Next week, the FDB will be flying south to do some shows in Alabama. Tuesday night, July 20^th in Saraland, AL, Wednesday morning, July 21^st in Mobile at Integrity Music’s staff chapel, and Wednesday night, July 21^st in Orange Beach, AL at Christian Life Church. You can get all the details on our website and on our Facebook page.

We’ve made some decisions in the last couple weeks I thought you might like to hear about…

For starters, we’ve decided to take Brent Milligan up on his offer to produce a full-length record with us in the fall. Timeline is still a bit fuzzy, but, it looks like October will mark the beginning of that process.

Brent’s production of ‘My Savior Lord’ served to convince us all that fresh ears will bring a new level of artistry to our sound. You will be able to find that song on itunes on July 27^th. We’ll post something to remind you, of course!

Some of you may know that I have been recording a radio show with Dana, Justin Adams, and Jonathan Madrid called: “Living in the Moment with Richie Fike”. I have had the privelege of interviewing some incredible people on that show. (Jennie Riddle, Brian Doerkson, Jonathan Lee, Chris Eaton, Don Poythress, Matt Brouwer… and the list goes on) You’ll have a chance to start listening to it VERY SOON. Keep an ear or an eye open and we’ll inform you of where to find it.

Also, plans are in the works to do a Spring Tour with our friend Jared Anderson. This idea has been in process for quite a while, and it’s just starting to come to fruition. So, hopefully, we’ll come to your city and bring our new album with us!

I mentioned it in passing for a reason… we are leading worship at Integrity’s Staff Chapel services. The reason I want to highlight this opportunity is because, once again, I find myself searching for a piece of land that has eluded me forever. I live on an island that boasts of a hidden corner of contentment that I have yet to find. I can best describe that piece of land by telling you what it isn’t.

In my life, I vacillate violently back and forth between defeat, insecurity and control, ditches all. One side of this haunted island is filled with a hunger for control… a deep, faithless desire to make of my life what I believe it ought to be. When I find myself living on this side of the island, I can not relent my life to God’s leading. He is not to be trusted, I tell myself. For, I may not ‘get’ what I think ought to be coming to me. When I come to the end of that season, I run towards defeatedness… wallowing in my inability to control anything. I sit still and doubt God all the more. I compare my life not against the example Christ set, but against magazine articles and website campaigns. I grow insatiably idolatrous.

All the while, all I want is to live in that prized corner of the Kingdom where I am walking in obedience to God’s call on my life, and whatever comes of it is just a bonus prize for the ultimate reward: relationship with Jesus.

I can’t seem to land the plane in that corner of the Kingdom.

I say all that to say this: I need you to pray for us (FDB) as we go on this trip. There may well be countless temptations to turn our time at Integrity into a mountain top experience, to FORCE our way into the fulfillment of our dreams. The challenge of ‘living in the moment’ for me is not to let go of the past, (though I understand that, for many, that challenge is seemingly insurmountable), but to release control of the future.

I’m convinced that in this next season of my life, the lesson God is attempting to teach me is to be present in the present. If I approach every moment of my life with open, emptied hands, God will supply all my needs, lead me towards HIS agenda, and protect me from the lies of the enemy. If I live in the now with tomorrow in my mind, I may miss it altogether. God is asking me to trust him completely, serve him unswervingly and release to him any expectation of what I might get in return.

That’s a piece of real estate worth investing in. That’s the land I need to live on. And, I promise you, I have no idea how to get there.

Do you know the way? How have you wrestled with this idea? What have you learned? Am I the only crazy one?

Thanks for all your prayers and support. We (FDB) all really sense your love and care for us. We hope our music continues to bless, challenge, fortify and encourage your faith in Christ. God bless you… and I hope we get to see you real soon!

Peace, hope, love & stillness…

Fike

We’re betting it all on ‘black’ this week. What are those odds, anyway?

Actually, we’re betting it all on ‘Brent’ as in Brent Milligan.

That’s a bit dramatic, but I promise you, that’s exactly how I feel this week. I’m writing this blog, under the express consent of FAA regulations, on Southwest Airlines flight 1244, Denver to Nashville, on Sunday night, May 23rd, 2010. I’m writing with specificity because I want to be able to come back to this post one day years from now and smile at how much my mind wars with my heart. And, I want you to know, because I believe you care, what we’re ‘betting’ on this week.

