7 Lies Ministry Wives Believe* - concluded

So we started on this 2 weeks ago - and I added a few comments in purple** - and will do same this time - and include a picture or 2 or more. 

Produce Plants and Pillars

This topic came to heart after I read Psalm 144: 12 - in various versions including:

May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants.

May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace. (NLT)

 

May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown,

our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace; (ESV)

 Let’s pray that our young sons will grow like strong plants and

that our daughters will be as lovely as columns in the corner of a palace. (CEV)

Our children start off as a gift from God to us... He expects that we raise them to be a gift not just back to us (especially in our old age) but to their generation and most importantly to Him.

My dear friend, Beryl and I have used this verse to pray for our children more than once. Each time the Holy Spirit reminds me that children turning out "right" and righteous is no piece of cake. In fact it could be a piece of cake if you consider the need to mix many ingredients together & bake it in a oven to get a pleasant outcome.

Plants need to be planted in the right soil, watered often, exposed to SONlight and of course pruned  and pruned now and again...otherwise they will end up wild, unproductive and worse yet a waste of space.* God forbid!!!

Talking about Pillars, they need to and have to be really fortified from within** and also have deep and solid foundations in order to support all the "weight" that will be placed on them. They also need to be stable in order to be stabilizers wherever they are.

And our daughters are not to be just any pillars - God expects them to be Pillars for the Palace.


I'm looking forward to celebrating our "plants" and "pillars" this coming weekend as part of International Children's Day...they will not depart from the House of the Lord. Amen!

References:

* Luke 13: 6-9 - ⁶ And He told them this parable: A certain man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it, but did not find [any].

⁷ So he said to the vinedresser, See here! For these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue also to use up the ground [to deplete the soil, intercept the sun, and take up room]?

⁸ But he replied to him, Leave it alone, sir, [just] this one more year, till I dig around it and put manure [on the soil].  ⁹ Then perhaps it will bear fruit after this; but if not, you can cut it down and out. (AMPC)

** Ephesians 3:16 - May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. (AMPC) 

7 Lies Ministry Wives Believe*

Last weekend, I had the opportunity, pleasure and privilege of being with some amazing Mrs. Pastors and then on the last day of our Conference, my dear friend, a Mrs. Pastor herself, sent me this article written by another Mrs. Pastor by email...


The sheer similarity between this article and some of the things we discussed propelled me to share the full article - in 2 parts to give time for "digestion" and maybe even "passing out."

Why halt ye...



...between 2 opinions?

 

Let's start by looking at the source this phrase-question:

Thank God for them too...

I was just thinking some more about this Ministry Appreciation Month and realized that I had missed (or almost missed) thanking God for a very special set of people.

Thank God for me...

...and for you too

Did you know that the 2nd Sunday in October is Pastor Appreciation Day - though the whole month has been tagged Pastor/Clergy Appreciation Month?

I've written about it more than once* so this time I decided to "Thank God for me...and for you too" on the 3rd Monday of this month with 5 Mondays because we are right in the middle of it all...I know I am.

So I looked around to see if anyone else felt the same way and I found this nice poem by Helen Bush**

When we thank God for our pastor
We must give Him thanks for two,
For when your husband came to us
God also sent us you.

A pastor's wife must be many things,
You have many hats to wear;
And we say thanks for all you do
And lift you up in prayer.

You adjust your life to meet the needs
Of your husband's congregation,
And it seems that you can always cope
With most any situation.

Your presence blesses all of us
Who know you from day to day
As our pastor's wife, you are serving God
In a fine and worthy way.

 

It's wonderful when we are appreciated by others...so let me appreciate all the Mrs Pastors with the picture below. 

Whether or not you willingly "answered" the Call, thank you for sticking to your Marriage Vow "to Have and to Hold" for life i.e. stick with your husband in all areas of life including Ministry. You are a blessing to many people in many more ways than you know...Thank you!!!

References:
* http://mrs-pastor-and-pastor-mrs.blogspot.ca/2014/10/appreciating-your-pastor_27.html
http://mrs-pastor-and-pastor-mrs.blogspot.ca/2015/10/service-honour.html

** http://www.my-pastor.com/pastors-wife-poems.html

What are you thankful for?

I spent some time thinking about the piece to publish on Thanksgiving Day so I asked myself: "What am I thankful for?"

