For almost a year now, we have been discussing, praying through and seeking wisdom about what our family’s next step is. Last year around this time, we were seriously considering adoption, but as we began to learn more and more about foster care we started considering pursuing that as well. So we took the class to be certified, filled out the paperwork, and all the other things that we needed to complete before we would be able to have children in our homes to care for in the absence of their parents. There was only one problem. We weren’t sure how long God would have us remain in Houston. And with that, we decided, for stability’s sake, that we needed to delay until God had us in a more permanent location.

August of 2009 came and went, and we had left Sugar Creek where I was on staff as a worship pastor. God was moving us on to itinerant worship ministry for a season and we were going to be moving back to Austin. This was it! The moment we’d been waiting for! We could now start foster care! We took our CPR and First Aid classes, finished most of the paperwork, got our fire inspection, etc. and were practically ready to pull the trigger, but still weren’t at peace. I knew that at some point God was wanting us to be foster parents, but just wasn’t sure if NOW was that time. I genuinely felt like the Lord was saying wait a little longer. Amanda and I discussed it and prayed together at length and she let me know she had been feeling the same way, which was a major confirmation. The more we prayed about it, the more we felt that foster care wasn’t going to be just a short season in our lives. We don’t want to do it for 6 months or a year and then then move on to other things like adoption, but rather we see foster care as being more of an ongoing mission in our lives. Something that once we start, we continue for quite some time. That being said, we have also felt strongly about adopting internationally for several years now. To take a child from a different country, different culture, different religion and make them our own. It’s such a picture to the world of what God has done for us. So what now?

It has been over a month now since we began praying about adoption again. This is something that has always been on my heart and mind to do. But more specifically – we’ve been praying about international adoption lately. Amanda had been saying how badly she felt that God was leading us to adopt from Kazakhstan. Honestly, I thought we would adopt domestically first. The more I prayed about it in secret, and we prayed about it together, the more the Lord began to sway my heart that He was passionate about international adoption for us. We want to have an inter-racial family to display with our lives that God is the God of all nations and skin colors and languages and that we are passionate about what He is passionate about. We also want to adopt from a nation where the gospel is scarce and our child would otherwise not have had a chance to know Jesus Christ.

And so here we are, completely and totally surrendered, ready for what the Lord is getting ready to do in us that will completely change our lives forever! We want to adopt! We believe the Lord is calling us to adopt! So we’re adopting. And Here’s why:

1. Because God has put it in our hearts to have another child.

2. Because God set the example for adoption by adopting us and making us His sons and daughters when we were not His, and even still, heirs with Christ! (Rom. 8:15, Gal. 4:5, Eph. 1:5)

3. Because God desires the hope of the Gospel to spread to all nations through international adoption, displayed by Jesus shedding his blood to purchase for Himself people from every nation. (Rev. 5:9)

4. Because God loves the orphan and has given us the gift of adoption that we might care for him. (James 1:27, Deut. 10:18)

5. Because in caring for the orphan we care caring for Jesus Himself. (Matt. 25:40)

6. We want to be a walking display of the Gospel and an encouragement and inspiration to all who watch our lives to adopt as well, that God would get all the glory from His bride embracing mercy and loving justice.

Certainly there are many obstacles, but mainly regarding the cost. This adoption is going to cost somewhere in the ball park of $25,000-$30,000, and will take about a year to complete once our funds are raised. But I believe that God is in this. That He began this work in us and He will carry it to completion. I believe that because God cares about the orphan and about His church standing up for justice and adopting orphans that He will provide the money. At some point very soon we will begin the fundraising process and I would ask that if God lays it on your heart to give, please do. However, right now, our biggest need is prayer. Please come alongside us and pray that God would continue to guide our path with the light of His glory. That He would continue to give us wisdom and discernment. And that He would order our steps and teach us His will in this. We will keep you posted along the way.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen and Amanda Miller

Recently I was informed that “Awaken My Heart” has been nominated for Worship Leader Magazine’s “Indie Worship Song of The Year.” You cannot imagine how thrilled and humbled I am.

This song has really been the little song that could, and honestly not by any effort of my own. The funny thing is, that I just kinda gave up a while back. I wrote “Awaken My Heart” back in 2007 and tried to promote it by sending it to every artist, pastor, reviewer, magazine, publisher, label, manager, etc. that I could think of… INCLUDING Worship Leader Magazine.

NOTHING. Worship Leader Magazine had rejected “Awaken My Heart.”

As you can imagine this was quite disheartening, but then one of my great mentors and friends, Tom, told me, “Stephen, just pray and rest in God… if He wants to do a work here, He will.” From that moment on I just kept feeling that God was continually giving me little hints to stop and rest in His sovereignty. To cease striving and simply know that He is God. To seek His kingdom and righteousness and let everything else fall by the wayside. So I did.

A year and a half later we re-released a new recording of “Awaken My Heart” on our People of Redemption album. We had just been seeing it connect with people all over the country more and more. It was apparent as we were praying through which songs to record that God was not done with this song and we needed to redo it.

This time I strived to do nothing but pray and let God do what He saw fit.

Then, out of nowhere in mid-June, on the cusp of leaping in faith to full-time itinerant worship leading, I was approached by not only Worship Leader Magazine to feature “Awaken My Heart” in their Song Discovery compilation, but Spin360 as well, and then AllAboutWorship podcast. So it has been quite a humbling past couple of months as we have just watched the Lord work on our behalf and see that no matter how hard we push or exert or force stuff, it will not come about unless the Lord does it.

Certainly God is not done with us and has confirmed it tonight with this honor that is completely unmerited and undeserved. “Awaken My Heart” being nominated is just such an honor because:

1.) I know I didn’t do it AND 2.) I and many other people have said it would not go anywhere because it is SO heavily focused around my reformed stance on the sovereignty of God in our salvation and that is not predominately the viewpoint of our generation, but rather, fairly controversial…

Either way, Christ has seen fit to bring it to this point and I trust that if He wants to carry this on to completion as “Song of the Year”, He will. However I do find it fitting to give you the opportunity to vote. SO, if you’d like to, you can vote HERE and spread the word as you see fit…

Love you all more than you could know.

Grace and peace,
Stephen Miller

Today I’m thinking about why I love Christmas so dadgum much… I just came back from a sweet time of worship at my home church, The Austin Stone. The topic tonight was why Christmas is so amazing. So it’s stirred my thoughts and emotions and logic and awe of what Jesus really did and what Christmas represents… Here is why I love Christmas:
1. It is a reminder that Jesus was the ultimate servant and reminds me to serve. “He being in very nature with God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very form of a servant.” – Phil 2:6-7
2. It is a reminder that Jesus keeps His promises and is fully and completely trustworthy. He was promised to come from the moment we fell in Genesis 3:15… He kept that promise and fulfilled EVERY prophecy foretelling his birth!
3. It is a reminder that the love of God for us is incomprehensible and far more immense than any problem or trial I might face. John 3:16
4. It is a reminder that God has my best in mind at all times and will not keep anything from me that is for my good (suffering or blessing) because He didn’t even deny me His Son in order that He might produce Christ in me! Romans 8:31
5. It is a reminder that I am merely an infinitesimal speck in the grand scale of eternity and that the Gospel was here LONG before I was born and will remain and endure LONG after I’m gone, but that I can spend my every waking breath making Jesus Christ known because Jesus had our rescue in mind for eternity past and will be prized as our great Redeemer for eternity future…
6. It reminds me to be truly loving and giving because Christ gave everything for us…

So, that said, I pray that you would be reminded of our Savior’s love and passion this season. Merry Christmas!