Mat Getsi: News

Yes, I know that I am late getting this next blurb out...but it's a very busy time of year. Anyway, there's not much to say about, "Jesus Loves Me" as I didn't write this one. But sometimes at church I enjoy taking an old standard hymn and seeing just what I can do with it to spunk it up a bit. This was the case with this song. Other people must appreciate the idea, too, because this song is rated # 2 in digital downloads (from the album) on sites like Napster, I-Music, Rhapsody, etc. And I have to admit...the recording of this song was an absolute blast. My brother, Jean and my nephue, Chuck came up to Kentucky to put the vocal harmonies on it. We had a great time...laughing, sarcastic comments, and just trying some totally cooked-out ideas for harmonies.
And as if that wasn't enough, my excellent friends, Shelley Parkerson and Diane Ott came and added some praise at the end of the song. In the end, I think the fun we were having transferred well onto the recording. After all, it should be fun to be Christian...for the Joy of the Lord is Our Strength! BE STRONG IN CHRIST. AMEN.

O:K Campers, now we're to song # 5, "Praise Your Name." Verse 1 pretty much tells the story behind this one.
One day I went to the Church to pray. I was discouraged, tired, and just wanted to go and rest in the Lord. But as soon as I got there and started into a slow, quiet, relaxed prayer, the Holy Spirit told me to go to the piano and worship God.
As tired as I was, that was the last thing I wanted to do, but I was obedient and dragged my feet over to the piano. I played a few chords and then..."Praise Your Name" flowed out like water. And the remarkable thing is that after I prayed that song, I felt completely renewed, energized and refreshed. Sometimes God just needs a tiny sacrifice of obedience on our part, to do wondrous things in and through us. He is truly awesome and will not be out-done in gererosity. Praise His Name.

Hello Everyone! This week will mark the release of the 2nd single from the "Deeper" CD. "Faith To Move A Mountain" will be hitting the stations, hopefully building on the momentum of the first release.
Web-site traffic is at an all-time high, and I believe this is a good sign. Hopefully it will continue to rise with the 2nd single and really take off on the 3rd.
Current projections are that in mid to late May 2007, I may be doing a 6-8 week tour in Canada and parts of the U.S. We'll see.
But I thank you for logging in and keeping up with what's going on. The next "About the Songs" article should be forthcoming in about 2 days...so keep posted. God's Peace.

The reports are in! In addition to the stations mentioned previously that are playing the first release ("Only You"), CJMR in Oakville, Ontario has added it to their playlist. Special thanks to all the folks in Canada who are requesting the song.

Now we finally come to the song that's being played all over Canada right now..."Only You." So here it is...
Throughout the majority of my life, I craved to hear that I was loved. Most people have this longing, but mine was very intense and unrelenting. And I found that my need to be loved was so great, that no one human being would ever be able to fill it. In fact, no 20 or 30 or 100 people could fill this need. Even as a child I often turned to God for comfort, but did not begin to understand that only God could meet my EVERY need until my mid 30's. I gradually stopped looking to others to feel love, affection and a sense of belonging. Now I get all of those things directly from God.
Now this is not to say that I envision myself as an island that needs no one. I know that we were created as social beings. But I don't "depend" on other beings to meet my needs anymore...for only God can do that. I do, however, very much enjoy interaction with others and am always thankful for kindness I receive.
Actually, I think that I can now interact with others better and appreciate them more BECAUSE I don't rely on them to do what they simply can't do.
One night as I was seeking God to soothe a bout of loneliness, I decided to take my acoustic guitar onto the front porch and sing my prayer. After praying this song (some might say writing this song) I came back into the house. My spiritual son, James and his friend, Richie asked me to play the song I had just been working on. I played it and they both fell in love with it. Richie had tears in his eyes and I could tell that he could relate to it.
So now the song is on the air in Canada (soon to be followed by the release of "Faith To Move A Mountain") and I hope that it is finding it's way into people's hearts there...perhaps inspiring them to draw closer to God.
Please pray for my ministry and for the conversion of sinners all over the world. Our world is so sinful that judgement is inevitable. Please pray much and often. (Mat Getsi)

"Faith To Move A Mountain" has a story behind it and very much comes from personal experience. One Sunday morning I was leading praise & worship at Cool Springs Ministry Center in Corbin, KY. Pastor Greg Maynard talked about faith and how only the faith of a mustard seed was required to do great things. Most of us don't even have that much. He stated that he didn't have as much as the average mustard seed either, but he felt he had just enough to move the heart of Jesus. It was a take on faith I had never heard before.
After service that day, I grabbed my acoustic guitar, a notepad and pen and went to the park. I actually felt compelled to go to the park and wait for revelation. As soon as I sat on the park bench and pulled out the guitar, the first verse and chorus flowed right out.
And upon thinking for a brief second about a friend of mine who's life was being destroyed by drugs, verse 2 poured forth. My friend is currently in jail and desperately needs prayer. If you could add my friend, Bryan to your prayer list, I'd appreciate it.
Anyway, the song is from the heart (actually I don't even feel like I wrote it. It feels more like my mind tapped into this heavenly library and I simply downloaded it into my brain.) and very much comes from personal experience. And I believe that if you are open to be led by God (as the bridge talks about), He'll give you the right words at the right time, and it might just surprise you (and increase your faith). God's Peace.