Late December last year, I had the occasion to meet and connect with Chris Springer, A&R @ Integrity Records. He was very kind. We exchanged #’s, and soon after, I was sending him a copy of ‘Make a Sound’, with the hopes that he would flip out and offer us a record deal on the spot. Not so much. He spoke favorably about the CD, its songs, our hearts, and the musicianship. His one nagging reservation about that particular project was that the ‘sonic quality’ wasn’t as strong as it would need to be to be released under the auspices of Integrity’s fine record company.  This was and is in no way a slight to Sean and his incredible production skills. 90% of people who listen to our album have been and continue to be blown away with the level of musicianship and arrangement that Sean and I come up with. However, we are recording in the basement of Sean’s home, and ‘experts’ can tell.

I asked Mr. Springer what I should do. He said I should put some feelers out to some of the top-notch producers in Nashville, and solicit that producer to work on our best radio song, and that I should utilize my good standing with Integrity Publishing to do so. So, Mike Murray, my good friend at Integrity Publishing helped me do just that. We were pleased with the responses that poured in. Almost all of the guys that we sent songs to responded with interest, but the one that made my heart beat really fast was Mr. Brent Milligan. He was excited about the songs we’d sent him, and was eager to work with us.

Google his name and read the list of incredible artists he’s worked with. It’s impressive. But, the thing that makes us love the idea of working with Brent was and is the fact that he grew up in our hometown, Baton Rouge, LA.

In all our travels, we’d never come across him, but of course we’d heard his work, and heard people talk about how much of a genius he is.

So, the plan was coming together. Great song: check. Great producer: check. Moderately talented Worship Leaders: check.

In one conversation with Brent, after he’d agreed to doing this experiment with us, he said to me: “Fike, I get what we’re doing… one song that will hopefully capture Chris’ attention, and put you in the front of the line for a record deal. That’s cool, man, and I’m down for that, but why don’t you just let me do a full-length album with you. I think we could make something special.”

Ok, I have to admit that though I talk a big game and convey confidence almost as a default, I had to pinch myself when I heard Brent say that. It’s incredible when you start to see God fill in the picture a bit. You dream and you pray and you sweat and you work, and you hope… and then moments like that are like beacons of God’s presence in your life. I was blown away by this moment.

He went on: “Why don’t you call Chris Springer and tell him I said, ‘I’m in… now It’s time for you to be in’… and the needle ought to move.”

We talked tennis and Tiger football a while longer and when the phone hung up, I worshipped God with tears in my eyes… “You are who you say you are” came out of this interchange.

So, I called Chris, told him what Brent had said, and half-way expected him to say, “Right on, Richie! I’m in!”

But, it’s never that easy. He said, “Tell Brent I said ‘prove it’.”

So, that’s what we’re flying to Nashville to do. To prove it.

Everyone seems to believe that ‘MY SAVIOR LORD’ is the song that is best-suited for both radio and the church. So, tomorrow, in some swanky professional studio in Nashville, we’ll spend the day re-recording that song with Brent at the helm.

I’m excited. I’m nervous. I’m terrified. It’s one thing to have a dream. It’s another to put your neck on the line to try to achieve it.

But, I mean it, I know that I know that I know that this is what God is asking of us. We’re dropping several thousand dollars to do this. The check I will write to cover this experiment will be felt. And, I think that’s how God wants it. This is the most dangerous fleece I’ve ever put out there.

Dana, Sean and I would humbly ask you to be praying earnestly for the Lord’s hand of favor to be upon us in the days, weeks and months ahead. We’re also asking the Lord to wake Chris Springer up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat with the names, “Fike & Dana” in his heart. (Not in a horror movie kind of way, but in a ‘lightbulb/Eureka’ moment… like, “I know what I must do” kind of thing)

You may wonder why. Why would we want to pursue a record deal? Why isn’t what we’re already doing enough? Why do we have to get the validation of another company to do what we’re called to do? I would answer all those questions with one word: INFLUENCE. Neither Dana, Sean nor I am interested in fame or accolades. We want to follow the Lord’s call on our lives to be a healing, helping, encouraging voice in the hearts of worshippers world-wide. We feel our calling deeply to share the music and ministry He has entrusted to us. I say that with great humility, I promise you.

So, thanks for your love, support and encouragement to us through the years. We don’t think of any of you as fans, but as friends.

God bless you. We love you. Peace & Stillness…

Fike & Dana

What an interesting year it’s been for us. 2009 was such a paradox of paradigm. At Vanguard, we experienced some serious hardships as we struggled against the American Recession. Nearly every conversation in our staff meetings included a moment where we discussed, pondered, toiled over or celebrated the way the Lord was leading the church body to give. By the end of the year, we had great cause for celebration. It was, in fact, the best year of giving in the history of our Church.

But, the stress and angst of all of those conversations weighed on our hearts like a lead balloon.

