Today, we have a super special episode because we’re welcoming our first female guest in the studio – the amazingly talented Marie Miller.
Marie is not just an artist; she’s a storyteller who uses her music, humor, and faith to touch hearts. From being signed at 17 by Curb Records to having her songs featured in TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars,” Marie’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. Her independent album “Little Dreams” is a testament to her faith and talent, with its single “Imaginary Friend” streamed over 1 million times!
In this episode, Marie shares her incredible journey – from performing for Pope Francis to opening for big names like the Backstreet Boys and The Wallflowers. We’ll dive into her faith, her upbringing in a big Catholic family, and her new album “The Way of Love.” Plus, you’ll get to hear Marie perform some of her beautiful music live.
This episode is packed with heartfelt conversations, faith-filled stories, and a lot of fun. Marie’s story is a beautiful reminder of how God’s love can guide us through every twist and turn in life.
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Welcome back to the Pew everybody. I am your host, John Edwards, and I’m excited to be bringing you another. Special episode of just a guy in the pew. It’s special because we have a special guest in this week and it’s somebody I’ve been looking forward to having studio for a very long time. It’s a new friend in my life.
Somebody that I met through father Malachy, which most of you folks know from other episodes of the show. Her name is Marie Miller. She’s going to be our first female guest in studio. We’ve had some on view the internet before, but this is our first female guest in studio and we’re super excited to have her, but before I bring Marie up, I really want to tell you a little bit about her.
So Marie is a multifaceted artist and speaker who weaves music, humor, and storytelling to convey God’s love for us and our opportunity to share that love with others. At 17, Marie was signed by curb records. And during her curb years, she recorded the number one Christian song, you’re not alone and had songs featured in movies and television shows.
One of which I think was dancing to the stars. We’ll get into that. I’m sure. But after much thought and prayer, she left Curb Records to create Little Dreams, her first independent album. The album’s title track, Video, premiered on Billboard and was its most popular single, or excuse me, its most popular single, Imaginary Friend, was streamed over 1 million times on iTunes.
As a live performer, Marie opened for the Backstreet Boys, The Wallflowers. Toured with five for fighting and headline shows and listening or our rooms across the country. Marie shared the main stage with Mark Wahlberg and Aretha Franklin to perform for Pope Francis and a live audience of 750, 000 people.
Yeah, you heard that right. 750, 000. 50, 000 people. I don’t know how you did that because I would have been freaking out but anyway, she’s an amazing artist. She has a brand new album out called the way of love. We’re going to cover all of that, dive into her history growing up her life, her story. And honestly, I’m so excited to get started.
So Marie, thank you for joining me on the show. It’s so great to be here. And it’s so fun to be on a podcast that I listened to so much. So thanks for having yeah, thank you for listening. You must have nothing to do with your time, but no, I love it so much. And I was telling you earlier that my husband listens to you so much.
And so it’s really cool because we have pretty different interests. Podcast wise. Yeah. And so it’s really awesome that we have this one that we can listen to together. So it’s great. I appreciate that. And I’ve enjoyed getting to know you here in town and just we’ve been out to dinner a few times with our spouses and just a budding friendship.
So it’s so nice when you’ve got somebody that works in the same space and you’re cool. That’s the thing too. Like some people are not cool, we probably shouldn’t, we probably shouldn’t say that, we have to love them because Jesus says we have to love them, but not everybody’s cool.
You’re actually cool and fun to hang out with. Yeah. Love yourself. So it’s nice to have you here I know you’ve got a new album out and it’s beautiful. My kids listen to it constantly. I get caught, blaring out the chorus to it, walking through the house a lot. My wife’s downloaded it. And in fact, I’ve seen every time I get on Facebook lately, I see I see a bunch of things are out there being posted by it.
I think wine, women in the new evangelization, we’re posting about it and the national Catholic register and a bunch of other places have really been talking about that work. Yeah. I’ve been really blessed by the response and I. Wanted to really focus on my catholic audience. Yeah, and so went to yeah these different publications and just humbly said Hey, you might not know who I am Probably don’t but I have this new music and it’d be really awesome if you talked about it and a lot of them said no, but i’ve gotten some really beautiful responses and blessed by yeah different Publications and podcasts like yours that have said yeah, come on and promote this and It’s quite a gift.
Yeah. It’s deserving. It really is. It’s a beautiful work of art and I love listening to it. But I know there was a journey like everybody, everybody’s got a story, everybody’s had a life that led to that album and really everything you’ve done in your career. So you know, before we get into the music and I know you’re going to play the way of love for us.
I’m super excited for that and y’all should be too because it’s going to be awesome. But I want to get into just a little bit about. Where did all this come from? Like how did you start as a musician? When did you start? Were you always you know a part of the catholic faith just how you grew up and a little bit of your story Yeah, I grew up in a really awesome catholic family.
My parents are really catholic and just true lovers of jesus Yeah, which has been a great gift and I went to mass actually daily mass growing up and I associated Mass and anything with God as what I have to do, but I was super into performing and I was really into music. But when I was about 15, I read John Paul, the second letter to artist where he talks about beauty as a call to transcendence and that it stirs in us a hidden nostalgia for God.
