Michael Neale's Blog

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I didn’t think I could do it . . . write another book.  When Leah and I started we knew this would be a journey of years, not months.  There is still so much to say.  The River is still resonating so deeply with people.  It’s overwhelming, really.  I’ll be honest.  It is terrifying to pour your heart into something for over a year and put it out there for the masses to either love or trample on.  But we have to be okay with doing the very best work we can, period.  We can’t steward results, just the work that is in our hands to do.  We plow.  We plant.  We don’t make it rain. I can say this for sure, the real joy is IN the work. To create is a great gift.

 

I’m grateful beyond words that so many have plunged into The River.

 

Now it is time for you to be swept Into the Canyon.

One of the many blessings in my life is the opportunity to partner with some amazing organizations who are working hard to advance the kingdom. I recently had the opportunity to lead worship and meet with the leadership of One Hope.

One Hope’s mission is to make sure the Bible gets to every child around the world, and to present the Living Word in an engaging way to the digital generation of children. What a great mission! Go check out their website to learn how you can help One Hope complete their mission by the year 2030 and watch some inspiring stories of lives that have been transformed.

I was talking the other day to a friend who was studying James: the scripture that speaks about the “one who looks at his face in the mirror and then walks away and forgets what he looks like.” The writer goes on to say, “Don’t be like this person. Read the words of The Lord and remember them”. That’s the gist of it. We talked more about how it’s easy to forget, because we read and believe, but then we go out and live and are being lied to by the world about who we are. So, we forget what the one in the mirror looks like. Then, what do we do? We begin to see ourselves reflected in the faces and beliefs of those we encounter. This can lead to confusion. What we need to do is go look at the mirror again and remember who we really are.

The Word is that true reflection. It tells us who God made when He created you and me. Lately, I’ve been needing to look back in that true mirror many times a day and rehearse out loud who God says I am. Elevate my thinking. Speak life and hope and faith. I said to my friend “I just wanted you to know that you are one of the few people I know that reminds me who I really am. When I’m around you I feel like myself. I don’t have to pretend. That’s such a gift. I treasure our friendship.”

I left there and a few days later found myself meeting face to face with another good friend, the Ocean. As I sat and looked at the expanse of water and sky I felt like myself again. Small. Vulnerable. Courageous. Adventurous. Brave even. The Ocean does this to me. It speaks to me the whispers of God. It sings to me the calm tones of forgiveness. It heals me to be there; in the face of something so massive and untamable and beautiful. I am home.

I was breathing and listening to the friendly waves and was reminded – the mirror. I ventured to the water’s edge and didn’t see my reflection. It was too dark. But what I did was feel and imagine what I looked like at the edge of this place; daring to believe that I could begin again; daring to let myself hope.

This day, I went back to the mirror that is God Himself. I asked Him to meet me and I went and waited for him. He spoke. He sat with me for a while and then woke me just in time to see a dolphin surface on the horizon.

I believe in signs and wonders. I believe in the perfect Word of a Living God!

He speaks. He lives. His Word is our mirror. It’s who we really are.

Leah Neale, July 2014

She gave me all the very best things in life.

Faith – She taught me that the universe didn’t revolve around me, but that I was part of a much bigger story, God’s story! She taught me He has a plan for my life and that I was made for Him.

Hope – She taught me the power of perseverance and to never give up. If there is something you want to do or be, do the hard work and don’t quit. She taught me that God will give me strength to keep on the best path.

Love – No matter what I did, she loved me unconditionally. She was always there and sacrificed so that I could experience a wonderful childhood.

We laugh together. We cry together. I call her confidant. I call her friend. I call her MOM. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! I Love You.

Mike

I was a freshman at Stetson University School of Music, eighteen years old and very green. I remember well my first Jazz band rehearsal. I had never played from rhythm charts before, only full piano scores. I knew the chords because I had studied advanced level theory but I’d never played in the context of a full jazz band. I walked in and heard the band warming up and the instructor sitting at the piano leading them through a slow jam. The players were top notch.   A full brass and rhythm section, 20 pieces in all. I was excited and nervous. “Welcome Michael.” The instructor greeted me. “Here’s the first chart. Why don’t you sit in on the this tune.” I sat down, ready to dive in. The drummer clicked us in and we were off and running. I was exhilarated by the groove, the horn hits, and I started tearing up the piano. My heart was racing. It was a blast. Then it happened. “STOP. STOP, STOP, STOP!” The instructor jumped out of his seat waving his arms like he was guiding a plane in for a landing. He walked over to the piano. Leaning down looking over his reading glasses he said, “Half as much Michael. Play half as much. Silence is the gold man. It’s just as important as playing. Let the groove inspire you. In this song, it isn’t about you and the piano son, it’s about the groove and the melody in the saxes. Just let the space inspire you. Silence is vital in music. Sometimes it’s more about what you don’t play.”

