Blog Posts

Syria (The Truth About Love, Hate & War)

12/2/2015

The beauty of living is that we never know what each day will bring. Whether it be good, bad, exciting or sad, we make our plans, but we never truly know how those plans, and our life, will unfold.

Such was the case on Friday, Nov 13th 2015.

Yes, it was 'Friday the 13th, which has a bad reputation to begin with, but no one was expecting the horror that would unfold on the streets of our beloved Paris, the city of lights and love. Quickly the internet swarmed with a buzzy catch phrase and hashtag #PrayforParis which Christians, non-Christian and Atheists alike were posting at rapid speed. I couldn't help but think if people were stopping, for even a moment, to actually pray for Paris. Many people posting the hashtag would claim to not even believe in God if asked moments before the news broke. But I couldn't help but consider that in times of crisis, it was our very own psyche that draws us to the knowledge, understanding and belief that a Mighty God truly DOES exist. And perhaps it is just when folks are comfortable in their lives that they are allowed to consider the 'greatness' of mankind, the ever changing 'truth' of Science (don't get me wrong, I love many elements of Science) and the strength of their own ability that they can boldly proclaim "There is no God". But when brought between life and death... God is the one thing everyone clings to and prayer is the first thing on everyone's lips.

It was a quick and rapid descension from peace and love talk to fear and terror whispers in the following days. Until the Politicians in a claw fight for Media attention began to make bold statements and declarations about refugees, borders and protecting 'our people' that opened up what we were all thinking.

To be completely honest, I was a person who quickly stated 'It's a Trojan Horse!' when the refugees began pouring into Europe seeking asylum months ago. It just seemed like such an obvious ploy for the terrorists to find their way in, like seeping water through a crack in a dam. Yes, it was a terrible situation but it just seemed like such an obvious mistake these countries were making allowing hundreds of thousands of strangers into their land and into their homes. And then, like the telling of a perfect adventure storybook, everyone's fear was confirmed when one of the terrorists in Paris was confirmed to have traveled into Europe, on a boat, with the refugees. It was truth many people couldn't stomach, our worst fears confirmed.

Many conversations followed, Biblical examples from the Old Testament on treatment of 'non-believers', and fear talk continued to grow as the debate raged on in Washington on what exactly could and should be done about letting the Syrian refugees into our great land - The United States of America. The truth is everyone was, and is, fearful of another 'Paris' happening down the street or worse, on your street! Everyone just wants to protect their family and loved ones above all else.

It was easy to have these conversations, it's easy to allow fear to control the mind, to think of the 'worst case scenario' when our natural instinct is to 'protect and defend' that which we love. Honestly, it's the 'norm'. But.... as a Christian. What does God teach us, what is His advice? What does the Bible - our guidebook for life - say about this situation?

I began digging through the obvious stories in the Old Testament where God called upon His people to destroy the non-believers, man, women, child. And it would be easy to say 'SEE!!' but I knew that contradicted what God taught in the New Testament, and if there's one thing a Bible student knows, it's that the Bible NEVER contradicts itself. It simply means the reader is not digging deep enough to get the whole truth. It was at this same time that I was studying the story, and the history, of Israel during the prophet Jeremiah. Somehow as I read of the pending doom that was to fall upon God's chosen people and how during this time, knowing they were marching toward captivity and ruin, the true Christians in the situation, the ones who still believed and honored God, had to make a choice to continue to love, obey and honor God even though this punishment was inevitable. I thought "How difficult, how impossible, would it be to know what was about to happen, and STILL choose to love God. This would take extreme humility of heart and obedience to God's will above our own". The truth is God protects, guides and directs us, but when we make poor choices, even after repentance, God does not remove the consequences of our actions. We have to live with our consequences, and God lives through it WITH us. I continued to have certain verses spotlight into my mind such as Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." and Matthew 5:44 "Love your enemies and bless those that curse you." Romans 12:19 "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." and of course Matthew 25:35 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in..." I began to see clearly, once again, that we human beings, God's people, God's creation, God's sons and daughters, His representatives are put on this earth for ONE SINGLE SOLITARY DUTY and that duty.... is to love. Unconditionally, without holding back, without deciding who, how and when. We don't get to choose, we don't get to decide. Our only purpose is to love! And if that love brings us into danger we are to have faith and trust in God, for He is our protector, He is our commander.

If the Lord saw a group of terrorists walking by our home, the home of God's child, it would be our duty to go and offer them food, water and shelter. It would be God who would protect us. Because without our love, we make no difference in this world. Without God's love within us we change nothing and no one. Our light does not shine.

