Someone You Should Know!

Michelle with her sisters and brother (now deceased) at the recording.


Jewel - How does your music inspire you?


Michelle - Well, I don't know if my music inspires me so much, but I'll say God definitely inspires me. He'll take an everyday situation and all of a sudden in the quiet, in the stillness of a moment...literally--He will place words and a tune in my heart and mind and it just will keep on coming and flowing. That's what happened when I found my brother dead in my deceased parents living room. After reflecting...it felt so empty, cold, lonely, hopeless...but God--placed His presence and love in the midst of the void and He kept on pouring the words in me. The same happened during on of the last times I saw my dad alive in the hospital...in the hospital bed...where he deteriorated to a sub-vegetated state...God right there flooded my soul with John 14:27 or 26, "Peace I leave with you...not as the world--giveth--give I unto you..."


He gave the melody along with the words instantaneously and I had to literally run out of the E.R. and ask the guard for the location of the hospital's chapel and I found it and hopped on the organ minutes after...so I wouldn't lose the revelation. God gave me the entire song in a matter of 5 minutes...I know it sounds weird, yet it was as if He was giving my dad a last song--to play--before He took him on to glory! Praise God! So I will say the inspiration is from God-Himself and the awesome opportunity He gives me to express His glory in a very tangible manner.


I thank Michelle for taking the time to answer my questions. Her answer were insightful. I don't think it's strange how God inspired her to write her music. I was rejoicing because that is how he does me with my writing. He will take the every day things and show me something. I have to sit down and write it as soon as he gives it to me, not because I'll lose it, but because it will continue to play in my thoughts until I put it on paper. I've sat down and written entire plays in one sitting, because I could not stop the flow of the words. I often tell people, I am just the typist. So again, thank you Michelle. Her current project as she mentioned is to do a musical. We will keep you abreast of the developments of that.

Words of Encouragement

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, - Romans 8:1-3

The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. – Psalm 18:24-26


He is Risen, What Next? Our records are clear. I was speaking with someone on yesterday and this thought came to my mind. When we accepted the gift of salvation from Christ we also accepted a new start. The old life, our life of sin, lies; backbiting, etc. were erased and removed from our records. We were given a new start, a new record. As we walk this journey, all the things that need to be changed in us are not instantly removed. God’s longsuffering ways grants us his mercy to cover us as he gets our attention to those things that need to be changed.

When he gets our attention, he reminds us there is no condemnation now, you are free from this sin because you have seen it and repented of it. He then tells us go forward and come this way no more. I also began thinking, how are we called righteous, or faithful or blameless? Is it because we have always been righteous, or faithful or blameless in our walk? I can dare to say no. We are these things because our records are clear. They are clear because of the power of the blood. It washes away our sins. It washes away the sins we commit, even when in our hearts we thought we were doing right. It was the mercy that said, I will hold you today…and each day, until you see the full picture.

I have a question for us, when we finally see where we are not living up to God’s standard, does he beat us over the head with it? Does he bring back what we did wrong several years ago to remind us of how wrong we are; is he still judging us by our lack of understanding from 1999? No. He simply reassures us that he loves us and our records are clear. What we should take from this is, we as believers need to be more like God when dealing with each other. We are good at holding what someone did wrong, and not letting go of it. We want to forever see them through what they did wrong (real or perceived). Yet, we can take comfort in this, God says our records are clear! So even when someone wants to tell you about all the wrong you have done, you can say to yourself, “well if you check with God, he’ll tell you, my record is clear”. That thing isn’t even on the list anymore. That is how we are called faithful, righteous and blameless. It is because the blood continues to wash away the stains, leaving us spotless before God.

I pray for us today that we would rejoice in knowing that we have a clear record with God. Not so that we can boast, because the record isn’t clear by our own power, it is clear because of the power of Christ. We can rejoice and know when the enemy comes to condemn us; we can tell him there is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus, because his gift is continually perfecting me.