I feel as though I entered a cave and three days later suddenly emerged. Not sure where the last three days have gone, but I do know that there has been a lot of long work hours and some amazing music going on. Please know that I am not complaining  Camping out in a recording studio is probably one of my favorite places on earth!!

Watching my producer get the very best out of the musicians who are already at the top of their game is a thrill to watch. The creativity and the expertise is pretty astonishing. What also amazes me is how through the direction and wisdom of my producer Jeff McCullough, I am also able to give my very best. It is a growing and stretching experience for me to be pushed vocally and emotionally in ways I have never been pushed before and see the fruit of that captured in sound.

Thank you all for the persistent prayers. It is humbling to see how God responds. His faithfulness is overwhelming. Thank you for going to the throne on behalf of me, my family, the ministry of music and all of us that are pushing through to see this to completion.

God is so much bigger than it all and it is truly an honor to be a part of something that he is doing.

PRAYER REQUESTS
Continued health and strength as we finish off the vocals
For our families at home
Doors to open so that many have the opportunity to hear this music

Sometimes we (and by we, I mean, I) are on a journey and in the middle of our journey it intersects with someone else's journey. My journey is not about me, it's about what God is going to do with and through me to shape me so that I may be a part of another's journey so that that they, in turn, can be a part of someone else's.

Love God, Love others. The mission and the call is clear.

Today as I was traveling, I entered California at a different point than I normally do. So the drive was new...pretty much a two lane highway through the desert, but at one point in the middle of nowhere, I came across what I thought was an interesting structure. It seemed so out of place, like it was in the middle of nowhere. I decided to pull over and check it out. What I quickly discovered was that the structures were the remnants of a fire. The shoes dangling over the rafters were tributes to lives lost and the graffiti messages were memorials to loved ones gone.

As I stood there, I thought of those who passed and I prayed for those left behind to pick up the pieces, those whose lives are forever changed, those who mourn.

I don't know what happened, but what I do know is that for a moment my journey collided into the reality of another's and all I could do was pray.

"What's the point?" This seems to be the questions running through the Koehne household. I was approached by one of my children recently in a very tender moment where I was asked "Mom, what is the point of doing papers, going to school and getting an education? How does all of this glorify God and further His Kingdom? I just want to glorify God in all I do." I was also asked "What about a teenager or college student who does all this stuff and then dies, did they waste their time when they could have been doing Kingdom work?" Those are heavy questions from a young adult and one that ironically, I have been struggling with as well in a different context. The answer for me and the answer I gave lies in the Word of God. It is the only authority in answering this question "What's the Point?"

Crazy as it is, being asked this question was a healing moment for me as well. As I tell my children that it's not about the degrees, it's not about what college you go to, the papers, the games or in my case getting on the radio, getting music gigs or getting signed to a recording label. It's so much more than that. 

And since it's not really about the degree or the homework, it IS about the discipline that those things teach you in life which in turn teaches you discipline in your spiritual life and your walk with Christ. Sometimes we are asked to do things that we just don't feel like, but because we are people that have learned to honor and respect, when Christ asks us to step out in faith, we learn more quickly to trust, to walk, to hear and to listen.

I believe that it's about the journey along the way. I believe it's about seeing your classmates and learning to love them, to be light, to show forgiveness when no one else does, to live one's walk daily in the classroom and to do it all for the glory of God... to look in our hearts, to examine our hearts in line with the Truth of Christ and that during the journey we see each day as a time to love others in the places that we have had the opportunity to be...in the classroom, on the job, at home and in our neighborhood.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble,whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." I Corinthians 10:31-33

My prayer today was simple. "Lord, I want to follow you." I want to follow Christ and love Him and love others. The rest....the music...the singing, recording, writing, working is simply a means of doing that and what I learn and share along the way is a blessing. For my children...going to school, doing homework so that, Lord willing, they can have more doors opened so they are able to impact more people for Christ is a part of their journey. It's all part of the journey in lifting Christ high..learning to decrease myself as He increases.

"He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30
So, what's the point? To Love God and Love others, to make disciples, to be a disciple, to be a faithful follower of Christ, What's the point?..to expand the Kingdom of God so that all might know His love and be saved...and sometimes you have to sit in a classroom, write papers and take tests to have the wonderful opportunity to do that. Praise be to God!


And Now for your enjoyment....Homework helps us articulate clearly so that we can clearly speak the Truth of Christ Jesus so that others understand what we are saying.