And. for the first time I realized okay, this beauty, this art that I’m so obsessed with is actually just an arrow to the divine artist. And so I was able to finally integrate my love for music and started falling in love with Jesus through beauty. So yeah. And just I always wanted to perform never.
Yeah. I love being the center of attention. That’s my struggle. We’ll talk about that later. And it was very easy for me and I’ve been doing. Like professionally, I got signed when I was 15. So I’ve been doing it for a long time. And so you came from a big family too, right? Like you were, you had a bunch of brothers and sisters, correct?
Yeah, I have nine siblings. They’re my best friends, super close to all of them. And we have. traveled the world together. We are really close and most of them actually live in Virginia where I live right now. And yeah, they’ve been helpers and good companions with me and my Catholic faith and just in life.
Yeah. I figured some of where you were talking about wanting to be the center of attention that might come from being in a family with nine other children that are all looking for attention too. We all have our things but yeah, having a big family and being so Catholic, I can see how that’s influenced your music.
But if first you started out just playing folk and indie and a lot of things like that. Obviously we read that, you opened for the Backstreet Boys and the Wallflowers. You usually, they’re not usually having opening acts that are singing, Christian music. So obviously you had some other music in your career.
What was that like opening for those bands and what was that first part of your career like as you started playing, the type of music that really you started out with must have been what you really loved and what just spoke to you. Talk about that a little bit.
I want to hear a little bit about your beginnings there. Yes. And you explain that really well. What I loved is what I was writing about. And although I’ve always. faith. I was pretty consumed with, boys and my friendships just like the fact of being in my early twenties. And so I called my music holy leisure, which basically meant that Christians could go to a music club, a theater, and not, Have like bad lyrics or anything.
Sure have like positive music, but I didn’t necessarily Sing catholic songs you could find little hints of it And really that’s where I was at the time I was practicing my faith, but it for some reason I felt like I just had to sing about like a breakup. Like I just had to and I got his patient and that’s what I did for a lot of, yeah, my twenties.
And it was really fun and I never wandered off and did like a prodigal son like vibe thing in a big way. I always had good Christian music. bandmates with me. My record label has a lot of Christians in them. So it was, it never was like a big problem, but it was a little listless and felt a little pointless.
Because when I think about Oh, all the things that I wanted to come true in my life came true. If my goal to be whatever, some big star happened would I actually be happy? And I started realizing that even if that happened, I wouldn’t be. So that’s when I started thinking about Catholic music, honestly.
Yeah. I’m glad you did. And so many others are too. It’s, like I said, you’ve, I’ve listened to a lot of your music and there are some songs like six, two is about a boy and the boy, I think that you were looking to if I remember correctly, It was a boy that you were dreaming in the song about meeting and possibly marrying.
I don’t know how tall John is. He looks about six two, but he’s six four. But yeah, in that song, gosh, that’s, that song was such a, like I wrote it. Cause I thought it was to be funny. And God was like if you’re going to write the song, I’m going to do stuff with it. So that actually, yeah.
It’s like when, if anyone knows who I am, it’s because of that. There’s very few people that do, but when they do actually had this girl at this, so this is the first time I’ve ever been recognized in my life. I was at CVS. The other day, and I looked terrible, and this girl came up to me and said, Are you the girl that wrote Six Foot Two?
And I thought is this like my siblings are doing like a prank on me? Yeah. I was like, nobody knows who I am. But she actually did. It was really random. She’s I heard your song on Dancing with the Stars ten years ago. She’s did you ever find Six Foot Two? No, I didn’t. So I found 6’4 It’s two inches better.
It’s two inches taller, two inches better. But anyway, but yeah, the songs that I was writing, yeah were funny or maybe and 6’2 is a prayer. So it still was like God y, but not like too God, necessarily. Yeah. It’s, like I said, you had other ones too. You’re Not Alone was a number one Christian song.
What was that like as you’re sitting there and of course, like anybody else, when you do something, especially in entertainment, there are hopes, there’s dreams, there’s things you’re looking for. You’ve said you wanted to be known and things like that and have a successful career.
You don’t get into things like this and not want to be successful at it. So what was it like when somebody. called you and said, you have the number one Christian song. What was that like? Yeah, that was so special. It really is. And I’m sure you experienced this all the time. The balance of finding joy, like being thankful to God.
If what you’re working on is doing well, then also. Being like I give everything to you if nothing works out like it’s okay. Like I just need to be faithful but you’re not alone was a song that I wrote for a friend who’s going through a really hard time And I didn’t know what to say to him and I remember thinking the only thing I can do is just be there for him.
And so to have that song be spread around the country was really special because I know that so many of us feel really lonely at times. And so that, that was cool. Yeah. Yeah. I know, right now we have an epidemic of loneliness in the country, isolation, a lot of it had to do with COVID and just, people never getting over that and staying back and away from each other.
And, one thing that, that really is comforting to me is music. You, it just seems like there’s some songs and I did a podcast two weeks ago on one by Zach Brian. It really, spoke to me in moments of despair, desolation. It happens to all of us, whether you’re, a guy on a screen or a woman singing or.
