Me and My Original "Mama B"

The older I get, the more thankful I am to still have my grandmother in my life. She is, of course, one source of inspiration for the Mama B Series. Accordingly, when I talked to her about the plot of the novella, she gave me some advice which actually resolved the conflict (thanks, Grandma!).

When I really think about it, my grandmother has given me quite a few lessons in this story we call “life.” I don’t think she’s ever actually given me a lecture. Instead, she has taught me by example.

For one thing, my grandmother NEVER spanked me or yelled at me. She didn’t have to. There was something about her sweet love that somehow made me either more attentive or more obedient in her presence.

(My uncle Fred, of course, would have a different story. He would probably say that she spoiled me. I disagree. I was really good around my grandmother!)

Another thing about my grandmother is how she chose to encourage me. I’ll never forget the day I called her to tell her that I was pregnant. I was barely 20 years old, still in college, and not married. Though I am sure she was crushed by the news, she did not express her disappointment to me. Instead, she encouraged me to keep my head up, ask God to forgive me, stay in school, and move forward. She told me that I wasn’t the first girl to get pregnant in college, and I wouldn’t be the last. And she reminded me that, despite the situation, I was still a smart girl and she looked forward to my graduation. Her choice to encourage me rather than ridicule me in that fragile moment was soooo…I can’t even give you the right word for how she re-directed me.

I’ve been around my grandmother enough to know that she is not perfect. She’s human, which is really the beauty of God’s love for mankind as well.

When I think about how He loves us, I still don’t have words. But like a grandmother who has grown wise with time, He knows that once people realize how much they are loved, their respect, reverence, and obedience toward Him grow out of the love He already has for us.

God is also faithful to encourage us when we have done wrong. For believers, He has already forgiven our sins and made a conscious decision to forget them. While sin may just be happening from our perspective, it has already happened, been nailed to the cross, and been forgiven from His point of view. When we do wrong, the Holy Spirit doesn’t come to condemn those who are in Christ (Rom. 8:1). Instead, He convicts us of our righteousness (John 16:8-11). He encourages us by directing our focus back to Christ in us.

If have a grandmother, mother, aunt, sister, or cousin who has been a source of encouragement to you, please give her her flowers! Even if you don’t currently have a “Mama B” in your life, you can have Christ. I encourage you to receive His love. It will fill you with memories that are sometimes challenging, but always loving :)

Stay Faithful

Feeling weary? Discouraged? Ready to throw in the towel on your God-given hopes and dreams?
Simply put: DON'T!

Be encouraged by Michelle's audio teaching, encouraging believers to stay faithful to the calling God has on your life. You have everything to gain!

Hello, my Women Growing In Christ friends! Last year, I focused on marriages - with GREAT testimonies and encouragement from women across the country. I'm sooo glad to finally share The Wife Academy, which grew from that experience. (I know - y'all probably thought I was chillin' - I was working on THIS.) Whether you're a newlywed, approaching your golden anniversary, or just wondering if you're ready to be a wife in the first place, I encourage you to check out these videos and, later, order the rest of the videos if you'd like to go further. And PLEASE share this with your friends through email and other social networks. You may never know how you saved a family by passing along information and encouragement. Finally, if you're in the DFW area and/or a member of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, I hope we can touch bases this fall during a Bible Institute class I'm facilitating entitled "Developing a Wife's Discerning Heart." Thank you for all the love, my sisters. And, please, don't hesitate to share your prayer needs with me. One of our greatest weapons in this world is prayer! In His Love,

Help for Overwhelmed Folks!

Today, I'm working from my "other" office - Panera because it seems that when I'm home, very little gets done. Normally, when I'm here, I'm under a deadline. I come in, I fire up my computer, I write and write until it's all done. Today is different. I have 10 different things on my to-do list. For some reason, after I wrote down all that I needed to accomplish, I suddenly felt overwhelmed. Where do I start? What's the priority? Even if I don't finish #3, I MUST finish #8 before my daughter gets out of school. In the midst of feeling overwhelmed, I thought about an easy escape - Facebook. If I just opened up that browser, I could take my mind off all the things I had to do for a moment. But the Holy Spirit spoke up inside me and let me know that I was using Facebook (as fun as it might be) as a crutch to be unproductive. Ouch! Well, even after He told me that, I still wasn't feeling any better about my list of things-to-do. Didn't have any more guidance than I'd had five minutes earlier. And then He did what He does so well - brought scripture to my remembrance. "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for reminding me. Thank You, Lord, for the power of Your word to remind us of all the provision You have already made for us!

