Save the Date

                                                           

                                          5-11-14

Pastor: We need to be praying about a Mother's Day speaker.
Me: mmmm  hmmmm

Pastor: How about you? 
Me: no (confession...I don't like this holiday because it feels so stiff and religious.  I know, you can't believe I just said that.  Just keeping it real.  Those conditions are the most difficult to preach in)

MONTHS GO BY...

Pastor: I haven't got anyone for Mother's Day.  I really think you should take it.
Me: Nope...don't you do that thing....you know...already set it up in your mind.
Pastor: I'm just saying, I think you're the one.  

WEEKS GO BY...

Pastor: I'm gonna do Mother's Day, but it's not going to be a "Mother's Day" message.
Me: Oh, well I have a message if it doesn't have to be a "Mother's Day" message.  If I can just preach, I will take it.
Pastor: (smiling) I'll put you on the calendar tomorrow. (wink-wink)

*Is this the fruit of me praying for him to have wisdom beyond his years?  

5-11-14:
I promise to bring you God's word, prayed up, prepared and spirit led.

You promise to leave tradition at the door before you enter and just come hungry for God's word....then you can leave and celebrate Mother's Day.

Oh the Places You'll Go

Children's literature is to my teacher walk as the Bible is to my Christian walk.  (side note: I can't wait to share this with a class at ORU that my friend teaches...thanks Jill for the opportunity!)

 

There is so many lessons learned and life experiences I can relate back to literature.  One of my favorite Dr. Seuss books is Oh the Places You'll Go.  This book represents my life story.  You could preach a great sermon with this book to a class of children and it would be just as powerful to adults. 

 

These feet (of mine) have gone many places but none so important and meaningful until I met Christ.  His word says in Ephesians 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us."

 

I could have never imagined where the Lord has taken me.  I'm just so thankful for the opportunities that He has given me to grow:

teaching and preaching the gospel, an eye opening trip to Calcutta, India, helping at a center for women who are overcoming addictions, moments of mentorship (both given and received), great challenges with even greater opportunities to learn and better represent Christ, visiting and being deeply moved at a DHS shelter for children birth through 18yrs., speaking on a professional level, sharing my story, being the keynote speaker at the high school graduation, being inspired and moved by the history at our nations capitol and taking in the beauty of God's creation from the mountains of Colorado to the beaches of Hawaii. 

 

The exciting thing is there is so much more in  my story (and yours).  Unlike my eldest daughter who wants god to show her the entire plan and outcome.  I know it's unimaginable, possibly scary, if revealed before we are ready.  His ways are higher than our ways.  That's why our daily time in His Word is so crucial to your future steps.

It's your preparation, training, and revelation all wrapped in one.

Again, Dr. Seuss says, 

"the more you read the more you'll know,                                            the more you read the more places you'll go."

I have gone to a place spiritually that I'm so thankful for and it motivated me to go deeper.                                              

Oh, the places you'll go . . . with Christ.

The Mrs. Pastor

confessions of a "real" pastor's wife

I've had several people, over the last three years of Steve and I being the lead pastors, express how "real" we both are.  Someone recently expressed this same statement again.  She had to admit that I didn't fall into the same mold as what she was accustomed to as a "pastor's wife".  It wasn't a put down or even a put up, just something different.  So I've thought....what would my confessions be to explain who I am...
First, I think this journey we call "life" prepares us for each tomorrow.  Your experiences help develop and even define who you are.  For me, growing up unchurched and lost, I have a sensitive spirit to the world and it's ways.  This has played a pivotal part in my spiritual philosophy: BUILD a relationship, SHOW them Christ in your life, THEN find the opportunity to SHARE what Christ has done for you.
Next, is our approach on ministry.  The name of this blog says it all, "The Mrs. Pastor".  We view ministry as a team.  I'm not just his wife, or his sidekick, or the mother of his kids.  I'm his partner, with the same vision, leadership and calling.  We are called to shepherd the people.  We don't view ourselves at any level above anyone.  The foot of the cross is level for all.  We count it a huge responsibility to teach, train, equip, encourage, and even correct when needed, God's people.
Finally, we have the same daily routines and challenges as everyone else.  We walk the same streets and have to make choices daily.  We have challenges at our jobs (yes, steve too) and we still have to walk in wisdom or choose the flesh.  We have kids that we have to train, discipline, love and encourage.  Our kids know, that we have raised them in who we are in Christ and not because their dad is the "pastor".  When people call our girls "preacher kids", they quickly correct them.  "We are pastor's kids".  What's the difference?  A huge difference.  We don't just get up once or twice a week and preach.  We build a staff of people underneath us that have our vision and are willing to see that come forth.  We are responsible for teaching ministries, community ministries, and outreaches.  We are supporters and active in missions work, both local and around the world.  We pray with people, we counsel people, we deal with offenses and making things right.  We have to watch people leave and we get to watch people come.  We marry people, we bury people, we baptize people, we dedicate their babies.  We cry with people when they are hurting and we celebrate with people when they are rejoicing.  We see the most hopeless situation turn around and we see our Lord receive all the glory.

