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There's JOY in the Kitchen ~
~When we realize that ~
God knows us, and calls us by our name! * * *
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ANNOUNCING:
Sarah's Tent A ministry devoted to gathering
together God's silent warriors, the wives of
pastor's and ministers of all denominations and
cultural backgrounds, as well as their families,
for fellowship, support, laughter and prayer.
The vote is in, and was overwhelmingly in
favor of calling this ministry "Sarah's
Tent". The scriptures below will explain
where the name came from and the heart beat of
this family of warriors. Glory to God for what He
is doing for us in gathering together His
precious warriors from all walks of life to
encourage, mentor and enjoy one another. Here's
to another black eye on the enemy and his camp!
Isa 51:1-2 "Listen to Me, you who follow
after righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look
to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the
hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to
Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you;
for I called him alone, and blessed him and
increased him."
Isa 54:2-3 "Enlarge the place of your
tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of
your dwellings; do not spare; Lengthen your
cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you shall
expand to the right and to the left, and your
descendants will inherit the nations, and make
the desolate cities inhabited.
Heb 10:24-25 And let us consider one another
in order to stir up love and good works, not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,
as is the manner of some, but exhorting one
another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching.
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WHERE IS HE?
By Shannon Parish
You know the scenario. As the final notes of
the closing hymn fade, you stand and prepare to
say goodbye to the congregational members. A
million and one things are on your mind as you
prepare to leave.
Several people come up for prayer or to chat a
few moments, as you gather your things and think
about gathering your children as well. Feet
aching from those "bargain" shoes, the
last thing you want to do is to have enough time
to pass where your children will become scattered
and you will have to run all over the church
building to find them. You are on a time schedule
now, as one of the couples has asked to meet with
you at the local restaurant. Sighing you politely
end the conversation with Mrs. "So &
So" who is once again reciting her family's
history in order to tell you what new job she
will be looking for THIS week.
Glancing at the back of the church you see
your husband look at his watch and give you
"the eye" as he shakes the hand of yet
another member. Moaning, you mumble something to
yourself that you just don't have time for all
this stuff. You just want to go home and relax
this afternoon. There is laundry to do, dishes to
clean, and you promised your mom that you would
help her this afternoon as well. Why is there
always so many demands on you? After all, you ARE
only one person, and it seems everyone wants a
piece of you. Where is God anyway? With all this
bother and fuss to worry about, you wonder if you
will ever be able to spend the time with Him that
you ache for. If it isn't one thing, it's
another, and the demands just repeat themselves
day after day.
It was a morning simular to this when my
daughter was just learning how to walk. The
service had ended and there were many pressing
things that I had to attend to before we left,
all in a ridiculously short time frame. Racing
through the goodbyes, the nursery to pick my
daughter up, the office to file papers, tracking
down leaders for final instructions, receiving
more requests for prayer from members, I some how
lost track of my daughter!
Don't ask me how, I just did. Panic struck my
heart as my eyes searched the exiting crowd.
Thoughts filled my mind how limited our time was,
and what a bother it was to have to round up the
kids so we could leave. Up until that moment I
had everything perfectly timed so that I could
leave with everything done and said. Now this
emergency suddenly rose to the surface pushing
everything back for another time (which I didn't
have). Quickly I raced through the building
stopping everyone I knew if they had seen my
daughter. It was so annoying to see them look at
me with such dumb expressions and raised
eyebrows! Couldn't they see how upset I was
getting? Three people later, my heart begin to
pound as my search proved fruitless.
The panic rose as thoughts more frightening
than schedules and time limits pounded my brain.
What if f my baby girl had toddled out into the
street? My voice was getting high pitched and
frantic as I asked the next three people if they
had seen my daughter. What was WITH them
anyway????? Without exception everyone I had
asked had given me this stupid grin like I was
nuts, shook their heads and went their way. Now
wasn't that just like people? So occupied with
themselves that they can't even take a moment to
help the pastor's wife find their baby. After
all, the pastor and her have only given their
lives and family to serve them, evidently that
just wasn't good enough!
