Constant Grumblers

I am reading through the Bible and have been in the book of Exodus this past week. After reading of the constant grumbling and complaining of the Isrealites when they were hungry, wandering and thirsty, even after all the miracles that God performed before their eyes, parting the sea and saving them from Pharaoh, I was mortified.

This is what I said to the Lord..."Lord, how do you deal (tolerate) with them....How do you deal with me....How do you deal with people...God, how do you deal with flesh?!?!"

To which He immediately replied  "Through the flesh of my Son, Your Savior, Jesus Christ"

And I then sat in silence, humbly thinking "Oh, yeah, that's right"

Then I asked myself this question, "How do I deal with people that grumble, complain, don't appreciate?" I think my response to those same people that God deals and how He deals with me should be the same.......through the blood of Jesus Christ, with His forgiveness, mercy and grace.

"Lord, help me to view your people the way that you do. Help me to love and to forgive and to remember that you loved us first. You deal so patiently, firmly and steadfastly with us...with me. Help me to do the same. In Jesus name, Amen"

Can't Read My Poker Face

I used to be a really good liar and a really good cheater.....Then God changed my life. Now (by God's grace) I am horrible at it. When I am talking with my family and I (on the super rare occasion) tell a half truth, my family looks at me and asks if I am lying and I say "No, why?" to which they reply "look at your face." Then we just laugh because it's the most horrific poker face ever.....hence why I could never play cards.

I look at it like this. I used to be a hot mess. Now I'm just a mess. But when God changed my life, called me out of the darkness of my lies and self destruction, He also took away my ability to lie well. It's a gift and a curse, especially when someone asks who finished off the ice cream or who had three pieces of pie....oh and who ate the box of Oreos. That's when it really bites me in the butt.

But, for reelz, I count it as a blessing...... a reminder of what God has done in my life. I am not who I used to be. I am done with wearing fake masks, lying to those I love, sneaking around and just hiding the way I feel.

Do you ever get tired of wearing a mask or being so good at faking that you almost believe the lie yourself? Been there....Done that! When I submitted my life to Christ, He gave me the gift of being my own lie detector and I thank Him for it.

It has it's perks in that it keeps me accountable and it has it's down side in that people know exactly what I'm thinking and feeling by my facial expressions. I have had friends comment on numerous occasions that they can tell when I am not happy, when I am frustrated, when things make me cringe, but they also tell me that they know when I am happy, when I am grateful and when I am thankful. So I count it as a blessing.

My prayer is that God would do whatever He has to do to make us Holy in every situation. For me, He helps me not to lie and lets me get caught if I do.

I have been reading through the Bible and I was so deeply spoken to through the account of the Israelites leaving the Egyptians. Repeatedly God allowed and did things SO THAT the people and Pharaoh would know that He is Lord of all. God went to great lengths to show His people that He is God by taking them out of Egypt and into the wilderness and eventually the Promised Land.

"I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen." Exodus 14:17-18

"And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant." Exodus 14:31

I am thankful that God desires that we know Him and still today, will go out of His way to make sure we know that He is Lord. "He MAKES us lie down in green pastures and LEADS us beside still waters, He restores my soul"

We are works in progress, Holy and Redeemed, set apart and Loved.

#IamMyOwnLieDetector

Insert Job Title Here________

So these are a few of the titles that I carry, Worship Leader/Singer Songwriter/Public Speaker, and honestly I have very little clue about how to do any of them except that I know God has called me to glorify Him through these means.

My husband and I had a wonderful night sharing our testimony of God's healing in our marriage. I loved leading worship with my Celebrate Recovery family. I loved sharing a song of encouragement that I wrote and I loved standing next to my husband and telling our story. It all went well....really well....And I am always in shock when that happens. Let me explain that.....

As my husband and I talked on the way home, we both marveled at how there is really nothing that special about us, there is nothing extraordinary about my worship leading or our presentation when we give our testimony. Nothing, but the fact that we ask God to strip ourselves away and help us to present what we have without expectation and sit back and watch God's spirit move among His people.

As a worship leader and speaker there is, at times, a pressure to be on, having to be so spectacular and dynamic that you move people into an amazing experience of worship. What I KNOW to be true is that I have none of that.... all I have, by God's grace, is the ability to simply go before the Lord (with a microphone in hand & people watching me) and present what I have, as simple as it is, and leave it at that. Worship leading, singing, writing and speaking is simply an offering of being present, being honest, being transparent before the Lord SO THAT He can do what He does so perfectly.....Move the hearts of his people.

John the baptist had nothing great to offer physically (in fact, I'm sure people thought he was insane...and coincidentally there are times when people think I'm crazy too, but that's a different story), but He was present, submitting to the Father, testifying of the promise to come and the Spirit moved through him to prepare hearts.

