Happy Thanksgiving (& more)
Hello, Friends. It has been a while since my last update and with the holidays approaching, I fear that updates will remain few and far between. I do, however, want to let you know what has been going on with both Second Mile and my solo ministry.
When my wife, Carisa, and I began praying about my forming a group we had a certain vision and plan in mind for it. It wasn't a perfect plan but we trusted God to provide the means to complete this dream that He had given us. He has been so faithful to us through the years and we wanted to be faithful to Him with our gifts, talents, time and money. After forming Second Mile we were encouraged by your support and your enthusiasm for our new ministry. God has opened so many doors over the past year and we are grateful. Over the past few months, however, I have become less than enthusiastic about the direction of the ministry of Second Mile. It is not that the group was headed in a “bad” direction, but that it was not operating in a way that was conducive to the kind of ministry I set out to create in the beginning. Carisa and I have spent much time in prayer and have sought advice and counsel from our personal board of advisors. So many of you have prayed with us over these pasts few weeks and months. Some of you that are reading this letter are a part of our advisory board and have witnessed the changes that God is making in our lives and ministry. We have never been more excited about the future. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
It seems that God is leading in a new and fresh way. While this "new and fresh" direction is exciting, parts of the process can also be exhausting and intimidating. Nevertheless, we have done our best to be good stewards of the ministry that God has given us. With that said, Second Mile will be undergoing some dramatic changes. The first of which is the addition of some new faces. Channing Eleton and Buddy Mullins will no longer be a part of my group, Second Mile. These guys are talented performers and will, I am sure, find a place where they can continue to use their gifts. If we lift up the name of Jesus, people will be drawn to Him. This has been the mission of Second Mile from the beginning, and I am sure that Channing and Buddy will adopt this philosophy in whatever they choose to do next.
Of course, with this transition will come some growing pains. I thank you in advance for your patience. We are not quite yet finished with the selection of our new team members but we hope to make an announcement about that very soon. Our board, along with my publishing administrator, producer, and co-writers are in the process of writing and selecting new material for Second Mile. Additionally, Second Mile will eventually be seeking an alternate form of transportation, as the bus and trailer that we have been traveling in is the property of Channing Eleton's father and will no longer be available to us. As I said, this process can sometimes be tedious but it is our belief that the end result will be well worth the wait. In the mean time please continue to visit Second Mile's MySpace page and join our friends list. We will be making many of our upcoming announcements from that site while our official site is being redesigned. Of course, the official site can still be found at www.secondmileonline.com.
With all of that said, Second Mile, at least for the short term, will not be the main focus of my attention. Carisa and I have several projects in the works and will be focusing most of our efforts on my latest solo project. In October I began pre-production on my latest solo recording. I can't tell you too much about it yet but I think it is going to be something special. I am being told to keep the lid on much of the details about the project for now as some of these details are pending and I don't want to let the “cat out of the bag" too soon! What I can tell you is that I will be recording a new batch of original songs. I have completed a few of the new tunes and will be spending much of the next couple months writing the remaining songs for this album. The other thing I can tell you is that, at least for now, we are considering the possibility of making this a live album. As I said, many of the details are still being worked out. I am so excited to be getting back into the studio to work on music that I am passionate about. God continues to reveal Himself in unique, interesting, confusing, and, sometimes, hilarious ways and I am doing my best to capture some of these "revelations" in these new songs. Anyway, there will be more about that project to come.
In the meantime I will be writing, writing and writing!!
Thank you so much for your encouragement during this transition. I want to especially thank our Village Church family and friends who have been so amazing during this time of transition. Your calls and emails have been such an encouragement to us. It is our honor to share in this journey with you. God will surely bless your faithfulness. I also want to thank the many pastors, worship leaders and concert promoters who have expressed an interest in our ministry. Thank you for believing in me. Please pray that God will continue to use the music and ministry of Second Mile even as we are in transition.
Look for more announcements and information about Second Mile along with updates on my new solo project when you visit our official websites.
