Building your Singles Ministry/Personal Growth by Other Authors
Image Bearer by Michelle King Eigemann
I am a mother, sister, daughter, and friend. I am a therapist, an encourager, a leader in singles ministry and a writer. I’ve been deemed a loser, stupid, ugly and worthless. I’m a high school dropout, an ex-smoker, ex-drinker, and ex- a lot of other things. I’m a combination of all my successes and failures; but at the end of the day none of those things (good or bad) have the power to fully define me. My true identity, your true identity is found only in Jesus.
I was 36 years old when Jesus radically invaded my life. In an instant He infused me with a hope and joy I had never experienced. Prior to Jesus I spent most of my adult life looking for ways to relieve, mask or avoid my pain. My identity was deeply rooted in false labels that I wore willingly. Through Christ I have been restored to my original worth. It took a lot of sanding, scrapping, painting and sealing but today I walk in my true identity.
Through prayer and being in His word God has given me insight into the root of so many of the issues we face today. The root is not knowing, believing or living out our identity in Christ. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end". In every human heart God has purposely placed the desire for eternity (i.e. more than this world). However, in our carnal minds we mistake this as a longing for more drugs, sex, material items, money, status, prestige, etc. As we run towards more we get further and further away from who God designed us to be...image bearers.
God chose you. He personally hand selected you to be His. He pulled you out of the crowd and stamped you with His seal. He loves and cherishes you in ways I can't even find words for. He has healed and restored you so that you can now go out and do the same for others. He has renewed your mind so that you can claim your identity as sons and daughters of the King. He has placed eternity in your heart so that you would never call this world home. He sits with you in your pain and collects every fallen tear so that one day He can repay you with songs of joy. He longs to share His mysteries with you as you sit at His feet. Claim your crown today and even on days when it's crooked wear it proudly knowing that you are holy, righteous and redeemed in His eyes.
I was 36 years old when Jesus radically invaded my life. In an instant He infused me with a hope and joy I had never experienced. Prior to Jesus I spent most of my adult life looking for ways to relieve, mask or avoid my pain. My identity was deeply rooted in false labels that I wore willingly. Through Christ I have been restored to my original worth. It took a lot of sanding, scrapping, painting and sealing but today I walk in my true identity.
Through prayer and being in His word God has given me insight into the root of so many of the issues we face today. The root is not knowing, believing or living out our identity in Christ. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end". In every human heart God has purposely placed the desire for eternity (i.e. more than this world). However, in our carnal minds we mistake this as a longing for more drugs, sex, material items, money, status, prestige, etc. As we run towards more we get further and further away from who God designed us to be...image bearers.
God chose you. He personally hand selected you to be His. He pulled you out of the crowd and stamped you with His seal. He loves and cherishes you in ways I can't even find words for. He has healed and restored you so that you can now go out and do the same for others. He has renewed your mind so that you can claim your identity as sons and daughters of the King. He has placed eternity in your heart so that you would never call this world home. He sits with you in your pain and collects every fallen tear so that one day He can repay you with songs of joy. He longs to share His mysteries with you as you sit at His feet. Claim your crown today and even on days when it's crooked wear it proudly knowing that you are holy, righteous and redeemed in His eyes.
About Michelle Eigemann
Michelle wears an array of hats on any given day but her favorite is Daughter of the King. She lives in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina where she works as a Child and Family Therapist. She has been a single mother for 18 years and loves to watch God take your most difficult struggles and transform them in to passionate purpose. Today Michelle has joyfully embraced her passion to speak truth into the lives of others and assist them in finding and living out their true identity in Christ. She believes that in order to do that we need to uncover the lies and labels, identity the root and replace it with God’s truth.
For contact information you can use this email meigemann0425@gmail.com
Michelle wears an array of hats on any given day but her favorite is Daughter of the King. She lives in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina where she works as a Child and Family Therapist. She has been a single mother for 18 years and loves to watch God take your most difficult struggles and transform them in to passionate purpose. Today Michelle has joyfully embraced her passion to speak truth into the lives of others and assist them in finding and living out their true identity in Christ. She believes that in order to do that we need to uncover the lies and labels, identity the root and replace it with God’s truth.
For contact information you can use this email meigemann0425@gmail.com
Discernment by Single Parent Director, Holly Crain
Because of all the glue, I literally could not get the cotton off my fingers and onto that paper sheep! Those infamous "cotton ball sheep"! It was a craft I will never forget, but not because I have great memories of making them.
It was a struggle for sure! I will never forget the story about Jesus describing himself as being the good shepherd for His sheep though. Read John 10 now and reflect on verses 14-15 here,
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep, and my sheep know Me, 15 just as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep."
The analogy of Jesus being a good shepherd helps us to understand His character and how much He cares for us. Take a look at the comparisons of good and bad shepherds from the Life Application Study Bible:
It was a struggle for sure! I will never forget the story about Jesus describing himself as being the good shepherd for His sheep though. Read John 10 now and reflect on verses 14-15 here,
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep, and my sheep know Me, 15 just as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep."
The analogy of Jesus being a good shepherd helps us to understand His character and how much He cares for us. Take a look at the comparisons of good and bad shepherds from the Life Application Study Bible:
- Bad shepherds take care of themselves but good shepherds take care of their flock.
- Bad shepherds worry about their own health but good shepherds strengthen the weak and search for the lost.
- Bad shepherds rule harshly and brutally but good shepherds rule lovingly and gently.
- Bad shepherds abandon and scatter the sheep but good shepherds gather and protect the sheep.
- Bad shepherds keep the best for themselves but good shepherds give their best to the sheep.
- Understanding the contrasting view helps us also to understand what He is not. In verse 7 Jesus tells us that He is the gatekeeper for the sheep and that we will know His voice. As a young believer, I struggled with discernment. But over time as I spent time in the Word, in prayer and with His people I began maturing in my faith and learning what was from the Good Shepherd and what was NOT. Keep persevering in your faith and ask the Lord to show you the next step, He will!
Holly Crain, Single Parent Family Ministry Associate
Holly.Crain@HoustonsFirst.org, O: 713.957.7674, C: 832-247-4787
HoustonsFirst.org
Holly.Crain@HoustonsFirst.org, O: 713.957.7674, C: 832-247-4787
HoustonsFirst.org
Kathy and I have had the pleasure of working with Kris of The Single Network Ministries at several events over the past three years. We always look forward to her insight and creative ways to connect with her audience sharing the Word of God with encouragement, humor and just being real. You will want to catch her for sure the next time she is in your area. Her sense of humor is a hoot and infectious.
—Kathy and Klay Watson, Dating His Way Ministries
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