Michelle Medlock Adams's Blog, page 3

“They Call Me Mom” is a Christian Book Award Finalist

My co-author, Bethany Jett, and I are so thrilled to learn that They Call Me Mom is a finalist in the Devotional/Gift category in this year’s ECPA Christian Book Awards. We almost passed out when we saw who else finaled in our category—Louie Giglio and Anne Graham Lotz to name two!! The winners will be announced on May 6th, but no matter what happens, we are truly in awe. Thank You, Lord!!

 

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Spring Cleaning in a Hurry: Just Five Minutes a Day Keep the Dust Bunnies Away!

Ahhhh…Spring. Birds singing. Flowers blooming. Trees budding. Mops mopping. Brooms sweeping. Cloths dusting. Yep, you guessed it. Springtime means it’s time for spring cleaning. If you’re already envisioning hours of backbreaking scrubbing in an all-day clean-a-thon—we’ve got good news for you. Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be an all-day affair. In fact, you can spend just a few minutes a day and have your entire home spic and span by the weekend.

“I like the breaking down of tasks by day so it isn’t so daunting,” explains Keely Stutz, who has owned her own professional cleaning company for the past 12 years. It’s a mind shift, really, according to Stutz. By picking one room a day to deep clean, the task doesn’t seem so overwhelming. Little by little, day by day, your spring cleaning moves forward and your house experiences that deep clean you were hoping for without disrupting your life too much.

Click here to read the rest of this article, including Stutz’s breakdown for room-by-room spring cleaning, first published on More to Life Magazine.

Do you have any spring cleaning suggestions? I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.

Thanks!

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Train Your Children in the Way They Should Clean…and When They’re Older, Their Spouses Will Thank You

OK, be honest. How many of you have ever said, “What do you think I am, your maid or something?” as you picked up scattered toys and discarded candy wrappers from the floor of your child’s bedroom? Oh yeah, we’ve all been there. So, is it possible to turn little Johnny or little Susie into a tidy tot?

“Yes,” says Keely Stutz, who has owned and operated her own cleaning company for over a decade in Southern Indiana.

Click here to read the full post on More to Life Magazine, including six games you can use to get your kids involved in cleaning.

How do you get your kids involved in the chores? I’d love to hear from you, so leave a comment below.

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Get an Attitude of Gratitude

The following article was first published on the More to Life Magazine. Visit their site for more inspiration and encouragement.

Thanksgiving may be far behind us, but you don’t have to wait until November to thank God for all His goodness!

When my daughters were 3 and 4, it was difficult to find any time for myself. But I felt certain I was supposed to attend a women’s conference in a neighboring city, so I arranged for childcare and off I went. As I sat in that first session, I felt my heart pounding as the speaker’s words washed over me. The theme? “Have a Grateful Heart.” I realized as she spoke that I hadn’t been very grateful. Instead of praising God for the blessings in my life, I was focusing on the things I didn’t have. And it was ugly. I repented and asked God to change my heart. Then, in the second session, the speaker challenged us to do something every day to practice gratefulness. Her suggestion? Keep a “Journal of Gratitude.” As a writer, I loved the idea of journaling, so I began keeping a “Journal of Gratitude” that very day, and it changed my life.

It continues to do so.

Click here to read more and discover three additional things you can do to practice gratefulness throughout the year.

 

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Restore Your Luster

Of all the white precious metals, platinum is my favorite because it’s the shiniest!

Even platinum pieces that haven’t been cleaned in a long time maintain their luster better than silver and white gold. Do you know why? It’s because platinum doesn’t tarnish as heavily or as quickly as other metals; however, its surface can still become rather dull over time.

Sort of like our platinum faith.

One day, you can be standing on the promises, praising the Lord, and shouting the hallelujahs, but when your breakthrough doesn’t happen as quickly as you’d hoped, your platinum faith can become cloudy at best. And, it can happen so slowly and sneakily, a little less luster every day, that when you wake up one day and your platinum faith no longer has its shine, you may not have any idea how it happened or when it happened.

I walked through this with my sister, Martie, as we cared for our mama before she went to heaven. Mom had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and though she was more than ready to go home and be with Jesus and our father who had passed two years before, we weren’t ready. The doctors had done everything they could do for Mom, so hospice was called in to make her comfortable. Martie and I met with her main doctor and the hospice workers, and we prayerfully decided to do everything in our power to keep Mom at my sister’s house instead of a 24-hour nursing care facility.

So, that’s what we did.

It was our greatest privilege to care for our wonderful mother, but it was also one of the most difficult seasons of our lives. Every single day we fought discouragement, sadness, hopelessness and fatigue. It was a journey we never wanted to take—a role reversal we never asked for—but a calling we were more than willing to answer.

