~
There's JOY in the Kitchen ~
~When we realize that ~
We can learn from other's mistakes rather than
making them all ourselves.
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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
______________________ TWILIGHT ZONES
By JoyfulArt
While sitting in a room full of women sharing
some truth that I had received from the Lord, I
was suddenly hit by a very strange sensation. The
path to this time with the ladies had been a long
and hard one. Bewildering in fact. There had been
whispers and rumors flying around in the
congregation, but nothing that we could pin
point. Even though the Lord had given me 'red
flags' regarding certain situations, I had plowed
on ahead any way, all the while feeling more and
more exhausted along the way.
As I traveled this road of new pastors wife, I
couldn't help but wonder what I was doing on it
in the first place!! Nothing seemed to be as easy
as I had expected, nor as exciting as it had all
seemed when we first took the pastorate. This
meeting now was a culmination of a great many
questions I had been asking the Lord regarding
the 'troubled waters' we now found ourselves in.
None of us could truly understand what was
happening to us. All we knew was that we were
tired and just a wee bit paranoid as emotions had
been flaring behind the scenes.
What I'm about to share is not in regards to
the events that brought us to this room that
night. That, I will deal with in another issue.
Rather what I'm about to share is something I
experienced while speaking to these women. More
than once since then, this has happened.
While I was speaking, I suddenly had the
strange sensation that I was leaving my body. My
mind became confused and I desperately hoped that
I was making sense to the listeners in the room.
Perhaps I'm the only one that this has happened,
perhaps not. Some will say that it was an attack
of the enemy. You are right! It most certainly
was. But why? The enemy can only attack in that
manner when a door has been opened. What was the
door? Exhaustion and pride.
Too many times we, as ministers push ourselves
beyond what the Lord has commanded us to go. We
mean well. After all, why would we be in the
ministry in the first place if we did not have
the heart to serve? However, pride can enter in
many forms. An obvious area of pride is in
building one's own kingdom, and the reasons for
doing so are as varied. Perhaps it is so that you
will be validated, maybe you are afraid of being
perceived as a failure, maybe you don't trust God
to get the job done without your help, or think
that only you can do the job 'right'.
In climbing this fleshly ladder (all in the
name of the Lord) we begin to possess what does
not belong to us. We possess our position as
pastors or ministers. We possess responsibilities
because our personality is identified with them.
("Look how well she teaches the women,
decorates the church, works in the nursery, and
visits the sick folk.) We like to be seen as
Wonder Woman. It strokes our pride. We cry out
and moan that there is no one to help us and the
work is too much. Our time with the Lord becomes
compromised because. . . "I just don't have
the luxury of that much time to be with
Him." "It's the people's fault".
"It's my husband's fault, he just doesn't
understand". Little do we realize that he is
thinking these very things about us and the
congregation as well. After all, as we are all so
fond of saying, "we are only human!"
Here's a thought. Maybe there would be more
people helping if we weren't 'claiming' so much
territory. Ever think that perhaps we are not
trusting God in bringing in the workers and that
is why we won't let go? Here's another thought.
Did God tell you to do what it is you are doing,
or are you doing it because "that's the way
it's always been done"?
Look what has been thrown in our pot of
fleshly stew now. . . Exhaustion, Pride,
Compromise, Fear of Rejection, Fear of Man,
traditions. . . .a perfect combination for a very
deadly porridge. The feeling of leaving my body
was a way of escaping emotionally while trying to
hold on to the position I was in. I was wide open
for attack and had walked right into it. To this
day, I'm not sure if I made any sense. All I know
is that I don't ever want to be there again!
How can I prevent it? It's really rather easy.
Give it up. Lay your burdens on the altar and
stop worrying. Enter the rest that was provided
for you. Jesus made it a habit to get away from
everybody in order to spend time with His Father
each day. Take an inventory of what it is that is
weighing you down. Is it an eternal work? Or is
it only temporal and not bearing the fruits you
thought it would. Every good tree must be pruned
now and then. Even if it means not having all our
programs. Perhaps ONE thing is needed in your
church right now, and when that ONE thing is
accomplished to the satisfaction of the Lord, HE
will raise up workers and vision on His own.
After all, He's perfectly capable of doing that.
Didn't He create the world in seven days? Oh
wait, it was six days, and on the seventh GOD
RESTED.
* * * * * *
Luke 10:41 And Jesus answered and said to
her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and
troubled about many things.
* * * * * * *
ARE YOU THIRSTY?
By Karinlaine I got thirsty today.