A guy working a job in a warehouse somewhere, we all fit, struggle with the same emotion to deal with the same things. And what I love about music in particular, yours too, is you’re very open in your music and in your songs. You can tell like this isn’t, she’s not writing this just about other people.
It’s coming from her own introspection. And that’s what I think is beautiful about it is, what’s made this ministry, I think catchy with people is the fact that we’re not, Speaking from a place of a soapbox and saying okay, we figured it out and now you need to too. I’m as big of a mess as anybody else out there.
And so I love that about your music is what i’ve listened to it’s just you could tell And i’ve if i’ve actually paused and looked at the lyrics and read through them a couple times and going man It seems like she was dealing with this or maybe that and music was an outlet to be able to Maybe find healing or to get it out in the open You know, and to maybe some self therapy, if you will.
For sure. I can’t help, but be honest and like awkwardly honest. Sometimes I’m the person that gets in the car after a party and thinks how did I share that much with everybody? But then it’s they’ll know it anyway, because I’m going to sing about it. So whatever you do but yeah I really like to just be honest and talk about honesty.
about releasing this Catholic album is That I just do not feel good enough to talk about Jesus and the saints and the patroness of this album is St. Therese. And the reason why I decided to talk about Therese was because she, her whole emphasis is on God’s merciful love for us. And she really is a saint for sinners.
And I. She talks about this. She loved Jesus, the eye thirst. She had devotion to him and his thirst. She talks about the woman at Samaria. I remember thinking, okay, Therese, you’re Therese. You’ve like apparently never committed a moral sin. Then there’s the woman at Samaria who you talked about a couple weeks ago.
And, Like those are like really different women, but Jesus desires like their love. Like he thirsts for them. He says, give me a drink. Like Therese is like thinking about this. And I thought I’m probably, I’m not Therese. Maybe I’m not the one with Samaria, but I’m in the middle somewhere. Jesus do you thirst for my love and for my gifts?
And I felt like the piece that he did so that even in my brokenness and the fact that yeah I just like him like I love that you always say that and it’s been really helpful for me Getting into the Catholic world because like I’m I don’t want anyone to think that like I’ve got it all figured out Yeah, really don’t but hopefully that through this music that they see that because you can tell I think you’ve but sure Then I’m on my first steps Yeah, but it’s, I’m telling you what you’ve done a fantastic job with it.
And that’s the thing is we, the devil is like that. He gets into our head and he tells you, Oh, you have no business doing this. Keep playing the other music. You’re making a living, you’re supporting yourself you’re enjoying the music. Don’t, don’t go somewhere where, you’re not Scott Hahn or you’re not this, or maybe you’re not in your terms, probably Matt Maher or somebody like that, a big singer that’s been singing Christian music forever, for many years.
And I know I feel that way sometimes too. Like I’ll say, I’m going to speak at something and I’m like you’re not, this person or that person, or you’re not as eloquent as this person, or you don’t have a such a theological knowledge or whatever. But it’s what I, the way I’ve tried to look at it, and I don’t know if you feel the same way, but I started to realize that’s just the devil trying to keep me from doing something that he knows is going to be helpful in what the Lord wants me to do.
And in all of it, it’s the Lord that gives us the gifts. It’s the Lord that we were just at mass together and the reading today Was saying like don’t worry about what you’re to say or what don’t prepare ahead of time because the lord’s going to give you the words and that requires a great trust in the lord And the fact that you know having a great relationship with them, which you obviously do and you can see in your music yeah.
No, it’s I think, especially with this album I have really had a lot of those thoughts, like almost constantly. But this album is really promoting Therese in philosophy. So St. Therese’s idea of a little way in the way of love. So it’s not even for me it’s healing to be like, these are not even my thoughts.
I’m like, depending on her. And so of course the devil hates this because she is a doctor of the church. She like has done so much good for the world. So I’m like, okay, like I. I’m giving this all to her like, and that’s all that I can do And there that is like when I have my strong moments, that’s how I feel in my weak moments.
You’re right I’m, like I should just go back to pop music. I can’t do this, but yeah, but God’s always he’s so patient with me. And that’s what, it’s a verse we talk about here a lot is second Corinthians 12, nine, where, you know, Paul is lamenting with a thorn in his side and God says, He’s asking to remove it and God says, No, my grace is sufficient for you, which he fills up all the, Oh, whatever we see is something is deficient or something that’s not right.
We were joking earlier about how we look on camera and at the end of the day, nobody’s probably even paying attention to that. There’s listening to what we’re saying, but God fills all those things And it just, it must have taken a lot of courage though to move from one genre to the next and to be able to do it as beautifully as you’ve done.
One of the, my favorite things in the way of love, and that’s the name of the album for those out there. If you haven’t heard it yet, you can download it on all your podcast or you’re not podcast, but your music downloading platforms, your Apple music, all those things out there, Spotify, everything else.
