New Album and DVD: Live at Home - Cageless Birds

“Live at Home” is the first creative adventure of our collective Cageless Birds. The idea for this album was born one day when we were dreaming out loud together. We fell into one of those moments where beautiful “what if” statements started cascading upon one another.

Our conversation sounded something like this...

What if we recorded an album in our house?
What if invite everyone in our band to record one of their songs for the album?
What if we recorded the whole album in one week?
What if we video each song, so that everyone could see what’s happening in this community?
What if we made this project a true story and didn’t overdub or gloss over the mistakes?
What if we let it be a real live album...

One of us said ‘this is crazy’ and both of us said ‘let’s do it.’ And so we did.

We are very excited to share with you this project that came from our community stepping out on the water.

Jonathan David & Melissa Helser 2014

To purchase this album/DVD and see all the videos please visit www.cagelessbirds.com

From One Generation to the Next

On my 19th birthday my Dad gave me a big black leather Thompson chain reference Bible. I suppose that’s not the most popular gift for a 19 year old boy, but for me it was a treasure beyond words. Tucked inside the bible was a handwritten prophetic word from my Dad that I still have today.  The word was that our relationship was going to be like that of Solomon and David's. If you remember, David dreamed of building a house for God, but his dream was made into reality through his son Solomon.  The giants that David slew, the wars that he fought, and the life that he lived before God, became the bridge for this son to walk upon into his destiny.  The floor that Solomon began with was the ceiling of the glorious life that David lived. Sixteen years later, that prophetic word has come to pass in extraordinary ways here at "A place for the Heart."

In 1986 my parents took a radical step of faith to buy 52 acres of land to build "A Place for the Heart".  I was only 8 years old when the provision miraculously came in.  I can still remember the rush of faith and excitement the day we purchased the land.  My Dad has dreamed so many dreams over this land and he has given his life to prepare a place for those dreams to become a reality.  In 2000 my wife Melissa and I joined them.  We have been able to walk across the bridges he has built and do things we could have never done on our own.  In our first year here, Melissa and I launched our first summer camp for high school students. Out of the summer camps came a discipleship school for college students. This year we will be hosting our seventh school called the "18 Inch Journey." We have had students from over a dozen nations come through these gates and have their lives forever changed. One of the highlights of these schools is being able to lead them with my Dad. It has been incredible to watch my Father become a spiritual Father to the students and impart his legacy to the next generation.  We are truly living out John 4:36 "The sower and the reaper will rejoice together."

As we approach the seventh year of our school we have completely out-grown our facilities. This summer we will have nearly 70 staff and students as a part of our school. Right now, we only have two 16-person bunkhouses for students and we need more space. Our vision is to build a new cottage before our next school in June 2014. This will provide for another 32 bunks for students. We believe that one bunk can change the world. We are looking for those who would like to partner with us in this dream. The cottage costs $250,000 and our dream is raise this money before the school starts. 

From Papa Ken's heart"

I love my boys language:  "One bunk can change the world."  But more than his language, I love his heart.  When I read what he wrote I felt like I wrote it. That's because we both are in sync with God's heart.  Knowing that reality gives me the boldness to ask for funds. In the same way David asked the people when they built Solomon's temple, because it's not for me, but for the generation ahead of me.  At 69 years of age I will not see the fullness of fruit that God has in mind for this place.  Yet, my vision lies beyond my grave.  I'm asking you not to just support another ministry that's holding out hands, asking for alms.  NO.  Rather, I am asking that you plant something into the Kingdom leaders that will go beyond your own grave, that will continue to expand for generations to come. 

To support this dream and give online click here or visit http://18inchjourney.com/18/support.html

You can also send a check for a tax deductible donation to 

A Place for the Heart

4228 Beckerdite Rd.
Sophia, NC 27350 

Meet a Cageless Bird: Joel Case

Melissa and I met Joel Case five years ago this autumn.  We first met him at a worship gathering in his hometown of Boston. I will never forget the first time we heard Joel lead worship. From the first note he sang, we could feel the destiny in our friendship with Joel.

Later that year, Joel applied for the 2009 "18 Inch Journey." It was our second year of running our school, so Joel was only one of eleven students. I can't put into words what an incredible summer we had with Joel.  We truly fell in love with Joel's heart and knew that he was going to run with us in the future.  As the school was coming to a close, we invited Joel to come and do an internship with us. He joyfully said yes and made the big move to Sophia, NC.

In the first week of Joel's internship, we found out that he was not only an amazing worshiper, but he was also an incredible drummer.  Melissa and I had been asking the Lord to send us an amazing drummer for years and suddenly the answer was right in front of us. One of the highlights of Joel's internship was the privilege of traveling the world playing drums with us and then getting to play drums on our two albums "On the Shores" and "Endless Ocean, Bottomless Sea." We couldn't have dreamed of a more incredible drummer and a faithful friend.

