~
There's JOY in the Kitchen ~
~When we realize that ~
A Diamond Is A Chunk Of Coal
That Made Good Under Pressure!
THIS WEEK:
* IN MY EYES = Just what DOES the congregation
(and my children for that
matter) see, "In My Eyes"
* RECIPES - QUESTIONS - NUGGETS - LAUGHTER -
THOUGHTS = All from you!
In My Eyes
In my eyes, the Lord has shown me, is more than
the usual blue and gold
flecks, or the blood shot blurryness from not
enough sleep, or smoke in the
restaurant where we eat. In my eyes are the clues
to how my husband, my
children, or my congregational members will
respond to God, His Word, my
husband, or even, to life.
This first came to my attention one day when
after the third comment of, "Are
you worried about something?" caused me to
wonder what people were seeing in
my eyes. Trotting down the hallway to the
bathroom, I tenatively peaked in
the mirror. "Nope, I don't see
anything," I thought. The usual blue and
gold
flecked eyes peared back at me. Smoothing my hair
back I shrugged and slipped
back out the door to continue on my way.
That evening, as I sat on the edge of my bed
watching our bedroom TV, I became
aware of my reflection in the mirror. Being
careful not to change my
expression, I slowly turned my eyes to the glass.
There reflected in the
mirror was a woman who appeared to be on the
verge of crying with the weight
of the world on her shoulders.
"Oh my!" I said out loud to my husband,
"Do I always look like that?"
"Look like what?" My discerning husband
asked. "Of course you look like that,
it's your image you know."
I whimpered, that's not quite what I wanted to
hear. Here all this time I
thought that I looked like a confidant, calm,
mother and wife of a pastor. Of
course we seem to forget that when we look at
ourselves in our mirrors, we
always put our best face on. (Any other face is
depressing) As the week went
on, I continued to reflect on the image of my
face, with the puckered brow and
blood shot eyes.
As the Lord does in these times of reflecting, He
began to gently and lovingly
teach me some things. "Daughter," He
said, (He calls me that 'cause He loves
me you know) "Don't worry about trying to be
perfect and give in to the
pressure of what you think mankind is looking for
in the perfect pastor's
wife." "Nevertheless, let's look at
this from a different point of view."
"It's true that man looks on the outward
appearance. It is also true that your
eyes are the windows to your soul. What people
see there give them clues. . ."
And as Sunday came, my lesson continued on
"My Eyes".
Sitting on the platform scanning the
congregation, I noticed the eyes upon me,
looking for clues, (not all of them, mind you,
but enough). My husband stepped
up to the platform and began to give offering,
"How I love him Lord, he tries
so hard to please you and provide for our family,
he is a faithful servant,
and I am proud to be his wife."
Later, sitting on the front pew watching him pace
back and forth preaching the
Word with all his heart, I thought "This is
a good Word, I needed to hear
that." And nodded my head in agreement with
the spoken Word.
After service, standing at the back door greeting
our members and saying good
bye, a gentleman came up and leaned forward and
in a low voice said, "I
appreciate the way you look at your husband, it
shows that you love him and
think highly of him." The comment took me
off guard, and he smiled and slipped
out the door. "I didn't know anyone ever
watched me watch my husband, Lord!"
And God said in my heart, "Shannon, people
watch your eyes all the time, it
tells them whether they should believe in your
husband or not. It tells them
whether what he says is true or not. In your
eyes, if your husband is small,
he will be small in the eyes of the congregation.
And in your eyes, if he is
respected and loved, he will be respected and
loved by the congregation as
well. This is true of what you hear him preach as
well. It is in your eyes
that people will get clues of whether they should
believe my Word or not. And
when you sing praises to my name and look to the
heavens for my face, they
will look also. Because it is in your eyes that
they will see your Heavenly
Father."
"That is a heavy load to carry Lord!" I
complained. Just then a lady walked up
and said, "That was a good word that your
husband preached," she said as she
reached over and touched my arm, "I know so,
because I saw your head nod and I
saw it in your eyes." She patted my arm and
walked out the door. I laughed in
myself thinking, "That's silly, how can you
tell something is good by watching
someone elses response? She should discern these
things for herself!" Again
the Lord said in my heart, "She is looking
for clues on whether it is safe to
believe or not. She trusts you. It is an honor to
be trusted."
