Martha & Greg

Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Saturday, December 21, 2013 11:33 AM

Christmas Clutter I’ve spent the morning dealing with clutter, trying to make my home ready for family and friends, and it has struck me that there is always clutter that comes with the season. There’s the good clutter, that speaks of anticipation and celebration: Wrapping paper, bows Secret stashes in corners and closets Rows of dried fruit, nuts, cheeses, chips to be made into a feast Greenery, lights, decorations and bows Then there’s the other, not-so-festive clutter that, left untended to, will distract from the beauty and joy of the day: Laundry to fold, cookie sheets and linen napkins to wash Things to move from one fridge to the other Stack of books piled in the corner to make room for the Christmas books Bills and papers and hoodies and shoes to be put out of sight And it has struck me that even more important to deal with are the things that can clutter the heart: Worry about the future, and things we can’t control Regret about the past, and no way to set it right Relationships that hurt us Wrongs real, or imagined What might have been What never was Stress about shopping, wrapping, cooking and who will or won’t come Fretting over how we wish things could be Fear of not measuring up I want to put that clutter away from me now, so that it can’t distract, or crowd out the room I want to have in my heart for all that really matters. I want to fill my heart with the true gifts of celebration in this season: The people I love, the songs about angels and stars and a holy night, the laughter of family, friends, and neighbors, the beauty of the night sky and lights on the lawn, the warmth of giving and sharing, the holy fragility of living in peace. As our homes are filled with all of the clutter of the season, let our hearts be uncluttered, making room to receive the unconditional love, the unexplainable peace, the unspeakable joy of knowing the Child, Emmanuel, God has come to be with us!

Greg: "What's a Word Worth?"

Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Tuesday, May 8, 2012 3:56 AM

After losing game two of the NBA playoff series with the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks’ Amare Stoudemire took out his frustration on a fire extinguisher. Angry and disappointed, he drew back his fist and crashed it into the glass case that was holding it. The fire extinguisher won. Stoudemire had to have a huge gash in his hand stitched up and he missed the next important playoff game. My reaction to this story was pretty close to most everyone else’s – there’s another self-centered, immature athlete, acting out. He wasn’t thinking about his team or the fans. He was just immersed in himself and his own feelings. What’s sad is that, when I recall my own reactions to difficult situations, I probably react pretty much the same. No, I haven’t hit anything since I was in high school, but I can easily slip into a self-centered snit. I might pout or flare up and say something hurtful. Raise your hand if you can identify.

Our entire family, awash in green and gold, showed up as Baylor’s baseball team took on UT-San Antonio a couple of weeks ago. Baylor was riding a record-setting 24-game winning streak, ranked #1 in the nation as they came in to meet underdog UTSA. Our three-and-a-half-year-old grandson, Josiah, was caught up in the hoopla, cheering and clapping and leading the entire grandstand section in a rousing rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” We all had a wonderful time. It would have been just perfect, but Baylor lost the game, ending their win streak, 4-1. Losing is never fun, and our whole entourage was glum as we made out way to the parking lot. On the way, we passed the Baylor team bus, loading up for the three-hour trip back to Waco. I was sure the players were even more bummed out than we were, so they were undoubtedly in for a very quiet journey home. About that time, a chipper voice rang out behind us. “Hey there, Little Man,” he said. “How are you doing tonight?” Josiah had caught the eye of a Baylor Bear player who was following right behind us. Suddenly, Josiah started a rapid-fire conversation with his new friend, the ballplayer. We stopped, and the guy totally engaged our grandson for about 10, minutes, talking baseball with him. He traded caps with Josiah in the middle of the conversation and told him he looked like he could be a Baylor baseball player someday. Josiah loves sports more than any 3-year-old I’ve ever known, and he was in heaven. I thanked the guy for taking time to be so nice, even in the middle of a less-than-fun situation. I found out his name was Nick Wright, a junior pitcher at Baylor. Since that evening, Josiah has talked and talked about his friend, the Baylor baseball player. What Nick Wright didn’t know was how that day had gone for Josiah up until game time. He had had his monthly appointment at the Cystic Fibrosis clinic earlier that day. He had been poked and prodded and examined for more than 4 ½ hours, an ordeal that he’s gotten used to, but he still dreads it and starts dragging his feet the minute we get into the parking lot. We had an evaluation and strategy session with his doctor at the end of the session. She interviewed Josiah and he informed her that he was going to be on his way to see Baylor play baseball as soon as she would let him leave this terrible place. “Anything that you can do to encourage Josiah’s interest in sports will be so good for him,” the doctor told us. “Exerting himself in athletics will do wonders in helping him keep his lungs clear.” Nick could have made his way to the bus without saying a word to anybody, and I don’t think I would have blamed him. It was an effort to be friendly to strangers under the circumstances. But, Nick chose to be others-centered. He saw a little boy watching him, then, took the time to just be happy and friendly to him. What did that meeting mean to Josiah? His doctor said encouraging his interest in sports could extend his life. Josiah met a baseball player and wanted to be just like him. I usually feel like I need to be profound to affect somebody’s life. I’m ashamed to say that there have been times when I just turned my head rather than make the effort to simply speak to somebody. I thought I didn’t have anything in particular that I could say that would make much of an impact, so I just avoided interaction. There was too much effort involved. What if I get pulled in deeper than I have time for? That’s pretty self-centered, as if I was really smart enough or insightful enough to touch somebody’s life in my own strength. My calling is to be obedient. God has placed me in my world, and surrounded me with people that I know and love and some I just pass by in the course of the day. He tells me to just become the vessel that He can use. That means looking into people’s eyes, smiling, and saying hello. It’s that simple. He’ll do the rest.

