All Things New
(2 Corinthians 5:17)

I love a good mulligan. Being a duffer of a golfer, or a hacker, I really count on grace when it comes to my golf game. At times I play pretty good, but there are days when I struggle to play well at all, but a mulligan can make a bad game of golf, all of a sudden get a lot better.

A mulligan is a fresh start, a chance to begin again and get it right. God is all about a mulligan, matter of fact, he invented the mulligan. We were all born into sin, and without God’s unmerited grace, we were doomed.

But God gave us the ultimate do-over, when he saw us in our sin and hopelessness and said here is mercy, here is grace. Sometimes I take for granted the amazing grace that God so freely gives to me. But if I just stop and remember what he saved me from and what I would be without him, I quickly realize, just how blessed I am to be walking in the newness of life that he gives.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says that if anyone is in Christ that they are new! All of the old is gone. “The ultimate mulligan”. Our past is gone for good and we have been given a fresh start. How awesome is that?

“All Things New” is a Song about a do-over, a mulligan. I am in awe of the fact that in Christ, “what is old can be made new”, “what’s lost can be found”. The bridge says “I have been a captive of the old, but let the new awake within my soul”. That has been my prayer for quite some time now. I want to walk in the newness of life that God has called me to. Letting go of all of the baggage that weighs me down, so that I can truly live “life” and life more abundantly!!

“All Things New” chorus sums it up:

All things new I’m beginning to breathe
Letting go of everything
Gone is the old man, I am born again
All things new I can finally see
I love what you’re doing in me
I am changing, God you are making
All things new

I encourage all of you, to live in the newness of life, to not live in the old shell, but put on the new shell. No matter how old or young you may be, God is always calling us to a new adventure in him.

I remember what I was doing 9/11/01. I was in Nashville, the night before,4him had premiered the new album “Walk On”, for the Word sales reps and many of our friends in radio. I remember getting up that morning at the Hampton Inn and turning on the television and calling the other guys in astonishment. We all were flying home that morning. Instead of flying, we kept our rental car and we drove quickly back home to be with our families. I remember, my immediately thinking, this world has changed forever, because of what just happened.

Over the following months after 9/11 it seemed that our country was more united than ever before. It seemed to me that the freedom that we had taken for granted, was now greatly treasured. What our enemy meant to harm us, in a way, made our resolve stronger.

With this year being the 10th anniversary of that horrific and heroic day. It seems that the song, “We Will Not Forget” is a fitting tribute for those who lost their lives that day and those, since that day, who serve and have served in our military, on foreign soil and at home, protecting our freedom.

May we never forget the price of freedom, may we always pause to say thanks to those who gave so much, so that we could live freely. Many gave their lives, shed their blood, leaving behind wives, husbands, sons and daughters.

I personally want to say thank you to the families that lost a soldier in wars fought for our freedom. And to honor them, may the song “We Will Not Forget” in some small way remind us all of the sacrifice that was given for us.

You can get the free download of “ We Will Not Forget” at www.markharrisonline.com.
Spread the word to anyone that might want to receive this fee download.

New Album comes out Oct.18. This song is one of 11 new songs on the album “Stronger in The Broken Places”.

Blessings-mh

Stronger in the Broken Places

Doctors say that it is unlikely that a bone can break in the same place twice, because when it heals, it is stronger than before.

We all get bent by the storms of life, at times we even break, and when we are broken, God is there with us, always there to mend us, to heal us, and when we heal, we find that the trial and the storm has made us stronger…. stronger than before!
Stronger In The Broken Places.

