MyFriendMike.com

All right! Someone finally laughed at the computer joke. Yay! Of course, it was a “Mac Girl.”

Click the Picture above to check out the Gallery

“Search” is the name of Trinity Lutheran’s Saturday evening 5:30pm worship service - it’s a much more informal worship setting that is comfortable to as many as possible. I think Jess and I mixed it up a little - oh, but it was quite comfortable! I truly believe the Spirit was moving… You know, it’s hard to gauge. I don’t really know how the Spirit works sometimes. Can you quantify it? Should you try? I think giving total control of the ministry to God means I shouldn’t try to quantify the amount of “Spirit-movement” in any given program. I mean, the interaction with the congregation was AWEsome, and I feel like we really connected - during the songs, and in the in-between times…

My prayer on an evening like this is simply that God’s Spirit will continue to encourage the Body of Christ - to strengthen their faith in ways that will reach those outside the Kingdom of God, long after Jess and I have left the building. I pray the Message will not be forgotten. And I leave it all up to God. Maybe some day, I’ll find out that one of the programs Jess and I put on changed someones life in a substantial way. Maybe I’ll have to wait to find out until I reach the arms of Jesus in heaven. Thus, the struggle of the Christian musician.

Okay - back to the evening…Before and after the program, Jess and I got the chance to meet most everyone. Everyone was so friendly. We wrapped up the evening with some bottled Frappucinos and some unbeLIEVably scrumptious crunchy nutty chocolate sumthinerother someone got at Costco. PLEASE don’t tell me what it is, or I’ll be 400 pounds by Christmas. Yum. I think we’re coming back sometime soon… Until then - God’s many blessings!

-Mike

What a night!

Awww man! I didn’t take pictures again! Doh! Somebody’s gotta remind me at the next event that I need to take pictures.

Okay - seriously, what a great night! The crowd assembled in the fellowship hall at Good Shepherd was AWEsome. I’m really thankful to God for SO much that happened.

• The kids in the back. You guys ruled. Thanks for coming up and leading actions (I wanna fall asleep, fall asleep, fall asleep…) NICE!
• The loud volume of the singing coming AT us during songs of worship. What a blessing.
• When there’s native Oregonians around, Jess seems to always know a friend of a friend…uncanny!
• For being invited back! We can’t wait ’til next year…

Okay, so here’s a serious “behind the scenes” look at the reality of ministry. I got some things fixed and got some new equipment over the past few weeks. With all the things that could have gone wrong, Jess and I are also thankful to God for the things that DIDN’T happen:

• No hum from my guitar
• No strange buzzing noise from my guitar
• No major craziness from the new vocal effects pedal

Well, and as far as pictures, we’ll get some next time. Thanks again to Pastor Paul for inviting us, and to everyone who came out and supported the ministry. Enjoy the music!

God’s blessings,

-Mike

Never in my life have I played so close to a snow-cone machine.  Ever craved a snow-cone?  Hmmm.  I got one after we were done.  Yum.

Man, I gotta say…when Our Savior’s does something, they go all out.  When we got there, there was the most enORmous bouncy slide adorned with Lightning McQueen and Mater - and I believe the High School Youth (ownt, ownt, ownt) were taking their turns before the small children arrived.  Just to get it out of their system, I guess.  Face Painting, Snow Cones (did I mention those yet?), dunking booth, lots of assorted games and crafts…and yes, for the first time, I got to pull the names out of a hat for a big ol’ raffle!

We are thankful to have been invited to play music - man, we were TIRED after it was all over.  I can’t remember the last time my hands and voice got tired, but I guess we played all morning at church as well.

I got a chance to meet a whole bunch of folks - it was great.  I think we’re gonna be back again at Our Savior’s soon.  I’m not sure in what capacity, but I pray God continues to open doors…the youth group, maybe next?  We’ll see… 

Until we meet again - many Blessings!

-Mike

Well, I didn’t take any pictures.  I should have, though…The Skamania county fairgrounds is beautiful.  It’s right on the Columbia river (you can even dip your toes into it) and sits about 45 minutes east of downtown Portland in the Columbia river gorge.

