​Have you ever gotten your "praise on" a little bit to early? 

For the last three days we have had to move out of our house because our plumbing was revolting against us. I won't get too descriptive, but when you hear the gurgle gurgle in the pipes and then "stuff" comes backing up through your tub, shower and toilets, you know your in for a battle.

After the plumber came out and said "it's bad", beyond the inconvenience of not being able to use any water, was the flash of $$$, of which we don't have much. My prayers began. The prayer of "Lord, please let the damage be on the city property side of our fence and not on ours, so that we don't have to pay for it.

After the locating service went down with their camera and located the damage 1 foot over on city property, I was relived. I thanked the Lord, I rejoiced. I was reminded how God cares about all aspects of my life. I called the city and within 1 hour a city worker was at my door confirming the camera footage and scrambling to get a crew together immediately. A mere hour after that the trucks arrived, the workers came and they dug a hole 7 feet deep in the alley to get to the broken pipe.

​
I was estacic, I continued to thank God for the placement of the break and  the quick response from the city. As time went on, I peaked over my wall and then it happened.
I got the news that they cleared the mud and discovered that the problem was on my property!

My heart sunk, my rejoicing ceased, dollar signs flashed before me…..for a moment. And in THAT moment I caught myself and reminded myself of what I know to be true. I quickly stood firm in the circumstance and the truth that he is still faithful and my rejoicing does not need to cease even when things don't go "my way."

So hear I am sitting in my house this evening, now able to run minimal amounts of water as the city cleared out the great clog of mud that was there. Tomorrow, my plumber has gathered some workers to come and take care of the rest. So hopefully, We will be functioning at 100% very soon.

But either way, I rejoice. I rejoice that we have friends that have opened their home to us while we had to move out. I rejoice that we both have gym memberships that have running water, showers and toilets that flush. I rejoice that the grocery store has public restrooms. I rejoice for sweet neighbors that come to our aid time and time again and help us take care of our dogs. I rejoice for neighbors who don't mind if I knock on their door and ask to use their bathroom. And one day soon, I will rejoice because it will all be better and in the past. But until then, I still rejoice.

So when things are not going your way, when the answers to your prayers don't come the way you had hoped, when all the crap in your life seems to be backing up (literally and figuratively) REMEMBER…God is FAITHFUL, He is FAITHFUL, STILL.

Friends, Be quick to remember, Be quick to rejoice. In any circumstance, be quick!


UPDATE: Today, I sit working and looking out my back window at what I hope will be a job well done! But, if not,God is faithful, still.

I'm a pretty chill person most of the time, so when I slip into hyper slow mode, to the untrained eye, most people would have no clue that I am struggling. In fact, the changes can be so subtle, that even I don't know.

I have some deadlines from various places coming up and I have been on the road for some trips, some of which were expected and some that were not. These little events in my life start stacking up and before I know it, it turns into crunch time.

When I am stressed, instead of running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I tend to procrastinate and fall prey to distractions, still unaware of what is going on until........

BOOM, my body starts screaming out "I'M STRESSED, HELP ME!" The screams come in the form of hives. Yep, because apparently it's the only way I will listen.

So here I am a few days before an event with ugly blotches on my arms.

But, here I am. Here I am ready to listen, ready to take a look at my priorities and focus on what is important, ready to be accountable, ready to press into God's strength and NOT my own.

Here I am...ready to fix my eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of my faith. 

Here I am, ready to Breath.

How do you handle stress? Do you recognize it quickly or do you need to get hit by a bus (figuratively) before you stop and re-evaluate.

What really helped me this time was sitting down with my husband and simply writing down all the deadlines and things I needed to get done. And you know what, it's not as bad as I thought. I saw more clearly those things that I could let go and those things that were important and now, I'm off to get 'er done (and go hiking)!

​Peace out friends! Don't forget to breath!
​Mia

One of the treasured milestones that a mother looks forward to with her little girl is...getting a tattoo...right? OK, well maybe not all Moms. But, since I am a fan of tattoos, it really did warm my heart when Baby Girl asked if I would go with her to get her first tattoo on her 19th birthday.

