Christmas Tour Journal - Entry #13

click here for tour dates & invite video

Entry #13 - Wednesday 12/21 - 

I'm sitting here in Starbucks in Port St. Lucie, Florida...just hours away from the final concert on my 2011 Hope of Christmas Tour. It's been an unbelievable experience. I've met so many awesome people. Sung a ton. Driven thousands of miles. And tried super hard to not eat all the sweets that get thrown at me. It helps that I've jogged more than I intended! :)

The thing that is a bit strange right now is the idea of something good ENDING. It's going to be over. And honestly, I don't know what's next. There's a part of me that thinks if I just stay here in Florida or Minnesota or Omaha, then I can remain in this place of awesomeness. I was journaling this morning about joy. And how when I experience great joy, my normal response is to want to keep experiencing it — like making plans to experience it again — or finding someway to hold onto some of the current joy, just in case none shows up tomorrow.

I'm so much like the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness, starving and complaining. Until God finally provided manna from the sky to meet their desire for food. His promise was that He'd provide only enough for each day. But that He'd provide tomorrow's food...tomorrow. I, like our distant relatives, want to hoard and squander whatever I can...just to have enough joy for tomorrow. Then I hear God say, "Enjoy today...be fully present and bathe in gratitude...but don't miss out on the joy I have for you tomorrow, simply because you're so focused on yesterday's joy." With that, I can say "Thank you, Lord for an amazing experience. I will be forever grateful. I'm blessed beyond measure. Even still, I can't wait to see what you have for me..."

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A Life Lived With Hope: Olivia Lueken

My experience last Friday night in Jasper, Indiana celebrating HOPE with Olivia Lueken and her family was something I won’t forget for a long while. The incredible story of this young woman’s desire to live her life as a humongous ray of hope, in spite of her debilitating disease, is so inspiring.

What started as a conversation with her dad about possibly stopping by their house sometime...turned into a concert for several hundred people at the beautiful Jasper Community Arts Center (and their Bösendorfer Grand piano!). The crowd was amazingly engaged...we laughed and cried together...and celebrated God, each other, as well as Olivia.

The fact that Olivia loves my music is unbelievably meaningful to me. To think that my words and melodies could bring an ounce of joy to Olivia’s life is such an honor. To think that something I do could somehow lighten the load one person has to carry…is humbling…and keeps me moving forward on this path God has me on.

So to Olivia I say, “Thank you for letting my music into your heart! I long for the day when we will no longer be imprisoned by this wretched bag of bones our souls have to drag around. You are proof that life is not what happens to you, but rather, how you choose to respond to it. The fact that you choose hope, encourages me to keep choosing it as well.”

Christmas Tour 2011

I can't believe it's actually happening! But indeed, it is...

Come experience the HOPE of Christmas with us LIVE!

Fri 12/2 - Rochester, MN - UTurn Event Center - 7pm - $10
Sun 12/4 - Rochester, MN - Rochester Convenant - part of am services
Sun 12/4 - Rochester, MN - Private Event for Salem Road Covenant
Mon 12/5 - Rochester, MN - Pat & Ray Anderson hosted HOUSE CONCERT
Wed 12/7 - Marion/Cedar Rapids, IA - Echo Hill Presbyterian - 6pm
Thu 12/8 - Omaha, NE - speaking at Tiburon Financial
Fri 12/9 - Omaha, NE - PSCollective - 7pm - $5
Sun 12/11 - Nashville, TN - Brook Hollow Baptist - 6pm - FREE CONCERT
Thur 12/15 - Nashville, TN - Charles Bass Correctional Complex
Sat 12/17 - St. Augustine, FL - Anastasia Baptist - part of Sat pm & Sun am services
Sun 12/18 - Palatka, FL - HOPE FM presents @ Palatka Church of God - 6pm - FREE CONCERT
Mon 12/19 - Palatka, FL - meeting with Samson Society guys
Wed 12/21 - Port St. Lucie, FL - Hope Lutheran - 7pm - FREE CONCERT
Sat 12/24 - Port St. Lucie, FL - Hope Lutheran - part of services

It's going to be a month long journey across the country for me and the Pilgrim Mobile* (not official title). I love that I'm doing several events in some cities - including private banquets and prison concerts! Oh, and that I get to spend Christmas in Florida is pretty awesome, too! I hope we get a chance to meet during December as I share the HOPE of Christmas with songs from my brand new Christmas CD.