God says in Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." and He is right! Nothing He commands is what our instinct or this world around us tells us we should think or act. The Lord says 'Do the opposite of what is expected, allow me to work Miracles so that my Name is glorified". And fear has no part to play.

When I think of the Old Testament I think ahead to the end, to the time of Judgement. There is only one who is called to Judge and He is God the Father. Yes, a time will come when all will be judged on this earth and it will be too late to repent. But in judgement the hearts that have not repented would never have repented, even if given a thousand chances (which the Lord gave throughout their lifetime). Jesus has made a way, dying for ALL that ALL might be saved and the way is easy.

When I concluded reading the history of the prophet Jeremiah, the end of his story was like a fresh dew falling upon my heart. The words of the head commander of the rebel army taking away the people into captivity read (and I paraphrase) "Your God is punishing these people for disobeying Him. But you Jeremiah, you were faithful. And because of your faithfulness... you can choose to stay in your land if you want. I won't take you as a captive to Babylon. You are free." I realized that God made a way for his faithful servant. Many were left behind and not taken captive and I believe those left were the true believers who continued to love God even though they were facing imminent doom. They were the ones who said "against every bone in my body that wants to turn against You Lord for what is about to happen to me... I won't, I cannot, stop loving you God" and the Lord delivered them. And He will do the same for you and I.

A great relief fell upon me, any tension of fear of the unknown in what mistakes or errors might occur in Foreign Affairs vanished. I was free and at peace once again. Because no matter what happens, no matter how good or bad things get, I only have one job, one duty, one calling in this life... and that is to love. To love the ones I don't understand, to love the ones that want to hurt me, to love the ones who go against everything I believe and to love those I so badly want to hate. Because in doing so, I am allowing God to work miracles, to work change and convert the hearts of those I don't understand through His love in me. Because if we, as the body of Christ, united around the world and chose to love in this way, we would be a force stronger than any army the Nations could offer. We would be impenetrable. We would be the Israel God had hoped for. The one that stood strong, protected and blessed above all others, with no earthly King but God Himself ruling. For He is the King that rules our hearts. He is the King that protects us, He is the God who allows us each breathe that we breath. So against all odds, I choose love. Because I know I have a great God who will always defend, protect and be with me. No matter what.

Sincerely

Naomi Striemer
www.naomistriemermusic.com

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Songs of Subtlety

10/13/2015

As many of you may know, I began my career in pop music chasing a mainstream music dream. Thankfully, God had other plans for my life! Plans that I thank Him for every single day, for they really are my dream come true.

But even in this beautiful life, where I make a valid attempt to fill my ears with uplifting, Christ-centered music a majority (if not all) of the time. It’s hard, if not impossible these days to go about your daily life without catching a glimpse of to what’s happening in mainstream, pop music. I myself am glad there’s a Taylor Swift out there, for her business savvy, strength as a female in the music industry and for being a women who grew up responsible, dedicated and focused without letting anyone distract or diffuse her passion and course of action. I haven’t been able to help but notice that her outfits have become more revealing and less whimsical and feminine over the past year or two, and I hope she will be able to maintain the balance on the fine line tight rope that she walks being in the position that she is in. But this is not a blog about Taylor Swift. I have felt compelled, catching lyrics of songs dominating the top 40 radio airwaves, songs that have young children singing and dancing along to, without realizing what message they are allowing to penetrate their impressionable minds, to write about my thoughts and feelings on the matter (now I sound like so many ‘old’ people I grew up rolling my eyes at!!) I can’t go without voicing my opinion.

Is it just me or is pop culture becoming more female degrading, overtly sexual and subtly persuading to promote no morals or values in this life? Certain songs have me looking around going “Am I the ONLY person hearing the message being sung here!?!?” Perhaps, it’s due to my instinctive need (as a songwriter) to listen intently to lyrical content weaved cleverly in the catchy melodies. But for someone who sat in dozens of writing sessions, I don’t have to think twice of where inspiration comes from. It’s either from God or the devil. There is no in-between. Something special happens in writing sessions when an energy takes over. And it’s either to promote a message of God, or to promote a message against Him.