The apostle Paul  was spoken of like this.."For some say, 'His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.'" To which the apostles Paul says "such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present." II Corinthians 10:10

There was nothing spectacular about the Apostle Paul, yet I don't think anyone will argue the impact He had on the world and spreading the gospel.....so that had to be the power of God working through a humbled man present to be used by God.

This is what was said of Jesus..."He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire him." Isaiah 53:2. Jesus was simply present in the most powerful way. He, the perfect example of being present and submitting to the Father's will.

My encouragement from Christ is this. I don't have to be concerned with being spectacular, having the worlds best set, a full band, wearing just the right outfit to speak or worship lead in or a fog machine with amazing lighting (ok, the fog machine does hide wrinkles, just sayin...but, I'm not concerned). My concern is that I am humbly present before God, worshiping Him alone, speaking boldly the truth that He shares in His Word, trusting that as I put out my best and honest worship, that HE WILL show up and move the hearts of His people, because I am not the Holy Spirit, nor do I want to be.

Friends, I am NOTHING and I am happy with that. My prayer this night was that God would strip away everything that I am and the only thing left was only what resembled Christ.

God is faithful, God is amazing and He is amazing in and through us. That's the only reason people can look at us and say we are amazing, because of who is in us. "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world" I John 4:4

May you be encouraged that God can and will use you no matter what. Come before Him and lay it all out and watch what He does with your offering and sacrifice. Sometimes you may be blessed to witness it, other times you may be blessed trusting that God is doing something EVEN IF you don't get to see it on this side of heaven.

Do Special

We live in an age of auto-correct. We type, we do not proof and then we hit post, just to find out the auto-correct genie has struck again (at least this is the story of my life.) The good thing is that we can normally figure out what people meant to say and simply blame it on the auto correct genie.

I find it funny that my phone changes God to good and good to god. The word Instagram got changed to undrafted on Facebook the other day, but I think Facebook did that one on purpose. I have to admit I have had some very embarrassing attacks from the AT-genie that I won't share here (hence, the word embarrassing.)

But, sometimes I find the irony of the AT-genie quite inspiring. She makes me look at things differently. One of my favorites was when I was emailing a friend of mine discussing the fact that someone threw the verse about women are to "remain silent" in church at me regarding me sharing and "teaching" (NOT going to go into that now, because that's not the point, so don't get me started.) However, it auto corrected/spell checked itself to: women are to "Remain SENT." When I replied to my friend about what I meant to type, he pointed out that the truth was that we ARE to remain SENT!  So thank you to the AT-genie for reminding me that I am to remain sent to do God's will, to answer His call. Hard to do that with my mouth shut and without the Word of God.

Now, what really got me rolling on this today was the latest AT-genie attack. My friend commented on Facebook about the fact that I was so excited to see her last night that I (literally) picked her up. She said it was "do special." I'm guessing what she meant was that it was "SO special." I like DO SPECIAL!

My motto for this day is DO SPECIAL. Special is as special does. Special moments are created when we act, when we love, when we do. That, my friend, is pretty special. So as it says in James 1:22 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

Let's go DO Special! Do Love! Do what it says! God Bless!

A Healthy Moment

Today, I'm doing the public service portion of my blog. After I posted this picture on my FB page, my sweet friend commented that she didn't know what some of this stuff was. So Rachel, this is in honor of you!! Love you girl. And no worries, I only know about it because my Mom keeps me up to date.

I'm not a health nut, but there are a few things, especially with being on the road, that are essential in keeping me healthy. Being on airplanes, singing and sometimes licking other peoples microphones (which is why I carry my own most times), and sometimes not getting much sleep, I have found that these little things have been very helpful.

1. The Word of God. I can't live without it-LITERALLY. Having a great body (which I am NOT claiming) means absolutely nothing if the Word of God does not dwell in me richly. It is life and it is a non-negotiable. My husband and I were talking the other day about a time, maybe 13+ years ago, when I was 5'9' (I'm shrinking) and down to 125lbs. I was running twice a day (obsessively), not eating much, smoking, drinking and wearing a size 5 jeans. I looked really good (on the outside) but, inside my life was a mess until God intervened in a massive way. Speaking of which you can watch my testimony here. #1 The Word!

2. My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I have been reading this daily devotion for years. I always find something new in it. I have a few copies of it, but for some reason the torn up, paper clipped version remains my favorite travelling companion. You can read these online as well. 

