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~ JOY in the Kitchen ~
Isa 51:1-2 / Isa 54:2-3 / Heb 10:24 ,25
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
If you had the opportunity to speak to future pw's what would you tell them? What encouraging words and advice could you give them? What experiences could you share that could help them?
What would I tell a young preacher's wife? One of the first things that comes to mind is what others have already shared.....be yourself! Don't try to fit any mold other than the one God fashioned for you. You are unique and special in His sight. Operate within your talents and giftings; don't take on those of Sister So and So....and you don't have to play the piano!!! :-)
But one quote (attributed to the late Methodist preacher, Dr. E. Stanley Jones) that has helped me down through the years takes it all in. I had it posted on my refrigerator for years, in all of my Bibles, etc....and it simply states this: "Be true to the Highest you know!" I think that says it all....be true to God and His dealings with you. Be honest, and sincere in heart. It will carry you through the dark things in life and will heap blessings more that you can contain.
Be true to God in your spiritual life. Guard it. Read, study and pray over the Word of God. It is sucha blessing. I think one of the greatest concerns I have with people in the ministry lies in this area....they don't have a hidden life. And it is often evident in the pastor's own home life.
Be true to your people. Learn that the people you are dealing with are human beings and accept them for that. They are flawed, sometimes down right ornery, but Jesus loves them and so must we. Remember when we point fingers at them that we have fingers pointing back at us.
Be true to your family. Have a sense of humor and learn to laugh! Take time for yourself, your husband and your family. These are tall tasks, but this is your greatest source of love and stability. Don't ALLOW the church or church tasks to damage your own family unit.
These are my thoughts this morning...I pray they will encourage someone along the way. The ministry is taxing at times, but it is a wonderful life if we are true to the Highest WE know! Amen?
Blessings to all of you. Mary Ann
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"Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.
"Yet on your fathers did the Lord set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. DEUTERONOMY 10:14
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WHEN PASTORS WIVES GET TOGETHER
Editors Note:
During the past two weeks a question was asked in the tent regarding ideas on what to do when pastors wives get together. Peggi responded with some ideas that I thought were well thought out and down right interesting! We thought you would like to hear her heart as well. The following is her answer to this question. Thanks Peggi!
By Peggi Billman
Each year I think we may do something different but each year the Lord leads it differently (& perfectly!). I've used resources such as cartoons from Leadership Magazine that deal with pw's or parsonage life, I've used articles from Pastor's Family magazine (Focus on the Family had this a while - it may not exist anymore), I've also looked in Leadership Magazine for ariticles as there are many good ones for the ministry wife also (wives should always grab their husbands copies!)
As this is just a 2-4 hour time and not a class it would be different than perhaps your friend's set up but this is basically how we go:
I put up the various cartoons around the room for people to look at as they arrive to sort of "break the ice". We have a time of just sharing (there may be 20-25 or as little as 10-12 - it varies each year) where we're from (it's a national conference), how long in ministry, if we work outside the home, and did we know our hubby was going into the ministry when we married him or is it a second career (big difference in perception of the role!). We've discussed everything from members of the church "invading" your space at home to pastoral affairs. We've dealt with divorce and death and how that affects the pw. In some cases the wife not only lost her husband but all close friends associated with him because she lost her home (parsonage) and in some cases, church. It's been a time where we could basically share our hearts so it probably would be different than a class. We've read articles from "Leadershi (as mentioned above) and discussed the reality of them in our own lives. Each year has proven to be a wonderful experience and the Lord has always led specific women to the group who really need ministry. FOr instance, last year we had a woman whose husband was very involved in this conference and she had always come to our workshop. Her dear hubby passed on to glory last year and we weren't sure if she'd even come to the conference - she did and we were able to minister to her grieving heart in a way the people of her congregation couldn't. We also had several wives (myself included) who came with a deep burden for a prodigal child - prodigals ranging from those incarcerated to those missing to those who've left the church.
Where does the pw go for pastoral care and counsel during these time?
We've discussed the masks we can wear as pastor's wives. The one of "perfect superwoman" that is imposed on us oftentimes becomes easy to hide behind. Or the labels parishoners can put on us become easier and easier to assume forgetting our primary worth and value to the Father. "Life in a fishbowl" has been discussed. We ALWAYS end with a prayer time by breaking into small groups and praying for each other. Several years we've had a time of just "listening" where we had a room big enough to spread out, sitting alone, listening to quiet instrumental music and listening to God. (one year we were able to meet in a "Presidential Suite" at the hotel where we held this and had WONDERFUL space to spread out into - too bad the jacuzzi wasn't working!! LOL) There is so much to address in the pw role but first we have to be willing to expose our needs to one another and not try to be each other. As we take off the masks we see other women just like us with struggles that mirror our own and when we look really close, what do we see? Sisters in need of the Father's reassurance and care!
....but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 2PETER 3:18
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What's New?