Jess and I played the “acoustic coffeehouse” for about 45 minutes.  I can’t remember a tighter set - Jess and I were “on,” and we had a marvelous time.  After the show, one of the baristas told me we were one of the best bands he’d seen at the festival!  I also got a chance to catch up with some old friends, make some new connections, and we introduced “aquatechnics” for the very first time… Basically, we let people use a couple bubble blowers to fill the air with bubbles.  It was pretty sweet - when people were in the right spots, the bubbles blew all throughout the coffeehouse shelter!

My prayer is that God worked in the hearts of those who were listening.  Maybe we’ll see you next year!

After a long day of digging up my backyard with my 3 year old son Nathan, I realized that I had a little over a half an hour to get myself and my stuff ready to go…Fortunately, mom came by to help out with Nathan whilst I did all that aforementioned stuff. Taking care of my son, wife, and 3 1/2 week old daughter (not always in that order) is certainly my “day job.”

One of the best things about this particular session at Wilsonville Coffee Co. HAD to be the crowd’s sense of humor…they laughed with me when I forgot some words, (or maybe it was at me, but I don’t care…) and seemed to react in all the right places…

I LOVE playing coffee shop concerts. They are so much fun - and, for a church, SUCH an easy way to invite that friend or family member to come to a church event that doesn’t happen in the church building. It makes things a lot more comfortable. I pray Jess and I get to do this more and more for churches all over town. We’d love to help build the kingdom in your neck of the woods!

And, as I wait for the gigs to begin pouring in, I’ll thoroughly enjoy my day job.

God’s blessings to all who came out. Hope to see you at Xfest!  Click the picture for some photos from the event.

Sigh…

Just trying to come down off the caffeine high - Carolyn and Dave always hook me up with something über-caffeinated just after the show…

Jess and I had such a great time - playing with him is kinda like playing with no one - it’s totally natural…we keep each other in line - and it sounds WAY better than just me up there.

I came home and told my wife, Kathy, “Well, I don’t quite have 2 hours of original material…but we’re about 5 minutes away!” I guess I’ll just keep working up songs from February (more on that at a later time…)

Thanks to everyone who came out - it has been quite a while since we did the coffeehouse scene - Jess and I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we enjoyed entertaining.

There are some pictures that were taken that turned out pretty well - I met a professional photographer who said she’d send me some of the better photos - so stay tuned…I’ll add them to the gallery as soon as I get them.

Click on the Photo to check out the pictures from this event.

Monday, May 1, 2006 - 7pm
Dublin Pub - Portland, Oregon
“Write ‘em Down…Again” CD Release Party #2

“At least he was listening,” my wife commented, when I told her of a fellow who thought I sang about “Jesus and the Lord” a little too much…

Ah, the Dublin Pub. I really enjoy playing there, for a number of reasons. One, I’ve played there so many times, it’s comfortable. Two, I really like the staff - they’re super nice! Three, I know there are people around who need to hear the message of God’s love - whether they realize it or not…

So, it was Poker Night at the Dublin…the same time as the CD Release Party. Poker players are serious cats. Jess and I were happy to see so many friends, neighbors, and family come out to celebrate the CD Release. Even my across the street neighbor (whom Jess invited!) came out to listen. The fellow landscapers had lots to talk about between sets.

Special Thanks to Katie for letting us play! Also thanks to Jill for passing the notebook around, and to the many folks who took all sorts of pictures - they even got some good ones of MyFriendAngie, who I thank for being my “merch expert.” Y’all rock!

My prayer is that the Message falls on willing ears, and readied hearts. If you were at this event, please drop me a line, or share a comment. Hope you enjoy the pictures in the gallery!

-Mike

Click on the Photo to check out the pictures from this event.

Friday, April 28, 2006 - 7pm
Wilsonville Coffee Co.
“Write ‘em Down…Again” CD Release Party

Ever have a “surreal day?” You know, the kind that everything just falls into place as you go through the motions to make it all happen? Well, I kinda had one of those today. I guess it’s a true testament to how everything good that happens comes from Above.