And, as caregivers you often feel isolated from the world and overwhelmed with the reality of what’s actually going on—your loved one is ill and oftentimes, the prognosis is not good. Just those two things alone could dull your platinum faith’s luster but add to them the constant stress and fatigue that accompanies caregiving, and your platinum faith might be luster-less.

That’s where my sister and I found ourselves after several months of round-the-clock care for our mom. Many times when I had a few hours away, I’d park my SUV at one of my favorite scenic spots in Lawrence County, Indiana, and play Keith Moore’s cd “Thank You Lord for the Holy Ghost” over and over again.

As I looked out over the beautiful countryside—sometimes through tears—and listened to those powerful lyrics, I would feel my luster returning.

Just like platinum jewelry comes back to life after soaking it in warm soapy water, immersing myself in God’s presence restored my platinum faith, and I was ready to face another day.

It’s not that we’ve lost our faith when we lose our luster; it’s just that we’re often weary in the well-doing. Maybe that’s why Galatians 6:9 encourages, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (NIV).

We can’t give up. We have to stay in the fight—the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12)—no matter how long the battle rages on. Fight on, my sister, fight on! Spend some time with God today and ask Him to restore your luster.

To help you get started, take a moment and listen to this powerful song by Keith Moore.

Learn more about developing a Platinum Faith.

 

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Platinum Faith is Authentic

While researching for our new book, Platinum Faith (co-authored with Bethany Jett), I discovered that platinum is very hard to counterfeit because it’s so much harder, heavier and shinier than all of the other white metals.

While you might be able to produce a pretty good “fake” piece of sterling silver or even white gold, it’s almost impossible to produce a good platinum imposter. Plus, authentic platinum will have “plat” or “pt” stamped on it, followed or preceded by the numbers “950” or “999,” referring to the purity of the platinum. So, that’s how you can tell if a piece of platinum jewelry is authentic.

But, what does authentic mean, exactly?

Dictionary.com defines authentic as “not false or copied; genuine; real.”

Let’s face it—nobody likes a fake. And, I’m not talking about coloring your hair or getting a spray tan, because I’m guilty of both of those. I’m talking about the fake personas we don, the masks we wear, so the whole world will think we’ve got it all together when in reality, we are the definition of a “hot mess.” We put on our “Sylvia Super Christian” mask and walk and talk the part. When someone asks how we are, we say, “Blessed, Sister,” when inside, we are dying, feeling alone, discouraged and very far from God.

In a world that’s caught up in branding and projecting the perfect persona on all social media platforms, it’s becoming more and more difficult to be real. I mean, how many of us post a picture of our piles of clothes on the floor in the laundry room or the dirty dishes in the sink from last night’s dinner? Very few, I’d say, if any. No, we pose in our favorite leopard print chair, sipping coffee from a cool mug we found on sale at Target, and take a selfie in the one area of our house that is actually free from clutter, writing something like: Loving my life “a latte” chillaxing in my leopard chair. #homedecor #lovemylife

When in reality, our hashtags should read: “therestofmyhouseisintotalchaos #Ihavenotsleptinthreedays #liarliarpantsonfire.

Listen, I’m all for putting your best foot forward and not sharing your “dirty laundry” on social media platforms—both figuratively and literally—but here’s my point. We need to be authentic in real life and online. Why? Because when we are, we give others permission to be real, too. We can drop all the facades and simply be who we are, who God created us to be, flaws and all.

We need to be authentic in real life and online because it gives others permission to be real, too.
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You’ve probably heard the old adage that says: “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

That’s so true.

You know what else is true?

You can’t fool yourself any of the time. It’s so much better to be real with people, with yourself, and with God. He knows everything anyway.

But until we can be real with God; until we can confess our sins, tell Him our weaknesses, share with Him our dreams; until we can trust God fully with the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of our hearts, we can’t fully walk in platinum faith.

To truly walk in platinum faith, God must be involved in every step we take because He knows the end result; He knows the way; and He will help us get there. The prophet Jeremiah understood what it meant to walk in platinum faith, and he also knew that humanism—relying on our own instincts and abilities—would lead to destruction. He understood that apart from God, we can do nothing.

“ I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course” (Jeremiah 10:23, NLT).

Bottom line?

We need God.

Being inauthentic or having fake faith can only take us so far. Eventually, someone will see us for what we really are, and our “Sylvia Super Christian” cover will be blown. So, quit trying to fake your way through life, and get real with God today. Relying on yourself can only take you so far, but fully trusting in Him can take you places you haven’t even imagined! Once we can admit our need and accept God’s help, we can go forth and be courageously authentic. Let’s do that today.

Once we can admit our need for God and accept His help, we can go forth and be courageously authentic.
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Learn more about living a Platinum Faith.

