The Inner Views of Michele Morin

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38,39

(KJV)

I love to read blogs written by bloggers who dig deep into the Word of God.

Each time I visit the blog written by the dear lady being interviewed in this post,

I find encouragement and a depth of rich, spiritual insight.

So many times, she has stopped by here and left a kind comment that has boosted my spirits

and given me courage to keep pressing forward on this blogging journey.

It is with so much joy I share her interview with you today!

Michele is wife to a patient husband, Mum to four young men and a daughter-in-love, and, now, Gram to one adorable grandboy.  Her days are spent homeschooling, reading piles of books, and, in the summer, tending their beautiful (but messy) garden and canning the vegetables. She loves to teach the Bible and is privileged to gather weekly around a table with the women of her church and to blog at Living Our Days about the grace she is receiving and the lessons from God’s Word that she is trusting.

And, now I gratefully share with you, the 

of 

Michele Morin.

Cheryl:  Please tell us about yourself.  

Michele:  I’m a 53 year old mum to four guys who get taller and smarter everyday, and raising them has been job one for the past twenty two years. For twenty six years, I’ve been married to an unreasonably patient man, learning what it means to be “heirs together of the grace of life". Unbelievably, I still discover new qualities to appreciate about him -- God’s greatest gift to me. We live on a country hill in Maine, and every summer I plant a big garden that keeps me well-entertained – and keeps our family in green beans, spaghetti sauce, pickles, etc. for the year. Our church family is located in a small fishing village about a half hour east of us. They’ve loved us well, we’ve raised our kids together, my oldest son met his wife there, and the ladies join me in studying the Word of God in Sunday School and in our Ladies Missionary Fellowship group which has been meeting since the days when we met for lunch and rolled bandages for “the War.”

Michele's four sons in 2010

Michele's sweet grandson, Raymond

Cheryl:  How did you meet your husband?  To what do you credit the longevity of your marriage?

Michele:  The patient husband and I met at a Child Evangelism Fellowship teacher training class. We were friends for years, and I was happily single – really not expecting to get married. We called our dates “friendship appointments,” but, to my surprise, we fell in love, and it was clear that God wanted us together. We’ve weathered some rough days together: the deaths of three of our parents and one of his sisters, the pull and haul of raising a family and managing a home, but I am blessed to report that marriage has been a lightener of the load. I was asked once, years ago, by a friend who had known me in my independent, career-oriented single days how I managed to live at peace in my role as a wife and mum. The words that floated to the surface then are still true today: Trusting God and trusting my husband.

Michele and her husband, Calvin, on their happy wedding day

Cheryl:  What led you to homeschooling?  How many years have you homeschooled?  To the mother who is considering beginning a homeschooling journey, what advice can you offer?

Michele:  When I played with dolls as a little girl, I was never their mother. I was always either their nurse or their teacher, so homeschooling for our family came as a natural consequence of all the “teaching” that happened when our boys were tiny. We just sort of grew into it. Now, seventeen years later, we see that by homeschooling we have given our children the gift of control over their time. With only my husband’s work schedule to accommodate, we were able to have a family breakfast with morning devotions, to emphasize music and creativity as part of their daily learning, and each of the boys has had the opportunity to learn a trade along with college preparatory course work in high school. (My youngest starts high school this year, and I expect he will do the same.) In the early years it was wonderful to have everyone home together, to be able to have a little more control over outside influences, but here’s the thing: it’s crucial that we not make decisions about our children out of fear. Homeschooling is hard work, and fear is not strong enough to carry a busy mum through the commitment, daily sacrifices, and time pressure that comes with teaching children at home.

Cheryl:  As a long-time homeschooling mother, what would you define as your most difficult moment?  During that time, how did you find strength to continue?

Michele:  As a homeschooling mother the word that comes to my mind first when I think about homeschooling is: HARD! It takes preparation and planning, and then the daily routine can feel a little bit like a straightjacket. My boys span eight years, so there were only five years in which all four of them were in school together, but they’re a rowdy crew. I’m sure that there are boys out there who enjoy polishing a sentence until it shines or pondering the amazing relationships among numbers that math reveals – but not my boys. My most difficult moments in homeschooling have been when I have forgotten that I am teaching children – not subjects. I still battle perfectionism and impatience almost every day. Having said that, we have wonderful memories of reading books aloud together, lots of hands-on learning, and days of blessed chaos and togetherness.

Cheryl:  What is the most important thing we should teach our children in this modern age?

Michele:  My husband and I have tried to remind our children that whatever they have in their hand, God will use. This honors their uniqueness, and it also encourages them to strive to refine their gifts, to have lots of good things “in their hands”: not so that they can become proud or self-centered, but so that they can offer them back to God in service and in love.

Cheryl:  If you could go back and change one thing about your life, thus far, what would it be?