You’ve also got YouTube stuff out there with videos, correct? Huh. Yep. You can find it all there, and it’s what, five or six songs on there? Is that correct? It’s five songs. Five, yeah. Yeah, see, I should have known that. I’ve listened to it a bunch of times. I gave you an extra one. People are going to be like, where’s the sixth song?
I don’t know. The secret song. Yeah, that’s right. I’m going to write it. That’s right. But it’s beautiful. And The Way of Love is just something that, that one particular song, it’s all great music, all of it on the album. But the first the first verse says this, These roads these feet have seen, Miles and miles of wandering, searching for glory and praise for the sound of my name, hoping that would stop the ache.
And I’ve wanted to ask you about that verse since the first time I heard it, cause I heard it and I was like, wait a minute, that’s, that is so honest. And it seems like she’s really trying to. To lead the way for other people to be vulnerable and to be open about the things that are constant struggles.
Sometimes we try to bury those things, but it’s like, how do we bring these things to the light and let the Lord do what he wants with them? Yeah. So as a performer, and I remember I was seven years old when I. I first tasted this like star, like I need to do this kind of thing. I was seven and I was doing a play and everyone was had a script and I like threw my script down right before without telling anyone and thought I’m going to ad lib my part.
And in my seven year old mind, I thought, wow, I really stole the show. I probably was terrible, but in my mind I thought that and I felt that center of attention is, and. Even though there were a lot of good reasons why I was doing music. I love music. I love to sing. I feel like God has called me to this.
There was always that, okay, more streams, more YouTube views bigger audiences more likes on Instagram. That was what you didn’t. And because I started so young, that’s just, that’s what I thought. That’s the goal. I need to be as big as of a star as possible. And really what’s funny, if that really was my goal, I failed.
Miserably. And I don’t say that to be self deprecating. That’s just the reality. You know that I’m very blessed to be able to do this job full time. And so that’s a gift, but like most, everyone in the whole entire world has no idea who I am. And so what is so cool about Therese and this is why I’m, what the verse is talking about is that like her little way which is this idea that we can do.
Everything for love towards love even the littlest things is that she allowed me To be okay with littleness. Yeah, and as a performer that is so counterintuitive Sure, but just to say this little show this little opportunity even when you get to do big shows like this But yeah, but really she celebrated the little and that is what i’m talking about oh I thought as much affirmation as possible because if everybody told me That I was great then I must be sure And to be able to say like I don’t need to hear that only from my father And it’s okay to be little has been It’s, it is, yeah, it’s like being freed from prison.
Yeah. And it’s something we all suffer with. Even to this day, sometimes I’ll, and I’ve said this on the show before, and sometimes we were like, man, why do you say that stuff? You make yourself sound bad. But I, if I’m going to be honest about the times I’ve been successful in my faith and living a certain way, I’m still.
So I’m going to be honest about the times I haven’t been. And there are times when you see this and people having certain types of success or it just seems Oh, it’s so easy for them. But it’s really not like everybody’s struggling, everybody’s, doing their thing and we’re not meant to compare.
There’s a reason the word sins in comparison, right? It’s just not something the Lord wants us to spend our time on. What I’ve found each and every time is if I can go back like you’re saying to the fact that what is God asking of me and how can I just do that today and do it well and not worry about what if this podcast isn’t listened to 5, 000 times this week?
Who cares? Maybe it was listened to 20 times by 20 people that need to hear it. Or maybe your songs. We’re listened to by people in a moment of struggle that was able to bring them out of it, right? It’s that’s what it’s about in so much of our lives We struggle with that because we feel like if I just accomplish this if I just have this if I just get if this Particular person tells me these words of affirmation then I finally made it.
I feel good But we often find with all that is we get that sometimes and we’re still feeling empty And to your point, the only thing that can fill that is God. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Like performer or not, right? We all want like a bigger salary, a bigger house. More friends, bigger community. We like as big as possible.
Sure. America, bigger portions, to our detriment. So we’re all struggling with that. And I’m just like becoming little to God and that freedom to just know that like the. To be faithful in the littlest thing is the key. And yeah, it’s so hard to do in practice. I love like preaching it.
Yeah, that’s right. I’m really good at that. It’s easy to talk about it. That’s so easy to do it. Yeah. But that’s another good thing too is at the end of the day when you get used to like, all right, Lord, what do you want for me today? And that’s something I try to pray every morning is what do you want for me today?
And I’m going to try to do it the best of my ability and I’m probably going to fail. So please perfect it for me, right? Take whatever little offering I have and do whatever you can with it. And with that becomes a lot of peace, right? You don’t feel the pressure that so many other people do. When you’re practicing that well, It’s at the end of the day, I did the best I could.
I put this out there. Lord, you asked me to write a song or to do an album in your case and and put together an album, which is, I’m sure a serious amount of work and you put it in and now he’s blessing people with it. I know I’ve been blessed by it. I know my children, my wife and countless other people as I’ve seen on Facebook have too.
Yeah. At the end of the day, I think what you’re promoting to people is really something that is, is hard for a lot of people to learn. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. We all are called which I’m learning. It’s just and where, wherever we are, on this way of love is what is the title track.
