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

I didn’t know Pastor Rob was going to share the elephant story in church.  In case you missed it, the video clip began showing thousands of elephants struggling to cross the Kalahari desert during the dry season.  The elephants make this journey each year to reach the abundant waters of the Okavango Delta.  They rely on the Okavango River for their water supply.  Their journey is a life or death matter.

Thick clouds of dust blow across the desert and the video showed a mother encouraging her struggling calf to keep moving towards the delta.  The sandstorm becomes intense and the mother and her young calf are separated.

The young elephant continues moving, following his mother’s tracks only in the wrong direction.  I was not the only one in church with teary eyes as we watched the lost elephant walk the path that led to certain death. 

Then Rob made an interesting observation:  We get teary-eyed over a lost elephant.  But what about our neighbors, our family members, co-workers and our friends who are lost and headed down a path that leads to eternal death and separation from Jesus?  Does that stir our hearts?  Does that bring tears to our eyes?  What will we do about it?

My prayer is that I will not lose sight of the fact that I was once lost and headed in the wrong direction.  Just like the young pachyderm, I was on a journey leading me away from Living Water.  But someone cared enough to tell me about the saving grace of Jesus and I changed directions. 

Christians are called to reach the lost by pointing them to Jesus — the right direction for their journey which leads to life.  How are doing with your assignment?

Bring your friends to Southbrook this week-end.  It is a terrific place to hang out while we are encouraged to head in the “right” direction.

I have a special group of ladies whose company I thoroughly enjoy.  Their age ranges from 78 to 90 years old.  They are active, happy women, very involved in our community who still drive themselves wherever they please (even the 90 year old).  And for the record, they are much more mentally sharp than me.  I admire their tenacious approach to life, and their wisdom.  And their boldness to speak their mind.

I had the occasion to see one of these gals today and boy did she have a bold word for me!  Apparently, she had seen a picture of me online.  Let me pause here to insert a personal secret:  I am not at all photogenic.  In fact, I take horrible pictures and have been known to even break a couple of cameras.  (I’ll save that story for another blog.) 

Well, Ms. Bold Speak informed me that I must get that picture off the web site.  In her words, “It makes you look old and fat!”  Then Mrs. Bold Speak proceeded to pull a copy of the picture she had printed off the Internet out of her handbag and said, “See what I mean?  You’re much better in person.”

I did see it.  Mrs. Bold Speak was right.  There was nothing flattering about the photo and up until now, I have rarely paid attention to those types of details.  I am glad she thinks I am “much better in person.” 

I am reminded that we sometimes approach our relationship with Jesus the same way.  We have an ideal about who He is and what He is like, but unless we spend time with Him regularly in Bible study and prayer, we miss out on knowing that He is definitely much better in person.

And for your peace of mind, I am having a friend take my picture very soon to replace that awful shot.  Who wants to be old and fat before their time?

A couple of weeks ago I attended a conference in Atlanta.  One of the speakers referred to a Japanese proverb:

Deru kugi wa utareru

which translates “the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.”  The speaker was making a point that when we stand for what is right, when we go beyond the ordinary or give more that what is considered the norm, when we are different, we can expect to be “hammered” down.

I’ve read that in Japan this proverb is used to teach conformity to children, and I agree that there is a time and place for harmonious conformity.  But I have seen in my own Christian walk and more recently with my children, that there are times when we need to stand up for what honors Christ and choose not to be conformists to the world’s way of doing things.

One of my children took such a stand to not participate with other kids who were singing a song that they did not believe had Christ honoring words.  Did the song singing kids make fun of my child?  They sure did. 

I saw this as an excellent teaching opportunity for me to let my kids know how proud I was of them for standing up for was right, and how they had in fact, honored Christ with their decision to not participate.  We also talked about this not being the only time they would be “hammered” down for doing what was right.

The Bible tells us in John 15:18 (MSG)

If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and no longer on the world’s terms, the world is going to hate you.

It is never easy to be the one being hammered.  There is good news!  Not only does the Bible teach us that we will be attacked (or hated), but also that we will be blessed.

In the Sermon on the Mount, we are reminded of this very thing.

Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—skip like a lamb, if you like!—for even though they don’t like it, I do . . . and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this.  Luke 6:22–23 (MSG)

Today, I thank God for the opportunity to receive applause from heaven.  May our words and actions honor Him!

One of our family favorite movies of recent years is Kung Fu Panda.  Here is a movie quote that really resonates with me:

Yesterday is History,

Tomorrow is a Mystery,

but Today is a Gift…

that is why it is called the Present.