Just Checking in :)

Hello friends - virtual et al,
2011 ended with a bang, and 2012 has been no less adventurous. Last year was so fulfilling in that I was able to share information with wives. It seems that working with wives is turning out to be my passion and calling. Working on even more to share in the near future. God Bless!
-Michelle

Wife Lesson #8 with Lynne Gentry

Author Lynne Gentry said she never wanted to marry a pastor or a farmer. Find out why and how God gave her everything she thought she never wanted in this 30+ year marriage. Hear about the challenges she faces as a pastor's wife as well as how she keeps herself looking good!

Wife Lesson #7 - Cultural Conflict and Trust

Wife Lesson #7 - Cultural Conflict & Trust 

Author April Dishon was born in America and married a man from a small island. So, naturally, they faced cultural conflicts. Additionally, April struggled with trust issues as a result of her upbringing. Listen to her testimony and explore God's way of handling both natural and spiritual challenges in a marriage.

Wife Lesson #6 - Past the "Honeymoon" Phase

Author Tia McCollors

Tia McCollors is a busy mother of two who is approaching her 7-year wedding anniversary. Learn how she manages to balance her time alone with God and her time with family as she answers:

* What's it like after the "honeymoon" phase?
* How do you keep your life/marriage from mirroring the world's standards?
* How do you connect with other Christian couples?

Wife Lesson #5 - Seasons in a Marriage

After 32 years of marriage, my friend, Jayne shares her thoughts on the following:

1. How did you know your husband was "the one"?

2. Does marriage ever get any easier?

3. How do you sustain the friendship with your husband?

4. How do you do the in-law thing?

Wife Lesson #4 with Shannon & Michelle - Surviving & Thriving After Infidelity

We live in a fallen world, and sin is present. But because of Christ, sin does not have the last word. Listen to a candid conversation between two women of God who experienced infidelity in their marriages but decided (despite biblical grounds for divorce) to forgive, stay, and work things out. 

Wife Lesson #3 with Lee Etta

No one knows everything there is to know about marriage...but after 39 years, "Mrs. Lee Etta" has got something to share!

How do you see your marriage in 5 years? 10 years? 30 years? Well, if you're on day-by-day status with your husband, you'll find encouragement from a woman who has learned to rely on her love affair with God to keep her marriage strong and healthy. 

Wife Lesson #2 with Tiffany Warren

How do some couples make it look so easy?

Tiffany Warren is a busy, creative mother of five who has been married for twelve years. In Wife Lesson #2, Tiffany shares some lessons she's still learning about preserving a godly marriage in the midst of every-day hustle. Listen as we discuss very REAL topics like:

* When to just leave your husband alone
* How to respect boundaries during disagreements
* How they worked as a team to manage five kids when they had no money for daycare

Wife Lessons #1 - "Why Did I Get Married?" & "What I Know Now" with Ella Curry

Happy New Year!
Let me make this short and sweet - I've missed you all! But don't fret - I've been in the prayer closet (and I pray you have, too) and gotten some directives about this blog. The focus for this blog in 2011 is to encourage women who's marriages are in a difficult stage.

Please listen, learn, and share with another woman who just needs encouragement for today.

To God be the Glory!

Re-thinking Matthew 6:33

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33


So I'm looking at my list of things to do today.  And after listening to one of Keith Moore's messages, two things occur to me: 1) Nothing on my agenda today benefits anyone except me; 2) Relatively few things on my prayer list benefit anyone except me and my immediate family.

Maybe I've justified this selfishness by telling myself that the better my life is, the better my testimony. The more people see Christ in me, the more they will want to know Him. Sounds good in theory, but if I'm totally honest with myself, this isn't true at the deepest level. I mean, yes, it's good when believers exhibit God's manifest glory in our lives. But there's more to this Christian walk, more to prayer, more to life in Christ than to help me have a "good life."

So I'm asking the questions (and expecting God's answer): What can I do today to forward the Kingdom Agenda in the land? How can I magnify the name of Jesus?

The same way I sit and ponder the master plan for my life, I'll sit and ponder God's master plan, anticipating His direction with great excitement and happiness. Awaiting the opportunity to speak to someone about Him, to point someone to Him today.

What's on your agenda today?

Lord, When Can I Quit My Day Job?

Lord, When Can I Quit My Day Job?