And cause I have lived my life. With love as like one of the options and then others are like, like honor glory, like the way of like me feeling great about myself and I’m realizing like those are all dead ends and it doesn’t mean that I don’t still go down those roads very often, but this is idea that we were created for love and everything we should do is for love towards love And that’s the message. i’m more trying to promote to myself. I’m saying it, you know over and over again, but that’s been a great gift and it’s really cool to see Yeah, like Just even one person saying like that, this has helped me because music helps me a lot.
Yeah. It really does. And I, and it seems like you are similar. Sure. Yeah. Music is a big part of your life. And when I’m really going through something it, yeah, it can be a game changer. So that’s what I hope that my music in a small way can just help someone along whatever they’re going through.
Yeah. So have you heard things, people emailed in or written, I’m sure people have commented on the work. They’ve been very yeah, really a lot of sweet responses. I think my favorite response was Not from anyone that I didn’t know, but my dad was in the studio and I was singing, take Lord, receive.
I pretend that I co wrote a song with St. Ignatius. Cause all I did was just take his prayer and wrote words to it, or I’m sorry, wrote music to it. And just when he heard it just his heart soared and I could see up. Never seen my dad cry, but I saw him tear up cause he was just just so happy that he heard his daughter, who he’s been teaching about the faith for so long, sing a song about total surrender to God’s mercy.
And that was really special. I got like a kind of like high five from the CFRs, which I’m like a super fan of. Yeah, they’re awesome. You’re friends with Father Malachy, my Good friends with Father Malachy and then Father Mark Mary and I are really good friends and he said to me, after a song that I sang, he’s I’m just proud of like where you’ve come from and like where you’re going.
And just that encouragement meant so much. Yeah. Cause, and so anyway just from friends and family has been the best response because I’m like, okay guys, I’m doing all right. Yeah. That’s what I mean. Honest. You mentioned father Malachi. He was telling me, I think the first time he ever mentioned me you to me was when I was on a healing retreat with him for the JP two healing center.
And I think you called him when we were in the car and he was like, man, this is Marie Miller. She does a lot of stuff with us as far as she plays a lot of the things we do. And she’s so amazing. And you got to meet her. She’s living in Memphis now. And I’m so glad he did that because he was right about all of it.
You have been somewhat amazing to be around and just like I said, the music that you’re putting out there is changing lives. It’s going to it’s really helping a lot of people. And you, we talked about that first verse of the way of love and the second verse, and I think this is what you’ve alluded to a little bit because the first part of the song is you pondering and getting out your own thoughts and emotions.
And then it’s like, all right, now it’s about Jesus. And the second part of the song is all about. Him and how the sweet the way of love is and love that will lead the way back home and him building You know showing you this road but that second verse you’re coming out of Those thoughts when you say the places i’ve you know I’ve been to know to find out who I am searching for more affirmation to placate my shame thinking that would make things change and but then you start you pointed me down a different road and you could see right there in the song where So as he does in all of our lives, he comes in and he starts to say there’s a different way.
And obviously the way of love is what he was pointing you to. Yeah. Yeah. And this inspiration is from a quote from Therese. She says, how sweet is the way of love? One can fall. One might always, may not always be faithful, but love can turn profit from all things. So basically like love prophets so even our sins that God can make profit out of it, which to me was just a radical idea but he’s God and that he is like He’s seen my brokenness.
He’s seen my sin and my shame and that he has brought me closer to him through that. And that was, yeah, the inspiration, like to me, and that’s why I say this all the time, but this is a, the way of love is a way for sinners and I can only go the way for sinners because this is this idea that yeah, that he could take my sin and make it a stepping stone towards him has been how I can keep going.
Because I don’t know about you, but it’s I’m not St. Tourette’s. So I need a way for sinners. And that’s what really what the way of love is about. It’s like for everyone and no matter where you are, you don’t have to be this perfect Catholic all the time. You can that’s like my invitation and it’s.
That’s what I hope people listen to that you don’t have to be like all super holy. Got it all together to listen to this, but rather wherever you are, this could encourage you along. Yeah, way. No. And that’s what I love about it. It’s the same approach that we try to do in this ministry is just look, if Jesus was here in the world today, he would be in the worst parts of the cities.
with the people that are the most downtrodden, the people that have lost the most hope. And that’s what we need as a church today. That’s what we need as a church today is to reach out to those that have fallen away, those who don’t know Jesus. And there’s so many people today. Like we said, I hate to bring up depressing things, but.
Suicide rate in the country’s higher than it’s ever been. Loneliness, isolation, and we need voices like yours. Speakers, all those things, preachers, priest, but everyday lay people too, that are out there preaching the gospel and that’s what you’re doing through your music.
You’re not just writing a song and going, okay, this is another album to put out. You’re actually. You have a heart to reach the hearts of other people and that’s what makes really what you do beautiful. And again, like I love anything where somebody’s just I’m not perfect and here’s why.
And you just happen to put it to music versus me over here pontificating about it 35 minutes a week on a podcast. But I love that and I think that’s why people are going to be drawn to your music more and more as they come to know who you are and as you grow in popularity out there in Catholic circles.
