I am a Wife….I am a Mother…. I am a singer/songwriter.
It has always been very easy for me to say the first two, but for some reason when I first started writing music, I found it hard to say that I was an actual songwriter.
 
Being a wife was clear, I had legal documentation, and the mother part- well, I have several stretch marks and stress wrinkles I can show you to prove that one. But, the songwriter title was a little harder to chew because I had no credentials, no college degree, no training and I wasn’t even sure if my songs were any good. All I knew is that I liked to make stuff up and sing it. The songwriter and singer in me was chomping at the bit and burning me up inside. I couldn’t stop it.
 
Over the next few years, God surrounded me with people that would encourage me and spur me on to write more, master my craft and find the freedom to name the pulsating passion in my heart….music!
 
I dont hesitate anymore to say that I am a singer/songwriter. I love what I do, I'm driven to sing, write (still have to work hard at it) and share music. It’s not just a title, it's my calling and the powerful vehicle God uses for me to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
You might wonder why I’m telling you this. Well, here’s the why. Maybe you have a passion that drives you, a desire that burns in your heart, but you're hesitant to name it out loud. Maybe the calling you're feeling is a bit scary and you feel completely unqualified. Maybe you think this “thing” you want to do, this title that you only dream of bearing, is way out of your league.
 
Today, I want to encourage you to dream big, to answer the call and the God-given desire that is running through your veins. I'm asking you to dare to respond to what and to where God is calling you with open arms, open hands and an open heart. You are a child of God and because of that, He has plans for you. 
 
I would love to hear the new thing God is doing in our life. Would you dare to share?

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 
'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' ' Jeremiah 29:11

​Love you in the Lord, Mia

In case you haven't noticed, I love to hike. I love to get outdoors in the wee hours and move. That's fun for me. That's the easy part. 

What is not as fun for me is going to the gym...doing my reps and sets of squats, push ups, crunches, planks, curls etc.

If I don't keep my core strong, I ache all over, my back hurts and I am all out of whack.....so, typically after my time hiking up a mountain, I head down and I go to the gym, I do the work.

Guess what, That's kinda like life and ministry. Fellowship with others as Christ has called us to do can be the fun part, but it's the time in the Word that keeps our core strong, without that time and the strengthening of our spiritual muscles, we become weak, we limp and we walk hesitantly.

So whether in body or spirit, keep your core strong today and work out those muscles, the muscles that no one sees, the muscles that can change your life and your walk AND the lives of those around you. 

Happy Workout! I love you in the Lord!
Mia

Recently, I was assigned the task of going through over a hundred emails and links searching for a few artists in Arizona that would be a good fit for a music tour that the production company I work for needed filled. I love the work that I do and I appreciate the little bit that I can do in the music industry to point people to Christ and walk alongside others as they find their voice in this crazy music business ministry.

I remember the first time I was asked to open and sing with one of the artists that I had heard so many times on the radio. It was exciting and it was an open door that God used to allow me to lift HIS name high above the rest. So the thought of being able to do that for someone else was a job that I accepted wholeheartedly.

It can be very tedious going through the emails, listening to the sound samples, watching youtube videos and seeing beyond the sound and technical quality and into their hearts, giftings and talents. But through God's direction and guidance, He leads!

Through this process, here are a few things that have struck me.

1. There are companies (not the one I work for -THANK GOD!) that will take your money, using the name of Jesus Christ, and tell you that you have talent and a future in the business, instead of telling you the truth. The truth is, not everyone can sing well and that's ok. God didn't create all of us to have the same talents even though a person might want to be front and center on a stage holding a mic and singing their heart out. (rant over)

2. There are artists out there that have no clue how gifted they are and there is something very humbling when you see this. That naiveté pulls you in and makes you want to hear more. Because of their genuine humility, Jesus can be seen so much more clearly. Pride blocks my view of Jesus.

3. Name dropping, accolades, and awards don't impress me. Jesus in you impresses me.

4. And the most important and most ironic is this. What I think of you, doesn't matter. Even though I am put in a position where I have to go through and make judgements if people are a good fit for the tour, at the end of the day, I am one person, with a few slots to offer artists. What I think should not effect God's call on your life. Listen to God!

I know that if I had stopped doing what I do or got discouraged because someone thought I wasn't good enough or not a good fit, I would have been done years ago and never would have written many of the songs that I see God using to minister to his people. What God thinks, matters most!

