny my desire and decline the opportunity. It was so painful to call that pastor back and say, “I’m sorry but I won’t be able to take that trip with you.” But, as soon as I said it, I felt that “Painful Peace.” I knew that I was doing the perfect will of God.

God’s plan for my life doesn’t always mesh well with my plan. It’s hard to build a house with two different designs. One has to be abandoned so that the other one can be embraced. I have to abandon my plan for my life – my blueprint – so that God’s plan can be fully embraced. And, He usually doesn’t reveal His plan. But He does reveal His face to those who seek Him. And in His face, I always find peace.

2008-07-07T00:03:00.002-04:00

So, what is FAITH anyway? (Part 3)

I believe that when we try to define faith as “the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen,” then we are taking a scripture written as a description and making it a definition. Yet, I do believe that the description is accurate. Faith is firm belief or conviction in something for which there may not be any tangible proof.

The challenge for Christians is to have faith in the right thing. We are often persuaded to have faith in God’s miracle working power; to have faith in God’s compassion and mercy; to have faith that God will deliver us out of our situations; to have faith for our healing; to have faith for our child’s conversion; to have faith in God’s stuff. But the bible clearly says, “Have faith in GOD.” (Mark 11:22) Faith in GOD is a lot deeper than faith in God’s stuff.

We live in a time when the prevailing culture is one of self-centeredness. This is the “I’ve gotta get mine right now” generation. When that kind of mentality influences one’s faith, it becomes easy to see God as Provider more than Father.

I’m a dad. I have a wonderful daughter. She’s an adult, working her way through college. I’m very proud of her. But if she was still a child… and only came around me when she needed something… or only told me how great a father I was when she wanted me to do something for her… or never sought to spend time with me but wanted to get my credit card every weekend, I would have a real problem with that. I would feel like she saw me as a provider, a genie in a bottle on her shelf… and the only time I was being “stroked” was when she wanted something. I doubt very seriously that God appreciates being stroked only when we want Him to grant a wish.

So, if my daughter was to call me up on the phone and I answer the call and she asks, “Hey, Dad, could you send me $4,000 so me and my boyfriend can take a road trip through Mexico?” and I respond, “Baby, I don’t think that’s a good idea, so I’m not going to give you $4,000 for the trip,” would my daughter be accurate to accuse me of not answering her call? No. She can honestly say that I didn’t grant her request, but I did answer her call. I believe that many times we get “answering our prayer” confused with “granting our request.” If we pray and ask God for something, even if we believe that we will get it with all of our heart, but God knows that it isn’t good for us and decides to not grant the request, it doesn’t mean that He didn’t answer our prayer. He just answered with a “No” instead of a “Yes.”

In a few weeks, I will be 44-years old. After all these years, I’ve learned that my faith is most productive when, rather than putting it in receiving what I want or what I think is the right thing, I put it in God. I accomplish much more when I wholeheartedly believe that God knows exactly what’s best for me. I have decided that Faith for me is believing IN God and trusting His decisions, and committing all that I have to obeying His voice and following His directions. I no longer speak to mountains that I want to see moved. I do, however, speak to mountains that God tells me to speak to… and they do move. I no longer speak things into existence that I want to see happen, but I do speak things into existence that God tells me will happen. If God says it, I will commit my life to the completion of it. All that I am is because of God’s word. He never fails. I’ve learned to stop believing in the stuff, but to have faith in God.

2008-06-16T13:09:00.002-04:00

So, what is FAITH anyway? (Part 2)

I believe that the truly faithful Christian is one that fully embraces the fact that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Tears were flowing down from my eyes as I commanded that the tree be moved to the other side of the yard. I read the scriptures. If I could command a mountain to be removed then surely a tree wouldn’t be a problem. When my prayer for tree moving didn’t work, I started praying that the house move – even a few inches. I just wanted to prove that I had faith… at least as a grain of mustard seed. But nothing was moving. I felt weak and powerless. Something was wrong with my faith. Then I started playing with my dog and forgot all about the need for faith. You do strange things when you’re 10-12 years old.

Still I remember that day. I remember challenging the scriptures and testing to see if things would happen according to my reading of the text and my accepting the literal translation. When it didn’t happen, I had a question in my mind that lasted for several years.

I remember needing a job. I found out that this one place was hiring. I decided that I wanted to work there. I didn’t go looking anywhere else. I filled out only that one application. I didn’t need to look for an alternative. And, yes, I got that job.

I remember praying for my father who was an amazing man of God. He had served God faithfully for more than 30 years. He’d been a deacon turned elder in the church. He had built houses of worship with his bare hands. He had mentored pastors and preachers. Then, in the twilight of his life, my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer disease, and more. He was beginning to suffer. This was no way for a diligent Christian to die. My dad had more to do for God. He shouldn’t be facing death yet… and definitely not like this. I prayed and prayed. Several Christians prayed and prayed. But my dad died a painful death, eventually succumbing to the grip of cancer. I could dress it up and say that he slipped away, he fell asleep, he was taken away on the sweet chariot. But the truth is, my dad suffered. He was in pain, and then he died.

I remember God saying that He was going to give my wife and me our home. We didn’t have money for a down payment for a house. We had horrible credit. We didn’t think we were ready. But God spoke to our hearts and told us to look for a house. God then connected us with a mortgage broker that was able to get us approved. Then we found a house that we liked and put in a bid. We loved it! We lost the bid. Feeling very disappointed, of course I wondered if I was hearing God correctly. But, He told us to find a home. So we looked again. Then we found another home, being sold by the owner. We were dissatisfied with our realtor and the homeowners were dissatisfied with their realtor. As we sat and talked we discovered that we were all Christians and we could feel God at work. The homeowners told us later that night that after we left, they talked and felt God telling them to put us in their home. So, they drew up the contract for us. We didn’t know how. They had offers for more than their selling price but they sold it to us for the selling price. The mortgage came through. God blessed us to get the down-payment. We moved in and are living in that house today.

So, what’s the deal? Did I have more faith for my house than I did for my father’s healing? Did I have more faith for that job than I did for moving the tree? What did Jesus mean when He said that we could have whatsoever we say? Why are so many people claiming that they are millionaires in Jesus’ name but are still in the same economic position, if not worse?

I believe that it comes down to three major factors: Motive, Greed and Purpose.

2008-06-09T00:24:00.002-04:00

So, what is FAITH anyway?

Every now and then I go on personal theological journeys to deepen my understanding of my own beliefs. There are few things more embarrassing to me than to be asked to explain my Christian beliefs and not be able to articulate them. It has been said several times that persons of other religions study their faith and can articulate their beliefs well. But… us Christians… we tend to just accept the Sunday sermon and call it a belief. So, when someone asks s to explain it, we get stuck trying to remember what the preacher said.

One of the pillars of Christianity is the doctrine of FAITH. The bible lays vital importance upon faith in that it says that it is impossible to please the Lord without it. It also teaches us that the shield of faith should be cherished “above all” so that we can quench the fiery darts of the devil. We are “saved” through faith. But what is faith?

Now, I could take you through the definitions and explanations that I read in my bible dictionaries and commentaries. I could take you through the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. I could load you with scripture. But, I want to share my life experience. Besides, isn’t that what blogging is all about?

Be careful… this is about to become graphic… not for the weak of stomach…

I remember when I was 10 years old and had a nosebleed. This wasn’t uncommon because I was a “bleeder.” But this particular night it was severe – both nostrils, plus coughing up some blood. My mother – ever the prayer warrior – and others of our church, who all happened to be gathered at our home for a wedding reception, began to lay hands on me and pray for my healing from the bleeding. This lasted for hours – until about 2am when the blood finally clotted and the bleeding appeared to have stopped. Our faith worked… so we thought. I had lost pints of blood from my little body and was very weak from the experience.

After few days of V8 juice and plenty of rest, I was finally strong enough to go to back to school. But I had noticed over those few days that my eyes had become bloodshot – like I’d been hit with a baseball bat – and when I turned my head it sounded like I was under water. Cool… built-in sound effects! As I was getting dressed to go to school my nose started bleeding again… first one nostril, then both, then the coughing. This time, my parents rushed me to the ER. Upon thorough examination, the doctors found that I had a hairline fracture on my skull (I wrestled a lot and had been slammed on the floor on my head. I shook it off at the time but the results were obviously quite severe) which seemed to be related to a ruptured artery in my head that was causing all the bleeding. My brain was sitting in a pool of blood, my eardrums were semi-submerged, I had bled into my eyes, and it was coming out through the nose. I was coughing blood because I was swallowing so much of it. They packed my sinus cavity with gauze and were planning to do a procedure the next morning – I think it was a spinal tap but I really can’t remember why.

That night as my mother and I were praying for God to heal me and to carry me through the procedure, I saw a vision of the finger of God coming down through the sky, right over the hospital and then stopping over my room. Then I saw surgical tools coming out of the tip of His finger and operating on me.

When we got up the next morning, my eyes were clear and I didn’t hear any more liquid in my ears. When the doctors came in and saw me, they were stumped and could not explain what had happened. They kept me for two more days to run tests but couldn’t find any of what they had found before. They couldn’t even find a trace of the blood that they had seen before. Yeah – this was a miracle!

But was this about faith? Why was it that the saints prayed all night at my bedside at home and I still bled, but when my mother and I prayed at my bedside in the hospital, God healed me? Was there more faith with just my mom and me than with all the saints gathered in the room? How do the scriptures justify this outcome?

This is gonna take more than one blog to cover so tune in for the next installment.

2008-05-20T17:37:00.002-04:00

April 25th, 2008 finally arrived. There was intense excitement in the air an hour before the concert began. Worshippers started gathering early to share the experience. When my pastor, Dr. Kirk T. Houston Sr. took the microphone for the opening prayer, you knew that the night was going to be special. The presence and power of God quickly filled the room. Yeah… God came to the recording session.

As we got into the first half I knew I needed to pace myself. I had been struggling with my voice over the previous 3 months. At one point I thought I would need to cancel the session. Then I decided that I would overdub the lead vocals later if I needed to – but I wasn’t going to kill the momentum and excitement that was already built about this recording. No… whatever it took, we were going to have that worship experience. We were going to keep our appointment with God.

Once we got into the second song of the session, I noticed that my voice had cleared up. It was on… like popcorn! Things were moving very smoothly. The audience was right there with us. I took my time and introduced nearly every song. This gave my voice a little cool down between songs so that I would be smooth going into the next song. I had to use wisdom to get through the night.

It was my desire for the night to be much more than a recording session where people sit and observe or stand and applaud. My goal was for worshippers to join me in pressing into the very face of God so that we could experience His glory together. But the night went exceeding abundantly above what I had asked or thought. So many moments occurred that were not planned or rehearsed. I can’t wait for you to hear some of these moments that we were able to capture… such as what happened as we concluded “Hallelujah Chant” and all got caught up in the presence and glory of God. Then Pastor Houston came to the mic and led us even deeper in the worship. There was even a moment in the second half when God gave us a song right on stage in the midst of the worship. There is nothing in this world like the presence of the Lord!

The evening would not have happened without the love and support of my fans and friends. There was great generosity expressed by my home church – Gethsemane Community Fellowship Baptist Church. I was also blessed with wonderful sponsors who poured into my music ministry. I am particularly grateful to my corporate sponsor – Dr. Jerome Barber and Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Temple of Hampton, Virginia. Pastor Barber was there with us from the opening to the benediction. It was so cool seeing him and my pastor there on the front row praying for us and worshipping with us through the entire session. What an honor!

The night was a leap of faith. But I can say that God used my sponsors, my fans and supporters to help us cover all of the expenses of the evening. We were able to walk away from the night with professional audio and video recording as well as digital photography. Some of the photos are already on my Myspace page. Stop by and check it out.

I am targeting early December for the release of this project. I’m open to suggestions for the title of the project. If you were at the session and have a recommendation, I’d love to hear it!

Please stop by our corporate sponsor’s webpage and see the great things God is doing at Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Temple – affectionately called SMZBT (“Smizzbit”).

2008-04-18T17:47:00.000-04:00

O For A Voice To Sing

I’ve heard of athlete’s insuring their limbs. I’ve heard of musicians insuring their fingers. I’ve even heard of singers insuring their voices. I used to think of it as vanity. Now, I kinda understand why.

Last year I caught a cold – well actually, the flu. But it was right before I had a few important engagements. And there were lots of things going on at church as well. So, I had to sing through it. When I got over the virus, my voice didn’t fully recover. Eventually, I had this “popping” that was going on in my voice. It was a bit frightening. It lasted for months. I remembered that a former pastor of mine had those symptoms and found that he had a growth on his vocal chords, which required surgery. So, I went to an E.N.T. (Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist). He put a probe down my throat and looked at my vocal chords and reported that things looked normal. Then, he put me on Prilosec (for what he suspected might be acid reflux) and Prednisone (steroids). In a week, my voice was as clear as a bell.

Well, when I got back from my European tour on New Years Eve, I was quite hoarse. I think it was from the frigid ride on the van from Treia to Milan… or maybe it was the fact that I had only gotten about 5 hours sleep in that 48-hour span. Fatigue will affect your voice – especially after you’ve been using it heavily. Whatever the reason, I was very hoarse. But, I had to lead worship that night – for the New Years Eve service. Then I had to get right back into my schedule of rehearsals and my rotation for leading worship. It took several weeks for my voice to clear up. But about late February, it was starting to sound good again.

Then… of course… I got the flu. Yeah, this was that ugly, nasty strain of the virus that went around this winter. But, it happened right when I was scheduled to do a couple of high profile, very important events. So, I sang through it.

Eventually, I got over the flu. But my voice didn’t clear up. And then I started hearing that “popping” noise again. Here I was at the beginning of March, with a live recording session coming up on April 25th, and my voice sounded like the creature from the movie “Signs.” I started trying everything I knew. I did the lemon tea. I did vocal rest. I did lots of sleeping – well, not lots… just more than usual. I tried vocal workouts from my favorite vocal people – Vocal Coach. Nothing was working! I then started getting nervous. What was I going to do? I couldn’t record a live session with my voice sounding like that.

Then, I remembered last year. I remembered that it happened before. I thought about the medication I was prescribed and took a trip to the pharmacy. I got the sinus meds and the acid reflux meds. But they didn’t bring any change. Finally, I broke down and went to my doctor. Thank God for Dr. Eric Lipton!! He reviewed my case from last year and wrote me a prescription for prednisone. Two days into treatment, my voice was 300% better.

But it’s not as clear as I want it to be right now. I really think that’s because I’m tired. My body is tired. But, we’re in the grind right now. We have 7 days until the recording and there is a list of things that need to happen between now and then. So, I can’t really rest yet. I’ve got to hump it out.

Pray for me. I need a voice to sing. A clear voice.

You know what…

It’s going to be just fine.

God is in control!

Just Like You

2008-03-25T14:38:00.001-04:00

This is the song that I was referring to in my latest blog. Take a listen and feel free to tell me what you think. This is the demo version of the song. Come to the live recording on April 25th to hear what it becomes through the production process.

Just Like You - MP3.mp3

2008-03-25T14:33:00.000-04:00

The Michael M. Smith Songwriting and Production Process

When I wrote my first song I was about 12 or 13 years old. I remember the song. It was a basic chorus, verse and hook. Come to think of it, the structure was pretty solid. Classic. The title was, “I Love Him.” I taught it to my little group – “Representatives of Divine Love.” It consisted of my best friend on drums, my cousin singing alto, my best friend’s two sisters singing 1st and 2nd soprano and me singing tenor and playing keys. Those were such innocent, fun days. We rehearsed all the time and sang anywhere we could. We weren’t thinking about making records or making money. We just wanted to make melody that would please God and bless the people.