Juxtaposed against that angst, Sean, Dana and I had the best year of our musical career. It was incredible to see every goal and dream we had set forth in 2009 come to fruition. The Lord was so kind to us. I’ve written a lot about that in blogs past, so I won’t major on that now… sufficed to say that the two paradigms of my life, (Church life & Music life), were wildly paradoxical. Living in both worlds was a constant re-adjustment… perpetual whiplash.

I posted on my facebook account one day that 2009 wasn’t the easiest year for our Church, but 2010 has already been a different kind of hard.

You may or may not know about the saga of the Hames family, here in Colorado Springs. If you don’t, I would suggest you google ‘David Hames + Haiti’ and read about the season of VALLEY we’ve been walking through as a church. It hasn’t just been the Hames, though. A couple of young men in our church lost their Dad to cancer 4 months ago, and just last week, their mom was murdered in a robbery at their family-owned store, here in the Springs. A young couple from our church’s 2 year old daughter, Eleanor was diagnosed with a unique brand of cancer that overtook one of her kidneys. She’s 2.

It’s been a different kind of hard.

Never before in my ministry career have I felt the weight of shaping and cultivating an accurate view of God and theology from behind my microphone. It has been incumbent upon me to balance out the pain of our circumstances with the truth of our living hope in Christ. I pray I continue to do that well. I lay awake at night asking God really hard questions. I continue to perceive from Him that the answers aren’t near as important as the source of the answers. It matters more that I seek God in this season, than that he satisfy me with ‘all the right answers’. I’d still like some.

That hunger for answers to my questions persist in my music career. This year has been really interesting on that front. The good people at Integrity publishing have been so kind and encouraging towards us in the early stages of our contract with them. They’re super excited about songs like ‘Be Still’, ‘Jehovah’, ‘Outshout the lies’ and ‘That’s why I praise’. And, they’re pitching the songs like crazy to all sorts of talented artists. In fact, just today, we got a Nashville recorded demo of ‘Jehovah’ with Jonathan Lee and a singer named Charmaine singing our song.

I used to think that when you ‘made it’ in the music industry, you’d be on top of the world. Come to find out, ‘making it’ means something quite different that I thought it would. The truth is that Sean and I have ‘made it’ as writers with Integrity. And, listen, that aint nothin’. But, the next pivotal step for Fike & Dana is to figure out to how to crack the barrier on being recognized as artists and leaders.

There are conversations (always with the conversations…) about re-recording ‘My Savior Lord’ from the MAS album with a Nashville producer, and working in tandem with Integrity to saturate the market with that song.

I just found out officially that Worship Leader Magazine is going to print an article I wrote for them about leading our church in worship in the midst of the aftermath of the Hames family tragedy… it’s called ‘Aftershocks’. I am so excited about this. WL Mag has been such a source of encouragement and refinement for me throughout the years. So, to be a part of their efforts is a great honor for me.

We are currently in full-swing production mode on the new album, “The Moment”.
Here’s a song list so far:

Be Still
Outshout the Lies
That’s Why I Praise
Jehovah
The Moment We’ve Been Waiting For
Though You Slay Me
Chosen(God Has Spoken)
In This House
Glorious You Are
I Want Your Heart
Who You Say You Are
We Receive Your Love

There are several other ‘half-songs’ that we’re working on writing and crafting, but these 12 are sure-fire album songs.

So, I’m seeing light at the end of the tunnel, but in the midst of this long season of unanswered questions, I would love it if you would pray for us to hear from the Lord and receive clarity and understanding as to what to do ‘next’.

To be clear, Dana, Sean and I are not chasing the dream of fame and fortune. We are trying to be obedient to the call we perceive from the Lord to pursue and embrace INFLUENCE. We don’t want to be ‘rock stars’. We feel called to be leaders.

So, now that we’ve got this ‘writer contract’ with Integrity, the next step is to either find a label home or get busy co-opting our efforts with Indie Extreme and Integrity to try to change the game from the inside out. This is where my heart is most at rest… in the pursuit of a revolutionary approach to national influence and impact with these songs and the inherent message of Christ.

We covet your prayers and counsel. Thanks for your love and support.

You are the reason Sean, Dana and I stay up until 3 in the morning recording, mixing and perfecting our songs. We have heard so many times from you how the songs have touched you, changed you, blessed you. None of us are interested in fame or fortune (though, paying the bills ain’t all bad)… we want to be a blessing to God’s people and we are praying that our music will compel you to praise the Father.

We love you!

Fike & Dana

You guys that have known us for a while know just how amazed we are that God is doing some of the things he’s doing in our lives in this crazy season. Tonight was one of those ‘pinch me’ moments in our life.

