matthew 8:23-27

"And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”


If only we knew who He really was. I think it would make a difference.

a few weeks ago I helped lead worship at a church outside of the Raleigh area. When we were setting up, their sound tech was helping us. He asked, "does anyone need anything?". I replied, "I need a power strip..."

He said, "I'm a sound man, not an electrician..."


I thought, but did not say, "don't worry, I won't ask you to show me how to use it..."

Then I got to thinking, maybe this is a problem that I didn't know about...so I've attached a picture...just in case you don't know what a power strip is.

i have walked casually
and comfortably into the garden
i have stood on holy ground
with a heart like a stone



(in progress...)

20/20 conference

This past weekend, we (Daniel, Shelly, James, Pat, Josh, and myself) lead worship at the 20/20 conference hosted by Southeastern Seminary. It was a blast! C.J. Mahaney opened Friday night with an awesome message and the weekend just kept getting better!

I've posted a few pictures to give you (both of my readers) a quick peek!

My view from stage:

My new drums:

two posts in one day you ask? well, it is christmas!

something Christmas

I know you can't see everyone. Or anyone really except Eric and the side of me, but Tom is to the left and my Dad is behind the camera playing keys and singing. Everyone says, "oh wow, you all play music. I bet you just play music when you go home."

Well. It's true.

Hey Mike,

I know you don't know me, but my husband goes to SEBTS too! The reason for my email I'm sure you will find somewhat peculiar, but please hear me out. Simply put, I'm on a mission to find my best friend a special someone, lol. She has no idea I'm doing this, if she did, I'm sure she'd kill me. :) When I found your myspace, it seemed that you have a lot of what she is looking for. (Knowing and taking into consideration that simply looking at a myspace page is a very limited method of knowing anything about a person.)

A little about her... She's a very beautiful, sweet, strong Christian girl who has a passion for music. Her dream is to find a Christian man she can sing and make music with. Right now she's living in a very rural area where it's hard for her to meet people... She lives about an hour and a half south of Wake Forest in a town called Bladenboro. (Its where I grew up too!) She's looking to relocate up here soon.

Anyways, take a look at her profile if you will.. it's www.myspace.com/******** (edited to protect the innocent) or you can click on my profile...she's #2 on my top friends. Please let me know what you think. If you think you'd like to get to know her, if you think i'm crazy and out of my mind, etc. :) Also, please don't think I'm sending these random emails to a bunch of people...you're the only one.
Thanks for reading,
*********

I have no words.

romania

I think I'm in one of those wierd "I need to write something, but I don't really feel like writing" moods. I always do this. I go from completely outgoing to introspective and introverted. It's like my heart and brain have seen too much to process quickly, and while everyone says "Welcome Back!" and "It must be good to be home!" there's a part of me that doesn't agree.

It's hard to be back. It's hard to leave pastors that work 40-50 hours a week at full-time jobs just to be able to pastor churches that can't afford to pay a pastor. Pastor Adi worked on Christmas and Easter at the chance of getting off to be with us during our time in his village, but his boss denied his request. The Lord encouraged his heart while we were with him.

It's hard to leave Denisa and her infected arm. Her dad is in jail. Her mom refuses to care for her. She has 8 other siblings. She's from a Gypsy family. Gypsy means outcast. It means the nobodys of society. I can still see her face and her smile has she hugged me when they got back from the town doctor.

Here a few more reasons why it was hard to return...


Phil 1:3-6 "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

Hope and Decay!

Our new CD, Hope and Decay is finished and available now for pre-order!

If you're interested, visit www.shellymoore.com or www.independentbands.com and order your copy today! Keep checking for updates because we'll have it on iTunes for those of you that prefer to download.

Thanks again for your support -

No News is Somehow Still News

I'm continually surprised by how the big hitting news sites get away with publishing their latest "breaking news" stories. I remember event just a few short years ago to how the news stories were actual stories with real information and real events to actually be informed about. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

This morning, for about the 5th day in a row, there is a story on the Foxnews.com webpage about how the AP is refusing to cover Paris Hilton. Am I the only one who thinks that this is some of the most ridiculous journalism? (and I use that term loosely...) Only in today's culture of celebrity fascination could we have (for several days in a row, mind you) stories about how we're not going to have any more stories about certain people. Is there really nothing else to write about? Or is it maybe, just maybe, that our press is that infatuated with the celebrity culture that there is such a small percent of the world that they actually pay attention to?

I've never met Anna Nicole Smith. I've never met anyone that has. I don't know anything about her, her son, her lifestyle, etc. She died in early February and somehow her passing managed to dominate the news (every major news station) for the better part of an entire month. Why?

I'm not suggesting that the press only report on stories that are relevant to me. Maybe I'm just preparing you for the answer that you'll get if you ask me if I "can believe that Ms. Smith died..." or if I "think that this guy or that guy did it" or if Barry Bonds uses sterioids, or if Pacman Jones is guilty again or if I thin Nichole Richie's marriage will last, or if Tom Cruise is crazy, or if his baby will be a scientologist, or if P-Diddy actually punched the guy...or if Kobe and Ron Artest or guilty...

Is this really headline type material?

www.mikepassaro.com

"Lights, please..."

Charlie Brown: (shouting in desperation) Isn't there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?

Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you. Lights, please. (A spotlight shines on Linus.) "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men'". That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie brown.

-

In our staff devotional time this week, we heard from Dave O about being completely in the middle of something but completely missing that something. Christmas is definitely one of those times when we can do all the "things" but miss what we are remembering.

