Hey Guys!

I am blogging from one of my favorite cities in the US.  St. Louis, MO.  Not only am I a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan, but it is just a sweet city in general.  It brings back memories from my childhood when my family took a vacation here.  I was just a little tike, but I remember it well.  Going to a cardinal game and visiting the attractions.   Going up the shaky elevator thingy, all the way to the top of the Arch, thinking I was going to die because of my strong and ever present fear of heights.  Good times

Well I have been on the road for about 2 weeks so far, making stops in Eastern PA, Southern IN, and Southern IL, before coming to MO.  It has truly been an incredible trip.  Not only reconnecting with some old friends, but God’s hand has been very evident on it all.  I feel his movement and hand upon my ministry more and more every day.  I have gotten to see a lot of, specifically, young people encounter the presence of God in the past couple weeks.  It’s beautiful to see how He reveals Himself  and in His specific timing to everyone differently.  I can speak the same words in a room of a hundred people and because of different life experiences, those words could be received so many different ways.  But some how God works it all to draw us uniquely to His heart.  It is incredibly powerful and emotional for me to see people hearts and faces soften and be awakened to the Spirit of God.  To see someone who maybe walks in the door with a tough exterior and putting on a hard defense, melt in the presence of the Gospel and to the knowledge of His love……………… it will never get old for me.  It is beautiful.

I had one event today so far and now I am getting ready to head to do a small intimate concert at Webster College in St. Louis tonight.  I have 4 more shows on this trip and then I get to go home and rest a bit.  As well as continue to work on the completion of the new album.  Can’t wait!!  It is truly an encouraging and exciting time in my ministry.  Thank you so much for all of your continued support, emails, words of encouragement, and your love.  I could not do it without you and it humbles me every day to feel so many people behind me in this journey.  It is amazing

Please enjoy this day today, no matter what this day has brought so far.  I had the flu 3 weeks ago and as I was in the midst of the worst night of sickness I found myself even being grateful in the pain and terrible feeling.  Just thinking, “This too shall pass.  I praise you God for you are good even in this junk.”  And there was wining and pouting as well hehe, but God is just instilling in me more and more to enjoy everything in life.  Even the bad.  To praise Him no matter what and to keep my hope and focus on my true home, and that I am loved by the greatest Love to ever exist.

Truly enjoy this day.  God bless you guys!

danen

Hey guys!

I am sitting here  working away at booking and scheduling upcoming tours and recording dates for the upcoming album and looking out the window at a beautiful sunny day.  It is so incredibly refreshing to see the sun on a winter day in Wisconsin.  Sometimes we can go what seems like months without seeing it’s rays and it can have quite the depressing effect on the human spirit.   So it’s awesome to see it in it’s glory……. fully knowing if I stepped outside it’s probably 0 degrees, which is not cool.

Well just finished a batch of concerts and events in Wisconsin which included a larger show in Appleton which was a blast.  It is crazy to see things continue to grow and God bring more and more people out to the shows.  God is truly faithful and truly insanely good.  I shared some of my exciting news with that crowd, but I will share it here as well.  Long story short, a major mix engineer really likes my stuff and has offered to mix my new album!  He has multiple grammies and actually mixed this years album of the year by Taylor Swift.  Insane.  To talk to a guy like that on the phone and hear that not only does he love my stuff, but wants to give me a crazy break so he can be a part of the project is……….. amazing and truly a gift from the Lord.   The doors He is opening and the events He is bring about are just simply humbling and crazy exciting.  I am speechless.

Yet through it all, I am finding more and more everyday that the most amazing of events, successes, open doors, etc etc etc pale in comparison to the peace of just knowing Jesus.  As amazing as successes and provision is on this earth, even the biggest ones still leave you empty.  And I realize that more and more, the most success I have in music.  Knowing His love, knowing His grace, and knowing my standing with Him satisfies like nothing else.  And that is not just a PC things to say, it is the truth.  I long so much for the whole world to know that feeling, that truth, and that God.  And that is why I do what I do.  That is why I persevere.  That is why I continue to push, promote, book, drive etc etc.  I honestly have a burning passion that will not give me relief until I reach the masses.  Whether it be one at a time, or thousands at a time.  We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth.  And He is with us!

Today is your day to share Him with your world.  Take advantage of it.  There will never be another day like today.

hello

Due to the holidays I wasn’t around my computer to much, so sorry for the delay in my blogging

What a beautiful start to a very new year.  I had the pleasure of spending 4 days down at the One Thing conference  in Kansas City, MO.  It is a huge worship and prayer conference put on by IHOP (The International House of Prayer).  All I can truly say was it was extremely powerful and very much needed in my life and the lives of thousands.  Basically for the majority of the day for 4 days straight I got to just pray and worship.  It was a deep intimacy with Jesus that I had not felt in quite a while and a huge blessing to my spirit.   I could not speak more highly about what God is doing through that movement and through that ministry.  And it makes perfect sense.  Why would He not?  Believers from all over coming and committing to pray and worship 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Seeking His heart.  Seeking His face.  And seeking HIS will.    It is that kind of devoted son or daughter that He is longing to change the world with.

