What Makes Christmas Great?

Christmas is a crazy, beautiful time of year. I love listening to carols, especially the old classics. I also love looking at lights and elaborate decorations. I also love time together with family and friends. But looking back over the multitudes of Christmases, the best part has always been the hope of what presents I might get.

I loved making wish lists as a kid. Going through the big Sears toy catalog and picking out what looked the most awesome. I didn't always get what I wanted, even though I admit I was completely spoiled. I got more than I really needed, certainly.

I would spend most of December trying to find hidden boxes throughout the house...hidden in closets, or under beds. And then when gifts would be set out under the tree, I would shake and rattle the wrapped boxes, trying to determine the contents.

When I try to put profound, grown-up words on what makes Christmas great, I come up with this: Christmas is great knowing that someone who loves you, is planning something special, specifically with your joy in mind. They are preparing something for you - to bring you happiness. This to me, is HOPE. The hope that someone who loves me is preparing something special for me - specifically with my joy in mind.

Still I have to admit that as I get older, I pretend it doesn't matter so much that I didn't get anything good for Christmas. "Oh socks! I love them! This sweater is beautiful - it's so soft!" But I can't escape the ache - the feeling that there should be something more. Something more in line with my heart's deepest longings. It's not greed...it's HOPE!!

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Another Friend In Prison

It's no secret to those who know me that I'm friends with a lot of guys in prison. Today I found out about another—an old friend from high school who is currently sitting in prison awaiting trial for possibly killing his girlfriend. Somehow this one feels different. Maybe because I never knew any of the guys I now know in prison before they were ever incarcerated. My heart breaks for him and his family. And I wish I was closer to Los Angeles, so I could go visit him...and just catch up.

I've known several incarcerated men over the past 16 years since deciding to start a grassroots prison ministry. This decision takes me inside the walls of a local prison each Friday morning when I  get to hang out with a small group of guys for a weekly Bible Study. Sometimes we open the Bible, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we talk about sports, politics, TV, music, movies...anything really, that a group of guys would talk about it. But my number one goal is to cut through all the religiosity that so many of us have been living under most of our lives. I want to get to the bottom of it, and find out what's real, what's not...and what really matters.

The thing I find the most common is the thinking that if you're good enough, you'll make it to Heaven. That if somehow God deems you worthy of salvation, then you'll receive it. But ultimately, there's no way of knowing until you actually meet Him face to face, so you better do your darndest to be good! To me, this flat out disregards the need for Jesus to have died on the cross. Because of what Jesus did, my entrance into Heaven is no longer on my shoulders—it's on His. Grace is a free gift. No strings attached.

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Pilgrim Man Commercial

While t-shirts and slogans say "life is good," Mark Smeby has written an amazing anthem of hope for those of us who know sometimes it isn’t, and that we all need God’s grace and encouragement to make it through. More than a slogan, this is a beautiful song of truth, encouragement and hope. Who doesn't need to hear that?
~Jennifer Martin, Worship Pastor, Church of the Redeemer, Nashville

I Don't Need To Bark In Order To Be Heard

As a writer I hate walking into a bookstore. Part of me wants to find something interesting to connect with, some new writer that will affect my life like Anne Lamott or Eugene Peterson. All the covers plead for me to judge their contents by their prettiness. Truth is, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. But instead of discovering beautiful new literary connections, I get bowled over by the silence. Like leafing through page after page of a dating service notebook filled with women last named A-G. So much muted potential, prettied-up with a fancy exterior. Mostly, it’s the overwhelming silence of all those unsold books that is so deafening to me. And I really want to be one more of the unsold authors stacked on those disorganized shelves? What could possibly be wrong with me?

All those words on all those pages. All those hours spent by someone somewhere, hoping their efforts would have some value. All those months waiting for a publisher to pick up their manuscript. All those hours wondering if that publisher will ever do anything to promote their dang book, or if it will just get lost in the shuffle of their better-selling, celebrity-driven, ghost-written titles.

It’s very similar to going into a record store and seeing all those unsold CDs just sitting there, patiently waiting for someone to give them a chance. So much unnoticed music. At the same time, there are so many artists that sell a ton of records. So many authors who sell a ton of books. And still, so many artists and authors who have personally affected me. I’m grateful they chose to throw their heart down the chute of creativity so that I could have my life changed by their expressions.

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Four Overwhelming Weeks

Four weeks since the Chicago 1/2 Marathon. I can't believe it's already been a month since I was in Chicago to run the big race...not to mention the release of my CD. It's been an exciting month! I'm blown away by the tremendous response people are giving the project - saying all kinds of nice things about the songs. I hope it's encouraging, inspiring, and ultimately life-giving. Here's a bit of a recap of the last month...

Sept. 12 - Chicago 1/2 Marathon - had a blast. I indeed did prove that "Impossible is Nothing" by accomplishing something I had considered impossible only 12 weeks earlier.
Sept. 14 - PILGRIM MAN CD released - I celebrated by watching the Twins beat the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago with my friend Dennis Rizo.
Sept. 16 - Fall softball season starts. Awesome. Continues on Thursdays & Mondays into November.
Sept. 17 - CD Release Party (Nashville) - A fantastic gathering of friends from throughout my years here in Music City. Finger foods and beverages. I shared a handful of new songs - a couple live, and a couple on CD. Ended with a great prayer time, thanks to the amazing Brenda Boswell, who has been a beautiful source of encouragement to me ever since we met in 1994.

Sept. 19 - My first stop on the Pilgrim Man Fall 2010 Tour - Roanoke, VA. Had a blast at Vinton Baptist Church with Chris, Bill, and my good friends the Perrington's. Sang in their two AM services, then did a concert that evening. Had a blast - so thankful for the opportunity to meet these great people - and share my songs & stories with them.
Sept. 26th - Outdoor picnic concert at Brook Hollow Baptist Church in West Nashville - thanks to my friend, JR Davis and their Pastor Tom.
Oct. 3rd - Music at my own church!! Church of the Redeemer - Nashville. I love my church - there's such a great, loving, non-pretentious spirit. I'm thrilled to get to serve the body with music, together with the other awesome musicians and our leader, Jennifer Martin.
Oct. 6th - Interview with KFSI Rochester, MN - my new favorite radio station - to promote my concert this weekend. They've been playing my song "Pilgrim Man" for a while, and it's extra special because my parents & a ton of friends live there and get to hear it!

Oct. 10th - Great day at Rochester Covenant Church - two AM services - and big concert that evening. Blew me away to get to sing with their church choir on "Pilgrim Man" and "This World Is Not My Home." Had great help in the concert from Pat, Will & Shannon from the church on BGVs. Had a bunch of family and friends show up, and even surprise me - including a couple I went to college with in Nebraska and hadn't seen for 22 years. They saw a poster for the concert my dad put up in a shop and decided to come and bring their boys. Awesome.

So what's ahead? God only knows. I hope to make it back to the Midwest a few more times this fall, including Omaha, Iowa, Missouri, and even Minnesota again. I'll keep you posted. If you know somewhere I could come sing, let's make it happen.

Thanks for all your love & support. It's all for God & you.