Here we are, some 30 years later and that is still the cry of my heart. I have concluded that God did not put me in this field to try to make a lot of money. He put me here to write and sing songs that would bless Him and bless His people. When the focus becomes the money, the songwriting becomes about making the next “hit,” rather than telling the truth through song. I want to tell the truth. I want to make God smile.

So, how do I write a song? My process has really changed over the years. I used to wait for inspiration to hit me… or for a few lyrics to drop on me. There have been some times when God just dropped a song in my spirit. But I believe that I am at that point where God entrusts me with the gift and responsibility to craft music that I know will please Him. It’s like… He used to pick me up and drive me everywhere. Then He started teaching me how to drive – with Him in the car. Now, He’s given me the keys and says, “Don’t wreck my car. And don’t go anywhere else but where I told you to go.” This project is that kind of graduation.

Okay… back to the process. It starts with an idea. There has to be something that I want to say… either to God or to His people, or there has to be something that God wants to say. My songs take one of three directions: from the mouth of God to me/us; from our mouths to the ears of God; or from us to one another. Lately, most of my songs are “prayer songs,” songs that speak our heart to the ears of God. They are sung directly to Him. I believe that is the proper direction of a good worship song. It should be sung directly to God.

Once I know what direction the song should take and what the message is, I now like to start with the hook. The hook carries the real message of the song. Like the song I just wrote for my new project, “Just Like You”… it started with the hook… “I wanna be just like you, just like you.” That’s the real message. From there, I start crafting the verses. They have to answer a few questions, like “who’s doing the talking?” “Who is being addressed in the song?” “What makes the hook relevant?” The verses are all about getting me to the hook. Since attending GMA Academy I have changed my song structure approach. And co-writing with Beth Champion-Mason had a great impact on me as well. Now, I like going verse 1 & 2, pre-chorus, hook, vamp. It’s a smooth pattern that works for most songs. Sometimes you don’t even need a vamp if the hook is strong enough. But a vamp can be a great addition.

Then I get to work on the music. Most of the time I have the tune for the hook in my head when I create it. The verses all build to the hook in their construction. The pre-chorus should be a musical buildup that lets you know something big is on the way. That big thing is… the hook! So, the pre-chorus often ends with some suspended chord.

Once I’ve got the tune roughly formed, I turn to one of my new best friends… LOGIC! It’s a wonderful software program for songwriting. I decide on my tempo and create a tempo loop – usually 4-5 tracks for a nice, wet loop lasting 4 or 8 measures. Then I loop it out over far more measures than I think the song will last. Then I play out the entire song over the loop using a basic piano patch with a rough rendition of the song. Then I crop back the tempo loop to the actual length of the song. After that, I play a solid bass line through the entire song. I come back and add strings or some atmosphere or background to the song. Then I come back and replace the piano with a really good piano track. If the song is one that I know I’m going to want guitar on, I’ll do a guitar track before the piano track – using one of the wonderful guitar patches. By the way, I have a Motif ES7, which I love. I used to swear by the Motif patches. But for the last couple of songs, I’ve just used the Logic patches. They sound great – and I can modify them pretty easily. Except, I love the Motif organ – which I used on “Just Like You.”

So, now that my music is set, I start tracking my sample vocals. I have to use my falsetto voice to record the soprano and alto parts and sometimes even the tenor parts. This is the most tedious part for me. I hate it when I’m “pitchy” or inarticulate. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m making a demo – not a final product. Finally, I’ll track a demo lead. This is the fun part for me. This is when I get to really get into the song and see what comes out of me. Sometimes the song will move me in ways I didn’t expect. I’ll find myself crying out to God or worshiping more intensely that I predicted. Sometimes a phrase will grab me harder than it did when I wrote it. It’s often a fun, revelatory experience.

Then, I start mixing the song. This is lots of fun for me. I get to use some of the things that I learned from Rob Ulsh at MasterSound Studios and Dwayne Valentine at DVal Studios.

Once I do all of that, I give the song to my co-producer, Kasey Square. He will often ask, “How much room do I have?” I then tell him what I’m married to in the song and what I’m open to. That lets him know how much he can change. We have a great relationship. The guy is a BEAST!! While he’s tweaking the musical arrangement and teaching it to the band, I’m teaching the singers the music and listening to them to hear anything that I want to go back and change. As I listen in on the band rehearsals I’m always looking for any place where we may develop a rub between the band and the vocals so we can fix it right then. Finally, we will bring the two together – vocals and instrumentation. Then we do final tweaking and polishing.

So, the track that came with this blog is what I gave Kasey and the singers. What you will hear on April 25th will be what we all came up with together. It’s going to be quite different.

2008-03-10T12:06:00.000-04:00

This blank page can look so intimidating when it’s time to write a blog.

Okay… what’s on my mind? What can I talk about today?

I could talk about the long recovery process of the human voice. My vocal recovery process has been very dramatic since the tour in Europe. I became very hoarse after the tour. I think the 7-hour road-trip to the Milan airport in the van all that night at about what felt like 20 below zero degrees had something to do with it. Or, perhaps, the fact that I could only sleep about 1.5 hours on the 9-hour flight back to the states because I had a painful case of... well, that’s kinda’ embarrassing. Well, let’s just say that I wasn’t about to make everyone on the plane uncomfortable so I kept running to the bathroom… trying to find relief. And when I say painful... I really do mean painful. That bad boy had my stomach screaming! So, needless to say, I couldn’t sleep much on that flight. So, the frigid, sleepless trip to the airport, the sleepless flight back to the states, the time adjustment, and the fact that we had just done 11 concerts, all took a heavy toll on my voice. Then, of course, I was asked to sing for our New Years Eve service. So, having no mid range left to speak of, I had to sing in falsetto. Now, Gethsemane is a funny place filled with funny people. Of course, they started calling me “Prince” for the next month or so. It took several weeks to get my voice back to full strength. And, just as I was getting there… here comes the flu! And, of course, I had to sing while I was sick. So, now, here I am again, trying to rehabilitate my voice. Saints, please pray for me!

Okay… what else can I talk about? Oh yeah! My MAC!!

When I got back from Italy, I invested in a MacBook Pro. Church, let me tell you! I understand why all the REAL musicians work with a Mac. This machine is wonderful! I also got Logic Studio 8. My God! I’m about to shout right now!! People, Logic is a wonderful piece of software. I am loving this studio hookup!. I already had CuBase Studio 4. I’ve stopped using it. I had CuBase LE. NO COMPARISON!! Logic is a BEAST!! And the MacBook Pro is just a fantastic machine all on it’s own. It operates so smoothly… so efficiently. It blows my ThinkPad away.

But the relevant question is, “What’s really going on?” Well, we are preparing for the live recording. God is quickly moving and so are we. April 25, 2008 is the big day. We have people coming from as far away as Tennessee and Georgia for this session. The concert will begin at 7:30PM. The doors will open at 6:30. We know that the building is going to be packed. It only holds 500 in the sanctuary and another 100 in overflow. So, only the first 600 people will be able to get in. We will officially release the announcement of the event on Wednesday. We are asking for a donation of $20 at the door. This will be a huge blessing and will enable us to cover a lot of the expenses of the recording.

Wow, what do you know… the page isn’t blank anymore.

2008-02-26T14:19:00.000-05:00

Making The Way Clear

I was doing well. Had the first band rehearsal for the new project. It went really well. I had plans rolling in my head. It was looking pretty nice. Then, I asked someone to give me some advice on something that I’d written. The advice he gave me was excellent advice and direction. But I got his advice just as I was in the midst of fighting with the flu. Yeah… I caught that nasty bug that’s been going around. So, feeling yucky already, I found my emotions totally out of whack. At the same time, my wife was out of town tending to some family business. So, I was home alone, feeling physically miserable, emotionally vulnerable… and I got sucker punched by the enemy.

Lemme tellya… it’s been quite some years since I’d faced that kind of crisis of faith. I was suddenly fearful… nervous… leery… just downright scared. I was praying, “God, what am I dong here? Why am I trying to record another project? I know I don’t have the money. I know I can’t pull this off. I’m going to wind up with egg in my face… and I know that won’t bring you any glory.” I was ready to throw my hands in.

The next morning, I woke up, still sick. I got myself into the mood for writing. I figured, whether I was recording the project or not, I needed to finish the songs that I was working on. So, I started working on this song, “Bigger Than I Imagined.” The song was inspired by our Europe tour. We were in Potenza visiting Father Don Franco’s office, seeing the figurines he had acquired from countries all over the world… all celebrating the birth of our Lord. Seeing this clear representation of the global reach of the Gospel I gained a new perspective of how big God is. I just started telling God, “I thought I knew how great You were but You are much bigger than I imagined.” As we traveled to the next city, I started writing the chorus of the song.

So, as I’m thinking about this experience, and about the amazing view of the Alps as we were flying into Milan, Italy… and the snow-capped mountains, and the flight over to the island of Sardinia… the lyrics started to flow… “Even if I climb the highest mountain peak… or sail to an island – far out in the deep… no matter where I am, I’ll find You right there – answering prayer. You are so much bigger – bigger than I imagined. You are so much greater than my mind can see…”

Once I finished writing the song, I called up one of my songwriter friends, Beth Champion-Mason, to bounce the lyrics and tune off her for her critical ear. She shared a few great suggestions and gave her approval. That felt great!

Then out of the clear blue, I got a call from Jonathan DuBose, Jr… yes, THE Jonathan DuBose, Jr. He was responding to a call I’d placed to him a couple weeks earlier. I’d left a voicemail with him asking that he pray with me that God will provide what I needed to do this recording. Jonathan called just to tell me that my prayers had been answered and that every thing that I needed for this project was already in place… and all I needed to do was to step out and watch God fulfill his promise. I felt my courage coming back!

Saturday was our first vocal rehearsal for the project. It was so wonderful hearing Bethany, Neketa, Felicia and Jene singing the harmonies on “I Give You Everything.” During one of the breaks in the rehearsal they were talking about all the friends and family members they were bringing to the recording and how big a crowd they are anticipating for that night. As they were talking I was thinking, “Well, I guess I can’t call it off now. It’s already too big. And these girls would strangle me.” I later sang “Bigger Than I Imagined” for them. After singing it, I realized that those were the words that God was requiring me to live out. If I am going to record it, I need to live it. I need to realize and embrace the fact that God is HUGE… much bigger than a recording budget.

So, Monday I’m thinking through my plan and looking at possible means of generating a considerable amount of the revenue I need for the project. But, I was thinking I couldn’t act on my idea. Then, out of the clear blue… here we go again… I got a completely unexpected word from the Lord through a former piano student. She sent it via MySpace. She said… “just hitting your page to remind you that the Lord will fulfill His purpose in you.” That thing reverberated in the chambers of my spirit. Soon after, I felt led to call my pastor and talk my idea over with him. And the advice, wisdom and support that he gave me just changed everything! Now, I can see my way clearly. My confidence is back. My health is back, too.

But, I feel humbled by the fact that I acted so faithless last week. I got sucker punched and I wasn’t ready for the fight. God brought me through and proved himself. But now I know I need to prepare myself for the next test. I know it’s coming.

2008-02-11T17:42:00.000-05:00

Inspire Me!

I believe we all have those moments when we need inspiration. Not just generic inspiration – but specific inspiration for a specific task. I’m having one of those moments right now. April 25th, I will be recording my next project. It will be a live recording at my home church, Gethsemane Community Fellowship Baptist Church in Norfolk, VA. The task seems HUGE this time. Perhaps because the last time I recorded I had no idea going in just how much it was actually going to cost me – financially, emotionally and time-wise. But this time, I know that it can easily cost me $XX,000 and an entire year to produce a project with the quality of my last one. Mediocrity is often inexpensive. Excellence, on the other hand, is seldom cheap. God has put excellence in me. I have disdain for mediocrity. But when you don’t have $XX,000 at your disposal, it can become a bit overwhelming.

Last week I was sitting in a group session for a leadership institute that I’m attending at my church. The group mentor asked a question, “How do you know that a plan is of God?” We all tossed around various answers. But the mentor gave us an answer that trembled the core of my heart. He said, “You know it’s a plan from God when it requires an act of trust.” Then he went to the scriptures and read from Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy path.” At that very moment I heard God speaking these scriptures into me – like a song being played into my consciousness. I saw that I was being required to trust God. I was already facing financial challenges and trusting God to provide in other areas of my life. Now, in the middle of all of that, God was saying – “Launch out.” Yeah, this definitely required an act of trust.

Leaving that session, I was excited… feeling like the vision was confirmed. But this morning I woke up, exhausted from a very long weekend. The words of my wife are still ringing in my head, “Get some rest!” But, of course I woke up at 8:15 this morning and once I’m up, I’m up.
So, I opened my bible to have some devotional time with the Lord as I ate breakfast. Reading in Isaiah 11, I saw that the kingdom of God will be established in the earth and violence will cease. Even the lion will lay down with the lamb. I saw how Christ, the Branch from the stem of Jesse, would come demonstrating the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and the fear of God. Then I went to verse 13 where it speaks of a cessation of the rivalry between Ephraim and Judah. I had to go back to the story of Ephraim’s blessing given by Jacob. Here, I was touched by the fact that Ephraim, the youngest son (I can relate to that. I’m the baby of my family), would receive the blessing of the eldest son.

That was good for the soul… but I still felt like I needed inspiration.

Over a week ago, one of the drummers at my church loaned me three DVDs to watch. Israel & New Breed, “Live in South Africa” was one of them. Now I’m fan of Israel & New Breed. But I hadn’t had time to watch the video until this morning. The entire DVD is a treat! But there were two things that really spoke to me.

There was a moment when Israel began to quote Zephaniah 3:17. That scripture resonated in my heart. Then Israel began singing prophetically, “Take The Limits Off.” I’d heard the song before on the CD. But, this time, God was speaking to me… “Release me to accomplish what I promised you.” I am very leery of anything resembling this “prosperity Gospel” that’s being preached in many pulpits today. But this morning, I saw a completely different revelation of the words, “No limit. No boundaries. I see increase all around me. Stretch forth. Break forth. Release me. Enlarge my territory.” This wasn’t about ME having stuff. This was about me accomplishing what God has poured into me. As I thought about it, I considered the fact that God wouldn’t be giving me these incredible songs like, “Bigger Than I Imagined” if He didn’t intend for these songs to bless the body of Christ. I can sing them at my home church… but that’s not the way He’s giving them to me. He’s given me songs for the home church before. But these songs are coming with production and arrangements that are beyond the scope of a “home church.” Then, Bishop Tudor Bismark took the mic and began to minister. Oh my God! I had a moment.

The other things that grabbed me was when Israel was singing “Alpha and Omega” and the glory of the Lord was so strong in the room that Israel could no longer stand on his feet. But right before this was the clip of his wife weeping in worship before the Lord. Then, when Israel fell to his knees on the stage, his wife came to the edge of the stage… just to worship with him. There, they wept and worshipped together. Then I thought about my wife, Sharon. And I thought about the moments that God uses me to lead worship and I can see the tears flowing from Sharon’s face as she worships with me. And I thought about the times we spend in prayer together and tears flow from her face as she lifts me up before God. I remembered the fact that she gave me complete support with the last project and has already given me total support with this venture. There is no limit to what God will do with a husband and wife connected in spirit, submitted to the will of God, courageous enough to launch out into the deep water and work for God’s kingdom.

