Our guest today on the Everyday Faith Podcast is Marci Miller, a retired U.S. Army officer and an ordained pastor, who is now stepping into an unexpected role of working cold case homicides with the Dallas County DA's office. Marcy is passionate about stepping into dark and difficult places, bringing the light of Jesus where others usually turn away. Because of the love of God, Marci is able to help the unseen and forgotten to feel known, loved, and valued.
Life Begins in the Bible Belt
Marcy was born and raised in Oklahoma in the Bible Belt. The Bible Belt is a series of U.S. states that have a strong religious presence and generally carry conservative values. For Marcy, this meant that she went to church nearly seven days a week. The majority of her childhood was spent in youth group meetings and church services. Sometimes, Marcy would even do cold call visitations with her friends. Cold call visitations were when she’d knock on someone’s door while they’re eating dinner and interrupt their meal to tell them about Jesus. While that’s not how we do evangelism these days, there’s no doubt it was effective at making people curious about God and wonder about their salvation. Marcy’s personal relationship with Jesus grew as she got older. With time, her commitment and connection with God became much stronger and much deeper, and she began to live out the Bible every day.
If you’ve never given your life to Jesus or if you’re curious to learn more about God, today is your day! Learn more about the free gift of salvation in our blog: This is For You
From church services in the Bible Belt, to chapel services in the army, to discipleship and Bible studies in New York City, every season has served as a way for Marci to grow deeper in her faith and commitment to God. After some time in New York City, Marcy attended seminary to learn more about God and the Bible. During this time, she experienced the power of pursuing community and walking alongside those who are hungry for God and desiring the Holy Spirit.
“Why is there a health crisis in this country? Because we have made it seem like being alone or doing things on your own is the right way to do it.” - Marci Miller
Isolation causes so many issues in the spiritual realm and the natural world. When you don't have people walking along with you, life can feel lonely and overwhelming. At the Everyday Faith podcast, one of our four pillars is pursuing community. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, community is something we all need, in every season. It’s what we were created for, because God never designed us to walk alone.
You can learn more about what the Bible says about community and how to find healthy, Christian community in our blog: Pursue Community: 5 Bible Verses About Christian Community
Choosing Ministry over the Military
One of the most poignant times in Marcy’s life was when she was retiring from the military. Because of her training and the intensity of the military, she couldn’t turn off being a soldier. Because of this, Marcy was planning to take a military officer role or a government service job. But everything changed when her pastor at the time came to her and said, “I really think you should be in ministry.”
Sometimes, the decisions that make no sense are the decisions where God is most active. God started to highlight that there could be a natural bridge from the military to ministry. Marci decided to attend seminary and get the training she needed to become a pastor. Telling her friends in the military that she was becoming a pastor wasn’t easy. Those conversations were some of the most difficult conversations of her life. Her friends couldn’t understand why she’d give up a career in the military for a life of service in ministry.
Even though these conversations were difficult, they opened up the hearts of those around her, and Marci was able to have countless faith conversations and share about how she was doing her best to follow Jesus. Sometimes, when Marci didn’t have the right words to say, the Holy Spirit gave her just the right things to say at just the right moment.
At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. - Matthew 10:19b-20
One conversation Marci had was with one of her commanders, who was a very intense infantry officer. After telling him the news, the infantry officer started watching some Instagram Bible study videos that Marci had made for the Church she attended. Marcy could barely believe it. Though the commander didn’t tell her that he had seen the videos, she could see that he had, due to the views that showed who had clicked into the Bible study videos.
Having conversations about your faith in God might not always feel the easiest, but the more you have them, the easier they become! Our team at the Everyday Faith podcast has built an e-book to help you grow in sharing your faith and overcoming fear. You can download our FREE e-book today: The Hope That You Have: A Seven- Day Guide to Sharing Your Faith
Following God into the Darkest Places
“I'm just gonna be humbled and grateful that He wants to use me anywhere. So if this is where He chooses to use me, then I'm all in” - Marci Miller
After doing ministry for some time, the Lord invited Marci to take a sabbatical. When her sabbatical had come to an end, she started praying about what she should do for work next. She applied to many places and presented her resume across a spectrum of jobs. She’d go through each interview with ease, but then God kept closing the door. Marci prayed and asked God to make the job for her clear, like the burning bush with Moses (Exodus 3).
