~
There's JOY in the Kitchen ~
~When we realize that ~
He will never leave us, or forsake us.
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A weekly newsletter from Sarah's Tent, an
online ministry tailored towards Pastor's Wives.
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Isa 51:1-2 / Isa 54:2-3 / Heb 10:24 ,25
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WEATHERING THE STORM
By JoyfulArt
Imagine if you will, standing on top of the
deck of that fateful ship, the night that Jesus
calmed the storm. The smell of rain had been in
the air earlier in the evening which was normal
for this time of year. However, this night had
something different about it. The darkness fell
with such a suddenness that you found yourself
pacing the deck and peering into the darkness
anxiously. Thunder clouds boomed above as they
rolled in over your little ship.
Even though the Son of God was present, you
couldn't help but be a little concerned. Jesus
was asleep below and seemed oblivious to the
tossing seas and quickly rolling clouds. Suddenly
the sky lights up with an ear shattering crack of
thunder and you duck instinctively as the heavens
split open with a torrent of rain. The tiny ship
is heaving up and down as you desperately try to
scramble to safety, your hands grasping for
something solid to hold on to.
As the ship rolls and tosses, your stomach
flips and your heart pounds hard with fear as
though it will burst through your chest. Fear
grips your soul as you scream into the stormy
night, "JESUS!!" "JESUS HELP
ME!!" Uncontrollably weeping escapes your
lips and your body shakes uncontrollably from the
terror of the night. "OH JESUS!" You
cry again, hoping desperately that He will hear
you.
Your feet are swept out from under you by a
wave that crashes over you throwing you against
the deck surface. "Surely I will not live
through this night!" You wail as you
scramble to your feet and brace yourself against
the masthead. "JESUS!" The cry is
drowned out by another fearsome crack of blinding
lightening.
Eyes shut tightly, lungs heaving for air your
hand wipes the salt water and tears of panic from
your face just as the touch of a gentle hand
presses upon your water drenched shoulder.
"JESUS!" "Where have you
been?" "Couldn't you see that I am
dying? How can you sleep through this
storm?" Lovingly He gazes into the depths of
my soul.
"Where is your faith?" He says,
"Didn't you know that you could calm this
storm?" Turning towards the wildly heaving
sea He raises His hand and commands the storm to
stop.
Silence fills the air, the sea rests. The only
sound is the dripping water which falls from the
masthead above to the deck below. The clouds part
as a soft golden moon beam casts it's glow upon
the face of the Son of God. You drink in the
fresh cool air and gaze heavenward at the host of
twinkling stars. All is calm, including you. Yes,
you will live, and you will make your way back
home. How could you not? The Son of God Himself
is your traveling companion. How could you have
doubted?
Mark 4:39
"Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and
said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And
the wind ceased and there was a great calm."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 Chr 28:20 . . ."Be strong and of
good courage, . . . do not fear nor be dismayed,
for the LORD God-- my God-- will be with you. He
will not leave you nor forsake you, . . . "
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Our Deepest Sympathies
A little over a week and a half ago, tragedy
struck one of our own in Sarah's Tent when
"Karinlaine" and her family were in a
terrible automobile accident. Karin's husband,
David, was killed instantly and Karin as well as
at least one of their children were hospitalized
with injuries. Karin and her children are now
home and recovering from their trauma. Karin's
husband was the praise and worship leader in
their church, and loving father of their small
children.
Her Pastor's Wife writes; "The funeral
was yesterday (July 17) and was a beautiful
testimony in song to our Lord and David. Karin is
still in a lot of physical pain, and the
children, especially the oldest Elizabeth, has
many questions. There will be many difficult days
ahead. You can tell people to make donations if
they would like to:
The David P. Wilcox Memorial Family Fund at
Sharpstown Baptist Church
7000 Bellaire Blvd
Houston, Tx 77074
713-774-9673
Please lift Karin and her family up in prayer,
you can drop her a line as well at: Karinlaine@aol.com.
~ ~ ~ ~
The Desert Path
By: Christina Weimer
In our journey as women and Pastor's wives, we
often come to crossroads in our pathway of life.
At times we are given a choice between the
fertile land versus the desert. Looking at the
choices with our eyes, our experiences of life,
and what we like to know as pleasure, we would
probably choose the way that appears to offer the
most, the fertile land. After all who wants to
knowingly go into the desert. A place that is
filled with trials, tragedies, failures, hurt,
pain, and suffering. Have we not had enough pain
in our lives already? Have we not suffered
enough? Don't we deserve to have the fertile
land, the land flowing with milk and honey? Isn't
that the way that brings the blessings of the
Lord, the joy, the happiness we seek?
