Sunrise

Lately, (and mostly because it's summer in Phoenix and if you are not up early, it's way to hot to be outside) I have been fascinated by the sunrise. Aside from the beauty of it, I love the beautiful picture that it paints in our lives. It is a picture of second chances, a picture of newness, a picture that reminds us of God's faithfulness to do a new thing.

I'm not sure what time the sun rises where you are, but can I encourage you to rise early one day, drive to a place where there are no obstructions and just breath it in. Take in all that the sunrise, the new light, the new day, the faithfulness of God has to offer.

I think you will be blessed.

I pray that the newness of each day would be an encouragement to you in all that you go through in life.

Enjoy a few of my sunrise moments and feel free to share some of yours!

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

"Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun."

Ecclesiastes 11:7

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

the name of the Lord is to be praised.

Psalm 113:3

"His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth.

His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand,

where his power was hidden."

Habakkuk 3:3-4

"This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24

Things I Learn on Twitter

Aside from being a wife, mother, singer, songwriter, traveling worship leader, speaker, writer, and newspaper editor, I have another job. My official title is Business and Community Relations Director. It's a fitting title as I love building relationships and I love the organization, Extreme Faith Productions, that I get to work with.

One of the biggest events that we do is this week! It's called ELEVATE and it's a three day music festival in Prescott Valley, AZ, with some of the top artists and bands in the Christian Music Industry. It's a blast and extremely exhausting. As part of the planning team, this event can also test the limits of one's patience.

This past week I came across a powerful quote on one of my favorite social media platforms,Twitter, and it has been running through my head like a tape recorder. And honestly, the playback feature on these words have made me a much nicer person to be around.

If you are struggling to be patient with others this week (or anytime in the near future) may I share these words with you.

"Patience means adjusting my speed to someone else's pace. 

It's another way to show God's love to another."

I have found that when I want to move faster with the vendors and businesses that I am dealing with frustration subsides when I simply slow myself down and adjust my pace. When we walk at the same pace it is miraculous how in-time we are and how well we communicate. That's the pace where harmony happens.

May you hear the sweet melody of patience this day, the harmony as you slow your speed to another's pace. And through it, may you show God's love in simple and magnificent ways.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ~ Colossians 3:12

I love you in the Lord, Mia

GREAT! Another Made Up Holiday

If you know me fairly well, one thing you've found out is that I am anti-Hallmark Holidays and anti-made up holidays. I'm not a fan of Valentines day in the respect that people are made to feel like they "have to" buy cards, presents and chocolate. I love my Mom and always call her on Mothers Day, but I have no desire for people to go out and spend money on me to tell me they love me. I already know they do.

So, when June 8th rolled around and my friend sent me a very celebratory text message telling me that it was National Best Friends Day, I thought to myself "ok", but then I started to reflect on the friendships God has weaved into my life. So many.

Then it happened, I got all Verklempt and started posting pictures of those gals that were my lifelong BFF's (Best Friends Forever).

But here's the thing, I call many people friends. Friends because God has in someway connected me with them. I call you who read this, friend, as we are connected through words, hearts and prayers. I have several dear friends who I have spent countless hours with, struggled with and rejoiced with. Then I have a very small group of friends that have been so instrumental in my life that I truly do call them my Best Friends Forever, my BFF's.

Ironically these are also the women that I see the least amount of time, have the fewest selfies with, live the farthest from and talk to less than most. Yet, these are the women who love me and whom I love through time and distance. These are the women, that when we get together after MONTHS/YEARS of not seeing each other, do not miss a beat. These are the women who know they are loved by me and the women I know love me, NO MATTER WHAT!

My sweet friend Margaret, who I lived next-door to since I was six weeks old has never left my side. She has been there through it all. Loved me even when I was crazy off my rocker. It has been the sweetest of friendships that has spanned my entire life.

My precious high-school friends Ellen and Lori are the two girls who took me in when I abandoned my regular lunch-room table (high-school drama) and loved me. Two girls that pretty much taught me most of what I know about music and ministry. Above that, they both lived life with me during those crazy High-school years and beyond.

So in honor or this completely sappy made up holiday, I encourage you to reflect on the friendships you have been given...life long, or simply so deep it feels like you have know each other forever (I could list several more like that.)

Take time to pray for these special people or that special person in your life, that God would continue to guard your relationship and bless it for the years to come.

Love you in the Lord,
Your friend,
Mia

Rumors-My Heart on the Chopping Block

As I sat down to write this blog, I had a completely different focus until my fingers hit the keyboard. I was going to share a funny little take on rumors that I thought would encourage you, but instead, I find myself standing in a place of tension. On one side, I hear a whisper of what I am to write and on the other side, I hear my flesh saying "Don't share that, it's one of the secrets that no one knows, the one you have kept hidden for so long.

Yet, as I sit here, I wonder......I wonder if anyone else feels this way...so I write.

Before we jump in, here was my original post. "I heard a rumor, God can do all things" and then I was going to tell you how some rumors are true and aren't we glad this one is, but instead, a shift happened and this is where we are left. Rumors... they have the power.

It is no secret that I was very reckless in my past, emotionally, physically and sexually. But, there are vivid moments in my life that I remember as turning points. Today, I am going to share one of those pivotal moments with you.

As a senior in high school, I sat confidently at the chemistry lab table talking with friends, minding my own business and doing my work. Then, I heard the whispers. I saw the way the girls looked at me and I found the note that someone had written. I remember it like it was yesterday. It said what a slut Mia was. It listed the names of certain boys that I had sex with and all the things I had done with them and it labeled me a whore.