Finally, Carisa and the girls, and I would like to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving. God Bless you.
Donny Henderson
When my wife, Carisa, and I began praying about my forming a group we had a certain vision and plan in mind for it. It wasn't a perfect plan but we trusted God to provide the means to complete this dream that He had given us. He has been so faithful to us through the years and we wanted to be faithful to Him with our gifts, talents, time and money. After forming Second Mile we were encouraged by your support and your enthusiasm for our new ministry. God has opened so many doors over the past year and we are grateful. Over the past few months, however, I have become less than enthusiastic about the direction of the ministry of Second Mile. It is not that the group was headed in a “bad” direction, but that it was not operating in a way that was conducive to the kind of ministry I set out to create in the beginning. Carisa and I have spent much time in prayer and have sought advice and counsel from our personal board of advisors. So many of you have prayed with us over these pasts few weeks and months. Some of you that are reading this letter are a part of our advisory board and have witnessed the changes that God is making in our lives and ministry. We have never been more excited about the future. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
It seems that God is leading in a new and fresh way. While this "new and fresh" direction is exciting, parts of the process can also be exhausting and intimidating. Nevertheless, we have done our best to be good stewards of the ministry that God has given us. With that said, Second Mile will be undergoing some dramatic changes. The first of which is the addition of some new faces. Channing Eleton and Buddy Mullins will no longer be a part of my group, Second Mile. These guys are talented performers and will, I am sure, find a place where they can continue to use their gifts. If we lift up the name of Jesus, people will be drawn to Him. This has been the mission of Second Mile from the beginning, and I am sure that Channing and Buddy will adopt this philosophy in whatever they choose to do next.
Of course, with this transition will come some growing pains. I thank you in advance for your patience. We are not quite yet finished with the selection of our new team members but we hope to make an announcement about that very soon. Our board, along with my publishing administrator, producer, and co-writers are in the process of writing and selecting new material for Second Mile. Additionally, Second Mile will eventually be seeking an alternate form of transportation, as the bus and trailer that we have been traveling in is the property of Channing Eleton's father and will no longer be available to us. As I said, this process can sometimes be tedious but it is our belief that the end result will be well worth the wait. In the mean time please continue to visit Second Mile's MySpace page and join our friends list. We will be making many of our upcoming announcements from that site while our official site is being redesigned. Of course, the official site can still be found at www.secondmileonline.com.
With all of that said, Second Mile, at least for the short term, will not be the main focus of my attention. Carisa and I have several projects in the works and will be focusing most of our efforts on my latest solo project. In October I began pre-production on my latest solo recording. I can't tell you too much about it yet but I think it is going to be something special. I am being told to keep the lid on much of the details about the project for now as some of these details are pending and I don't want to let the “cat out of the bag" too soon! What I can tell you is that I will be recording a new batch of original songs. I have completed a few of the new tunes and will be spending much of the next couple months writing the remaining songs for this album. The other thing I can tell you is that, at least for now, we are considering the possibility of making this a live album. As I said, many of the details are still being worked out. I am so excited to be getting back into the studio to work on music that I am passionate about. God continues to reveal Himself in unique, interesting, confusing, and, sometimes, hilarious ways and I am doing my best to capture some of these "revelations" in these new songs. Anyway, there will be more about that project to come.
In the meantime I will be writing, writing and writing!!
Thank you so much for your encouragement during this transition. I want to especially thank our Village Church family and friends who have been so amazing during this time of transition. Your calls and emails have been such an encouragement to us. It is our honor to share in this journey with you. God will surely bless your faithfulness. I also want to thank the many pastors, worship leaders and concert promoters who have expressed an interest in our ministry. Thank you for believing in me. Please pray that God will continue to use the music and ministry of Second Mile even as we are in transition.
Look for more announcements and information about Second Mile along with updates on my new solo project when you visit our official websites.
Finally, Carisa and the girls, and I would like to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving. God Bless you.
Donny Henderson
posted by Donny Henderson at 2:38 PM