"Don't Be Left Out in the Cold" was a collaboration between my friend, Tim Huff and myself. The parable of the 10 bridesmaids (or virgins, depending on the translation) is really relevant for our time. I wanted to write a song that told the parable and explained it as well. What a task to try to put to music! Anyway, it took us three or four evening sessions to get it done, but we got the words worked out.
The basic point of the parable, I think, is that it is not enough to call yourself a Christian and put forth a minimum of effort. To be a loosely based Christian affiliate is to miss it completely. To assure your place in the Kingdom, you must strive to fill your mind, heart, physical surroundings, ears (as in w/music and the Word), with Godly things. Fill your lamp with oil. We are in a dark time, and it appears the darkness is growing thicker. If there was ever a time when having your lamp filled so that you have the wisdom it takes to navigate this turbulant period in human history, it is now. And don't be a sloth and think that you can always take care of that when the time is a bit more crucial. The message of the parable is that when you know beyond a doubt that the crucial moment is here, it will be too late to start filling your lamp (your heart and mind) with faith and Scriptures and build a rapore with God. Don't be like the foolish bridesmaids who, though they were meant to be at the banquet, blew it because they just couldn't find the time for Him in their busy lives. Make time NOW! And Don't Be Left Out in the Cold.

All Praise, Honor & Glory
It's obvious from the start that this song does not tell of any personal experience. This song was my attempt to write a song that praised God for who He is...while keeping things upbeat and energetic. There's nothing deep or hidden here, just one of God's chosen trying to find more ways to praise God. As a music minister and P&W leader, I am amazed at how little God's people know about praise. Do I feel like an expert?...absolutely not. Most of the time when I'm trying to praise or worship God, I feel that I don't know what I'm doing at all. I believe this is because true worship has very little to do with how or what we sing and play; true worship is: serving the poor, the lonely, the hungry, the oppressed...this is the kind of worship God wants. Good and kind deeds are what stir His heart to sing. If you are doing these things, then when you praise & worship God with song, he will here and be glad. Praise God in all you think and say and do. Alleluia.

A dear friend of mine, Ann Black (formerly Ann Sandhoft) said that she felt many people were interested in knowing how the songs (on the CD) came to be. Most people who know me personally know that practically all of my songs come from personal experiences and how faith has helped me to perceive them. But to know the stories behind the songs is something most listeners don't often enjoy. So I am beginning a new blog entry where every two or three days, I will tell about each song and where the inspiration came from. So tune in every few days for the inside scoop. And as always, I ask you to pray often and with great intensity for the world around us...it needs it. God's Peace.

Hello everyone! The news is in from Ministry Networks in Canada. "Only You" is now on FIVE stations in Canada as follows: CKJS - Manitoba / CIBW - Alberta / CHIC FM - Montreal / Guelph Web Radio - Ontario / and CVCR - Nova Scotia. I'm really hoping that it will continue to do better and better. "Faith to Move a Mountain" will be released on November 1st in Canada, so possibly the momentum will pick up. But I guess the important thing to remember is this: It may be nice to be on the radio, but what really matters (now and always) is being in the center of God's will. Everything else (no matter how seemingly important) is secondary. So Keep the Faith and Praise God until you see His Glory fall...that takes some serious praise...so get busy, dude!

Hello everyone! It's been a while since the last update. "Only You" was released to about 500 stations about a month ago...and keep in mind that it sometimes takes two months or more for a radio station to get to it's mail. Anyway about 6 stations have reported in so far, and "Only You" is getting air-play on three of them. Here are the stations in Canada that are playing the song: CHIC FM in Montreal / Guelph Web Radio in Guelph, Ontario / and CVCR in Nova Scotia. So please continue to pray that God will bless this CD and the ministry. Thanks and God Bless.

