In the early days of my husband’s pastoral career, he held the highly esteemed but meagerly paid position of youth intern. Being a young seminarian, he worked long hours, embracing any opportunity available to gain as much experience as he could. I, being young, in love, and a childless bride, stayed at his side—singing in the choir, teaching the children, and playing the piano. I even survived a junior high lock-in or two. Imagine my delight when, at our annual congregational meeting, I was bestowed the honor of "Layperson of the Year." The church chairman beamed as he handed me the award. "How could we have known," he said, "that we would get two for the price of one?"

It wasn’t long before the demands of full-time ministry and a few children entered our lives. Somehow "two for the price of one" seemed like a good deal for everyone but my husband and me...continue reading

Excerpt found at AG Enrichment Journal Online, written for Spring 2000 issue by Joanna Bloss, who ministers with her husband in McPherson, Kansas.

Tricia lives in Birmingham, AL and is married to Shawn Lovejoy, an author and the founder of CourageToLead, a coaching resource for pastors. She is a contributing writer for the North American Mission Board and blogs at SharpenHer.com with insights into their Christian life, a little fun, and a lot of real-life transparency. Together, she and her husband lead out in ministry and life. They have 3 children.

In the past few months, I have begged to hear from God...I knew He was there; He has been all along. I knew He was the one stopping me in my tracks, and I knew instinctively it was His love and care for me that undergirded the movement of His hand. But I couldn't distinguish His voice among the cacophony of this life I've built for myself. I couldn't hear Him, even though I was in the Word daily and praying for relief...And, so, my prayer to hear from God came from a place of, "What do you want me to do?" Perhaps He meant for me to release a ministry or incorporate something new into my schedule. Perhaps it was a priorities issue or a needed change in focus...continue reading.

Christine Hoover is a church planting pastor's wife, a mom, and an author who loves encouraging women to live and lead from grace. She is the author of two books, The Church Planting Wife and From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel.
Read more blog posts from Christine at Grace Covers Me.

We sat in the car together, my mom and I, with the ignition turned off, and I cried. Kyle and I were less than two years into marriage and less than a year into ministry life, and I wasn't handling it very well. It's really hard. That's all I knew to say to help her understand, and I meant ministry more than I meant marriage. I felt as if I should know more of what to do and how to do it, and I was afraid to admit the extent of it, and I was mostly afraid to ask for help....Continue Reading

Christine Hoover is a church planting pastor's wife, a mom, and an author who loves encouraging women to live and lead from grace. She is the author of two books, The Church Planting Wife and From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel.
Read more blog posts from Christine at Grace Covers Me.