The daily grind...

Sometimes, I really enjoy my job. I mean, there's nothing quite like that moment of pure adrenaline on a hot, bright stage, the crowd is a blur...
  But it is a job, a lot of people of what we do as a hobby, or that is pure love-we'd do it even if we never got paid... well, it is a job and a pretty cool one, might I add! And sometimes, even when the shows are tough, late, non-attended, etc... the perks are pretty great. :)

Like this weekend, we drove down to St. Joseph and played a youth group show after the local h.s. football game. The doors didn't even open till 10:30pm... it was a late night drive to Kansas City that night and we were all pretty exhausted the next morning when we woke up at our friends, the Wells' house...

But we got some good coffee and hangs with the beautiful twinsies, Selah (left) and Noah. He's gonna be a good dad one day. :)

  Saturday we played an outdoor show in Bartlesville, OK. Random fact: children 18:3 has played more shows in OK than any other state (besides our home-state, the great Minnesota). Bartlesville is pretty close to Tulsa, where our manager is from. So Danny (our awesome manager) & Tim (his business partner from Australia with a sweet accent :) came and filmed us for our upcoming music video for "We'll Never Say Goodbye". Hopefully that'll be up soon!
  The show that night was one of those tough ones... there were around 150+ kids, all stoked and havin' a great time at the show during the three acts before us. Then there was a speaker and we took the stage and all the sudden there were 10 kids. 10 kids! Did we hit curfew or something? But the thing is, you never know the impact you're making on eternity. If you don't give it your 100% one day, what reward have you lost...? We may never know till heaven, what we could've done on earth. My inspiring thought for the day- ha ha! But even though it wasn't a very fun show- the people there are incredible and made us feel like stars.

  On Sunday we hung out with our manager and went rollar skating (supposedly to get more music video footage-another awesome perk of being on the road is doing random fun activities). My first time ever and I'm happy to say that I not only stayed on my feet the entire time- I think I am addicted!

 Pure joy...

Me, D and Jordan (Danny's daughter)

After rollar skating till we dropped.. we head to a venue to do live shots. We were tired silly by then...

Ha ha!

After live shots and the Expendables with our manager we finally hit the road back to Kansas City. We crashed around 3am, I think. Monday morning before we headed home we stopped by the International House of Prayer to get coffee with Bess... 

This kid is my favorite thing on earth.

Anyway, today it's back to home life. Hit the gym and jammed the Wedding's new album (out today!!) "No Direction". Don't know if I would've made it through that last mile without it, seriously- go pick it up!!

Had a great day at the office. The other office, that's not a 15 passenger van. :)

And next week I get to do it all over again... I really do have a great job.

Keep on keeping on!!

LM

From here to.... THERE

   This morning I ran in my first 5K. I didn't even know about it until last Sunday and I was totally bummed cause we were leaving on tour Wed. morning. But due to a cancellation that freed up our entire weekend, I decided to give it a shot. And it was really fun. (did you catch that? did I actually say that running 3.1 miles as hard as I could was... fun? Okay, I'm not superwoman. It was only a little fun. The really fun part is thinking back on it!) My goal was to get under 27 min. and I finished in 24:03, which totally stoked me out! Here's me crossing the finish...

                                       And even placed first in my age group... what???

Later on I was talking to my mom about it, how I never thought I'd be a runner... When I was little I used to idolize older girls who were runners, it took me forEVER to run. I mean years of trying and just admitting that I was not athletic. 

  Then I started thinking about other things that have happened in my life that I NEVER thought possible... I was a shy, timid, scared little girl growing up. I never thought I'd be onstage in front of hundreds, thousands on occasion. I never thought I'd write a blog that other people would read. Before last year I couldn't even imagine setting foot inside a gym... what a horrible thought! Or lead a worship team. Or play a lead in a play. Or really do anything that involved being a leader or being in front of other people... Are you kidding??! 

  

  So fast forward a few years and.... welcome to my life!

  

  But that's it, that's the problem. When we think about feats or accomplishments in our future and write them off as impossible- we aren't thinking about the time it takes to learn, grow, make mistakes and painfully press on. We think, this is who I am now. Who I am now could never do that. Well, yeah! But something might happen next week that makes who you are right now just a little stronger, a little braver, a bit more trusting or adventurous. 

