~ JOY In The Kitchen ~ 
A FREE weekly newsletter from Sarah's Tent, a Loving Internet Community of Pastor's Wives. 
Isaiah 51:1-2 ~ Isaiah 54:2-3 ~ Heb 10:24 ,25

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ...

For some reason, there are people who think that just because you are in ministry - you are perfect. You are filled with grace, and poise. Naturally, you would have never been called to the ministry if you were prone to make mistakes, right? 

Why don't we just go ahead and let 'them' think that.  In the meantime, we can share a few guffaws together of what we are REALLY like! What fun to read about the embarrassing things that happen to others. (I thought I was the only one who did dumb things in public!)  Now, grab a box of tissues. Not because you are going to cry, but you just might have to wipe some of that 'snicker-spit' off your computer screen as you read these funny stories! ENJOY!

"Thought I'd share this one with you all......Thankfully, my husband/Pastor is 
away on a trip, for if he only knew......!" 

The Story of the Prodigal Pants:

"One Sunday morning during worship service, my husband was in the middle of 
the preaching moment. You know that instance when the man moves aside and the 
Holy Spirit just takes over. As the congregation says, "He was really 
preaching"!
Well, it so happened that as the Holy Spirit took over, his pants decided to 
take another direction. It seems that he had forgotten to put on his belt in 
the hast of getting ready for church that morning and the recent shedding of 
pounds found his pants slipping helplessly off his waist. I could only gasp 
and hold my hand over my mouth as I sat in the congregation envisioning the 
horror my beloved would soon face as he was dethroned in all his glory! My 
mind raced with thoughts of what to do ( I was never taught in our ministers 
wives classes on how to deal gracefully with this type of problem), but then 
I remembered that King David once danced his clothes off in worship and 
praise to the Lord! How appropriate that my husband and King David has 
something in common! And then the laughter came........All I could do was 
shake uncontrollably in silent sobs. It was then that the Lord intervened, 
just as my husbands pants were ready to slip past the bottom of his suit 
jacket and his hips.
One of the young men in our congregation quietly walked up the center aisle 
to the pulpit and approached my husband. As he whispered in his ear, the 
sagging pants found their proper resting place around his waist. Needless to 
say that preaching moment was gone, but the Lord blessed as we laughed and 
rejoiced in the conclusion of a sermon well done. Needless to say, the story 
of the prodigal pants always brings a smile to my face!:)"

Prayerfully submitted, Debbie, Pastor's Wife
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"One of my husband's first sermons was on Adam and Eve and their abilities as 
parents. He was fervently moving along in his sermon when he said "As far as
we know Adam and Eve had no trouble raising Cain!" There was a moment of 
silence as he realized what he'd said and the congregation decided how to 
react. One member, unwilling to hold it in, let out a snicker which 
immediately spread throughout the church. My dear hubby just turned his back
and shook with laughter too. So the next time you see someone "raising Cain"
think about how that term may've begun!!"
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"This story is from a few years back when I was a teenager. We had a girl's trio and I played the accordion with the group as we sang. At that same time period the very stylish attire was broomstick skirts and blouses with elastic neck and rows of eyelet lace. One church service, we were up front singing our hearts out when I looked down and for the first time was made aware that there was a tiny screw on the back of the accordion sticking out and it had hooked on to one of the holes in the eyelet lace. Every time I would expand the accordion, my elastic neck blouse would be expanding as well!"

Jimmie Ruth
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"A couple weeks ago my husband was using an illustration of a football quarter 
back throwing a perfect pass down the field aiming at his target....(speaking 
of keeping our eyes on Christ) You have to know my husband isn't a football 
fan or really a sports fan...so when he dramatized in great physical detail 
the quarterback poising his body getting ready for this throw... he 
said..."And then the player skillfully released the ball into the air and 
threw a perfect bloody Mary!" The congregation burst out in laughter and my 
poor husband didn't quite understand why they were laughing until someone 
corrected him and said Pastor... are you sure it wasn't a hail Mary? (A 
common football term for a perfect throw)"
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"Dwight Nelson recently told a true story about a pastor. He had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc. The kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. 

He did all this, checking his progress in the car frequently, then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved a little further forward....the rope broke. The tree went "boing!" and the kitten instantly sailed through the air-out of sight. The pastor felt terrible. 

He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten. No. No one had seen a stray kitten. So he prayed, "Lord, I just commit this kitten to Your keeping," and went on about his business. 

A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. Now this woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, "Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?" 

