Thoughts from the road...

Tim here…thought I’d take advantage of some drive-time to get some thoughts out on paper. Let me paint the picture: two guys, 21 and 22, respectively; both sitting in a maroon Pathfinder; sitting in rush hour traffic outside of D.C.; the thermometer says 69 and the stereo sounds like All American Rejects (we ran out of CD’s…). Two brothers, just trying to soak up and digest everything that’s been going on this past year.

We are heading to Ohio, another stop along the journey of finding our way in this big world. Spending the last two weeks at Josh’s house have been refreshing and nothing shy of God’s blessing. I’ve been thinking a lot lately. Well, either that, or my mind has been doing a lot of thinking on its own; it’s almost to the point of overwhelming. But it’s a good kind of overwhelming. I’ve had a bit of writer’s block this past year or so, ever since recording our album last September, my creativity has been frozen. Until now. It’s a good feeling. Josh and I just spent the last two hours in the car with the windows up and radio off, trying to craft our way through some lyrics. We don’t really know where God is planning on taking M.Fillmore, but if there is another studio in the near, then we want our songs to be really well-crafted, honest, and pure. We want our songs to be sung well after we stop singing them.

One thing that I absolutely love about traveling is to hear so many stories. But not all are stories that make you feel good inside. It’s heartbreaking to hear stories from some so young, to hear how they have gone through what no one should ever have to go through, to hear how some have seen what no one should ever see. But at the same time, it’s life-giving to hear those stories, because God is at work, and His Spirit is moving. God is all about redemption: constantly redeeming that which is lost, constantly beautifying that which is ugly, constantly giving purpose to that which was a mistake.

This weekend, I had a long talk with an intelligent young girl who has one of those stories. She has been through it all, everything. It broke my heart; but it sparked life in me. Heartbreaking to hear her story; life-giving to hear how God is moving in her life. I got to pray alongside of her, and to match her tear-for-tear. She emailed me the next day to tell me how some of the things we prayed for were immediately answered before she fell asleep that night, and how the rest of everything we prayed for was unfolding. God is a God of redemption.

Thanks for listening...

San Antonio Christian Retreat!

Blog entries from Sept 24-26, 2008

Josh wrote:

What a start to the M.Fillmore Fall Tour 2008!! Wow! God is good. We had the opportunity to go to San Antonio Christian, for the High School retreat. We were immediately treated like way amazingly well. We rode a bus to Alto Frio Ranch way out of San Antonio, we rode with the Freshman Class (shout out to Campbell and President). So after driving for two hours we immediately were in the middle of no where, haha, and remember we are in college (online school), and being out there lets just say we were out of classes for the the week!

So there we were, in nowhereville, no internet, no phone, no tv, and best of all no online classes. It was great.

There were many things that amazed us about SACS and I am going to start with the Admin, Parents, and Teachers. They really care about the students and really invest time and effort into them. I saw students and teachers carrying conversation and really looking out for one another with genuine love. We all need that and it makes a dfference.

Another thing I wanted to talk about is the baptisms that went on. WOW!! I mean first of all allow me to set this picture up for you. Imagine, on a beautiful river in Texas with families, friends, teachers and believers, all sitting on the natural rock that the water flowed right through. If you could imagine the River where John the Baptist was with multitudes of people. It was great. The best part about it that is hard to write to do it justice, but the testimonies that were shared. Each person being baptized was to share and it was so moving to hear how God was so real to them and that He really changed their life. We felt as if we knew these kids for a very long time, but we didn't even know them at all.

The first night service that we had was really powerful. I mean God just was ready to work and the Spirit just led us into a great worship. During worship I started praying and God just started speaking about broken families. I could hear God just telling me, "Pray for those kids with broken families." So I was praying and in between songs, Tim walked over to me and asked if I had a Word to share and if so to share it. And at that moment I just knew that was confirmation. We had a great opportunity to pray for families, relationships, marriages, restoration of friendships, God was really speaking. I challenged the kids to raise their hands as a step of faith to God to stand firm believing that God had greater things for their family. God is a God of unity and we came against the devil in trying to break down these wonderful families.
I tell you that not to bring glorification to M.Fillmore or to brag. I am telling you because I want to encourage you to always pray and ask God for Big Things. Be on the look out for people who are in need. God has given you the ability and the authority to pray on behalf and to interceed for those in need. If the church does not pray and interceed for people, who will? So allow me to encourage you to always look for opportunities to pray and hear God's voice.