  

 Don't write off a dream, even if it seems waaaay out in left field. 

And my mom also said something I thought was interesting...

"When we think of the future, we rarely ever picture God there with us"

Now, that sounds really hard and un-christian, but it's true a lot of the time! When I have serious doubts, or worries, or fear about the future, it's because I'm looking into it and seeing myself there, alone. Left to cope with the worst that could happen. Instead, I need to picture the Lord in all His strength and almighty power right there by my side. Ready to protect, provide and comfort.

I'm still ridin' on cloud 9 tonight... can't really believe that shy little, un-athletic me finished a race. But there's still a lot of mountains in my future. And yours. Just imagine yourself working your way to the top with a really good mountain climber holding the rope. I mean, Divinely good. You know Who I mean.

Keep runnin'!

LM

It was for freedom that Christ has set us free!

Happy Independence Day!
   Besides being extremely grateful for my freedom and rights as an American citizen today, I was struck with a reminder of the even greater freedom that is mine in the spirit.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1)

Christ has set us free from the lies of the enemy. You are beautiful. You are important. You are enough. You are completely loved and desired! There is nothing else that defines you. Do not be subject to the yoke of the lies of the enemy- FREEDOM IS YOURS.

So thankful to be an American girl.

LM

On The Run

Dear sisters,

   2 days ago we released our brand new record, On The Run! 

You can still preview a few of the songs online, but if you'd like your own copy it's available on Itunes, Amazon, children183.com or at a show! We're heading out on tour tomorrow so whoever is reading this- I hope we see you out on the road!

  

  Our album came out on Tues. and that morning I was reading in 1 Cor. and this verse came up:

9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

Isn't it interesting that the apostle Paul likened out faith to a race? I mean, we're not supposed to try to earn anything, right? Why do we need to try so hard to beat everyone else?

  

Well, it's like this, in a race like a marathon or a 5K or whatever, there are usually 2 types of runners- there are the ones who just want to finish (and that is a noble goal for many, myself included- haha!). They don't necessarily want to place or make a good time, they are just running for the experience, maybe for some bragging rights. Then there are the racers, they are running for one thing- 1st place. They are experienced. They've tasted victory and defeat. They want to win.

In this verse, Paul likens the christian walk to a race and urges us to be racers. Run to win. I'm sure it can be tempting when those around you aren't quite as fast, maybe you can pass them up with ease and even slow down a bit, just so you stay one step ahead. Sometimes I compare my life to others, you know what I mean! Well, I sure am more spiritual then her! I got so much bible-reading in today, I'll be good for awhile! ect. ect.

  The problem with that is, in this great race of faith, you're not racing against the people next to you.

It's the mystery of the christian life. Beating someone else doesn't make you a winner. The only thing that guarantees first place victory is giving it your all. Racing to win. Going as hard as you can, every day. Falling and getting up. Beating your own time (reading more of the word, praying longer, serving more often, smiling more, being kinder, avoiding that temptation, biting back those stinging words...)

  

It really doesn't matter how you race compared to anyone else (thank God!). It's simply you. Run the race of your life to the best of your ability.

 Don't give in to the "just a runner" mindset, I just want to finish. I just want to get through life without messing up too bad. I just want to make it into Heaven. Don't give up because you think you can't win. Victory is within your grasp! If you will run as hard as you can, nothing else will hold you back.

  

The longer we live in our pursuit of Jesus, the more lessons He will teach us. With each new lessong come the responsibility to walk it out, put it into practice. You only have to worry about what you know right now, what you know to do- from church, from the bible, from other books or friends- do that to the best of your ability. The rest of it doesn't matter.

  It doesn't matter how fast you're running. It doesn't matter how much you're doing. It doesn't matter what goals you've not met, or how many times you've fallen short. It only matters that you're going as fast as you can, even if it's just one step at a time... keep running. And that's it- you're on the fast-track to victory.

High fives!

LM

"I Tried to do the Right Thing"

Hey ladies! 

   Tooth and Nail records released a lyric video of our song "I Tried to do the Right Thing" last week- check it out!

So last night I was watching this competition show called Chopped. Right before they announced the winner one of the contestants said to the camera, "I've learned that it's not so much the destination as the journey, and this has been a really great journey." 