Why am I so "real"?  We see the good and bad in ministry and we continue to walk in God's love.  We have to.  We were called to this.  We hear from God and operate our ministry by his leading....not the people.  Sometimes this goes over well and sometimes not,  but Steve and I that have to be accountable to God.  Just as everyone else.  This is a continual work in progress.  We want all to be happy but we have to hope that our people trust and respect us enough to support our leadership.  We live in a rural community of hard working citizens.  God knew what two people He needed for this time and at this place.  He knew what Steve and I would bring to the table and where we would take this church.

So, here's to all the "real" christians out their in the world...just making it a better place.  Showing people Jesus.  Telling your story.  Being outward focused rather than self-focused!

-the mrs. pastor

a heart to heart

When someone has a "heart to heart" talk, there is honesty given.  This is what happens with me everyday when I talk with God.  Sometimes it's easy to receive, sometimes not, sometimes you agree and sometimes you're not sure where He's taking you.  Sometimes you don't get it at all but you talk it out until there is understanding.  There is no shame in that.  He gets you, He created you. 

I love the words of Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest:
"Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not  mean that I will listen to everything He says.  I show God my lack of love and respect of Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says.  If I love my friend (being honest), I will instinctively understand what he wants.  And Jesus said, "You are My friends...(John 15:14).. But most of us show incredible disrespect to God because we don't even hear Him.  He might as well never have spoken to us."

A very honest statement!  I study the children of Israel I'm so baffled!  I try so intently to learn from their mistakes....It says in Psalms 78 that He was giving them opportunity after opportunity to listen and obey His ways.  It says they flattered Him with their mouth (think about that one a minute...) but it says their heart was not steadfast with Him....yet He, being full of compassion forgave them.  But it also says....He gave them over to their own desires.  He could not compete with their carved images (think about that one too....I'm honestly going to preach on that soon). 

So here's my heart to heart....bottom line, "they did not remember His power" (vs 42)  You must keep every element of prayer (your talk with Him) strong in your daily life or you too will forget.  You won't hear the voice of the Good Shepherd or if you do, you won't try to understand and obey.  It sounds very elementary yet the most fundamental. 
1. Praise, you've got to be a thankful people. 
2. Repent, You've got to be willing to see sin and be convicted
3. Request, You've got to be specific with your needs and it needs to be lined up with the word
4. Interceed, You've got to be a people who see's the bigger picture.  The needs around you.
5. Meditate, You've got to stop talking in order to hear His voice. 
6. Worship, You've got to exalt Him for His benefit, but also for you. This will help you never forget!

Israel missed God's best for them.  Let Him not say of our generation "So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsel" (81:12)   Instead, we will be a generation that is Blessed! Psalm 89:15-16
"Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!  They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.  In Your name they rejoice all day long, and in Your righteousness they are exalted."

May He show me confirmation this week that I'm hearing His voice! 

-The Mrs. Pastor

momentum

Psalm: 56:12,13
"Vows made to you are binding upon me, O God.  I will render praise to You, For you have delivered my soul from death.  Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?"

Why do people lose momentum?  Why do people fall in a "rut" of redundancy and lose passion on the task before them?  Why do we question our purpose?
As an educator, we are told and even assessed by our administrators, to make the purpose clear to the student.  If the student (which is all of us) doesn't understand the purpose of the task, there will be little passion, energy, and mastery of skill.  I used this example recently with my youngest daughter, Kinsey. She, who is really strong in math, was questioning the purpose of a particular mathmatical skill she was working on.  She had asked "what's the purpose of this? We will never use this in real life."  I took that moment as a teachable moment.  I explained to her that this skill is teaching her to think "outside the box", to problem solve, and to stick to a task until you find a solution AND that my friend, YOU WILL use in real life.  That made sense to her and she even said that she had never thought about that before.