I, I just know the Lord’s going to continue to use you for for wonderful things and for music that allow people to just be honest with themselves. Because at the day, I think that’s what we all want. Like I know a lot of times I’m lying to myself and I’m tired of lying to myself. I just want to be honest about where I am because that’s when change can actually happen, right?
Like that last, that second verse you said there, placate my shame. I’ve got shame about something in my life that I know is not right. But you came in and now I’m on this different path. And that’s a beautiful journey that the Lord wants to do in every one of our lives. Yeah. I know we, we try to, especially with shame.
I’m really good at distracting myself. And we can use different things. It can be like television. It could be alcohol. It can be just like going out with friends, like whatever it is that I don’t have to be inside my own head and think about. Yeah, just like my life that, I’ve made mistakes, I’ve hurt people.
And it’s easier just to just be like, no, I’m not going to think about this. And to when Jesus is like, I want to meet you in your shame. It’s I want to be there. Like I was there when you were making that mistake and I never left you and I’m not leaving you now. And that’s been like, that’s the greatest gift.
And that’s like what I want people to know. And. I’m doing, I am doing a lot more Catholic stuff now. And it can seem, and you’ve probably experienced this, that oh, we’re doing Catholic things, so it’s all like clean and bright and like pretty, especially women’s conferences, right? It’s just like tea and, flowers and pink stuff.
Probably going to get in trouble for saying that, but anyway, go ahead. But, and yeah, and so you walk into that but a lot of times it gets real really fast, people are just going through so much and so yeah, to be for music to be any way part of that, especially I, besides doing my music, my original music that we’ve been talking about, I will lead music for adoration and I just love that time where people can just be with Jesus and hopefully the music helps them like just enter in and just.
Just to look at him and him to look at them and to have healing there. Yeah, it is. I’ve been lucky to be a part of the JP2 Healing Center and done several events where, Danielle and some other folks have been there that, played music for them. And it’s just amazing when somebody’s through talking or especially Bob or Sister Miriam, you might as well bring Kleenex whenever either one of those two open their mouth, but like, when the music comes on, it’s just this release of people that it’s comforting, but it’s also allowing them to.
It’s like it’s winding its way into their emotions. And oftentimes you mentioned adoration. We’ve had adoration there night for our men’s group and everybody’s got devotional or whatever. I pulled out earbuds and I started listening to some of your music. I started listening to some other things that just make me.
feel closer to God because sometimes when I go in there, I’m like, okay, I got to go to the grocery store after this. I’ve got this, I got this. And I completely ignore the fact that the Lord is present there. I’m physically doing it, but I’m not mentally. But with music, a lot of times I pop my earbuds in and listen to your music and others.
And it just leads me into this, like this just, Meeting place with the Lord is very beautiful like going back to what changed my life john paul II, you know a beauty is a call to transcendence It stirs in us that hidden nostalgia for gods of music Is that art is that it calls us to transcendence and in we live in such an all around us is the material, the earthly, the temporal.
It’s really hard to focus on the spiritual because all we see all around us is what it is. And I know especially, men and women with families, it’s you really do have to focus on you got to make sure people have material goods, okay, like I’m going to go pray, like my kids aren’t going to have anything to eat.
You guys are going to be good. We’re fine. I’m going on a retreat for five years. I’ll be back. Exactly. Exactly, right? There’s material things that need to happen. But I find that it’s so important to like whatever avenue like calls you to transcendence, like sounds like for you, music is one. And for me, it’s like our Lord and for all of us, our Lord in the Eucharist, right?
It’s like all of eternity exists in time like waiting for us. And so that’s, yeah, That’s all transcendence there. And yeah, like we have to get away. Carlo Acutis who’s going to become a saint, which is just in his body a few weeks ago. Yeah. Italy on the pilgrimage. Yeah. That’s so cool.
Yeah. Oh, he’s amazing. So I grew up with all, pretty much like all guy friends. I was a huge tomboy. And so I had three best friends that were, We’re guys, they’re still guys, sorry. Yeah. Hopefully that hasn’t changed. But anyway. And blessed, so Carlo would be two years younger than me. And and so I think of him as just like one of my guy friends.
Sure. So I talked to him like real I’m like, okay. And but Carlo Q just said that. The infinite is my homeland, right? And so he had this idea that yeah, I love, he loved life too. And but he just knew that home was the infinite. And I think that is the beautiful thing about music is that it can open that yeah that door to the infinite definitely can he said something I mentioned when we were over there, too I was researching just to you know I if you’re leading a pilgrim you should pilgrimage you should probably know who you’re talking about So I looked into a little bit and he had a quote that said we’re all born originals But many of us die as photocopies and that really stuck with me too is an amazing person and it just we were I got The announcement while we were standing there outside of the church where he’s buried that he was going to be canonized a year later.
So it was a really neat time, but it’s so cool to hear that he’s a big part of your life too. Oh yeah, I, he really is. And I think that people, what I’ve read about it, I think that they emphasize his technology part so much, which is great. But what I love about him is that he was, he like played soccer and he was really like good to Other classmates, especially that they were bullied.
