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Who would cry over a Sienna? Good grief

People think that the older we get, the more we accumulate. But sometimes it feels like the older we get, the more we lose.

THE LAST MINIVAN. Stephen M Miller saying goodbye to the Sienna minivan that had been the family’s workhorse since 1998. That’s the first year Toyota made the Sienna. He and his wife had just detailed it one last time before selling it to a mechanic who rejuvenates old cars. Sad evening. It felt like betraying an old friend who had never betrayed us. WHILE CRYING OVER MY 1998 SIENNA MINIVAN last…

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When God sent his sun

After a few hours of looking up at the eclipse, I wondered what Bible verses might help me reflect on what I saw in the sky.

NOT THE SKY FALLING. This is what happens during a solar eclipse when the light drops and the heavy, hand-held camera starts taking three-second exposures. I’m sure a creative preacher could make a theological point about what happens to us when the light leaves us. This is pretty much what the world around us might start to look like, a blurring mess. That suggests a good name for the photo:…

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Erasing Israel from the map

It's hard to read in 2 Kings the story of Israel getting erased without thinking about what's going on now—the opposite of "erasing Israel."

GRANDDAUGHTER. On Easter Sunday, my oldest grandson asked to hold my “big” camera so he could take a picture of me. Appealing to my ego: smart move for a second grader. My granddaughter heard what he said and jumped onto my lap. We see in the photo a glimpse of the bond between generations. I can’t imagine what it was like for the Jews of Israel and Judah to lose everything they owned to invaders…

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I could use a grief counselor

My grown kids said I've lost too many people I've loved and that it's time for me to see a grief counselor. Well, good grief.

“I’M REQUESTING YOU SEE A GRIEF COUNSELOR.” That’s what my grown daughter said today. I had requested a family meeting about a relational problem involving some faraway relatives. So there we were: me and my registered nurse wife and our two grown children—a manager-guy son and a nurse practitioner daughter. I was surrounded by two healthcare ladies and a salesman. I didn’t have a chance. Souls…

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When the Jews lost their Bible

Jews lost their Bible, it seems, for 400 years. I wonder if many evangelical Christians today have lost theirs, too.

A PLACE FOR MOSES. A rabbi faces Jerusalem while reading Scripture in a synagogue. Behind the curtain in front of him is a handwritten copy of the laws of Moses, carefully preserved on a large Torah (Law) scroll kept in a cabinet called an ark. The “ark” is a modern variation on the Ark of the Covenant, a gold-covered chest that held the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets. The ancient ark…

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Nudged to make a Bible map poster

I don't know that God nudged me. But a little something happened when I got an order for a Bible map that I knew wouldn't work.

4TH GRADE BIBLE GEOGRAPHY. Riley’s class in Chelsea, Alabama wanted a map poster of the land around the Sea of Galilee. We hadn’t experimented with that option before because it seemed old-school. But we did a little beta test and measured the success in smiles. I don’t know that God nudged me. But a little something happened when I got a $10 order for a Bible map poster that I knew wouldn’t…

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Habakkuk's prayer from Fiji to Finland

The song I wrote from Habakkuk's prayer, "I Will Thank God He's My Savior" has few listeners, but scattered over the word, Fiji to Finland.

HUMBLE STATS. Here’s where people are listening to the song from Habakkuk’s prayer. Body count seems low. But I love the scattering. It’s like little digital disciples leaving Jerusalem (Kansas City) to spread the Good News or to die trying. I APOLOGIZE for hitting you with a barrage of info about the song I wrote from Habakkuk’s prayer. But it’s where I am at the moment. I keep paraphrasing the…

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Christian music critics and my song

Some musicians advise against reading rejection messages. But if we make them listen to our songs, we should probably listen to theirs.

GOING FOR THE HEART. Spotify curators running music playlists offer their criticism and encouragement about a song I just released. Some musicians advise against reading the rejection. But if we make them listen to our songs, we should probably listen to theirs. I THOUGHT THOSE OF YOU WHO LIKE ME and those of you don’t (and you know who are) might enjoy hearing what Spotify playlist curators of…

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TikTok meets the Bible

When I hired a company to promote my Christian song to TikTok, I didn't expect videos of breasts, bums, and wet girls in towels.

