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Leah Martensen has a personal
secret she wants to share: God is in the
business of using us to share his perfect love,
despite our own imperfection...." He is calling
people to come as they are and contribute to the
world the best way they can. And Leah should
know, she is a successful Christian artist who
has performed and toured for the past sixteen
years. Realizing that
God is not in the business of calling only the
equipped but equipping those he calls, Leah is
the first to state that she is not a typical
musician. "I'm not looking for fame and stardom,
nor am I what 'stardom' is looking for", she
says. "I have a simple message and I tell my
story: God is using me in spite of what I'm not.
I've traveled the world telling this story."
Leah is a talented speaker and
workshop leader in addition to her enormous
talent as a singer and minister. Her work in the
area of breaking the cycle of addictions is a
message that resonates with church groups and
transcends into the business world. The closer
people can come to the realization of the
frailty of their human condition the quicker
they can come to grips with what they need to
become as they move on with the rest of their
life. As she prepares to
release her fourth album, Leah is shifting
gears, leaning towards an acoustic style, a
different sound to her last release, "What I'm
Not", which was contemporary pop.
Aptly titled, "Still..."
this new album shines its light on Leah's
belief that God is still in charge, offering
hope, grace and love at a time when many of us
are feeling afraid and helpless.
"People all over the world are
lost", says Leah. "God's love endures, however -
we need to keep praying, keep hoping, dreaming
and loving each other, following Christ's
example." Recorded at
Paradiso Music in Nashville, TN, 'Still...'
will feature songs that touch on real life
issues, with emotional underscores, that Leah
hopes her audience will relate to on a personal
level. She wants to send out an album that gives
listeners hope for the future and inspiration to
become part of the change that will take us
there.
"When I perform, I sing with positivity, not
perfection," says Leah, who has re-worked a
traditional hymn, 'Ten Thousand Angels' into a
contemporary version for 'Still...'
"I hope my audience will appreciate the message
of my new songs and like me, be the best they
can be at what God has called them to do".
Since launching her musical career nearly
sixteen years ago, Leah has released four albums
with Joyful Sound Records, Where is the Love
(2000), Give It To Him (2002), and
What I'm Not (2005), which earned a top
seven place with the single 'Shut up and
Pray' on the IggyRock charts earlier this
year.
In 2005, Leah co-formed a collective of female
Christian artists called 'Christian D.I.V.A.S.'
who feature regularly on TSR radio.
Leah's music has been featured on several
Podcast programs, including, Build The Church,
Mad Money Review, Delta Radio and Delta Podcast.
As Leah has developed her ministry, she has
found freedom and opportunities for reaching
others. "As a Christian artist, God and I get to
call the shots. I have the freedom to go where
God leads and I wouldn't want it any other way."
God has led Leah to interesting places. She has
ministered at churches and conferences and
performed at countless coffeehouses, fairs and
festivals across the United States and around
the world.
He also directed Leah to minister in South
Africa and Asia. Leah joined World Vision as an
artist associate in 2001.
"I have seen the devastation and hopelessness in
the eyes of children in the squatter camps of
South Africa. The only thing in abundance is
disease and death. We can all be missionaries
without leaving home by sponsoring a child, a
family, or a community on the other side of the
world through World Vision. That really gets me
excited."
Leah has experienced the adventure of traveling
with other musicians and continues to plan a
busy tour schedule for 2007.
Leah and Marianne Kesler are touring together
for the Road To Recovery Tour 2007. They will be
traveling through the South with a 13-day
schedule that will be packed with hope and
encouragement. Check out the Road To Recovery
website
www.roadtorecoverytour.com
"I've been singing all my life and traveling for
the last 16 years. I get to do this with my
husband of 22 years and I love that we can grow
together in this ministry. It's a privilege that
God would allow us to join with pastors and
churches, encouraging their ministries and
bringing believers together".
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