michellesingleton.com // Confessions of the Preacher’s Wife

Ever had a teacher you could never forget? One who is not only a terrific educator but who also inspires, encourages and believes the best in you?  Such was Juliana’s 3^rd grade teacher, Mrs. Cortez.  Juliana will never forget her…an neither will I.

This week, as Juliana was saying her last day of school good-byes, Mrs. Cortez slipped me a note which read:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Singleton,

I give you Juliana, the same same child you entrusted to me in August.  I give her back a little bigger, a little stronger, and months wiser than she was then.

Although she would have attained these things in spite of me, it has been my pleasure to watch her grow into who she is today.

I give her back reluctantly.  Because we have spent nine months together in our classroom, we have grown close, we have grown part of each other’s day.  We shall keep a little part of each other as time goes on.

Should she and I meet one day, ten years from now, I hope a light will shine in our eyes, a smile come across our lips, and we feel the bond of understanding as we do today.

We have lived, loved, laughed, played, studied, learned and enriched each other’s lives these past nine months.  But now, it is time to give her back.  Take care of her, for she is precious.

Remember that I shall always be interested in Juliana and her future, wherever she goes, whatever she does, whoever she becomes.  I will pray for her that she will become the woman God wants her to be.

Love always,

Mrs. Cortez

Let’s give it up for Teachers!  I thank God for their devotion to our children,  their love for education, and their patience and daily persistance as they teach our kids so much more than the ABCs.

Why not take time to thank a teacher today?

Blessings,

Michelle

I read this online and thought it was a nice follow-up to yesterday’s post.

How does God see you? Does He like what He sees? Can I tell you He loves you 100% and loves everything about you? He loves all your annoying habits, He loves those extra pounds you have gained, and He loves you when you falter. Basically, He loves you. As a new creature in Christ when God looks at you He sees you as being redeemed. He sees the work Christ has completed on our behalf. He loves you even if you never change from this very day.

This morning I was trying to start my quiet time. I had my notebooks and Bible out all ready to get started. I sensed God saying, “Put those down. Calm your mind down. You know what, Kimberly I love you. Just think about it for a minute.” I quickly was in tears. He truly loves me. I know we all “know” God loves us, but do you really know it. Do you live like He loves you?

God thinks I’m beautiful! Whether the world thinks that or not! God likes my silly jokes, whether my kids like them or not. God thinks I’m cool even if the world says different. God sent his Son to die for me, how much more special can that be.

Today, I ask you to truly dwell on the fact that God loves you. Soak in it, breathe it, and then live it. When God loves me I can conquer anything in his strength alone. I do best when I give it all to God and throw my hands up and say, “God it is yours I can’t do it anymore.” It is a shame I don’t do that first, but I’m learning and you know what God loves me in spite of myself.  K. Chastain

Have a Beautiful Day ~ because you are!

Michelle

Have you ever been around someone who spreads cheer and goodwill wherever they go?  The kind of person that brightens your day and makes you feel good about yourself just by spending time with them. 

Well, that is my friend Sandy.  She is a devoted wife, an amazing mother ~ she’s raised 4 boys, sings at her church, leads women’s Bible studies and has recently opened a fabric and home decor business in Matthews (Front Door Fabrics). 

In addition, Sandy has partnered with Sisters in Service click here, a ministry that extends God’s love to women and children who are the least fed, least educated and least valued against poverty, disease, exploitation and spiritual darkness.  Sandy’s Fabric Store uses a portion of their profits to send sewing machines to women in Timbuktu, Mali (West Africa) so the Mali women have a means for work and income.

Sandy stopped by my office last week and without telling anyone, left a pink card with an angel on it in my office bathroom that read:

O God, help me believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is!

Quite a few women told my receptionist how good that little card made them feel.

Such a simple deed bringing so much happiness!

I thought I’d pass it on!

Blessings,

Michelle

On a lighter Caspian note, I just bet you’re just dying to know another Singleton favorite:

INTRODUCING…

You got it…Reepicheep!

Now that is just about all the Prince Caspian I can take for one week!

I’d love to hear your favorites!   

Michelle

At the Singleton house, we’ve been talking about Prince Caspian all week.  And when it comes to allegory, C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series is tops!  This has also been a great way to bring Jesus into our conversation with Nathan’s and Juliana’s friends.

So, I am compelled to share another favorite scene.  This one also involved Lucy and Aslan.  Peter, finally, is desperate and admits his need for help.    

Peter asks Lucy why he didn’t see Aslan… with childlike innocence she responds, “Perhaps you weren’t looking.”

That one line has lingered in my mind all week.  And I just wonder in my own life, how many times I’ve missed seeing Jesus ~ because I wasn’t looking.  Because I was focused on my problems.  Because I was focused on all the busyness going on around me.  Because I was consumed with, well, with me.  My life.  My world.

How many times have I missed seeing Jesus?  Perhaps He was right there all along?

I am making it a point today to be a God Chaser.  To focus wholely on Him.  I will seek Him in every nook and cranny in my life.  I’m betting I will see Him.  What do you think?

Will you join me in the God Chase?

