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Michelle-Tepper

MICHELLE TEPPER is an Itinerant Speaker for RZIM Inc and Chaplain at the Zacharias Institute. Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stetson University and studied Theology at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA). Michelle lives in Central Florida with her husband, Peter, and daughter, Sophia.

  1. Is your faith the faith of your parents downloaded or what are your convictions and why?

This a wonderful question, and one that every person should ask of their worldview. Why do we believe what we believe about life, relationships and God? Do I believe simply because of my family, culture or community or because I have found real truth? I am a follower of Jesus Christ and my parents are as well.  In that sense, we have the joy of celebrating and sharing the same faith and worldview. However, the Christian faith can never be downloaded, carbon copied, or inherited through family or community, because a ‘true christian’ is someone who has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is similar to the way that both my mother and I share a close relationship with my father, yet the way in which we relate to same man is vastly different. I believe that Jesus Christ is the one true God, that he loves me and every human being he has created, and that He has saved me and given me eternal life through the power of his death and resurrection in History.

  1. What motivates you to do this? What put you on this path – any particular life changing experience? Is this where you wanted to be as a child? What would you have been otherwise?

The biggest motivation is that I truly believe that the message of Jesus Christ is the best news for every single person in our world. Once I investigated the claims of Jesus Christ and found out that the love, freedom and eternal life that He offers is real, I wanted to make sure that no one misses out on the opportunity of this great salvation. My time studying at the University of Oxford was what God used to put me on this specific path of travelling and sharing this good news to people full-time. During my time studying, I was introduced to many of the colleagues I now work with today. They were a community of Christians who dedicated their entire lives to engaging with people’s biggest doubts and questions about the Christian faith. I was in awe of how they seamlessly integrated their faith and academic strengths into their real lives and relationships.  It was a joy to be friends with them and eventually when they invited me to train in this field specifically, I eagerly accepted.  That was the beginning of my journey to this specific job, although I didn’t know at the time. I studied politics and I have always been interested in the study of how we organize and govern ourselves as human beings. Political science asks questions and builds theory about the natural state of humanity, and how we form and secure dignity and freedom for ourselves, so there is a lot that I can draw on from the Christian faith to help me engage with that discipline.

  1. Who are your key influencers? Or someone, an everyday person that influenced you.

I have the immense privilege of working in a team of men and women who truly are some of the brightest in their fields of study and they influence me in many different ways. As colleagues they help me to think outside of the box, to try to engage with subjects I am familiar with from different points of view. As friends they cheer me on, hold me accountable, challenge me and help me laugh when I’m taking myself too seriously. They set examples as leaders, team players, exemplary spouses, real parents, and confident single young professionals. I truly love the team I work with.

The everyday person that influences me the most is my daughter Sophia. She is feisty and creative. She lives her life and loves others fearlessly. She teaches me more about the love of God than any other person I know.

  1. What is your message to the readers / young women in India? What is the message that you want to drive out?

Do not live from a place of fear. It is so easy to let fear turn us into anxious and controlling people. Fear of loneliness, fear of failure, fear of comparison, fear of conflict and so many other things rob us of peace and steal our joy. We will face all of these things and more in life, so why not arm ourselves to journey through them well? One of my favourite verses in the Bible is in 1 John 4:18. It says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love!” It is interesting that the Bible says that the only antidote to fear is Perfect Love. I think as women, this really resonates because so many of our fears have to do with concerns about how the relationships in our lives are doing. It can be hard to go through things when we feel alone. Loneliness threatens all of us, regardless of our relationship status! The God of the Christian faith is The God of Love. He promises that through relationship with him, we enter into a personal sacrificial and permanent relationship with the source of true love. That means that we never have to face life alone, and that we can pursue, experience and share love from a place of fullness rather than a place of desperation or lack. I would challenge every reader to look at their lives and ask themselves honestly if they are living from a place of freedom and fullness or fear and lack. If it is the latter, don’t stay that way. Chances are if you are hungry for love, it is because you are Hungry for The God of Love, who has made himself known through the perfect man, Jesus Christ.

  1. One thing you regret in life, always?

When I let fear and self-preservation impact how I relate to others. These things always hinder loving others well, and can fracture even the strongest relationships in life.

  1. How would you like to be remembered?

I hope that I will be a person who is remembered by the way that I loved others. True selfless love is high calling. Every day, I am learning more about how to love others the way that God loves me. I hope that one day on my tombstone it will say “She Learned to Love”.

  1. What is the hardest thing you’ve faced? Who are you in the face of disaster?

Death. My husband lost his mother 6 years ago. Her death was sudden and unexpected. It was very painful for the whole family. Within the very next year, two of my very close friends lost their infant sons to different genetic problems they were born with. I was asked to speak at the funeral of baby Theo, he was only 5 months old.  It was the first funeral I have ever spoken at, and it was devastating that it was for a tiny baby. Disaster strikes all of us in different ways, but the loss of a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences in life.

For the Christian, we are sure that death is not the end, because Jesus conquered death forever when he rose from the grave.  “Anyone who believes in him will never die”, this is what the Bible tells us. For the Christian even in death there is a reason to celebrate, because the loved one we have lost has crossed over to perfect eternal life with Jesus in eternity.

Even with that reality, the trauma of loss, the pain of absence, and the longevity of grief are all real things.  When you or someone you love is passing through such a season, it is a time for patience, compassion and comfort. That is what I aim to be in the face of loss, I want to be a comfort to others, and in my suffering I throw myself into the arms of the comforter of my soul, The Holy Spirit of God.

  1. What drives your decisions? (Your life philosophy, of sorts)

The apostle Paul gives this word of instruction in his first letter to the Corinthian church. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” I have the tendency to over-think most decisions in life, but I love this verse because it helps to put things in perspective for me. Whatever I choose to do in life, I want it to glorify God.  Jesus summed up all of the commandments of the law in this way; love God and love others.  My honest desire is that every decision would be backed and executed by these commandments.

Interviewed by Sharon Nethala, an RCCA alumna, who is currently a Research Associate with Fountain of Life, a contemporary missions magazine. She makes her home in Vizag., India.

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