Sighing I said, "Okay, Lord, but this still
seems unfair. How can I possibly
keep that "Holy" look in my eyes all
the time? Somedays don't go so well, and
sometimes my husband and I fight and disagree on
things, and sometimes. . . "
"Shannon," the Lord spoke to my heart.
" If you will simply seek my face in
all that comes your way, it won't make any
difference what kind of a day
you've had. They will see pain in your eyes, yes,
but they will see strength
and hope as well. They will see anger and
annoyance at times, yes, but they
will also see forgiveness and understanding.
There is growth in your eyes, and
repentance in your eyes when you seek my
face."
"And on those days that you do not seek my
face, and you forget, this is what
they will see. They will loose respect for My
Word, and your husband, because
he is small in your eyes and disrespected. They
will consider it a chore to
praise, if you do see it as a chore, and they
will judge others harshly, if
that is what they see. . . In your eyes."
"Whether you like it or not, you are
in a position of Honor. Few ever attain such a
place. And to whom much is
given much is required. But Daughter, I am there
always. I will never leave
you nor forsake you. As you seek My face and
allow Me to fill you and lift you
up, you will find that I am your breath, your
strength and your song. And it
is those clues to life that I want my people to
see. . . . . In Your Eyes."
THAT'S MY MAN UP THERE
That's my man up there.
The weight of this church is on his shoulders.
He can see the struggles in each face,
And the pain of each heart.
I am very proud of him,
And proud to be on his team.
It hurts to see him struggle,
But I know it is a labor of love.
He tries to tell me
But I find it hard to believe,
"God knew what He was doing
When He gave you to me."
What an awesome responsibility,
Amazing privilege, fantastic opportunity,
To join him on a journey through God's Kingdom,
And assist him in caring for the souls
Which God entrusts to us.
I know there will be rough seas ahead.
We are at war, I know.
It is a race to tell the world
The have the opportunity to change.
Yes, God knew what He was doing
When He put us together.
~Trish 2/23/92~
I KNOW WHERE I BELONG
Wife, mother, child of God,
a steep hill
for anyone to climb.
But of me,
more is asked.
I support a man
called of God
to preach,
to shepherd
and to teach.
How could God
have chosen me
to stand beside this man,
His voice to a hurting world?
Because of who God
is creating me to be.
I can see things
that my husband can not see.
Women's intuition?
Incite? No!
It is God's gift,
to me and to my husband.
My place is beside my husband
As he leads God's sheep,
I follow,
with encouragement and love.
What does the future hold?
Only God knows the answer.
Whether it be in Green Pastures
and beside still waters;
or deep in desert sands
and stormy seas,
I know where I belong!!
~Trish 3/16/91~
Joy In The Kitchen Chats
Monday evening
Eastern time = 8:00pm
Central time = 7:00 pm
Mountain time = 6:00 pm
Pacific time = 5:00 pm
Host is Msp6830 (Lisa)
Every Tuesday Morning
Eastern time = 11:00
Central time = 10:00
Mountain time = 9:00
Pacific time = 8:00
Host is JoyfulArt (Shannon), with Co-Host (Teri)
To find us, just go to "People's
Connection", click on Private Room and type
in JoyInTheKitchen
Missed the chat? Write Shannon or Lisa and ask if
there is a log available of
that chat - and they will send you one!
~ E-mail Correspondence & Buddy
List ~
Please use the heart e-mail logo at the bottom of
the page to request information on Buddy &
Pen Pal Lists.
Welcome to our new member's!
Please consider sending a brief "Hello"
to our new friends! And if you need a
list of ALL of the screen names, please drop me a
line and I will get one to
you!
We're Glad You Could Join Us!
If you would prefer to have the full Buddy List
printed each week, or to have
an updated list sent to you, please drop me a
line with your preference
PRAYER ~
SPECIAL REQUEST= please pray for Kerri ,
her five year old boy, and
family. Her son has already had two open heart
surgeries and the Doctors have
considered a heart transplant. They have found a
medication that they want to
use first and feel positive about it. Let's pray
for complete healing of his
heart and no need whatsoever for further heart
surgery.
Send any prayer requests to Mama Brrr. And e-mail
her if you would like to be
a part of this ministry of intercessors.