Hi everyone,
I must apologize for not keeping things updated better. But it seems like things are going nowhere (no news) or SOOOO busy that there's no time for writing. So here's the nutshell! Mt. Vernon Community House has contacted me about doing a concert on a Saturday in September for their Youth Night. A friend of mine is working on setting something up @ Northside Baptist Church. This may not happen at all, but he's hoping to get it set up. Other than that, it appears to be a time of Spiritual Growth. The message that I've been getting lately is that time is short and there is a great need for repentance. People have become blind to the many ways that they offend God. In our "anything goes" culture, spiritual accountability is viewed as bigotry and prejudice. But I'm here to tell you..."Sin is Still Sin and Wrong is Still Wrong"...no matter what our culture says. I beg all readers to take an inventory of their lives weekly (or at least monthly) to determine if they are living a life that is pleasing to God or whether they have lost the path (or at the very least, gotten a bit sidetracked). Please pray often and make sacrifices (do things that are inconvenient for you - especially things that help others). This is pleasing atonement in God's sight. Well, thanks for spending a moment with me and God's peace be upon you.

After multiple band member changes, things have come full circle. Now my backing band is none other than Joe Allen (Bass / BGVs) and James Allen Stanley (Drums). So it looks like New Frontier is up and running. Though officially, we are not called that now, it's still kind of cool. Some new additions to the band are the T.C. Helicon Voiceworks which adds some super smooth harmonies to the vocal arrangements, and of course the new synth rack (played by the Q-80 sequencer) adds keyboards and others sounds to the mix, while freeing me up to play guitar. So we're a three piece, but sound much bigger. God is good. And I knew if I didn't get discouraged about the constant changes in the band, things would work out...and they did. Groove on and Praise God Always.

Mat Getsi w/James Stanley will be heading up music for the Pentecost Mass at the close of the 2006 Spirit & Truth Conference on June 3rd at Lexington Catholic High School, 2250 Clays Mill Rd., Lexington, KY. Guest Speakers will be Stephanie Wood, Jesse Romero & Johnette Benkovic. The conference is sponsored by 1380 ReaLife Radio. Adults = $12, Youth 12-18 = $5. Registration: 859-278-0881

Mat Getsi will be playing at the National Day of Prayer meeting on Thursday, May 4, 2006 at 12:00 noon. The gathering, sponsored by the Kentucky Baptist Association and the Rockcastle Co. Ministerial Association, will take place in front of the Rockcastle County Court House. If there is any way possible for you to attend this service (or any Natl. Day of Prayer service), please do so. Be a witness to the people around you that...Yes, Prayer IS Important. Thanks.

Hello everyone! There are 2 stations now that are playing "Only You" on their weekly shows. Please contact them and encourage them to keep up the good work. The stations are: Cornerstone KXUL, Monroe, LA, http://kxul.com and WJXB - B97.5 FM in Knoxville, TN, cwade@sccradio.com.

On a recent phone call with Chris Wade of WJXB in Knoxville, TN, he stated that he loved the song and would begin airing the song this week. If you're in the Knoxville/Oak Ridge area of TN, please give them a listen. Better yet, give them a call and encourage them to play "ONLY YOU" by Mat Getsi. Thanks and God Bless You All.

The single, "Only You" has gone out to the remaining stations on the list. Here are the rest of the stations that YOU need to encourage to play it: The Fish 95.9 - Glendale, CA / World Radio Network - Pharr, TX / KCMS - Seattle, WA / KOBC - Joplin, MO / KTCU - Fort Worth, TX / Three Angels Broadcasting Network - W. Frankfort, IL / WAY FM - Franklin, TN / WGRN - Greenville, IL / WRCM - Charlotte, NC / WRVL - Lynchburg, VA / WSAE - Spring Arbor, MI and KLRC - Siloam Springs, AR.

Hello Campers! The First Radio Release, "Only You" went out on March 4th, 2006. This was a limitted mailing (only 19 stations), but the remainder will go out this week to approximately 30 more stations. So far the stations mailed to are as follows: CHRI, Ottowa, Ontario / KXUL, Monroe, LA / KPFA, Berkeley, CA / KOHO, Leavenworth, WA / KCWJ, Kansas City, MO / Kingdom Keys Network, Amarillo, TX / Solid Gospel, Nashville, TN / Sound of Light, Spartansburg, SC / WDCR, Cedarville, OH / WETN, Wheaton, IL / WMHK, Columbia, SC / Rejoice Broadcast Network, Pensacola, FL / KPLL, Lewiston, ID / KEEH, Spokane, WA / KGTS, College Place, WA / KPLW, Wenatchee, WA / KYPL, Yakima, WA / WJXB, Knoxville, TN / His Kids Radio, Grand Rapids, MI. If you know anyone in or near any of these cities, encourage them to call and ask for "Only You" as often as they can. Thanks.

Mat Getsi will be leading Praise & Worship for the Community Good Friday Service at First Christian Church on Main St. in Mt. Vernon. When: April 14, 2006 @ 7:00 PM. Everyone is welcome!

I've been asked several times why the Psalms CD isn't on the web-site. Good question. I think its because there's only so much time in a day, and I seem to run out way before everything gets done. But I will do my best to get this one posted on CD-Baby and on the Web-site in the next two weeks. Wish me luck.