Anger rose to intertwine with my frustration
panic and fear. Beads of perspiration were
popping out on my head and tears threatened to
spill over onto my reddened cheeks. Grabbing the
sixth person, I demanded to know if she had seen
my daughter. Grinning (like the others) she said,
"This is some kind of a joke, right?"
"NO!!!" I replied, "I can't find
my daughter ANYWHERE!!"
Cocking her head and placing her hands on her
hips, she replied, "Uh, why don't you look
on your hip?"
Sure enough, fingers in her mouth and eyes
wide, right there on my hip clutching my arm was
my baby girl! So pre-occupied with myself, I
wasn't even aware of her sweet, patient presence.
Aren't we like that with our Lord? So many
things to do, people to see, errands to run.
Pressure builds as we add another log to the fire
of our busy day and before you know it, the
"pot" holding our emotions and thought
life begins to spill over. We cry out of the
Lord, "Where IS He?" agonizing that
this work of the ministry is more than we can
bear.
Pressured with so many cares, and worries, we
carelessly fall into sin and judgment, blaming
others for our problems, when all along He was
right there with us. His sweet presence waiting
patiently for us. All of the THINGS we run after,
and that run after us are not as important as
enjoying his presence. Stop now and take a look.
. . . . . "He's been with you all the
time!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
2 Tim 2:4 No one engaged in warfare
entangles himself with the affairs of this life,
that he may please him who enlisted him as a
soldier.
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Slow down...There's an orchard just
ahead!
By Carol (Justaservn)
I've come to this place in my life, where I
want God, His Will, and His Word to permeate my
whole being. I am open for self-examination. Yes,
I know...I hear that big ouch all over the U.S.!
I'll be honest. I don't like what I'm seeing, but
the Fruits of the Spirit are mine, as long as I
allow God to put the searchlight on my
heart....and clean out the junk. It's when I
recoil from His Presence, and hide myself and my
"besetting sin," that I find myself
walking in the "opposites" of the Fruit
of the Spirit. Please allow me to expound....in
scripture:
Gal 5:22-25
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no
law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the
flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in
the Spirit. (KJV)
I was praying one day...and I said,
"Lord, why can't I walk in this? It's in
your Word, and I know they must be for me....but
I find myself walking in the opposites...or
worse...some of this stuff here:
Gal 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest,
which are these; Adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,
emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings,
and such like: of the which I tell you before, as
I have also told you in time past, that they
which do such things shall not inherit the
kingdom of God. (KJV)
I knew there must be a way to walk in this...I
was mindful to keep my eyes on Christ...but I
knew in my heart...that there was a key that I
wasn't grasping. Then one morning, the Lord
gently spoke to my heart....and said, "When
you sow in the flesh, you reap the flesh, but
when you sow in the Spirit, you reap the things
of the Spirit." It was like a lightbulb went
off in my head! I realized...that all the wasted
days, when I chose not to follow Christ, when I
chose not to spend time with Him...and when I
chose not to read His Word....that I was sowing
in the flesh! Thus the product of my
harvest....FLESH! I am realizing...thru the
revelation of God's Spirit, and His Word...that,
yes....it IS possible to walk in the Fruits of
the Spirit!! It really is! I don't mind telling
you, that I got excited! It became real to me. It
became LIFE to me...but...I have to throw this
in...because it is soo important. It goes back to
Psalm 46:10. "Be still and know that I am
God."
That was square one. You see, what I shared at
the beginning, about being open for
self-examination, is what brought me to this
place. Good fruit cannot grow in bad soil. We
have to be open to allow the Holy Spirit to come
in there, and plow up the ground...and remove the
weeds. As He prepares the ground...He will
fertilize it, and add the necessary nutrients. I
find myself feeling like those "Stretch
Armstrong" dolls, as this is taking place.
But, I stay mindful, that this is for MY benefit.
I may not see that now, and some things that I
think are a part of me...are really not. Then
there are some things, that I may want to get rid
of...and God is saying..."No, I want to keep
that...I will use it for My Glory." I see
all this, as I am being still....and knowing that
He is God. We cannot grow in the Spirit, nor walk
in the Spirit, nor partake of Spiritual
things...including fruit....IF we continue to sow
in the flesh.