A very simple piece of wisdom that gives us a glimpse of God’s daily gift to us:  The gift of each new day.  A fresh start.  A new beginning.  A do-over.  It is something to celebrate. 

Psalm 118:24 (NIV) tells us:  This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV):  The faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease.  Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

This gift of a new dawn, a new day, draws me close to my Savior.  When I think about how God knew from the very beginning that I’d need a fresh start every 24 hours, I am aware of the depth of His tremendous love for me and I am compelled to make the most of each day!

How about you?  What will you do with this wonderful gift of today?

Did you ever have someone give you the shirt off their back?  I have.  Several years ago we hosted an informal Christmas party at our home on a unusually cold December night. 

One of my friends (who has since moved to the west coast) arrived wearing a really neat red bulky sweater.  Allie wore the sweater with a white shirt and black jeans… she looked fantastic!  And I must have told her so 100 times!

As the guests were leaving, Allie took off her sweater and wrapped it around me as she hugged me to say good-bye.  She told me to keep the sweater and to enjoy wearing it.  I told her I couldn’t keep it but she insisted and scooted out the door.

I was shocked… Allie really did give me the shirt off her back.  I’ve never forgotten her generosity and kindness.  This morning, I pulled out the red sweater to wear driving the kids to school.  Our car thermometer registered 37 degrees but I was toasty warm ~ thanks to Allie!  My heart smiled and I determined that today, I will pass along some generosity and kindness myself!

One of my new friends shared with me her life motto.  I liked it so much, I wanted to share it with you:

Live Simply

Love Generously

Care Deeply

Speak Kindly

Leave the Rest to God

Something to think about!

Rob is very excited about Southbrook’s new series ~ Divine ~ which starts this Sunday!  And so am I.  I got a bit of an inside scoop and I’m convinced that the journey through John will be amazing.  In fact, I’m determined not to miss out on a single minute.  I have a business conference in Atlanta this week-end and I’ve made sure my flight will get me back in time for the second service!  

See you at the Brook!

I want to thank those of you who came to our Girls Night Out!  Thanks to you, we had a terrific turnout with lots of fun, food, raffle prizes and good, Girl Time!  Together with the participating venders and your help, we raised hundreds of dollars for the American Cancer Society ~ Making Strides Against Breast Cancer ~ and the donations continue to come in.  Thank you for your support! 

All month we are offering a special for our October New Patients who come in wishing to make a donation to the American Cancer Society.  Tell your friends about our clinic… we are making a difference! 

A special thank you to Front Door Fabrics for hosting the event.  Their beautiful shop provided a warm, inviting setting for us to gather.  Thanks also to our other venders who participated in the event:  Matthews Curves, Avon, 5/3 Bank in Matthews, Dove Chocolate Discoveries, Pampered Chef, Woman’s Work ~ Green Cleaning, Juice Plus, Silpada Jewelry, Digitally Yours, Send Out Cards and Cutie Patootie.

Your response made our event a success and many of you asked about our next event… well, keep you eyes on the lookout for:

 Murphy Chiropractic Spring Fling!

A good friend often asks me, “Michelle, how is your relationship with Jesus?”  Because my friend is a very godly woman who walks her talk with great humility and passion for Christ, I highly value her caring enough about me and my most important relationship — my walk with Jesus Christ — and I am compelled to take a hard look and make an honest assessment. 

I have noticed that if my relationship with Jesus is right, then my other relationships (with Rob, my children, our friends) seem to be really great too.  If I have not been spending quality time with Jesus, if I’ve made other people or activities a priority over my time with God, then every other relationship is less than it could be as well. 

Thanks to my friend’s faithful questioning, I’ve learned to monitor if I am keeping Christ at the center of my life.  And I’ve learned that when I get off track, I need to get back on target as quickly as possible to avoid deterioration of my relationships with those very close to me.

How I thank God for my precious friend!

I try to get with my kids one-on-one for at least a little bit of time each week.  When you only have two kids, it isn’t too hard to do.  This past Saturday I had that opportunity.

Juliana opted for a 3 mile hike with me and her dog.  It was terrific as she told me all about her dreams of creating a new candy called Pup Swirls!  The first bite would turn you into a puppy and the second bite back to a human.  If only Willy Wonka had thought of that!

Nathan opted for me to share target practice using his Mossberg Airsoft gun.  (Of course he made it competitive.) We had a blast!  And Nathan was surprised that I could aim as well as I did.  I grew up with an amazing brother!

I treasure these moments — hoping that they never end! 

Thank you God for your many blessings ~ especially one-on-one time with my children!