Playing LIVE on Good Day Columbus this morning!

WATCH A VIDEO OF THE SONG HERE.

This morning, the band and I had the opportunity to play a song live on the air to wrap up a week-long talent show. The song is called GDC Has Talent. Pictured is: Jim Davis (drums), Steven Hansen (bass), Dustin Poole (guitar), Tim Crowe (guitar) and Marc Andre (vocals).

Custom Music

I've been busy making custom music recently. Check out the latest here:

https://soundcloud.com/10x12productions

I hope to write in the blog again sometime soon!

Concert in Plain City, OH on 8/10!

The Wings of Eagles

I miss making music. Life has been so hectic recently that it’s been difficult to find time to sit down and work on new songs. However, I have some rough ideas which I’d like to flesh out when I have the chance. Eventually, I hope to carve out some time to focus on the next musical creation.

I haven’t played a show since last summer, but I do have some potential gigs coming up in July. In addition, I continue to look for custom music work. I have several new jingle possibilities...I’m hoping these opportunities will pan out!

In other news, our son, Joshua, is almost fifteen months old. He is so much fun! He’s walking now and he loves to eat. He eats just about everything we eat...from spicy Mexican food to quiche! He also really enjoys music. He often walks into my studio in hopes that he can play daddy’s keyboards. In fact, he is drawn to anything with buttons, knobs or sliders — remotes, radios, thermostats, microwaves — you name it. We are thinking of nicknaming him “buttons.”

Joshua is also quite dramatic. We’re wondering if he may be an actor someday. He likes to point at things he wants while saying “mmmm! mmmm! mmmm!” He also has a number of funny mannerisms...cheesy smiles, frowns...and his little laugh is contagious! Sometimes, he just starts laughing because we are laughing. We are so thankful that he is a healthy and happy little boy, and we feel so blessed to be his parents.

God has been teaching me a lot. Given our current circumstances, I’ve been challenged to deepen my trust in the Lord. It feels as if we are going through a never-ending drought, but we know God has a plan for us. Both Crystal and I continue to work part-time jobs and money is tight. Nevertheless, the Lord is providing for us in surprising and amazing ways. As I mentioned in the last blog entry, it’s funny how almost every sermon we hear these days seems to be written for us. Whether we are listening to the radio or sitting in church, God’s message to us remains the same - “trust Me and wait on Me.” We know that God’s timeline is not our own, but we believe that His ways are perfect. Even in difficulty, we can trust that He has our best in mind.

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Read a sample of Marc's new book on iTunes.com
Read a sample of Marc's new book on Amazon.com

The Spectacles of Perspective

We were running late. I knew Crystal’s parents were going to arrive at 8:15, but for some reason, I didn’t know we were supposed to leave at 8:15. When they walked in the door, I was shoveling my mouth with Cinnamon Toast Crunch and was sipping my cappuccino. We were headed to a wedding shower in Indiana. We still needed to pack the car. After finishing my breakfast, Crystal’s dad and I started carrying out Joshua’s toys and his Pack N’ Play. I think we finally got on the road around 8:30. As we were leaving the parking lot of our apartment complex, I hit a speed bump and Crystal’s cup of coffee nearly spilled in her lap. “This is going to be a great trip,” I uttered sarcastically.

About ten minutes into our travels, I realized I needed an attitude adjustment. Here I was, spending a Saturday with my wonderful family, I wasn’t at work, I had had a good night of sleep, our little boy was happy, it was a beautiful day…I had a lot to be thankful for. Surprisingly, we arrived at our destination early, and we ended up having a great day together.

Life is a lot like a road trip. The journey often turns out to be much different than we might expect, and so often, our perspective affects everything. With the proper lenses, hope can be spotted in the most draining and seemingly hopeless situations.

God has been teaching me a lot about attitude recently. For some reason, it seems like He doesn’t want me to have a full-time job. It’s been two years since I lost my full-time job as a worship pastor at a church. I thought there was an opportunity to go full-time at my current job. After weeks of training for a director position, somebody else was hired — somebody from another state, somebody with more experience. When I first heard the news, I was shocked and frustrated. However, after a few days of self-pity, I decided I was going to get back up and keep trying. I will keep training, but I have no idea when I’ll have another opportunity like the one I thought I was going to have. I feel like I’m chasing an oiled pig in a field of Slip ‘N Slides. One of these days, we’ll have a barbeque.

I am a planner. I envision successful projected trajectories. I like to see it, track it and get it. Unfortunately, life isn’t that simple. It seems that I get a brutal butting to the face whenever I attempt to grab life by the horns. However, these are the injuries that often force me to re-evaluate my goals, my game plan, and most importantly, my priorities.

I’ve learned a lot of lessons over the last couple of years. For example, I’ve discovered that the big pie-in-the-sky opportunities rarely happen. Even if a person has the skills, most employers don’t want to take a chance on someone they don’t know. It’s best to bloom where we’re planted. A lot of energy can be wasted on daydreaming. I’ve found that most great opportunities show up when you least expect them, often in the most unusual circumstances. God gets the most glory when people can only say, “That was a God thing.”

I’ve also been challenged to be thankful for what I have. I’ve noticed that focusing on the negative only breeds more negative feelings. Nobody benefits when I see the glass as half-empty. I bring everyone down with me when I sulk and whine and complain. Often when I am down, Crystal starts to feel discouraged, and believe it or not, our one-year old often acts unusually moody when mommy and daddy are having a rough day.

