Anna Miriam Brown
10 min read ⭑
“I love treating my relationship with God like a friendship ... I try to include him in everything because, first of all, I like his company and, second of all, I know that when you acknowledge him in all your ways, he will direct your path.”
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
I have 14 siblings — and we all love food. We love to cook, gather and celebrate, and we share a bad habit of making everything a “last hurrah.” In other words, we find every excuse to indulge. I grew up on the mission field and have tasted many different foods from many different cultures, but my favorite meal would have to be our family’s Shabbat dinner.
We’ve always known of our Jewish heritage, but in the last couple of years, we’ve fallen more in love with it and have more affectionately embraced some of the beloved traditions. One of those traditions is the Friday evening Sabbath supper. Two of my Ukrainian sisters, Chrissy and Abby, join forces to cook most of the massive meal — they are far better in the kitchen than any of the other kids. Meanwhile, our mom, with the help of the youngest siblings, sets a beautiful table. Once everything is prepared, our family — and usually a good number of friends and neighbors — swarm around the table for the celebratory meal. After communion, a reading from Psalms and a special blessing for each kid, we loudly and messily enjoy the meal with bounds of joy.
Raphael Lovaski; Unsplash
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?
As a songwriter, I obviously love music. And as a believer, I obviously love Jesus. In my everyday life, I often combine the two — but maybe not how you’d expect.
My sisters and I love the adventure of finding Jesus in secular songs — clearly, not the raunchy, worldly ones but the pure and honest love songs. Taylor Swift is our favorite worship leader. (Kind of joking, kind of not!)
Let me explain. In the Bible, God often uses human relationships to paint us a picture of how our relationship with him should look. Father and child. Friend and friend. Bridegroom and bride.
We get excited about discovering beautiful depictions of those relationships in unexpected places, like Taylor Swift’s “Evermore” album or “Show Yourself” from Frozen 2.
They can be songs from God to us or songs from us to God. And sometimes, it’s even a duet. Taylor Swift, Dermot Kennedy and Jeremy Zucker are our favorites.
Take this snippet from Taylor Swift’s “You Are in Love” as an example:
And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars
And why I’ve spent my whole life trying to put it into words
’Cause you can hear in the silence
You can feel it on the way home
You can see it with the lights out
You are in love
That one is from us to God or, more specifically, from me to God.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?
For a long time, my kryptonite was public speaking. Or public singing. Or really public anything. I don’t know why, but I often felt allergic to the spotlight — which is very confusing for me, considering that I’m an extrovert who loves attention. But still, somehow, being handed a microphone has often been the only ingredient needed for an instant panic attack.
It was so bad that there were times I didn’t even want to get married because the thought of saying my vows in front of everyone was too sickening.
Over the last few years, I’ve had to surrender to the possible humiliation of breaking down on stage for the sake of my calling. If I was going to be a writer, my words would have to be read and heard. If I was going to be a singer, I would need to sing. If I was going to preach the gospel, I would need to open my mouth and preach. So step by step, I let God take me into the spotlight and hand me the microphone. I still hate it, but I’ll say this: When I put myself in the hands of God and ask the Holy Spirit to comfort me and speak through me, a peace that passes understanding always comes right when I need it.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?
My passion is bringing Bible stories to life through songwriting.
This began the same year I found Jesus. I was 16 and eager to share Jesus’ love with the world in any way I could. When an opportunity arose, I went on a medical mission trip to Kenya. There, I met a girl who loved musicals — specifically “Hamilton.” She kept talking about it, so I decided to give it a chance. We listened through the whole cast recording during a lunch break, and by the end, I was weeping. I was shocked by how much the telling moved me.
After getting back to Ukraine (my home at the time), I showed the musical to my sister Rachel, and we played it at least 100 times. My passion and interest in American history grew, and I found myself doing my own research about the Founding Fathers.
One of those days, God spoke to my heart, saying, “If a musical can inspire you to be passionate about the history of America, then a musical can inspire passion for the history of my Son, Jesus.”
And so, with no professional theater training or knowledge of music theory, I said a small prayer of “Okay, I’ll try,” and started writing “His Story: The Musical’s” first lyrics. Soon after, my sister, Rachel, taught me some piano chords, and I brought the words and music together. A summer later, I had finished 30 songs — the full narrative of Jesus’ story, including Creation, the virgin birth, the crucifixion and the resurrection.
My parents used all of their savings to professionally produce and record a concept album. When we released it and about a year or two later, a Broadway producer came across it and fell in love. He contacted me and my parents and asked to meet in New York to discuss bringing “His Story” to the stage.