Yeah. He just loved the Eucharist so much at an early age. So that’s what I like about him. Also, like my favorite picture on earth is him as Spider Man. Oh yeah. For Halloween. Yeah. He’s buried in a Nike tracksuit, or he’s not buried, but he’s all, they’re and it, I guess Italy’s version of a Nike tracksuit.
I don’t know. He looks like a Gen Z kid. He does. He is. My kids really connected with him over there, and some of the other teenage family had some teenage boys over there and they did too. We talked a little bit about the song, the way of love, but you’ve got a whole entire album to go along with it.
So why don’t we talk a little bit about some of the other songs on there? I know you did one. with several other female singers. Some of them like Sarah Kroger is one of them. I believe there’s a few more. Yeah, exactly. So woman we met, we’re talking about the woman at Samaria. I was thinking about her cause I love her.
She’s my favorite story in scripture. And I came to her. do often, I used to live there. And Sarah Kroger and Sarah Harton and I wrote three different stories in scripture where Jesus encounters women. And so the Samaritan woman Mary Magdalene at the resurrection and then the woman caught in the act of adultery.
And just his, his swearing in. Unique interaction with each of them, but just like the same like beautiful love he has for us And so that’s a really special to sing. I’m really excited about and I know that Eucharist to Congress has been all the rage But sweet company is a song that I wrote which is inspired by Tolkien’s letter to his son.
He says out of the darkness of my life so much frustrated like I bring before you the one thing love on earth the Eucharist and there you’ll find honor glory and fidelity. I’m paraphrasing but this idea that everything I’m searching for is contained. In this Jesus that disguises bread and so sweet company is about my love for adoration and just like wherever I am and whatever I’m going through, the same company is always, he’s always wanting to accompany me.
Sure. And that red candle, I don’t know if you’ve experienced this where you’re just like anywhere in the world and you walk in and you see that red candle, you’re like, yes, this is it. Sure. So cool. And so that’s been that’s a really fun song for me to sing, especially right now as we’re getting ready and participating in the Congress.
Yeah. They should have had you come sing it is my opinion. They should have had you come be there, but yeah, so it’s, the album’s packed with lots of good music. You mentioned talking one of the things that I. Read about you too is that you would said was unlike a lot of folks You actually go back to some of these prolific authors and things like that for inspiration there were several that an article I was reading about you named of some of your favorite authors and that you’re constantly going back and searching for those things as a point of reference or as a point of inspiration and then Building music around those ideas or those thoughts and it’s really neat.
That’s you know when I build podcasts a lot of times I’ll have some kind of And usually it’s when I’ve messed up my life in one way or another or done something stupid. And then I’ll go looking and what did the saints say about that? And then I’ll find like a Fulton Sheen quote or a, John Paul the second or whoever, and I’ll go, man, that really has to do with what I’m feeling or thinking. And then something, comes out of that. But it was really neat to see that you’re going back and diving into these authors and finding inspiration from that. Yeah, there’s such a freedom in this album because like I was saying before, my, I had three records before and they are about like my life and my stories.
And that’s great. And I really loved doing that. And it’s been, it’s a gift to share my story with so many people, but this was taking like the treasures from the church. Mainly St. Therese, but also great writers like Tolkien and C. S. Lewis our lady I have a song called among these rocks, which was taken from a TS Eliot poem where he talks about a lady that guides and.
I interpreted that as Our Lady. Sure. And this idea that whatever cross like we’re going through that she’s at the foot of it, that she has never left us at any cross just in the way that she would never leave her son. She’d never leave us. And so that song is special to me. There’s been a lot of suffering in my family, actually my 29.
She has lymphoma. You know you write a song and you and I wrote it for friends that were going through hard times And it’s so easy to write it when they’re going through it. You’re like, yeah, our lady will take care of you. You’ll be sure
Exactly, yeah, and then When you find out right like this beautiful 29 year old girl that has been your best friend Your you know your whole life or her whole life, you know is going to be Going through this for six months and hopefully never again. But and you’re in the middle of it There’s a line where I say will the veiled sister pray for the children at the gate who will not go away But cannot pray because I don’t know if you’ve experienced this But when you first sometimes hear news like this, I know in the movies They’re always like Fall down on their knees and start praying.
I’m not that good of a person. Like it’s hard to pray. And time is a great suffering and we’ve, yeah, we’ve. My family’s actually gone through like several seasons of like grief and in those times, like it takes a lot. And what I love is that Jesus knew that, like he’s not whoa, really?
Is it hard to pray during suffering? Darrell Bock Yeah. Sure. He knew it more than any of us ever will. Cristine Curp Exactly. Like he’s not shocked by that or mad at us. But he truly does bring his mother on the cross. He’s okay, I know they’re going to go through it. And so I’m going to give you my mother.
And so that’s what the song is about, that she would, that she’s with us when we can’t pray. Wow. That’s beautiful. I’ve listened to it, but I didn’t know. That was the inspiration behind you. I’m behind it. It was, it’s a beautiful song. All of them are, I’m telling you folks out there, if you have not listened to this album yet, you need to download it.