 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

I regularly come in contact with fellow artists through ministry and writing events, and often the topic of working vs. fulfilling dreams enters the conversation. Though many are thankful to have jobs, especially since there are so many without work these days, deep down inside, we all want to be full-time writers, singers, musicians, etc. I guess it’s expected that we “creative types” will always struggle to reconcile our grandiose ideals with life’s practicalities.

But more recently, I’ve come to realize that this struggle isn’t unique to artists. I was talking with a friend who’s a full-time, staff minister. For years now, she and I have gone back and forth about the book God has laid on her heart as well as a non-profit organization for children she hopes to initiate. Alas, accomplishing these goals would take time – extra time that may not produce income for quite a while. And as a single woman, my friend is in no financial position to take a hiatus.

This last time we spoke, she fussed in desperation, “Michelle, sometimes I feel like I’m so busy doing what I have to do that I don’t have time to do what I need to do with my life.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard her situation described more poignantly.

I know her pain.

Several years ago, this was my dilemma as well. I enjoyed my job (and my steady paycheck), but there was no way I could continue doing all the things God called me to do while holding down a nine-to-five. Even after shaving off non-essential commitments, I just didn’t feel like there were enough hours in the day to accomplish my daily tasks with excellence.

As the situation approached crisis level, I began to cry out to God in my journals:

Thursday, March 31, 2005

Not liking working w/others today. Not enjoying my work anymore. Feeling like

“BLAH” professionally.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Oh, God, I thank you for the ability to create a work situation that allows me to 1)serve You; 2) serve my family; 3) serve the body of Christ.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Father, I’m totally past doing things for the money or for me. I feel like a big fake and my integrity can’t take it. I’m too old to work for money anymore, and You have put too much inside me to settle for anything outside your perfect will. I only want what You want, and I only want to be in Your perfect well – not the permissive will. The perfect will. Life is too short to live it any other way.

 

While I continued to search the Word for His stance on the fruit He expected from my life, He set a series of challenges before me to prepare me for the change. To paraphrase Dr. Creflo Dollar: When you ask God to take you higher, you sign up for a training course. Crying out to God in my journals, then searching the Word and standing on His promises opened the door for Him to move

Here are three lessons in the course God gracefully developed (and continues to develop) in me, lining me up for His best in every area of my life – work included. I pray that these lessons will be helpful to you as well, and that God will continue to position you exactly where you need to be every single day of your life.

1.      1. Make the best use of the extra time I already had. "...Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” (Matthew 25:21 NIV.) This frequently-quoted verse brings the light the importance of stewardship. One of the most important resources on the stewardship agenda is time. I had to ask myself: if I waste thirty minutes every day while holding down a day job, what would you I do with an extra thirty hours every week? The answer wasn't pretty. Cutting back on time-thieves narrows each day's focus.

On a practical level, this means:

·         Cutting back on television

·         Choosing a hairstyle that didn’t take 45-minutes every day to maintain (you know the one – four different curling iron barrel diameters??!!)

·         Putting things back where they belonged so I wouldn’t have to spend all morning looking for stuff. (Ouch!)

·         Utilizing “down” time. Time spent waiting around at my daughter’s gymnastics practice could be used to accomplish practical or spiritual goals. Bring my laptop to write or listen to the Word to build faith.

2.      2. Honor His Word.  "But now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained." I Samuel 2:30 NIV. All too often, I asked God to rearrange the universe on my behalf because…well…He can. But I failed to recognize that favor with God pours out of my relationship with Him. When God comes first, He handles the rest (But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.Matthew 6:33 NIV).

On a practical level, this means:

·   Honoring His Word through obedience

·   Honoring His Word and His presence through daily Father/daughter time

·   Tithing fully

3.      3. Seek His Perfect Will. (Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. Prov. 19:21 NIV). I don’t advise anyone to quit their “day” job without release from the Lord. Having His will for your life confirmed through the Word and the Holy Spirit will uphold you when challenges (namely bills) arrive to test your faith.

On a practical level, this means:

·         Spending time in the Word to know and understand His perfect will, and observe His faithful patterns (God’s will is His Word)

·         Being led by and obedient to the Spirit in “small” things so that His voice is more clear in the “larger” things.

·         Understanding that God is more concerned about my spiritual maturity than my immediate desires. He develops character in the process of answering prayers. (How awesome is He!)

I’m not perfect in all these things. In fact, I’m continually amazed at God’s grace despite my imperfections. I believe if He waited for us to act perfectly in everything, nothing would ever get done - but Jesus!