Now, the musical I wrote at 17 is being performed eight times a week at the Broadway Tent at Grandscape in Dallas, Texas. I hope this musical will do for others what “Hamilton” did for me. But instead of inspiring a passion for American history, I hope it inspires a passion for the history of God.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
God is the ultimate storyteller, the greatest at creating fascinating plots, complex characters and shocking plot twists. When I write, I try to do so with Jesus looking over my shoulder. That’s what I often picture in my head when I’m creating, whether on my laptop, piano or notebook. I like to keep him involved and ask him what he thinks, what should happen next and what one character should say to another.
Sometimes, I can sit and write for up to six hours. Sometimes, it takes me four weeks to write a paragraph. And sometimes, I’ll start one story, but God will flip the table and have me write something else completely.
For example, last year, I traveled to Italy with three different pianos. I planned to be there for a month and write an entire musical based on the book of Esther. (Yes, 30 songs in a month was a ridiculous goal, but I felt ambitious.) I really thought that was what God wanted me to do.
But when I arrived in Florence and went to claim my bags and pianos, they didn’t show up. Apparently, they had never even made it onto the plane with me.
With only one outfit and no pianos, I sulked around Florence for a week — calling and emailing and doing everything I could to get my instrument back so I could start on my “masterpiece.”
I got the news my bags were sent back to America, and that morning I read in the Bible, “Take nothing for the journey — no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt” (Luke 9:3, NIV).
Confused, I went to the Boboli Gardens to pray.
Sitting a stone step in the shade, I got an unexpected download from God — a story. Not a musical but a novel about Jesus’ brothers and about the Prodigal Son. Puzzled but excited, I went back to the Airbnb where I was staying and started writing. Never before had a story come to me so vividly, so easily and so quickly.
For the next few months, I worked on “Jude of Nazareth” instead of “Little Hadassah.” Why? Because God wanted me to. I could tell because he took away my piano and gave me a Bible verse and a new idea.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it — which spiritual practice is workin’ best for you right now?
I love having casual conversations with God.
I like sitting on the floor of my living room with a cup of lemonade and just chatting — sometimes with a Bible opened, sometimes with worship music and sometimes with a journal.
Although there’s a time for reverential worship with tears and confession, I love treating my relationship with God like a friendship. I like going on walks, going out to dinner, lying on the beach or reading a book together. I try to include him in everything because, first of all, I like his company and, second of all, I know that when you acknowledge him in all your ways, he will direct your path.
When I delight in the Lord, that is when I find myself the happiest.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are some resources that have impacted you?
Besides the Bible, one of my biggest inspirations is the novelist Francine Rivers.
Her series “Mark of the Lion” is what sparked my love for writing books. These stories showed me what is possible for Christian historical fiction. She brings familiar and unfamiliar characters to life with boldness, creativity and vulnerability.
I really respect the honesty she writes with. Much like the Bible and our own lives, her work is filled with uncensored brokenness. I think this is why her characters have the most beautiful redemption arcs — because we see the fullness of their darkness.
Her work is what gave me the guts to create the way I do.
We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it’s done for you.
Right now, my sister Rachel and I are in a very busy season. The last three months have been filled with hands-on work as we bring “His Story: The Musical” to life, and it’s been harder to have long, soaking quiet times.
Because of that, the YouVersion Bible app has been such a fun and helpful thing for us. The verse of the day seems to come at exactly the right moment and say exactly the right thing — every time! It’s almost like a little prophecy or declaration over the day.
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
I’ve written five musicals and have another five more or so that are currently in the works. I dream to have them all produced in many different styles and genres and venues. I want to help others connect with God by seeing themselves in these stories.
My life is in the hands of the Lord, and my future is his to do with it what he wills. But my plan is to have these musicals done as soon as I can and then do missions overseas.
Growing up, I watched my parents share Jesus with people from many different nations, and I watched lives change as a result. I want to do the same. I want people to know the Jesus I know. If they knew him, I’m sure they would love him.
So as Taylor Swift says, “I will spend my whole life trying to put it into words.”
We loved hearing Anna’s story of traveling to Florence, Italy, to write a musical — only to watch God reveal another purpose entirely for that trip. Has something similar ever happened to you? Has God ever turned your agenda upside down?
All too often, we have our own ideas for what we think God wants us to do. But if we’re willing to stop, listen and respond to how he’s speaking to our hearts or shifting our circumstances, we may find that he has an even better idea in mind. So this week, what can you do to release your expectations and let God move you however he wants?
At only 16 years old, novelist and songwriter Anna Miriam Brown started writing His Story: The Musical, a theatrical production of the life of Jesus Christ. Although she couldn’t read or write until she was 9 years old, Anna majored early in the arts as a homeschooler before starting to pen her first songs at 15. During a mission trip to Africa, she started to write the songs that would become His Story. Anna continues to write songs from her home in Dallas, Texas, and sees an opportunity to reach her generation with the timeless story of light and hope.