As I’m writing this, I’m reminded about the moments on the stage in Italy, particularly in Sassari on the island of Sardinia. The moments when the worship became so intense that we couldn’t move to the next song… moments when the Holy Spirit translated the language for those sitting in the audience who didn’t know English but knew our Savior. After seeing God move like that, why am I letting this thing bother me? There is something that God dropped on me a little while ago. The project is His. It is for His glory. Everything that it takes to complete the project belongs to Him. He has it in all the right places. He will put it all where it needs to be when it needs to be there. God’s kingdom has the resources for a CD recording. It’s not about me anyway. It’s about God accomplishing something through me for His glory. So, I will trust Him.

Then, to top it off, I am reminded about the fact that the thing that woke me up at 8:15 this morning is that I heard “Join In This Praise” playing on the Contemporary Christian channel of Music Choice this morning. Music Choice is the cable and satellite radio network that Cox Cable and others use to play music. This means that the song is getting national play.

Thank you, Lord! I am inspired.

2008-01-24T13:14:00.000-05:00

Settling Back Into The Grind

When I got back from Europe I figured it would take my body a couple of days to adjust to the 6-hour time difference. I got off the plane running! We had our church’s New Years Eve service to execute. Because of the tremendous growth of Gethsemane Community Fellowship, we held our New Years Eve service off-site at Booker T. Washington High School Auditorium. We had to contract sound reinforcement for the event. We had a guest artist coming in to do a concert that night. So, I had a lot of work to do that day to make sure that things went smoothly that night. And, yes, it was a wonderful night!

Since we were headed into a new year… and our church was beginning a new service schedule – going from two services per Sunday to three services – there was a lot to do before the first Sunday of the year. I had lots of meetings and planning. We had to redesign how we would execute things to accommodate these services. As “Minister of Worship and Arts” I am responsible for the ushers, greeters, media, parking & security, dancers, mime, drama and music ministries. And the change in service schedule was going to directly impact my ministries. To make things even more challenging, I had a ministry leader who was going out on sick leave for a couple of months with another young lady covering her ministry and I had another ministry that had just changed leaders. So, I had to be hands-on with both of these ministries. There was a lot to do!

My plan, getting back home, was to get to work on my next recording project. I had planned to do another live recording on February 29th. But I had to look at my whole picture and see if my timetable was realistic… and it wasn’t. I needed to spend the month of January working out the kinks of the new service schedule and working with my leaders. In other words, I needed to concentrate on things at my home church first. So I pushed the recording date to April 25th.

Before I knew it, three weeks had gone by and I hadn’t done any work on my new music. But I also sensed a longing in my heart. God sent a word through the church on Sunday about the parable of the wise and the foolish homebuilders. In that message, I felt the Holy Spirit convicting me. I realized that in the three weeks that I’ve been home I had not spent any quality time in prayer or in reading God’s word. I was working very hard on the things of God but wasn’t spending quality private time with God. WORSHIP LEADERS: BEWARE!!

So, I put everything on hold on Monday and spent time with God. Of course, he took me to a scripture that spoke directly to me. Isaiah 2:8 says, “Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.” The word of God here reminded me of how easy it is for leaders to begin to worship the leadership position… for singers to worship the songs… for musicians to worship the music… for worship leaders to begin to worship the worship! It sneaks up on you. Before you know it, the private time with God is replaced with doing “kingdom work.” IT’S NOT THE SAME! God requires that I spend time with Him… not busy time but quiet time.

After my time with God, I was able to finally finish a song that was being birthed in my heart for quite some time, “I Give You Everything.” It’s going to be on my next project. I believe it will bless you. It’s a song of worship and surrenderance.

2007-12-30T17:35:00.000-05:00

The Final Show!

After dinner, we went to the theatre for our final concert of the tour. We were excited, relieved, tired, drained, energetic, jittery, hoarse and grateful all at once. The place was packed. This grand theatre has four balcony levels. It was built in the early 1800s. Everything had been preserved except the wood has been replaced. The acoustics are incredible. The artwork and drawings just take your breath away to see. You’ll just have to see the photos.

We stepped onto stage to find that our last night had the rowdiest, most energetic, most excited crowd that we’ve had all tour. Before the first song even started I heard someone shout out, “We love you, Michael.” Did they think I was Michael Jackson… or Michael Jordan… or Michael W. Smith? That was an interesting feeling.

We went through our set. We opened with “Dance In My Feet,” involving the crowd on the vamp. They were on top of it. We went into “Holy Is The Lord,” singing the chorus in Italian. We took it to church with “We’ve Come This Far By Faith,” including personal testimony of how we’ve had to learn to rest in the peace of God. From there, we went to “In Your Blood” which set a powerful tone. We closed the first part of the set with “Join In This Praise.” Then we went into the Christmas set. We opened it with “Oh Holy Night” which always goes over very well. Then we went into “The First Noel” wherein “The Well,” “The Diva,” and “Red Bird” get to handle the lead by singing the verses. That consistently gets screams and cheers. We moved into “O Little Town Of Bethlehem.” Although Christmas Day has passed, these people celebrate the entire Holiday Season just like Americans. We concluded this part of the set with “Amen,” which is another crowd favorite. I love the fact that singing that song allows me to minister the Kyrygma… the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. We moved into the final set, starting with our African remix of “Fight For Me.” It pulls the crowd in and allows them to sing with us even if they don’t know a drop of English. From there, we got personal with “You Are Lord – Agnus Dei.” By the time we got to the end, worship was in the house. I knew that if we didn’t stop quickly, we were going to completely lose it. We were all considering the times when the van skidded on ice in the mountains and the hand of God kept us from going over the cliff. We were considering the times we were emotionally spent and God revived and restored us. We were considering the many times we were terrified by Italian driving but quickly found ourselves falling asleep because God wrapped us in a blanket of His peace. Yeah… we were getting caught up… and wouldn’t have been able to finish the tour. So, we cut it kinda quickly and went to the closer… “I’m Saved.” By the time we were done with it, the crowd was on their feet singing, “Oh – Oh – Oh – Oh!” It was a blast.

Typically, that’s where we close the show, and then come out for an encore with “Oh Happy Day.” But I felt the need to do a teaser. So, we stopped, went back to the mics and did, “Down By The River Side.” It’s so funny watching my wonderful Italian friends try to clap and move and sing at the same time. Somebody say, “Rhythm, Lord! Oh, oh, oh, rhythm, Lord!” (Sorry… I had to whoop that one.) We left the stage and was called back out by the crowd for an encore. Now, we were all shouting the victory because it was the last time we were singing “Happy Days!” You should have seen us literally running back on the stage like it was Christmas. Then we all started dancing. The crowd was in stitches! It was a very funny moment. “Oh Happy Day” was very special this time. We took it to church! We even stopped the music and rocked out a little. Wow! What a blast.

After the concert, we went back to the hotel and packed. We had to pull out at 2:00 AM to head to Milan Airport – a six-hour drive. Our flight leaves at 10:15 but, of course, you need to arrive very early. We were supposed to take a nap and get some rest during the 1.5 hours we had before load and departure time. But, the only one of us that could sleep was “Red Bird” and she was like really dead to the world. “Mad Max” however was required to sleep. He had to do all the driving.

We sat around and tried to figure out what we were feeling. It was “bittersweet.” We were so glad that it was over and that we were headed home. But, we had so much fun and hated to see it come to a close. This was a special moment.

The drive to Milan was grueling! I took the first leg of staying awake with “Mad Max” to keep him alert. By about 5:30 AM, I was totally spent. “The Well” switched and took on the last shift while I got in the back to get some shut-eye. Of course, I woke up later and saw that “Mad Max” had no help. “The Well” was wide-awake, listening to my iPod the entire time I was awake. I guess we were on the same schedule.

We arrived at Milan safely. Even more of a surreal moment was observed. We were actually leaving Italy and heading home. We are tired. As much as we loved Italian food, we want some fried chicken… collard greens… potato salad… macaroni & cheese… hmm, on second thought… skip the mac & cheese… we’ve had enough pasta to hold us for the next six months. Oh… we want pancakes and sausage… scrambled eggs… a waffle…

We’re on the plane!

Thank you, God, for the opportunity to do what many people only dream of. I am so grateful for the chance to spread the message of the Gospel to people of another culture. Thank you for the chance to spend two weeks living out a witness to “Mad Max.” I pray that the life that we lived before him will draw him to you. Thank you for opening his heart to the point that he would ask questions about you as we rode to Treia. Thank you for giving me an understanding of your word so that I could have something to share with him that would make sense. Thank you for being so gracious to me. Thank you for all of the people that prayed for us through this journey. Thank you for the amazing singers that took this journey with me and worshipped, wept and prayed with me. Thank you for healing me from the virus that attacked my body the first week I was there. Thank you for traveling mercies. Thank you for the revival in Naples. Thank you for the artists that went before me that I was able to draw from. Thank you for EVERYTHING!!

2007-12-30T17:30:00.000-05:00

The Final Show Approaches!!

We decided to leave early from Olivone, Switzerland and head to Treia, Italy for the final show. It is a six-hour drive. When we stepped out of the hotel – a small, quaint ski-resort, we were astounded by the view we had of the Alps. When we arrived there the previous evening we were too tired to fully digest what we were seeing. Besides, it was late afternoon and the sun was setting. It was now early morning and we were in the shadow of the mountains. This was a great photo op.

Driving from the mountains of Switzerland to the central Italy city of Treia meant we had to pass through Lodi (pronounced Laud-ee). This area of Italy, just outside of Milan has the phenomenon of intense fog in the dead of winter. Fog most often occurs in warmer weather. But in this area, even when there is thick frost on the ground there is also intense fog. We traveled through it for about 15 kilometers (see, I’ve been here so long I’m starting to think in the metric system. Oh Lord!!).

When we reached Treia I could hardly believe my eyes. Do you remember the movies about Medieval Europe… about ancient Italy…about the historical city of Jericho? Treia is an ancient, walled city. This fortress still has cobblestone streets. You can see the great military advantage to the location just based on geography. Treia is on a mountain… an actual city set on a hill. It is a place that couldn’t be hidden. But it’s also a place that you couldn’t sneak up on. From the towers or from the walls, any enemy approaching this city would be spotted.

We arrived at the hotel, a very modern establishment in this ancient place. As we walked down the street we found some very cool shops nearby. This was a very modern city in the body of an ancient museum. We got there about 4:30. We had a 7:00 sound check, and dinner at 7:30.

Our tour schedule said that we wound be singing at a church in Treia. Our tour manager said that we would be singing in a church. We were prepared for one more cold church with the amazing acoustics, to which we had become accustomed. To our surprise, when “Mad Max” met us to walk us over to the facility, which was only about 40 meters away, he told us that he just found out that it was a theatre. And, to use his wording, “…and this place is dope!”

Now, please allow me to explain “Mad Max” to you. My buddy is part Italian, part American, part Hip-Hop and totally serious about everything. My man is INTENSE! But, because of that character trait, he can always be depended on to get the job done with excellence. He can be short and curt like most Italians, but he also knows how to rap. And now, after riding around with us all week, he knows how to “whoop!” See, when things got intense on the road, “The Well” or I would break out in a sermon to lighten the mood. Well, whooping is contagious. On the way from Rivarotta, “Mad Max” took over the message for one line. That was all it took. We were all in tears… hearing this Italian, who loves to rap and rhyme, take on the art of preaching. “Preach, preacher!!” Oh yeah… did I mention that he loves to rap and rhyme? Dude will break into a rap at the drop of a dime. He can break down the history of rap and hip-hop like very few others can. We love Massimo, aka “Mad Max.”

2007-12-30T17:26:00.000-05:00

Crossing the Border for an Alpine Adventure

We left McDonalds with our bellies full. We had just come across the border from Italy into Switzerland. Here we go! Another new country to explore. We thought Italy was gorgeous. Switzerland just takes it to another level. It is just amazing!! I tried to capture every photo I could. We’ll have to get some more on the way out.

We headed to a little town called Olivone – up on a mountain in the Alps. The hotel we checked into has the most comfortable beds we’ve slept in since we left America. We all took a nice nap when we got there.

And let me tell you… we had never in our lives seen a church more beautiful than this. From the artwork on the ceiling to the sculptures on the ledges to the gold lined walls behind the pulpit to the enchanting colors throughout the building, this seemed to be a miniature Sistine Chapel. You will have to see the photos to truly appreciate it. No… you’ll have to go there and see it in person.

The sound check was on point. You know… come to think of it… we’ve had better sound on this tour than we usually have for our engagements in the states. I’m going to miss these guys that have been making us sound so full and rich. They really know what they are doing. It appears that they are engaged in ensuring the sound is as good as it can get from the beginning of the show until the very end. They catch feedback very quickly… before it gets to that ear-piercing point. They try to ensure that everyone in the building not only can hear the music but also can fully enjoy the experience. Working with them has been a great pleasure. Their expertise has allowed my voice to last for the entire tour. Thank you, guys!!

Then, again, we discovered that the restroom was in another building. So, we had to go outside to get there. We take so many things for granted in America… especially in our “big city churches.” But your worship is tested when you are offered the opportunity to worship in uncomfortable circumstances. If your intensity lessens because of your discomfort, I suggest that you re-evaluate the authenticity of your worship. Here, on this tour, there was no time for questionable worship. We had to be real.

People filled every seat, every crack, lined the back wall… all to hear “gospel music.” This was the community’s huge annual event and the first Gospel concert held in this church. This was a bit of a tough crowd… very reserved. But, the building was completely packed. It took a while to get them going. But, “Oh Holy Night” was just what the doctor ordered. When we did “The First Noel,” they came completely alive… and stayed with us for the rest of the journey.

We had developed a bit of a comedy routine on stage. We started trading riffs and runs… particularly “The Well” and me. But, this night, more of the group got in on the act. I heard “Chicken on Bikes” ripping it up. Shocking!! She was gettin’ it! The crowd seems to enjoy it. Also, on this night, I even challenged the crowd. You should have heard this Swiss crowd doing riffs with me. It was very cool. Thank you, Andrae Crouch, for the idea.

Over the last five or so shows, we’ve made “You Are Lord – Agnus Dei” our personal worship time. It allows us a moment to leave the performance and go hard after God. We’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to verbally reflect on the journey and openly bless God for bringing us through it. By the time we get to the “Hallelujah Chant” we are caught up in the glory of God. Those moments make the grind of the road worthwhile.

After the concert we came out to greet the crowd. We would have been selling CDs but we sold out in Naples. I guess I should have brought more. As we were talking with the crowd, a group of four was standing to the side – all of whom spoke some English. One young lady in the group – perhaps the spokesperson – began to share how they were moved by the intensity of the worship. She asked if that was the way we praised God all the time. “Yes!” She proceeded to say that it was a great testimony to them, that God could be worshipped this way. Too often, she said, their people sit quietly in worship – with a few rebels making noise. But now they are encouraged to worship more intensely.

Another young lady was speaking with some of the other group members about how she couldn’t sit quietly through the concert. We all were feeding off her energy throughout the show and told her how much we appreciated her enthusiasm. She shared how she doesn’t understand how people can sit during such worship and be so silent. Yeah… we really do understand.

Ron Kenoly recorded a live worship project in Italy some years ago and I have a copy of it. That album helped me learn words in Italian to facilitate praise and worship. Thank you, Ron.

2007-12-29T03:42:00.001-05:00

The Wonder of Rivarotta

We arrived in Rivarotta after dark. That wasn’t a good thing. This place was a bit scary. Definitely like a ghost town. We checked into what is best described as a bed-and-breakfast, which was the best the town had to offer. The hostess was less than friendly. The accommodations were less than comfortable. But it reminded us of the word we had received from the Lord on Christmas day. So, we were up to the challenge.

Later, we arrived at the church. As we waited in the cold room, next to the door to the outside where the restroom was, we considered what the Lord had said and determined that we would give Him a sacrifice that cost something. Soon, the concert organizer came in and asked if he could have our seats because the place was completely full and they needed more chairs. We obliged. Later, he came in again and asked if it would be all right if people sat on the sides of the stage because the place was overflowing. Of course, we obliged.