Eight Things to Do on the Worst Day Of
Your Life.
1 Samuel 30
1. Weep (Jesus wept)
2. Dont Get Bitter (Troubles start after you get
Bitter v.6) Heb 12:15
3. Encourage yourself in the Lord. (This is a
trait a leader must possess)
Are you wondering how to encourage yourself in
the Lord well pray and
praise
(preach yourself a sermon) If you can keep your
joy you can get back
everything the Devil has stole from you and he
can't defeat you.
4. Get a Word from God. (Seek the Lord)
5. Get a vision of TOTAL victory (v.8)
6. Get mad at the devil (v.16)
7. Attack - We have the weapons
8. Make the Devil pay (v. 19-20)
II Cor 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of
Compassion and the God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our troubles, so
that we can comfort those in any trouble with the
comfort we ourselves have
received from God.
POT LUCK !
Recipes
BAKED CARROT RING
A beautiful "round" to fill with bright
green vegetables, such as fresh peas,
broccoli or asparagus tips.
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 med. onion, fresh, minced
--------
1 1/2 lbs. carrots, fresh, finely grated
3/4 cup rice flour, brown
2 tsp. Tamari (it's a type of soy sauce)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
---------
1 Tbs arrowroot powder
2 cups orange juice, fresh
---------
3 lrg. egg whites -- or EGG SUBSTITUTE
DIRECTIONS:
1. Saute' onion in oil.
2. Mix carrots, flour, tamari and pepper.
3. Combine arrowroot and juice and pour over
carrot mixture. Stir in onions.
4. Beat egg whites until medium peaks. FOLD
whites into carrot mixture.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hour
oruntil done.
6. Let set 5 minutes to firm. Loosen edges and
unmold on platter.
7. Fill center with cooked peas, saute'ed
mushrooms or green beans.
Serves 6 to 8
If you have a favorite recipe to share - we would
all love to partake! (hint-hint)
JUST FOR FUN!
BEDSIDE MANNERS
Downright embarrassing. That's how I'd
describe the day I visited a
parishioner in the local hospital's
intensive-care unit. I was the intern
pastor; the member, a heart attack patient who
seemed to be recovering well.
He, his wife, and I had an upbeat visit. Before
leaving, I stood with the wife
to pray at her husband's bedside. By then I
wasn't feeling well at all since
I'd just given blood. But that prayer was
important. They didn't expected it.
They didn't expect what happened soon after
" Dear Lord." I fainted. When I
came to, the poor women was trying to lift me off
her startled husband as she
screeched for the nurse. (Picture It ) Amazingly,
the heart patient survived.
My ego didn't.
Rev. JACK HARRIS
CUT THE CHATTER , REVEREND
On the first Friday of each month, I
conduct a preaching service in the chapel
of a nearby convalescent home. Since new faces
appear every time , I like to
begin by chatting informally for a few minutes.
Several months ago , I was
doing just that when one women interrupted, with
a tinge of scolding in her
voice; " When are you going to get started?
I can't sit here forever!" So
much for small talk. On with the service.
THE REV. LOUIS NUECHTERLEIN
For your Exploring Pleasure,
click on these hyper links and find
something new to investigate!
NEW!
Guide to
Christian Retreats
God's
Fishermen
InterVarsity
Christian Fellowship of the USA
Christian
Youth News
LightSource
Online
GOSHEN:Global
Online Service Helping Evangelize Nations
Last Weeks Sites
http://www.gocin.com/homeschool/
GOSHEN:Global
Online Service Helping Evangelize Nations
Be sure to keep these sites at hand as well,
because Glorystorm is always busy
adding MORE new sites all the time!:
GLORYSTORM
URL is http://members.aol.com/glorystorm/
GLORYWEEKS
URL is http://members.aol.com/gloryweeks/
(If you have discovered a web site that you think
others would be interested
in, please let me know, and I will put it in our
newsletter. Just click & drag
the sight from your Favorite Places and drop it
into your letter.)
Do you have a question that you would like to
ask other Pastor's Wives, an
inspiring story or testimony, a funny happening
from your congregation,
children, or from your marriage? Perhaps you
enjoy writing and would like to
share your gift with us.
___________________________________________________________________
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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