We must slow down...and be still. Have you
ever seen a farmer plowing a field at 90 miles an
hour? We get so involved in the temporal, that we
totally lose sight of the eternal. God so yearns
to speak to our hearts. He so yearns for deep,
meaningful, intimate fellowship. If we are truly
honest with ourselves, we may realize, that more
often than not, He is getting our leftovers. He's
getting a tired, worn out person, who has gotten
into the habit of "ritualism." If we
treated people the way we treat God, they would
be outta here!
But Praise God, for His abundant Mercy and
Grace! It's because of His mercy...it's because
of His grace...that I got another chance....to be
still before Him...and really get to KNOW Him!! A
question that came to my mind...."What is
the first thing I think about when I wake up, and
what is the last thing I think about before I go
to bed?" If the answer to that question is
not God, then it is time for self-examination. It
is time for us to allow Him to work on that beam.
(Matthew 7:3-5) As He whittles away at that
beam....He is forming and shaping..our own
hearts...with our permission...and then we can
see clearly, with keen discernment how to remove
the mote, or speck in our brother's eye. It may
be through prayer, or encouragement, or example.
But, it won't be through the harsh
judgmentalism, that it could be, because we have
been sitting with the King, and as a result of
that intimacy, we will find ourselves seeing
others......and ourselves... through the Blood of
Christ....and oooohh what a view that
is........Hallelujah!
Ps 51:10 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me. (KJV) In
Christ!!
Carol (Justaservn)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I have a funny story to "tell on" my
son who is now a "moose" in high
school.
Waaaay back when he was just a little guy of 5 or
6, his father was preparing to conduct a wedding
ceremony for two of our dearest friends....we
were happy & excited for our friends and so
conversation often turned to "when daddy
marries Mardi" . On the morning of the
wedding, I could tell that something was
troubling my little boy......finally in tears he
sobbed, "OK mom, dad can marry Mardi.....but
he has to LIVE with you and me!!!!!! " :)
PJparclete
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A Pastor's Wife Asks:
"When your husband is going through a
difficult time, is down and out but definitely
trying to hold his head above the water while
attacks are coming from every direction, what can
you do to encourage him along the way?"
"Often our husbands come under such attacts
from the enemy and we need to be well-equipped to
come to his aide. I'm interested in hearing what
the other wives have to say." ;>)
* * * * * * * * * *
Some More Frustrations!
As the information updates keep coming in, I
would like to share some of the frustrations
mentioned. Names will not be on these, some for
obvious reasons, and some because, well, after
all - most likely, any one of us could have
written them!
1. "How do I not lose my love for God in
the midst of serving? How do I maintain the
discupline of time alone with God in the midst of
a hectic schedule? Will my children be scarred
for life because they're "PK's"? I miss
having friends around to talk to - folks who love
God and want to spend their lives serving Him. .
. . . .Have been praying for two years for a
"David/Jonathon" friend."
2. "The biggest struggle I have right now
is balancing who I am at work with at church, and
being myself in all situations. It is hard to
deal with the expectations which I feel are
placed on me."
3. "Life!"
4. "The area of greatest frustration in
my life is the need to have a mentor. As a young
pastor's wife, I would like more input from women
that are seasoned in the ministry and that can
speak into my life and challenge me in various
areas of ministry."
5. "My greatest need is to continually
dwell in His presence (Ps. 25:4) and be able to
encourage our people to do the same."
6. "The thing I struggle with the most is
that I went to four years of Bible College, got
all that background, and now I am a bank teller.
I do not feel that is what God called me to do or
has in mind for me to do. I have many talents,
musical . . . . . and consider myself to be a
very creative and organized person. I feel that
God has something very special for me, but I just
can't figure it out."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chosen Vessel
Submitted by MHilleb604 (Mary)
The Master was searching for a vessel to use;
On the shelf there were many - which one would He
choose?
"Take me", cried the gold one,
"I’m shiny and bright,
I’m of great value and I do things just
right.
My beauty and lustre will outshine the rest
And for someone like You, Master, gold would be
the best!"
The Master passed on with no word at all;
He looked at a silver urn, narrow and tall;
"I’ll serve You, dear Master, I’ll
pour out Your wine
And I’ll be at Your table whenever You dine,
My lines are so graceful, my carvings so true,
And my silver will always compliment You."