A few weeks later, God opened a door that was surprising and intriguing. Marci received a call from the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. At first, she interviewed for a job in parole and probation because of her experience doing prison ministry. But her resume found itself at the desk of the supervisor for cold case homicides and assaults. Marci felt God tell her, “I need you in this dark place for victims and for families.”
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it - John 1:5
As Marci transitioned into her new job, she was dependent on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide her into a new field. No matter what season of life you’re in, God is faithful to lead you as the Good Shepherd. Learn more about trusting God and following His leadership: How to Trust God in Life’s Transitions
Every Moment as Ministry
From her time at work, to her time at Church, to her time in the military, Marci has come to view every moment as ministry. Marci has even served in prison ministry throughout the years, and when she tells people, they’re usually surprised and ask her, “Doesn’t that scare you?”
Marci tells them “No,” and lets them know that it’s peaceful for her. She considers it a privilege to be present with these men and see them as more than the sum of their mistakes. She also notes that it’s a unique experience to be with people who aren’t able to go to brunch or have community with a local body after service – because of this, she sees God in a different way. God cares about everyone's soul just as much as our own.
Because of her experiences in the military and in ministry, she’s able to see people like God sees them. Marci wants to encourage our readers with this:
“You aren't the sum of your skill sets. You're not the sum of your mistakes or any of what's happened in your life. There's so much more to who you are. And there's a lot more to how God wants to use you beyond just what you see on the surface and what you think your skill sets are. He just wants you to be a willing vessel, step into the places He's calling you into.”
Over the years, Marci has found her mission field at her church, at the Sonic drive-thru, at restaurants, at parks, and at the gym. Your mission field is wherever you walk, wherever you eat, and wherever you have fun!
Learn more about living your life on mission and sharing the love of Jesus wherever you go: How to Cultivate a Lifestyle of Evangelism
A Story of Trusting God Despite Fear
During our interview, Marci shared so many stories with us that showcased the goodness of God and His light that shines in the darkness. One of the most poignant stories is about when Marci had her daughter. Marci was 42 years old when she was pregnant with her. The doctors were worried about her having the baby without complications because of her age.
Towards the end of her pregnancy, Marci developed preeclampsia, and her daughter was born 8 weeks early. Her daughter spent nearly two months in the NICU due to how small she was. Fear was an everyday experience, but God gave Marci victory over the anxiety. Marci would spend 12 -14 hours a day in the NICU, praying and thanking God for the health of her baby. She was praying in a new way that she hadn’t prayed before, as God taught her about how to take authority over fear.
“You can't pray over your child in fear. You have to pray over your child in faith.” - Marci Miller
Over time, Marci learned to pray from a place of gratitude instead of fear and petitioning. One of the ways Marci would do this is to say three things she was grateful for before she’d ask God for anything.
"Fear blocks the ability for the Holy Spirit to talk to you sometimes because you're so wrapped up in it." - Marci Miller
The Holy Spirit speaks to us in comfort and guidance. Sometimes, we need to ask for help and have somebody come and pray with us so we get out of a place of fear and into a place of faith. Her daughter is well and has such a great story to tell about a mom who prayed for her every day!
Prayer is essential to living out your everyday faith. Download our FREE e-book to learn more about prayer and how you can make talking to God a daily rhythm: Let’s Talk About Prayer: Simple Steps to Connect with God
Conclusion
At the Everyday Faith Podcast, we believe you can live out your faith every day by starting with belief, embracing your mission, committing to obedience, and pursuing community. As we finished our interview with Marci, she shared some words of wisdom for our readers:
1. God will show up everywhere: Yes, you read that right: God will show up everywhere and anywhere. No matter what your day looks like, you can receive the love of God and share His love with others. God is tangible and real. You can talk to Him about anything and everything!
2. Acknowledge His presence and share the love of God with others: As you go about your day, Marci encourages our readers to make sure you're taking time during your day to stop and acknowledge His presence, get filled up by His love, and then share it with others!