LADY IN A CAR. I hired a company to help me promote a Christian song, Thank God He’s My Savior, and I got this lady riding in a car and looking at the camera for 10 seconds. This is one of the few scenes I could show you. I think TikTok may clock me. THIS IS TOO BLASPHEMOUS, ridiculous, and hilarious to keep to myself. It’s a TikTok thing: TikTok meets the Bible. In case you haven’t noticed,…

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Habakkuk's karaoke video starring you

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO CAN SING? I have a deal to make.

SING ONE FOR THE PROPHET. This is an invitation to sing your own version of Habakkuk’s song. DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO CAN SING? I have a deal to make. I released the “Habakkuk song” yesterday, “I Will Thank God He’s My Savior.” It’s a song inspired by the prophet’s last-known words. I have no idea how it’s doing; I haven’t solved the mystery of the apps.  I do know a couple of the Spotify…

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Habakkuk's song of unbelievable belief

THE SONG RELEASED TODAY COMES FROM HABAKKUK, a little-known prophet with a big heart for God. When we suffer a massive loss, we wonder what’s left to say. This prophet says it all.

THIS SONG COMES FROM HABAKKUK, a little-known prophet with a big heart for God. When we suffer a massive loss, we wonder what’s left to say. This prophet says it all. THIS IS THE DAY HABAKKUK MADE. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Today I’ve released the only song I’ve ever released into the universe. All my other songs have been for me and my family. But this song is for everyone. It comes…

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Bible maps & music Thanks Habakkuk

WE'RE STILL GIVING AWAY 3D BIBLE MAPS. Here's the 4th of five winners. One more set of 900 maps to go.

ISRAEL’S BOUNDARIES. Many are focused these days on the boundaries of Israel. Those boundaries have always been in flux throughout the centuries. For most of the time since Moses, Israel didn’t exist as an independent nation. People not Jewish owned it. Assyrians and Babylonians erased Israel some 600 years before Jesus, and deported the people. But in King Solomon’s day, boundaries of his…

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A ballet for Habakkuk

I have added some ballet to Habakkuk's tragic tale, and to celebrate the faith in God he held to in the face of invasion and death.

https://stephenmillerbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/I-Will-Thank-God-smm-webpage-_1-1.mp4 A BALLERINA FOR HABAKKUK. This is a clip from a video that will release next week with the song “I Will Thank God He’s My Savior.” The song came from an unusual moment I had while paraphrasing Habakkuk’s last words, a prayer of remarkable faith. If the embedded video didn’t survive, here’s a link:…

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Too much 'I Don’t Know' in making Christian music

Habakkuk got me into a musical mess.

THIS ONE’S FOR HABAKKUK. For the sake of a song inspired by the last-known words of a prophet most Christians never heard of, we’re putting Habakkuk on the map…with everyone else in the Bible. We’re giving away five subscriptions to over 900 pages of high resolution PDF Bible maps, one gigabyte in each subscription…with free updates. Two winners down, three to go. You’re on at least one list.…

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Wanna trade for 900 Bible maps?

We're giving away 1 GB of PDF Bible maps for immediate download. One collection will go to each of four winning subscribers. To win, get on one of our four lists.

JERUSALEM, SOLOMON’S KILOMETER. Jerusalem was a one-kilometer town in King Solomon’s day, just three quarters of a mile from the Temple to the Hinnom Valley. This is one of about 900 maps we’re giving away to four subscribers over the next three Mondays. Each winning subscriber chosen at random will win 1 GB of Bible maps, many in 3D style like this new one from 1 Kings 11. CHUCK A.  of Pace,…

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3D Map of Solomon's Galilee

Here's a new 3D Map of Solomon's Galilee. He have away 20 cities to Lebanon in trade for cedar timber.

SOLOMON GIVES AWAY 20 CITIES IN GALILEE TWO THINGS: A MAP AND A CORRECTION (This is a cropped version of the map. To see the full map, visit the Casual English Bible, 1 Kings 9.) From 1 Kings 9:10-14, Casual English Bible. Solomon spent 20 years building two houses. One house for God, the Temple. One house for himself, the palace.  King Hiram of Tyre supplied Solomon with all the wood he needed…

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Snow day, then back to work

LEAN INTO IT My oldest grandson works the angles. He’s packing down the snow in my driveway until it become an icy lane for speed sledding. With schools closed, he and his little brother spent the day with Grandpa and three sleds. I’M COMING UP FOR AIR to say Happy New Year and I have to get back to work. More than five inches of snow fell on us overnight this week. A snow day followed. I spent…

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