I was reminded of so many simple but powerful truths that encouraged me while I was there.  The first being the most powerful of all.  That God intimately loves me as I am.  That He loves me purely for the fact that He created me, and that He created me for that very purpose.  Nothing more complicated or deep than that.  That fact, when it truly penetrates your heart, completely changes your life.  And when you receive God’s heart and know that He not only views you that way, but every one of His creations that way……… the world begins to look much different.

So often I can keep my relationship with Jesus bottled up in my head.  In my understanding, or in my knowledge.  Which are great things to have.  But when it remains there it is dead understanding and dead knowledge.  If it doesn’t CONTINUALLY penetrate our hearts, and we don’t truly live in that truth and understanding, we begin to live in the very thing that Jesus came to set us free from.  Dead religion.   It’s so funny.  Even as I am typing this, these are things that I have said, preached, and sang about for years.  But even with all of my understanding and knowledge of this subject, if it is not continually meditated on and awakened in me daily, how quickly I can “forget”.

I am in love with Jesus Christ!  Because He first loved me.   And He has good things for me.  The main thing being HIS beautiful and powerful will.  To walk in righteousness and not in darkness.  To walk in freedom and joy, not in depression and pride.  To spend all of my days with the only true lover that has ever lived.   My Jesus.

I am excited to be walking with Him today and to see what He can do through me in this short window of a life.

Make every day count!!  First with Him.   And may everything you do today and always flow and be motivated by the Love that changed your life.

Hello

Tis another freezing day here in Wisconsin.  Just another reminder that my body is not made for northern winters haha.  Not a fan.  Well the last couple weeks have been a busy for sure.  Doing a lot of preparation for next years spring tour and preparing for another round of recording.  Booking, planning, and seeking God on where He would like me to go, what He would like me to do.  It’s crazy.  We all have so many options in our life.  In so many ways we can completely pick our path.  In some ways it is a paralyzing blessing we have here in the “land of opportunity”.  I guess I can’t speak for you, but I know for myself life is a lot simpler when my options are few.  I can get overwhelmed so easy when I could go in million different directions.  And often times the fear of making the wrong decision prevents me from making any decision at all.   Which ironically is a decision in and of itself.

I have to constantly remind myself that it is good to be diligent and making smart and wise decisions, but also not to be afraid of making mistakes.  That God is with me no matter what.  If our heart is right and desire is right, I believe he will honor which ever path we chose to serve Him.   And will He will guide the necessary changes in His timing.  But we need to be willing to get that ball rolling and make the moves.  My old mentor told me a long time ago God can only steer us if we are moving, just like a car.  You can turn the wheel all you want but unless the car is moving it will never turn.

I just turned 30 this December and it is pretty cool.  Kind of scary, but mostly cool.  Although I have received my fair share of old jokes and heckling from my younger counterparts, I feel anything but old.  I feel right where I am suppose to be.  On a journey with some of the road behind me and much of the road yet to come.  It is exciting to think what lays down that road and also to think about all I have learned from the experiences I have already had.  The good, the bad, and the beautiful.  And that no matter what turns we take, no matter which forks we chose, GOD IS WITH US.  He is our companion.  He is our guide.  He is our protector.   He is our redeemer.  And He will never abandon us.

May I encourage you to live freely today?  You have been created with beautiful passions and gifts.  And the possibilities may seem overwhelming and scary.  You may feel like you have no idea what to choose or what path to take.   But I encourage you to seek Him today.   You may hear something unbelievable.   Or you may hear absolutely nothing at all.  But know this.  You are loved and the One True Living God is with you.  And He wants you to move so he can guide you to the places He has prepared.  Do not let the fear of failure or the overwhelming options keep you from the path.

Live life to the fullest today.  Enjoy the freedom you have and the ability He has given you to choose.   With the complete knowledge and confidence that GOD is with YOU and will guide you as you go!!

“Be still and know that I am God.  I am exalted among the nations.  I am exalted in the earth.”  The Lord of Hosts is with us.  The God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Selah!  Psalm 46:10-11

Just got done with a show in Oshkosh, WI at the Basic Books, the place I had my first ever actual concert back in the 2002 when I was in college.  Brought back some memories  I just have one more show till the end of the year and then I get to take some time off to concentrate on pre production for the next batch of songs.  Really pumped!!  It seems like the list of things to do never ends.  So much to be done with additional things with the website, marketing, booking, pre production etc.  All good stuff, but I look look forward to the day when I can hand more of those things over.

Tomorrow night is my last official show of the year.  It’s a benefit show for World Aids Day.  It is awesome to be able to help out even if it is a small way.  Hoping a ton of people come out to get behind the event.  Seth’s Coffee Show in Little Chute, WI.  Event runs all day Sunday starting at 1pm and my Show starts at 6pm.

Be the light of Christ today even to the people that difficult.  Extend His Grace the way it daily gets extended to you.

Love you Guys!