I’ve talked about it a bunch… for 10+ years, I’ve been knocking on the door of Integrity Records, begging for an audience with their leadership, believing that our music belongs on their label. And, for 10 years, that effort had met no avail. 2009 has been the most surprising bless-ride of our lives. All of a sudden, God has opened the floodgates of his kindness to us and our music. It’s been a stunning experience.

The definition of the word SURREAL is this:

 Having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic.

That word took on a very real definition for us tonight, sitting at a large dinner table with the likes of Jared Anderson, Mike Murray, Steve Rice, Mia Fields, Chris Springer, Don Poytress, Jon Egan, Marty Sampson, Jonathan Stockstill, Jennie Riddle, Kari Jobe, Anthony Skinner… and the list goes on and on… but the word that kept ringing in my head & heart was: HUMBLED.

(Tonight was the Integrity Publishing Christmas Dinner Party. It was held in Downtown Franklin, TN at a great restaurant called SOL, where their guacamole is so good, that it is nationally distributed in Health Food Stores. No, I didn’t try it. If you know me, you already knew that. But, Dana loved it! )

I want to make it clear that I am not a worshipper of Christian celebrity, and that, in fact, there is incredible levity gained by spending time talking about poopy diapers and flat tires. But, to be seated at a table with leaders that wield that level of international influence and to feel welcome and respected in that bunch… that is incredibly humbling.

The best part, as I stated in my sermon at Vanguard a couple weeks ago is the fact that I am squarely positioned in the passenger seat. I truly am. And, God knows these roads better than I could ever hope to. He’s driven this route many times over. I will be still and know He is God.  That’s the comfort of serving a King. Thank God we’re not left to our own wisdom to figure this journey out. God is amazing. I promise you.

I had a chance today to co-write with a young artist named Evan Milby, and that was a very cool deal. He’s recording an album that’s being produced by Natalie Grant’s husband, Bernie. I shared ‘Be Still’, ‘I want your heart’, and ‘Jehovah’ with him. I felt a real connection with him. He’s a good dude. Later in the afternoon, Jennie Lee Riddle (writer of ‘Revelation Song’) spent some time helping Dana and I iron out some kinks in a couple songs: “All I really want” and “In This House”. I think we made some great strides with those two songs.  We teased Jennie that she’s like a Ginsu knife, the way she chops through lyric and melody. I promise you, she is incredibly sharp, in more ways than one. What an honor!

We’d love it if you would pray for those two, along with Jonathan Lee and Michael Farrins, who we’ll write with tomorrow. My favorite part of our sessions today was having a chance to pray for Evan. I really think he’s going to have a huge impact on his generation with his music. He’s 19, but gifted well beyond his years.

Anyway, we love you guys. I’m wiping tears away from my face as I think about the incredible level of love and support you have showered upon our family. We hope that our songs communicate to you, for you, with you the great, great love of God.

As I write this, a song came on my ipod that I think you should check out. It’s Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken’s song called “If not for you”

“If not for you, I’d be nowhere at all. Without your love, the sky would fall.”

Great stuff. The journey continues tomorrow…

Love, Grace, Hope, Peace. Stillness.

Fike & Dana

“Who is Like the Father?” featured in the newest Song DISCovery.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 2009) — The powerful single Ascend to Heaven, from the Fike & Dana Make a Sound CD on  Brave World Records/Indie Extreme, was the inspiration for a newly released church choral program.

*CLICK PHOTO TO READ MORE!*

“Who is Like the Father?” featured in the newest Song DISCovery.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 2009) — The powerful single Ascend to Heaven, from the Fike & Dana Make a Sound CD on  Brave World Records/Indie Extreme, was the inspiration for a newly released church choral program. Ascend to Heaven is the title song of this Easter collection, which consists of eight songs,  including Not Just A Story, also from the new Fike & Dana CD. The Easter program was orchestrated and arranged by Dave Clark and produced by Lillenas Music. “Ascent to Heaven: Dynamic Arrangements for Easter” is expected to “breathe new life to the way churches across the nation celebrate the risen Christ”.  Ascend to Heaven,  “with its subtle yet powerful build, moving lyrics, and soul-stirring melody is sure to become a Sunday morning staple in churches across the globe”  states the Nazarene Publishing House website.   In 2008, Fike & Dana were awarded “Song of the Year” at GMA’s Music in the Rockies for their single Ascend to Heaven  and in just one short year this song has touched many. The “Ascend to Heaven” choral collection is now available on the Nazarene Publishing House website (www.nph.com).