New "Pilgrim" Book Released

I'm excited to announce the release of the new "Pilgrim" book. And yes, it's a bit of a companion piece to my Pilgrim Man CD project. I guess I'm pretty serious about this whole "Life is a journey" thing... Right?! This inspirational fable, set in a Norwegian mountain village, is about rising above the day-to-day grind to find a way of life full of meaning and significance. It is about rising what other people think to become the person you have dreamed you could be. It is about making a connection with the Source in order to receive life, and then giving it away to everyone around you. (Please click on the cover for more info!)

Wanna Help?

Thanks so much for your willingness to help me out. As things keep progressing for me, I'm learning I can't do any of this on my own. Any of the opportunities I've had have come from someone taking a chance on me, putting a checkmark in my box, and believing in me. I'm truly grateful. I'm also finding that there are people out there, like yourself, who would love to help me out, if they just knew something they could do! That's what this page is for! I'd like to form a team - maybe you can help me come up with a name - but a team of people who are interested in helping spread the word about my music. Why? Number one - because I believe we are surrounded by people who desperately need the message of hope found in my songs.

Send me an email through the contact button above, the reply box below, or simply mark@marksmeby.com. Let me know how you'd like to help - let's start a dialogue. And let me know if you don't have a copy of Pilgrim Man yet, I'd be glad to send you digital copy for free—just for helping out! I plan to send out regular updates about what's going on, and if there are any particular needs. By regular I mean, no more than monthly...

So how can you help?

#1 - CONCERTS - This is the most effective way I connect with people. I'm constantly looking for more places to sing. Perhaps you know someone at a place that you think would be good for a Mark Smeby concert. Perhaps you'd like to be a rep for a certain area where you live—focusing on multiple locations for concerts. Having someone reach out to a venue on my behalf is 100% more effective than me doing it myself. You can help tremendously! And FYI: I love to use church choirs or involve other musicians/vocalists from a church during my concerts, if they'd like to do that. Click HERE for more detailed info about concerts that you can pass on to someone who might be interested.

#2 - SHARE THE MESSAGE! This is super easy. Share lyrics, song clips, or video clips with anybody you know—whether it's through email or Facebook or Twitter, you can spread the message to your circle of friends, and people will listen because they know you! If you share something, don't just cut and paste, make a specific comment about how this song inspires you, for example. You can find song clips to share just to the right on this page - or HERE - each of the songs on Pilgrim Man are at the bottom, you can click on one, or the whole album, and share through whatever means you desire. Post a lyrics as your status update, or link to a blog on my site, for example. I also have a ton of videos on Facebook and YouTube that are ripe for sharing. Or if you're feeling really ambitious, I've seen some people create videos of songs they like, just using the lyrics on the screen and maybe some photos...go for it! I'd love to see what you can create - and you can use my music in any way you'd like! Maybe you'd like to sing one of my songs in your church, or have the choir sing a song—awesome! I have choir charts & accompaniment tracks for many of my songs and I'd be glad to send them to you for free!

#3 - INTERACT - As we build our team, it's going to be very valuable to interact. We can do that on my Facebook page, Twitter, or here on my website/blog. Let's keep this from being one-sided, or just about me, and more about you and your thoughts. I hope to simply be a catalyst.

#4 - REFERENCE - If you've seen me in concert, I'd love to get a response from you...you know, like a short little review like they do for movies? I'd love to get a video clip—something super basic on your phone or computer is fine—or even something written, just saying what you thought the concert was like, why other people should go to a concert like this, or even just what the music means to you, etc. I want to build a collection of these and use them for promotional purposes. You would be a great help to me with this! Email whatever you come up with to: mark@marksmeby.com.

#5 - PRAYER - This is so important. If you want to join the team simply as a prayer warrior, I'd love that so much. The more I travel and get to share with people, the more desperately aware I am of my need for prayer support.

Again, please let me know how you'd like to get involved, just type in the reply box down below or shoot me an email. Thank you so much for considering how you could help! I'm very open to any other creative ideas you might have. So let's talk!