You don’t have to be perfect, either. What you do need is faith and wisdom; faith that God’s plan for your life will be fulfilled, and wisdom to know your part in the plan. Thankfully, both of these are available through His Word (Verses: Romans 10:17; James 1:5).

People say, “Be careful what you pray for” as a warning. I say it to you as a matter of notification, no negative connotation intended. Communicating your deepest desires to God, searching His word for His promises, and standing on His word in faith until you see the manifestation of His promises leads to His desired outcome.  Realize that when/if the time comes for you to leave your day job (or, in my case, go from full-time employee to independent consulting), God will have already filled up the time you used to spend working for your former employer with work for Him and extended time in His presence. Contrary to popular opinion, it is never God’s intent for His children to sit around chillin’, no matter how much money we have/don’t have in the bank or how much “extra” time we think we have on our hands. In Matthew 9:37, Jesus says “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few…” You will always have a “day” job God in God’s Kingdom…and probably a night job, too!

Never Too Young to Serve!

This is a quick link because I just met this young lady and was touched by her mime ministry and entrepreneurial spirit. Please check out her website and be inspired by the holy boldness God has placed in her! http://www.yourmajisty.com/.

Did You See the Movie Push?

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

 

I’ve been meaning to write about this for some time, but I never could find an appropriate clip online. I trust, however, that you'll receive this post in the right timing.


Anyway, a while back, my son (who loves action-packed science-fiction) convinced me to go see the movie “Push.” It’s a movie about people who have special super-powers. There are, of course, good guys and bad guys who use their powers for good and evil respectively. No big revelation there.


Let me say, for the record, that I DON'T necessarily recommend the movie. However, it demonstrated something extremely profound to me.

The characters in the movie have some really cool special powers (healing, telekenesis, future-telling, sonic boom screaming), but the one power that seemed to be the most important was the power to “Push” – thus the title. The characters who had the power to push could literally push thoughts into other people’s heads. Pushers didn’t actually do anything, they got other people do to things by taking control of their thoughts – mostly through the power of false suggestions.


For example, there's one female Pusher who is being held captive by two bad guys - let's call them Bill and Tom. When she gets Bill all by himself, she tells Bill that Tom is actually the one who murdered Bill's brother. She even played the whole scene in Bill's head of Tom strangling Bill's brother. Next thing you know, Bill runs out of the room and shoots Tom for killing the brother.

Here’s the thing: Bill didn’t even have a brother, but this girl pushed the idea into Bill’s head that Tom had murdered this non-existent brother.

Sound familiar? It should. This is exactly how the enemy operates. He’s a pusher. He comes to us and falsely accuses people (“She never really liked you” or “Why is she looking at you like you’re crazy – she’s the one who’s crazy”). He lies to us (“You’re so far gone, why bother praying?” or “That’s a stupid idea – no one is going to get behind it”). Perhaps most discouraging is the way the enemy lords guilt and condemnation for sins we don’t even have any more because God has forgiven them and forever forgotten them. Some of us are beating ourselves up over sins that don't even exist anymore anywhere except in our heads!
Truth be told, the enemy doesn’t actually do anything. He just plots, suggests, lies, and thus manipulates people to go against the will of God.
Without giving away the whole movie, let me just say that in the end, the only thing that could free a person’s mind from the overpowering lies was love. Love helped people recall the truth; broke them from the pusher’s spell.
So the next time the enemy whispers some hot mess into your ears, suggests you’re not good enough or you’re too busy to fulfill the call of God on your life, don’t accept His lies or suggestions. Fight back with the Word – get some scriptures to stand on, throw some of that good old holy love at him!
I know I went to that movie to satisfy my son’s sci-fi itch, but I walked out of there with a new perspective on the pusher I deal with every day. The enemy comes to us with contrary news, but the love Jesus had for us has forever broken the enemy’s control in our lives. In the words of my grandmother, “Satan ain’t runnin’ nothing but his mouth!” And I know that’s the truth, Ruth!

Four Words

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things re possible.”

Matthew 19:26

Tonight, I sat with four friends eating ice cream at a McDonalds (sundae’s are on the dollar menu, by the way). After we properly congratulated one on her recent accomplishment, another of my friends opened up and shared a painful crisis she was facing within her family. Instantly, the rest of us went into action – asking questions, getting clarification, trying to get an understanding of the problem.


After we’d gotten over our initial shock, we began to make plans for intercession. One of my friends who had gone through a similar bout suggested anointing the house, and one by one, we began to hand my sister in Christ weapons of spiritual warfare – weapons she desperately needs in order to defeat the enemy in her own home.