She replied, "You won't believe this," and told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the mom finally told her little girl, "Well, if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it." (You can see where this is going) She told the pastor, "I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws spread out, and landed right in front of her."
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"LAUGHING ADDS LIFE AND A SMILE ADDS YOUTH "
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"Prov 17:22
A merry heart does good, like medicine ..."
NKJV
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SPARKS

Now that you've read some of the funny things that have happened to others, I bet you thought of a few that have happened to you!  Well, don't just think about it! We'd like to laugh along with you!  There is always room for laughter - especially when it is at ourselves.  Write your story and send it to: sarahstent@aol.com
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"Ps 27:6
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD. "
NKJV

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BUDDY GROUP TIPS

 How do I know what my password is when I try to log into egroups?
You will need to register first for your first visit. Every time after that, the email address and password you used to sign in will be the one you use to log in to access your Buddy Groups.

The name I first registered is not longer my address, as we changed our email address. Now what do I do?
You will need to register again with your new email address if  you have already changed your subscription to your Buddy Group.

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GREAT VICTORIES COME OUT OF GREAT BATTLES.
~ Smith Wigglesworth
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WHAT'S NEW?

Our Home Page!
Now that you have all had a chance to see my mug shot (with a little help from a glamour studio), it's going to slip behind the scenes again.  Sarah's Tent is not about one person - it's about all of you! We are updating, adding and changing things on our web site almost daily right now - so visit often! 

Thank you to those who have kindly alerted us to links that are broken, misspelled words, or made terrific suggestions.  It good to know that you care about Sarah's Tent as much as we do! 
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BUDDY GROUP OF THE WEEK

Ever been through a tough situation in taking over the pulpit in a new church? Because of some tragic or sudden event, you were called to replace a previous pastor.  Odd thing is, you are now experiencing 'ministry paralysis', false accusations, out of control, damaging gossip, finances dropping sharply and without reason, and people who seem to have no life or desire to participate.

Did you know that there is a term for what you've just become?  The term is AFTER PASTOR.  Like it's name, you are the pastor who has just come in after a sudden event in the life of a congregation.  It's now your job to 'settle the sheep' and bring safety and trust back to the pulpit.  No small job! Who can you talk to? Who can you trust? Who can possibly understand the overwhelming emotions of such a task?

We have a Buddy Group set aside just for AFTER PASTORS!  Here you can share, talk, vent and gain encouragement from others who have experienced or are experiencing what you are going through now.  Or, perhaps you aren't in this place now, but were in the past and learned a few things.  Please join us as well!  

To subscribe: st-afterpastors-subscribe@egroups.com 
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You need to be so full of the Holy Ghost that the devil knows who you are. God never intended for us to run away from the devil. God intended for us to run after him!
~ R.W. Schambach
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DOES YOUR CHURCH OR YOU HAVE A WEB PAGE?
If you have a ministry web page that you would like listed through 
www.sarahstent.com send it to: Shannon@sarahstent.com
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DOT'S DELIGHTS 
This is an EXCELLENT recipe--easy, make-ahead and one that I use over and over. If you have overnight guests, it's great to make this ahead to pop in the oven in the morning for breakfast.

BREAKFAST SQUARES
1 - 24 oz. hash brown potatoes 
(I sometimes use a few less hash browns, or add an extra egg and another 1/3 c. milk so it's nice and moist)
6 oz. cheddar, shredded (I prefer Colby)
6 oz. mozzarella, shredded
Mix together: 3 eggs
1/2 t. salt
1 c. milk
1 medium onion, minced
Potatoes in 9 x 13. Sprinkle with ham and cheese, Pour egg mixture over. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Bake 350 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes. 10 servings.
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DO NOT ASSUME THAT YOUR FAITH IS ALWAYS IN TOP-NOTCH SHAPE! RATHER, PLAY IT SAFE AND ASSUME THAT YOUR FAITH ALWAYS NEEDS A FRESH ANOINTING!
~ Rick Renner
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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!!

LOVE TO PRAY?

There is always a need for prayer warriors! If you would like to be a 
part of the intercessors at Sarah's Tent, then please drop us a note, 
and we will add you to our Intercessors Group!

SarahsTent@aol.com
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CHUCKLES & THOUGHTS
Hopefully you are still thinking of those terrific funny stories we shared at the beginning.  Now place your fingers on your keyboard and TYPE! We want to hear what funny thing has happened to you!
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WANTED! WANTED! WANTED!

Moderators for Buddy Groups! Nothing to it really. Just a friendly hello when someone joins and cheerful conversation to keep things running smoothly.
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WEB SITES & RESOURCES

 Visit our LINKS page at: www.sarahstent.com!

Joy in The Kitchen Volume 4 Issue 10