You Raise Me Up – A Story of Life After Loss

“Profound, life-changing testimony that transforms hearts.”
Pastor Wayne Harmon, Myrtle Point, OR

We all have dreams – dreams of being happy, accomplished and successful. Dreams of a life filled with meaning, relevance and opportunities to use our God-given abilities in exciting ways. But sometimes God challenges us by taking our gifts in unexpected and unwanted directions.

For most of her adult life, Marcia Whitehead had lived in a little garage apartment in Southern California and worked a modest-wage job. Like many of us, she lived paycheck to paycheck, and had more debt than savings. And, like most of us, she dreamed of an abundant life, beyond the ordinary. In her case, that meant becoming a professional singer, and for over twenty years she worked her 9 to 5 during the day and paid for coaches and teachers to train her voice on nights and weekends. A random acquaintance offered to arrange a hearing by Maestro Franco Iglesias—a world-renowned vocal instructor in New York City—whose students once included world class tenor Placido Domingo. It took a year just to arrange the audition, during which Iglesias would judge her chances at a late-blooming career. In the time that followed, it became clear that Marcia’s dream of finding an abundant life was about to come true just by following her dream…and then suddenly it was gone.

Heartbreak.

The question everyone was asking: “What happened to Marcia?”

Her story is beautifully told, in part, in the award-winning documentary Laundry and Tosca. Marcia has taken her story, added elements not included in the film, and adapted it into a live presentation that profoundly impacts the listener. It is a story of life after loss. It is a story of learning to trust in God and discovering His will in the journey. It is a story that everyone, no matter what your dreams or aspirations, needs to hear.

You Raise Me Up is 50-minutes in length and designed to fit into a worship service setting. The presentation can easily be expanded for special events by screening the 30-minute film about Marcia’s life and including additional stories and musical selections.

*    9 minutes of screened excerpts from an award-winning documentary film about Marcia Whitehead

*    Story and testimony from Marcia

*    Three musical selections, including You’ll Never Walk Alone, Give Me Jesus and You Raise Me Up

Music Sample:

        “You Raise Me Up” 

Read Marcia’s blog post from June 2, 2015 entitled “But All I Did Was Tell  My Story” regarding the surprising impact You Raise Me Up has had on congregation members.

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