When we exited our room and entered the sanctuary, this small church that seats probably 200 people was jam packed with about 300-325 people, standing against the walls, three rows standing in the rear of the building, and about 16-20 people on the stage at our sides. It was huge for their town.

Now, we met God mightily in Potenza. We saw God show his face in Sassari. But, this night was another dimension. The worship was intense. The crowd was right there with us. Again, the Holy Spirit was the translator and these Italians were worshipping God with us! It was just amazing. This was a rocking, ready, rowdy crowd that didn’t mind getting into the music and engaging in the worship.

After the concert, we were asked to join some of the locals at a local eatery across the street from the church. So, at 11:15 PM, with our stomachs growling, we detoured from our planned immediate sprint to the restaurant so that we could make an appearance at the local eatery. Yeah, there would be food there… but it wasn’t going to be a meal. And we weren’t in the mood for snacks or appetizers. We wanted a meal. But… we obliged. After eating quiche’, we were headed out the door to the van so that we could go to the restaurant. Then we were intercepted and asked to come in and eat some of the local rice dish. This was a dish we had obligingly tried last week in another town. We weren’t ready for this. We had some attitudes. But we obliged. As we were sitting there eating the rice, which none of us really enjoyed, I remembered that in most cases your greatest victory is followed by your greatest test. I shared this with our group. We all quickly got ourselves in check and adjusted our attitudes. We were not about to come out of that incredible worship experience and fail an attitude test. We ate the rice, then left for the restaurant.

Oh my God… the wait was worth it!! The food at the restaurant was just indescribable. God knows how to reward us when we try our best to please Him.

We went back to the “bed & breakfast” and decided to leave extra early the next morning. We were all in the mood for an American breakfast. We had seen a few McDonalds on the road and decided to forego the aged croissants that the hostess at the B&B was offering us. We wanted McGriddle sandwiches: sausage, egg & cheese biscuits; hotcakes and sausage… something American. We were very disappointed to discover that Italians don’t patronize fast food breakfast so Burger King and McDonalds don’t open until lunchtime. Guess what we had for breakfast… croissants and strudels. But that’s okay… we went to McDonalds for lunch. And our stomachs paid for it!!

2007-12-29T03:38:00.000-05:00

Major Bonding in Bellaria

“Mad Max” got a little lost getting to the hotel in Bellaria. A nice Italian gentleman got in the van with us and guided us to the hotel. We pulled up to a gorgeous beachfront vacation spot on the banks of the Adriatic Sea. Oh my God… What a view! The Adriatic Sea is so amazingly clean and blue. “Chicken on Bikes” and I had to go to the water and grab some shells. This slice of Paradise is very natural. Even in the dead of winter, it’s totally fabulous. Locals were walking and running the beach – getting their exercise… embracing nature… appreciating God’s awesome creativity.

The concert in Bellaria was held at a beautiful theatre. A local journalist called before the concert began to hold a phone interview. We found the article in the paper the following morning. That’s pretty cool… to see an article about you in a language you can’t read. “Mad Max” read the article to me. I guess journalists are journalists everywhere. She didn’t quote me accurately at any point in the article… but she did get the essence of what I said, so I wasn’t upset. I am particularly glad that she captured what I said about Jesus giving hope to the world and His message being the essence of my music.

Bellaria is an English friendly place. Since it attracts so many tourists from many countries, including England, you find many things in multiple languages. This was evident at the restaurant we visited after the show. They had an English menu for us to use.

Speaking of restaurants… I’m going to have to get back on a decent eating schedule when we get home. On the road the schedule is: breakfast at about 8:30-9:30 AM; travel to the next city for 3-7 hours; a snack after the sound check, which is usually around 7:00 PM; then dinner after the show which usually starts around 9:30 PM, which means dinner doesn’t start until about 11:45 PM. Then we go back to the hotel and sleep. Fortunately, this food is so natural, pure and light that it doesn’t sit on you. If you stay up for about 3 hours, you will find yourself hungry again. But, this schedule wouldn’t work in the US, especially with the kinds of food we like to eat. So, I’ll have to get back on a decent schedule. Pray for me.

Back to Bellaria… We got up the next morning pretty late. Since we only had a 2.5-hour drive to Rivarotta Di Teor, we didn’t have to leave early. So, we didn’t have wake-up calls. We stopped at a laundry and did our clothes together. That was a real bonding moment. You should have seen all of us putting our whites and colors together to maximize the use of the machines. By now, we all feel like family, so why not act that way? I have to compliment the laundry facility. Your 3 Euros pay for not only the use of the washing machine, but the machine automatically dispenses your detergent and fabric softener. As long as you don’t have allergies and need specific detergent, that system makes life easy.

2007-12-26T02:46:00.000-05:00

A Tent Meeting and a Revival!

We flew out of Sassari and landed in Rome. “John” met us there. We didn’t know that it would be our last time seeing him on this tour. We’re gonna miss him. He is hilarious!!

“Mad Max” drove us from Rome to Campobasso. Our hotel was on the top of one of those snow-capped mountains. It was beautiful getting there. This hotel was on a cliff so that you could look right down off the mountain into the valley. Breathtaking!! We intended to come out and take photos – but by the time we got back outside the mountain was completely foggy. Perhaps a cloud had descended or something. We couldn’t even see the end of the parking lot. So much for the photos.

Upon our arrival at the hotel, we noticed a few African-Americans. That was exciting. Another group was staying at the hotel that night who were also touring the country. They were also singing at the same concert we were headlining that night. We expected to connect and fellowship with this group of people. We were disappointed to see that they were not a group we could freely fellowship with. Suffice it to say, we had an unpleasant experience. Anyway…

That night’s concert was held at a tent erected in the middle of town – all the way down the mountain. It was a heated tent! Hallelujah! But there were no restrooms… just outhouses, outside in the snow. Praise Jesus, anyhow!! They did have a drumset. “The Well” was able to get his release. We did a short set – only 60 minutes. Our other concerts have been 80-90 minutes. Yeah, that’s a lot of singing! But, this night was shorter.

Now, I told you about how we were always asked to sing, “Oh Happy Day!” Well, we had planned to sing it as our closer – perhaps our encore. As we were walking in the tent, we heard the group on the stage singing “Oh Happy Day.” They were struggling through it. In the States, our common practice is to adjust and sing something different if someone sings a song you were planning to sing. So I asked “Mad Max” about it and he thought we should still sing it. So, we closed with it. People were up singing and screaming as if we were The Edwin Hawkins Singers. Then the group that got up behind us was a choir from Campobasso. They sang a couple of the same songs we sang, including… you guessed it… “Oh Happy Day!” And the crowd went crazy all over again. Yeah! These people love… as they call it… “Happy Days!”

The next morning, we left a little late and drove to Naples (Napoli) for our day off. We so desperately needed some down time. We got a chance to go shopping! I got some nice things for my wifey. I even picked up a pair of shoes for me. We had a fun day. That night we hung out in the big room downstairs in the lobby. It was like a big family gathering. Being on the road like this really makes you bond. You become like brothers and sisters… getting on each others nerves… learning each others idiosyncrasies… making each other laugh until your belly aches. We had so much fun. But underneath it all, I could sense the depletion that was there. We needed a refill from God.

Christmas morning, we got up… ate breakfast… and went back to sleep. But God dropped something in my spirit to share with the group. I spent some time in the word to get the clarity I needed to share it accurately. It was based on II Samuel 24:24 when David states, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” We had arrived at the point in the tour where the novelty had worn off. We were no longer “oohing and awhing” over the mountains and fruit trees and buildings and landscape and food. We were in the grind. When you are giving your talent to God to be used by Him during a time when things are automatic and comfortable, that sacrifice doesn’t cost you anything. But when you aren’t feeling good… when your body is exhausted… when you are emotionally drained… when you are under attack… and in that moment you stand and give God your best offering, that’s when you are making a sacrifice that costs something. And God moves when that kind of offering is sacrificed before Him.

We met together at 2:00 Christmas afternoon and had a chapel service. After I shared this brief word with the group, we sang songs of worship to the Lord. And I wish I could describe to you what happened in that room. We were in the hotel restaurant at the piano. No one else was in there except one of the hotel staff that got caught up with us. As we sang, God came in that room and enraptured each of us. Tears turned into weeping as we felt God refilling us and restoring us. I have a new appreciation for the lyrics, “Oh the glory of Your presence. We, your temple, give you reverence. So arise from your rest and be blessed by our praise as we glory in your embrace; as your presence now fills this place.” I have a new appreciation for the lyrics, “Sweet Holy Spirit. Sweet Heavenly Dove. Stay right here with us, filling us with your love. And for these blessings, we lift our hearts in praise. Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived when we shall leave this place.” Yes, the Holy Spirit came up in that room so powerfully that even the hotel staff member was lifting his hand and worshipping God with us. And… the man doesn’t speak English. What an awesomely great God we serve.

Christmas night, we did a concert at another church. Again, the conditions were very difficult. But we were prepared. We pushed through and gave God a sacrifice that cost us something. And, again, God showed up in the building! Yeah, God!!

In the morning, we head to Bellaria. That will be a 5-6 hour road trip. Then we sing there and sing each night for the next four nights. Then we head back home. I look forward to getting back home to my wife. I miss her.

2007-12-25T05:01:00.000-05:00

Meeting God on the Island

We had a wonderful time at the reception dinner after the concert in Cerro Veronese. We met “Danny” who promoted the event. “Danny” is a musician and producer in a wonderful blues band called MOBLUS (mo’ blues). He gave us a couple of their CDs. Really nice sound!! We also met the mayor of the town.

The next morning we headed to Verona airport to fly to the island of Sardinia. When we arrived on the island we had to wait nearly an hour for the taxis to pick us up. It gave us a chance to grab a pizza. Oh my GOD!! People, you haven’t had pizza until you have pizza in Italy. It is soooo goooood!!

When the taxis arrived, we were happy for a few minutes. Then we realized we were better off with “Mad Max” behind the wheel on a bad day. We had “Evul Knieval” and his twin brother “Evil Knievel” behind the wheels. I was exhausted so I fell asleep very quickly for this 75-minute drive. When they awoke me at the hotel, they ladies told me the horror story. I had my true revelation when “Evul” and “Evil” picked us up from the hotel the next day to take us back to the airport. Can you way reckless abandon?! But, that’s another story…

When we got out of the taxis at the beautiful hotel in Sassari on the island of Sardinia, it looked like something from a movie or a book. It looked surreal. The tiny street that was smaller than most 1-way streets in America was a bustling 2-way corridor right in front of the hotel. It looked amazing, frightening, enchanting and wonderful – all at once. There were so many people walking the streets shopping at the various clothing and merchandise stores. It was so cool!!

After chilling out for a little while, we got prepared for sound check. The church where we were singing was only a few meters away so we walked… down this amazing street… pass some enticing stores… through this bustling crowd… down this frightening alley… down an even more frightening, unpaved alley way… to this amazing, glorious cathedral in a courtyard that you would totally miss if a local hadn’t gotten you to it.

When we entered the building it was totally awe-inspiring. It forced you to consider the love and sacrifice of Jesus – with all of its paintings and statues. Yeah… this building gets you when you first walk in the door. And, in the Italian tradition, it was COLD!! But we were prepared – mentally prepared for this encounter.

After sound check, we sat in the back room. I finished sharing my testimony with the group. I started in Cerro Veronese telling them about my life story and how God had delivered me. I opened up and told them of what I had encountered during my foolish youth… the crazy mistakes I had made in ministry… the times I had completely failed God and his people… how God had wondrously forgiven me and restored my life. I told them what the song, “Look Where You Brought Me From” was all about. I told them where the song “In Your Blood” came from. We were all nearly in tears when we got finished talking.

When we stepped onto the stage we were completely charged! It is so much fun being on stage with this group. But something amazing started happening this night. We started feeling the presence of God very early in the set. When we started singing “In Your Blood,” I believe we all had a new appreciation for those lyrics. The intensity continued to build. We did our African remix of “Fight For Me.” It was a huge hit! But I kept feeling the need to go in deep and worship God intensely.

As I started playing the intro to “You Are Lord,” I just wanted to sing a love song to the Lord. I started asking Him if I could do so – but it came out in song. Very quickly we knew something supernatural was happening. As we started singing the song, the audience vanished, the ceiling disappeared and we were in the face of God. He listened as we sang, “You are Lord. I offer you my worship.” He listened as we sang, “Holy are you, Lord God Almighty! Worthy is the Lamb!” Before we could start the “Hallelujah chant,” I found myself weeping in worship. I told God how awesome it was that we were worshipping in this amazing place of worship, thousands of miles away from home. Yet, in every language, in every tongue, worship is the same because He is the same. And we can all join together and sing “Hallelujah!” But my prayer came out in song over the microphone. As we started the chant, we could hear this Italian crowd singing “Alleluia! Alleluia!” It felt as though the earth began to quake. Heaven was in a dance with earth and God kissed his creation. When we ended the song, we were paralyzed from anything but worship. We could do nothing but bless God. We couldn’t explain the moment to the audience… I didn’t know enough Italian to even attempt it… and I was too caught up to try. But as we started opening our eyes we saw that the audience was in worship just as we were. They went with us! They were clapping and cheering and lifting their hands. And we could tell that it was no longer applause for a performance… they were worshipping with us. The Holy Spirit had translated the moment and they understood it very well. This went on for a few minutes… just pure worship! What an amazing sound!! I can’t even write it without crying again.

Yeah, we met God on the island of Sardinia, in the town of Sassari. He was very present.

2007-12-22T05:53:00.000-05:00

Learning To Adjust

Of all of us on this trip – “The Well” has the most touring experience. He told me, “In most cases, it starts out good, then it goes downhill, but it comes up at the end.” He was referring to the accommodations that you are provided when touring in foreign countries. He was certainly correct.

In Udine – pronounced UUH-din-nay – we had to adjust to rooms with very interesting smells and construction taking place on the roof – and we were on the top floor. In Cerro Veronese, we had to adjust to rooms that were colder than the snow-capped mountain the hotel stood on. But by the time we returned to the rooms after the show, the steam radiators had heated them. However, I guess the heat brought out the bugs because we found some crawling on our pillows – well not me personally. I was too tired to notice anything.

As a singer, I have had to learn to adjust my style and approach so that I can last for the entire tour. When I get on stage, I tend to completely spend myself vocally. But I cannot do that for these concerts; especially since the temperature of the rooms we sing in is totally unpredictable. I’ve had to adjust my clothing as well to accommodate the fact that I will be sweating a little on stage but there won’t be a warm bathroom in which to change clothes after the show at the venue. So, I have to wear undergarments that will absorb the perspiration and keep me warm, even after the show.

We noticed that in Reggio Calabria and in Potenza, the audience requested that we sing “Oh Happy Day.” We hadn’t learned it so we couldn’t do it. But we learned it in the van on the way to Udine and did it at that show. We’ve also had to pick up “Down By The River Side.” These are songs that Italians love to hear – and actually expect to hear at Gospel concerts. And you should see how they get into it when we close the concert with those two songs.

After the concert in Potenza, a gentleman came up to me who spoke just a little English. He said, “When I came to concert, I felt ‘ehh.’ Now, I feel much better. Thank you.” Of all the compliments we have received, that one blesses me most. It underlines the power of this gift of music that God has given us. It also reveals the universality of music ministry. Even when people can’t understand what you are saying, they can feel the message – and when God anoints it, they will encounter God in the message.