In closing, I'd love to share with you what John Piper writes about Hebrews 10:24 - as a fleshing out of the vision I have for my music, but especially for this team: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds." Here is the focus for your life. Here is what you aim at from morning till night as a Christian. Notice carefully: it is not what you might expect. It is not: consider how to love each other and do good deeds. That would be Biblical and right. But it's different: "Consider how to stimulate each other to love and good deeds." Focus on helping others become loving people. Aim at stirring up others to do good deeds. And of course the implication would also be that if others need help and stirring, we do too, and so we would be aiming at what sorts of ways we can think and feel and talk and act that will stir each other up to love and to do good deeds. The aim of our lives is not just loving and doing good deeds, but helping to stir up others to love and to good deeds.

AMEN!

Exciting Fall Shaping Up

Hey Everybody! This fall is shaping up to be pretty exciting. I'm planning on getting out on the road for a few larger stretches of tours - I'm excited about that and will let you know more as I know it. I'll be visiting radio stations along the way, saying thank you for playing my music, and begging them to keep doing it. And hopefully visiting schools and churches and sharing HOPE along the road. (Well, not on the side of the road...you know what I mean!) PLUS: I'm actually working on some new music...I know, all my music is NEW to most people. But, I have a few Christmas concerts booked (with a few more on the way!) and so I thought it'd be nice to do a Christmas CD. I'm thrilled to be able to share this new stuff (and traditional tunes!) with you over the coming months. I have some new HOPE t-shirts ready to make their debut...and possibly a book that I'll be getting printed off and ready to hand over to you and all your friends. Thanks especially to: WECC, KCFB/KTIG, WHCB, KCRN, WTGN, KPOF, Pilgrim Radio Network, WAFT, WBGW, WCSE, WDYD, WFST, WGMA, WJFY, WLIH, WMVV and WXML for playing "Here's Your Life!"

Mark Smeby Interview w/Wendell Gafford of Creative Promotions

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/21044511"]

Throwing A Party

"Why must my life be so hard?" I ask myself because I can't find a spare stamp and still don't have a record deal. High class problems, that really aren't problems. Silly, right? Still, things are pretty quiet around here. Inquiry emails sent out rarely get responses. Phone calls are useless. How in the world am I supposed to have an amazing life if people aren't willing to do their part to help me out? Sometimes, I'm just baffled by the amount of potential I seem to be drowning in.

A few years ago, in conversation with a friend, we decided that we could waste our lives waiting to be invited to all the cool parties. Meaning, sometimes it seems like the "people that have" (in the music industry, but really anywhere!) keep getting, and the "people that don't have" don't get anything. I'm talking about opportunities here, pardon the difficult analogy. But me and my friend decided that if we were tired of waiting to be invited to other people's parties, the best answer would be to throw our own.

So...

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Crosslake

Thank you so much for coming to my concert at Crosslake Lutheran Church! I hope you had a good time.

As promised, here's a link to a free download of my song "Pilgrim Man" - a song that I hope will be an encouragement to you. Please feel free to share the song with anyone you'd like.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SONG
This will take you to another page - just click on the words "free download," it will "prepare" the song, then click "download" to start the actual download.

If you'd like to order a copy of the entire CD, I'll mail you one for $15, including shipping & handling! You can send me a note & check or money order to MARK SMEBY PO BOX 1371, BRENTWOOD, TN 37024. I also have PayPal if you'd like to pay that way. If that's the case, please send me an email with your name, address & paypal account username - and I'll send you a copy. Please let me know if you'd like it autographed, too! All my music is also available on iTunes and other digital outlets.

I'd love to come do a concert for you sometime - shoot me an email and let me know if you know a place that might be good!

Want to connect on Facebook? You can find me at: facebook.com/MarkSmeby

Just Watch Me (Kirby Puckett Version)

Kirby Puckett was one of my heroes. He was an amazing player for the MN Twins. He defied the odds. In spite of what everyone told him he was capable of doing, he showed them otherwise. I combined excerpts from his Hall of Fame induction speech with my song "Just Watch Me" from my Pilgrim Man CD. I hope this inspires you as much as it does me. Please download and share with someone you think would appreciate it!