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You Are Malleable

If we are to walk in platinum faith and accomplish everything God has for each one of us, we will have to spend some time on the Potter’s wheel. God doesn’t want us to stay the same because He has created us for big things! That’s why He allows us to go through difficult situations so we can become the vessels He created us to be. He certainly doesn’t bring the bad circumstances but He will sometimes allow them as He molds us and shapes us.

Have you ever heard the story of the little teacup?

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful cup. They said, “May we see that? We’ve never seen one quite so beautiful.”

As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the cup spoke. “You don’t understand,” it said. “I haven’t always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, ‘Let me alone,’ but he only smiled, ‘Not yet.’

“Then I was placed on a spinning wheel,” the cup said, “and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. ‘Stop it! I’m getting dizzy!’ I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, ‘Not yet.’

“Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat!” the teacup said. “I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head, ‘Not yet.’

“Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. ‘There, that’s better,’ I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. ‘Stop it, stop it!’ I cried. He only nodded, ‘Not yet.’

“Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening, nodding his head saying, ‘Not yet.’

“Then I knew there wasn’t any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, ‘Look at yourself.’ And I did. I said, ‘That’s not me; that couldn’t be me. It’s beautiful. I’m beautiful.’

“‘I want you to remember, then,’ he said, ‘I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you’d have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn’t done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life. And if I hadn’t put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t survive for very long because the hardness would not have held.

“‘Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.’” ~ Author Unknown

You might say that little teacup went through the platinum faith process which is rarely fun but almost always necessary. Maybe you can relate to that teacup. Maybe you’re on the potter’s wheel right now, spinning round and round, wondering if you’ll survive the process. Well, take heart, Sister Teacup! You’re not alone. We’ve all been there, and I’m sure as we grow in our faith, we’ll be back up on the potter’s wheel so the Master Potter can remold and shape us once again.

Are you willing to let God take you in His hands and shape you?

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8, NASB).

For more encouragement, check out my book, Platinum Faith.

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Look to Him

I had been studying for several days, trying to prepare for a women’s retreat where I’d be speaking several times that weekend, and it just seemed like nothing was coming together. I’d write a few thoughts, look up a few scriptures, pray for guidance, and still it all seemed flat to me.

I was worried.

I texted several of my prayer warrior friends, asking them to agree with me in prayer that everything would come together in time for the retreat. I specifically said, “I just want everything I say and do to point these women to the Cross.”

Still, I felt like I was hitting a wall. Though I had all of my talks outlined, researched and ready to present, I was feeling unsure of myself. I started down the road of “What if?”

What if my talks are void of power? What if the ladies are not receptive to them? What if God doesn’t show up? What if…

I heard that still small Voice whisper, “Look up.”

I had to step away from the computer for a bit and regroup. I was about to have a full-on Michelle Meltdown, and those are never good. So, I put on my Nikes and headed out for a brisk walk. Exercise always clears my head. Plus, it was an unusually warm Autumn day so I thought I’d take advantage of the sunshine and warmth.

As I was walking through my neighborhood, praying with every step, I heard that still small Voice whisper, “Look up.”

I was literally stopped in my tracks. There, directly above my head, was a huge white cross. It looked like an airplane that writes messages in the sky had created a cross against the beautiful blue backdrop—just for me.

Message received.

no matter what you’re facing, just look up. He has got this!

I immediately felt a sense of peace overwhelm me. It was as if God was saying, “I got this. I’ll use you to point people to the Cross…you do your part, and I’ll do Mine.”

I learned a very important lesson that afternoon. It’s not our job to make everything happen. That’s God’s job. All we have to do is our part, and He will always do His. I quit thinking of all the negative “What if” scenarios, and I started meditating on the positive ones: What if God shows up in a big way? What if many women find hope and healing this weekend? What if miracles happen in our midst?

I want to encourage you today that no matter what you’re facing, just look up. He has got this! Just trust Him (that’s your part) and He will do His!

Pray this with me: “Father, thank You for being so faithful and always doing Your part. Help me, Lord, to be courageous and steadfast enough to do mine. I trust You with every part of my life. Use me today and every day to point people toward the Cross. In the Mighty Name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.”

It’s not our job to make everything happen. That’s God’s job. All we have to do is our part (trust in Him), and He will always do His part. #INwritergirl #faithlife #godisincontrol
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Give it to God

 

I love happy endings, don’t you? That’s why I love the story of Hannah in the Bible. Hannah was a good wife to Elkanah but she couldn’t bear any children. Back then, that was the worst possible thing that could happen to a woman. In fact, a childless woman was often divorced, or another wife was added to fulfill the child-bearing duties. Either way, the non-child producing wife lived a bitter existence. Well, this is what poor Hannah faced every single day.

Even though Elkanah told Hannah that he loved her the most, Peninnah was the wife having all the babies. And, to make matters worse, Peninnah constantly taunted Hannah about her inability to conceive. Can’t you just imagine the tension in that household?

