michael sheehan

I was born and raised in the New England area. I grew up in a typical American family with great parents, a brother, and a sister. It always appeared to me that we were rich because of the luxury of having a summer home and such. Gosh was I disappointed when my mother informed me otherwise. My Dad was a big rig driver for UPS. Often, my mother would say, "Son, you better shape up, or we are going to ship you out." You can understand why that statement would make a child nervous.

In 1989, I actually shipped out, not for behavioral reasons, but to join the tremendous team of our armed forces. I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. I choose the Air Force for several reasons. One being that my father had been in the Marine Corp and made the mistake of describing their grueling boot camp in detail. Strangely enough, it just didn’t appeal to me after hearing such a thing. My time in the service was invaluable. I met many fine people, learned many things, and well, grew up. It was also during the course of these years that I came to know Jesus on a personal basis, began writing songs, and even met my future wife.

In the end of 1992, I relocated to Louisiana. After being here for a short time, I understood all too well why this area was known as the Bible Belt as the people of this region often experience temperatures quite comparable to Hades, and it has apparently convinced the majority of them not to take any chances.

In February of ‘94, I married the love of my life, Gwendolyn. She is truly my greatest blessing. If you don’t believe me, just ask her. Today we have five fine strapping lads. Sure, I’ll repeat that last line. I often do a double take myself. Today, we have five fine strapping lads….better known as BOYS - 100% pure, capable of eating an entire week’s worth of food in a single day, staying up for 20 hours straight maintaining an energy level strong enough to win a triathlon, and can turn any local Wal-Mart into their own personal obstacle course. Yet everyday I think to myself, "What would life be like without one of these little men?" They are the best.

In the midst of all these events, I developed a desire to preach His Word and have had the honor to do so many times over the course of the last 10 years. Without a doubt, one of my greatest passions has been songwriting for Christ. It is like going on a small trip with Jesus, just Him and me. It is a place where giving and receiving takes place. I listen, learn, and share my heart with Him as He shares His with me. It is out of these times predominantly that the songs I have written are birthed. I have come to love it more than I would have ever imagined.

I am a simple person by nature, easily entertained, thankful for the little things done for me, do what must be done everyday, and feel good about accomplishing something and moving forward. I strive to be real to everybody I meet and humble in everything I do. Since my first meeting with Christ, my life has been like a story being written, and I feel at times that I am just along for the ride. It is His presence that I have come to depend on and cherish. I am so grateful for Him. When I was young, I thought that I was rich. Now, I know that I am rich because of Who God is and His promises toward me.

Michael Sheehan