Michele:  I’m a slow learner, so I’ve pretty much been working on one lesson for my entire life. It has impacted everything I’ve ever done, and it’s this: The importance of valuing relationships over tasks. I was a machine in college, working several jobs and pushing, always pushing for excellent grades. I burned a lot of bridges, and even as a mum I’ve missed a lot of eye contact and focused listening that I would like to go back and re-capture. Even so, I’m thankful for the mentors God has provided along the way, for the patience and grace of a husband who consistently reminds me that our boys are my priority – not the house work or ministry or any of the other idols I manufacture.

Cheryl:  When did you become a Christian?  What life events led you to make the decision to follow Jesus?

Michele:  When I was in junior high, I began attending Sunday School somewhat regularly and my teacher had just come home from a year of Bible college. She took us through the book of James, and I realized that everything James said about needing wisdom from above and the futility of controlling my tongue in my own strength was TRUE. I didn’t follow the Lord consistently at first, but God placed faithful people like sign posts along my path – and He used the hot fires and deep water of living in a family that was shaped by alcoholism and mental illness to strengthen and refine what He had begun.

Cheryl:  So many times, I have come to your blog seeking encouragement, and I have found Scriptural depths that have fed and nourished my soul.  Can you describe how the Lord reveals His mind to you concerning blog posts?  Is there a certain place you like to go to find His inspiration?

Michele:  I’m convinced that the Lord speaks to us through His Word. If we say that we want to hear His voice but do not put ourselves in regular contact with the primary means by which He has promised to communicate, we’re only kidding ourselves. It is my responsibility to “show up,” to hold myself before the mirror of God’s written Word and to bask in the miracle of His unwavering attention. Most of what I write comes as a result of whatever I’m learning. I want to challenge my readers to push themselves beyond biblical literacy and into biblical fluency! When I’m teaching a series to my Sunday morning women, I have usually published a weekly blog post for them – and for whoever else happens to read it. Regular reading and studying for a blogger are like finger exercises for a musician. They strengthen and build skill so that when it is time to play a piece of challenging music, the raw material is there.

Cheryl:  When did you begin blogging?  What is the main objective of your blog?  How has blogging enriched your life?

Michele:  My pastor invited me to write guest posts for our church’s blog, and the idea of starting a blog of my own began from there. I’ve just finished my second year of blogging at Living Our Days, a phrase I borrowed from a statement by Annie Dillard: “The way we live our days will be, after all, the way we live our life.” I’ve carried that quote in my heart for most of my mothering years, because I struggled so in the early years when I came to the end of the day exhausted, yet feeling as if I had accomplished nothing. Learning to value the daily development of relationships with my boys, to slow down and be thankful for hummingbirds and the flapping of clean sheets on the clothesline and papier-mache Viking hats perched on four precious heads was a daily discipline for me. With that in mind, I write about the intersection of family life and theology. I review Christian books that encourage (mostly) women to become all that God wants us to be. Blogging has enriched my life in two ways: first, it has provided accountability for my writing. Second, it has introduced me to a community of writers and thinkers who consistently challenge me to step outside my comfort zone and to press on in this life of believingly following Jesus Christ.

Cheryl:  What is your passion?  What fulfills you most?

Michele:  Isaiah 58 with its challenge to “extend my soul” to the needy has long been a favorite passage. It promises renewal in times of drought which I know applies to the people of Israel in exile, but as a child of God, adopted into Abraham’s line, I experience God’s work of “bone strengthening” and “garden-watering”, and especially appreciate the truth of verse 12: “You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” Somewhere along the way I heard someone loosely translate that last phrase as “the rebuilder of paths leading home.” This is my passion in this season of my life. I am past the mid-point in my parenting days with my third and fourth sons both in high school, but my investment in all four boys will go on and even though there was estrangement and alienation in my family of origin, I am trusting God for a new beginning with our boys in which the path leading home will always be open.

Cheryl:  What is your favorite thing about being a grandmother?  Can you tell us about your grandson and how he brightens your life?

Michele:  I consider myself to be still a “Grandmother in Training” since we have just one grandson, and he’s not quite two, but what a joy that little brown-eyed boy has been! Best of all, he provides one more way in which we can help and support our son and his sweet wife. We want to be available for counsel and babysitting, to pray with and for them, to teach and train that little guy in righteousness alongside his parents. Whenever I review children’s books, he definitely has input to the process in some way!

Cheryl:  You often do book reviews on your blog.  Can you share with us about some of your favorite books?  Are there certain books that you have felt a desire to read more than once? 

Michele:  I could talk about books and authors all day! I have gone through lots of “phases” in my reading life, but running through all of them has been a return to certain authors who have been “book mentors” to me. For instance, Luci Shaw and Madeleine L’Engle have inspired me with the beauty of their writing and the great care they take in the formation of every sentence. If I have any iron in my soul at all, it is likely because Elisabeth Elliot’s words have galvanized me in the pursuit of God. I used to read a lot more widely than I do now: lots and lots of fiction, random biographies, memoirs, history. However, about five years ago, I began to look at my reading time as an investment – I really don’t have much time to read during the day (although, as the boys become more independent, that is changing), so I wanted to be more intentional in my choices of reading material. I started reading books by John Piper and other theologians, and somewhere along the way I started blogging and learned that I could review books for publishers. The only thing more satisfying than reading a great book is the fun of talking about it and sharing it with others. One of my goals as a reader and as a blogger is to transition from reading so many new books so that I will have more time to read and to share some ancient classics with my readers.