The popular Fike & Dana single, Who is Like the Father?  was chosen to be included in the newest Song DISCovery CD released through Worship Leader Magazine. The duet’s single off of their Make a Sound album can be heard on Song DISCovery Volume 80, now available (www.songdiscovery.com).  For more information about Fike & Dana please visit www.fikeanddana.com

 Indie Extreme, LLC (www.indieextreme.com) with offices in Houston, TX and Nashville, TN, provides distribution, marketing, management and administrative services for independent artists and record labels worldwide.  Serving as an umbrella record company since 2006, the Company allows independent artists and their labels to focus their efforts and energies on their creative pursuits while leveraging the Company’s infrastructure for all of the administrative aspects of their business/career.  
   
To learn more about Indie Extreme or our labels, visit http://www.indieextreme.com , call (615) 309-1718 or (281) 890-5034, send an e-mail to Lisa@indieextreme.com or kathyd@indieextreme.com, or write the company at 1507 16th Ave S., Nashville, TN. 37212.
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Hey worship lovers!

Got video production skills? Are you a YouTube junkie?

Pick your favorite song off one of the 3 Fike and Dana CDs, or from the 7 recordings (Baton Rouge Live)...and make a You Tube video inspired by the music! Try to stick to the themes of the songs, as you are creating your masterpiece.

Please title to video: Fike & Dane-Song Name, or Fike & Dana-Song Name-Live from Baton Rouge.

We will judge the videos December 1, and the winner will receive 2 ROUND TRIP TICKETS from/to any major city iin the continental US where Southwest offers service! (Travel dates will need to be between 6 and 12 weeks from winning date).

Good luck, and have fun getting creative! Feel free to respond with any questions!

Thanks!

-Fike & Dana

I’m writing this blog from the dining room table of our miraculous and fabulous RV somewhere between Austin and Dallas Texas. It’s raining outside. We just drove by a pretty major traffic accident. There was a truck upside down and facing the wrong way on the side of the road. Not good. Lord, be with those people.

We’ve had a really great time on this tour. Jonathan Madrid, Sean Mulholland, Chris Fowler, Matt Vincent and Dana’s Dad and step-mom, Gerald & Carol Cotton, are all with us on this trip, and it’s been incredible. We had rented a 15 passy van in New Orleans the first night, and while we were in Baton Rouge, Gerald told us he was off this week, and had nothing to do, so why not let him drive us around Texas in his RV… and we couldn’t think of any reasons to shut him down, plus, I mean, it’s an RV! It’s been incredible, but I need to back up a bit to tell you about the last 4 shows…

Our first gig was at Chapel on the Campus in BR, LA… my home church, and the place where I first gave my heart to the Lord. It’s always a pleasure to spend some time with the good people of the Chapel, and we’ll end the tour there next Sunday at their College service, “Refuge”. My Mom & Dad were there, and it was cool to see them worship together. Kevin McKee, my high school & college pastor, and a continuing influence on my life, preached, and it just was a great day together.

We hurriedly packed up the van to drive out to Livingston, LA. After exiting the interstate, having driven through what can only be described as a monsoon, we passed 3 little country churches before we arrived at ‘Freedom Church’, a little oasis of spiritual life in a very quiet corner of the country. Great church. Great stage. Great people. Great worship. This is the church that Dana gave her heart to the Lord at. It was her first time to sing there as a part of ‘fike & dana’, and I think it was a landmark moment for her life to see so many familiar faces from her past right there, locked into the worship of our Lord. So far, on this trip, that was the best gig for sure. Our band was tight. The Spirit was there. ‘Expectation is the breeding ground for miracles’… and the level of expectation was very high that night. Our good friends Ben & Lori Kennedy were there to see us, and Chiceaux just happened to be in town at the same time, so he kindly helped us out with lyric presentation. It was a great night.

We loaded up the RV the next morning and drove to New Braunfels, TX. We would have likely gotten there by 5 or 6 pm if we had driven the van, but the RV was reason enough to add some hours to our day. We stopped at Freebirds on the way. If you don’t know about freebirds, it’s possible you’ve never eaten a real burrito. Wow.

Mike & Tabitha Clinton had blessed us with a sweet Timeshare in NB, and it was such a beautiful blessing to all of us. Thanks to you two! I can’t tell you how much you blessed us!