Blessings in the Chase,                                                                            Michelle

Both Rob and Nathan were so excited to see the new Narnia movie, “Prince Caspian,” I actually paid the surchange to ‘Fandango’ the tickets.  We couldn’t take the chance of missing the opening show.

And what a great show it was!  Both of my guys loved the battle scenes ~ and there were plenty of them.

After a good movie, it is our family tradition to share our favorite 3 scenes on the car ride home.  It was hard to narrow it down to three. 

My favorite scene (mind you, the Talking Mouse, Reepicheep, came in at a close second or third) was when Lucy saw Aslan.  Aslan gave Lucy a loving embrace as she fell into the gentle, plush caress of Aslan’s mane and his powerful paw.  click here 

That is exactly how I imagine the hug I’ll get from Jesus when I see Him face to face.  His strong, all-powerful arms wrapping around me in the most gentle and loving way.  Ahh!  What a day that will be!

Here is what the Bible says:

Isaiah 40:10–11 (NLT)
 The Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
      He will rule with a powerful arm…
 He will carry the lambs in his arms,
      holding them close to his heart…
      
I’m looking forward to my hug.  How about you?

Blessings,                                                                                                  Michelle

Thank You!

These words rarely seem adequate to express appreciation of someone or something.  And so I find myself here again saying, “thank you,” and wanting to communicate so much more.

This past week, I have been amazingly encouraged by your response to my request for prayer regarding the preparation of last week’s Mother’s Day talk, “Rethink Motherhood.”  In my own strength, I would not have survived the day.  Thank you so much for your prayers.

Today at Southbrook, so many of you shared with me how our Mother’s Day talk ministered to you and your families.  I heard from moms, women with no children, grandmothers, men and even kids of all ages.  Our God is so good and faithful to sustain us!  He really is all we need!

Thanks again for your support, your encouraging words, your hugs and your smiles.  I love Southbrook!  With my whole heart I love our church and our wonderful Southbrook family.  It is a tremendous honor to stand by Rob’s side in ministry as we serve Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior. 

Thank you for all you do to add joy to our journey!

Love,

Michelle

In my quiet time this morning, I read this verse:

And when the Phairsees saw it, they said to his disciples,  “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”    Matthew 9:11

Jesus came to seek and save the lost, so he went to the lost.  I love this about Jesus!  He wanted to identify with those he came to save.  The last thing he wanted to do was stand off to the side in a “holier-than-thou” position.

If we remove ourselves from those who need Jesus, we remove a lot of the opportunity they will have to meet Him.

Here was the challenge I was given:                                                        

Count up your non-Christian friends.                                                                                                                                                                                        If you can do it on one hand, ask God for more.

I want to make a difference for Jesus and I am purposefully counting my friends.  Will you join me?

Blessings,                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Michelle

I have to admit that until yesterday I had never heard of this Polish woman.  Was it her smiling eyes or her kind smile that drew me in?  Perhaps it was the intrigue of her beautifully wrinkled skin ~ there just had to be a story behind her precious face.

And what a story!  Turns out, this amazing woman is responsible for smuggling 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto and rescuing them from the Nazi death camps during the Holocaust in World War II!

Irena Sendler’s courage came with a painful price.  She was captured in 1943 by the Nazis, severely tortured and was sentenced to death.  Her own underground organization saved her life by bribing the German executioner just prior to her execution.  In fact, her name appeared on the list of those put to death.

This sent Irena into hiding, but her light continued to shine as she rescued countless other children, even while in hiding.  To read more facts about Irena click here .

She lived out God’s command to “love our neighbors as ourselves” with conviction, determination and amazing compassion.

Irena died Monday, May 12, 2008 at age 98.  But her legacy will live on.  This Polish “Schindler” lady has given me much to think about.

I hope  my legacy is marked as one who loved my neighbors with the compassion of Christ.

Something to think about.

Blessings,                                                                                                 Michelle

After hours of Mother’s Day festivities, my “famished” kids and husband voted a stop at Moe’s for a dinnertime “snack” before we headed home.  I was all for it since it got me out of cooking.

We ordered our food and began chowing down.  Nathan finished his quesadilla first and struggled having to stay in his seat.  I cut him some slack.  I mean he did sit through 4 church services this week-end!

I decided to put Nathan’s energy to good use, so I sent him off to clear tables.  His laughter caught our attention.  In no time, Nathan was wadding up the trash he had gathered into balls and shooting them into the trash can.

“Hey Nathan, a restaurant is no place to practice your game,” shouted Rob. 

But Rob can’t resist an opportunity for competitive sport of any kind and before I could speak, my two boys had engaged in a serious game of “one-on-one,” right in the middle of the restaurant! 

Juliana and I would not be left out.  We made up a cheer and joined the fun, completely oblivious to any spectators…yikes!  We might hear about this later. 

I thank God for fun family times.  And for busy families, like most of us are, I think it is wise to grab hold of “fun” whenever the opportunity arises.

For me, shooting hoops at Moe’s was the perfect ending to a wonderful Mother’s Day! 

Wishing you some Family Fun!

Michelle