Tim wrote:

I will pick up where Josh left off. So we went to bed that night, the first night, and woke up the next morning, Thursday. There was a session in the morning, and we decided to have a pretty chill vibe going on, a pretty meditative, contemplative, and introspective time of worship to our Lord. The speaker, then after us, entered a conversation about how we as believers sell-out on our faith so often, and asked the question of how much would you sell your faith in Christ for. Obviously, this sounds a little ridiculous, but it’s so true, we put a price tag on our faith all the time when we make compromises. So, he challenged anyone in the group to stand up one by one and say, “My faith is not for sale”. One by one, people began rising to their feet, publicly proclaiming their faith has no price tag, that there is nothing in this world that could be traded for a life of abundance in Christ. This was a powerful time.

The whole day then, was filled with a lot of games and what-not. This was a good time for us to interact a bit with the students and chill out a bit and a get to know them. It was good. This was also the time that the baptisms took place, which Josh already mentioned. But I seriously just got the chills thinking about it, it was so pure, so genuine, natural.

That brings us to the session that night, 7PM. Let’s just say that I can’t exactly give you a play-by-play, but by the time we stopped strumming our guitars, it was 10PM. That’s three hours, folks. It was crazy. All I can tell you is that the Holy Spirit was thick and present and moving and things were happening. Relationships were continuing to be healed, a continuation from the night before. People were coming forward, bowing before the Lord in pure worship, even if they have never worshipped before. The Lord was healing, and restoring, and redeeming, and filling, and directing, and guiding, and speaking. Big burly football players were breaking in tears before the Lord. The senior guys really stepped out and took a major leap of growth, and according to the senior girls, it was about time!!! (that was kinda an inside joke to all those who were there…haha, but way to step it up fellas). Those are really all the words I can find to try to describe those three hours, that time of worship. Quite honestly, to all those who were there, that time will forever remain in each of our memories, and is something that we all have in common, and will probably never be able to describe it. We will just know. We will know the ways in which God moved in each of our lives that night, the ways in which each of us will never be the same. For greater things are yet to come…

I can’t wait to come back to SACS and see you all again real soon!!!

FALL TOUR!!!

Greetings to all our fair fans...
It has been waaaayy to long since we have communicated any updates to you.

But that is probably because for the last 6-weeks, we have been at home, doing classes online, booking shows, and getting everything straight for the Fall Tour...so that is probably not all that exciting....I'll admit.

BUT! The good news is that we just launched off on our Fall Tour with an amazing trip to San Antonio Christian School where we played at their high school's retreat!

Blog entries to come....

Mile 7,911. The end of the road...

So, it looks like we ended up driving 1,000 miles over our predicted 7,000 miles this summer...oh well, close enough.

Well I’m sitting on the ground in the middle of the airport in Cleveland right now. And when I say “middle”, that’s what I actually mean. I’m sitting in the middle of the terminal. There are like a million people walking through this terminal and I figured I would see what it’s like to make them have to walk around me. So here I am, sitting Indian-style with my laptop, my guitar, and a bandana around my head. It’s a little counter-cultural I guess, and it doesn't look like people are enjoying the fact that I'm in their way. It’s a lot of fun actually, you might want to try it next time your at an airport.

People are really in a hurry at airports. Well, I guess people are always in a hurry, they just happen to be at an airport.

So this is the end of an amazing summer tour for M.Fillmore. I’m heading home to San Francisco for the next 6 weeks to relax and get the Fall tour all set and ready to go. Josh will be doing the same at his home in Virginia. He is going to miss me these next six weeks. Maybe...ahh...maybe not. October 1st marks the beginning of a 6-week tour through the Midwest, so check back on the tour dates to see if we will be in your area!

So back to me being at the airport. There is something sacred about my times when I fly. I can’t really describe what it’s like for me, but there is something beautiful that happens to me when I am 30,000 feet above the ground. There is something surreal, something peaceful and calm. This is something that always reminds me how small I am, and how BIG of a God He is. I love people-watching in the airport; I love how all airports smell exactly the same (I don't get it!); I love getting that nervous feeling when I go through security; I love the inescapable anxiety that I get when I wonder if my guitar will make it in one piece. But most of all, I love being 30,000 feet in the air, with the constant reminders that I serve an amazingly huge God, who has created some amazingly huge things, and has allowed humans to get a glimpse of that by flying high above it all.

I wonder what God thinks when people marvel at His creation from 30,000 feet. I wonder what He is thinking when we look out the oval window and see the ground, and the mountains, the snow, the clouds, the rivers, lakes, and oceans, the bite-sized cars, houses, and factories.

He’s probably thinking, “They have no idea.”

We have no idea the vastness, the greatness, of God and His creation. It’s a humbling thing to think about. I like flying in airplanes.

Someone just ran into me and almost tripped; I should probably move out of the way now.

