Today is my wife’s birthday. It is a day that I am so grateful for. She is the love of my life. Her smile, captivates my heart:)
Being that today is also Easter Sunday, there will be no big birthday celebration for Jodie today.

It was her decision. As she has so gracefully done throughout our marriage, she unselfishly said that this day needed to be about Easter and not her.

On this special birthday as I think about Jodie, I thank God for a selfless woman. She has spent her adult life being the strength behind all that I do. The list to describe all that she does for our family is endless. She is simply amazing!

If you have the honor of knowing Jodie, then you know how honest and straight forward she is. If she is your friend, then you have found something very rare, a “true” friend!

The more birthdays that I celebrate with her, the more I realize how truly blessed I am to have Jodie as my wife! She is physically beautiful, but her greater beauty is what others sometimes never get the chance to see. Inside, she is the most beautiful person that I know.

So today I celebrate Easter and Jodie!

The Gift of Resurrection and the Gift of a great woman!

Happy Birthday Jodie!

I Love You

mh

“Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.”
Malachi 3:16

This past Sunday following worship, a friend came up to me and gave me this verse of scripture. There was an undeniable sense of God’s power and presence in the building that morning at Bay Community Church.

What an amazing thought, that God would write about us. That he would listen from heaven and hear our worship and then record it for remembrance.

The image that was given to me was that God heard our songs and was moved by our worship to him.

Can you imagine God calling the saints and angels over to sit with him and listen. Then saying to them “what has been done this morning in this worship service will be remembered and written about.”

I have been honored through the years as a song writer and have had number one songs as an artist. However, I have never had any honor that comes close to this.The honor of knowing that “God” listened. That God would remember and write about what our worship team and church sang this past Sunday morning!

May we never go to church and just go through the motions. Let us always realize that God listens, if we truly sing to him.

When you sing a song of worship, never forget that you are singing for God and not for men.

Your song can be heard, remembered and even “Written about in Heaven” by our creator.

How awesome is that?

God always knows best! Even in those times when we would question his choice for us..God always knows what is best. Oliver is our little one year old puppy. He is a westie…big dog personality in a small dog frame:-)

When my wife first saw him, she didn’t really think he was “the one”. She said the he had a big rear end.and the wrong personality. He had a brother in his litter that would have been our first choice, but he was already spoken for. Jodie complained at first, thinking that we had made a mistake getting this puppy.

Fast forward a year and she thinks he is the “wonder dog”. We couldn’t have ended up with a more perfect fit for our home and for this season in our lives. Oliver is according to us, the best dog in the world! He was not the one we wanted, but is exactly what we needed and now we wouldn’t trade him for any other dog in the world!

Isn’t that just like most situations in our life. We want one thing but end up with something else, only to realize that what we ended up with was better than what we would have picked first. God protects us so many times from what we want, because he knows exactly what we need…. You see, God knows that what we “need” will bring us the most joy.

God knows tomorrow, whats up ahead. We only see this day, but God knows all things and we should never forget that his word says in Romans 8:28…”All Things work together for good to those who love the lord and are called according to his purpose”.

Wherever you may be and whatever may be going on in your life, remember that Gods ways are higher than our ways. Remember, that he delights in doing good things for his children! You may not be getting all the things that you want right now, but God promises that you will always have what you need.

Jeremiah 29:11

Sometimes we get so busy being a human doing we forget how to be a human being.

I heard someone say this one morning visiting some friends in radio.

I am so convicted and challenged by this statement!

The greatest currency I have in life is time, not money. Time is our most precious asset.

Sometimes I get things turned upside down and end up focusing on doing more that being.

My prayer today is that I would Be a better child of God, Be a better husband, Be a better dad, Be a better friend.

I have been guilty of being at home with family physically while my mind was still at work doing the busy stuff.

During Christmas I would encourage folks to make sure that we stop and enjoy family, friends and life in general.

Let the busy stuff have its place but simply enjoy the gift of being.

Revelation 12:11 lets us know that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.
Over the last week, I have heard so many powerful testimonies from different people about how the song, Stronger in the Broken Places, really spoke to the heart. Many have said that it is Their Story.
If you have a story of a broken place that God has brought you through, would you tell Your Story, Your Testimony.
I believe when we hear one anothers testimony,then it builds our faith.
The bible does say this is how we overcome!!!
So here goes!!
Lets talk about what our Great God has done in our lives!
Whats Your Story?

I long for the day when I get to hear the song that the angels sing. I can just imagine here on earth what that must sound like.

An even more amazing thought is that somehow we are joining in with their song as we worship God here on earth.

Worship is happening 24/7. Whether we lift our voices or not, there is a song being sung in heaven. That is what the book of Revelation tells us.

Sometimes I imagine that my voice is being heard at the throne. As I lift up a “Holy,Holy,Holy” I simply dream about the fact that God can hear it through all of the chorus of Angels and Elders that are surrounding the throne.

Never Ending Song was written in one of those moments when I was sitting out under a star-filled sky, thinking about what it must sound like in heaven at the moment.