3. TriVita Vital C Crystal Powder. It is a great powder form of pure Vitamin C and gets absorbed right into your body and does the job. I have not found a better form or more powerful form of Vitamin C. In my house we jokingly call it C-crack. It's that good (not that crack is good. Crack is BAD!) When my daughter feels a cold coming on she immediately asks for the C-crack. It is a little pricey, but coming from one of the worlds cheapest gals.."You get what you pay for"  This stuff is worth it. TriVita C Crysal Powder

4. HerbaSway All Natural Memory Support. I call it my Memory juice. Basically it's blueberry extract. A dropper full a day. For someone like me who has horrible memory and retention skills, which can be a problem when trying to sing and play songs (even the ones that I have written) at a concert. Once I began taking this, I noticed a huge improvement in my ability to memorize songs, chords and my children's names. HerbaSway

5. TriVita Nopelea juice. Again, this one is pricey, but well worth it. It's my miracle juice. It takes commitment as it is a natural anti-inflammatory. It's not a quick fix, but with time shows great results. I have arthritis throughout my body. Mornings are tough as I take my first steps out of bed. When I first began using this, I remember the day when I woke up got out of bed and the pain was gone. It was a miracle and if you have suffered from chronic pain, you know what I'm talking about. Unfortunately, some major life events happened that got me off my schedule and I stopped my routine and the pain all came back. So, I am now restarting the regimen, 60 days of a high dosing period, after that I cut my intake down. I am in my first month of re-combating the inflammation. Check in with me in a few months and I'll tell you how it goes. TriVita Nopelea

6. Greens..No brand plugs here. I don't know if they work except that It's good to get all your veggies and fruits in and if you are on the go a lot, using this as a supplement is great. 

7. Glucosamine Chondrotin because my doctor said I'm getting old. Bone health is important, so I take it. 

8. WATER...always!

9. Coffee, because God is good! The mug with a seal top because I spill everything, especially when I'm on the plane, train or in the automobile.

10. Underwear....Not pictured here, but kinda important. I can wear jeans twice, maybe even my tops, NOT my socks and especially NOT my panties. Is that too much information? If so, welcome to my world and enjoy the ride!

Maybe half of this was helpful #10, I'm sure not at all. But this is the first packing phase as I head to Chicago for the Tour!!

Coming Home Tour #chicago

Tour Dates For This Week

Coming Home Tour

Hope Fest 2013 RE-CAP

Hope Fest Arizona 2013! It happened, now the day is over, but the work continues. The work to bring hope, to serve, to love, to clothe our neighbors and so much more. I want to share just a few highlights of the day. I am going to skip over the part where I got extremely frustrated with the man who stood in a parking spot right where I wanted to unload my gear and wouldn't let me in because he had been standing there saving the spot for 15 minutes. Yes, God dealt with me on that by saying these words (which sounded a lot like my husbands voice) "Mia, do you want to be right or do you want to be righteous?" To be right would mean to argue over a parking spot to be righteous which my husband is, means to move on, forgive, love and find a different spot, even if it means a longer unloading trip.

I am always amazed how sneaky my sin is when it creeps in my mind and I don't even recognize it until I've opened my mouth. Can I remind you, I am a work in progress!! After the Lord dealt with me on that issue and forgave my repentant heart, I was off and able to experience an amazing day! 

Walking among all the vendors, I had a great chance to talk with them and hear their hearts through their stories of faith, strength and hope. I re-connected with Monnie, who I first met when I was arranging vendors for a festival that I was involved in and she was just getting re-started and had not acquired all the supplies she needed. By God's design, my husband and I had the canopy, table and chairs that she needed and she re-launched her business. Now I got to see her at Hope Fest with an amazing booth, non stop traffic and a huge smile. She is such a great encouragement to me. I admit, I kinda felt like a Mamma who had birthed a baby and watched her grow into an amazing women! Check her out at faithwearforever.com

I met up with a facebook friend (now an in face friend), Deni, who embraced me with tears as I walked by. As she shared her heart we both rejoiced that God is a God of restoration and healing. Now she sells jewelry with Compelling Creations! The jewelry was so powerful that just reading the descriptions of the designs made my heart full. Here is her website and you can also find her on Facebook. Another awesome gal!  

There were so many other amazing vendors, it is hard to name them all. I guess you will just have to come to Prescott, AZ next year and visit them all with me again!

Throughout the day, there were baptisms, prayer tents, testimonies, outreach to the homeless, free hugs and music. Lots of music.

It was a blessing to see bands, that I now call friends, like Faith by Fire, Covenant 31 and Brian Weaver. A big thank you goes out to Brian for letting me bum a ride up the mountain with him, his 2 dogs, Chris the guitar player and all the gear. He wasn't kidding when he said there might not be room. So I sat in the front seat with my two bags packed between my feet and legs and a dog on my lap. Just like that, we made the trek. I have to admit it was fun cuddling with his sweet doggy! 