We, as believers in Christ, need to really understand our purpose in order to keep momentum in our lives.  This verse in Psalm makes it clear.  Your purpose is to wake every day and let your light shine for Christ so that the lost may come to know Him.  It's not your career, your gifts, your talents.  Those are just avenues the Lord uses to accomplish His purpose through you.  I was not created to be a teacher.  I think we all are smart enough to see that.  But He did gift me with the ability in that profession to be effective and productive here on Earth and see that as an avenue to show Christ to others. For those out there who are already thinking, "you can't speak of Jesus in the public school", I would say, I don't have to say the name of JESUS in order for people to see him.  But I will say, if someone ever asks me, I have the right to share.  Our community can see Jesus as we offer a free after school tutoring program to the public school students.  They can see people who give of their time twice a week.  They can see that we feed children and give school supplies and clothes when needed.  
It's just an avenue.  I have momentum because I walk before God in the light of the living.  I use the gifts.... and God takes it from there.  May every person get this, young and old alike!  May we start to see momentum in the lives around us.

Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world!
-the mrs. pastor

the secret place

Psalm 91:
"He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide (remain) under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in whom I trust.  For he will deliver me from the snare (traps) of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover me with his pinions (feathers), and under his wings you will find refuge (protection)." 
Do you notice the connection of protection and being in the secret place?  Not just protection from our enemy, the devil, who is on his mission to seek out every soul to destroy, but from the darkness of sin itself.  This includes protection from ourselves.  WHAT?  That's crazy you say?  Nope.  We are born sinners, and in ourselves we are naturally drawn toward selfishness.  Without Christ, it's our way, all the time.  Without Christ, we gossip, we stir up the dust and make everything an "issue".  Without Christ, if it doesn't fit our schedule, if it's not convenient we decline or even get offended.  Without Christ, our only focus is our family, our job, our paycheck, our vacation, our leisure activities, our kids being #1 on the field, our feelings, our opinions, ....blah blah blah.
So we can tell a lot about a person and their "secret place" and the time they spend in their secret place.  HOLD IT MRS. PASTOR, you're being a little "judgmental" and preaching perfection!  Not at all.  First of all, "judgement" is casting a sentence on someone, I'm not doing that.  And I'm not suggesting perfection, I'm speaking of growth in Christ.  Walking in His grace means recognizing our humanity, and seeking His face more to reflect Him more (meaning change....growth)
I am thinking of an old school worship song:
In the secret, in the quiet place.  In the stillness, you are there.  In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait, only for you, 'cause I want to know you more  
So much truth in that.  If I'm truly seeking my savior, in my secret place, with no distractions, I'm changing!  I'm letting His very word enter my soul and change me.  I am understanding more of who He is and what His heart wants for mankind.  I see worship differently.  My worship looks different.  My time looks different.  My heart looks different.  My faithfulness to His house looks differently. Why? because I have been in the secret place with my Lord.  Wasn't Moses a different man after his time with our Lord on the mountain?  Couldn't people
see that he had been with the Lord because of his appearance?  Bottom line, we should display evidence of our time in the secret place.  It is the principal of sowing and reaping in action.  I sow much prayer, meditation, worship, confession, repentance, intercession, praise.....I reap guidance, protection, revelation, growth, selflessness, miracles, souls coming to know HIM!

Find your secret place, daily, and it will change you and the people around you!

-The Mrs. Pastor

Waiting

 

This seems like a great post, especially since you have been "waiting" almost a month for me to blog.  Trust me, it's been in my heart, just hasn't been the right moment.

I would like to put my focus on Psalms 27 & 28.  Please take the time to read both chapters and see that David was a man that knew about "waiting".  God sustained, protected, helped, and taught him just as He will us.  There is so much God wants to do through us during the "wait".  Is it ok to question God during the wait? absolutely! David did.  He also understood the relationship was two way and listened for His voice. 
 

What I have learned most from David during these "waiting periods"...and let's be honest, this is often in our lives with one thing or another...is the fact that he used a portion of his time praising and affirming the qualities of God.  This not only kept him focused on the right things, it was confirming in his spirit what God is capable of and has proven to all mankind. 
 

I have things in my own life that I'm "waiting" on.  I seek Him!  I wait.  I seek Him! 
 

I have a friend who's "waiting" as her father is close to death, and she and her sister are being tested physically, emotionally, and spiritually as they are caring for him. I don't understand, but I know that God is sovereign.  I know one thing for sure.  God is teaching us after the waiting, He is hoping for a deeper trusting, patience, and more love for Him and those around us.  He is hoping we hear His voice, in whatever way He chooses to share, and that we obey.  He is hoping for spiritual growth. 

Psalm 28:6

"Blessed be the Lord,

Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore, my heart greatly rejoices,

and with my song I will praise Him."

 

Thank you for visiting this blog and sharing with others!
 

-the mrs. pastor