Hannah became quite depressed over the situation and she prayed earnestly for God to give her a child of her own. Then, she promised God that if He gave her a son, she would consecrate him to the Lord’s service all of his life. God heard her prayer and she became pregnant with Samuel.

…she cried out to God and trusted Him to meet her needs.

You can imagine her delight. I bet she strutted her pregnant self in front of Peninnah every chance she got, don’t you? But then, it came time to follow through on her vow to God. After raising her only baby for several years, nursing him, and loving him, she delivered Samuel to the House of the Lord, turning him over the Eli the priest. Hannah followed through and honored God because He had honored her. Don’t you imagine her heart ached as she journeyed home without her son?

But, Hannah’s story doesn’t end there because you can never out give God. He loves to give blessings to His children.  So, God caused Hannah to become pregnant with several more children. She was no longer the barren wife of the house. God had changed all of that.

Whatever you’re struggling with today—give it to God.

We can learn much from Hannah’s beautiful heart. She didn’t take matters into her own hands and throttle Peninnah, although her flesh probably wanted to do just that. Instead, she cried out to God and trusted Him to meet her needs. That blesses God. He loves it when we come to Him as our Abba Father and say, “Father God, I can’t change this situation, but I know You can. So, I’m trusting You to do so in Your perfect timing.”

Whatever you’re struggling with today—give it to God. Trust Him and begin to praise Him even before your situation changes, knowing that He is at work even when you can’t see Him working. Rejoice today! Your Heavenly Father has a happy ending waiting just for you.

(Read more about Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1 and 2.)

Rejoice today! Your Heavenly Father has a happy ending waiting just for you. #INwritergirl #faithlife #trustingod #godisgreat
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After All

Our Wedding Picture

Today, Jeff and I celebrate 27 years of marriage, and I couldn’t be happier about it. You see, I picked him out when I was in eighth grade. I was at my best friend’s house practicing for our upcoming cheer tryouts, when I saw him. He was shooting hoops with my best friend’s older brother.

“Who is that with Ryan?” I asked.

“Oh that’s Jeff Adams,” Angie answered.

Homecoming 1985

I stared in his direction for a few minutes longer, trying not to be too obvious, and then I said, “When I am allowed to date, he’s the one I want.”

Thankfully, my wish came true. Jeff became my high school and college sweetheart and eventually my husband—not that we didn’t break up several times during those years—but somehow we always found our way back to each other. In fact, when the song “After All” by Cher and Peter Cetera came out in 1989, I was positive it had been written for Jeff and me. Remember the chorus?

“After all the stops and starts, we keep coming back to these two hearts.

Two angels who’ve been rescued from the fall.

After all that we’ve been through, it all comes down to me and you.

I guess it’s meant to be.

Forever you and me, after all.”

I even used that song as a Casey Kasem long distance dedication, and he played it, sharing our love story with all of his listeners!

Pretty cool.

But you know, our relationship hasn’t been without its challenges. Like any great love story, we’ve faced obstacles, weathered storms, and gone through the good, the bad, and the ugly together.

I’m certainly no marriage expert, though I’ve spoken at a few marriage retreats. But over the years, I’ve learned a few things about having a happy marriage (mostly by trial and error), and I endeavor to continue learning in this area until the good Lord calls me home.

So here are my top three keys to a happy marriage:

Laugh together, and laugh often!

1 – Laugh together, and laugh often!—Laughter is therapeutic, so the experts say. But you know what else? It’s also very bonding. Jeff and I share so many “inside jokes” that we can simply give each other a certain look and totally crack up. I love laughing through life with him.

See the best in each other

2 – See the best in each other—If you read First Corinthians 13 (the Love Chapter), in the Amplified version, you’ll notice that verse 7 says, “Love is ever ready to believe the best of every person…” If you’re constantly believing the best in one another, you’ll be each other’s biggest cheerleader, best friend, and favorite date.

Always keep Jesus at the center of your marriage

3 – Always keep Jesus at the center of your marriage—When you can’t find any common ground after a period of fighting or during a stage in your relationship where one (or both of you) is going through something, it’s crucial and comforting that Jesus remains your common denominator. With Him, all things are possible, and that includes repairing a broken marriage or continuing to build a solid one.

And if I were going to throw in one for a bonus, I’d say, keep dating your spouse. Remember all the reasons you fell in love, and look at your spouse through those lovesick eyes.

Even if it’s not your anniversary today, like it is ours, I hope you’ll take time to celebrate your love and the life you share with that special someone today and every day.

Keep dating your spouse. Remember all the reasons you fell in love, and look at your spouse through those lovesick eyes. #INwritergirl #faithfulmarriage
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Because I know you want to hear it, here’s “After All.” Enjoy!