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“As I've gotten older, I've gotten much more relaxed. I'm much less concerned about looking silly or making a mistake. If I'm making a mistake or looking dumb, eh, whatever . . . you know, so be it. It's much more about just being in the moment and connecting with the people in the room with you at the time.”
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“I became friendly with [a] bass player. . . .
He told me about this place called the Berklee College of Music, and said that you didn’t have to audition. . . . They had a summer session you could attend; that was “Come one, come all.” So I went there and it opened a lot of doors for me. First of all, the ear training—to work on your ear and learn to hear things you’d heretofore not been able to ascertain, individual instruments, chords and where they went, and remember melodies better . . . I’d just thought, either you could do it or you couldn’t. That plus learning about chord progressions and music theory, and which chords sound good going into other chords . . . that was really a revelation. . . .
So I started applying that to writing songs.
Which were all terrible. But you do it enough, and you get better at it.”
―
He told me about this place called the Berklee College of Music, and said that you didn’t have to audition. . . . They had a summer session you could attend; that was “Come one, come all.” So I went there and it opened a lot of doors for me. First of all, the ear training—to work on your ear and learn to hear things you’d heretofore not been able to ascertain, individual instruments, chords and where they went, and remember melodies better . . . I’d just thought, either you could do it or you couldn’t. That plus learning about chord progressions and music theory, and which chords sound good going into other chords . . . that was really a revelation. . . .
So I started applying that to writing songs.
Which were all terrible. But you do it enough, and you get better at it.”
―
“When you're younger, a lot of your . . . art or music or whatever is more about just trying to look like you're an artist . . . trying to look like you're a certain thing or trying to . . . just . . . fit in. . . .
Older artists kind of don't care about that as much. . . . That's liberating and feels more like what true art should be about. . . .
When I first started writing songs, all I wanted to do was a write a song that sounded like another song so that it sounded like . . . . a legitimate thing. Not necessarily . . . a song that expresses anything I'm actually thinking . . . or feeling.
Here's what I'm mostly thinking or feeling in my early 20s: 'I-I hope I fit in.' . . . And that's not that interesting. . . . 'I hope people don't think I'm a fraud. . . . I want to be liked.' . . .
That seems kind of anti-art, really. . . .”
―
Older artists kind of don't care about that as much. . . . That's liberating and feels more like what true art should be about. . . .
When I first started writing songs, all I wanted to do was a write a song that sounded like another song so that it sounded like . . . . a legitimate thing. Not necessarily . . . a song that expresses anything I'm actually thinking . . . or feeling.
Here's what I'm mostly thinking or feeling in my early 20s: 'I-I hope I fit in.' . . . And that's not that interesting. . . . 'I hope people don't think I'm a fraud. . . . I want to be liked.' . . .
That seems kind of anti-art, really. . . .”
―
“In this day of the Holy Spirit's power, maturity is eminently needed in the Church. The Spirit is moving upon His people in all the world, and with the Spirit's stirring, there is a manifestation of power. Many are seeking such power, but power is dangerous if it is not directed by mature wisdom.”
― Growing in Christian Maturity
― Growing in Christian Maturity
“Mothers used to instruct their daughters, “This one has potential. If you work with this one, you’ll have a winner on your hands.” Well, that certainly doesn’t happen anymore! Women today want their men to arrive camera-ready! But who said you were perfect? Don’t think about changing or rearranging him. Concentrate on inspiring him and empowering him to rise up and be all that God has ordained him to be. Some women I know have initially passed right by their [future] husbands because he wasn’t perfectly polished. You don’t think all these successful men in the world started off that way, do you? Of course not! They climbed and climbed until they reached their goal. And most likely some woman was right there beside him all the way. Now those women get to reap the rewards. And that reward is so much greater if he’s a man of God.”
― Secrets of an Irresistible Woman: Smart Rules for Capturing His Heart
― Secrets of an Irresistible Woman: Smart Rules for Capturing His Heart
Mike’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Mike’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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1 book
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408 books
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