Just Watch Me (Kirby Puckett Version) by Mark Smeby

Busy Summer!

June has been incredible! Thank you to all those who came out to the shows! As well as the incredible radio stations that opened their doors to me! Thanks to The Lighthouse radio station in St. Mary's in SE Georgia, who had me in to perform for The Rock event (6/7) broadcast live on the air (my parents even listened online in their living room in MN!). Also thanks to HOPE FM in Palatka, WAFT in Valdosta, and Toccoa Falls Radio. I loved meeting the folks at Anastasia Baptist Church in Saint Augustine (6/8). Then I shot north up to Rochester for a show at the cool UTurn Event Center, and then a great weekend in Crosslake - including a concert at Crosslake Lutheran which ending with their choir joining me for "Pilgrim Man." Awesome! And thanks to KTIG The Word radio in Pequot Lakes for talking up the show and playing my music more than what seemed reasonable! I'm certain I'll be heading back to each of these places sometime soon!

The Life of Your Dreams - Pt. 5

What are the two most powerful words that will transform your life? This week I’ve been exploring how to live the life of your dreams. And today I want to talk about the discipline that has transformed my own life, perhaps more than anything else. It’s the discipline of gratitude. So you can probably guess that I believe the two most powerful words that can transform you life are: Thank and You. Thank you. It’s sounds so good, doesn’t it?

Most of us would say, “I’m so grateful for everything I have. My life is so blessed.” But how specific are you willing to get? How much thanks are you willing to express? When you see a beautiful sunset, or have a great conversation with a friend, do you say thank you for that specific event? And even more importantly, who do you say thank you to? I believe God loves it when we point to Him as the source of everything we have and everything we experience. When we show Him that we are grateful, I believe it somehow frees us up to start seeing more and more how God is continually dumping His blessings on us. That has been my experience.

Part 5 - Two Big Words

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The Life of Your Dreams - Pt. 4

So you’re on the right path. But things are getting tough. What’s the best way to power through the hard times? This week I’m exploring some ideas on how to go after the life of your dreams. That’s what I’ve been doing. I moved to Nashville almost 18 years ago from Minneapolis to go after my dreams of doing music. I was anticipating moving here to rounds of applause and parades thrown in my honor. “Finally, he’s here,” they’d cheer. Well, no parades ever happened.

But I can see that now, after 18 years, all my dreams are finally coming true. And yes, it’s taken almost 18 years. Could I have given up 10 years ago? You betcha. But I’m sure glad I didn’t. Did people tell me I was crazy? Of course they did. Did they tell me that perhaps I was dreaming a little too big? Yep, they sure did. Did people tell me I was too average, too nice? Yes they did, and about a dozen other adjectives, as well.

Part 4 - Don't Give Up

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The Life of Your Dreams - Pt. 3

What is the one thing that has held me back from living the life of my dreams? This week I’m exploring the topic of going after the life you truly desire.

I believe the most powerful force that holds us back from living the life we truly desire is fear. Fear of the unknown…fear of what might happen. For me, the big one has always been the fear of what other people will think. What if I go after the life I want, and everything goes horrible wrong, and I just end up in a pile on the side of the road? (This is where my mind can go sometimes!)

I believe we don’t go after our dreams because we prefer the comfort and stability of where we are at, even if it isn’t exactly where we want to be. It’s what’s familiar; it’s what we know. And even if it’s not completely fulfilling, it’s better than being seen as a failure, or bringing pain and discomfort into our life.

Part 3 - The Big Hurdle

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The Life of Your Dreams - Pt. 2

What’s holding you back from living the life of your dreams? Yesterday I talked about the importance of having our identity firmly rooted in Jesus Christ before we set out on this journey of desire. If you’re like me, you’re already on board with God. But you’re probably thinking, “There’s got to be something more to life than what I’m experiencing right now!” And you’re ready to move from the mundane to the magnificent.

So what is the first barrier that must be climbed over before you can live the life of your dreams? I believe the biggest hindrance to living the life of your dreams is, drum roll please…a lack of vision.