Many Christians in America tend to compartmentalize our experiences with God. We can be so over-churched that the moments when we encounter the supernatural don’t have a lasting effect. We leave those moments in its particular place in time. I think that is a problem. We talked about it as a group. We decided not to leave the Potenza experience in Potenza – but to carry it with us. And that’s what we have been doing.

The Udine concert was wonderful. Again, we experienced God. Likewise, the Cerro Veronese concert was fantastic. God’s presence was clear at that theatre. It was a night of major adjustments for me because my voice was a bit weak. I felt my body fighting off a virus and it took a toll on my voice. So, “The Well” took my lead part in “The First Noel” – and he KILLED it!! I think I’m going to let him keep it for the rest of the tour. I also dropped the key of “Fight For Me” by a whole step – right on stage. It is such a blessing to be working with professional singers who can handle a key change right on stage with only a 30 second notice. I don’t normally do that kind of thing but sometimes it’s necessary. By the time we got to the end of the concert, my voice was strong and clear again.

We are in the airport now headed over to Sardinia. We sing at a church there tonight. I’ll let you know how it goes. Keep praying for us. It’s very intense riding with “Mad Max” driving us through these mountains. The Italians are used to this… We’re from Virginia, Southeastern Virginia at that. Fast driving around curves on mountains frightens us. So, please keep praying for our safety… and our courage.

Oh yeah… one other great thing to report. Although we are less than halfway through with our concerts, we have sold two-thirds of the CDs that we brought. At this rate, we won’t have any CDs for the last few shows. God is blessing!!

If I don’t post to my blogs on a given day, it’s only because we are at a hotel that doesn’t have internet access – which has been the case with the last two hotels. Thank God for the airport.

2007-12-20T03:07:00.000-05:00

The Road To Potency (Potenza) – Part 2

We figured that it was going to be cold in the church so we decided to dress warmly. Yeah, we were right. We arrived at a fantastic catholic church that was just as cold as the mountain. The heat was turned on to attempt to take the chill out of the building. I thought to myself, those heaters won’t get it done in time.

The sound check made it clear that we weren’t going to have to push. This building carried sound very well. We hardly needed mics. During sound check I saw a black priest come through the church, gather his robe, and leave. Soon, I saw him return with his robe on. I thought, “Wow! They’ve got a black priest.” What happens when you assume?

We were taken to a room in the adjoining building to relax and prepare for that night’s concert. There was a heater in that room and the temperature was probably just above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. That was quite a step up from the temperature of the church. As we concluded our vocal warm-ups in that room and finished our preparations, our host brought in some hot tea and pastries.

Then, a very energetic, elderly gentleman entered the room. His presence demanded respect – but we all felt so welcome around him. He introduced himself as the pastor of the church and welcomed us. He gave us each a book about the history of the church and told us that he would return shortly to take us on a tour of the facility. As we looked through the books we could see the 100-plus years that the church had stood as a light in that city. We could also see that people wore coats and scarves during the services. We were in for a cold night.

When the pastor returned, he took us down the hallway and began to show us photos of the worldwide work he and the church had been doing to provide homes for orphans all around the globe. They had facilitated more than 1500 adoptions for children. We were introduced to one such young lady who was living in Potenza and working at the church.

We were escorted to the pastor’s office where he had the most amazing collection of artwork and memorabilia from all around the world, highlighting the many countries to which he had traveled providing assistance, training and service to the underprivileged of the world. Paintings, carvings, literature… Words cannot express what all we saw in his office. We took lots of photos (I’ll load them soon – I promise).

Looking at these items and seeing what this man was doing to make a difference in the world challenged us to re-evaluate our lives and to work much harder to make a difference. As we saw artwork capturing the struggles of people – even the terror of a congregation in Africa as, during Mass, their priest was murdered in front of their faces – we realized that the small things that we struggle with in our comfortable lives in America are so small when compared to the plight of millions on this planet. We felt embarrassed that we were griping about a cold church when these people who come to this cold church are tirelessly reaching out to people who have even less than they do.

The pastor then took us to another room wherein he keeps figurine nativity scenes from the many cultures of the world. He has at least 120 or so sets of nativity figurines in a case that covers three of the four walls of the room. Included are countries and tribes in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It was breathtaking. I stood there, fighting back tears as I realized that God was much larger than I had imagined. “The Well” offered a great commentary when he highlighted that, while the design of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was different based on the culture of the people, the message and story was undeniably the same. Jesus was born to save mankind – and the Earth was rejoicing!! I wish I had the words to describe the things that the pastor shared with us. He spoke with such passion and conviction. “Mad Max” did a great job interpreting what the pastor couldn’t put into English for us. We were all challenged to be better.

As we went back to the room we talked about the change in perspective we now had on what our lives should be. Between seeing the awesome might of God in the mountains and the active love of God in the work of Father Don Franco, we were changed.

As we began to sing that night, the atmosphere was electric. These people, who could not understand the words of most of the songs we were singing, were ready to be fully engaged in a night of music and celebration. The building had endured an earthquake a few years ago. This was the first big event at the church since the re-opening. This was a big deal. They were ready to celebrate. And they did! They were up clapping, cheering, swinging, singing any words they recognized. As we sang the Christmas music set, they recognized the music and often sang in Italian as we sang in English. When we starting singing the song, “Amen” – oh, it was on! They were right with us!

But when we got to the worship set – and began singing “You Are Lord” and tied it with “Agnus Dei,” we found ourselves consumed by our new perspective of the awesomeness of God. Tears began to flow from our eyes as we envisioned those mountains we had traveled through and the figurines in Father Don Franco’s office. We lost ourselves as we sang, “Holy! Holy – are you Lord God Almighty! Worthy is the Lamb!” When we concluded that song, we had to just stop for a few minutes and weep as we reverenced the presence of God. “Red Bird” completely lost it – started acting like she was at a Pentecostal church in America, hollering and carrying on. While some of the people looked curious, they didn’t look frightened. We later found out that they actually understood what was going on. I guess that’s why they started clapping and worshipping with us as we were consumed with the presence of God. His face had entered the room and you didn’t have to speak English to recognize it. While we all reacted differently, we all knew what was happening – and we were not afraid. We all worshipped. It was a moment that I could never describe.

Finally, we pulled ourselves together and went into the final song. “The Well” called up a couple of enthusiastic gentlemen from the audience to assist with playing some of our percussion instruments. They were rocking as we sang, “I’m Saved!” You should hear these Italians singing, “Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh!” Just amazing!!

My life will not be the same after that night.

We headed to Forli the next morning. We have a night off. We’re ready for it. We have four shows in a row before our next day off. We were scheduled to have Christmas Day off – but we were just booked for a show in Naples on that night. So, we have Wednesday night off, we sing Thursday through Sunday; then we have Monday night off and sing Tuesday through Saturday.

I think we will be pretty tired when we get home.

Tired and inspired.

Pray for our voices.

2007-12-19T17:11:00.001-05:00

The Road To Potenza (Potency) - Part 1

As we pulled out of Reggio Calabria we were consumed with the beauty of the scenery. Reggio Calabria sits on the banks of the Strait of Messina right across from Sicily. The night we spent in Reggio Calabria had us in awe of the beauty of seeing the lights of Sicily across the water of the strait. But it didn’t compare to the beauty of the view we had as we climbed the mountain leaving Reggio Calabria.

As we ascended, the scenery became more and more beautiful. We all intended to sleep the whole trip. “The Well” was the only one to go to sleep pretty quickly. He was TIRED from cutting up so much. The rest of us couldn’t stop looking at the glory of God revealed in creation. But, the higher we went up the mountain, the more nervous “Running Feather” became. She doesn’t do heights nor darkness very well (more about the darkness later). So, she went to sleep – or at least feigned it.

“Mad Max” drives very differently from “John.” “Mad Max” isn’t afraid to put the pedal down and get on up the road. His driving made all of us a bit nervous. So, “The Diva” and “Red Bird” went to sleep so they wouldn’t have to watch as we rode. This left “Chicken On Bikes” and me to do all the “oohing” and “aahing.” We tried to take advantage of all the “photo ops” – moments when the scenery warranted a photo.

Southern Italy has so much history and charm. Clearly, the people there live very simple lives. The houses are built to last for centuries. No wooden frames here… these homes are made of solid concrete with iron rod reinforcement. Many homes burn wood for heat. This is the way of southern Italy.

Soon, we started seeing snow-capped mountains. Oh, what majestic beauty they possess! We rode on cliffs; through tunnels and around some of the most beautiful mountains we had ever seen. Then, more snow-capped mountains. Soon we saw mountains wearing clouds for halos. Still, more snow-capped mountains. Then we were riding through areas where snow was still on the ground. Soon we realized that we were on a snow-capped mountain. We saw that halo again… then noticed it was getting closer… and closer. Of my God – we drove into the cloud. What an awesome experience… driving into a cloud on a snow-capped mountain.

Eventually we reached Potenza – which actually means “Potency”. It looks like something you would see in a movie. A city built on a mountain without destroying the mountain. Streets are all either on the incline or decline. This busy, bustling city is packed with people driving their small, mini cars (Opel, Fiat, Renault, etc.), navigating these steep streets with reckless abandon. The view and atmosphere are incredible.

We pulled up to the Parco Del Seminario. Based on the name, I figured that the place was a renovated or remodeled seminary. I was close. We actually stayed in an active seminary. And, in the classic tradition, this wasn’t at all a place of luxury. This was a “get close to Jesus” moment for us.

The establishment clearly believes in conservation. After checking in, we headed to our rooms. The lights in the hallway were turned off – and there was no sunlight entering in to brighten your pathway. It took us a while to find the light switches. And when we found the switch and cut the lights on in the hallway, to our utter surprise, they only stayed on for about 30 seconds. Before we found our rooms, the lights turned off and we were in the dark again. You should have heard “Running Feather” scream as she crouched in the corner, holding on for dear life to whoever she was able to get her hands on. Poor thing. That was a FUNNY moment! When we got to the rooms we discovered that they were just as cold as the hallways, which were just as cold as the entrance to the building, which was almost as cold as the snow-covered mountain. In other words, NO HEAT! Well, to be more precise, they don’t run the heat all day. And we were checking in at the wrong time. There was no heat running in the rooms at that time of day. And, this place doesn’t have central heat. It was pipe heat – like steam heat. So, the rooms weren’t going to heat up quickly. And, marble floors are quite beautiful to have in your room – but it sure is cold to walk on.

By now, we were all very hungry. So, “Mad Max” took us on an adventure walking through the streets of Potenza at 3:30 in the afternoon in search of a restaurant. What we learned as we walked along was that Italians – especially those from Southern Italy – believe in siestas. And once siesta is over, most of the restaurants close because they don’t get any business. And they don’t open again until about 7:00 PM. We walked about a half-mile downhill through the snowy streets only to find nothing open. So, we turned around and headed back UP the mountain. By God’s grace, on the way back we found a spot open. We were so grateful!!

After these experiences, we weren’t in the best of moods. We were ready to get to the church, do the concert, come back to this cold seminary and quickly fall asleep so that we could get on our way to the next place.

Little did we know that our lives would change that night!

Tune in tomorrow to find out what happened.

2007-12-18T03:33:00.000-05:00

La Sosta Club in Villa San Giovanni

Wow! What a first night. When Minister Earl Bynum told me a few of the things to expect, my head really didn’t wrap completely around it. Tonight, the sweet reality set in.

Our tour manager – “Mad Max,” met us at the airport this morning and flew over to Reggio Calabria with us. “John” met us at the hotel when it was time to head to the venue. “Mad Max” and “John” drove us there in the van – which “John” drove down from Rome. When we arrived at the venue we noticed the large poster in the window with our group photo announcing our performance. We were greeted with great hospitality – like we were big stars. The audio crew was getting the sound system together. They worked hard on it until they got it right. While they were getting it together, we had dinner. La Sosta Club is a Jazz club in Villa San Giovanni with a fantastic menu. We had some amazing pasta and seafood. After we ate our fill, we did our sound check, got dressed, and sat in amazement as the crowd grew and grew until is was standing room only!

“Mad Max” gave us a fantastic introduction. The crowd was cheering enthusiastically – as if they already knew that they were about to hear something wonderful. It made me wonder… I knew they didn’t have a clue who I was or what I sounded like. But… praise God for a fun crowd.

So we went into our first song… “Dance In My Feet.” I thought it would be a great starting song because it’s easy to manipulate that song and do fun things with the crowd – especially getting them to clap with us and sing the “yeah yeah” with us in the vamp. Knowing that it wasn’t an English speaking crowd, I wanted to capitalize on chants and cheers throughout the set as much as possible. Well, the first song went over extremely well and from that moment on, we had the crowd.

It was interesting watching them respond to the way we fluctuated the mood with the song order. I wanted to move from upbeat to contemplative back to upbeat throughout the set over and over again. This way I knew that the crowd wouldn’t get bored nor lost. It seemed to work. We watched them listen intently to “Holy Is The Lord” getting quite interested when we starting singing it in Italian. We watched them rock out to “We’ve Come This Far By Faith.” I’ll tell you more about the songs as we go along this journey.

There were a couple of musicians sitting in the front who reminded me of the musicians in America. Whenever we did an unexpected harmonic change or I used an unpredicted chord change, they started banging on the table or hollering, gesturing the universal “did you hear that?!”

It was a night where we really couldn’t do sermonizing, preaching, giving a testimony or anything like that. If I’d tried any of those methods, it would have been futility. They people in the audience wouldn’t have understood anything I was saying anyway. We knew we had to get up and sing knowing that there was a powerful message in the music and an anointing on us. We had to allow the Jesus in us to simply shine through as we sang His praises. And, you know what… that’s exactly what happened.

Since it’s 3:00 AM as I’m writing this (9:00 PM on the east coast of the US), suffice it to say, the first night was fantastic! We were well received. We were called back on stage for an unexpected encore. Fortunately, we had something we could pull out! We sold CDs. We all signed lots of autographs. It was a blast!!

Tomorrow morning, we drive to Potenza where we will be singing at Church S. Anna. Don’t forget to pray for us.

2007-12-17T12:34:00.001-05:00

The Road to Reggio Di Calabria

There are a few things that you learn quickly when touring:

Don’t make your bags too heavy. The weight limit for most airlines – even for international flights – is 50 pounds. Even if your touring agency purchases your ticket, if your bag is overweight, you will have to pay for the extra weight out of your own pocket.
Don’t forget the regulations for carry-on. There may be a situation wherein you have to carry a bag onto the plane that you were intending to check in. Well, the regulations for carry-on luggage will still apply. If you have liquids of more than 2-3 ounces, consider them GONE!
The only things irreplaceable are time, life and God. If the airline says that something cannot board the plane with you, please remember that the item that you fight for is most likely replaceable. The time that you lost fighting for it – is not. While you may possibly win the argument, you might miss your flight because the plane will not wait.
Maintain the 2-hour rule. Always plan for the unexpected delay at the airport. Especially when you are in another country. Because even when you do arrive 2-hours early, you can still find yourself doing the O. J. Simpson through the airport. Well, I mean the old O. J. Simpson – back when he had the rent-a-car endorsement… before the “see O. J. run from the law” days.
Be nice and represent God the entire time. You never know when you are going to meet another artist management company representative – even in the airport ticket counter line – who may only decide to introduce themselves to you when the recognize the Jesus in you. Wow! What a testimony. (Go Diva!!)
Having a grueling first day isn’t always a bad thing. It may cause your first full night to be a night of full sleep – thus resetting your body clock to operate according to the new time zone. Today, we are all wide-awake.