After his internship, Joel joined us on staff and has been here the last four years. Joel does much more than play drums with us. He is a dynamic leader at our schools, he is pioneering new sounds in our studio, he is a worship leader in our community and most of all he is a man knows that he is the Fathers Beloved.

We couldn't have pulled off this new album "Live at Home" without Joel's creativity, musicianship, technical skills and hard work.  Joel's song on the album is titled the "Lord is My Light." He wrote this song while he was a student in the "18 Inch Journey" and his song has become an anthem of our community. Joel's songs have the ability to take you into the presence of the Lord from the first note. Check out his video recorded live from our house and you will know what I am talking about. You can see it below or at www.cagelessbirds.com

Live at Home - Videos

Over the next nine weeks we will be releasing a new video from our project Cageless Birds “Live at Home.”  Each Tuesday we will release a new video leading up to the album release on Jan. 24-25th.

"Live at Home" is the first creative adventure of our collective Cageless Birds. The idea for this album was born one day when Melissa and I were dreaming out loud together. We fell into one of those moments where beautiful "what if" thoughts started cascading upon one another. Our conversation sounded something like this....

"What if we recorded an album in our house?....”

“What if invite everyone in our band to record one of their songs for the album?....”

“What if we recorded the whole album in one week?....”

“What if we videoed each song so that everyone could see what's happening in this community?....”

“What if we made this project a true story and didn't overdub or gloss over the mistakes?....”

“What if we let it be a real live album?....”

One of us said ‘this is crazy’ and both of us said ‘let's do it.’  And so we did.  We are very excited to share with you the nine videos and ten-song album that came from pursuing all of our ‘what if’ thoughts.  Please visit cagelessbirds.com for more.

Jonathan & Melissa

Cageless Birds Website is Here!

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have launched the website for our new music and arts collective: Cagelessbirds.com

Our first endeavor as a community is a live worship album called "LIVE AT HOME" that we recorded in our living room last December. We will be releasing live videos for each song leading up to the album release this coming January.

In addition, we will be hosting six
CAGELESS BIRDS GATHERINGS throughout 2014!

Thank you for all of your prayer and support as we grow, and we look forward to sharing more with you this fall!

A night of Worship with John Mark and Sarah McMillan

Fifteen years ago, John Mark McMillan, Melissa and I attended a school of worship together. We were a bunch of wild and passionate teenagers who had some incredibly squeaky voices and were just stumbling into this thing called worship. The leader of our school was more than just a teacher, he was a true spiritual father.  Just like a wise gardener can see a harvest in the smallest seed, this father saw the greatness hidden in our young hearts.  I will never forget the moment when he stopped in the middle of his teaching and spoke over us, "You are going to write songs that thousands are going to sing." When I heard those words I thought it seemed too good to be true.  Here we are 15 years later and the words of this father have come to pass. I have stood on the shores of nations thousands of miles away and heard the lyrics and melodies of my friend John Mark being sung by a generation.  Join us on October 19th at the Carolina theater in Greensboro, NC as we share the stage with John Mark and his lovely wife Sarah. Not only are these two of my favorite songwriters and worship leaders in the world, they are also my very dear friends. Its going to be more than an event,  but a celebration of friendship and family.  For more information please go to www.jonathanhelser.com

The Opening Dinner

The Opening Dinner of the 18 Inch Journey (a 60 day heart school) is essential to who we are.  As a community, we spend a substantial amount of face time around the table.  From everyday dinners to birthday celebrations, we gather around the table year round. 

It’s fitting that we begin every 18 Inch Journey around the table.  

On June 1, we welcomed our 31 new students to their place at the table.  It’s always a joy to see the fresh faces as they eagerly walk up the hill to the Farmhouse.  We assign each student to a specific table and designate their place with a special name tag.  Recently, we expanded the kitchen in the Farmhouse and it is our joy to cook meals.  Jonathan and Melissa opened the night by welcoming the students.  Then the first of four small groups read their declarations over the students.  We enjoyed each course of the meal followed by declarations.  After dessert and the last group of declarations, the students introduced themselves and shared what they’re looking to get out of the 18 Inch Journey.  We ended the night by praying over each student and agreeing with the plans of the Father for this summer.

A summer in the woods can change your life.  The gluten free chocolate cake from Linda Helser can help.  Jesus made breakfast for His boys on the beach and emphasized the importance of meals with many stories in scripture centered around food.  He spent time around food and modeled family time around the dinner table.  We believe a generation will find their identity as sons and daughters when they find their place at the table.  The table is not just a place for your cup and plate.  The table is a place for stories and a place where brothers and sisters share their hearts.  So we began at the table on June 1 and we will continue to spend many more meals around the table.  The journey from the head to the heart begins with the invitation to find our place at the table.  May we taste and see that the Lord is good and in so tasting find ours identities in Him.