Thankless It’s not a great word. It’s not a word that I want to describe my life, or me. It’s definitely not the way I want to live out my faith. But sometimes this is who I am. When that starts to happen I need to slow it down and count the cost of my ingratitude. It damages my faith. I start to see God as my personal genie I get upset when He doesn’t do what I think He should do, in the timing I think He should do it. I forget that Jesus willingly suffered humiliation and pain to stand in the gap for me, and that if He never did a single thing more, He’s given me more than I ever deserve. Lord, thank You what You did for me. It stunts my growth...continue reading
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Joanna Weaver is the author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, which has sold over a million copies. Other books include Having a Mary Spirit, Lazarus Awakening, and a devotional, At the Feet of Jesus. Her books and companion DVD Bible studies have been used by hundreds of churches as well as home groups and individuals. Doors have opened for Joanna to speak at conferences and retreats around the country and internationally as well. Her passion is to see women experience the incredible love and grace of God so that they can become all He created them to be. Joanna’s greatest joy is found in being a wife and mother of three, as well as serving the Lord beside her husband John in full-time ministry. The Weavers reside in the beautiful “Big Sky” state of Montana. Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). As I took the steps onto the stage to deliver the Word for the last time as the Women’s Ministries Director of my district, the Holy Spirit stopped me and said clearly, “Well done. You have been faithful. Now go and do what I have for you next.” As much as I long to hear those words at the end of my life, in the moment they stung. I knew those words meant it was over. Serving the leaders and ministering to women of my district had been a joy, a passion, a dream fulfilled. I loved every minute of it and in my flesh I did not want to give it up; but that would be disobedience. We were mobilizing to the foreign field in three months. I had been called to the ends of earth at a youth camp altar when I was thirteen. I had been praying for and dreaming of this for decades and now the Lord was leading our family there. Yet in order to embark on this new beginning, what I was doing for the Lord had to come to an end. It seemed as though both passions could not flourish at once. I was so expectant for this new chapter but simultaneously mourning the closing of the last. It was not the first time we had transitioned to a new ministry, and likely not the last...continue reading
In the middle of a workshop for corporate women, I received one of my most powerful spiritual lessons. One minute we were discussing team-building and communication — next thing I knew the Holy Spirit was drilling a hole in my heart. A seasoned, successful woman was telling us about a meeting she facilitated with her co-workers. In her presentation she got a bit agitated and expressively harsh. She became very heavy handed. After the meeting one of her peers called her out privately about this pattern of leadership she was displaying. When challenged about this incident she sort of blew off the correction with a cavalier “I guess it’s just my blind spot.” At which her co-worker replied, “It’s only blind to YOU, Wendy.” ...continue reading Kathy lives in Mobile, AL with her husband Ed Litton, Pastor of Redemption Church. Both lost former spouses in car accidents, and God uniquely gave them new love and life together in 2009. Kathy enjoyed 26 years of life and ministry alongside pastor Rick Ferguson. She has 3 children and 7 grandchildren. Presently, Kathy serves at NAMB as National Consultant for Ministry to Pastor’s Wives. The Bible is filled with scriptures about difficult times in life. In John, chapter 16, Jesus tells us that we will have trouble. In the first chapter of James, he exhorts us to consider trials and tribulations as an opportunity for growth. Peter says that when times are challenging that we are to cast our cares on Him. Difficulties will come our way. They just will. How we handle them is a totally different thing. Which brings me to drama. Drama is a medium that is filled with intensity and depicts a serious subject. While we are not talking about a TV series or play on Broadway when referring to drama, it can certainly come into play here. (See what I did there? Play? Okay, I’ll stop.) When life gets tumultuous and things don’t go according to our plan, we have options...continue reading Blog written by Cindy Beall for LeadingandLovingIt.com.
Leadership is all about developing other leaders. It allows you to multiply the work by equipping and sending them out to do the work of ministry or service. Learning to lead is a process. Leading volunteers, as a volunteer yourself, is challenging. But when we have bonded and born fruit with other believers nothing can describe the joy it brings. Five things I’ve learned the hard way as a leader:
LORI FRANK serves the people of Biltmore Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina where her husband of 25 years, Dr. Bruce Frank is Lead Pastor. Lori teaches a weekly women's Bible Study and offers local group mentoring for pastors' wives and women in ministry. Lori and Bruce have two sons in college. Lori writes for Flouish.me. Adversity is wrapped up in anxiety. Where there is trouble, there is also fear, worry, fretfulness and distress. Statistics tell us that over forty million Americans struggle with anxiety disorders, with women diagnosed at a rate twice that of men. Even without an official pronouncement of a “disorder”, worry affects even the most spiritually mature and faithful. It drains us spiritually, emotionally and is exhausting. How can we best manage anxiety? Here are three suggestions: FACE THE “WHAT IF…?” Years ago I learned a valuable lesson when I least expected it (isn’t that how it always happens?) One of our young daughters had plaguing allergies, making her very uncomfortable. Traveling always exacerbated her problems, making her miserable. One Sunday morning prior to a family trip, I ran into Luanna, one of my prayer partners. I asked her to pray that Holly’s allergies would not flare up while traveling. She agreed, then casually remarked, “But if they do, it’s not the end of the world.” I was stunned...Continue reading
During the first few flights I took, I was always bothered by one point in the safety protocol delivered by the flight attendants: if the oxygen masks are deployed, parents are instructed to put their own on first before assisting their children. Even though I wasn’t a mother at that point I couldn’t imagine taking care of myself before taking care of my kids. For better or worse, that is thought a lot of women carry with them everywhere. It doesn’t have to involve children; women naturally tend to care for others and put other’s needs before their own...However, what happens when your tank starts flashing the low fuel light?. It’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s probably one of the biggest strengths that God gave the female race...continue reading
This article was written by a senior pastor to men going into the ministry as pastors. Although it was primarily written from a man's perspective, it asks questions that every potential pastor's wife should perhaps ask herself. As well, it is a topic that every husband and wife looking to go into ministry should have a conversation about. Before you pursue the office of pastor, you know that you need to be ready. But have you asked whether your wife is ready? Formally, I don't believe there should be extra expectations placed on a pastor's wife. There is no office of "pastor's wife" in the Bible. But practically, being married to a pastor is a tough role. Does your wife have what it takes? Is she up for it? Those are the questions I want to help you ask in this article. It is critical for you to ask such questions. Men preparing for the ministry can easily become blindly ambitious, even idolatrous, without realizing it. When that happens, we risk turning our wives into means to making much of ourselves. If they get in the way of our goals, we run them over. It's therefore critical, as I say, to stop, loosen our grip on the ministry goals, and give real honest thought to our wives. It has taken me a long time to realize how vulnerable our wives are to us. They take our name. They live with the consequences of our decisions. And they just might have to crawl under the pew-at least in my case-when we use poor grammar in a sermon...I just want to keep some people from trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole... continue reading Article written by Bob Johnson, senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Roseville, Michigan.
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. |
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