Greg: "On Being Free"

Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Sunday, March 4, 2012 5:36 AM

Today, across the country, millions of Americans will worship freely in sanctuaries, auditoriums and homes. In Iran, though, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani sits in a prison cell, not certain of what this day or the next few weeks will bring. His wife and kids wait at home. His congregants wait prayerfully, and wonder if they might be next to be arrested.

Thankfully, our Congress and our President are applying appropriate pressure on the Iranian government. And. we have been joined by other nations and individuals who realize the injustice and the persecution is not acceptable.



Many of our brothers and sisters around the world face the same oppression as Pastor Nadarkhani. As free believers, we have the responsibility to pray for them, talk about them, remember them.

"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom. Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble."
Matthew 5:10-12

Greg: "A Night Not So Silent"

Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Wednesday, December 21, 2011 7:15 PM

We sing about a silent night, calm and peaceful.
It’s a pleasant picture,
But just how quiet was that night?
In a crowded city,
People, shoulder-to-shoulder, back-to-back
And in each others' faces.
All the places to stay were full.
The frustrated innkeepers loudly proclaiming
That there was just no more room.
The only space to be found was a smelly stable,
Cattle mooing, sheep bleating, donkeys braying.
A young woman, an out-of-towner,
In labor with her first child.
The Child is born,
And cries out greetings to His new world.
A star gleams brightly right overhead
Making the night almost as bright as day.
And then, there's that rejoicing,
Voices of the Angels of Heaven themselves.
And then, of simple shepherds
Who only moments before
Had been shaken by all the other-worldly chaos.
Now, in harmony,
With one voice,
Fortissimo.
Silent nights may be pleasant,
But I’ll save them for the times
That I must have rest.
I want my nativities to be loud.
Filled with laughter and love,
With the underpinning of hope.
And then, there’s that rejoicing,
Unmistakable and attractive.
Music, lights, and decorations,
Each one purposefully declaring
The Glory of God.
So that each one who passes
Through the doors of our home,
Family, friends, neighbors,
And even strangers,
Knows that this day deserves
Much more than passivity.
His birthday calls for noise.
Happy noise, loud noise, invigorating noise.
This night, I will not be silent.

Martha's Christmas Thoughts

Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Sunday, December 18, 2011 4:05 AM

Exotic kings, bearing gifts. Unexpected, brilliant light from a star, moving low across a continent. And the night sky full of angels, singing songs no human ear has heard before or since. That’s the stuff a major event in the universe is made of.
That’s the part of the Christmas story that causes cease-fires, and brings nations and their rulers to their knees. That’s the event of the ages, and history and the future are changed forever because of it.

The glory of Heaven, folded and laid aside like a garment, exchanged for hungry shepherds, dusty and smelly from camping out with their animals for days on end,
a stable, with oxen and donkeys and dirt and earthy odors. That’s the stuff of poverty, all too ordinary even today, and though we try, not much has really changed it.

And so I hum along with my favorite carols on CD, and artfully arrange wise men and shepherds and angels and sheep in their gilded glory among the greenery and twinkle lights on my mantle, and plan for cookies and communion and family and alms, celebrating the event of the universe.

But from that box of straw where the King of all Ages slept in the form of a helpless baby, His road would lead him past a sea to a cup and a sword and a hill,
my hill, where He took my sin, my scorn, my disease and my shame, and died on a cross meant, from the beginning, for me.