The lyrics that caught my attention in the past few weeks and truly bothered me, perhaps, will be familiar to you! Most of us never consider the songs we’re humming along to, because they are SO catchy and clever and straight up ear candy! It’s called ‘pop’ music because it is popular to the vast majority of those who hear it. This particular song made me depressed for the beautiful young women who sings it, my heart felt heavy for her. Why? Because this lyric is entirely degrading. It reminds me of the intention a women-for-hire would have for one of her top paying clients. These are words only someone who is broken could say. There is no self worth, no value for the women who is saying these words, she is not proud because she is intelligent, because she is talented, because she is kind or simply because she IS a women and deserves value and any man that she chooses should feel honored to be by her side. Her only worth comes from the fact that she will do her best to ‘look good’ for this man and all of his wants and desires, hopefully good enough that he might keep her around for a little while, that is, until someone who looks better, turns more tricks, and perhaps sits quieter, comes along. The lyric reads:

"Gonna wear that dress you like, skin-tight
do my hair up real, real nice
and syncopate my skin to your heart beating

Cause I just wanna look good for you, good for you
I just wanna look good for you, good for you
let me show you how proud I am to be yours
leave that dress a mess on the floor
and still look good for you, good for you”

This song breaks my heart. The next song simply put, irritates me in a matter-of-fact kind of way. I simply dislike the song and I absolutely dislike the message being sent out to not only girls and women but to men and boys. It’s belittling to the female role in a relationship!

The lyricist and artist who sings the song, seems to be making an attempt to praise up the women he is with. He say’s he’ll never cheat because she’s the girl for him. Hmmm… I wonder why she is the girl for him? Well, the chorus gives the big reveal. Because this guy has found himself a cheerleader! I mean, who wouldn’t want a cheerleader to rally them on with every decision, big or small… or forget about decisions, how about just actions like… simply finishing a bowl of cereal in the morning, don’t we all deserve a big pat on the back for that? Sure, this is great, if this guys idea of the perfect partner is someone who is ‘always there’ when he needs her, never gives an opinion, never offers advice or counsel, but simply cheers on his every act in life, and she looks good while doing it to boot!

What is this saying to people!?!? Don’t get me wrong, I completely, 100% advocate supportive relationships. In fact, I promote that behavior in spousal relationships - when it is two sided. But someone who truly loves their partner will not only offer praise, validation and encouragement they will also offer loving advice, counsel and at times wisdom that may not agree with their spouse, if it is in their spouses best interest and for the over-all good, safety and growth of their relationship. That is what love is! No, it’s not a cheerleader-role, because that is not a true supporter, a cheerleader is voiceless (metaphorically speaking) a pretty face, who, when we watch them at games, sit on the sidelines until it is their time to do their job (of cheering), they are not allowed to offer any advice or counsel but simply…. cheer, cheer, cheer, praise, praise, praise. Don’t get me wrong, I have no ill-will against cheerleaders. But when it comes to being called one in a relationship as the verb to best describe you! I find it offensive, and you should too.

But let’s put these two songs aside to look at a more serious matter. This next song is so incredibly crafted it took me multiple casual listens to finally realize what was being said! And when the realization hit me, I turned off the radio so quickly it was as though sin was seeping through the speakers and into my soul. Critically this song received a lot of praise for it’s ‘brave’ statement by the singer. The song is called provocative for it’s incredibly suggestive lyrics. What is the song about? Well, according to the songs own Wikepedia “the song is about sexually experimenting with a female lover during summertime” and it shot straight up the charts in dozens of countries in no time. It’s written in such a subtle way (by one of the top songwriters in the world, someone I once would have done anything to write with!), it is easy to assume most people have no idea what they are gleefully humming along to! But perhaps, after a few listens one lyric begins to beg the question “What is this young female singer talking about?”

“Take me down into your paradise
Don't be scared 'cause I'm your body type”

Once that lyrics meaning is unwrapped the remaining lyrics fly off the page like uncovering a bad secret, but this is no secret! One of the most suggestive, disgusting, sinful lyrics to hit mainstream radio in recent history by a popular pop star. The lyric gives me chills for how down right in-your-face it is, and the song is so cleverly written once you’re ‘hooked’ it might be hard to turn it off once it comes on.

Media is subtle. It’s alluring. It’s inviting. It’s fun. It’s enjoyable… and it might be leading the world down a very dark and twisted path. Sin, just like Faith, begins as a tiny seed. The more it is fed, the larger it grows. Step by step our conscious will, morals and values get chipped away. No one wants to be the ‘stickler’ or deprive themselves of the fun everyone else is enjoying. But where is it leading? Certainly not to the feet of Jesus. Certainly not to a life that is free and filled with peace, love and joy.. and positive relationships!

Do I feel like some crazy, right winged, extremist pointing out songs that millions of good people have been enjoying and singing along too all summer? Absolutely!! I even feel a slight sense of embarrassment and fear of backlash I might receive. But at the same time I am so thankful that my conscious, the Holy Spirit within me, is still alerting me to the poisons, that are so alluring and inviting all around me. And that my heart and mind is still close enough to God to be listening, discerning and making judgment calls on what I will allow to enter into my system and what I simply will not allow.

