THE VAULT: MUSIC

Jen G: How did you deal with the everyday peer pressure that every young person faces as far as popularity, dating, and being a part of a crowd? Even though you seem like you were pretty set apart, did you deal with a lot of that?

Maria Long: Yes, that’s why my heart is for teens and youth ministry. All my friends were having premarital sex and getting into drinking and stuff like that. It was hard because I was so close to them. If I wanted to hang out with them, then I was exposed to those things they did. So it was a difficult balance to keep my friends and still maintain my value system.

Jen G: How did you stay away from it? How did you make that decision to just say no?

Maria Long: Well, for one, it kind of helped that my friends were looking for me to mess up. It’s almost like accountability gone wrong. But most of all, I think God put a burden in my heart to reach my friends. For some of them, I knew I was the only picture of God they had in their lives, so that’s what helped me.

Jen G: And you helped them by living the lifestyle.

Maria Long: I tried. In high school, honestly, I did my best. Then I took a year off before going to college. The summer before my freshman year, we moved to a new place. My sister and I tried to make spiritual friends, but our old friends from high school kept asking us to hang out. We knew they were into partying, and we just wanted to make Christian friends. Well, we started hanging out with that crowd, and it is one of the biggest regrets of my life. Even though I really didn’t get involved in that scene, my little sister did for about two years. It broke my heart because I felt like it was my fault.

Sometimes the influences around you can be too powerful, and you just shouldn’t put yourself in that situation, no matter how strong you are. I had a very solid foundation. Many teens don’t have that with the Bible and God. I just think it’s a huge risk.

“Teenagers can be the most amazing and powerful examples for God.” — Maria Long

Jen G: How did you really get serious about God? Not just making being a Christian a title? A lot of young people have a hard time developing that relationship with Christ.

Maria Long: I had people I looked up to—mentors—and just so many great examples. People who kept me accountable. I guess you have to see the value of it. You have to see that He works in other people’s lives to believe that He can work in your own. Today, too many teens just don’t have a testimony.

Jen G: What are a couple of things young people can do on their own or with a friend to grow in Christ?

Maria Long: They can’t see Him working in their lives, so they think He doesn’t exist because they have never experienced Him or asked Him to work. Get a version of the Bible that you can read. My first Bible was a comic book Bible because I hated reading! Get a Bible you will read because there is so much there! That’s how you get to know God in the first place.

Then I would say, start asking God to reveal His plans for your life. Ask for direction and start keeping track of your prayers. The most meaningful thing for me has been the fact that I’ve kept a prayer journal since I was about 17. I have many.

So many of my songs have come from that journal. When I read back on what I was going through at the time and how God answered me, it reminds me that He has a plan when I’m going through a tough time. Plus, I just think it’s good to write your prayers to God because you are more likely to think about Him and what you are saying, versus just saying your prayers and repeating the same thing.

Jen G: Totally. Then, looking back, you know what He’s already done.

Maria Long: Yes! You know, I found an old prayer journal, and I had asked God seven years ago to help me record. I wanted everyone to know how much I love Him through my music. It blew me away because I never even remembered that it was a desire in my heart. Sometimes we forget our own desires, but God never does!

Jen G: That’s crazy cool and so true! Wow, I’m getting so much from you and your walk. This is awesome!

Maria Long: Thank you! I find God so inspiring!

Jen G: He is!

Maria Long: When I did a public high school ministry, God impressed upon me that each kid should have their own journal. You would not believe what those kids wrote in them. They poured their hearts out, and we saw some major power through prayer! It brings tears to my eyes because those teens will never forget how God has worked in their lives!

We need families that pray. Parents who take their kids by the hand when they are struggling and say, “We need to pray and ask for God’s power.” Teenagers can be the most amazing and powerful examples for God. That’s why Satan works the hardest on them! He knows what they’re capable of!

Jen G: Yes, He does!

Maria Long: I think a lot of parents are tired and working so much that they are just worn out. I also think some might not realize the value because their parents didn’t instill it in them. A lot of teens just don’t communicate with their parents. Most of the teens in our youth group sought adult attention because they just needed it. They weren’t getting it at home. Teens are looking for mentors.

Jen G: What was one of the things that your parents did with you and your sisters that really made a difference?

Maria Long: I think my dad just invested time. He always told us stories about how God had answered his prayers—miracles! He took us and allowed us to be involved in his ministry so that it would become ours. I’ll never forget leaving for school every morning and seeing my parents praying on their knees together. That visual image makes you want to make better decisions, you know?

They still pray for me every morning! I love them!

Maria Long — Page 3