And in the depth of my heart, far beyond even Christmas pageants and outreach and service and charity, I treasure the end of the story as much as the beginning. That’s the moment of redemption, and I am changed forever because of it.

Choosing To Change Our World

Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Saturday, July 23, 2011 8:25 AM

This post is a little bit different than the others here. At the end, I’m going to invite you to become a part of something big that’s happening. But first…

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised when God does something out of the ordinary to emphasize a point. He’s done that often. But I’m still amazed when He involves Himself in the lives of people and weaves their stories together just so He can work His purposes through their lives.

When Martha and I wrote our new book, Let It Shine: Partnering With God To Raise World Changers, we were responding to an urgency we felt to encourage parents to build families with a mission in mind. We wanted them to create an atmosphere in their homes that allowed each person there to develop courage to live out their calling in the world where God has placed them.

In Orlando, Florida, Jason C. Dukes, a pastor and father of five is passionate about his church and his family “living sent” - being a letter from God communicating His love and hope in the message of their daily lives among everyone in their world. So, Jason authored the book, Live Sent: You Are A Letter.

Mark Russell is the CEO of Russell Media in Boise, Idaho, and, for him, it’s all about the "BAM". "BAM" is “business as mission”, Mark’s business model. He is eager to share with others the practice of using business to strategically accomplish missional purposes, bringing God’s heart and message into the marketplace. He has written a book, The Missional Entrepreneur: Principles and Practices for Business as Mission.

It wasn’t a coincidence that Martha and I have had the privilege of being connected with Jason and Mark. God placed within our hearts the same passion. And, New Hope Publishers has that passion, too. And we’re discovering that there are many others who do, too. I believe with all my heart that this is a theme that God wants to begin to infuse in all of us.

So this is where you come into the picture. As we’ve met people around the country, this summer, we’ve recognized that God is beginning to stir people to live a missional lifestyle. So many of you sense the same calling in your family, your church, your business, your everyday life, and New Hope has created a way you can participate with us.

During this coming week, if you buy two copies of our book, Let It Shine, New Hope will send you Live Sent and The Missional Entrepreneur, at no charge! The idea, then, is that you’ll give the second copy of Let It Shine to someone else who wants to live missionally, so that they can be encouraged.

Here’s a link to New Hope’s page that will direct you to the instructions about this opportunity:


http://www.newhopedigital.com/index.php/summer-special/

If you purchase the books on Amazon.com or ChristianBook.com, be sure that, after you read the books, you write a review there. If you have any questions, please email us at marthaandgreg@aol.com.

I woke up this morning with a great idea! If you buy two copies of Let It Shine, two of Live Sent, and two of The Missional Entrepreneur, you’ll have four copies of each book, twelve books total. That would be one set for you and three sets of the books that you could give to others.

Please share this opportunity with your friends, and post it on your Facebook and Twitter. The offer ends, next Saturday, July 30, so buy the books today! We’re so excited about what God can do through the message in these books and through your life as you choose to change your world!

There's A Dinosaur

Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Tuesday, March 22, 2011 7:53 PM

There’s a dinosaur on my coffee table
Lurking right there behind the stack of imported trays
Piled with very expensive artificial apples and pears
His lumpy green plastic head lifted as a silent roar escapes his lurid mouth
I think my living room has never looked more lovely

There’s a dump truck on my kitchen window box,
Headed straight for the antique ceramic salt and pepper shakers,
Two metal star molds lying askew in its wake
With a plastic kid from the Fisher Price bus stuck underneath
An arrangement I find wonderfully uplifting in the morning sunlight

In the guest room, where one dark cactus green wall accents the deep gold of the others
And picks up the desert reds and rusts and blues of the designer spread,
Woody and Buzz Lightyear dominate from the Toy Story 3 sheets that cover the air mattress on the floor
And I think this might be the best room in my whole house

Precious clutter
Put there by a beloved little boy
Who will not play these games, with these toys,
For more than a moment
Before he moves on, with a speed that catches parents by surprise,
To Little League, and computer games, and first cars and first dates and dorm rooms and first jobs
And very rare visits where he makes his bed and hangs his towel and leaves by Sunday afternoon.

I know how this story ends, with perfect décor, and every detail in place
And empty drawers and closets with plenty of space
So now, I wander through the rooms my grandson left, taking pleasure in seeing how he played
Knowing that the hours he spends in joyful adventures at “G-Diddy’s house”
Are among the greatest treasures I will ever own.