  I am almost always so focused on the result that I totally disregard the importance of the journey. Then David wrote this little song with this one-liner that gets sung over and over and over and over (we practice a lot!)... and what started off as such a little phrase got more and more profound with each repetition.

   

    "I tried"

God looks at our sincere efforts to follow Him. Our weak attempts to live righteously. In fact, He records them. He keeps track of every time we try. 

  Why do I get up extra early in the morning? So I can read the bible. What if I get distracted while checking my email and end up blogging instead? I tried.

  Why do I read the bible? So I can know more of Jesus and live righteously. So what if I read a verse about loving my neighbor and pray, Lord-help me love people like You do!! and then I go out and say something sharp to one of my family members (oh nuts.)- I am trying. I will keep trying. And God just keeps makin' check-marks on the clipboard of my life. I like to imagine Him up there watching me with a little grin goin', "Look at that girl, she tries so hard! She can't do anything right in her own strength but every time she messes up she keeps coming back to Me. I love that!"

  "to do"

Someone has to do it. I see so many things that frustrate me. I wish someone would do something about it. Someone who knows the answers. Someone who is strong and smart and pretty and kind and loving and confident. Yeah... okay, I should just do it. Even if you're not perfect for the job, grab the bat and start swingin'. You'll be surprised at how many people will back you up (even if you think- I don't know what I'm doing!), people who just didn't want to be the first one to take action and do something. Doesn't even have to be important or big. Usually isn't in my case, my life is chock-full of small, mundane little tasks. Who better to clean up the kitchen than me? I'm lookin' at the mess! Who better to send a little note of encouragement to that person who's struggling, I struggle all the time- I understand exactly how she feels! Who better to volunteer for the job, or to pray, or help someone out... than me? When it comes to the mundane jobs that no one wants to do... think like Nike: just do it.

  "the right thing"

Conscience. We all have one. And it makes us feel terrible, right? But only when we aren't doing the right thing. Wasn't it kind of God to give us an inner gauge that pokes and drives the nail in deep when we're trying to get away with something? And amazingly, everybody is born with this inner "right thing gauge". It's not something you receive when you become a christian or lose when you fall into sin- non-christians have it too. Ever noticed a non-believer making a ton of excuses for a wrong behavior (they usually start with, "I had to" and then place the blame on someone else), it's like, why do you care? You're not even trying to live righteously anyways! It's because we were created to do the right thing. And no excuse can ever make the wrong thing right.

  However, we must be careful with our "right thing gauge". It we consistently ignore it and make excuses to numb the driving nail, we develop a hard shell around our heart until we cannont feel it anymore. That's when we stop trying. We stop repenting. That is a very dangerous place to be. We need that annoying poker, that painful nail driving at our soul (which usually makes us feel sick to our stomachs).

  We won't always do the right thing. But we can always repent and be forgiven. And we can always ALWAYS keep trying.

Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Hebrews 12:1

Keep running!

LM

Moment to moment

I would like to start off this blog with a shameless promotion of myself... I'm sure you know that I play in a band called children 18:3 and we're releasing a new album June 19th. We've released the first single online, called Moment To Moment, and you can listen to it here. (please take a sec to do so and then we can continue... ready? oh! and let me know what you think!)

  Alright, so this song is a story. There's a guy who works at the circus. He is just a janitor but has dreams of one day performing, maybe walking the tightrope or even being a carnival master! As his life goes on, day after day he works, cleaning and doing the mundane, mindless tasks while watching the circus performers around him excel. And eventually he finds out that if only he had applied himself to learning and practicing, he could've lived out his dream. But instead he only fantasized about it while trudging out the easy, mindless work that he knew.

  So, we've all heard the phrases... "Every second counts" or the ever popular, "Live each day like it's your last". I really hate those... I mean, sure it's a nice thought. And an admirable goal! But let's be honest, who actually does it? Oh yeah, I'll go there. I'll be up front and admit, I waste a lot of time. Not a lot of my seconds count for much and I wouldn't want most of my days to be the ever-defining "last day of my life". So basically, phrases like that feel like a guilt trip.

  But as I thought about this song, the Holy Spirit brought to my mind a different side of the story, one that changed my whole perspective (love it when He does that!). I call it, "living in the moment".