At this very time I’m in the midst of raising funds to make my next Christ-Centered, positive, inspiring, uplifting Christian album. And I’m not going to lie, it has been tough!!! Encouraging people to donate and pre-order a $15 album that will most likely never hit mainstream airways is not as inviting as investing in a guilty pleasure. When I was in pop music I had a near million dollar budget for every album I made!! And now that I’m in Christian music, I pray long and hard for every dollar I receive, hoping to be able to raise a few thousand dollars to make this next one. We are not fighting against humans, but the evils of this world. The ruler of this world controls the domain of fame, power and finances. But in the face of this, there is good, solid, heartfelt Christian media and music out there, with not nearly the recognition, money or quality because the funds simply aren’t there. But God is! And on whatever scale my next album will be made and heard I know it will help someone, somewhere in whatever circumstance they are experiencing. We are fighting a daily battle and the stakes are high! Let God speak to you and lead you daily. For the devil is a raging lion, waiting to devour, and he is subtle… so very subtle.

Sincerely,

Naomi Striemer

Heroes & Villians

8/12/2015

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The other night my husband and I decided to watch a movie. It was one of the many story lines so popular today, you know, where the world is no longer safe or functional, and those at the top of power have manipulated a game, or experiment with a certain group of people? This particular group study was being conducted with what seemed to be 14-24 year olds, who were brought to a location where they had to figure out the game in order to survive. No it was not the Hunger Games, but something similar. There was no sexual content, foul language or psychotic violence, which we appreciated, and it turned out to be much better than either of us had anticipated. However, it got me thinking. You see, this movie only had 1 hero. Which seems to be a common theme in these types of movies. But this one hero had been blatantly chosen as ‘the hero’ from the very beginning, much to many of his fellow players/teammates dismay (in the movie). He was referred to as ‘the chosen one’ from early on and the other smart and innovative young players aligned themselves with him immediately while the other not so smart ones tried to plot his demise. It got me thinking that out of all the character, and personality types, that would watch this movie the writers, producers and studio CEO's knew, without a doubt, that every viewer would watch this movie, cheering for the hero, or going a step further, they knew each of us would relate to the hero, as though he represented each of us in the movie. Because we the viewers always think of ourselves, our character, our human ability as being above and beyond… even heroic (if given the chance or situation) somewhere deep down inside at our core. So, of course everyone would root for the ‘hero’ character! No viewer was going to pick out an average character in this movie and say ’that’s the one I am most like’ or ’that’s the one I would like to be, if I could be anyone in this movie’ because we all know that only the hero and maybe the sidekick have the guaranteed survival rate to beat out all odds. Yet, I found it so fascinating that no character development had been done on anyone else in this movie other than the one young man who would ultimately save the day. It was like the other characters were there, but we never fully got to know any of them.
So why is it, and what is it about each of us, that we so obviously see ourselves as ‘the good guy’, the ‘one that’s right’, ‘the one with superior mental capacity’ the one that would ‘save the day’ if given the chance? I mean come on, Who doesn’t want to be THAT person!? It’s what we all secretly crave and strive for, right? But why? Is it because that is how God created us? When God shaped and molded the very first human being, He did so with Himself in mind - The true hero, the true King, the true victorious One and only. He created us after His own image! We were to be rulers and caretakers of our domain. Regardless of the sin factor, that inward longing to represent God in the world around us exists still today in each of us, somewhere, perhaps deep down. And it is why a movie can be made with only one hero, one person that can save the world from utter destruction, one hero… and we all watch it and relate to that hero as if he were reading our minds!

Upon deeper thought and consideration of this idea I found myself pondering the articles I’ve read and studies I’ve seen in the past on criminals who have committed sin and done much evil. The first thing that stood out to me was that a true criminally inclined person was not wired like the rest of us, no, in their mind what they did was not ‘wrong' or ‘evil' and they were so certain of this, that being caught was something they never thought would ever happen! How can you be caught for something that isn’t wrong? It sounds psychotic to the healthy and normal mind, but most people who do bad things repeatedly, also see themselves as ‘the hero’ of their story. It is very rare to find someone who did something, whether it be illegal, sinful or wrong that they did not truly believe was for the betterment of their environment and the world around them. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Yet here we are, sinful creatures, who know what is right, know what God has commanded us to do, yet we are still sinning. Perhaps not the 'serious stuff' that could get us tossed into jail, but the *little* stuff that perhaps no one will ever find out about. But, aren’t we the hero of our story? Isn’t every thing we do the right thing? How can we be so wrong so often?