Cheryl:  In the church today, we are involved in a continual cultural war against evil.  Iniquity is abounding, as Jesus prophesied it would.  How can we overcome the prevalent evil with good?  What are some things you do, on a personal level, to make a positive difference?  

Michele:  When I think about the climate of evil on this planet, I am tempted to feel helpless – that there’s nothing I can do about something so pervasive. Then I remember that I have influence in my small world – that one day (sooner than I like to think about) there will be four more “Morin families” headed by men that my husband and I have trained and loved. Strong families make for strong churches, and we need to follow the example of the early church in our commitment to demonstrate that “God is truly among” us (I Cor. 14:25).

Cheryl:  What encouragement can you offer the reader who is tired from the intense fight against wrong?  How do you personally stay encouraged to press on in the face of increasing opposition to holiness in our culture?  What are some of your favorite Scripture verses, hymns, and other sources of encouragement?

Michele:  Amy Carmichael, missionary to India in the late 1800’s and into the early 1900’s was vexed at being delayed in her journey to India. The boat was docked en route for several days, and she marveled that her traveling companion and senior missionary colleague was taking it all in stride so well. The wise woman’s words to Amy became a byword for her for the rest of her ministry whenever things did not go as expected: “God knows all about the boats.” I try to remember this, for I am guilty of praying “prescriptive” prayers to the God of the universe, telling Him how He should handle matters both big and small. When our boys were just entering the teen years, I often felt overwhelmed by the many “new” influences that found their way into our home. I pictured myself flung, spread-eagle and wild-eyed against a bulging door, trying to hold out evil. This was NOT a helpful mindset! The majestic words of Romans 8, the reminder from Psalm 46 that it is possible to be still in the midst of tumult, great hymns of the faith, remembering the discipline of gratitude: these are key to reminding me that God is sovereign. He “knows all about the boats,” and He knows all about whatever it is that is frightening or worrying or frustrating me on this planet.

Cheryl:  Describe what you consider to be a perfect day.

Michele:  For my husband and me, the most glorious sound on this earth is the laughter of our boys when they are all together. Anything that we do as a family ends up being the perfect day, which is surprising because my boys continually push me out of my comfort zone. Recently, we paddled our way TEN MILES down a river. It was beautiful, but I was a wreck, worrying about the fading daylight, the fallen trees and rock outcroppings that formed an underwater obstacle course to challenge our paddling prowess. I do love being outdoors, and when there is a free minute, a cup of tea, a book, my journal, and a sunny spot on our country hill . . . ahhh!

Cheryl:  Can you tell us about SheLoves Magazine?  What is your personal involvement in this ministry?  What is (in)courage?  How can our readers become involved and participate?

Michele:  For me, blogging has been a community affair right from the beginning. Before I even considered writing myself, I was enjoying the inspirational offerings of other bloggers through gatherings such as SheLoves Magazine and (in)courage. I was much too timid to comment at first, but read faithfully, and eventually felt led to comment on posts that spoke to me. Good conversations came from that (heart-pounding) risk-taking, and one day I mustered up my courage and started submitting my own words as guest posts here and there. I cherish the diversity of these communities, and my thoughts are continually challenged by writers whose geography, race, age, faith traditions are different from my own.

Cheryl:  How can we pray for you at this current season of life?

Michele:  It is my deepest desire to finish well in this parenting journey, to continue to build into my boys, and to be faithful in giving them roots and wings. As they grow and become more independent, I’m trusting for wisdom to know how to use my time and to be disciplined in study so that my writing and my teaching will be grounded in Truth.

What a noble desire and request for prayer, Michele!

A big thank you for this wonderful interview.

It was so nice to get to know you better.

You are such a blessing to us all!

Be sure to go by and check out Michele's blog and consider becoming a subscriber,

and please do keep Michele and her requests in your prayers.

God bless you, and thank you so much for reading, dear friends!

To read previous

click the links below.

The Inner Views of Joshua Becker

The Inner Views of Lisa Newton

The Inner Views of Dr. Alveda King

The Inner Views of Jen Avellaneda

The Inner Views of Tonya Shellnutt

The Inner Views of Karen Del Tatto

The Inner Views of Evelyn Rennich

The Inner Views of Bob Sellers

The Inner Views of Kelly Bowling

The Inner Views of The Benham Brothers

The Inner Views of Beth Willis Miller

The Inner Views of Rodney Griffin

The Inner Views of Joni Eareckson Tada

The Inner Views of Gayle Cox

The Inner Views of Wayne Mobley

The Inner Views of Chris West

The Inner Views of Gail Purath

The Inner Views of Shyla Brown

The Inner Views of Mary Zatkalik

The Inner Views of Robin McCarter

The Inner Views of Dayle Shockley
The Inner Views of Serena Smith-Williams
The Inner Views of Lindsay Huggins
The Inner Views of Holly Barrett