Tim

Mile 7,362.

Well folks, that about wraps up the summer. Here we are, now in Pittsburgh, PA, visiting my grandparents and relatives, letting the summer soak in. Man, we had such an amazing time this entire summer. I'm pretty much out of words to describe it. But we haven't had much internet time to update this blog recently, so we will be adding some stories from the road here and there for the next couple weeks, so check back when you think of it!

We can't thank everyone enough for all the support that we have been receiving. We have found that we have the most amazing fans and supporters that any band could ever hope for!

We are so grateful for Cary Coleman and the rest of FCC for the opportunity to travel with their camps this summer. FCC provided an amazing platform for M.Fillmore to share the Love of Christ with hundreds of people these past two months.

Right now, we are booking for October and November, January and February!!! And we can't wait to get back out on the road!!!

From,

TIM

Mile 6,562.

Well first off, this is Josh, and we have not updated this in a looong time. And that is due to the fact that we haven't had internet access for about the past week...so here we go:

We are having such a great time on the road. We have seen so many people and are so excited to see y’all again. We went to Indiana for another FCC camp. What an amazing week. The Spirit of God has been released in such a powerful way. There has been such a mighty power in all the camps this summer.

But I have a story to tell. This is a story near and dear to my heart. I have become very passionate about this. So there I was, walking through the cafeteria with my food, going to find a place to sit and enjoy my lovely meal. Yes, it was a normal day. There were a few girls screaming, demanding that I come and sit at their table. So of course I just went right over and sat right down.

This is the point I knew something was about to happen. This is where it all began.

“Hey, we want to show you a trick…it’s fun,” said the girls. So there I was, this is the point that I wish I could get back: that one moment in your life you would do all over again if you had the opportunity. I said, “Sure lets do this.” I will not give you the formula for disaster because I wish this upon no human being, ever. It was awful, fowl. But basically they poured salt all over my wrist and then pressed two pieces of ice down really hard over the salt, onto my arm. So silly me for just thinking, “OOO my hand is going numb, ha ha very funny.”

Well the ice was like gone, it melted away. I looked at my wrist and saw it was flush white. I was like wow that actually is kind of cool. Then I was amazed because it then turned flush red, just the spot where the ice was on it. People, it looked like I had been in the desert for a week with just that little part of my wrist exposed to the sun. It was awful. So I was like, “Well is it going to go away?” Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you that a week later it is peeling. It looks so nasty. Kids, if you know this formula, do not try this. I don’t know where you learn these awful things.

This is what I’m left to remember about the great time in Indiana.

But it was cool because the next day was The International Day of Fun. And, it just so happened to be my birthday. I must say, that birthday was amazing. Some of the cheerleaders got a glorious fun filled balloon hat, it was amazing. This same day I also had to wear an extremely too-small-middle-school-cheerleading uniform. This had to of been one of the most, you know, I can’t even come up with the word to describe it. It was just crazy.
So that was my great story that I will never ever forget as long as I live. I will have the scar to show you all when I see you. Don’t worry its not going anywhere.
Despite all this drama that is going on, we have 219,151 miles on the Accord. That is just insane. But it runs so well, it’s going to be hard to get rid of her. We are running out of T-shirts, so if you don’t have the current M.Fillmore shirt, there is still time to get one, we have three colors. Get them while supplies last.
Hope this catches you up with the M.Fillmore news, stay tuned while there will be more from Columbus and Ohio. Love, Josh.

Nothing is too great...

Meet our new friend, Ryan. What makes Ryan special is not the shirt that he is wearing, but it's what he is not wearing. Ryan came into camp wearing two sturdy knee braces to support his knees that he's been having some trouble with. Three weeks prior to this picture, he had surgery on one of them. He was able to walk and move, but with a pretty bad limp in his step. On the second day of camp, he completely blew out his left knee to the point where he wasn't able to walk on his own.

During that night's worship time, Josh went over and gathered around Ryan, with a few other people, and they layed hands on Ryan and prayed healing over his legs. They prayed that the Holy Spirit would come down and completely heal him.

Then, during the very next night's worship time, Ryan was praying with a few other people towards the end of the night. He got up and walked away when they were finished. About half way out of the room, he stopped, turned, and noticed that he was not limping a single bit. His knees were fine.

So the next morning, I walk in the room and see Ryan without any knee braces, without any limp. God had healed him. Let me tell you, it was so amazing to watch this unfold before our eyes.

Jesus said in John 14:12-14: "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

Updation. It's a new word.

We really need to update this thing. And we will....VERY SOOOONN!!!!! I think it's 1:43am. I need to be sleeping. Thanks to everyone who supports M.Fillmore. You guys are amazing.