How do we know if what we do in the world around us, with our best intentions, trying to be the hero of our story line, is truly the right path? There is only one way to find out. Have we followed what scripture says? Have we looked at the world around us and all that we could do and laid it at the feet of Jesus saying “Not I, but Christ’?

There truly is only one hero to the story and one man who saved the day - Jesus Christ- and there will never be another. Yes, we can do great things here on this earth and we can create a lot of good, but not through ourselves for that would only lead us to becoming the villain in the story. To truly be the hero in our story is to lay it all down and with great humility realize that our strength our intelligence our gifts and abilities are all given to us from The One that sits on the thrown, the One that created us with His hand. But the most beautiful part is that this King wants us to be His heroes, He wants to bless us with every good thing and He believes we are special and gifted and extraordinary, that is because He sees us through a lens that has been cleansed with His blood. We have the opportunity to truly be great because the One and Only Hero above all, came down to earth and really did win the day, really did beat out all odds and He really did come out victorious. The greatest story ever written really does have a great and perfect ending, and the best part? We all get to be in this story!

- Naomi Striemer

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Nearly Lost Humanity

7/15/2015

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I've seen a lot of headlines these past few weeks leading me to think and feel things across a wide spectrum of emotions. It all began with a raccoon in my homeland of Canada in a city where my father grew up, Toronto, who had passed away (causes unknown) and been seen by a passerby on the street early that morning. Feeling compassion the man stopped and tweeted the city to clean up the poor dead animal. It quickly grew to the mayor tweeting the city pleading for them to act, more passerby's noticing the dead animal eventually building a memorial within a few hours. By evening the animal had received cards, multiple flowers, a donation box for a proper burial and more pleading tweets for the city to show the animal some respect. Ironically if this creature had been found in any one of these peoples backyards knee deep in their tipped over garbage that same day, they might have been the ones causing it's very death. It puts life and the situation into perspective. People want to be compassionate, they want to express love because it is built into each of us. At our core we are tender, sensitive beings created to love and nurture the life forces that are around us. But through conditions and circumstances we grow hard interior shells, barriers that cannot be penetrated. We build walls so high and so strong around that sensitive core it would take a cold hard slap of blatant compelling humanity in its frailest point to make us feel anything, and for some, not even that would do it. Our compassion disappears as we take on a 'dog eat dog' only 'the strongest survive' mentality protecting ourselves (we think) from future pain.

The news continued on with its tales of woe and crime until Cecil the friendly Lion was cruelly murdered after being lured out of a protected safari in Africa. I'm not sure what it was about this particular story that hit so many people to their core, sending millions around the globe into a frenzied outrage, crying "off with his head!" in regard to the 'sport' hunter who had taken this beautiful life. For me personally I felt the pain of this lions fate due to the sheer struggle of life in general. I can vividly recall being in an African Safari and watching dozens of lions eat, sleep and play all around our tour vehicle. Many times feeling so safe and comfortable that if I didn't know better I would have hopped out and joined the lion pride in the tall grass for an afternoon nap. They were not difficult prey or even a hard target. I could have done serious damage if I had held a large enough rock and decided to throw it. The only time you knew to stay out of their way was when hunger had taken over and the hunt was in play. This story brought out the conflict of our world. The outraged humans who felt fire and fury were also sitting down to dinner hours after reading this story (perhaps even discussing it while they ate) partaking in, and perhaps filling their plates with, a choice of chicken, lamb or steak, without finding any sort of connection to the irony of how that creature became their dinner. I, of course know full well, having been raised on a farm and when the time came to finally sell the animals and move away, we watched our pet cows, Bessie and Betsy, the ones we had named, raised, groomed and fed be sold to a beef farmer. Yes, the very cows that had been perfect childhood companions who brought laughter and joy with licks on cheeks of affection were going to the slaughter. We knew what their fate would be. Life is not the same as in days of old when each family had to grow, cultivate and eventually harvest or kill their meals for survival and those meals were filled with gratitude and perhaps a little bit of sorrow for the life that had to be taken for theirs to continue. It seems in today's culture what you can't see, doesn't exist. There is a total disconnect from a life taken behind closed doors and a life taken in front of a lens. But sometimes, not even that can compel someone to feel.