After all of that learning… God has a way of making things all worthwhile. Now, don’t get me wrong. We didn’t miss a flight or anything like that. We just had a somewhat stressful morning. But – OH MY GOD!!! – as our plane started descending over Sicily and preparing to land in Reggio Di Calabria, just the view was worth the efforts of the morning. It is so amazing!! Just seeing how God took his finger and dug out sculptures in the earth to create valleys… just seeing the fantastic cliffs and mountains… it was just so awe-inspiring. God is so awesome.

We hung out at the mall today. That was hilarious. Everyone kept looking at us like we were celebrities or something. Of course, we were the only “black” people in the mall. And, “The Well” could easily pass for Michael Jordan or someone like that. We found some cool stuff. I even bought a few things for my wife. That was so much fun.

When we got back to the rooms, I let everyone make calls to friends and family via my Skype account. If you are traveling internationally, it is THE way to go.

Tonight is the first show. It’s going to be a bit of a stretch for me… a bit interesting. This is not going to be a “gospel concert” or a “church service.” So, I can’t just go in there and have church. Tonight, I have to go in and perform great music and provide good, clean, wholesome entertainment. I know that if I go in there with my usual methods I will not be effective. This is one of those times when I will have to let the people see Jesus in me and be drawn to the light I shine. There won’t be a preaching moment. There won’t be any sermonizing. This is going to only be music. Thank God the music is loaded with a message.

Tune in tomorrow to find out how it went.

2007-12-16T16:58:00.000-05:00

Travel Day #2

I woke up on the plane and saw the beginning of a gorgeous sunrise. The edges of the horizon were painted with blue, purple, red, orange and yellow… such a beautiful spectrum. A few minutes later I could see the outline of something amazing. It didn’t take long for the outline to become a full portrait of mountainous grandeur. I think we were flying over the French Alps. As the plane turned slightly north, we exited that mountain range but you could see another range of mountains north of us. We were entering Northern Italy and I was now looking at the Swiss Alps. What a beautifully creative artist our God is!

We landed in Milan. Once we got in the terminal, “Chicken on Bikes” realized that she’d left her phone on the plane. Wow! That’s a real dilemma for her. This girl is a text-messaging addict. So, she and “The Well” waited where we were while “Red Bird” and “Running Feather” went ahead with “The Diva” – since “Diva” had to make a mad dash. I went to the info desk to ask if they could have someone look for “Chicken on Bikes’” phone. And, what do you know… they found it. Can somebody say GRACE!!

We all met back up at baggage claim. Once we retrieved all of our luggage, we went out to the greeting area where we were met by our super cool driver – I’ll call him “John.” When we got to the parking lot we had to stop and sigh at the lovely backdrop of the Swiss Alps. We boarded our tour van and started heading south to Rome.

“John” stopped at a small “fast food” place where we got some of Italy’s delicious pastries. A few people tried the coffee – unsuccessfully. They weren’t ready. We got back on the van and started again on our road trip – listening to a variety of music on the radio. Although we had no idea what they were saying, the music was beautiful. Music is such a universal thing.

As we rode through the country of Italy, we eventually found ourselves riding through snow. Soon after that, we were in mountains again. “John” informed us that there is also a mountain range that runs vertically through the country – and this was the range we were traveling through. What a gorgeous sight!

We made a pit stop at a service center. When I got out of the van I heard what sounded like a group of children all crying at the same time. Upon closer examination, I realized that I was hearing a trailer full of sheep – all bleating at the same time. As many times as I’d heard that sound on TV – it really doesn’t compare to the real thing. I wanted to hook up a microphone and record the sound so I could sample it in a song. Perhaps something about God’s sheep knowing his voice; or about the Lord being our shepherd.

As night began to fall, we still hadn’t arrived at our destination. Eventually we discovered that “John” had never been to Rome so he didn’t really know where he was going. We were the new characters on that hit ABC show – “LOST!” But we all decided that it was perfectly fine – since we were all in a country we hadn’t visited before… and since “John” was paying for dinner.

We finally arrived at the hotel. John gave me the money for our meal and we went to our rooms to shower and change. We went to dinner at a quaint little restaurant and got to taste what real Italian pasta is like. WOW!! It was fantastic! The food and service were excellent. Now, it’s time to sleep. We’ve been traveling for 36 hours. It’s time to sleep and get ready to take another flight in the morning.

I’ll tell you about that one tomorrow night.

Buona Notte!

2007-12-15T15:07:00.001-05:00

Travel day!!

My wife and I were the last ones to arrive at the airport. The rest of the gang was there. There was “Redbird” with her “friend.” How cute! There was “Running Feather” with her mom and her boyfriend, “the Rev.” There was also “Chicken on Bikes” with her fresh new haircut. Nice! “The Diva” came walking up with her brother and nephew. She had baggage issues to resolve. BTW… Her brother (my bass player) and his wife just had a new baby. Congrats!! Then, of course, there was “The Well.” I’ll call him that because he’s so deep. Seriously, he really is a deep brother. But you wouldn’t believe it unless you get to know him. Besides, his musical skills run very, very deep. I am still amazed that this fantastic drummer and percussionist is traveling with me as a vocalist. WOW!!

As we were getting ready to head to the concourse, I predicted that 4 people would shed tears before we got to the plane. I was really close. By the time we were parting company, “Running Feather,” her mom and my wife were all dropping tears.

We landed in Philly for a six-hour layover. A wonderful friend who has connections with the airline we were traveling met us with a long-distance flight package. Nice stuff!! Thank God for wonderful Christians all over the world. We went to TGI Friday’s for lunch. Then headed to the gate for a four-hour wait for our departure. Good time to take a nap!

The music industry can be so enticing and deceptive. As an artist it is easy to become consumed with ensuring that the performance is right… making sure that your next outing is better than the last… improving your skill. But, without realizing it, this can crowd out what the focus really should be.

First, I need to be focused on my relationship with God. I have to maintain a clear and growing relationship with God. When I step on stage, what the audience should actually see is the result of my relationship with God. If the image I present on stage is the image of a very spiritual, Godly person but my life doesn’t truly match it, then I am a hypocrite. Of all the things that God dislikes, scripture implies that hypocrisy is at the top of that list. Hypocrites actually end up in Hell – and I do mean the literal “Hell.” So, my relationship with God has to be in tact so that what comes across on stage is the natural offshoot of that relationship.

Secondly, I need to be focused on shining a light, spreading some salt, sharing a testimony and modeling a love that will draw people into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is important that I remember that I am a worship leader first and foremost. While I have the privilege of being an artist, my greatest artistic ability is leading people into the presence of the Lord through the tool of music.

Now, “Running Feather” is knocked out in her seat with her pink blanket. “Red Bird” and “The Well” are stretched out on the floor – dead to the world. “Chicken On Bikes” and “The Diva” are in one of the restaurants chatting and laughing. They can’t sleep for some reason. That’s not my testimony.

While we are waiting for the plane… I think I’ll spend some time reading my bible – getting a fresh word from the Lord… then, I’ll take a nice long nap!

Next post will be from Europe.

2007-12-04T23:42:00.001-05:00

Finally… A tentative date for INSP!

There are several wonderful things you can do with MySpace – such as contact hard-to-reach people. Well, I guess that really doesn’t fit this situation. I just lost the email address for the contact person at INSP.

Okay, let me slow down and make some sense…

Back in July 2007, I was a contestant on C.A.T.S. (Christian Artist Talent Search). The show is aired on INSP – The Inspiration Network. While the show was taped in July, the airdate was tentatively end-of-the-year or a little later. The contestants are to receive a letter announcing the airdate as well as a DVD of the show on which we appeared. I’ve been waiting expectantly on a letter from INSP. Being the pro-active/hyper-active person that I am, I took matters into my own hands (don’t we do that too often?). I used my MySpace contacts to get updated information from the associate producer of the show. You see, MySpace CAN be used for great, positive things.

Tentatively, the 2007/2008 season of the show will be aired in February 2008. I recommend that you check out each episode of the show. You will be introduced to some wonderful artists from all across this country. I had the privilege of meeting many of these artists and, let me tell you, I was so blessed and inspired by them. You will see some of America’s greatest worship leaders and most amazing bands. Oh yeah… you’ll get to see me, too. I get to share a few songs from Worship Of A Redeemed Man on international television. Wow! What an opportunity.

God is Great!!

2007-11-30T02:02:00.000-05:00

The first set of tour stops are in!!

The booking agent for my tour informed me today that our tickets are purchased. I am so excited!! I put the confirmed stops on my calendar today. You can check it out. I thought we were going to be in Sicily. I had the wrong island, y’all!! It’s Sardinia. Anyway, we do get to go to Switzerland – up in the mountains. Someone told me that I should pick up a Swiss watch while I’m there. Cute!

Today was my last day holding piano lessons. I had been providing piano lessons since I left my corporate job in 2004. It’s been wonderful watching these students grow and learn. They all pushed me to grow and get better as well. I’ve learned to sight-read – something I’ve always struggled with. I’m still not fluid like I want to be but I am sooo much better than I was.

Since I’m going to be out of the country for the last part of December, I’m working feverishly on getting all of the end-of-the-year stuff done at church. We have a Christmas production to do – but I won’t be here to direct it. So, I’ve got to make sure everything is set before I leave. But I have to say… I have some of the best ministry leaders in the world at Gethsemane. These young people are on top of things. I am so blessed to know that things will flow smoothly while I’m gone. And the praise team is tearing it up!

Lately, the songwriter in me has come alive. I get to spend some concentrated time tomorrow finishing some songs I’m working on. I can’t wait to record them and share them with you. I may do a limited release of the songs in demo version so you can hear them and tell me what you think. Let me know if you’d be interested in a sneak peak.

Arrivederci!

Michael

2007-11-24T09:45:00.001-05:00

I’m headed back to the studio! Today I’m mixing a few tracks that I produced for a new artist names Irreka. Her project will be coming out early 2008. Working with her has been a wonderful learning experience for me. When I produced my first solo project, Worship Of A Redeemed Man, it was my first time producing a full project. Using God’s wisdom, I surrounded myself with people that understood the process and who would keep me on course. With their counsel, things came out pretty well.

Advice for independent artists… We are not all gifted to produce music. Many of us can create the music, but our music would be better prepared if we had someone else produce us who has the experience and the gift for production. Don’t let your music suffer because of your inexperience or your pride. Even if you feel you do have the gift to produce yourself, surround yourself with people that have even more experience and expertise that yourself; people that won’t mind telling you the truth about your production; people that won’t feel obligated to appease your ego. Those are the people that I surrounded myself with and they guided me to a successful product.

So, I am getting ready for Italy. This is very exciting. The promoter wants a piano, acoustic tour so I can’t take my band. I can, however, bring 5 singers. So, I’m taking my four background singers and my drummer – who happens to be a great singer as well. The blend is wonderful! Next week I’ll be finalizing the set list and the arrangements. We fly out on the 15^th. Our scheduled return is December 31^st. I’m hoping we get back in time for New Years Eve service.

Look out for blogs much more often. You will be hearing from me a lot more. If you ever want to communicate with me, feel free to email me at hayahsounds@cox.net. I’d love to hear from you. If you have any Italy stories or production stories to share, please email me. I’d love to hear what you have to say.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. It’s time to get ready for Christmas. Happy Birthday, Jesus!!

2007-10-15T14:04:00.000-04:00

Mad Love for GMA

Some months ago I joined the Gospel Music Association – the GMA. Now, let me explain a little bit about the music industry. Many, many moons ago, someone founded the GMA – and organization dedicated to promoting “Gospel” music. However, this organization was designed before “Gospel Music” meant “Black Gospel Music” and wasn’t founded by African-Americans. It was very popular among persons in the Southern Gospel and Contemporary Christian community. Sometime after that, Rev. James Cleveland founded the Gospel Music Workshop of America, which caters to “Black Gospel Music.” Today, among the black, independent Gospel music community, many of us don’t even know about the GMA. However, it is a powerful, wonderful organization that is connected to probably everything related to Gospel music – and by “Gospel” music I mean all categories of music that spreads the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This past weekend I attended my first GMA event – GMA Academy. This two-day event was dedicated to educating and empowering unsigned artists and songwriters. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was hopeful. Oh my God… I was certainly not disappointed.

It was so amazing having the opportunity to sit in a room and pick the brains of some of Gospel music’s biggest stars and greatest songwriters. I sat in sessions with Geron Davis, Mark Harris, Dave Clark, Ahmande Grimes, Brandon Eggerton, Shaun Groves and Nicole C. Mullen. I learned so much about songwriting – much better methods than I was using. One thing that was a pretty recurring theme was that being an “independent artist” or “independent songwriter” is a very good thing right now. It was explained how the music industry is changing and we are entering the era of the independent.

Another thing that I gained from this experience is confirmation. Confirmation is a wonderful thing. When I went to Charlotte and did C.A.T.S. – the Christian Artist Talent Search – it was such a tremendous blessing to have so many industry professionals confirm my ministry and state, “you are doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing.” As an independent artist, it’s easy to look for the next thing that I’m supposed to do. But when you know you’re doing exactly what God wants you to do, you don’t have to look for the next thing… just keep doing this thing. While at GMA, I submitted some music from my CD for critique… another great thing offered at GMA. I sat in a room with about 8 other independent songwriters and artists and had an industry professional – first a producer, then an A&R rep – listen to some of my music. Their comments and compliments reaffirmed that I am doing what I should be doing. When the A&R guys saw my promo kit he said, “I’m going to make you the poster child.” Then he said to the group, “See, this guys gets it. All the stuff I was telling you guys to do, he’s doing it.” Then the producer said something that I think will forever be etched in my brain. He said, “For me it always boils down to one question… would I buy it. And, yes, I would by this CD. Just based on the partial of the two cuts I heard, I would buy this guys CD.”

Sometimes we say that we don’t need man to reaffirm us or confirm what we are doing. And I guess that’s true. But when God does use man to reaffirm what you’re doing, it sure feels good.

So, to all my fellow independent artists, I highly recommend GMA. And, to Mondo and Brandon… thanks, guys, for being my new mentors.

2007-09-24T16:07:00.000-04:00

Seasons Change!

December 2003 was my last month of employment with corporate America. I remember that season. It was scary. I had a nice job with a pretty solid company. My position was Recruiter and Trainer for the region, covering Hampton Roads, Richmond and Raleigh. I spent a lot of time on the road between the cities, recruiting employees and training them to work for our company. It was a season of testing for me. My manager was in Connecticut so I had to work autonomously. My integrity was tested. Of course, when no one is there to watch you it can be very easy to come to work late and leave early. It can be easy to cheat and find shortcuts. But by the grace of God I made it through those testing times. It all proved to have a lot to do with my future.

Anyway, as that December rolled around I had made the decision to launch out into the deep water of self-employment. I decided to start giving private piano lessons. That January, I started with just a handful of students. By that March, I had as many as I could handle. That was the beginning of a new season - the birth of Hayah Sounds. Having never studied music myself, I was only proficient in playing by ear. So my curriculum was based on what I knew. After the first few months of teaching, I saw the need to expand the curriculum. So, I picked up a few books by which to study the fundamentals of music theory. Shortly thereafter, I started including some music theory in my curriculum. The more I taught it, the more I learned it.

In March of 2004 when I knew that it was time for me to record my first project, I was well on my way to understanding music theory. As we got closer to the recording date, I saw how that theory was necessary in my communication with the band. After the recording session was done and we got into the post-production studio work, there was even more need for my understanding of music theory. I had no idea that I would need to understand tempo, time signatures, scales, accidentals, etc., while mixing the project. But working with one of the greatest engineers in the country taught me a whole lot! Thank God for Robert Ulsh.

