Yokemates

There are several things in ministry life that I have had to learn simply by doing. One of those things involves praying and altars. One would assume that a pastor’s wife wouldn’t be awkward in prayer, right? And, she likely would at least know what to do at an altar, or at least what an altar is? Well, for me, I was simply lacking in both areas as I stepped into the unknown world of pastoral ministry. Prayer, that I wasn’t a foreigner to. But, praying out loud or in front of others - now that was cause for my heart to race! My thoughts would get all into a jumble and my sweet communion with God was quickly melted away by fear. What will I say? How will I say it? Will I speak clearly? How long should I pray? In a matter of a few seconds my private prayer life was turned upside down. Yet, my desire to be a witness to others of my fellowship with God spurred me on. I can do this. Just speak your heart. After all, it’s not about what others will think. It’s about God and those you ...

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, I’ve been pondering life and counting my blessings a bit more than usual. Then, on the radio today, I heard the song, “No Matter What” by Ryan Stevenson. It tells a faith story that some believers have been tangled up in for years. It begins with this thought - A lot of us grew up believing At any moment we could lose it all And at the drop of a hat God might turn His back and move on A lot of us feel like we blew it Thinking that we're just too far gone We have likely all felt that we've blown it from time to time. After all, we each have a unique life story and faith journey - with plenty of ups and downs. How we were raised and what we were taught impacted our lives tremendously too. No one’s story is better than anothers. Just different. But, for those who live daily with the fear that they might not measure up or that they are just one step away from being rejected by their Savior is heart-wrenching. To live in a ...

What a blessing it is when God opens our eyes to understand more and more of his Word! I love it when another piece of the puzzle fits together. When the passage you’ve read for years suddenly makes sense. We see the Holy Spirit at work in our hearts and minds, and we finally get it. Perhaps there is even rejoicing in heaven when God’s truth is seen more clearly by one of His children! Just recently, I had two of those ‘aha’ moments. The first one is simple, but I now have a deeper confidence in my understanding. Whenever I would teach John 1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” to kids in Sunday School, they would often ask, Who is the Word? What is the Word? We’d continue on further in the passage, and I’d explain that the Word is another name for Jesus. We know this because John 1:14a says “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” This explanation would satisfy them, and we’d move on with our lesson. But, boy, I...

Everybody loves a baby in some form or fashion. You don’t even have to know the child, but their chubby face – or even a picture - will almost always bring a smile and a cooing “Aw” to express our wonder at all their cuteness! Little fingers, little toes. Soft skin and fuzzy hair. Such fun little packages to cuddle and adore! Before I get too carried away and ignore the flip side of life with a baby, I must also acknowledge that babies are a lot of hard work. Dirty diapers, spit-up, fevers, belly pains and sleepless nights are all more common than not. Babies are utterly dependent on their grownups and aren’t afraid to cry out loudly to get their attention! Baby days are pretty much behind me - unless I sign up for the nursery at church! I thank God that He brought me through all the unknowns of carrying, birthing and raising three little girls. There is absolutely no way I could have done it on my own. In recent years, I’ve lent a helping hand to care for and love on our gra...