Tuesday night, we played at Bandera Road Community Church in San Antonio. Great church. One of their worship pastors is named George Fike… turns out we’re related, but we don’t really know how. I have a distant cousin of a relative named Al Fike who is a Christian comedian. You can google him playing the ‘saw’, and making clean jokes. Ham runs in the family. Anyway, BRCC was a great experience. We felt like we really connected. It’s a really interesting thing to go to a place that has no real connection to you and feeling like you made an impact. Most gigs we tend to get are derivative of relationships we have with either the leader of the church or organization… and there was no real connection like that last night, yet, it felt like the set really worked, and the songs really connected. God is really blessing us on this trip, and we are overwhelmed by his favor.

I’ll stop rambling. Thanks for your prayers. Thanks for your support. We love you all, and are so blessed by your friendship. If you haven’t already, go become ‘facebook friends’ with either Dana Fike or Richie Fike. Dana just opened up her account this week.

Grace. Love. Peace.

Fike & Dana

AWARD WINNING DUO, FIKE AND DANA, FEATURED IN WORSHIP LEADER MAGAZINE

Worship Song “Who is Like The Father” selected for Song Discovery Disc October 2009 Edition

 
     NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 2009) – Braveworld artists, Fike and Dana, represented by the independent label management firm Indie Extreme, received high praise in the July Edition of Worship Leader Magazine. The husband and wife duo were featured in the Worship Radar section with a review of their new worship album, Make a Sound.

“No longer a best-kept secret, the Fikes and their producer/contributing musician Sean Mulholland have released Make a Sound, a dimensional, deep and refreshing new album full of pop-rock – intimate and congregational – worship sure to show up in a service near you soon.”
                                      Andrea Hunter, Worship Leader Magazine

     Make a Sound made enough impact on the staff of WLM to garner a slot for “Who is Like the Father” on the upcoming Song DISCovery CD going out to worship leaders throughout the world who subscribe to the service.

     Fike and Dana are the recipients of the GMA in the Rockies 2008 “Song of the Year” award for their current single “Ascend to Heaven”. The song was released to CCM radio in the spring of 2009 and played on over 115 AC and INSPO stations across the world. Richie Fike has been the worship leader at Vanguard Church in Colorado Springs, CO since 2002. Fike and Dana, along with their band will be performing these songs and more at worship events and conferences throughout 2009 and 2010.

 
     Indie Extreme, which is based in Nashville, Tenn., represents musical acts ranging from folk legend Judy Collins to hit CCM artist Matt Brouwer.  The firm partners with Universal Music Christian Group/Fontana for distribution and retail marketing, along with providing various label services to independent labels.

     For more information about the company, visit http://www.indieextreme.com, call (615) 309-1718 or (281) 890-5034, send an e-mail to Lisa@indieextreme.com or kathyd@indieextreme.com, or write the company at 1507 16th Ave S., Nashville, TN. 37212.

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I was on a boat!

Dana and I just celebrated our 10th year of marital bliss. In fact, TODAY (July, 31, 2009) is our anniversary. I’m writing this blog from a hotel room in fabulous New Orleans, LA., where we’ve both found some of the weight we’d lost before this trip.

Our cruise was really great. Dana and I had a terrific time in both our port stops… Progresso, MX and Cozumel, MX. We figured out that we really like to sit by the beach and talk, and then wade out into the ocean and talk some more. We don’t love snorkeling… another lesson from this trip. Ask me when you see me about the hellish snorkeling experience we had in Cozumel. Wow.

I think, though, that what we were reminded of on this trip is that true wealth in life isn’t measured in money or assets, but in relationships.

When you book your cruise, there are several eating options for the evening meals. You can get a single table, just you and your honey, or you can sit at a table of 8 or at a table of 6, or like we opted for, a table of 10.

This is a crapshoot. You could end up with the most boring, dreary, uppity, high-minded people… or you could land where we did… at table 381.

The very first night, we were laughing and relating to one another like we were old friends. 5 couples who’d never seen the others at the table left that boat fast friends. Jeremy(Bubba) & Amy are from Mississippi. He’s a college teacher with a heart of gold and she’s a medical bill collector who loves her man. Bubba, Jeremy’s alter-ego, is also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. He had us in stitches all week long. He and I won a ‘Kamikaze Karaoke’ contest… trophies and medals… (Kamikaze Karaoke is when you go up to the microphone not knowing what song the host will pick out for you to sing… our song was Sir Mixalot’s Baby got back… hilarity ensued) Josh & Amy are dating. Everyone at the table wants them to get married. He’s an oil-rigger and she works for the Girl Scouts. (She hates the cookies, though… go figure). John & Denise Chrispell have been married for one month. They’re from New York state. So, that was their nick-name… “New York”. John works at Tulane and Denise was a librarian and is in search of a new job as we speak. They were the quietest of our crazy bunch… but they were a lot of fun! Wyn & Kim Hoover are both doctors who live in Alabama. They both graduated from LSU, and believe me when I tell you… I’ve never met anyone like Wyn & Kim. What great people. Kim’s a trip, and Wyn’s a good sport.