It’s funny how every sermon we hear these days seems to be dedicated to us. This morning, our pastor made the point that “we can only IMPROVE on things while God can do the IMPOSSIPLE.” These days, Crystal and I feel like we are trying to fix the huge gashes in the side of a sinking boat. I don’t know what God has planned, but I’m thinking He may be in the process of building us a new boat...or He may be taking us to a new unknown land, all while showing the world how He can make a broken boat float. Whatever the destination, we are trying to hold on to His promises while we seek to shine where He has placed us.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, bcause you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.“ James 1:1

TV Jingles & Book Reviews

TWO NEW TELEVISION JINGLES
Within the last couple months, I’ve written two jingles for ABC-6/FOX-28 in Columbus...click here to read more and to hear some samples.

Staying the Course

I was recently re-reading some old Art of Singlehood blogs and I came across an entry posted on July 15th, 2007. Looking back at these old blogs, I see some significant growth in my life, but at the same time, it seems as if I am still learning many of the same lessons God was trying to teach me six and a half years ago. I continue to feel frustration over things that don’t work out the way I want them to (music, career, etc.). Nevertheless, the Lord continues to be faithful, and He continues to work all things together for good.

As I was reading the following paragraphs, there is one sentence that grabbed my attention. It is a sentence about my future son. Here is an excerpt from my blog posted on July 15th, 2007.

“As Christians, we have to believe that God is in control. He knew that my parents would marry, He knew that I would be their child, and He knew I would be writing this blog you are reading right now. He knew you before time began, He watched you as you were woven together in the secret place of your mother’s womb. He knows who my children will be (if they will be). He can see me playing catch with my five year old son ten years from now. He knows who my son’s sons and daughters will be. He also knows if I won’t ever marry.”

When I wrote this blog, I had no idea who I would marry. However, God knew Crystal and I would meet through eHarmony six months later. He also knew that our son Joshua would be born in 2012 and would be five years old in 2017, ten years from when I wrote this Art of Singlehood blog! I had no idea I would even have a son, but God did! I also had no idea our son would be five years old ten years from when I wrote this blog! Amazing! Now if the blog is truly prophetic, I expect Joshua to someday have at least a couple sons and daughters!

It’s also crazy how the words in this blog entry mimic many of the themes expressed in my latest album, Snapshots of the Shattered Soul. Even in 2007, I was chewing on this idea that God is an artist who is transforming our broken lives into masterpieces for His glory (ie. Portrait of Me). The blog continues...

“Right now, I’m sitting on the front porch of our family’s cabin in Upper Peninsula Michigan. The trees are rustling with a cool breeze and there is a light ripple on the lake down by our dock. I have really felt God working on my heart the last couple days. How we struggle with surrendering our lives to the Lord. How often we complain about what we don’t have, and whine about what we think we should have. How quickly we want to turn the current page and read the next chapter. Despite these tendencies, I’m finding more and more that God isn’t found in the huge drama or in the surprise endings, but in the suspense and uneasiness of the page turn itself. I’ve had a lot of questions about my own faith recently, and I’ve seriously struggled with the reality that God loves me and is truly at the back of this thread cacophony, weaving together a beautiful colorful work of art.

We have to remember that God is not only an artist, but a skilled writer weaving our multiple unseemingly disconnected stories into a triumphant and breath-taking ending. He is constantly working and intersecting our lives, whether we are aware of it or not. The search for a mate can be overwhelming and discouraging (and probably potentially insignificant in the light of eternity), but His plans are not our own. We never know what a day may bring. We serve a God full of surprises. You may consider your singlehood fate, but chemistry and the will of God are not always predictable. As the ad says, “Life comes at you fast.” One average morning, cupid may find you startled with shattered beakers of scepticism on the floor, and a heart shaped scalpel in your rear end.”

I’m not sure what God is going to do next. Right now, Crystal and I feel exhausted. Money is tight and our schedule is wearing us thin. We keep waiting for a positive change, but as hard as we try, we can’t find a way to get out of our current situation. Nevertheless, we are trying to focus our eyes on the Lord. We know He can do more than we could ever ask or imagine. We continue to pray and hope. Someday, we may look back and see how these uncomfortable days were preparing us for a miracle. For the moment, we are asking the Lord for His perspective and we are trying to count our many blessings.

THE E-BOOK IS HERE!

The new book is now available as an e-Book at the iBookstore and on Amazon.com!

Click here to visit the iBookstore.
Click here to visit Amazon.com.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

"It’s been said that we don't remember days. We only remember moments.

I don't have many memories of my grandfather on my mother's side, but I do have a few that will be forever etched in my mind. I can't forget how he would give me a stick of Wrigley's gum every time I sat in the leather back seat of his Oldsmobile Cutlass. I also recall watching wide-eyed as model trains rumbled through small towns and under bridges along a long, metal and plastic track which stretched around every corner of my grandparents’ basement. My grandpa loved trains. So did I. I was so excited when I was given a blue and white conductor's hat one birthday. I wore it proudly.

My grandfather Nelson, also known as "Cressy," was an eclectic and gifted man. Not only did he enjoy collecting trains, he was fond of classic cars and was fascinated by film and photography..." (Read more at the iBookstore / Read more at Amazon.com)

You can read the book on any device (PC, Mac, Kindle, iPad, Android, etc. Simply click here to download a free app for your device.

If you would like to order a paperback version of the book, click here for more info.