Last night as I scrolled through my Facebook feed I saw the much more silently, Christian community propelled, story of abortions. A cause I never got too deeply in the water over in past years. Feeling it was legal, mainly for cases of rape or incest victims and young girls who were medically in danger of carrying to term. Never did I know that abortion was considered 'legal' right up until the moments before a mother went into labour, or that if the baby came out of the womb dismembered like an internal genocide (piece by piece) and not 'whole' it wasn't criminal. I looked at the photo taken of a women carrying twin girls at 5 months, the very stage of pregnancy I am currently in, walking into a clinic to have her abortion regardless of the financial support or offers of adoption that had come streaming in from the online community from her leaked photo. She already had girls and simply didn't want anymore 'girls' and it seems couldn't be "bothered" to carry the two little growing human beings into the world for someone else to love and care for. After all, she couldn't see them, touch their soft skin or hear their plea for life. There would be no funeral or special care given to their plight. They were just unknown beings interrupting a life that was bigger, stronger and in charge.

We, as a society, have disconnected. We have lost our humanity. We have turned away from God to fill our hearts with selfishness. Because just like the lives lost that we can't see, or don't want to see, God is a God we can't see or touch or stare at photos of and grow attachments. We can't create a story line in our reality that pulls at our heart strings for God, who is as the air. And many simply can't believe in God for those reasons. Our defense mechanisms are up. We are in the here and now. If we don't take care for ourselves than who will!! We can't cry at every sad story, we can't feel everyone else's pain when we have our own to deal with... What kind of a life would that be?

It would be a life of Jesus. Feeling every heartbreak, every sorrow, every tear of every human, animal and creature as they lived and died. He chose us to be His companions. He chose us to take care of His world and creation. He chose us to love one another and care for each other above the care we have for ourselves. He gave us the ability to see Him through each other and the world around us. But we've stopped looking. Yet somehow in fleeting moments, in sometimes odd and strange situations, we can still see those qualities in the hearts of God's sons and daughters, believers and non-believers.... For a moment compassion for life is reborn. When we feel for things that are not right. But it's happening less and less. When we need it more and more - sensitivity, humility, tenderness, compassion, love and God within us. We need God. Because we, as a world and society, are quickly slipping away.

- Naomi Striemer

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When The Bad Becomes The Good

5/26/2015

A few weeks ago we were given the news that our beloved 4 year old dog was going blind due to a retinal disease. In the days that followed it was not the dog that struggled with the news it was her two parents, Jordan and I. We couldn’t imagine our full-of-life hilarious little puggle losing her eyesight and needing constant supervision outdoors or with scented maps drawn around the house indoors, so she wouldn’t bang into walls or fall down stairs. Every time we looked at her we wondered how much time we would have with her the way she was.

After a few days of researching the disease online and hoping for a shred of good news and finding none, I made the appointment for Bella to be seen by the pet ophthalmologist, like our vet had requested we do. My husband and I prayed for a miracle and with a brave and hopeful heart I took her the next morning. At this point Bella had decided she absolutely disliked animal clinics (after having severe allergic reactions the past 2 years with routine vaccinations) so I sat with her in the waiting room while she fought with me to flee the scene. But finally, she calmed down after introducing herself to the dozen or so, all much older, dogs waiting to be seen for their eye conditions, and within minutes Bella had done what she does best, won all of the other pet owners over with her charm and wrinkly face.

Finally Bella and I met with the Doctor. Not expecting to hear any good news, I was mentally prepared for the diagnosis of how much time we had left with her eyes and what actions I needed to take. But instead, after examining both eyes thoroughly the Doctor proclaimed “She has cataracts in both eyes” I was absolutely shocked! “Really?” I asked “Yes” said the Doctor “I wasn’t expecting that either, but take a look, she has clearly visible cataracts” my heart was racing with enthusiasm. I knew what this meant! There was hope! I asked how far along her condition was and became overjoyed to hear that Bella still had fully functional eye sight and that her cataracts were still too early in the condition to be eligible for surgery but if, one day, it deteriorated to that level, surgery would be an option. I couldn’t wait to call Jordan! It was a miracle! Hope had been restored! A way out had been given! I left the Doctor feeling like Bella had been given a second chance.

It’s amazing, isn't it? If we had been given the news of cataracts first, we would have felt frustrated perhaps or upset, even devastated that our beloved dog had come down with a condition that needed to be monitored and one day we’d most likely need to pay for an expensive surgery with lots of follow up care and no guarantees. But receiving the worst news first, that our dog was going blind from an incurable disease and being faced with no hope, no cure and no way out. To hear the news that yes there was a condition but yes, there was a way out and yes, there was hope! It wasn’t going to be as easy as if she had been born without this inherited disease, and one-day it might be more costly than we had ever imagined, but there was a way around this disease! And in a way this ‘not so perfect’ news had become the best news we ever could have heard (other than “there is absolutely nothing wrong with her”).