I got so busy with all the "stuff" I
had to accomplish that I actually forgot to get
something to drink. It got to be mid-afternoon
and I realized that I had not had anything to
drink all day. I know this is weird and
unhealthy, but it happens to me from time to
time. As I pondered my thirst, realized it was
not just my body that was thirsty. My soul seemed
dry and brittle as well. How long had it been
since I'd had a spiritual drink? Oh, I'd sipped
here and there, such as during the sermon or in
the our internet chats. But how long had it been
since I had a nice, long, soul- quenching drink?
I lost my mom in October to cancer. She was a
wonderful mother and a dynamic Christian. She was
only 55, and I have been struggling with why God
would take such an effective servant out of His
service. Not to mention the fact that we were
very close, and I miss my momma very much. Since
her diagnosis a year ago on Mother's Day, I have
not had a good drink of God's word. Some people
turn to him in times like that, but I have been
angry with Him, and so I refused to drink. Who
did I hurt? I know that God misses my time with
Him, but I don't think that His loss is as great
as mine. It is my soul that is suffering from the
drought.
So, I look into my refrigerator and decide
which beverage to drink. This is an easy decision
to make for my bodily thirst. It's gonna take
more thought to really quench the thirst of my
soul. They say that when one has been in the
desert for a long period of time, one should not
drink to quickly or it will make one sick. I
think, "Does this hold true for spiritual
thirst as well?" Most likely not. Though I
don't think I'm ready to dive headfirst into the
Bible, I think that its about time that I took a
good long drink.
How about you? Is your soul thirsty? How long
has it been since you took a good long drink? Do
you let all your "stuff" make you
forget to drink? I have found that a thirsty
servant is not an effective one. Our Lord and our
spouse deserve our best and we cannot be at our
best when we don't take time to refresh ourselves
in Him.
~ ~ ~ ~
Isa 44:3 For I will pour water on him who
is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will
pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My
blessing on your offspring;
~ ~ ~ ~
It isn't hard to make a mountain out
of a mole hill. Just add a little dirt.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
CHECK US OUT!
SAVE THESE NEW WEB SITES
You'll want to pass them along!
Sarah's
Tent
http://ionanet.com/sarah/sarahs.htm
Joy
in the Kitchen
http://ionanet.com/sarah/joy.htm
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sarah's Tent Book Club
(Meeting the last Thursday of each
Month)
The book that was chosen for the month of
April is
Being a Minister's Wife and Being
Yourself
By Nancy Panell
Broadman Press Publishers
You can find it on Amazon.com.
The chat will be on: Thursday April 30th at
8:00 PM EST.
Also, you do not have to read the book to come to
the chat... though it is helpful!! :) Everyone
welcome! We encourage you to come, even if you
have not read the book of the month, or are not
finished with it. It's always a good idea to
investigate!
Contact WeesaS@aol.com
or SarahsTent@aol.com.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
1 Chr 16:10-11 Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the
LORD! Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His
face evermore!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Surprises in Ghana!
>From Dacia Guess what we did for fun
and excitement this week? We went on a safari! We
went up to Mole National Park. We saw:
Western baboon
Green monkey
Western ground squirrel
Warthog
Western hartebeest
Roan antelope
Waterbuck
Bushbuck
Hammerkop (a big bird)
Stork (another big bird)
Ibis
Grey-breasted Helmet Guinea Fowl
And last but not least - the African Elephant
- we got to watch them playing in the water hole.
We also saw fruit bats. They were flying
around in front of our truck trying to get the
bugs that were attracted to our headlights.
We will have a lot of neat photos to show you!
Dacia
------------------------------------------------------------------
Dalton J. Noack
mailto:djnoack@africaonline.com.gh
------------------------------------------------------------------
Gen 1:24-25
Then God said, "Let the earth bring
forth the living creature according to its kind:
cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth,
each according to its kind"; and it was so.
And God made the beast of the earth according to
its kind, cattle according to its kind, and
everything that creeps on the earth according to
its kind. And God saw that it was good.
(NKJ)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
POT LUCK!
Chicken Divan
By Justaservn
2 or 3 chicken breasts
2 small pkgs. broccoli <frozen>
can of cream of mushroom soup
cheddar cheese...<or whatever kind you like
best>
Bake <or sauté> breasts in butter, and
seasoned salt, and garlic pepper....till almost
done. Boil broccoli just till crunchy....in
chicken bullion and butter and salt.
Then layer them...in casserole dish. first
chicken, <whole, or cut into chunks>..then
broccoli, then soup...add a little of the water
you boiled the broccoli in <and any juice in
the chicken pan>...and bake, covered, 350
degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes.. then shred
the cheese over the top...
Cook again, uncovered for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Cover again, and let it sit for a bit... Make
pasta....or rice....and put it
on top.. and enjoy!
Cover again, and let it sit for a bit... Make
pasta....or rice....and put it on top.. and
enjoy!