It’s really beautiful. And I know there’s a lot of men that listen to this. I was like am I going to listen to a lady? She’s probably saying the ladies, get over yourself. Cause I listen to it all the time too. If I can, you can too. It’s a beautiful music that speaks to everybody, right? Just the way that a lot of women listen to show, when you’re talking about things that we all.
Deal with, it doesn’t matter what gender you’re speaking to because it’s all things of the heart, right? It’s all things, human things. And so guys, you need to download it and if you have it, you need to have your wives download it because it’s amazing and I’m telling you, you’ll be blessed by the music and you’re going to play one of the songs for us here today.
The title song, right? I am. I’m so excited. Yeah. So do you want to start getting your stuff together now? So folks, while she’s doing that. I’m going to put the camera back on myself. She’s getting her mandolin and which is awesome too, because I grew up loving songs, listen to the mandolin rain.
So I love the mandolin. So she’s going to get ready for that. Marie’s going to get ready for that while we’re I would just want to say again, that. The album is called the way of love. It’s fresh out a few weeks ago. Now it’s on every sound and music platform out there. So Spotify, Apple music Google play, all those things that are out there.
You can find it there. You can also find it on YouTube. It is a wonderful album. And so Marie is just doing us the honor of playing this today. So I’m going to send it back to you and let you play this. The road these feet have seen Miles and miles of wandering, searching for glory and praise for the sound of my name, hoping that would stop the ache, the I have been to know, to find out who I am, searching for more affirmation to vacate my shame.
Thinking that would make things change. You pointed me down a different road. The one that I was always made to know. How sweet is your love. The way of love, how kind is its path? I chose this road like a child, and I’m never turning back. Home at last, never looking back. You’re the only way for me. How sweet it is.
The way of love, how kind is its path? I chose this road like a child And I’m Never turning back Thank you so much. What a gift it is to hear you play live and to sing that I’ve watched the videos. I’ve obviously listened to the songs a lot, but to have you in here in the studio and do that, thank you.
Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. That was fun. That’s the first time I think I’ve performed that. In a really long time. Really? So you’re getting like the, I was just like, all right, I’m thinking, oh, he has the lyrics in front of him. Yeah. Oh no. But yeah, that was fun. It was perfect. I wasn’t looking at the lyrics.
I was listening. I was just like, maybe she’ll play the whole album. Who knows? But thank you obviously for your generosity and doing that too. So couple other things I wanted to talk about before we end over here. So you don’t only just play music, you also speak and you do things like, I know you’ve had events where you’ll play music, but you’ll also, give talks and things like that.
So talk a little bit about that. And that part of what you do for the Lord. Yeah, right now my main thing which I’m so excited about is a musical presentation called The Way of Love. Yeah. And it is a combination of my songs and stories with St. Therese’s life and teachings. And I have been performing that at women’s conferences and parishes and I’m going to be doing that actually at Catholic Information Center on July 19th and for those who don’t live in Washington, D.
C. It will be live streamed and if if you miss it, it will be on the catholic information center website So excited about that. And yeah, that’s mainly what I do But I also will do talks with whatever the retreat is asking for as well, and I always put in music that’s what I do is always there’s always like Music and speaking.
I don’t it makes sense. You’re good at it, so you might as well do it. So how do people get in touch with you for anything, whether they want you to come and perform musically, or if they want you to speak or, do some of the things you just mentioned. Yeah. Booking at Marie Miller music.
com. And if you’ll find that if you go on my website, Marie Miller. Music. com. I’m there’s me as a musician, Marie Miller. There’s also a lady that makes quilts named Marie Miller. I’m the musician one. Yeah. So on the internet there. And yeah that’s, and then if you want to follow me on Instagram, Marie Miller Singh.
Okay. I’m not that good at Instagram, but yeah, but you’ll know. Yeah. You’ll know when I’m coming to your area or if I do a cool thing like this and on a podcast, but yeah, so that’s my Instagram and I’m on Facebook and all that stuff. Awesome. Awesome. I know you and I’ve talked a little bit about Doing something together, maybe even around Advent.
So I hope we can get that worked out and it will be here locally in Memphis, but it’d be a real gift to do any of that stuff with you. And Marie, I just thank you first of all, for your friendship. There’s been a lot of times where you’ve shared with me episodes we’ve done that have, meant something to you and I just, I can’t tell you what that means cause I guess you know what it means as a.
Is someone who, performs or is involved in things like this. You always want to, you hope what you do, impacts or matters somebody. So that’s really thank you for the affirmation and thank you for the friendship and for the time to come on here and be with us folks again just please go and download this album.
Check out everything Marie does. She’s a fantastic musician. She’s a fantastic disciple of our Lord and she’s a great all around person. So please go and patronize her music, share it with everybody. Again, you can find that on any music platform. Any final words here you want to give as we go? Yeah.
Just thank you so much for listening. Everyone that’s listening and thank you so much for having me on the podcast. It really means a lot. And I just hope that, yeah I’m praying for you and I’m going to be praying for anyone who hears this. So God bless you all. Yeah. Thank you. All right. Thanks for being with us.