What Do You Want....What Do You Need?

I heard this the other day. "When you're happy, you listen to the music. When you're sad, you understand the lyrics."

Whether you are happy or sad, I want you to hear and understand the lyrics.

I am in the beginning phases of writing for my new album.

What do you need to hear, what do you need to know, what do you need to learn?

I have some things that I want to say, but I am also interested in what you need to know.

Feel free to comment! Also if you can let me know your age range (you don't have to be specific) and gender, that would actually be helpful. Thanks!!

#FaceToFace

Honesty and the Million Dollar App

Because my husband and I are so smart, when a situation arose today where I had to make an airport run, but forgot my drivers licence, we came up with the brilliant idea that when my husband got home he would send a photo of my ID to my phone. That way, if I got pulled over I would simply show the police officer a picture version of my I.D. and explain to him that there really should be an app for situations like this. Made sense to me!

Good news, I now have a photo version of my license on my phone in case of emergencies and a brilliant app idea for the DMV.

The thing is this, as I was driving and waiting for my photo to come through, I began thinking about my husband going through my purse to find my wallet (ok, actually it's a fanniepack~because I predict they will be big in 2015.) I flashed back to a time in my life when the thought of leaving my purse unattended would bring fear into my mind....fear that my husband would find things that I was hiding....cigarettes, receipts, phone numbers.... fear he would find all the junk I worked so hard to hide from him.

Back in the day, I would use the guise of "You NEVER go into a women's purse" to keep him from looking when the fact was, I just didn't want him to stumble upon the truth of my life. Well, if anyone knows the story, eventually, by the grace of God, he did!! THANK YOU JESUS!! Here's a link if you want a listen to our story CLICK HERE

Fast forward to today. I LOVE that I have NOTHING to hide from my husband. I love that he can go into my purse, my wallet, my closets...anything of mine and I do not have to fear that he will uncover my lies.

There is a beauty that comes from truth and openness in a marriage. Honestly, my husband has no desire to go through my stuff ever, BUT the fact is that even if he did, it wouldn't matter because sharing my life with him, being open and honest is so much more freeing than the work and heartache it took to lie, steal and deceive.

I was a person in the past that worked very hard at my craft of being a liar and deceiver. It took a while to undo those habits and learn to tell the truth. Jesus made it possible for me by breaking down a lot of walls and habits in my life and extending grace and forgiveness to me.

I love being open with my husband, sharing life, victories and my failures with him, knowing that as I speak truth in love he will always love me. How much more with my Lord and Savior.

I know a lot of people that can probably relate to the difficulty in opening up completely to a spouse or to anyone, but there is beauty in this vulnerability in that we learn and experience grace. And through this, learning new habits that lead to an abundant life.

I am glad that we have a Lord that will bring our darkness to light. It's just a matter of time. But why waste one more day living in disguise when today could be your day to take a step into a more abundant joyful freeing life. #SpeakTruth

"You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence." Psalm 90:8

One of my favorite places to make that first step is through a program that I walked through and still attend today, Celebrate Recovery. If this is something that might help you with ANY hurt, habit or hangup, check it out and find a location near you. Blessings!

Love you all!

Mia

Bob & Mia Koehne ~ Married December 31st, 1993

Christmas CD/Greeting Card

Friends!

Happy Advent as you prepare Him room this Christmas.

It's here. My first Christmas CD "Behold Your King!" I am so excited to share this project with you. The fun thing about this CD is that it is more than just a CD, it's a gift that you can share...easily and practically.

It comes inside of a specially designed Christmas Card along with an envelope so that you can send it to your family and friends. Not your typical Card/not your typical CD. But more than that, it has songs that celebrate the birth of our Savior, Emmanuel,

God with us.

The CD has 6 songs, many of which you will recognize and some that you may not.

1. Hark The Herald Angels Sing

2. This Christmas (God's Baby) ~ An original song by my dear friend, Lori Anderson

3. Infant Holy Infant Lowly (Click the link to take a listen)

4. What Child Is This (Click the link to take a listen)

5. Come and Adore ~ My new arrangement of an old song

6. O Holy Night

My hope is that you have a wonderful celebration of the birth of Christ.

Know that you are not alone, Christ came for you in the joy and the pain of the season. I pray that this music would bring hope to your celebration and be a reminder that we have a God that sent His son to walk this earth SO THAT we can have eternal life with the Father. Merry Christmas! Christ was born for YOU!

So pause, be still and BEHOLD...YOUR KING!

TO ORDER YOUR CD/Christmas Card visit the Mia Koehne Music Store

Soli Deo Gloria

In Him, Mia Koehne

www.aboutmidnight.com

Forgive ME Lord!

So........ I am doing a little prep work for....you guessed it, MY NEXT ALBUM! While I was researching, surfing, turning many pages, I came across this hymn. I don't think I have ever sung it, BUT I would not be surprised if I had and merely sang right over the words and paid no attention. Lord, Forgive me! Well, it pierced my heart. So I thought I would share the lyrics with you this day.

Forgive us, Lord, for Shallow Thankfulness 

By, William Watkins Reid, Sr.

Forgive us, Lord, for shallow thankfulness,
For dull content with warmth and sheltered care,
For songs of praise for food and harvest press,
While of Your richer gifts we're unaware.

Teach us to thank You, Lord, for love and grace,
For life and vision, for a purpose clear,
For Christ Your Son, and for each human face
That shows Your message ever new and near.

