MyFriendMike.com

So - it’s been a while since I have been actively involved in the music ministry arm of my life.  Two kids will do that to a dad!  So I guess this is just a quick note to say hello to all the folks who have shown genuine interest in my music and the powerful message of God’s amazing love.

Be assured that I’m still available around the Portland Metro area to play for whatever your church’s needs might be.  It may be a little while longer before I can begin a regimen of calling around - but I’m always willing to answer the phone, set something up, and minister in your neck of the woods.  If you have ANY questions, don’t hesitate to call or email!

I look forward to the opportunity to record another album - I have more material than I know what to do with; now it’s all about finding the time.  Maybe if I kept it simple?  Let me know what you think - acoustic guitar and vocals - with some hand drumming by myfriendJess?  Would anyone be interested in that?  What about an “all original” worship songs CD recorded in this manner… there may be a few repeats from previous recordings, but we’d simplify and re-record everything, so you’d have a different “acoustic” version… Hmmm… I’d love to hear your feedback!  Feel free to comment below.

God’s blessings to you all!  I pray our paths will cross sometime this summer.

-Mike

In this issue:

• Upcoming Events! (There’s one this Friday, November 2!)
• A New Freebie - Sheet Music!
• Did you miss out? Find out!
• Mike’s Winter/Spring 2008 Availability

Upcoming Events

Click on the venues below for more details regarding these events.

• THIS FRIDAY, November 2, 7-9pm at Wilsonville Coffee Co. (Open to ALL)
• Sunday, November 11, Youth and Family Night at Bethlehem Lutheran in Aloha
• Friday, November 30, Youth and Family Night at Community of Hope in Wilsonville
• Wednesday, December 5, Community Dinner at Peace Lutheran Church in North Portland, begins at 6pm (Open to ALL)

More Freebies!

Check out the Freebies Page for all the freebies, including instructions on downloading ringtones, and now there’s a Lead Sheet for Lord I’m Yours. Give it to your piano player, guitarist, singers, and worship our Lord Jesus with this easy to sing praise song. Need the recording? Visit the Music Page and get a CD, or order it from iTunes!

Previous Event Blogs

Whether or not you missed an event over the past month or two, be sure to check out the following Event Blogs - you might even see your picture in the gallery!

• September 9 - Our Savior’s - Lake Oswego
• October 6 - Good Shepherd Lutheran - SW Portland
• October 13 - Trinity Lutheran Church - Oregon City

Availability 2008

Mike is currently booking a few events each month beginning in January 2008. The schedule is pretty open, so get creative and visit the Booking Page to connect with Mike. OH, and if you have ANY questions regarding what Mike does, how he does it, what he charges, etc… PLEASE visit the FAQ Page. It’s all there!

That about wraps things up for now…hope to see you at an event, or speak to you about putting one on! God’s many blessings this November. We have SO much to be thankful for - God’s forgiveness being at the top of the list!

-Mike

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

Hey everyone!

In this issue:

• Upcoming Events and Availability
• How YOU can help the ministry!
• More Free Stuff?

Upcoming Events

• Saturday, October 6, 7pm, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church near Multnomah Village in Portland - Jess and I will be playing at a Saturday evening “Coffeehouse.” Click Here for more information.
• Saturday, October 13, 5:30pm, Trinity Lutheran Church in Oregon City - Trinity holds a Saturday Evening worship service that is comfortable and accessible to anyone, and they’ve invited us to come share. Click Here for more information.
• Friday, November 2, 7pm-9pm, Wilsonville Coffee Co. in Wilsonville, Oregon - Jess and I are playing everything under the sun to delight and entertain and make people think just a little. Come enjoy some coffee, dessert, and bring a friend! Click Here for more information.

Mike’s Availability

• Mike is available for a mid-late October event. Does your church host a “Harvest Festival” or something like that? Does your youth group need a boost that only music can provide? Let ‘em know Mike is around, and would love to play their event. First come, first served! Just send ‘em to myfriendmike.com or have someone give me a call!
• Mike is beginning to get early 2008 booked in the Portland/Vancouver Metro area. If your church is hosting a pot-luck or banquet or coffeehouse or whatnot, feel free to pass on my information, or give ME a call or an email and I’ll connect with them.