Mom and Dad, I miss you guys and will be home soon! Jamie and Aaron, I miss you guys too.

Love,
Tim

Mile 4474 continued...

Listen, I am clearly not a good golfer. But I can have some fun with it, so Josh and I decided to hit up the driving range since we had some down-time...

So I'm hitting some golf balls, just doing the best I could. I'm getting pretty excited about hitting some balls about 150 yards with a 7-iron. But then this guy, probably early 70's, walks up and stands about 10 feet behind me. And he watches me.

He's still there, now glaring at me.

As Josh usually does, he strikes up a conversation with this man after a while. As I continue swinging the club, I overhear the man say, "So this tall kid is your brother?"

Josh answers, "No, he's my buddy...we are in a band together, and we've been traveling a bit and we decided..."

"Well, does he know that he looks like an idiot swinging that golf club?!" the man interrupts.

My ears perk up as I take another wack, as if I couldn't hear this guy ridiculing my golf game.

"He obviously doesn't know a thing about golf"

That's when I chime in, "Yeah, you know, this is like my third time swinging a club in my life."

"Well, how about you let me teach you a few things so you don't embarrass me, eh?"

So for the next 45 minutes, I receive a completely free golf lesson from a 70 year-old-man named Mr. Gail.

Mile 4474.

Ahhhhh…..so I feel like I can take a breath and chill out for a bit, which is kind of nice. Not that I am complaining at all, but it feels good to take some time to digest what’s been going on so far this summer. Thus, this will be a nice and long catch-you-up-to-date blog. So here is the odometer update:

Well, let’s see, how about I start going backwards.

Right now, we are up in beautiful Middleburg, Virginia, about a half hour west of D.C. We are staying at Carlyn’s (Josh’s GF) house, which is on an amazing piece of property far away from the glow of city lights. This is all a little foreign to me. Having grown up in Suburbia California, I feel a little out of place with my long hair, board-shorts, and flip-flops. But everyone is just so nice around these parts. I mean, you go to the grocery store, and people actually make eye contact with you, in fact, they usually talk to you! I need to bring this home to California.(The funny thing was asking someone to take this picture...)

Before this, we were in Bald Head, North Carolina. (See the previous blog post). We seriously had an amazing time! Carlyn and her parents have been so good to us and taking such great care of us. Once again, the Lord has placed some amazingly generous people in the life of M.Fillmore, and we couldn’t be more thankful for them. Here's a few pics from Bald Head, the first of which is Josh and his lady friend, Carlyn. Before that, we were in Palm Beach, Florida. God really did some cool things down there through that camp. He bound together a lot of the squads in ways that they have never been unified. He impacted people in ways that they have never been touched. He healed those who were desperate for his healing Hand. And He freed those who have been held down from one thing or another. I can say this all with confidence because of the countless e-mails we have since received that have been a testimony to what God did during that time. I am just so grateful to have played such a tiny part in that. M.Fillmore is completely honored and humbled. Here's a picture from Palm Beach, it's a little dark, but you get the point...
In reflection on the first half of the summer tour, all I can say is that I am completely fortunate and blessed to have this opportunity to travel and play music. I am blessed to be doing ministry alongside my best friend. I am blessed to have hands to play the guitar and vocal chords to sing to the Lord. We are blessed to have been protected every single mile of the journey thus far. And if God told us that this was as far as M.Fillmore would go, then I will be content knowing that the Will of God is perfect and just. The Will of God is not always safe, but it is always perfect.

Please keep in your prayers our good friend Blake, who is in Thailand right now. He and a friend are over there trying to get into Burma (which borders Thailand) to help with the rescue efforts from the cyclone that hit in May. The problem is that American’s are not allowed in Burma. May the Lord provide a way…

Mile 4122.

One Word: BALD HEAD ISLAND!!!!

ok, three words. But seriously, we have about a week off from tour, so we came up to North Carolina to visit Carlyn (Josh's GF) and to hang out on this island where Carlyn's vacation beach house is. Basically, this is an island where no cars are allowed, only golf carts, and you have to take a ferry to get here. So we've been catching some rays at the beach and catching some zzz's in the bed, enjoying some R & R.

The beach is awesome pretty much. I'm trying to enjoy the down-time, getting some time to read (Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus, it's been a good read so far, I'll recommend it), and trying to write some more music. But I know that I am pretty excited to get back into playing some music. Next camp starts on JULY 8th up near Washington DC!

-Tim

Mile 3321.

Tonight was our 2nd night in West Palm Beach.