In preparing for this CD Release evening, I had a whole lot on my mind. I was excited that my parents had come to town for a couple weeks during this time, not only to see our son, but to celebrate the release of this album…I love them so much! It was the first time I got to use all the “new stuff” I put together for a display/sales table…I had changed so many words and choruses for this recording, I practiced out loud in the days leading up to this evening…(for those of you who don’t know, I have a hard time remembering words…I blame it on the fact that I learned all the words to REM’s “Its the End of the World as we Know It…”)

Anyway…earlier in the afternoon, my Mom asked if I was excited about this evening…and it was kinda weird, because I couldn’t really say honestly that I was… Deep down, I guess I was - but I didn’t really get it until it was over.

Can I just say, that I am blessed to have such a wonderful group of people who are into the music I play? Everyone that showed up affirmed God’s calling to this ministry of music, whether it was to check things out - or family and friends who knew what they were getting into. I thank God for all of you. Your support allows this ministry to survive. Thank you SO much for blessing me with your presence. I would be like a “tree in the forest” without you! I pray that God does amazing things with the music He rains on me. Every good and perfect gift DOES come from Above.

I’m looking forward to playing at the Dublin Pub on Monday Night - hey! I’m kinda excited! That’s cool - seeing as it’s WAY late Friday night! God’s blessings to you all…

-Mike

Click on the Photo to check out the pictures from this event.

So - in hindsight - we picked an AWEsome night to put on a special program for the youth group…not! It was the College Football Final BCS Bowl Game… - and MAN, if we had thought to put that information in our calendars in October when Josh and I set up the event, maybe we would have put it off for a week or two…

HOWEVER - I was surprised to see just how many blew off the football game to come out and worship the Lord - I picked on a few people (who shall remain nameless) who were really good sports throughout the night! Every new year makes us think of SOMEthing we need to “change” about ourselves…let’s all remember that God is at work IN us to bring about that change - we just need to let him!

Let’s talk about batteries for a second - man, I THOUGHT I had a pretty good system for which ones were dead, and which ones were still good, but I guess it’s not good enough… [editors note a few months later: After a few family outings and attempted photos of my son with “fresh” batteries right off the charger, I realized that 8 of my rechargeable batteries decided to stop working…all of which I brought that night…oh well!] Needless to say, none of my cameras took ANY pictures… but it’s alright…we’ll get some pictures next time!

Thanks for the awesome hospitality, for Mug Root Beer, and for allowing me to come share with you all. May your youth group continue to grow in faith and in a practical experience of our God… I hope to see you again soon…

-Mike

Sunday, September 18, 2005 - 2:30pm
Tualatin Hills Christian Church - Tualatin, OR

‘Twas good to be back at Tualatin Hills Christian Church…what an amazing day for a church picnic! The Lord blessed us with fantastic weather - good enough to play with water balloons for a while! I must say, water balloon volleyball is exciting stuff! To play this, you need a bunch of water balloons - small, large, any kind… You also need 6 - 8 towels. An even number of people pair up with a towel on each side of the volleyball net. Place a water balloon in the towel, and, together with your partner, FLING the water balloon to the other side of the net - and watch the pairs on the other side run to catch the balloon in their towel!

Okay - good food, really friendly people, exciting games, and some fun music to cap off the afternoon… I was really impressed to see everyone who stuck it out to the very end! Jess and I commented to each other how “into it” everyone was - dancing, singing superbly, doing crazy actions, and having almost as much fun as we had! I left the program with a big smile on my face…

It’s funny how God weaves His way into the program - I was encouraged by many comments on how people needed to hear what was said. I pray that everyone was encouraged as well!

Special thanks to Doug P. who set up and ran sound for us - for Nick who passed around the notebook - and to EVERYONE for staying at church almost 6 hours on a Sunday to celebrate the beginning of the ministry year! We hope to see you again soon…

God’s richest blessings to you all,
-Mike

Click on the Photo to check out the pictures from this event.