Enter the next season – the marketing of the project. We started pulling together a group of singers and musicians that would travel with me to do engagements. The band has been consistent since the live recording session, with the addition of one more keyboardist. They are very tight!! But it took a while to get the singers I needed. I started with an audition session that produced a nice group of nine singers. Over the course of the next two years that group has changed faces and sounds a few times. But I believe I’ve got the right mix now. The group of singers that God has blessed me to work with now is amazing! We’ve gone in the studio a few times to work on some of the projects I’ve produced for other artists. They sound really good together. The vocal quality is fantastic. So we’ve done several concerts – long and short – near and far.

But I see a new season unfolding before my eyes. I believe that this is the season of open doors. The precursor of this season was the placement of my wife and I into a church where we could serve and grow. Now that we are planted it appears that we are starting to bloom. She’d have to tell you about all of her new wonderful ministry opportunities. But as for me, I’ve been blessed with the chance to minister on INSP (look for it on your TV in December). I’ll be headed to Nashville, TN in October to study with some of the nations greatest songwriters. This past Sunday I had my first engagement as director of Ebony Impact Gospel Choir of Old Dominion University. And – now get this – in December, my singers and I will be performing on a 10-city tour in Italy. And, I don’t mean opening for someone else’s tour. We will be the headliners in 10 cities in Europe with possible stops in Sicily and France. WOW!!

So, regardless of how long one season lasts… just remember that seasons change.

2007-07-19T20:33:00.000-04:00

Today, I’m back home in Virginia Beach.

Oh my God!! What a fantastic trip. We had so much fun doing the Christian Artist Talent Search. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment I spent at the facility. The judges were so amazing! And the contestants… I just love all of them.

World, get ready for Radial Flight, Serenity, Brii and Emma! They are going to blow you away. I’m sorry that you have to wait until January before you get to see the show but trust me, you will love these artists.

What blessed me so much was receiving confirmation that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing. When I took the stage on Wednesday evening, I really sensed the power and presence of the Lord. The reaction of the audience and the response from the judges confirmed what I felt.

After we wrapped up taping, I had the opportunity to speak with all of the judges. God gave me great favor! The purpose of the trip was really wrapped up in the events that took place on Wednesday night. Great doors were opened. When Sharon and I left that night we were so happy with God. His favor is better than life.

I wish I could tell you more about what happened but I can’t. Just know that the show will be great to watch. I’ll remind you as we get closer to January.

2007-07-18T14:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I’m still in Charlotte!!!

So far this today, I’ve been going through my music… listening to my tracks and planning out the rest of my performances. Oops, I may have said too much already. Let me go to another subject.

My niece is a hair stylist with her own salon in Charlotte – D’Paul’s. My wife is there to get her hair styled – or as we like to say it, "to get her hair did." Jinel’s been styling hair for many years and is quite good at it.

I’ve met some wonderful people at the CATS competition. I met a young lady from North Pole, Alaska who is a wonderful singer and songwriter. You will love her when you see the show. By the way, the show won’t air until January 2008. Sorry! But you will definitely appreciate the artists. I met another young lady from Florida who is so much the Christian version of Christina Aguilera. And she is a sweetheart with a great testimony. I’ve met some wonderful worship leaders who really love God. It is great being around so many people who share the passion that I have.

Thank God for my prayer posse!! There are so many people praying for me through this competition. It’s wonderful having so many great friends "texting" me to let me know that they’re praying for me. Keep praying. I’m still here.

2007-07-17T11:27:00.000-04:00

Today is the big day!!

How do I feel? Nervous! Excited and nervous. Sometimes people think that I’m kidding when I say that I get nervous when it’s time to sing. But, I really do. For me, it’s reassuring that I still get nervous. I don’t want to ever get to the point that I am so self-confident that I don’t get nervous. My nervousness tells me that I still realize that my sufficiency is not in me. It tells me that I need to rely on someone greater then myself to do what I am about to do. It tells me that I have not taken on the position of being a star. I am only a moon. I don’t shine a light of my own. I reflect the light of Christ. And if He doesn’t shine at this moment, I won’t shine at all. So I need God. The nervousness reminds me to pray and seek God for direction. So, I’m glad that I’m nervous.

It’s been an interesting few weeks. My wife and I are hosting our family reunion in Virginia Beach beginning this Friday but I am in Charlotte today for the INSP Christian Artist Talent Search. So, I’ve had to split my attention between preparing for the reunion and preparing for the competition.

I don’t like music competitions anyway! They can bring out the best and the worst in Christians. Often they cause artists to leave the ministry in music and move completely into the performance of it. It’s important to me to remain focused on ministering the music. If there is any way in which I stand out in the industry I would say it is my passion for leading people into worship through effectively ministering the music. So, pray for me that I won’t minimize my role to singing or competing but that I will be the worship leader that I’ve been designed to be. Pray that I will effectively minister to the people that will be in the studio audience as well as the thousands that will be watching on TV.

The taping of the competition takes place over a 4-day period. I started yesterday. If you make it through a round, you get to stay in Charlotte another day for the next round. However, we cannot divulge the results of the show until the show is aired. And the show won’t be aired until probably November. So I can’t tell you whether I win a round or not. But, I can tell you which city I’m in. So, as long as I’m in Charlotte, you know the deal!

Speaking of Charlotte… this is our first time visiting the new home of my niece and nephew. It’s beautiful! Way to go, Paul & Jinel! They are wonderful Christians with a heart for ministry. And Paul is a real sports buff… my kind of guy!

Okay… I’m going to get ready to leave for the studio now. If I’m still in Charlotte tomorrow… you’ll know why.

2007-06-28T14:11:00.000-04:00

The Alabaster Box was broken!!!

This was one of the most enjoyable concerts I’ve ever done. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think one factor was that my focus was clear. My aim was just to lead people into worship. And by leading, I don’t mean directing. Sometimes we get those two mixed up. But I believe that the best worship leaders are not those who direct the worship but, rather, those who demonstrate worship. There are those who respond well to someone telling them how to worship. But I’ve found that even more respond well to someone that demonstrates how to worship. So when I say that my aim was to lead people into worship, I mean that I wanted to go hard after God in such a way that everyone could see what worship looks like. As an individual Christian, I’d much rather just worship inconspicuously so as not to draw attention to my worship or myself. But, as a worship leader, my duty is to be conspicuous with my worship; to draw attention to the worship for the purpose of demonstration; and to draw attention to God, as He is the recipient of the worship. As a worship leader, I worship extravagantly! I worship hard! I worship loud! For there can be no mistaking my conviction that the God that I worship deserves everything that I have to offer. My hands, my arms, my back, my legs, my feet, my voice, my thoughts, every fiber of my being joins together in chorus to celebrate the matchless love and grace of my precious King.

So, Tuesday night was a night of worship. I’ve heard my singers sing and my band play several times. But I don’t ever recall feeling such intense worship when we’ve been on stage before. It was as if everyone took their alabaster boxes and broke them open before the Lord. I don’t mean popping the top off, pouring some ointment out, then putting the top back on. No, I mean breaking the jar! We went to the point of no return. The worship was thick! The presence of the Lord rested in the place as we presented our offering of music and worship. It was beautiful to feel God moving in the room. The music was great! The vocals were great! The performance was great! But the worship was amazing!!

Mount Lebanon is such a cool church! They treated us as royalty – like we were guests from another state or country. It wasn’t at all like we were from just across the bridge. The hospitality was wonderful! It was also great getting to meet and greet Bishop B. Courtney McBath & Pastor Janeen McBath (Calvary Revival Center – Norfolk, VA) and Bishop Gary Hawkins (Voices of Faith – Stone Mtn, GA). They were all so cool and cordial. They entreated my wife and me the way Christian leaders should entreat everyone. We felt loved and welcomed in their presence.

And, I can’t way enough about Drs. Kim and Valerie Brown. They are some of the greatest leaders in the body of Christ today. Their love and hospitality was just fantastic! This is the second time we’ve been invited to minister at their conference and they always show us such amazing love and respect. It’s admirable. It’s the model to be followed.

Now, it’s time to start getting ready for C.A.T.S. It was a challenge getting my songs condensed into a 3-minute format, but it’s done. Now, I just have to practice, and practice, and practice so that when I take the stage, I can relax and just worship God.

2007-06-26T12:40:00.000-04:00

Getting ready for the Issachar Conference…

Tonight is the big night. I don’t get as nervous as I used to about concerts. I wonder if that’s a good thing or not. I’d almost rather be nervous… that way I know that I’m not over-confident or cocky. But, then on the other hand, being more relaxed allows me to focus more and be more deliberate in what I do.

Going into a concert, there are so many technical things that you think about. Sound, lighting, staging, the set list (songs that will be sung during the concert), communication on the stage… all of these things is important. Then there are the intangible but most critical elements such as spiritual preparation, the anointing of God, the flow of the Holy Spirit, the flexibility of the persons on the stage to follow the flow if it changes what we planned to do.

I’ve had to take the stage with little notice for two big events this weekend. On Saturday morning at about 10:00 I was asked to open a concert in Hampton, VA that was featuring national recording artists Lexi and Richard Smallwood. I had to be at the venue by 1:15 and on the stage at 2:05. With such short notice, I had to do it by my self with no BGVs… just the track and me. I did my two sets and the Lord truly blessed. So, Lexi took the stage and did a great job. Not long after she was finished, the gentleman responsible for the event came and asked if I could to two more songs right away because the next person wasn’t quite ready to take the stage and they needed a “filler.” So, I took the stage and did two more songs. And, again, God showed up and blessed. After it was all over, I had the opportunity to talk with Lexi. She was so encouraging. She shared some great industry insight with me. I made a great contact there.

So, Sunday evening we had a special event planned at my church. I invited a few friends to perform who are both recording artists. I got a call at 5:15 pm (the event started at 6:00) from one of my friends to inform me that he would not make the 5:00 sound check and would be a little late to the event. Then he called back at 5:55 to inform me that he wouldn’t be able to make it at all. He had a legitimate excuse but it still left us in a bind. Of course, I wasn’t about to let my home church suffer because of it. So, I pulled up out the tracks and took the stage – again by my self – and God again showed up and blessed!

So, maybe that’s why I’m not that nervous today. God has been proving himself all weekend. His presence had been there each time I took the stage. I’ll be presenting myself before him for the rest of the day – getting spiritually prepared for the event. I trust that he will move freely tonight.

It’s pretty exciting. I see it like giving someone a gift that is made of brass. Before you give it to them, you put some “elbow grease” into polishing the item so that it will shine. We’ve spent the past few weeks polishing what we are doing tonight… making sure that it shines. Tonight, we will present this offering of music to the Lord. We trust that he will take it and use it to bless his people.

2007-06-09T11:26:00.000-04:00

Lots of great things going on…

It’s been a minute since I said anything. I’ll take a few minutes and share a little with you.

I was invited to sing at the Afr’Am Festival in Norfolk, VA. Last year they invited me to sing but it didn’t go so well. We didn’t get to do a sound check before we took the stage so it was a very uncomfortable set. Our mics sounded horrible on the stage. We were told that the sound was very unbalanced in the audience. The crowd sorta got with us but they couldn’t really hear the singers. So, it was challenging. This year was totally different. Ike Owens (my friend and brother) and the sound company for the event conducted a solid sound check right before we took the stage. I also wrote out (actually I created a diagram for) exactly what I wanted out of each mic and gave it to the FOH engineer as well as the monitor engineer. They gave us exactly what we wanted and we were very happy. The performance was seamless and very comfortable.

This week I attended the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference for my first time. I’d heard about it ever since moving to Virginia. It was a tremendous experience. It was so awesome being in an auditorium with over 5000 preachers and ministers, listening to lectures on ministry from some of the greatest ministry minds in the country. It was also amazing being preached to by some of the greatest preachers in the country. It was a revival for my soul. Ironically, it made me want to write better songs. Wow!

While at the conference I had the privilege of speaking with Micah Stampley before he performed in concert. I’d already been an admirer of his gift and anointing. Now that I’ve spent some time around him and his wife, I am a total fan. He is very real about his relationship with Christ. Unfortunately, I can’t say that about every artist in the Gospel music industry. But I can vouch for him. When Micah sings about “Holiness” being what he longs for, he’s not just singing a melody. This is his conviction. And it comes across very clearly. I LOVE IT!! God used him to answer a big question I had in my head and to give me direction in an area that was very puzzling. It was providence.

While backstage, I had the opportunity to meet and service an officer of one of the largest Christian music distribution companies in the world. Who knows what God is doing?

This is just a little of what’s going on. I’ll share more later.

2007-05-06T21:50:00.000-04:00

From the Workaholic in me...

My gorgeous wife and I just spent the past week in a beautiful chalet on Blue Mountain, overlooking the Shenandoah Valley. This has been such an amazing, wonderful week of rest and relaxation. We brought the dogs, Rocky & Cain, with us. It was their first opportunity to hang out in the woods. We all had a wonderful time.

I think the best thing about this vacation is the fact that – being up on top of a mountain in the woods – we were surrounded by nature, which caused us to really relax. We spent the first two days decompressing – paying our “sleep debt.” We took a drive up Skyline Drive and took in the sights overlooking the valley. It was truly gorgeous. Even with overcast skies, it was so beautiful!

This vacation was in celebration of our thirteenth wedding anniversary. I’ve been so wonderfully blessed to have spent the past thirteen years in love with this amazing woman. It was fun spending this past week reminding ourselves of the reasons we love each other so much. Everyone should be so blessed as to experience the kind of love we share. I love my wife!!

Today is our checkout day. So, we’re packing up and getting ready to go. Oddly, today my mind is racing with what I need to do when I get back. I confess… when it comes to ministry, I am a workaholic. I love working in the kingdom of God. But sometimes I overdo it. I came from ministry workaholic parents. But they did teach me that it is important to build in breaks so that you can spend time together. Otherwise, you can wreck your life.

Thank God for the break. It feels good getting back to work AND knowing that the most important relationship I have on earth is whole and in tact.

To all my fellow workaholics… take a break every now and then.

Shalom!

2006-12-31T00:06:00.000-05:00

Knowing your Role in God’s Scheme…

Let me open this post by saying that there is a difference between being ANOINTED and being HOLY. Being anointed allows you to be used by God. Being holy gets you into heaven. You can be anointed without being holy. And you can go to HELL while being anointed.

As a musician and a facilitator of Gospel/Christian music I have the opportunity to work with a lot of people. There are so many wonderful things about the Gospel/Christian music industry. There are so many wonderful things about music ministry. We have so many talented people that God uses in this area of the body of Christ. I could spend several paragraphs on testimonies and accolades for music ministry.

However, this entry is of a different tone and texture.

There was a time when God was a lot less tolerant of sin. Priests that went into the temple who were not sanctified were slain in the temple. Persons that served in music ministry in the tabernacle or the temple of the Old Testament had to be sanctified before they entered service. If God found sin in them they would be slain. And God was the one doing the killing. This caused people to attempt to live holy lives based on fear and reverence. This kept them alive but was not conducive to a thriving relationship between them and God.

So, God changed things. With the sacrifice of Christ, our final lamb, we no longer have to face the penalty of sin. People aren’t slain if they enter Christian service with sin in their lives. God doesn’t want us to live holy because we are afraid to die. He wants us to live holy because we love Him so much that we don’t want to hurt His heart.

This opens the door to a lot of shadiness. Since God isn’t killing folks, churches are excusing folks. Churches are extremely passive about the open and public sins of persons in the pulpit and in the choir stand. Musicians, preachers and singers can get drunk, “shack up” (that’s what we called it back in the day. Now it’s so common that there is no real name for it), be flamboyantly gay, curse, lie, cheat on their spouses, not attend bible study, exemplify no real conviction – except while they are performing, and the church just looks the other way. What in the world are we doing?!! And we wonder why there is no POWER in the church today. It’s because we have so much sin in the camp and no body is saying anything.