Part 2 - Vision

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The Life Of Your Dreams - Pt. 1

What if someone gave you permission to live the life you’ve been dreaming of? Someone has! My new radio single “Here’s Your Life” is all about waking up to the fact that life is yours to live…not to just blindly swim through it, consuming what gets thrown at you...but letting God’s heart inside of you guide you into a life filled with joy and peace. “This is the day the Lord has made!” So, what are you gonna do about it? I want to spend this week encouraging you to be bold and courageous in the pursuit of the deepest desires of your heart, trusting that the God of the Universe is on your side, working on your behalf.

Part 1 - Identity

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Visit To Washington

Just had an amazing trip to the Northwest! It was a huge weekend! It started with a really creative "Round" Saturday night with some really cool artists, all focused on the theme of HOPE. Sunday morning church was with the worship team at Christ the King, then we had a Sunday evening MS dinner concert sponsored by the Samson Society! Woo hoo! Monday, I met with the Samson guys - sat through a boring basketball game, and talked about intentionality. I'm a thankful man!

What Is "Here's Your Life" About?

I'm very excited about this tune - not only because it's super fun to listen to…but because it has a message I NEED TO HEAR myself every day -- that God's gift of life and love is new to me every morning I wake up, that I no longer need to dwell on the mistakes of the past, but I can cling to the hope of God's promises to take care of me. And I'm thrilled that radio promotions genius Wendell Gafford is coming alongside me to help more people hear this tune.

Have you heard it yet? Check it out here, with my visual commentary added in for good measure...

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Moving My Blog

Hey there! Thanks for finding my blog! I'm going to be doing my blog now in conjunction with my website, so please head over there and let me know what are your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you!

www.marksmeby.com

Mark

Worship Event at Brook Hollow

Had an amazing special Worship Event at Brook Hollow Baptist last night. Mary Lu Smith painted the face of Christ while I sang, we had videos, and others read Scripture and gave testimony. I'm thankful for the creative partnering of Pastor Gholson!

What Has Held Me Back From Love

(Video of this post is below!) It’s easy to live life constantly looking to be loved. I know, because I’ve done it. I’ve gone out of my way to be nice and do things for people my whole life. Now, that’s not a bad thing. It’s just that I’ve loved with the gumball machine mentality. Put the nickel in, get a gumball. I’ve loved, and then wanted someone to step up to the challenge of loving me back to the same extent that I have loved.

This has only left me feeling disappointed and resentful. Hooray for miserable me.

Imagine putting money in the offering plate at church, and then insisting that you find out exactly where those specific dollars end up. Or giving money to the homeless lady at the end of the freeway ramp, and then following her to find out what she spends it on.

I have been the king of loving with strings attached…so it’s no wonder why I have felt so entangled my whole life.

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Can We Talk?

I'd love to hear from you. And I'd love for you to hear from each other. This is going to be an area where you can write what has been inspiring you lately. Is a certain song you've heard, a movie you've seen, a book you've read, or something you've seen on the Internet? Let me know by writing in the comment box below!

How are you working to bring hope to the world around you? How do you see other people doing it?

What is hope? How do you define it? How do you know you have it?

My desire, as I'm sure yours is, is to be megaphone of hope to a world that is so desperately in need. With your help, and your unique voice, we can most definitely make a difference!

I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank You For Joining

I appreciate you signing up for my newsletter! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on stuff we share. To say thank you, here's a free download of a song I love that I haven't officially released yet. You might recognize it from Amy Grant's Age To Age record...back in the early 80s. It sounded rather different than this, but I love the lyrics so much and wanted to give it a shot. I hope you like it.

Got To Let It Go

(click to listen, or right-click, save as to download)

Blessings: Mark

My Music Stuff

Thank you so much for your interest in my music - it means the world to me. My brand new PILGRIM MAN CD is now available! If you want a real-life, hard copy compact disk, shoot me an email with your address and/or you can send a check, cash or money order to PO Box 1371 Brentwood, TN 37024. Let me know if you'd like the CD autographed - I'd love to do that for you. And please add $3 for shipping & handling - that would help a lot.

All songs on Pilgrim Man can be previewed using the widget to the right, and all of my songs can be heard on iTunes, as well! I also have a few other "products" available below. And as always, if money is an issue please just let me know what you can pay and I'll make sure you get what you want. I'm sure someone else will fill in the blanks.