This was the start of M.Fillmore. This was the place where we were brought together. It was almost three years ago that we lead worship together for the first time. That night, we lead worship for about 20 people on the steps of the same gym in which we are now leading hundreds in worship. God is good. This place is our Rite of Passage.

It is great to be at that place again. FCC is awesome. We have played two nights and God has just done so much with all of us.

On the first night with the students there was such a stronghold over the kids and it was holding them back from where God wanted them. It was thick and gross, and everyone on staff could feel it. Tonight, there was such a release from these struggles. Whatever it was in each individual, it was stripped away, and it was a beautiful thing to be a part of. During musical worship, the hearts were being searched by the Spirit to change the way we think. God is calling cheerleaders to change schools, families, and even cities.

Greater things have yet to come, and greater things will still be done in this city.

Love,
Josh.

Mile 2920 Continued...

This post only involves a picture...pictures tell a thousand words. Welp, I just wrapped up the Kissimmee camp. It was awesome. Josh and I will be reunited tomorrow night and will be heading down to Palm Beach for next weeks' camp.

Mile 2920.

Well first off, we just wanted to shout it out for last week's camp in Houston! We had an amazing time with y'all and we will never forget it! Thanks for all the support!

But as for now, 18 hours of driving later, I am in Orlando. Josh had a committment to be at a differect camp up in Charlotte for this entire week. So I dropped him off along the way with a family who was heading up to that camp, so it worked out perfectly for him to have a ride up there. So I'll be flying solo this week, which will be weird, but it's allllll good.

Mile 1571.

Welcome to Texas. After about a 15 hour drive through the night, with neither of us sleeping more than 45 minutes each, we were a bit tired. But the good news is: God kept us safe the entire time from Atlanta to Houston. Thank you for those who were praying for our drive!

So now we are at Houston Baptist University and are stoked for camp that is starting in just a few hours...

Mile 745 Continued...

So we just wrapped up our first week of camp and let me tell you folks, it was amazing. The Holy Spirit was moving in the hearts of so many people. Basically, we would lead worship each of the three nights of the camp at what's called Prime Time. Each night, one of the staff would speak and on the final night, the staff would do their own rendition of this drama:

It is really powerful and the Lord is using it to change lives, which is so amazing.

I can't believe this is only the beginning of the summer! We are so fortunate to be a part of this ministry and to be doing something that we absolutely love.

Tonight, we are driving 16 hours to Houston for this week's camp....pray for us?!

Mile 745.

What's up ya'll! This is JOSH, for the first time on our blog!!! We've had a two exciting days hanging out with FCC campers so far, and two more days to go here in Georgia. So I learned my first cheer today, it goes: "Bring it on in, bring it on in, bring it on in....HEYY! Listen up ya'll 'cause I have something good to say!"


...anyways...


I met about five girls who all have the name MaKayla. Which is funny because I have never even heard that name.


Oh, and today marks Day 4 in me playing the Mandolin.


And as you can see, I'm a man of few words. The End.


Oh, and take a look at our first T-Shirt Buyers!

Mile 723.

What's up ya'll, this is Tim. For one reason or another, the Lord has placed some amazingly gracious and generous people in our lives since the start of M.Fillmore. Two of such amazing people are Larry and Susie Carter:


We met them in January and they have welcomed us into their home like we are family and have been taking amazing care of us whenever we are in the Atlanta area. Yesterday, we found ourselves at their neighborhood pool eating burritos and sipping margaritas (virgin...). Today we found ourselves in their living room with one of their neighbors playing some music. Their neighbor, Ron, who is a brilliant musician, out of the blue he decided to give us one of his Mandolins to take on the road!!! We were like, "sweet!" and Josh has been taking it up like a sheer natural:

Mile 701.

Us with FCC Staff 2008...We played some tunes for their dinner party.

Besides being the only two guys, I think we blend right in, right?

(Where's Waldo?)

Mile 683. Atlanta, GA

This blog finds us sitting in a hotel somewhere near Atlanta and we couldn't be more thankful. The Lord protected us the entire 683 miles thus far and we are able to get a beautiful nights sleep.

So tonight we led musical worship for the FCC staff. It was a great time for sure. The Spirit moved in that church gym (and the sound system happened to have like a half-second delay from when we played to when the sound actually came out the speakers. That was definitely a first for us, and let me tell you, it is hard to play music under this circumstance) But it was all good because we got to worship Jesus. We just thought it was funny...

Oh and also, on the way here we were able to stop in South Carolina and visit one of my college roommates, Blake (he's in the center). Blake is going to Thailand and Burma for two months to help out with the cyclone victims. He leaves in two weeks and will be there all summer. Please pray for Blake; read his blog here: http://cbw444.blogspot.com/