Forgive us, Lord, for selfish thanks and praise,
For words that speak at variance with deeds;
Forgive our thanks for walking pleasant ways
Unmindful of a broken brother's needs.

Teach us, O Lord, true thankfulness divine,
That gives as Christ gave, never counting cost,
That knows no barrier of "yours" and "mine,"
Assured that only what's withheld is lost.

Forgive us, Lord, for feast that knows not fast,
For joy in things that meanwhile starve the soul,
For walls and wars that hide Your mercies vast
And blur our vision of the Kingdom goal.

Open our eyes to see Your love's intent,
To know with minds and hearts its depth and height;
May thankfulness be days in service spent,
Reflection of Christ's life and love and light.

Why God? Seriously, Why?

My husband writes a weekly Blog post for his school. I love reading them and sometimes sharing them, but today, his message had me in tears. Maybe because it stirred up so much of the loss that I have felt in my life, maybe because I'm coming off a day of a lot of Why's maybe because it's just what the Lord wanted me to hear. 

So maybe God wants to share this with you to. Be blessed.

Guest blogger, my husband and best friend, Bob Koehne - Executive Principal at Valley Lutheran High School, Phoenix, AZ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why God? Seriously, why? I sometimes don’t understand. This past week I heard about the death of a young Lutheran school teacher. He left behind a wife and four young children and it just made me think, Why God? As I thought about it I reflected back on other times in my life I have asked this question. A former student of mine was a soldier and was serving in Afghanistan when he was killed by a bomb. A former basketball player I coached was shot and killed by a gang member. A boy I coached in basketball camps, and who was a friend of my son Aaron, went on a mission trip just before his junior year of high school. While on the trip he was on a boat on Lake Superior when a storm came up and he was thrown overboard and drowned.

Why God?

Then this past Sunday was All Saints Day. A day where we get a chance to reflect back on all the saints who have gone on to heaven before us. As I walked into church I had this question of “Why God” on my mind. When I left I had the same question but for a different reason.

Why God? Why do you love us so much that you were willing to sacrifice your Son so we can be with you? Why God, when I am so unworthy to be called your child, do you call me just that, a redeemed Child of God? Why God, when I ask “why” are you so patient with me and love me just the same? You are our Father and we don’t always understand your ways, just as on earth children often don’t understand the ways of their parents. Unlike on earth, however, you are a perfect Father.

Maybe I am the only one who thinks this way. But if you are like me and at times say, “Why God,” I encourage you to pray and remember he answers the question. He answers the question with a simple “I am God, I love you, and no matter the circumstances I always will.” ~ Bob Koehne

One of Those Days...

Today is one of those days where I just want to throw in the towel and just cry. Spending the last few days on Customer Service lines, then running into the physical store, just to run back home to get back on the phone so that I can run back to the store to straighten out a bill. A bill which customer service and the store can't even seem to agree on.....You know those days...

All I know is I am being way over charged. Yet, in all of it, all I can seem to do is take a deep breath, ask God to allow me to be patient, courteous, wise, gentle of heart and loving. Breath in His grace and then breath out His grace moment after moment when inside, all I really want to do is scream.

When my husband called a little bit ago to ask me how my day was going and I began to vent, I suddenly stopped and thought, it's no big deal. It was at that moment when perspective hit me. In the big picture this is such a minor thing. Really, if this is this biggest trouble of my day....not so bad, huh?

But in all things, God gives me an opportunity to show grace, patience and kindness even when things have me on my last nerve.

Maybe today is a big deal......a big deal when I have an opportunity to show love to others even when I don't get my own way (says the youngest of seven kids.)

#Grace

I'll show you!!

I remember my first visit to Haiti in 2009. I was with a dedicated group of missionaries who already loved the country and it's people. Little did I know at the time that I would leave pieces of my heart there which would call me back and call me to prayer for all those that I met.

On our way to church that first week, I was informed that it was customary to give an offering. Well, the offering was someone sharing a word or song and I was "volunteered" to be the offering. I was nervous, I was scared. I didn't know why. Maybe the feeling of being completely overwhelmed by all I had seen over the past few days, being in a culture that was so different from mine, singing in what was to the people of Haiti, a foreign language to a people I did not know.....the fact was I was just plain terrified.

The trip to the church found me praying relentlessly for God to take my fear away. Out of nowhere, I spotted a truck and painted on it was this... JER 1:17. I knew that it was for me. So, when I arrived at the church I read the passage and this is what God had for me.

“Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them." Jeremiah 1:17

Being a quite rebellious person by nature, God knows what I need to hear and how I need to hear it. I needed to be told..."DON'T BE SCARED OR I'LL SHOW YOU SCARED!"

I got the picture and God did what He always does through obedience. He used me for His glory.

Maybe you grew up in a family or with a parent (or maybe it's you) that used this line. "Don't cry or I'll give you a reason to cry!" Not saying it's the best line, but maybe, just maybe it's a bit biblical? The great thing is that God says it with perfect love SO THAT we will do the good thing that He commands us to do. He goes on to say that as we stand and speak without fear that He has made us strong, that the enemy will fight us, but NOT overcome us BECAUSE God will rescue us. 

Now that is comfort to me. Comfort and encouragement to not be afraid (or else) knowing that God has my back. If He is for me who is against, tell me, WHO?....... NO ONE & NOTHING!!

So, my friends, today, I say to you (and me)......

“Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 1:17-9