His words have rung in my ears not only through thousands of hours of recording sessions, worship services and musical experiences, but through all of life. I learned many things in that brief rehearsal. I’m still learning them.

Silence comes easier for some. Maybe you came hard wired to enjoy the solitude away from the noise of conversation, busyness, chaos or activity. Or maybe you’re a raging extrovert who loves to be with people, always connecting, ever in the swirl of movement and the bustle of big things. Both are wonderful. We are all on the scale somewhere and our tendencies will carry with them great strengths, and inevitable weaknesses. If we spend too much time alone, we can become myopic, self-absorbed and isolated. If we are constantly “playing” the music of life, our lives can become full of noise and chaos, unfruitful and unfocused. Worse yet, in can be a recipe for meltdown.

 “Hurry is not of the devil, hurry is the devil.” – Carl Jung, Psychiatrist

I’ll be the first to tell you I’ve been guilty of trying to create from an uninspired, underdeveloped, anemic inner life. You can do it, but not for too long, and it’s not where the “gold” is, as my jazz teacher put it. Richard Foster says in his book Celebration of Discipline, “The purpose of silence and solitude is to be able to see and hear.”

Put it on your calendar. If you don’t schedule your time, someone else will. Steal away from the noise and quiet your mind and heart. Spend time in meditation and quiet prayer – remembering God and His Word – enjoying His presence. As teachers, as artists . . . as disciples, this is one area of our life we cannot ignore.

Sometimes — in life and music — it’s about the notes you don’t play.

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Michael has been receiving some great reviews for his first novel The River and we wanted to share them with you. If you’ve read The River, let us know what you think! We’d love to hear about your own experience with The River.

This first review is from Kathleen Samuelson, Editor-in-Chief of CBA Retailers + Resources, in her column for October:

The way that Neale describes The River gives it life. The River could be frightening and angry, but also inviting and calm. It provided a foundation on which one’s faith in God could either float in His arms, or fight against the current.

I had the pleasure of seeing Michael Neale perform “The River” in song. recitation, and film last month at Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. He brought the book to life: the struggles, the heartache, the salvation, the joy. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t miss the ocean so much. But I longed to hear The River.

BookPage had this to say about The River:

Michael Neale’s The River gently sweeps readers along like a leaf in a current as Gabriel struggles with beginning a new life after a terrible loss.

Throughout this artfully crafted story is a genuine sense of The River as a force of nature to be reckoned with, respected and learned from.

And another great review from Booklist:

Neale’s novel is a powerful allegory about faith in something more powerful and mysterious than oneself. Gabriel loved The River as a child, but when it took his father and he was sent to live with his mother in Kansas, he developed a fear of the water. A trip to The River as a teenager reminds him of his connection to this wild place. As he trusts The River to lead him forward, Gabriel’s life flourishes into more than he dreamed it could be while in Kansas. Neale evokes a relationship between his protagonist and nature as real as any Gabriel has with the people around him as he learns that by trusting The River to guide him, he will end up where he is meant to be. The River is not without its rough patches, enabling Neale to illustrate how it is in the toughest situations that we find our way.

We were on our way to the park and Wyatt was getting comfortable riding his bike. There were some stretches in the sidewalk that had been torn up and the little guy turned and said, “help me over the bumps Dad . . . so then I can go fast.” I gently put my hand on his back as he traversed the treachery. The bumps weren’t actually that big, but his perception was very real to him. From where he sat, it just wasn’t safe. It caused him to recognize his need . . . to see if I was close. It slowed him down a bit.

Life is bumpy . . . really bumpy. So today, I’m recognizing my need. I’m slowing down to hear the voice of the Father in my ear and feel His hand on my back, helping me over the bumps. It’s better that way.

Can you relate?