Lessons I Learned From the Flood

Life has been flipped completely upside-down for many people in Nashville. Over the past weekend, we experienced a crazy amount of rain, up to 20” in some parts. And it all came so quickly that the rivers didn’t know what to do—except to go places they’ve never been before. Places we never imagined they would go.

The center of this picture is where I play softball - you can see the
dark roof of the school on the right edge, my house is just above the school.

The devastation is mind-blowing. The effect this flood will have on our economy remains to be seen, but will most certainly be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Many people lost their lives. Thousands of people lost everything in their homes, and even more people are left with a huge mess to clean up. I’m grateful so many people have asked if I needed anything—fortunately the waters receded before they came inside my house. Many people in my subdivision, and our town, are really struggling right now.

Sunday was a bit scary, surreal, crazy, and intriguing as we helplessly watched the water have its way with our street. During one of the breaks in the rain, I stepped out into the street to examine the rising waters. I found a small group of my neighbors talking. I discovered that one of my neighbors was afraid because he couldn’t get out of his driveway, and was running low on groceries. I told him to make a list, and we’d take care of it. One neighbor (whom I had never met before) had a truck and was willing to take me through the water-logged streets to the store, and then insisted on splitting the bill with me. Through the experience of our like-minded mission, I made a friend.

The flood of 2010 has taught me a few powerful lessons:

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Pilgrim Man - Introduction Video

Pilgrim Man Hits #3 on Chart

It's very encouraging whenever I get a notice that another radio station is playing my song. Incredibly enough, the song has jumped all the way up to #3 on the CRW Global AC impressions chart. I'm not completely sure what all that means, except I'm encouraged by it...cause it could definitely be at a lower spot on the chart. It looks like 32 stations are playing it now, which means that even if each station only has two listeners (the DJ and one other person) that means roughly 64 people have heard my tune. Awesome. Thank you for all your support!!

Here's a complete list of stations playing "Pilgrim Man" as of this week. Please call your local Christian radio station and request it.

(new since last post)
WNPQ: New Philadelphia, OH
WJFY: Heath, OH
WJFZ: Canton, OH
highenergyfm.com - Scotland
WDOV: Athens WV - internet
radioforlife.net:
WGGP: Big Pine Key, FL
KJAN AM 1220: Atlantic, Iowa
KROZ: Hobbs, NM
WGLY: Vermont
CHSB: Bedford, Nova Scotia
WMHR: Syracuse, NY
Real Country Radio: Japan
WSEW: S. Maine/ SE NH

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"Pilgrim Man" - Update

Thank you to everybody for responding so amazingly to my "Pilgrim Man" tune. This might sound weird, but people are saying things that I have always dreamed of them saying. Does that make sense? I have hoped for so long that people would be impacted by my singing and writing, and so to have those two things combined into one package called "Pilgrim Man" is quite a joy for me. Check this out from Julie Branham, Director of the Nashville Soul Choir:

"It drew me in from the moment I heard the opening pulsing rhythm, like a weary heart beating from a long journey, and then the encouraging words “Pilgrim Man, don’t give up. Though the road may be long and the journey hard…” I think we’ve all been there at some point in our lives, wondering if this is all that life has to offer, wanting to let go and give up. Pilgrim Man is a song for everyone who needs to know that they are NOT alone on this journey of life. That every day IS a brand new day and the best is yet to come.

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Radio Stations Are Playing My Song!!

I couldn't be more excited about the fact that even though we just finished the mix of "Pilgrim Man" this past Monday night at 12:30am, we already have FOUR stations that have said they will play my tune! Can you believe it?! Awesome. I'm thrilled at the comments people are making about the song - and how they're being encouraged by it.

Here's the roll call:
WFST: Northern Maine and Western New Brunswick
WKBO: Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle
KGPS: Kingman, Az.
WBYN-AM: Lehighton, PA/ Allentown, PA
(more stations added - see next blog entry!)

Please feel free to call your local station and tell them you'd like to hear "Pilgrim Man." Or geez, call me and tell me you'd like to hear it! (Or find the song on iTunes, if you'd like it for your iPod!)

Thanks for all your support!
Mark