Now I wouldn’t typically quote Ernest Hemingway but he wrote, in ” A Farewell to Arms”, The world breaks everyone, and afterwards some are stronger in the broken places,”
I think there is so much truth in that statement

Here is part of the lyric to the new single Stronger in The Broken Places:

Light shines the brightest
In the moment of our desperation
Hope somehow rises
Through the rubble of our desolation

There’s a calm in the storm
Though the winds around us rage
So I hold to the truth
You will bring me through
The darkest of my days

There is beauty in the suffering
Hope can heal what hurt embraces
Through it all I know your making me
Stronger in the broken places

The single is now at Christian Radio
Album comes out in October

It is that time of year when it seems that time moves way too quickly. I remember as a kid that summers seemed to last forever, but I guess life on Robinson’s Bayou was more laid back.
This summer has flown by and it seems that the kids just got out of school last week for the break!
We have had a very memorable summer, with family and friends.
We started the summer out in Highlands, NC. visiting my Mother-in-law, Betty, in one of the most beautiful spots on earth. It was a welcomed retreat for an over-scheduled family. Once we returned from the mountains of North Carolina, we found our quicker pace of life, waiting once again for us, back in Spanish Fort.
We have had a summer filled with camps, beach, ballgames, practices, honey-do’s, and ultimately, finishing a new album.
I say we, because, when I am working on an album, my family absorbs a lot of the process too. They are my critics and the best ears an artist could have listening to the material.
We are closing in on completing this new album, which releases in October!
I am so excited about this project. It has been a long time in the making.
Luke is producing it and has really done an awesome job.
I really feel like this is one of the most eclectic pile of songs that I have ever put together. It covers a very wide range of topics.
Much thought has been put into each of these songs and why they should be on this album.
As always, there are many that got left off for now. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t find their way on to a future project soon.
There are some very honest songs that I can’t wait for folks to hear.
Because I lead worship almost every weekend, there are some new worship songs, that made it on to this album, as well.
Please keep this project in your prayers, as we are putting the finishing touches on it.
Pray that it is anointed and will accomplish all that God has planned for it to accomplish.
I have a plan, but I want Gods purpose to prevail. Proverbs 19:21
Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your summer!
Mark

Last night, I had the privilege of being at a pre-screening of the new Sherwood Pictures movie “Courageous”.
My friends at Sherwood invited Jodie and I to come view the film at the commissioning service. What a great concept, to literally pray over the movie and the people involved. I witnessed a church filled with people from all walks of life, celebrating what God has done and will do through this movie.
Courageous, is a powerful movie that tells the story of 5 men and their journey of faith. I truly believe that God is going to use this movie to challenge and inspire men all over the world to stand up and be counted as true men of Character, Faith and Integrity!
I woke this morning with a sense of urgency to get the word out to all my friends about this movie. We need to make sure that everybody has an opportunity to see and hear this story.
I strongly encourage all of my blog friends and and FB friends to spread the word.
If you want more info- check it out on the web. Just search for “Courageous” the movie.
Blessings to all! mh

I wish I were a better golfer…
Seriously, I say every year that I am going to work on my golf game. Unfortunately, I have yet to follow through on that statement. I am a bogie golfer at best.
The past few days I have been in Palm Coast Florida, playing and hanging out with friends from the NCCAA. I always love coming to their pro-am event, it is almost a homecoming of sorts. At one time 4him was the official host of this event.
Today, I had the pleasure of playing with Terry Metzger and his son Ben Jeff Sanasiero(Head coach of Basketball at Geneva College). I am quite sure that true backs are sore- because they carried me all day long!
Tomorrow, we play again and then tomorrow night I sing at the banquet.
So, my commitment, is that next year when I get back to the pro am, that I am 10 strokes better in my golf game!
Later….

Tonight my wife and I had dinner with our long time pals Andy and Jackie Chrisman. For those of you that followed the career of 4him you know that Andy and I were members together in that group for 17 years. Andy is now the worship pastor at Church on the Move in Tulsa. We are in the Jacksonville area this weekend singing and playing golf with our friends Dan and Kelly Wood, from the NCCAA. We ate dinner at a restaurant called Clarks Fish Camp. It was a great find! If you are ever in Jax area give it a try.
It was great to hang with our friends. My wife and Andy’s wife were grade school pals, so try have been buddies for more years than I need to say:-)
On another note, my sons baseball team won the Alabama-Oklahoma baseball challenge tournament!

Hey folks-
Very excited about my new website!
A big thanks to John Wilson for building it and making it something thy I can update daily….hopefully, but more likely it will be weekly:-)