	PILGRIM MAN CD contains: 11 original songs and a handful of extras $12 - ORDER NOW and receive a CD, plus an immediate digital download of the entire album.
	Pilgrim Man Single/Preview CD contains: Pilgrim Man, Emmanuel (from "The Perfect Gift"), Just Watch Me, Precious Memories (from "Clancy"), as well as Mark talking about each song and why he wrote them! $3 - ORDER NOW
	Superfamous EP contains: Superfamous, I Don't Have To, What I Want, Superfamous (db remix) upbeat, fun, Europop - great for your workouts! $3 - ORDER NOW
	Pilgrim Man T-Shirt color: charcoal (back blank) $12 - ORDER NOW Please mention size (S, M, L, XL, 2XL)

Clicking "ORDER NOW" should open an email addressed to me. If not, please manually send me an email with your order to: mark@marksmeby.com. Thank you!

Thank You For Subscribing

Please check your email box for a confirmation email. Then click on the link to have your subscription confirmed. Sorry for the extra step, it actually keeps this whole thing legal...so I don't turn into a giant spamming monster. Thank you!

Let's Create A Special Event... Together!

It's not just a concert. It's an experience.

"Mark's walk with God and musical expression have had great impact in our congregation." —Patricia Anderson, Dir. of Worship and Music, Rochester Covenant Church

With messages in his songs saying, “This is a time for hope!” or “Don’t give up, you are not alone!” Mark Smeby is finding a hungry audience for his inspirational tunes as he tours the country sharing his Pilgrim Man project. “My songs are for anyone who has ever felt like giving up. Or for those who are wondering how to make sense of their faith—in the face of pain and disappointment. That’s me. I write about things that I need to hear. And what I’m finding is that the very message of hope I need to hear, is the very thing other people are hungry for, as well.”

I’d love to come sing at your church.

Please watch this video about what others are saying...


We can also use your choir on a few of my songs (see the "Pilgrim Man" video just below!). Perhaps we could set-up a house concert, or a session with a group of homeschoolers. I could talk about the creative life and how faith can intersect with that. How about an outreach to a local prison? Let’s get creative and come up with something that will be a great experience for your church and your people.

"I don't want to just come in and sing a few songs and then leave. I want to serve your church however I can—and leave a trail of hope and inspiration in my wake."

Click here for a snappy brochure filled with more info! (To download: Right click & Save As)
Want to read my bio - it's right here!

Please click here to send me an email right now! Let's start talking!

Post by Mark Smeby.

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Here's What Others Say...

"Our congregation was fortunate enough to have Mark Smeby for an entire weekend in January. He graciously agreed to sing for a church fundraiser on Saturday, and for both of our worship services on Sunday morning. We were able to spend time getting to know Mark between the performances. By the time the concert rolled around everyone seemed to know his songs by heart. I know there are other performers with his kind of talents, but what sets Mark apart is the depth of his songs and how each one seems to be a sermon based on his own life experiences, that touch people in a profound way. He engages the audience between songs and makes the whole evening feel like a loving conversation with God. It has been weeks since the concert, but my congregation is still talking about how Mark impacted their faith and their relationships with the Lord."

~Rev. Jared Olson, Pastor, Hope Lutheran Church, Port St. Lucie, FL

 

"Mark brings a fresh relevancy to our faith, a passion for honest relationships, and strength of character where he serves. I have found him flexible enough to adapt his musical style and substance to meet the needs of diverse ministry and cultural environments, and sensitive enough to work closely with a broad array of leadership styles. Mark is who he appears to be: honest, passionate, caring, and courageous."

~Rusty Van Deusen, Pastor, Christ the King Church, Anacortes, WA

 

"This was one of the best concerts I've ever been to."

~Pastor Ray Logan - GM of KFSI Radio, Rochester, MN

 

“Mark is able to express his life's journey in such a way that helps others understand that they are not alone. We are still singing "Pilgrim Man." I sing it now every time I'm going through a difficulty.”

~Dr. R. Chris Monroe - Vinton Baptist Church, Vinton, VA

 

“Mark’s walk with the Lord, and his candid and very genuine personality was shown not only in his music, but in his interactions with our church members, both young and old."