It immediately reminded me of our life as human beings in a fallen world. We have been born into a death sentence with no way out, no hope and no cure. The future is bleak, sad and depressing.. but then we discover hope, and a way out- His name is Jesus! The hope of the world. The cure, given to all. And suddenly we have reason to rejoice! Yes, it might be a difficult road filled with unexpected turns, disappointments, heartaches and sacrifices beyond what we feel capable of and the cost might seem greater than we had imagined at times … but we have a cure! And we only need to believe to receive it! Isn’t it amazing how much more we rejoice when we have seen how dark the road of no hope is? Sometimes, when life in our Christian walk becomes unbearable it is good to remember what life with no hope feels like. This life might be tough at times but there is a way that leads to eternity, and Jesus is that way! Earthly toil is a small price to pay for a forever with our Savior, The Creator of the Universe.

- Naomi Striemer

Perfect Picture

4/23/2015

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When we look ahead to the future, we always see a perfect picture, even though there is always someone to remind us that 'nothing is ever perfect' we envision it anyway. We see our future goals shining brightly and we work hard to reach those goals. But somehow along the way, just like we were told, no matter how hard we try, life is never perfect and we get surprises we wish we never knew.

When Jordan and I returned home from a 6 week Church concert tour in New Zealand and Australia we were anxious and excited to see our baby girl. No, not a real baby girl, but our 4 year old puggle dog named Bella. We love her, and often treat her, like our child. With no kids (yet) in our little family Bella really does fill that space. She brings great joy to our lives, humor to our spirits and warm sloppy kisses to our cheeks.

My parents, who watched Bella while we were away, told us that she had begun missing and losing her ball when playing fetch. We thought perhaps something must be distracting her but when we gleefully took her to the park the next day with her favorite tennis ball we noticed it too. She was losing sight of the ball in the air as she ran. This was a dog so athletic she could sprint 100 meters in time to catch a ball mid air before it landed to the ground. And now she was running in circles, nose to the ground trying to find the lost ball by smell. Something was wrong.

I took Bella to the vet only to hear the words I couldn't imagine to be true. Bella has damage to her retinal and is in the process of losing her eyesight. She will go blind. It didn't matter that she was surprisingly young for this genetic degenerative disease. I came home and spent the afternoon studying options (of which there were few) and articles and blogs and burst out crying when I got half way through one on how to treat your dog through the transition and into their new life. I did exactly what the article said not to do! But I couldn't help it.

Today I took Bella to her favorite park to work on voice command training in preparation for her transition. Thankfully she is such an easy to train, willing to learn dog, she was flying through the new commands with ease and joy.

Life is never perfect, we all face challenges of different shapes and sizes in our lives and I know there are parents experiencing much worse with their biological children at this very moment, and my heart goes out to them, because somehow, and rightfully so, we never see 'broken' in our future plans. Because we make plans according to how life should be, how it was intended to be... Perfect.

- Naomi Striemer

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God's Great Sense of Humor

1/30/2015

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In life I’ve made dozens of declarations. I’ve thrown around the word ‘never’ in regard to many situations but the more I have grown and been able to look back I’ve begun to realize something, God loves to prove me wrong! When I was a teenager driving with my family from Canada to Florida we always headed straight through Tennessee and around the great city of Nashville and every time my Dad would ask if we wanted to stop to see the famous city of country music, and without hesitation I would say “I never want to visit Nashville. I hate country music” as we drove on by. Years later here I am, LIVING in Nashville, TN (in a beautiful, historic suburb of the great city of country music) and I have to admit, I absolutely love it, and I even have some favorite country music songs!

I thought I knew exactly who I was and who I was always going to be in my teens and early twenties. I absolutely couldn’t stand ‘Christian’ music and often declared that it was ‘cheesy’ even rolling my eyes when someone would put it on and whining “Do we HAVE to listen to this? I mean, it’s just so bad” but you guessed it! Here I am, A Christian Contemporary artist, deeply in love with the genre, wishing every song ever written (in pop, country, rap and R&B) were to praise Jesus.

There have been many other declarations “I don’t ever want to go to Africa” (I went for 3 weeks to 3 countries in 2010, and hope to go back one day) or “I’ll never stay at an all-inclusive resort, the idea of spending your entire vacation at one location is depressing” (Jordan and I absolutely LOVED our time at an all-inclusive resort we stayed at for work purposes last year) or my opinion of cruises “I will NEVER, repeat NEVER go on a cruise. It sounds like torture to be stuck on a big floating mall” and here I am, two days away from boarding my first cruise for a Women’s Retreat. And you know what? I’m actually excited!