Well here's my list of 10 things on this 10th day of the 10th month:

1. I'm alive - hale and hearty.
2. My husband and children are alive and hale and hearty.
3. God caused me to be married to my best friend...who had the courage to answer the Call.
4. My husband who loves the Lord and is sold out to Him.
5. My husband who loves the Lord and ensures that our family is well taken care of e.g. encourages me to rest so I don't breakdown or burn-out.
6. As my husband's wife, I have the pleasure and privilege of meeting and developing relationships with a variety of people - beyond people that I'd meet at work.
7. The responsibility and privilege of having God's approval vs. people's applause.*
8. I have come to love more people even better. All the people I come in contact with are not the easiest to like - and God has used that to build my "Love Muscles."
9. The opportunity of serving and being a blessing to others - even though I'm not the wisest according to human standards.**
10. I have more than 10 reasons to be thankful...oh so very many more.

As I wrap this up, the timeless song "Count your blessings, name them one by one" comes to mind. Without a doubt, there are "thorns," troubles, tests and tears that come with being Mrs Pastor - there are also VERY many triumphs, "trophies" and testimonies... 

What are you thankful for?

References:

* http://mrs-pastor-and-pastor-mrs.blogspot.com/2016/05/hold-applause.html

**1 Cor 1: 26-29 - ²⁶ Just look at your own calling, believers; not many [of you were considered] wise according to human standards, not many powerful or influential, not many of high and noble birth. ²⁷ But God has selected [for His purpose] the foolish things of the world to shame the wise [revealing their ignorance], and God has selected [for His purpose] the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong [revealing their frailty]. ²⁸ God has selected [for His purpose] the insignificant (base) things of the world, and the things that are despised and treated with contempt, [even] the things that are nothing, so that He might reduce to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may [be able to] boast in the presence of God. (AMP)

Avoid the "Triple A" disease

When I first wrote down this topic, it reminded me of the AAA battery - and we know batteries are used to power things. Well this "Triple A" epidemic does the very opposite.


Let's look at a few verses to start - God breaks down His Word to us in amazing ways:


Luke 5: 5-7 - ^5-7 Simon said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets.” It was no sooner said than done - a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch. (MSG)

4 "Tipping Point" tips

By the time I finished the last 2 posts on "Ministry is not just the Father's Business"*, I noticed this pending post and it was obviously time to publish it. I'm sure you're wondering why the title is "Tipping Point" tips.

"Tipping Point" means "the point at which a series of small changes or incidents becomes significant enough to cause a larger, more important change." So I'd like to share tips of small changes that can make a big difference in our families.

Imagine the possibility if all the families - whether in the Ministry or not lived by these 4 verses? Without as shadow of doubt. it will definitely a Tipping Point for them & those around them.

¹⁸ Wives, understand and support your husbands

by submitting to them in ways that honor the Master. 

¹⁹ Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don’t take advantage of them.

²⁰ Children, do what your parents tell you. This delights the Master no end.

²¹ Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits.

(Colossians 3: 18-21 - MSG)

The thing that struck me about these verses was that they not only tell us what to do but why we should do what it says we should.  

 

Zooming in on verse 18 which speaks to me directly, I can't but link it back to these verses which always speak to me in a different way as Mrs Pastor:

 

Proverbs 31: 11 -12 - ¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her [with secure confidence], And he will have no lack of gain. ¹² She comforts, encourages, and does him only good and not evil All the days of her life. (AMP, italics mine)

 

Ephesians 5: 22 - 14 - ^22-24 Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands. (MSG, italics mine)

 

In Ministry, it is easy to get discouraged especially if/when you find yourself as the woman married to your sweetheart who also happens to be a Pastor - not because she answered any call - or even the echo. However, God's expectation of us is that we support our husbands (because we're married) and be the head of the "Supporters' Club" of 1 - in Marriage first & then in Ministry. We must never be a clog in the Ministry - except there's sin...

 

One thing I desire to always be to my husband is the "gift" that shines and glorifies God as Proverbs 12:4 says -  

A worthy wife is her husband’s joy and crown; the other kind corrodes his strength and tears down everything he does. (Living Bible)

 

It's my prayer that my family continues to live by these lively verses...I pray the same for you.

 

References:

* http://mrs-pastor-and-pastor-mrs.blogspot.com/2016/08/ministry-is-not-just-fathers-business-1.html#more

http://mrs-pastor-and-pastor-mrs.blogspot.com/2016/08/ministry-is-not-just-fathers-business-2.html#more

Are you...

The Visionary or "Divisionary"?

This question crossed my mind as my husband and I were listening to a message. It took me a few months to think (& pray) about whether to write this - I had to be sure that I should share it.


Of course, it sounds like a play of words - which it is but it's definitely not a playing matter.
By the time you finish reading this post, you can't but agree with me that it's a praying matter.