Ministry Updates – J Mike Wills

My first “Indy” song and a Free Gift to boot!!

The back story of my 1st song as an Independent Artist: "Through That Door" and how it still affects me today!

Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)
¹⁹Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

In the early 2000’s, I was part of a Gospel Blues Band. As most bands do, that band did eventually break up. Our mission core was to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Still wanting to share the Gospel through music, I decided to strike out on my own and give it my all.

First Song as an “Indy”

One of the first songs I wrote as an “Indy” was of an experience I once had. I was a pilot on a trip which started out ok but quickly ended up a mess! Later on that day though, it turned into a God glorifying experience. The story of that day turned into a song I wrote entitled “Through That Door”.

The “Back” Story!

When I was an airline Captain, I would have many interesting trips assigned to me. Some flights would go through major hubs such as NYC. One particular week as I was getting ready to leave the hotel room for my trip, I stopped what I was doing! I was staring at the backside of my closed door and I knew that I should stop and spend some time in prayer. I knew that just outside that door, our old adversary the devil was out there ready to do a number on me (1 Peter 5:7-9) and I wanted to be ready! The only way to do that was to stop and pray and prepare my mind.

The day started out normally, but due to circumstances, my trip changed and I got stuck in a big city. So instead of getting upset, I started looking for opportunities to share. At dinnertime I went out of my room to grab a bite and as I went down a main road, I came across a homeless man. He wanted money ( I did eventually help him), but at the same time he was in a hopeless state, needed help and I was willing to stop, share and pray for him. He really also wanted someone to talk to him and maybe provide encouragement. I’ve done that several times on layovers and sometime it is welcomed, sometimes it is not. That day, he at least listened.

This trip ended the next day and I was headed home to my wife and family. As I was getting ready to turn in for the night, I thanked God for my wife and the opportunity to share His free gift of salvation. (Romans 10:9-13)

Even today before I go out the door of my hotel room, I look at that door and remember that trials and hard times are going to come my way. I also know that opportunities are going to come before me and that He will hold me fast. I know that if I continue to put Him first by taking a few minutes to prepare, the victory through it all will be His.

My Gift To You!

This particular post has been a bit longer than usual, but even so I thought some of you might find it interesting. As my “thank you” for taking a few minutes to share your time with me, I’m offering a free download of the song I’ve just posted about: “Through That Door”.

Click Here to get the free song!

Click on the link above and it will take you right to it. No strings attached, no requirements to sign up or buy anything else, just a gift. ( If you do wish to sign up to follow me, I think that would be great. There is also an opportunity to purchase my music if you want to, but that is up to you. )

Through that door, into the world. Gotta walk that walk, right through that door!

I appreciate feedback. If you would like to send me a quick email to mike@jmikewills.com, I’d love to hear from you.

A Little History!

I’m kind of a nostalgic sort of person, and I was thinking just the other day about how I got interested in music. I’d like to share it with you as my next project is based on how I got my start into playing guitar. It goes way back in time, but I’ll make it as concise as I can for ya.

In the late summer of 1972, my brother got a guitar for his birthday. He almost never took it out of the box to play nor did I see him open the “Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method” book that came with it. Well I was intrigued by the guitar and my brother said I could learn on it. So there I was a 12 year old kid sitting in his basement bedroom teaching himself how to play! Over the next 6 months I learned all the basic chords and how to read guitar tabs. I was really getting into it back then, and I learned to enjoy the instrument and what a pleasure it was for me to play.

As I became a teenager, I became interested in getting with other players and learning new stuff. It was the early 70’s and rock-n-roll was getting huge and for a young guy like me, pretty interesting. I did try and learn some of those songs and played with some of my school buddies. We thought we could start our own little band, but there was no way my dad would let me be in one!

It turns out, I really got into playing some of the songs that the youth group at my church was playing. So I started to learn and play the “modern” folk music that over the years grew into what we know of today as “Praise and Worship” music. The more I played it the more I really enjoyed it! I started paying attention to the lyrics and what they were saying rather than just the cool licks and riffs that were a part of it.

I remember joining the youth group at my church and the older kids let me play guitar some in their band. They gave me my first songbook that we would play out of titled: “Sing ‘N’ Celebrate Vol 1”! I thought it was pretty cool that I could play some of those songs in front of people, and I loved it! Then one Sunday evening at Trinity Baptist Church in Schenectady NY, I got to play one of those songs with our youth group, and the name of that song was “Pass It On”. Well, we went on to play other songs at other church’s and I was hooked. From that point on I was always looking to play in a P&W music team everywhere I went.

So in memory of those days, I thought I’d record a few of those songs. Even if you’re a younger person, my guess is that maybe you have heard one or two of em! I hope to have the first couple out by the end of the summer.

Thanks for sharing a few minutes of your day with me as I traveled down that old memory lane!

New Music Published!

After I had started this project, it became evident that the direction for the album was going to go in a new way. I Love To Tell The Story became something even more special to me… I hope our journey together through this music will accomplish the goal most important to Christians, and that is to worship almighty God..

When I first started this project, it was with the hope that I could share my heart and love for Christ with people through my music forum. As time went on and we had many different delays, it became evident that the direction for the album was going to go in a new way. I Love To Tell The Story became something even more special to me. Although I’m still sharing my heart for Christ with you, it has turned more into a personal worship experience for me, and not just from singing the songs. Instead, during the creation of the songs, my mind was trained on glorifying Christ and worshiping Him and who He is in my life. That meant every aspect through creating, recording, editing, mixing and compiling all the songs, the artwork and how I was going to share it needed to point towards worshiping Him.

Along the way, I was struggling with one of the songs: “The Old Rugged Cross”. I couldn’t understand why such a simple song with such a powerful message, was giving me production fits!? So I stopped, prayed, studied and pondered and came to realize that it needed to be slowed waaay down so that each verse, chorus and the bridge would allow reflection. In the book of Psalms, the word for that is “Selah”. It also can mean “An Instrumental” which I added too! THINK about what the story is that is being told! I believe that was the whole point of my album.

So I hope our journey together through this music will accomplish the goal most important to Christians, and that is to worship almighty God and with every lyric, note and tone, lift up Him and Him alone with the praise that He deserves. I look forward to worshiping the Lord together through this music!