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

I have so had it with Bear!  In case you haven’t heard, Bear is Rob’s dog — the one Rob believes is perfect.  Not!

My favorite season is Autumn.  And I love setting out mums, pumpkins, baskets of sunflowers, scarecrows and other reminders of this wonderful harvest time of the year.  So last week when the temperature dropped to 76, the kids and I got out our Fall decorations.

When Friday afternoon finally arrived, I was ready to celebrate autumn.  Anticipating a big TGIF greeting from my family, I pulled into the driveway with some fresh apple cider from Simm’s Orchard (our kids love apple cider).  My family was no where to be found and I was horrified by the sight.  I double checked to make sure I was at the right house.

Our yard had been trashed!  Chewed up pumpkins, half-eaten scarecrows, broken pots, ripped up mums and shredded baskets strewn everywhere!  I was sick to my stomach.  Who could have done this?

I parked the car in the garage and Bear was the first to greet me with a scarecrow arm hanging out of his mouth.  Quilty… Again!

Confirming that love is blind Rob asked, “How can you not love a face like that?”   Without hesitation Rob cleaned up Bear’s evidence.  Maybe I need to work on getting an irresistable face like Bear… hummm!  

I love a rainy day, like last Saturday.  Rob was out of town and the kids and I woke up early for Nathan’s soccer game.  We made sausage and eggs and strawberry fruit cups ~ one of Nathan’s favorite meals which he had requested the night before.  The morning was a cool 60 degrees with drizzling rain which just added to the soccer morning excitement.  Juliana and I watched with the other fans as we sipped a white hot chocolate.

After the game, we came home and ate a warm lunch together.  We were determined to stay in the rest of the day.  So we started a movie ~ one of the Beethoven dog flicks.  As the movie was playing, I looked over at my kids.  What a blessing to have them all to myself!  Sometimes it is nice not to have to share them with anyone else!

I thank God for my kids… and for rainy days!

Yesterday I had the privilege of serving at the Harvest Kitchen with other Southbrook staff families.  Our responsibilities included preparing meals, serving meals, set up, clean up, take down, packing and distributing toiletry bags, and worshipping and praying with the folks there.  It was an awesome day!

Who attended the services and came for the free meals?  Lots of men and women.  Some brought their children.  They were very grateful for a free meal and toilet paper.  Yes, that is right ~ toliet paper.  I never saw so many people so happy to get a roll of toilet paper.

Their worship service started and sister Rosa announced, “The keyboard player did not show up, but God showed up.”  An absent keyboard player did not slow them down.  We sang for about 10 minutes a chorus that went, “Jesus can fix it!”  That was all there was to it so everyone could sing along!  Then we heard testimony after testimony of the problems Jesus can fix.  Here are some of the things that Jesus “fixed” in their lives:

Alcoholism, drug addiction, no home, no food, no clothes, loneliness, sickness, hopelessness, no job, fear, worry, despair… the list was never ending.  It certainly made my problems seem small.  Insignificant.

One testimony shared was from an older, gray-haired man who was once homeless and left to die in a nearby graveyard.  I noticed he only had 3 or 4 teeth.  His one belonging was a coat he had been given at the shelter some months earlier.  Things changed for this man when he was found in the graveyard, taken back to the shelter, and gave his life to Jesus.  He is making a go of it— he even has a home now! 

Someone cared enough to care for him.  And they introduced him to the One who can “fix” all problems.  This once homeless man surrendered all his cares to Jesus!  And now he has an eternal home better than any home you and I have ever known or heard of in this life.

Everyone present at the Harvest Kitchen was just like you and me.  People, doing their best to make a go of this life, desperately in need of a Savior.  Some have already accepted Jesus.  Some will in the future.  I was once again reminded how very much I am like these men and women.  Why do I have a home?  Clothes?  Teeth?  A job?  It is only by the grace of God.  And this grace is available to these folks at Harvest Kitchen too! 

My hope and prayer is that somehow I was able to be the arms and hands of Jesus to my new Harvest Kitchen friends.  I came to serve and to bless the men and women there.  But I left so very blessed myself. 

God is indeed a good God, so generous with His kindness and His grace. 

My thought for this week is:   JESUS CAN FIX IT!

I really enjoy spending time with women who have already walked down the road I am on.  Their kids are grown.  They are empty nesters.  They might even have grandchildren.  One such friend was sharing her seasoned insight on how to live a godly life.  She told me that Christian women are called to be F.A.T.  “Called to be what?” I asked.

F.A.T. which stands for Faithful, Available and Teachable.  Faithful in our devotion to Christ, available to reach out and minister to others, and constantly growing in our personal walk with the Lord by keeping a teachable spirit.

She is on to something here.  And her life shows it.  I just love her wisdom!  So today I am chucking my diet to the wind…

“Lord, make me F.A.T.”

Last week was a really tough week.  I didn’t write because I didn’t have much to say.  A good friend found out that her husband has stage 4 lung cancer.  The prognosis is not good.  The cancer has spread to his liver, adrenal glands and to his bones.  So sudden.  So unexpected. 

They are moving back to New York to be closer to family.  I will miss her so much.  My heart hurts and I am sad.  Not just because I am losing a friend.  Mostly sad because of the journey they are beginning. 