That note crushed me. That note wrongly confirmed all the things I believed about myself. The only thing was.....I WAS a virgin. Now I am not saying I was holier than thou, I repeatedly put myself in situations that allowed boys to make up stories about me, but what I did know is that the words in that note were not true, but still, I allowed it to speak to me. I allowed it to change me.

I remember at that moment giving up. I consciously decided to not try anymore and just become wholeheartedly what everyone else already believed about me. I allowed it to become my truth and I set out to act on my new identity.

I turned into what they said I was. And for lack of better words, I was "on a roll" and I didn't know how to stop. I remember keeping track of all the men I had been with, writing their names in a secret place in the corner of my closet wall, clinging to a (false) truth that a "real whore" wouldn't know how many men she had slept with, but this too became tangled and hard to manage and I would spend years sinking down into a false identity, self destruction, unplanned pregnancy and adultery.

Now, I share all of that (even though I didn't want to) not to say that all because of that one note, I became the way I was....and to be honest, I don't know why I am sharing this at all.

But maybe, if we realize that the words we say have the power to build up and also destroy, we will be a bit more attentive as to what comes out of our mouths and more importantly what is in our hearts. Maybe, we will realize that rumors, gossip and slander, can really hurt the spirit of a person. Maybe we will even realize that rumors (most of the time) are not even true. And maybe, just maybe, we will realize how powerful we truly are.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." 

Proverbs 18:21

Or perhaps, we will realize that rumors DO NOT define us. Perhaps someone will be reminded that no matter what the world says about them, God speaks a truth into us that can not be tangled, distorted or disproved. Perhaps we will realize that sometimes people are just mean, but God is good.

Maybe, my friend, (who this is specifically for) you too will realize, 

as I now realize, that "I am who the Great I AM says I am!"

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 

 "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14

I sign off, with a rock in my stomach, nervous to post this, but more nervous not to.

I love you in the Lord!

Mia

My sweet friend Rachel Barrentine sings it perfectly. Take a listen HERE: SAYS I AM

Be Still and Know

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

Work it out!

I love my time at the gym. Going in the morning really helps to start my day out right. Thanks to my husband, I have a detailed, focused and effective workout routine. Every few weeks the plan gets modified and my weights and reps increase. I can see and feel the effects of my workout.

I know that I am not suppose to judge people at my gym, but I can't help but notice that some of the members wander around aimlessly with no consistency, no focus and no real results. They don't have a plan. Some do more mirror time than actual lifting of weights.

The more time I spend in the gym, the more I see how it directly correlates with faith and life. Proverbs 29:18 says

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

When I lacked a plan at the gym (which I did for years) my results come up lacking. I didn't grow stronger, I didn't feel any more fit, I didn't feel physically complete.

Like the gym, but, oh so much more important, is my relationship with Christ. When I lack vision, a plan to be intentional about my faith, my joy shrivels. Those days when I am distracted by the silliest things, all things which conspire against me to keep me from my time with the Lord, days when I think I can fit in "one more thing" before I steel away with Him only to find the sun has set on my time and the pillow is my best friend....Those are the days when my joy is incomplete because my vision is lacking.

So where are you today? Do you have a plan, do you lack vision..do you feel like you are drowning or are you feeling the effects of working out your faith life?

If you are struggling, sometimes it starts with a simple acknowledgment that you need help, some encouragement, some direction and some spiritual discipline. If you are feeling strong in Him, spiritually fit, maybe this is the season where God can give you eyes to see those that are wandering and need someone to walk alongside them.

Yes, we stand in the "NO JUDGEMENT ZONE", but God has given us eyes to see, hearts to feel, a discerning mind to call out when we are drowning and the wisdom to know when to throw a life jacket to those around us.

One of my favorite  devotionals is Oswald Chambers ~ My Utmost For His Highest. It challenges me each day. If you feel it might be a blessing to you, follow the IMAGE BELOW and if you get it, write me back and let me know what you think. It's compact, short and filled with great thoughts on a particular Bible verse each day. Maybe that's a start for you.

God bless you & I love you in the Lord, Mia

CLICK IMAGE TO LEARN MORE: 

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The Nature of Love

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love." 2 Peter 1:5-7

Love....Love wraps it all up in the end. As I grow older, I have come to realize that the reason God says over and over in His Word that we are to love others and love Him is because He has to. He has to repeat it to us continually, because it may be the most difficult act (and the most important action) for us to do and live out. The stirring up of this understanding is vital in our Christian walk. Without it, we are just annoying screeching voices clanging in the wind, we are blind, we are cold.....without love, we are nothing and of no use to anyone.

As I meditate on these verses and walk through my daily devotion, it is clear to me that God loves us, not because we are worthy or easy to love, but because that is what He does, that is who He is. He calls us to that same character trait that He displays in overwhelming abundance to us.

My prayer today is this "God, let it be in my nature to love the unlovable the way you love me, simply because I can't help it. Amen."

A little prayer with a world changing impact. Pray that you will be able to love your neighbors to Jesus. Love as we have been loved, the way He first loved us. You know, He laid down his life for us and He is just asking us (He's asking me) to simply love a few more people that happen to cross our paths.

I love you in the Lord, Mia

(Again, this is one of those "I'm preaching to myself" kind of posts...can I get an AMEN!)