How YOU can help create some Online Buzz…

1. Got a MySpace Page? Become one of my MySpace friends at http://www.myspace.com/myfriendmikemusic. Include one of my songs in your MySpace profile! Feel free to list “Mike Haines” as one of your favorite musicians in your MySpace Music Interests list. And best of all, use the code from my MySpace page to add a sheik little picture on your profile!
2. Got a Blog? Add a link to www.myfriendmike.com in your blogroll.
3. Head to the iTunes Music Store and write a review of your favorite Mike Haines CD, and/or create an iMix of songs including a Mike Haines track or two!

More Free Stuff on the way!

Just let me know what you want - be it a section of music for a ring-tone, or maybe a lead sheet (melody and chords) to your favorite worship song. Maybe you want coffee mugs or t-shirts with the myfriendmike logo on them! (Oh, those wouldn’t be free…sorry!) Ask, and ye shall receive.

Blessings on your Autumn season! Hope to see you soon.

-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

In this installment:

• Mike’s September Events!
• Were you at Wilsonville Coffee Co. or Xfest?
• The beginning of Free Stuff!

I pray everyone enjoyed their summer! As folks head back to school, and others head into a more regimented work routine now that many summer vacations are behind us, I pray you bring God into “This Place” - wherever that may be! Read on for all the September highlights…

-Mike

September Events

• Sunday, September 9, in the afternoon, Mike and Jess head over to Lake Oswego for a “Rally Day” picnic at Our Saviors Lutheran Church. Click Here for more info!
• Monday, September 17, we’re back at the Dublin Pub at 9:30pm for one show only! Want the details? Click here!
• Want to see YOUR church on the list?  Talk me up, then send your pastor or youth leader to my FAQ page right here at myfriendmike.com!

Mike’s log: Stardate August/September 2007

Check The Latest News (it’s over there at the top of the column on the right) to see what Mike had to say about his latest events. See an awesome “photoshopped” picture of Mike’sFriendKelly in the Wilsonville Coffee Co. log, and the news about Xfest NorthWest in his latest tour log entry…

FREEBIES!

After hours of testing, I think it all works. Get your “Annoying” ringtones right here! Just click on the Freebies button at the top of the page. If the ringtones work for you, and there are other ringtones you’d like to download, just let me know - comment below or email me! There’s more on the way, including hi-res album art and maybe even lead sheets to your favorite songs… You ask, and if I can, I’ll deliver!

Have a great month! 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.

Hey there!

So in this month’s edition, here’s what you’ll find…

• Wilsonville Coffee Co. show THIS FRIDAY
• Xfest Northwest - Independent Christian Music Festival TIMES Announced
• Mike may be coming to YOUR church!
• Ringtones are coming…

Wilsonville Coffee Co. - THIS Friday, August 17, 7-9pm

Come out this Friday for two hours of music, coffee, and desserts served up by Wilsonville Coffee Co. and yours truly… Mike might just have to premiere some brand new music at this event… Click Here for ALL the details and directions!

Xfest Northwest - Saturday, September 1, 5pm

The schedule is finally complete, and it looks like Jess and I will be playing at 5pm on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. Xfest is the Northwest’s Independent Christian Music Festival out in Stevenson, Washington. For the details about Xfest, Click Here!

Want to get Mike to play at YOUR church?

I’ve been working long and hard to put together information that may be helpful to Pastors and Youth Leaders who wish to invite me to come play, but don’t really know what to expect or how it works. Take your Pastor or Youth Leader right here to www.myfriendmike.com and tell ‘em to click on the FAQ link at the top of the page. And then email me to let me know you sent ‘em!

Ringtones? Ringtones…

Well, I’m not really sure how they work downloading them from the web (I have the cheap cell phone plan…), but I’m going to try to post midi files and short mp3 files for all of you with phones that can handle those types of ringtones. Right now, my cell phone rings with the first few lines of Annoying (Track 8, Write em Down…Again). People think it’s rather humorous, so I just thought I’d share! Be on the lookout, and feel free to bug me with the song you want, and the format in which you’d like it (mp3 or midi or something else?).

That about wraps things up for this month. Hope to see you at an upcoming show soon!

Blessings,

-Mike