What do you say?  Not much.  Mostly I just listened.  And prayed.  I believe that God does miracles.  So I continue to pray.  And listen through the tears.

David’s song of praise after he was delivered from Saul has been echoing in my head, especially this verse: 

2 Samuel 22:4 ~  I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

I find comfort in the God who saves.

What a wonderful opportunity we have at Southbrook!  Sunday night Union services for our Youth.  With Nathan having arrived in middle school, we have an insider’s perspective on what goes on.  Want to know?  Total Fun, Serious Life Discussions, Silly Games, Worship that draws our kids to the Throne of God, Lessons on Christ-Centered Living, Prayer and more! 

Our Youth are not only growing in their walk with Jesus, but they are learning to “go and make disciples” among their peers.  What better way to teach them to reach their friends?  Union provides a relevant and fun environment that is “safe” to bring our kids’ friends from school and from our neighborhoods.  And can you think of a better place for them to hang out?

Sure, if your kids don’t drive it is a sacrifice to haul them up to church… but c’mon.  There is a battle being fought for the hearts of our Teens and Youth.  As parents, we’ve got to make the most of this fleeting time.  We’ve got to position our kids for Spiritual Victory!  It is Decision Time… a time when kids will either put their anchor in Christ or let their faith begin to drift away. 

And will your kids ever object to your decision for them to attend the Youth Group or Union Service?  Duh!  This is what teens and preteens do.  But really now, who is the parent here?  After their first time or two, they’ll realize there is some serious faith stuff going down and be asking you to make sure they get to Southbrook.  This is where they will make lasting friends.  Friends that will hold them accountable to make good Christ-honoring decisions when they are exposed to other choices.

I don’t know about you, but I want to do everything possible to give my kids the best in helping them draw close to the Lord.  This is our most important parenting responsibility.

Bring your kids to Union this week-end ~ 6:00–8:00pm.  (Prayer at 5:00pm).  The Singletons will see you there!

Sometimes us moms have to let our kids know we mean business.  I knew I had a challenge ahead of me last spring when I announced that Nathan had to stop eating with his hands and use a fork.  Everyone laughed including Rob who quipped, “Why? Our kids are being raised by wolves.” 

That was my point!  It did appear that Nathan was being raised by wolves or by a barbarian tribe.  Or perhaps aliens.  Whoever was to blame, I didn’t like the outcome.  I gave Nathan 3 months to get his “table manners” on track OR ELSE!  Or else what?  Or else I was sending him to Cotillion.

The word cotillion sent a shiver down his spine ~ Rob’s too!  The thought of wearing a suit and tie, using a fork, working through manners, polite conversing and letter writing ~ the practice of proper and “civilized” etiquette was daunting to say the least.  And when I also mentioned that Nathan would learn a bit of ball room dancing, he was horrified!  Oh no!  He might have to hold a girl’s hand!

I secretly hoped the threat alone would be enough to promote change in Nathan’s manners, but as the summer progressed, I saw no improvement.  How hard is it to eat with a fork?

Cotillion started last Tuesday.  This is how Nathan cleaned up:

Not bad, huh?  Between Rob and Nathan, I go crazy ‘bout my sharp dressed men!

These next words are top secret.  When Nathan got home Tuesday night, he told me that Cotillion was going to be alright.  He even thanked me for the opportunity.  Could it have something to do that a very nice (and cute) girl was his dance partner?  Word is not out on that just yet…

What has 8 legs, 6–8 eyes, no ears and feel vibrations through the tiny hairs on their legs?  A spider of course!

Nathan was helping me train for the upcoming Muddy Buddy.  We had biked and were now running the trail behind our house.  At once, we stopped dead in our tracks.  Ahead of us was a fabulous spider and its web. We were amazed as we studied the fascinating critter, we decided it was picture worthy, so we cut our training run short and headed back to our house for my camera.

Take a closer look:

We were able to identify our spider as a Black-and-Yellow Argiope ~ very common in North Carolina.  They are also known as the garden spider (since they’re very common in gardens) or writing spider (for the patterns in their webs). They catch large insects in their sturdy webs, including grasshoppers and butterflies. They are harmless to humans.

How do you pronounce Argiope? According to the folks at bugguide, it’s ar-GUY-oh-pee.

Our God is amazing… Can you even believe all the critters that He created?  It is true, His creation tells of His majesty! 

Last week, Juliana and I were home without the guys.  It was a cooler summer day, probably mid ‘70s and we both got the idea at the same time.  “Let’s have a tea party!”

So we both started preparing what ever came to mind.  And we set the table the same way.  It turned out to be a delightful and beautiful tea!

For me, it was the company that made it so wonderful.  What could be better than an impromptu tea for two ~ just my daughter and me?  Juliana suggested that we share some bible verses.  I chose a Psalm and Juliana chose verses from 1 Corinthians about love. 

We both shared how awesome God’s love is for us!  And because of that, we can have an especially deep love for each other.  It was a most memorable afternoon!

Take a look:

Even our Norfolk Terrier join us for tea time!

A Teatime Blessing:

Dear Lord, may our time together be sweetened by sharing and warmed by Your love.  Amen,