With excitement, she shared with me what she wanted eternally printed on her body. It was two words, Be Still. I thought it was beautiful, but it was when she shared with me why she wanted it, that my heart became overwhelmed with joy.

Instead of trying to explain it, I am simply going to show you what she, in her own words, shared on her Instagram account with all her friends.

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." - Psalms 46:10 

"Earlier this year I was sitting in the prayer chapel when I saw the words "be still" written on the wall. When I saw those words my mind was cleared from all the distractions going on in my life and it was just me and God. In that moment of stillness I was filled with this joy and peace that is hard for me to explain. It was then that I decided to fully give my life to Christ and let me tell ya, it's been the best decision that I have ever made❤️ "~ Miriam Koehne

Over that past few weeks God has used this verse to minister, to teach and to grow me in so many areas. It is in the stillness that we are able to hear. It is in the stillness that He fights for us. It is in the stillness that we are comforted and in the stillness that we wait. It is in the stillness that the storms cease.

I am overjoyed that she knows. I pray that you know His peace, His love and His strength. I pray you know that He is God.


Where do you need the stillness of God in your life today? 
Where do you need to know that without a doubt He is God? 
Know, that as you are still, He will be known.

I love you in the Lord, Mia

Oftentimes, I sit in my backroom with my piano and make up songs, not to record or sell, but simply as a way to worship my Lord. This is how my music ministry started (sitting at the piano singing prayers to my Savior) and this is what will never change. My songs are prayers to my Lord..... Imperfect, flawed, not completely structured, but simply what comes out as I sit and worship. This is what I prayed today. 

Welcome to my "Backroom Prayers"

"You See Me Through" by Mia Koehne c.2014
You are My savior and I need You every hour.
You part the waters of my sorrow and my doubt.

You see me through
You see me through
You see me through
And I will worship You

Trials and temptations come all common to this world
But God your faithful giving strength to do Your will

You see me through
You see me through
You see me through
And I will worship You

Though I may wander, I may fall
Your grace sufficient for it all
My sin so calloused and so mean
Your mercy flowing like the streams of life
Now I'm alive!

You are My Savior and I need You every hour.
You part the waters of my sorrow and my doubt.

My father would always find the positive in any situation and so I try and model that example in my life. Sometimes it is harder than at other times, but today this is what I gleaned from a week of struggling with depression. For those that don't know, I have struggled most of my life with depression, sometimes needing medication, but in the last decade it has been completely manageable without. The bouts are shorter and the lows (for this bi-polar chick) are not as great as in years past-Praise God!

Positive #1 I lost 5 pounds. Hey I'll take. I am not advocating depression as a form of weight loss, but simply stating the fact that I lost 5 pounds which I have been trying to do for the last month through healthy food choices and exercise with no luck. Now if you know me you will know that I say this while LOL with a smile.


The real joy that I saw is that, through this emotionally tough week that was filled with sadness, much weariness, trouble getting out of bed, more sleeping that normal and a great of amount of just being lethargic with many tears, is this, God is Good ALWAYS and in the midst of the struggle God still uses me to do His work, to glorify Him, to worship Him to give Him praise and to remind me that He is my only source for strength, hope, love and forgiveness.

My time in the Word was powerful, His ability to work through me in my writing, recording and ministering to others does not stop because I feel a certain way. This week I was finalizing some writings that I was working on and in it, I discussed how often times we feel disqualified. There was a time in my life where I would allow my depression to disqualify me from pressing on, praising Him and getting out of bed.

But today, through the brokenness, through sadness, through tears........ God's will be done. For that, I thank Him. He is my strength, my light, my hope. So today as I travel to go and minister to people through music, I know that even though there is a heaviness that I can't shake, my God is Good, My God is faithful, always present, close to the brokenhearted and so in love with me.

May God work through you in any season of your life and in any situation. May glory always be given to Him the lover and comforter of our soul.

Be blessed, friends.

This is what the heart of David sang during his trouble. May it bless you.
Psalm 6
O Lord, Deliver My Life
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.

2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.

3 My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord—how long?

4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?

6 I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.

7 My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

9 The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord accepts my prayer.

10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.