I think we as humans have never heard a song as beautiful as what we will hear in heaven. The song that is sung in the presence of Almighty God!

I am certain that it must be perfection, maybe even notes that we have never heard before. I want to be a part of that choir..and join in with all of creation and sing the Never-ending Song

The new movie “Courageous” released 2 weeks ago. I believe that this movie is going to change the lives of many. It is filled with so many great truths. Each time I’ve seen the movie, I have been moved and challenged in different ways.

One of the real exciting things about the movie for me personally, is having the opportunity to co-write and sing 2 of the songs in the movie. The soundtrack for the movie comes out the same day as my new album, Oct. 18.

As a writer, certain things inspire or cause a song to be written. Such is the case with “Fearless”. Tony Wood and I wrote this song as an option to be used in the movie “Courageous”. Though it didn’t end up in the movie, I really wanted to be able to sing this message and for folks to hear it.

I am a father of two great kids, Matthew and Maddison. I am also married to the love of my life, Jodie. Being a husband and father means that sometimes I have to fight battles on behalf of my family, that no one knows about, but God and me. There are moments when fear tries to control my mind and speak defeat over everything that God has entrusted to me. If I let fear get the best of me, then the enemy has a door into my home and my family.

It’s waking up at 2:30 in the morning, with thoughts of panic and fear. These are thoughts that the enemy would love to make us believe are true.

If you are reading this and that’s never happened to you, then thank God, however, I think most of us, have been right there. This is when, we must find the courage, to stand strong and be “Fearless”. In the face of all the devils accusations, to stand upon all of God’s promises.

God’s is sufficient! King David writes in Psalm 27:1, The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

If we have nothing more than these words in the middle of the moments when fear says, all hope is gone, just quit, it’s over, then these words from the Psalm are enough!

The challenge for all of us is to be fearless. To stand unafraid. To dare to believe regardless what the enemy throws at us. To trust in Him.
For greater is HE that is in us than he that is in the world.

No matter how chaotic life gets, God is in control. Anything less than complete trust will fail.

He is either “Really God” or he isn’t.

So many times, when life’s noise and busy-ness grow to the highest pitch, we tend to jump in and try to fix life in our own power.

A much better option is to let the one who is the “Maker of the Day”, take care of what we can’t take care of anyway. Finances, relationships, health, family and on and on…..

How awesome is it to be able to place our very existence in our makers hands. His words says that his thoughts towards us outnumber the grains of sand in the ocean.

He knows us. He loves us. He has a plan for every day of our life. He is the great creator, the maker of this life, the maker of the universe….The Maker of The Day!

One of my dad’s big rules growing up, was that once you commit to something, follow through. If I started a football season, I had to finish the season. Same rule applied in every thing else.

I have always tried to live out that teaching in my life. But I have to be honest, when it comes to living out my commitment to Christ, it’s easier to say than do.

It is so difficult to truly give God complete control. To literally say, here it is God, you take everything.

I have heard it said that the only thing that’s bad about being a “living sacrifice” is that we have a tendency to want to crawl off of the altar.

I was raised in the church. I made a commitment at a young age. Little did I know as a 7 year old boy, how hard it would be to live it out.

But I have realized that if I truly look at all that god has done for me and given to me, I can’t help but give everything to him.

My life, an offering, surrendered to God.
Holding nothing back.

The song, “An Offering” on my new project, is an honest lyric that came from an intimate worship time one night. I always feel unworthy of what God has done for me and am amazed that he truly wants me.

Wow, what a thought, God wants me.
How can I not give him my life. To simply lay my life down, as an offering.

One of the things that I love about this song is that my daughter, Maddison, is singing with me on this song.

Many folks that have heard the album, have labeled this song a favorite.

To worship God is to serve.

So often I sing a song of worship with lifted hands or in a quiet moment I give thanks for all that God is.

I truly believe these are forms of worship. These are physical acts of praising and honoring God with my lips from my heart.

However, I have come to find that one of the most beautiful forms of worship is getting involved in the act of serving others in Jesus name.

If I say that I love the lord with all my heart with my lips, then with my life, through serving, I can show it.

A cup of water given in his name. A visit to a friend that needs prayer or comfort. A trip to an orphanage. A night of encouragement in a prison ministry.

In Matthew chapter 25, scripture tells us that whatever we do unto the least of these, we have done it unto him.

It also says in Matthew 4:10 to “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only”.

The final cut on my new album ” Cold Water” is this thought put to song.

I co-wrote this song with Tony Wood. He pulled this idea out one day and showed it to me. Immediately, it convicted me.

Sure,I have led the big uptempo praise songs with a room filled with people singing to the top of their lungs.
I have worshipped in silent adoration, pouring out my heart.

But the question that I can never get away from is this….How long has it been since I rolled up my sleeves and worshipped Christ through serving?

If nothing more, than a simple cup of “Cold Water” in his name.

He who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me. Psalms 101:6