Saul was king of Israel. But he sinned and the presence of the Lord had departed from him. Still, everyone gave him respect because he was still anointed. I don’t know if he made it to Heaven. Samson was a judge of Israel who was feared and admired. But, because of his disobedience, the presence of the Lord departed from him and he did not know it. He still knew how to shake. And when he shook, everyone got excited because they knew something awesome was about to happen. But there came that day when Samson’s shake had no power. Still, after being blinded by his adversaries, God used him once more to kill thousands. But, I don’t know if Samson made it to Heaven. There was a pharaoh whose heart God hardened so that He could perform all twelve plagues against Egypt. I don’t think the pharaoh went to Heaven. There was an evil spirit sent from God to torment King Saul. I don’t think that evil spirit went to Heaven. There was a donkey used to keep Balaam from being killed by an angel. I don’t think the donkey went to Heaven. There was a rooster used to announce Peter’s denial of Christ. I don’t think the rooster went to Heaven. Do you get my point? The fact that you are anointed or that God chooses to use you doesn’t mean that you are going to Heaven. It means that you are anointed for that time. Don’t get it twisted.

And for those that say, “Well, I gave my life to God so the blood of Jesus covers all my sins,” tell me what kind of relationship do you have with God? There are several people that come to a service and walk up to the altar and say that they are giving their lives to God but their lives never change. I believe that the true evidence of salvation is the demonstration of Christ in the life of the believer. If your life isn’t demonstrating Jesus then are you really saved?

To my fellow Christians, the New Testament epistles teach us that the church is responsible for holding each other accountable to holy living. When we see someone living an ungodly life we should approach that brother or sister with the love of Jesus and find a way to motivate him or her to live holy. We need to stop the practices of silent consent and overlooking blatant disregard for Godly living. We are our brother’s keeper. God is holding us responsible.

When I was much younger I joined a church under a powerful preacher. He was an amazingly anointed man of God. Over the course of the years I spent under his ministry I watched him become trapped by his weaknesses. I watched in silence as he abused alcohol. I watched in silence as my married pastor practiced promiscuity with women in the church. My silence gave consent and my consent became acceptance and my acceptance eventually became participation. I found myself doing all the things my pastor was doing. As you could imagine, that church started dying and several lives were severely damaged and souls were lost. Eventually, God delivered me and pulled me away from that pastor. I don’t know if that pastor ever got back on track. And I often wonder if the lives that were damaged and souls that were lost could have been saved if I had just spoken up.

2006-12-21T16:47:00.000-05:00

Finding my place in MINISTRY…

So my wife and I joined this wonderful church, Gethsemane Community Fellowship Baptist Church. It is so fulfilling to be a part of a healthy, wholesome ministry. What I’ve lately found challenging is the fact that I grew up in church. My parents were in ministry since I was like 8 years old. I started preaching when I was about 13 years old. The word of God is very important to me and I’ve spent many hours studying it… especially since the days that I found myself caught up in some very unhealthy and erroneous doctrinal teaching. Today, I have a voracious appetite for rich, solid teaching and preaching. My tolerance is very low for unstudied preaching and unfounded teaching. So I needed a pastor that could unpack things in the scripture that I hadn’t already heard but things that were textually and contextually correct. My heart’s cry was for a leader that could lead me to new depths in God’s word. I found that in Rev. Dr. Kirk T. Houston, Sr. Hallelujah!!!

One of the things that I loved doing when we lived in Atlanta was ministering at the Atlanta Union Mission. I had the opportunity to serve as a chaplain for the Women’s Division and subsequently the Men’s Division. This afforded me the chance to work one-on-one with several persons making the transition from incarceration back into society. It also allowed me a chance to minister to several persons who were homeless and finding shelter from the elements.

When we were invited to sing at Rock Church of Virginia Beach I met a wonderful family. The two children in this family have amazing stories. The fact that they are still alive is a testimony of the grace of God. For anonymity, I will use a fictitious name. The little boy, “Mikey,” just stole my heart. He loves God and is captivated by drums. Although confined to a wheelchair, he sits in the service and plays “air drums” during each song. He says that when he grows up he wants to be a preacher. Weeks after we performed at Rock Church, Mikey’s mom contacted me. She said that while planning for Mikey’s birthday party she asked him what he wanted for his party. Expecting him to request a clown or something of the sort, she was surprised when he said that he wanted “Michael M. Smith” to come to his house for his birthday. He said that he wanted to sit down with me and talk about the Lord. WOW!! I was so deeply touched by this request. My wife and I spent a wonderful evening with Mikey and his family. He and I sang, laughed and played together. He preached to me and demanded that I preach to him. It was so much fun.

As I left there, I was reminded of Jesus’ ministerial practices. He spent most of His time with people that needed encouragement and love. It felt as though spending a few hours with a physically challenged young boy was just what Jesus would have done. If only I had the power within myself to heal him. If only I were Jesus…

So with renewed passion, I was so excited when I received a call from one of the largest Gospel Music radio stations in the area (WXEZ Star 94.1) with an invitation to sing at a Thanksgiving dinner they were holding for homeless and less fortunate persons in the Newport News, Virginia area. Once again, I was ministering to persons that were in desperate need of encouragement and strength. A few weeks later, immediately after returning from our two-city tour in South Carolina, we went to the Union Mission in downtown Norfolk, Virginia and spent an evening singing and ministering to homeless men. That evening the presence of the Lord was very heavy in the room as several men gave themselves in worship and several received the Lord Jesus as savior and Lord. It was a powerful night.

It is my belief that every artist should discover your assigned audience. Some of us are called to minister to the world, some to minister to the church, some to minister to the youth, some to minister to older persons. But we are most successful when we are ministering to the people to whom we were designed to minister. I believe that I’ve been designed to minister to the body of Christ and to persons like “Mikey” and the men at the Union Mission, seeking hope and encouragement.

There is so much more for me to tell you about… like the SC tour… like my new production venture with a new up and coming artist… like the new opportunity God is giving me to work with my local church. So stay tuned.

Have a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season. Don’t forget to take specific time out to worship Jesus Christ. He is God’s gift to us all. He is the Savior of the world.

2006-11-29T18:24:00.000-05:00

Finding my PLACE in the Kingdom...

The past three months have been very interesting. It’s been a time of transition, change and learning. Here is the short version of some of the past events...

For the past three years I had been serving and employed as Minister of Music at a wonderful church in Portsmouth, Virginia. This position afforded me the privilege of serving one of the kindest pastors I’d ever met. He is a man with a heart for his community and a passion to see people’s lives become better. I woke up one morning to the voice of the Lord telling me that my assignment at that church was complete and it was time to go. Of course, it shocked me. I was happy there. It was a nearly drama free church – and after all the drama that I’d endured in churches in the past, that was a welcomed change. We always experienced the presence of the Lord in the services. The worship was rich! I didn’t want to leave this place. So, I told my wife and we spent the following three weeks in prayer and fasting for confirmation and affirmation. God did confirm it. So we submitted a letter of resignation and offered a six-week notice so that the church would have time to make a smooth transition and the ministry wouldn’t be hindered.

Upon my resignation I started working with a wonderful church in Norfolk in an advisory and coaching role. This church has a full band, multiple choirs and worship leaders and a minister of music. My task was to help troubleshoot the ministry and offer suggestions while modeling a standard to which the music ministry could aspire. This was a part-time role.

Meanwhile, I was looking for a full-time Minister of Music position. I submitted my resume to over 40 churches in the Hampton Roads area – targeting Virginia Beach. As a result, I had some wonderful interviews with some great ministries. It was all very enticing. But, as I worked with this much smaller church in Norfolk (smaller than the churches that were interviewing me and making offers) I found my wife and me falling in love with the ministry. As if that wasn’t enough, each offer I received was followed by the voice of the Lord telling me that it wasn’t my place.

This drove me to my knees. I needed to know what was going on. Had I missed God somewhere? Then God spoke… loudly! “Stop trivializing what I’ve called you to do. This is more than a job. This is ministry. Many lives will be affected by what you do. It’s not a gig!” By now, tears were flowing as I repented of my wrong. I had taken the approach of so many musicians who see this as a job or a gig and had lost focus of the MINISTRY. Because of this, I was just looking for a job, not looking for my place. I was ready to join the place that was going to pay my bills. The priority was completely out of order. Thank God for the Holy Spirit that convicts us when we get out of line!

A few weeks later, my wife and I knew that we were ready to become a part of the Gethsemane Community Fellowship Baptist Church family and serve under Rev. Dr. Kirk T. Houston, Sr. Without any condition or promise of position, we joined a church where we both felt the Holy Spirit leading us. We found our place.

As for employment and other such matters, God has been supplying our needs. He is indeed the source. It’s amazing how firm a foundation you find once you take the leap of faith.

So, my encouragement to you is to know that you are in your place. Don’t keep wandering around, giving God contingencies. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and find your place.

There is more to this. Watch out for the next post.

2006-11-01T10:57:00.000-05:00

Define "Ministry"...

Webster's Dictionary defines ministry as "the service, functions, or profession of a minister of religion. Simple, right? So let's dig deeper. Richard's Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, a source that I deeply enjoy, has this to say. The Hebrew word translated for minister in the Old Testament "is used of persons who give personal service to a ruler, particularly of those who are set aside to perform some special service in the worship of God." In the New Testament, "in most instances where 'minister' or 'ministering' is found in English versions, the Greek has some form of diakonia ('service' or 'ministry'), which occurs thirty-four times. A related noun, diakonos ('servant,' 'minister,' or 'deacon'), occurs thirty times. The verb diakoneo ('to serve' or 'to serve as a deacon') is used thirty-seven times.

"These words are distinctive in that their focus is squarely on loving action on behalf of a brother or sister or a neighbor. A similar word, doulos (127 times in the NT) can mean either 'slave' or 'servant,' and it focuses attention on our subjection to Jesus. But these ministry words call us to look at our fellow human beings as objects of the loving services we extend to them for Jesus' sake.

"It was Jesus himself who set both the tone and the example for such Christian ministry. He called his disciples to find greatness through servanthood, '...just as the Son of man did not come to be served (diakoneo) but to serve (diakoneo), and to give his life as a ransom for many' (Mt 20:28)."

With this in mind, I am better able to understand my purpose as a minister of music and as a recording artist. It's interesting how the mind works. When you are carrying the title "Minister of Music," it is pretty easy to remember that you are in place to serve the body of Christ. You are automatically reminded that you are a person under the authority of a God-appointed leader, assigned to the task of helping that leader carry out their God-given mission. But when the title "Recording Artist" is attached or added, somehow we can easily forget who we are.

What the Lord is teaching me is that the only thing that should change when a person moves from minister of music to recording artist is the number of pastors that you are responsible to and the number of lives you are responsible for. As a recording artist, I am called to be a servant of the Body of Christ. I am not called to be a pastor or evangelist. I am called to be a servant. If my arrival at this new title is because the Lord appointed it, then it means that there is something in me that the Lord wants spread throughout the entire Body of Christ. But the recording artists is still a minister of music - therefore, still in place to serve the Body of Christ, under the authority of a God-appointed leader but now assigned to the task of helping that leader as well as all other God-appointed leaders carry out their God-given mission. In other words, it means more responsibility.

One of the reasons it is so easy to mess this up is because we see the celebrity of many secular recording artists and even many Christian or Gospel recording artists. Wow - what a mirage! So easily we start chasing the celebrity, wealth and fame of others not realizing that: a) many of them paid a dear price for what they have accomplished, b) most of them have been at it for several years before you've ever heard of them, c) there are many more artist that have been at it much longer they you that have not reached recognition status, let alone celebrity, d) it is incredibly easy and enticing to lose your integrity and your spiritual purity in pursuit of this temporal stuff, and e) promotion comes from God!

If we could just keep our eyes on God and not on this world we would be much less inclined to pursue passions that can destroy us. As servants of the kingdom, deacons of music, we must remember that secular artists can easily reach platinum sales because the world loves its own. But Christian/Gospel artists weren't necessarily called to minister to the world. Most of us were called to minister to God or to minister to the church. We are not of the world and shouldn't expect the world to love us. So the numbers are automatically different. Still, we don't have to sell out to the world for the sake of record sales. God has already orchestrated fantastic ways for our craft to be sustained within the dimensions of our God-given assignment. In other words, there are great, legitimate, honest ways to make a great living with Gospel/Christian music while retaining your integrity. It just requires that we trust and obey God.

I know I haven't written much lately. It's been an interesting few months. I've been going through an amazing transition and learning some powerful lessons. It hasn't all been comfortable. But I am closer to the Lord than I've ever been and I understand His word more clearly than ever. I've still got a lot to learn - but at least the classes are fun!!

2006-09-29T18:22:00.000-04:00

"Boy, don't blow all up and get the big head," they said.

Fat chance of that!! My wife loves me too much to let me get a big head about things. She brings me back in quickly. She's making sure that I don't miss Heaven over pride. I appreciate that.

So, in case there was any doubt, let me give credit to whom true credit is due. I am who I am because of the woman that stands with me. I have accomplished what I've accomplished because of the woman that stands with me. I know that I've talked about her in many of my previous posts - about how wonderful, beautiful, helpful, giving, fantastic... she is. While I prayed and asked God for the studio equipment that I needed, God used my wife to make it all happen. How cool is that?

Sharon's a wonderful wife. Any man would be very blessed to have a woman like her at his side. I'm glad that she doesn't take me too seriously. Sometimes, when everyone's singing your praises, you need someone to remind you that your breath still stinks in the morning and you still need a shower. I'm grateful. Who knows what I might think without her.

2006-09-27T16:27:00.000-04:00

Technology is wonderful when it works.

I know it's been a month since my last post. That's just pathetic. I'm very sorry. But it also means that I've been very busy. Since my last post I've been blessed to do a number of things. I've resigned my position at my home church - which went a little differently from the way I saw it in my head. But, I followed God's explicit instructions and I'm so very glad that I did. I've interviewed with a couple of churches for a new position and I'm waiting to see where God wants me to serve now.

Let's see...

Oh - I purchased a bunch of new equipment. I purchased a Motif ES7. I'm so happy and excited about this keyboard. It came with the mLAN expansion card already in it - and I didn't have to pay for it. It was an oversight by the store and a blessing from the Lord!! I also purchased the Lexicon Omega audio interface, which came with Cubase LE. It's pretty cool recording software - not the heavy-duty stuff like Logic or ProTools but it's good enough to get the songs from my head to a CD. That's what I needed. Oh yeah - I bought the AT4040 microphone. This thing has a wonderful sound. It makes the voice sound so warm and natural. I never knew how much difference a mic could make. WOW!! My geek side is coming out.

Cain is outside barking at his water bowl, which he just turned over. He's more then 78 pounds now and definitely taller than Rocky. But Rocky retains dominance. It's interesting watching the instinctive territorial actions of mammals. When Cain goes somewhere in the yard to urinate, Rocky follows him. As soon as Cain finishes, Rocky finds the exact spot and urinates right in that spot. I guess that's his way of making it plain that he is still the Alpha Male and Cain is still a child or something. It's crazy. Now, Cain is out there rolling his metal bowl around - clanging and banging it while barking and howling. It's a very funny noise.

I opened a myspace website. That thing is addictive. If you're not careful you can lose hours of your day just checking out people's pages and getting new friends. But check this out... my beautiful daughter has become one of my friends on myspace. It's the coolest thing. She's the Spanish speaking chica on my page. By the way, you can visit at www.myspace.com/michaelmsmith.

Well there is a lot more going on but I'll have to fill you in on that later. Gotta run.

Agape!