~John and Judy Frazier - Dover Baptist Church, Louisville, KY

 

How about a House Concert?

"Having Mark perform in our home and share stories of his personal voyage and dance with God was nothing short of triumphant! His collection of narratives, inspired lyrics and music combined to create an atmosphere of hope smothered in God’s Spirit. Not only that, but funny - always filled with hope and encouragement."

Mark L. Mathia - Omaha, NE

“He's engaging, loveable, and his warm and genuine presence set audiences instantly at ease.”

~Nate Larkin – Author, “Samson and the Pirate Monks”

 

“Very heart-warming and moving...soulful... and more important than anything...REAL.”

~Evan, Tennessee

 

“We ALL need this kind of encouragement and it only helps that you sing it so well.”

~Gary DeVeau, WLIX, Long Island, NY

 

“Mark Smeby; one of funniest, quick-thinking, intelligent and sensitive people I'd come to know in my 20+ year career in the Christian entertainment industry.”

~Neal Joseph - former head of Warner Brothers Christian music division

 

Ever Consider A Corporate Event? I'd Love To!

"Mark transformed our training room into a family room. His courageous openness inspired and evoked our teams to ask difficult questions and gave the entire group a needed boost towards chasing the Big Hairy Audacious Goals of life. It feels like our training and development department took a quantum leap forward and with the help of Mark’s real-life practical encouragement we stumbled onto the heartbeat of our company."

Mark L. Mathia, CEO Tiburon Financial LLC

 

How About A Homeschool Event?

“We've heard many speakers with good messages present to our home school group, but Mark was exceptional in that it was obvious he really wanted to share the message of his heart and the passion for the Lord with the children. His interactions with the kids were unique in that he really listened to the kids and valued what they said. As a result it was obvious that he really affected them as he encouraged them to pursue the Lord in finding what their unique gifts are and what the Lord's plans are for their lives. Mark also had some really practical tips on songwriting and performing which he shared through the lens of his own experiences. The kids loved his style and presentation.”

Michelle McQuillan Myers, head of the Discovery Home School Group in Omaha, NE

 

Still have some questions? Not a problem. Shoot me an email!

Concert in Port St. Lucie

Thank you to the wonderful people of Hope Lutheran Church in Port St. Lucie, Florida. I had an amazing time hanging with you at the softball game, the auction (thanks for bidding on me Diane & Mag!), Sunday morning services, and my evening concert. But the best time was had hanging with my friend, Pastor Jared Olson. I look forward to coming back again sometime soon!

Congrats to KFSI!

Congratulations to KFSI radio in Rochester, MN on celebrating 30 years of broadcasting to the Christian community. They've been reaching the tri-state area since 1981 through its six frequencies covering southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin. Thank you for playing "Pilgrim Man" and "Emmanuel (You Are With Me)."

Pilgrim Man hits 100 stations

It's pretty exciting that so many people are hearing my tune "Pilgrim Man," the title track of my new CD. This is the song I end all my concerts with, and really, if I could only sing one song for people the rest of my life, this would be the one. Thank you to all the stations taking a chance on playing a song by an unknown!

Working on a new book

Yes, it's true. And it's about time. Well, the book isn't about time. It's about my journey and I can't wait to share some of it with you. It's called "Wannabe: How To Make it Big In Nashville From Someone Who Hasn't." The book is for anyone with a dream, anyone who is trying to make sense of life's journey, or seeking to find meaning and significance in a world that is not our home.

I hope to have it done soon. Stay tuned for more details.

Are You Hungry For Hope?

I love how the new year brings with it an automatic dose of optimism. The whole world breathes a collective sigh of relief that, "Yes, this year will be better than the last." It's a time of looking ahead, of making plans, and going after new dreams. It feels like hope.

But I'm curious what holds me back. Because even as I sit here at my desk, with piles of to-do lists filled with things I can be working on—all of which will be very beneficial to me—I find myself more often than not paralyzed. A writer's block, of sorts. It's a feeling that my phone must have right before it completely loses its charge. The gas tank is nearing E, and the sputtering is so deafening I think I'm gonna take a nap.

It all comes down to where I place my hope.

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