In Christian circles, you meet Christian people who do ‘Christian’ things. But, this was a secular cruise, to be sure. And, I’m telling you, by the end of the week, we were as functional a community as any church-plant would ever hope to be. Some of the folks in our group have ties to the Church, and to God… so I’m not saying our bunch was a group of heathens. They are good people getting away from ‘real life’ for 5 days to take in some sunrays and seawater. And, surprisingly, (and I think every one of them would agree with this), the best thing we all took from our cruise together was each other! We did karaoke together every night. We even got ‘381’ arm-art (painted-on tattoos) that displayed our pride in the random acts that brought us together. At the end of the week, as we were eating our last meal together, I had taken the time to write out some discussion questions for us as a group. I stole this idea from David Houle. The questions were folded up and placed in a Carnival Cruise Lines Fun-cup and as you were handed the cup, you would read aloud the question and commence to answering… this was a lot of fun, but I put some depth into some of the questions for good measure.

Before we all separated for good on the last night, I asked the group if they would let me pray for all of us. So, we gathered in a circle on the Promenade Deck and I led us in a prayer. It really was a unique moment in my life that I’ll never forget. Who knows what any of these people know/think about God/Jesus. Who knows whether what I prayed made any impact on them at all… but it was a divine moment, and I think God used me and Dana to display what a real relationship with Jesus looks like in the flesh.

Dana and I will continue to pray for the 381ers… I can promise you that.

God blesses us through our relationships. Dana and I had some time to think about the incredible wealth of relationships we’ve been blessed with. We have a big, beautiful, albeit dysfunctional, family… Moms, Dads, step-moms, uncles, cousins, etc… and they’re all good people. We have a little boy in our lives who fills up our hearts with hope, joy, wonderment and adventure. Justus Fike has won the hearts of every person he’s met. He’s that special. We have an incredible small group in the Springs that is our lifeline of balance and integrity… the Settlers are more than friends; they’re family. My best friend, Brian Pape, is an unending source of affirmation and encouragement in my life. He’s always got ears for me. I have an unmistakably unique Pastor in Kelly Williams. If you don’t know him, get to know him. He’s amazing, and I attribute so much of the good character I possess to his leadership in my life. I serve on an impeccable staff at Vanguard Church. You can’t believe how hard these good people work to serve the community of faith that is Vanguard Church. And, the Worship Team I lead over… you want to see pure gold? Come check out these fine people. And, my musical partner… and maybe my best friend in the Springs, Sean Mulholland… what a blessing he is in my life.

I really could go on and on and on…

All that to say that these ‘381ers’ really made an impact on me and Dana. The idea that we made friends that we hope will be with us for a long, long, time, all in the span of 5 days on a boat!?! It’s incredible what God will use to capture your attention.

So, my message to you today, on my 10th Wedding anniversary is this:

Cherish the people in your life AND open up your heart for more. God’s wealth is measured in relationships.

We love y’all…

There’ll be more music talk the next time around.

For those of you who were super-curious and maybe a little bit frustrated by the ambiguity of my last post (the one about July 20th), I still can’t say much about it. I’ll say this, though… there is a major record label that is expressing very real interest in us both as published writers and as signed artists. We’re going to take the talks slow and easy. Neither they nor us want to rush into anything. They’re loving our music, and want to find out more about us as people.

So, if you want to help us out, respond to this post with your feelings about Fike & Dana, not just our music, but the kind of people you think we are…

Peace!

 I wanted to tell you guys about some cool stuff, and have you pray for us about something potentially amazing that is currently ‘blipping’ on our radar. 

First, go out and buy the new edition of WORSHIP LEADER MAGAZINE. Flip to the review section, and… BAM!!! You’ll find a ‘Worship Radar’ Review of MAKE A SOUND that I think you’ll really enjoy. 

We found out yesterday that ‘Who is like the Father’ will be included on WL MAG’s SONG DISCovery CD for that accompanies their September/October issue. Every Worship Pastor I know uses SONG DISCovery as a means for finding out about new music. We couldn’t be more honored that they’re going to use one of our songs on their compilation. WOW!!! 

I got a phone call… (This next part will be a little cryptic, sorry)… yesterday, and I want so badly to tell you all about it.

I feel like I shouldn’t communicate the details, though, because it could affect the outcome of what might happen. Titillated, yet? I know, right!?!?!?