2 Peter 1:16-17:

"We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased'"

God Came To Us.

studio stuff

only in the blogging world is "no news is good news" not true. in an effort to keep my blog from being discontinued from lack of use, or at least to keep that one faithful person that actually looks at my blog happy...here's a little update -

smb has officially started the recording process for our next project due out in March. here are a few pictures from our trip to Texas...

still writing...

yeah...she's playing...

the loudest drum known to man...


the coolest drums known to man...



can you count how many mics are being used??



the cutest trick or treaters...look how scary!

a thankful heart

ok, this is what you've all been waiting for! lower prices on gas, and a new post from me. I know it's been a while, and you've all probably quick checking my blog for updates by now...or maybe you still check it every day, only now you're just really frustrated with how I have a blog but don't update it...

Either way.

I've recently been reading through the Psalms. Today I read Psalm 10, and it truly encouraged my heart. I was able to just sit and read. Then meditate and think. Psalm 10:16 says:

"The Lord is King, for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You hear the, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry..."

So many times in my life, I struggle with perspective. I fight and battle with my sin nature. I reason with it, instead of putting it to death. Then I end up questioning the providence of the Lord, and I say dumb things like "why are you far off from me?" I need to have the right perspective. His perspective. He hears the desires of the afflicted, and He encourages. He listens to our cries.

I'm so thankful for that. We have a God who is not far off from us. He's near, and He whispers gently to us. He listens to our cries, and encourages our hearts through His word. I'm thankful for the things that He's been working out in my life, but I'm so thankful for Him today. He has brought me near to Himself.

Are you thankful for Him today?

strengthen one another to run

Maybe it's just me, but recently it seems that I'm more and more aware of how easy it is to slip up. I go from one moment of reading scripture and praying, to the very next where I'm letting my flesh get the best of me. I'll have what seems to be a great quiet time, followed by a great time of prayer, to leaving a coffee shop and getting frustrated about a driver that shouldn't have changed lanes. Can you relate to this?

I'm finding that I am so quick to take my eyes off of Jesus. It's like I'm in a race and I'm running towards the goal and all of the sudden, I look to the side and start running in that direction. When I look back towards the goal, (and this is the part that I'm growing so weary of), I realize the complete foolishness of my running in the wrong direction. I want to run towards Christ. I long for the day when there won't be any more running. No more stumbling. Just resting. Just knowing and being known.

I'll end with a song that's been my prayer for the last few days. It's simple and I've found myself just playing it over and over, in hopes that I'll remember when I'm faced with sin, or at least out in traffic.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace"

God has given us the body of Christ so that we don't run alone. Let's encourage one another this week to keep our eyes turned towards Christ.

new site

i'm changing my blog over to my new, super cool website:

www.mikepassaro.com

check it out...

these guys were ready...

When playoff hockey time rolls around, all of the players get superstitious about beards, and jerseys, and not washing their socks because they think it gives them some sort of edge. Glen Wesley and Cam Ward are different though. They were asked about the reason for the hope that was in them, and they gave answers...

"My eternal salvation is far more important to me - it's more important to have that eternal security and one day be at the feet of the Lord than to be at the foot of the Cup," he said. "Life here on earth is temporary, and Heaven is eternal."
- Glen Wesley, Carolina Hurricanes

"I don't think it's been difficult to keep my faith this year," said Ward, Carolina's first-round pick in 2002. "That's something that's aside from hockey and really comes first."
- Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes

Can you imagine this interview? Reporters asking loads of questions...some of them in "mocking, you can't be serious about this" tones...but Cam and Glen respond with that...With the almost non-challant answers of "I would rather..." and "my faith comes first". These guys are on one of the biggest stages in the world. What they say will be heard and read by millions and they had no problem sharing their faith. Who will hear you today? Are you sharing the hope that comes from knowing Christ?

Matthew 6:25 - 34

I found out this week that my job is ending. A job that I've had since college, that was perfect for traveling and doing music ministry, and coming back and picking up where I left off. This safety blanket, inspite of its ups and downs, will be lifted today. I know...short notice, but I can't do anything about that except trust in God's faithfulness. I can trust that when he inspired Matthew 6:25-34, He wasn't just making up stuff that sounds good. He wasn't trying to give his followers a false sense of security. No, He really does keep His word. So when He promises,

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

...I can believe Him because even though I was surprised to find out about my job ending, He wasn't. He knew. He planned. He is working that plan even now. So for now, I wait, and trust.

In the meantime, I'll be starting my studio. alightonahillstudios.com is coming soon...

alright already

holy smokes! i'm gonna update this mug soon! if you would like to see this blog improve, donate money so that I can buy this:

2 Timothy 2:4

I know I haven't posted in a while, so to prove that bloggers are slaves to the masses...here is a new post for your viewing pleasure. Recently SMB played in Annapolis, MD at the US Naval Academy. We got to take a fiew friends with us which made the entire trip really fun! (and they were really good musicians...

we took Joel with us...he's pretty good at the drums. the cymbal on the far right (reader's right) sounded so bad that it persuaded him to use it...

steve miller played electric guitar and he had lots of pedals
he is well versed in how to rock.

when you rock like he does, you don't follow rules.
even federal government rules.

we got to tour the "yard" in our free time...every friday they have "noon meal formation". They have to wear those super serious looking uniforms and go through this intense process where someone gives commands and they all just stand there and do things. I hope I didn't offend the guy by asking him ..."hey, is this just a glorified lunch line?"

We had the honor of being able to eat with the midshipmen in their mess hall. It was definitely cool to see them feed 4200 people in 15 minutes. Before they eat, they always have an anouncement time and the day we joined them they had Marine veterans from WWII. Right as the guy finished introducing them, the marines in the group yelled "Sempre Fi!" at the top of their lungs and the place erupted. It gave me chills. The academy has a lot of history.



We got to play music and worship with the people that are training to protect our country. It was so great to be able hear their stories and encourage them in the Lord.