It’s easy to think we know ourselves, I mean after all, we are the ones operating our minds, thoughts and actions, aren’t we? But through the years I have learned a great lesson. God knows me WAY better than I could ever, or will ever know myself. He see’s beyond my opinions and beyond my judgements to my heart. He puts me in situations I never would have chosen for myself and in the end I’m always grateful, and most often down right thrilled with the result.

For the first time in 12 years I’m back in Florida for a week with my parents (we lived here for 5 years through some of the most impactful moments of my career) and in the midst of one of my concerts this past weekend I had the strangest feeling sweep over me. My eyes were closed as I sang in the midst of my testimony. And for a moment I felt that if I opened my eyes I would be 18 years old again at the very beginning of my journey, and everything I had been through, the heartbreak and the joy, would have all been just a dream. I cannot fully describe the strangeness of the moment but I can say it was utterly the worst feeling in the world. The thought of going back to the beginning and everything that I thought had ‘gone wrong’ going right… and being given a new path. If given the choice, knowing what I know, I would do anything to have it JUST the way it was and just the way it is, I wouldn’t change one single solitary moment (no matter how bad) because the outcome is the greatest outcome I could have ever dreamt of.

God knows how to write the perfect story. And I’m so thankful He knows me, a million times better than I know myself. And maybe, from here on out, I’ll be a little more careful when I make my ‘never’ declarations!

- Naomi Striemer

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Have Yourself A Mary (Not A Martha) Christmas!

12/3/2014

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If ever there was a time to be a Martha, it's during the Christmas season. There is so much to be done yet so little time to do it. Decisions to be made on the 'perfect' gift, one that doesn't break the bank but also says "I love you" and "I put time and effort into this gift"while managing to give appropriately to everyone on 'the list', deciding whether it's real cards that are being sent out (or if you are super ambitious- handmade cards!) e-cards or no cards at all this year, getting to the post office before the cut-off date only to find yourself in a line out the door, fighting with traffic in the shopping centers on the roads and in the grocery isles and checkouts, decorating and trying not to lose it every time the family pet or beloved child pulls down any bulb, stocking or garland within 2 feet of the ground, until finally collapsing at the end of the day after spending hours upon hours in the kitchen baking the traditional treats (or in my case, re-inventing the traditional treats to fit gf/vegan ingredients and failing miserably time and time again) to place in the perfect tins before you realize you didn't stop for one moment to truly connect with anyone you encountered throughout the day. You didn't have time to take the call from your lonely aunt who goes on and on about her afflictions, or respond to the request from your cousin who 'fell off the rails' a few yrs back and certainly doesn't fit into your 'Christ filled' ideal to join the family at your house for Christmas dinner. Besides, there simply isn't room!! And your not made of endless resources! I mean truly, how easy is it to become Martha when anticipation is building to create the perfect Christmas experience? One thing I love about this time of year IS the anticipation and preparation combined with excitement. Why? Because it's how it should have been when Jesus was born, but in fact, it almost went by without the world noticing. If it weren't for Heavens joy spilling forth to the earth and a few faithful 'heathens' who recognized the signs of Christ's birth in the sky, the occasion would have gone un-noticed by mankind... Particularly those who had been given the honor of waiting and watching for the time to come. It's easy, even as Christians with all knowledge of what's to come, to get caught up and lose sight of what's important and what it is we're waiting for. Imagine if we each prepared our hearts daily for Christ's second coming in the same exuberant way we prepare our homes and lives for Christmas? What a different world it would be that we live in! But instead we spend countless hours preparing the things that don't mean much while neglecting the things that mean the most. Relationships. Taking the time to listen. Expressing love and saying "I love you", not waiting to say how proud you are of those you care about and to those who really need to hear it. Saying "I'm sorry" and mending a broken heart, being a time giver to someone least expecting it. What we need most this Christmas is each other. That's what God has always taught us, and what He has always cared about most. Love each other. Even if it's hard and uncomfortable at times.

Sometimes love is messy. It goes against the Martha in each of us, but it's Mary who sat, giving her all, at Jesus feet who received the tremendous blessings. And it's a place we all need to strive to find ourselves. Taking time to let the world around us fall into chaos if for one moment we can connect with the heart of Jesus by truly allowing God to use us in ways we really don't want to be used. This year, I challenge each and every one of us (myself included) to have a very Mary Christmas. And to continue preparing for the most exciting day in history yet to come. Jesus triumphant return.

- Naomi Striemer

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Forward>>

Syria (The Truth About Love, Hate & War)

Songs of Subtlety

Heroes & Villians

Nearly Lost Humanity

When The Bad Becomes The Good

Perfect Picture

God's Great Sense of Humor

Have Yourself A Mary (Not A Martha) Christmas!

Naomi Striemer

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