  See, looking back on wasted time doesn't do any good. We can't get it back. And feeling guilty doesn't pay out in any way! What we need to do is: stop. press delete. move on. That simple! 

Do this with me: right now, just pause. Think about your heart, are you completely at peace right now? Or (like me, usually!) is there something, maybe several things, pressing on your mind? Causing turmoil, worry, regret. For example, today I'm dealing with a confrontation I'm going to have to make and it's killing me! I hate to shake things up, I'm a "bury it deep and hope it goes away!" kind of girl. But I know I have to address it cause my heart is not at rest. (I may or may not do a blog on confrontations in the future...stay tuned) So, you probably can think of a thing or two, right? Maybe you skipped devos yesterday, or all last week (I've been there, sister!). Maybe you had an argument with a sibling or friend and said something you aren't proud of, or wasted an entire day watching food network on Youtube (yeah, done that too) Whatever it is... right now, stop. press delete. Tell Jesus how much you love Him.

  Look, I am not a super christian... and I'm guessing you aren't either- cause I don't think they actually exist! I will not be able to make every second count. Nor will I be able to live every day in some kind of perfectly holy, dedicated way that somehow justifies my whole life if I died at the end of it! But here's what I CAN do. I can stop dwelling on wasted moments in the past. I will stop worrying about the next moment (hour, day, month...) And I will simply love Jesus right now. In this moment. Whoa. Got teared up for a sec. (guess that means He's lovin' on me right back!)

  The best I have to give the Lord is this second, right now. And that counts. That blesses God. That is what I want to die doing. Giving Him THAT moment.

  Delete everything that has happened before this next breath... ready? Inhale, exhale. Tell Jesus how much you love Him.

Good job in life! You are a super christian in my book. :)

Keep running!

LM

P.S. Just to getcha pumped... I plan on writing a blog about every song on our new album. But I thought I'd wait till they're released so you can enjoy listening and then (hopefully!) be encouraged or challenged by their message! Stay tuned...

Easter.... battles and victories.

Dear sisters,
So yesterday was Easter. And I was thinking about it while I had my morning devos... I thought about the great lengths Jesus went through to gain victory. He struggled through every battle I would ever fight, carried every sin I would ever commit against Him and fought every single obstacle and power of darkness that would ever come against me. And not just me. But every single life that had ever and would ever come to be- whether they would except it or not. He went through this in 4 days (died on one, in the grave for three). And he won complete victory. Done. Everything is settled as far as God is concerned.

As I thought of this, I began to think about my battles. The big ones I am fighting right now, the ongoing ones that I slip in and out of, the small things that continually get the better of me... and it occurred to me, as I thought of a particular battle in my heart:

He has already fought this battle. Jesus fought this very fight that I am fighting right now. And He won.

He stands in victory right now and I have access to that victory. Somehow, some way, I can access total victory over every battle. I can simply walk over the enemy by no strength of my own and nothing that I have accomplished, because Jesus crushed his head. That is the story of easter.
Okay. How come I am not walking in complete victory over every battle in my life? Why do I still have issues. Why am I not perfectly happy?
Well, for one thing, Jesus didn't die so we could have perfect, safe, comfortable lives and never be in need of anything. He created us to NEED Him. He promised us lives of sacrifice, denying ourselves, suffering and persecution. These things refine us, sift our hearts and make us hungry for Him. He leads us through the wilderness (problems, sickness, poverty, betrayals, confusion...fill in the blank) so that we will come out leaning on Him. (Song of Solomon 8:5)

But what about sin, bondage, depression, lies from the pit of hell... What about cutting, eating disorders, self-abuse, self-hatred... what about all these things that trap so many of my generation (not excluding myself). Jesus bought us freedom from these battles by the very blood of torture and death. It is our inheritance to walk completely free. It's what happens when we get saved, it's what we preach, it's Christianity 101, right?
I can't say that I walk in that complete freedom. I daresay, most of us can't. But I know we can.

I don't have the answers. But I am determined to pray this one out. I want access to the victory that Jesus stands in. I want it for every one of you.

Happy Easter. I'm praying for you.

Keep on runnin' (Hebrews 12:1)
Leah