marty mikles: blog

Join Marty and friends on Saturday night, February 16, at 7 PM for a evening of worship and music, as he gathers with others who are tired of hearing about the AIDS problem in Africa and not DOING anything about it. We're going to put our attention and hearts where our mouths are and really go after God's heart for the continent of Africa and the problem that has plagued it for years - the AIDS pandemic.

We want to help out an organization called HopeHIV, which is a dedicated group of people that help raise AIDS awareness and continually seek to offer relief for those whose lives are affected by this deadly earth-shattering disease. HopeHIV has already helped to transform thousands of lives, and we can help in their effort.

Also, we'll be taking a look at how we can help affect the lives of children around the world. Through The Salvation Army's Child Sponsorship Program, the lives of children across the globe are being touched and uplifted as they are given the opportunity to grow and be nurtured in a positive environment with the aid of food, clothes, and education. When you sponsor a child, you're making a very real difference in their life. As a special incentive, if you come to the {beneFitting} Concert, Marty will be giving one free CD to all who sponsor a child. Simply put: if you sponsor a child, you get a free CD.

So join us on Saturday, February 16, at 7 PM at The Salvation Army's Atlanta Temple for a special evening of world-changing worship.

The Salvation Army
2090 N. Druid Hills Rd. NE
Atlanta, GA 30329

Let all the earth before you stand
For when you spoke the world began
You hold the future in your hand
And shatter every evil plan
Your word is firm forever

And what joy! for the people who's God is the Lord
What joy!

Let Your unfailing love surround us, Lord.
Let Your unfailing love surround us, Lord.
When hope is through, our hope is You
Let Your unfailing love surround us, Lord.

I will not trust in chariots
Nor in the strength of armies
My hope is in the Lord alone
My rock, my shield, the cornerstone,
He will not leave me helpless.

And when our hearts are sunken down
O, may our hope in You be found
Let Your unfailing love surround us, Lord!


Do you ever try to figure God out? Come on, be honest. Ever stopped to ponder why God works the way that He does?

God is the Creator. He simply spoke all that we see and know around us into being. And if that weren't amazing enough, at the very moment that He spoke it all into existance, He knew exactly what you would be doing right at this very moment in time. See, this what I try to understand, or to at least comprehend just a little bit of. Not only did He do all these things and more, He has a personal interest in me, and in you! So He spoke everything into being, He maintains it all, He's all knowing (past, present, and future)... and most of all, He LOVES us, and so much so that in order to make things right between us, He gave us His only son in order that we may not be seperated by our sin.

And now, just having celebrated Easter last week, we look back and realize that this LOVE, GOD'S LOVE is worthy of every little bit of praise and adoration that we can muster to give Him.

It's so appropriate that we look at this song at this time of the year. It's unfortunate that we really only recognize this marvelous act of LOVE from God to us only once a year... really, we ought to live our lives surrounded by the thought of the events that shattered the chasm between God and man. We need to be reminded every day that we should be swimming in the glory and the goodness that Jesus has made a way for each and every one of us to be made full in Him who created us. And just as when we are swimming and we can't move without feeling the water completely surrounding us, so should our lives be swimming in God's unbreakable LOVE for us. So in this light we pray...

"LORD, LET YOUR UNFAILING LOVE SURROUND US... EVEN WHEN WE LOSE HOPE IN EVERYTHING ELSE, LET US RECOGNIZE THAT OUR HOPE IS NEVER LOST WHEN IT IS YOU! SURROUND US WITH YOUR LOVE, O GOD! SURROUND US, LORD!"

" We're depending on God; he's everything we need. What's more, our hearts brim with joy since we've taken for our own his holy name. Love us, God, with all you've got— that's what we're depending on." - Psalm 33:20-22, the Message

We're tired of Institution
We want a revolution
We want to tell the world that Jesus Saves.
We're tired of playing church now
We want to change the world now
We want to be about the love He gave

Come on, come on, join the revolution
Come on, come on, join the revolution
Live out this song, be the revolution
Come on, come on, join the revolution

Show us Your revelation
We want to reach the nations
To proclaim the wonders of Your awesome love
We're tired of sitting by now
We want to lift you high now
And see revolution set the world on fire

Time is short we wanna see Your promises fulfilled
Life is life, and every life is worth the blood You spilt

___________________________

This is a call to action. Never before have I encountered such a passion to win the world for Christ, especially through the burning hearts of the youth of today's church. I think they're starting to get it. Perhaps it because of the messages they're being fed when they go church or other youth events. Life isn't about them, and it seems to me that they're okay with that.

"Revolution" is about an unrelenting crowd of believers that want nothing less than to see God's revolution engulf this world. That can look like a lot of things around the world, but one thing is for sure... Satan must have no more influence in the world. He's blinding us, whether we know it or not, by keeping us apathetic and lazy. Things cannot stay the same- they MUST change. And here's the good news: When God starts something in you, He WILL sustain you until that work is complete.

"Time is short"- we need to live every moment with the blazing reckless abandon that we see in the disciples. What's that mean? Don't live for this world - HEAVEN IS OUR HOME.

"Life is life, and every life is worth the blood You spilt." - Finally, we need to understand that all of Christian faith and practice hinges on 2 things: GOD and OTHERS. Jesus said that these were the most important commandments: "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, AND, Love others as you love yourself." Love God and love others. Do that, and you will change the world. Come on, JOIN THE REVOLUTION!

Greetings. I trust you're doing well.

I'm thrilled that I'm finally able to bring you some thoughts, things that have been on my mind lately. I'm also thrilled to make available to you a new collection of songs, on my most current project, "Unfailing Love" by transMission.

Over the next few weeks, I'll take each of the 14 songs and share some thoughts about them, perhaps cracking them open to see what they're really about. So stayed tuned for the first installment, "Revolution."

Blessings!

Marty's Debut CD, "Running In Circles" is now available at iTunes. Buy your copy right away!

You can now purchase Marty's new cd online at www.cdbaby.com/cd/martymikles.

I spent a short time in England with some good friends a couple years ago, and we got to record the first really rocking version of Needy while I was there. So download it, and enjoy!