Unheeding the Master passed on to the brass,
It was widemouthed and shallow, and polished like
glass.
"Here! Here!" cried the vessel, "I
know I will do,
Place me on Your table for all men to view."
"Look at me", called the goblet of
crystal so clear,
"My transparency shows my contents so dear,
Though fragile am I, I will serve You with pride,
And I’m sure I’ll be happy in Your
house to abide."
The Master came next to a vessel of wood,
Polished and carved, it solidly stood.
"You may use me, dear Master", the
wooden bowl said,
But I’d rather You used me for fruit, not
for bread!"
Then the Master looked down and saw a vessel of
clay.
Empty and broken it helplessly lay.
No hope had the vessel that the Master might
choose,
To cleanse and make whole, to fill and to use.
"Ah! This is the vessel I’ve been
hoping to find,
I will mend and use it and make it all
Mine."
"I need not the vessel with pride of its
self;
Nor the one who is narrow to sit on the shelf;
Nor the one who is bigmouthed and shallow and
loud;
Nor one who displays his contents so proud;
Not the one who thinks he can do all things just
right;
But this plain earthy vessel filled with My power
and might."
Then gently He lifted the vessel of clay.
Mended and cleansed it and filled it that day.
Spoke to it kindly. "There’s work you
must do,
Just pour out to others as I pour into you."
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Public PW Chat Begins In August
We will begin our public chat for Pastor's
Wives this coming August during the time slot now
occupied by our Tuesday morning chat. The purpose
of this chat is to make more Pastor's and
Ministers wives aware of Sarah's Tent, and to
provide us with free advertising! The chat will
not be in the private room, but will be held in
the Women's Connection chat room with
Christianity Online. Another private chat will be
opened on Thursday mornings in the same time slot
as the current Tuesday chat.
The studies and subject matter will be the
same as what we have been enjoying in our private
chats. However, because we will be open to the
public eye, we encourage you to come prayed up
and save the more "intimate" details of
our lives for the private chats. Whether we
realize it or not, this will become another area
of mentoring as we embrace new ladies and
ministers from every denomination. Therefore,
once again, we ask that you be extra sensitive to
laying down our denominational differences in
order to lift up Jesus and Him crucified.
Continue to pray as this ministry continues to
grow, for wisdom, integrity, harmony and
administration, as well as the right people to
come along side as a team.
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POT LUCK!
Orange Pilaf Printed with permission from
"Lifestyle for Health" by Cheryl
Townsley Visit her web site @
LifeStyle For
Health
A flavorful change to plain rice.
1/2 cup onions, fresh, chopped
1/2 cup celery, fresh, chopped
1 tbs. olive oil
1 cup rice, brown, uncooked
- - - - - - -
1 cup orange juice, fresh
1 tsp. tamari (look in the soy sauces)
1 cup water
1 whole orange, peeled, chopped
- - - - - - - -
2 tbs. almonds, slivered
DIRECTIONS: 1. Saute' onions and celery in
oil. Brown rice briefly in oil, stirring. 2. Add
remaining ingredients, except almonds. Bring to a
boil. 3. Lower heat, cover, simmer for 1 hour.
Let set for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in almonds. 4.
Garnish with fresh parsley and orange peel.
Serves 6.
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_______________________________________________________________
YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE GIFT to
Sarah's Tent is used for things such as
Scholarships for Annual Pastors Wives Retreats
across the U.S., Financial Aid towards Crisis
Counseling for the Pastors Family.
Make checks payable to Sarah's Tent and send
in care of LIVING STONES CHURCH / P.O. Box 964 /
Broomfield, CO 80038-0964 / USA ~ (Sarah's Tent
is a World Wide Internet Ministry hosted by
LIVING STONES CHURCH and as a co-operative effort
of churches and pastors throughout the United
States.)
__________________________________________________________________
Joy In The Kitchen is an extension of Sarah's
Tent An online ministry devoted to gathering
together God's silent warriors, the wives of
pastors and ministers of all denominations and
cultural backgrounds, as well as their families,
for fellowship, support, laughter and prayer. Isa
51:1-2 / Isa 54:2-3 / Heb 10:24-25
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