Here’s what I need you to do… pray that the favor of the Lord would be upon the group of people that will be discussing our music on Monday, July 20^th. I won’t say any more, except that this could be HUUUUGE for us, and for the life of our songs… which of course would only bring more glory to our God, which is the most important thing any of us should care about…

I know I haven’t said much, but trust me… this could be a momentous occasion in the ministry life of Fike & Dana.

Thanks for your love, prayer, and support. We LOOOOVE you guys!

And, if you’re not doing anything on Saturday night, and you’re close to Colorado Springs, CO, come see us at Rocky Mountain Calvary on Academy Blvd. for their 6 pm Worship Service. We’d love to see you there!

Fike

What a summer…

This has been, already, a great year for Dana and I. And, this summer could turn out to be one of the best summers we’ve ever had.

Our son, Justus, is a stud. He’s cracking us up all the time. He’s reminding us of how incredible life really is, and how special every day is. He’s teaching us what it means to CHERISH. I think when you’re ‘young’, you don’t have the capacity to do that. The sheer size of his T-Ball helmet in relation to the size of his 4 year old, albeit substantial, head is a subject I could write paragraphs about… I’ll save you the torture, but trust me. It’s hilarious.

This summer marks our 10 year wedding anniversary. We’re getting older. I can honestly say that I love Dana Cotten Fike more today than the day we married. She lights up my life. (I think she would say the same about me, but you’ll have to ask her yourself). To celebrate our marital bliss, we’re going on a cruise… our first. We’ll be sailing the seas, baby! And, no, it’s not a Christian Artists’ cruise. It’s Carnival… pizza buffets and all. We’re both on diets in preparation for our time on the water. We are sooooo excited about doing NOTHING for a whole week. I can’t explain to you how exhilarating I anticipate it being to have zero responsibilities for an entire week. Wow.

Here’s a quick update on all the Fike & Dana Happenings…

We released ‘Ascend to Heaven’ to radio in April and we’ve seen incredible responses internationally. I did a radio interview with a station in New Zealand a couple weeks ago. Wild. We’re also big in Peru. For some reason, the East Coast is digging our chili a lot. Pennsylvania, Kentucky, New Jersey, Connecticut, and even Maine… shout outs to y’all! Thanks for requesting our music. Please keep doing so!

We’re thinking of releasing ‘You Called My Name’ as the next radio single. What do you think? Respond to this blog with your opinion of what ought to be the next radio single we release? Choose any song off of the ‘Make A Sound’ CD, and tell us which one you want to hear on your radio station! And, if you don’t have the MAKE A SOUND album, by all means, stop by our web-store on www.fikeanddana.com and purchase a copy, or you could download it on itunes. When you do, write a review for us… and make it amazing.

We’ve also been writing and arranging a bit lately. 3 songs, ‘Outshout the Lies’, ‘Never Be the Same’, and ‘The Moment We’ve Been Waiting For’, are surfacing as potential album songs right now. We’ve been jamming (Dana, Sean, Matt, & Joel Pinson) and creating a new process for song creation. It’s really fun. We’re talking about recording an EP in the fall and maybe releasing a single through itunes. (Vanguardians, we’ll intro ‘The Moment’ this coming weekend. After you hear it, tell me which of those three you’d want us to record first as a single for itunes!)

Our affiliation with Indie Extreme has been awesome. Through a partnership with them, we’ve signed a distribution contract with Universal Records that will get our music ‘out there’, everywhere. Watch out, world…

MAKE A SOUND will be reviewed in the July/August issue of Worship Leader Magazine. Go out and buy it, and send their editor an email thanking them for the review. We’re incredibly honored to see this kind of attention paid to our music. It’s amazing.

In the Fall, we’re heading back to Texas & Louisiana for a 2 week tour. I’ll post all the tour dates for you Fike & Dana fans down there. Come out and see us! We’d love to connect with you while we’re in your zip code. We’re going to be doing weekend trips, hopefully once a month in 2010. I’m setting up a lot of gigs for us right now in preparation for next year. I’ll keep you posted.

Watch out for Fike & Dana on Twitter. We’re setting that up this week. Become a friend of mine on facebook… look up Richie Fike. Check us out on MySpace.com… or just come say ‘hi’ at Vanguard.

What’s up with you? What’s your summer shaping up to look like? Where are you traveling? What festivals are you planning on attending? What music are you listening to? We want to hear from you!

We covet your prayers and appreciate your love and support. Thanks for letting our music be a part of your story. We’re so glad to know that God is at work in your lives!

Fike & Dana

Hey guys! Recently I just did a bunch of radio interviews. To listen just click on the links below and let me know what you think! Thanks!

Interview #1 Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Interview #2 Here!