For even MORE recipes, click on these!! Doffycook's
Nethome More
Recipes and Once-a-Month
Cooking (OAMC)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Reputation is made in a moment: character
is built in a lifetime.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
~ PRAYER ~
Please send prayer request to C.O.P.E.
Ministries (Christians Online Praying by Email) C.O.P.E.
Ministries Home Page
http://members.aol.com/PrayWOCsng/COPE Prayer
requests can be sent to either Michelle at LazarusArb@aol.com
or to Sherry at Jcjspj@aol.com.
DON'T FORGET TO LET THEM KNOW YOUR PRAISE
REPORTS!!
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ BAMPRAYER@aol.com
For special prayer JUST for marriages. This is
a ministry from Born Again Marriages. If you
would like to visit their web page. . . click
here: BAMWEB
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Introducing Humpty Dumpty Ministry
From: Healing4u
I have a ministry to the hurting and broken in
the body of Christ. After 22 years of being a
pastor's wife I met with brokenness and faced
desperate hopelessness. God has healed and
restored me and my ministry. After having been
there myself I have compassion and a burden for
others who have been broken and live with
hopelessness.
Sometimes as a pastor's wife we feel God is
there for everyone in our congregation but don't
really understand His love, forgiveness and
healing are ours too. Perhaps we have failed God
and believe He cannot or will not forgive us.
Perhaps we have lived with the awful pain of
rejection for so long that healing doesn't seem
possible. Perhaps we have been abused as little
girls and don't even know what it is like to live
without pain. I have found through personal
experience there is hope!! The King Himself will
pick up the broken pieces of our life and put us
back together again!! God doesn't throw away
broken vessels, He heals them and uses them for
His glory!!!
humpty
http://members.aol.com/gotcha2737/humpty.html
God Bless You,
Linda L. Martin
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Pattie's Pics
Here's something not from the Web but from an
e-mail newsletter. Hope you like it.
>From **Listening to Your Life**
Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner
available by HarperCollins Publishers
"God so loved the world," John
writes, "that he gave his only son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but
have eternal life." That is to say that God
so loved the world that he gave his only son even
to his obscene horror; so loved the world that in
some ultimately indescribable way and at some
ultimately immeasurable cost he gave the world
himself. Out of this terrible death, John says,
came eternal life not just in the sense of
resurrection to life after death but in the sense
of life so precious even this side of death that
to live it is to stand with one foot already in
eternity. To participate in the sacrificial life
and death of Jesus Christ is to live already in
his kingdom. This is the essence of the Christian
message, the heart of the Good News, and it is
why the cross has become the chief Christian
symbol.
A cross of all things--a guillotine, a
gallows--but the cross at the same time as the
crossroads of eternity and time, as the place
where such a mighty heart was broken that the
healing power of God himself could flow through
it into a sick and broken world. It was for this
reason that of all the possible words they could
have used to describe the day of his death, the
word they settled on was "good." Good
Friday. **
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This vision of Easter through young eyes comes
from the March/April issue of Christian
Reader:
The Opposite of "Dead"
My husband and I home school our two children,
Seth and Glenna. One day, the lesson was on
"opposites."
Glenna, who was six at the time, was being
quizzed. I would say a word and she would give
its opposite.
When I said, "good," Glenna quickly
said, "bad."
"Hot?"
"Cold!" she squealed.
It was time for something a little more
difficult. "How about 'dead'?" I asked.
Expecting the answer to be "alive,"
I was delighted when Glenna, without hesitation,
replied, "risen."
- Laura Conklin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shamelessly borrowed from the
Christianity Online
~ Clipart Sites http://huizen.dds.nl/~chr/links/clipart.htm
Get out your Web scissors and clip to your
heart's content! This is one of the best lists of
links to Christian clipart sites for church
bulletins or newsletters. The list is
well-organized so you'll be able to find and
download what you need very quickly.
Cybergrace Christian Network http://www.cybergrace.com/
This site has news, chat, downloads, a prayer
center, greeting cards, top sites, and more. If
you make it through all of those areas, take a
deep breath and search Bibles, devotionals, kid's
areas, games and...more and more stuff. The CO
Web reviewer gave this site a "four
fish" rating. I have to agree, it's a lot of
fun!
And finally...here is a link to a copy of the
actual court petition presented by the
petitioners against the injunction ordered by
Judge Ira DeMent in the case regarding
expressions of religion in schools in Alabama.
ACLU
in the Court -- Judge Roy Moore Reaction to
DeMent Injunction
According to this document, there indeed was
instruction given to allow "monitors"
to enter any area of the school to
"observe" and "report" on
compliance to the injunction. Thanks to my friend
Shelley's dad, Lewis Turner, for this link.
That's it for me! Have a wonderful
RESURRECTION SUNDAY!
~Pattie~
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!
_______________________
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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