We had begun to spurt out scriptures in accordance with God’s promises in the Word regarding this situation.Then we grabbed hands, prayed, bound the enemy, and declared the victory in Jesus name (yes, at McDonalds).


So after we’d decided this was a done deal, my newly-strengthened friend began to talk about the aftermath; what things might be like once God’s Word was fulfilled. Actually, according to the world’s calculations, the after-effects might have lifelong consequences. At which point, the quiet one in our group said, “God can fix that.”

Those four words, spoken in such a soft, yet confident tone, touched my heart. “God can fix that.” I thought – wow! She’s right! God can fix that!


Sometimes what we think of as the best-case scenario following a crisis isn’t really God’s best-case scenario. We think that after a bad decision or period of rebellion, the best we can hope for is a meagar outcome. After all, it was our sin that got us into the mess in the first place, right? But I implore you, my sister, to make up your mind that at the end whatever mess you may be going through, God will have fixed everything! Restored everything! He will give beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3)! God doesn’t have to put patches on things and try to make ‘em hold up ‘til Jesus comes back – He has the power to completely renew ANYTHING to His will. Why? Because He’s God. He can fix that!

A Welcomed Delay

“For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter…”Ecclesiastes 8:6

Today, my son and I went to the driver’s license office to make an appointment for him to take the driving test and get his permit converted to a real live license. All the way to the office, I kept thinking about his most recent blunders: driving on the curb, impeding traffic, keeping his eyes straight ahead without looking around. I even remembered the time (10 years ago, mind you), when he hit a parked car with his bicycle and knocked out his front tooth. Really - can anyone who hits a parked car ever be trusted to drive any type of vehicle?

We arrived at the licensing office, grabbed a number, and took a seat. After several minutes of waiting, we were called to the counter where we learned that, due to a technical error, my son was not yet eligible to take the licensing test. He would need to drive another three months on a permit, under the direction of an adult sitting right beside him.

I wondered how on earth his driver’s ed instructors had missed the error. Yet, I didn’t argue because this “error” brought a much-needed peace and would give him an opportunity to practice his driving skills a bit longer before he drives unaccompanied. Thank you, Lord!

As we walked out of the office, the Spirit began to minister to me, letting me know that there are times when God allows a delay for our own good. Bottom line: we’re just not ready for some of the things we’re praying for. Unlike the enemy, God doesn't set us up for failure or to become a danger to others. We’re not ready for leadership until we’ve proven ourselves good followers, we’re not ready for financial increase until we’ve proven ourselves good stewards over what we already have in our possession, and we’re not ready for our own “big break” until we can first be genuinely happy for someone else’s “big break.”

The world may promote people based on beauty, intelligence, or even hard work, but God is a much better judge of when people are ready to get certain licenses and operate in certain realms. Like my son, some of us need more practice before He releases us on the next mission.

Don’t be upset. Don’t be disheartened. Just get more practice in following the Holy Spirit’s lead!

Stop Starting Over

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4

I don’t know about you, but I get hundreds of new ideas for books, businesses, websites, and ministries every month. Each one seems more interesting than the one before it, and I’m immediately tempted to pursue this fresh, new, big idea that will suddenly take off and make all my dreams come true.

So, the other night, I can hardly sleep because I’m toying with this big idea in my head. When I start to think about the marketing aspects and initial investment it will take to pull this off, the huge idea comes tumbling down because it occurs to me that it will probably take dedication over time for this thing to become an “overnight success.” That’s when I step off the big idea high horse. Time? Dedication?

I started praying about it and the Lord led me to consider all the other areas in my life where I’ve already put in a great deal of time and dedication, areas that are still in the growth process. My short stories, the novels, and scriptures bracelets I’ve been prototyping for four years now.

All of this realization brought me to what is probably the biggest revelation I’ve had in a long time: stop starting over. Rather than put all my current projects on the backburner to pursue these grand new idea, I need to take the time and develop what I already have going on. There are plenty of one-book and one-hit wonders in the world. Nothing wrong with that when God’s behind it. But in my case, I recognize that God is building my character for a long-term legacy that will last for generations. He’s teaching me how to plant seed, water it, nurture it, and watch it grow in due season. I must stop abandoning the work that He has already given me; stop treating the businesses and ministry channels He has already blessed me with like hobbies, and learn how to not just start things, but grow them, too.

Okay, Father, I hear You. Back to work now.