Beyond the walls of the music industry, these truths can apply to us in many areas of our life. For myself, I want people around that speak truth to me. I want to be serving in the area where God has called me, not just in an area that I want to go.

I do not want to block peoples view of Jesus because of my pride, I want a heart of humility, a heart of love. And who cares what I have done in the past, who I have sung alongside of, what matters most is this "Am I singing for Christ, with Christ in me, making HIM known instead of being known on my own?"

May I seek to remember what God says about me above what others may think. God says I am chosen and redeemed, He says that I AM ENOUGH! Knowing that and believing that have been the biggest hurdles in my life. But when I know and believe that I am enough for what God is calling me to do...WATCH OUT!! It's a game changer.

And the same goes for YOU! You are enough for what God is calling you to do. Believe it. Receive it. Live it!!

Can you imagine if all God's people believed this, believed that Christ in us was enough....more than enough? WATCH OUT WORLD!!

"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27

I love you in the Lord, Mia

We are on week three of our journey with Mary. Feel free to catch up by reading the previous two entries, Part 1 & Part 2. They are pretty quick reads.

We left off seeing Mary, after the angel surprised her and told her that she was going to give birth to our King, curious as to how the birth would happen since she was a virgin... seems rational to me. We pick up at verse 35 with the angel's response.

Aside from the overwhelmingly redemptive love story pictured here; the Holy Spirit upon her, the Most High overshadowing her and the son of God being born to her is this, the truth that for all this to happen and to be accomplished it took, not just the Holy Spirit, not just the Father, not just Jesus. It was our Triune God, Father Son and Holy Spirit as One, and all separate, at the same time that accomplished one of the most loving acts ever recorded....God leaving His throne to become one of us, to save us. 

This is the powerful truth of our Triune God in action.

When God has a task for us, a call that seems too marvelous for mere mortals to accomplish, it's because it is. It is too much for us to handle on our own, but God, in His power doesn't send us out alone. Just as He did in days of old, our Father, by the Power of His Holy Spirit works in us because of the blood of Jesus. One God!

So be encouraged today. You are not alone. If God is for us, WHO can be against us? No One and No Thing!

Mary understood this. Let us follow her example and embrace the mighty work that God is waiting to do in us, through us and in spite of us. To God be the glory!

I love you in the Lord and I am looking forward to wrapping up this mini series with you next week!

Feel free to leave your thoughts and insights in the comment section.

Mia 

Christian Denominations handle Mary (the mother of Jesus) in different ways. In some denominations, she is given a lot of play, many props and huge kuddos while in other denominations she is given a mere high five and an "atta girl" and "by the way, thanks, for birthing the King of the world."

Wherever you are in the spectrum, let's meet in the middle and just stand in awe of the example she was and is to us as Christians today.

I am going to chew this passage apart in three (but, I feel an itching for more) segments. So come back each week as we take time to simply marvel at our Great God through the woman He chose to be the mother of His only begotten son.

There is a lot going on here, but I will just share with you a few of the elements that jumped out at me. 

"Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be."  She was greeted with the title of being highly favored by God. In her humility, I can only imagined this young girl wanting to turn around and check to see if anyone else was in the room. Maybe the angel was talking to someone else and got confused.

How many times do we as redeemed Christians walk around thinking the same thing when a call is placed on our lives and a task is placed directly in our path.... "God? You call ME favored? You are with ME?" then we look over our shoulder convinced He is talking to someone else because we feel unworthy and we convince ourselves that there is someone more qualified and better suited to do the task at hand. The key is not in what we incorrectly think about ourselves, but in the truth of what God knows about us. He is with us. And if He is for us WHO can be against us?!?!

Just as Mary was troubled, wondering about this greeting and call on her life, she was immediately comforted by the words of the angel...words which we still hear today...words that can calm the storm...."Do not be afraid"

Guess what? He is not calling you to the mighty task of birthing the Savior of the world. It's already been asked and answered, done and accomplished. But, He may be calling you to other Kingdom building work. "Do not be afraid." These words come straight from the heart of God. Know today that He speaks this truth over you.

Do not be afraid. The Lord, your God is with you. He goes before you, He is beside you, He is in the rear guarding your ways. Do not be afraid. You, as a child of God and follower of Jesus Christ are highly favored. You are a friend of God.

Take the example that Mary gave and be comforted sweet friend.

I love you in the Lord and I look forward to week two with you.
Feel free to leave your comments and insights.

Mia