FLASHBACK MOMENT 

Hope Fest Eve. The night before Hope Fest, Brian Weaver played at the Celebrate Recovery @ The Heights in Prescott. Always a joy to watch him and even be able to help him out with his merch table.

FLASH FORWARD

Not only is it great connecting with bands I know, it is a blessing to meet new musicians. My merch table was right next to a young couple that travels full time in music ministry. It was fun to talk with them, but to watch them do what God has called them to blew my mind. Dusty is a Hip Hop artist (AND A GOOD ONE) and his wife Krystal is a singer and paint artist. They incorporate it all in their ministry and set. LOVED IT!! My greatest compliment (at least I think it is) when I meet a hip hop artist is this "I'm not really a hip hop fan, but I LOVED that." Dusty is so kind to see my heart through that ridiculous comment as I haven't yet mastered the art of political correctness or tact. They are so gifted, called by the Lord, sent to share their testimony and lift up the name of Christ! They are "Irregular4Christ" and ready to travel! 

Check them out!

With all the independent artists that were there, many of us rely on help. We can't do it alone. When someone says that they are willing to drive up to Prescott, get a hotel and volunteer at your booth to watch and run your table so that you are free to sing and meet with people, there is only one answer...YES!!!

I'm not sure if there are words that can adequately express how grateful I am to these two ladies. I kept saying "I don't know what I would do with out you." It was true, they were amazing, selfless and willing. They really are not volunteers, they are partners in the ministry. They are friends!

Thank you Deby! Thank you Lisa! As you can see by the photo, they didn't just help me, but also Brain Weaver, Faith By Fire...all of us!

With my table in good hands, I was able to go and do the main thing I came to do...SING!

This is where I get blown away (again). First off, I was blessed to have Jerry sit in with me on base. He was so great. It takes great skill to play with me. A midst the wrong chords (played by me),  playing the song in a different key (me again) adding or subtracting a bridge here or there (give you one guess who did that), Jerry was a pro and able to follow my every crazy move and mishap.

(so thankful to Karmen for the photos, always the last thing I think about when playing)

One of my favorite parts of the set, especially because this was sponsored by Celebrate Recovery, was being able to share bits of my testimony, what God has done in my life, how awesome our Lord is and the song I wrote for the Celebrate Recovery inspired Home Run Movie CD ~ "You Are Not Alone" (looking forward to recording my own version soon)

I also sang a new song I wrote with Mark Snyder called 

Jesus Loves Me (ok, actually I haven't named it, but lets just go with that for now)

I Choose To Praise You

Rags

Shelter In The Wind

Oh Lord You're Beautiful

It's what happened after the set that blew my mind. The rush of people who were there waiting and had beaten me to my merchandise booth and the fact that they all waited after they bought CD's to talk and share their hearts was overwhelming. 

To talk with a man who received hope through the songs because he was just diagnosed with cancer that week, to hear from a man who is praying for a marriage restoration, a woman who even 20 minutes after I was done was still weeping because of what the Holy Spirit moved in her through listening to the music and words I shared on stage..... to have people come up to me in tears because the Spirit spoke to them through the songs.....a lady who was telling her friend on the way there, "I just wish some one would sing a Keith Green song" and then to hear it at the end of my set and worship to the words of that amazing man, blessed her heart and blessed my rejoicing heart as well. It overwhelms me.

Story after story, hug after hug, prayer after prayer, I stand amazed at what God does when we simply obey. Amazed at what God does through broken, imperfect people who stumble and fall, but people that know the voice that lifts them back up.

It is my joy to sing, to share my testimony, to be used by God as He has gifted me, but more than that it is a responsibility. When God has done an amazing thing, my response and responsibility is to go and tell.

Yes, it is a joy. Yes it is a responsibility and Yes it is also an Honor.

An honor that I do not take for granted or take lightly. 

Whatever vocation we are given, we have a story to tell. It's the beautiful story of the redemption of mankind, the story of redemption in our lives. We all have different ways of doing it, but we all are called to do it.

Hope Fest Arizona answered the call. They just did it and they will continue to do it, even when the music stops playing. Hope Fest is more than a festival it is the hands and feet of Jesus serving God through broken people who celebrate all that God has done and will continue to do.

It is because of the hearts of the Hope Fest team, that I count it a joy and honor to have partnered with them to share the story.

~Hope Serves~

Hopefully you made it to the end of this post, because I am saving the best for last. None of this would have happened without the Lord. The few stories and miracles that I heard of and the countless ones I did not get to hear are testimony to God's hand and providence for this event. He really was there EVERY step of the way, providing it all. 

A huge blessing and thanks go to these two who heard the call and gathered God's people to action. Thank you Jaye Lene and thank you David. May God's blessings continue to flow over your lives!

(and thank you Monika for this beautiful picture I snagged off of FB)