The answers to these questions are a little
obvious. We all know that there have been times
in our lives when we have entered the desert only
to find out that that was the best path we could
have taken. Through the sufferings, hardships,
pains, trials, and heartaches, we have grown
closer to our great and mighty Father. It is all
a matter of faith. Cynthia Heald, author of
"A Woman's Journey To The Heart Of
God," put it nicely when describing faith.
"To walk by faith is to allow the Lord to
choose the way for us, and then to trust Him with
whatever lies ahead."
Whatever lies ahead.... whether that be the
pain from hurtful words said to us, the rejection
of a church member because of this choice,
sufferings financially, or worse yet the loss of
a loved one. We are called to follow by faith.
God knows what lies ahead. He knows the
heartaches we will experience. However, He is
like an armor bearer, He goes before us. He meets
the enemy first. He takes the brunt of the battle
in order to prepare the way for us. He protects
us from the greater harm. It is not His desire
that we continually face tribulations "..but
we know that tribulation produces perseverance;
and perseverance, character; and character, hope
.... and hope does not disappoint because the
love of God has been poured out in our hearts by
the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans
5:3-5
When the road seems hard to bear.. and the
pain hurts so much and the every day walk through
this desert time seems too much, remember you are
not alone. There are fellow pastor's wives
supporting you, friends praying for you, and
better yet their is a Great and Mighty Lord, who
knows you better than anyone else, leading the
way.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
God can heal a broken heart, but He has
to have all the pieces.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kindness is the oil that takes the
friction out of life.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
TAKE A LOOK!
Apron Strings Devotional, put out by Justaservn@aol.com
, now has it's own web page! We heartily
recommend you to this humorous and thought
provoking, conscience pricking devotional. Check
it out by clicking here: http://ionanet.com/apron/
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Some people succeed because they are
destined to, but most people succeed because they
are determined to.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NEEDING PRAYER?
Contact Sarah's Tent at SarahsTent@aol.com
, and not only will we pray, but your request
will be sent to the proper prayer chains as well.
Just be sure to send your praise report when God
moves on your behalf!!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"...I WAS NOT DISOBEDIENT TO THE
VISION ..." ACTS 26:19 NIV
Submitted by CANDY4GOD
When you reach your goal -- don't lose your
vision. When Alexander the Great had a vision, he
conquered the world; when he lost it, he couldn't
conquer a liquor bottle. When David had a vision,
he conquered Goliath; when he lost it, he
couldn't conquer his own lust. When Samson had a
vision, he could defeat a thousand men; when he
lost it, he couldn't handle one woman. When Noah
had a vision, he built an ark and preserved the
human race; when he lost it, he got drunk. It's
your dream that keeps you on track; it's your
vision that keeps you in focus. The average man's
lifetime includes 20 years sleeping, 6 years
watching television, 5 years shaving and
dressing, 3 years waiting for others, 1 year on
the telephone and 4 months tying his shoes. You
say, "Surely there's got to be something
more?" There is!! It's the thing that kept
Paul going, through shipwreck and starvation,
beating and betrayal, persecution and prison --
his vision! Listen, "I was not disobedient
to the vision..." (Acts 26:19) Do you have a
vision? If you don't, get into God's presence
today and ask Him to give you one. Without it,
what's your purpose for living?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Pattie's Picks
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Higher
Faith Outreach
(http://www.angelfire.com/tn/higherfaithoutreach/index.html)
This is a neat little page with many links to
other sites. It includes devotions, Bible verses,
poems, jokes, and pastor encouragement.
Christian
Reader WEB Resources (on AOL through
Christianity Online) This is a site that has
several sources for daily devotionals on the web,
Bible verses, and other fun places to go.
KJV
Topic List (Christianity.net Topic Search)
This allows AOL users to access a topical search
through the Scriptures.
This is a handy place. Annies
Home Page
The
Pastors Wives' Prayer And Praise Page
(http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/5892/Prayerpraise.html)
This page is run by a pastor's wife who invites
all to visit her site with the following words:
"Welcome to my little corner of the world
and place where I hope you can find rest and
peace and solace. A place where you, as a
PASTOR'S WIFE can, hopefully, find a friend with
whom you can share and come to know as someone
who genuinely cares..... A garden of comfort
where you can just come and "SMELL THE
ROSES"....This is a dream of mine since
beginning my home page to have a haven for
pastor's wives to have an opportunity to give
prayer requests and praises and just to know
someone understands and has gone through some of
the same things you are perhaps
experiencing."
If you have any web sites you would like to
recommend, please send them to PattieRWR (Pattie)
We'll be happy to write reviews for the
newsletter!
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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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