From: BHale7904
Family Feud Survey Pastor's wives edition
Our church is still looking to do a Family Feud game and would like to ask you to fill out the following and send it back to me... thank you so much for your time... Becky
Please copy and paste and answer the following questions
Name the following:
a book of the New Testamemt
a book of the Old Testament
one of the 12 disciples
Favorite food at a church dinner
A woman in the Bible
One of Jesus' miracles
Number of congregational songs sung during a typical service
Other than Jesus someone who was brave
Someone who wrote a book of the Bible
A food in the Bible
an occupation mentioned in the Bible
A musical instrument mentioned in the Bible
a precious stone mentioned in the Bible
Game played on youth nites
other than offerings church's (ie ladies ministry, youth etc) favorite way of raising money (please tell me which group using this method)
For catagorizing only
age
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From: carmonh@cvzoom.net (Holland)
Hi,
I am a pastor's wife and a writer. I am interested in doing an article on pastors who don't particularly like their spouses in their workplace, eg. the church.
Oftentimes a man's work is his "personal space." As such, they prefer to separate their job site and work from their spouses. If this man happens to be a pastor the resulting conflict can escalate to the point that the spouse must even attend a different church in order to survive.
Any information gleaned for this article will be used sensitively and only with the contributor's permission.
I can be contacted at carmonh@cvzoom.net.
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O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful, And fully recompenses the proud doer. PSALM 31:23
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Hate evil, you who love the Lord, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. PSALM 97:10
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First keep the peace within yourself,
then you can also bring peace to others.
T. Kempis
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DOT'S DELIGHTS (DOTMI@aol.com)
Time is a daily challenge. With that in mind I would like to share a quick and nutritious casserole that I think your family will enjoy:
Seven-Layer Casserole
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 c. sliced potatoes
1 c. sliced onion
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 c. sliced carrots
1 can tomato soup
Peas - a cup or two (I prefer frozen, but canned is OK)
In a skillet, brown ground beef. While meat is cooking, spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Layer potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms and peas. Top vegetables with drained ground beef. Spread tomato soup over top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
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Contentment lodges more often in cottages than in Palaces
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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!!
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CHUCKLES
WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW UNTIL YOU HAVE CHILDREN
~~~ many seconds it takes to microwave 4 fish sticks perfectly.
~~~Who John Jacob Jingleheimershmitt is.
~~~How to change a diaper in the dark... in a parked car... on a standing child.
~~~Which lines of "The Cat in the Hat" and "If I Ran the Circus" can be skipped over
without a child noticing.
~~~The design marvels of hooded towels, Velcro-strap shoes and mitten clips.
~~~Locations of public restrooms all across town.
~~~Why anyone would bother retracing their steps for miles just to retrieve a lost
blankie.
~~~That tigers live in the trees in our backyard.
~~~How to open a van door while juggling two lunch boxes, two extra coats, a purse, a
diaper bag and a baby.
~~~The fine art of vacuuming a floor without hosing up a Barbie shoe or a Playmobil
cannonball.
~~~That solid white socks get lost in the dryer at a much slower rate than do the mates
of patterned socks that coordinate to special outfits.
~~~How little sleep a human body truly needs to function.
~~~Almost every Disney lyric ever penned.
~~~That one can never own too many sippy cup lids or refrigerator magnets.
~~~Scientific names of dinosaurs from A to Z.
~~~That reverse psychology really works.
~~~The distinctive sounds of Cheerios crunching underfoot.
~~~Why they call them Happy Meals.
~~~How far you can dilute juice and still retain its taste.
~~~That gender inequality starts early in clothing: Boy's underpants have a wide band
on top, while the waistband and leg holes on girls look the same, increasing the
odds that she'll pull 'em on tangled or upside down.
~~~That the more my kids learn, the less I seem to know.
~~~And most of all: How much you could love one human being!
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WEB LINKS
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To: pattierwr@ivillage.com
Please visit http://www.ribtickler.org . Humorous articles (by a
pastor's wife) for Christian women (the men are allowed to read them
since they contributed the rib!). Enjoy.
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If you have any web sites you would like to recommend, please send
them to SarahsTent@aol.com.
"As with all web pages, Sarah's Tent cannot be responsible for web page
content, especially when referring to non - Christian links that we
feel may be of interest to you. Please surf the Internet carefully!
Use common sense when exploring deeper and deeper links, or inventing
Keywords to try to find something. "
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We'd Like to Hear from YOU
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. . . . . . Please
feel free to contribute, comment and suggest. This newsletter is for
you, and from you. Just drop us a line at SarahsTent@aol.com
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JoyfulArt@aol.com, (Shannon Parish) and her husband, PastorDP (Dewayne
Parish) are senior pastors of
LIVING STONES CHURCH
P.O. Box 964 Broomfield, CO 80038-0964 303-437-3545
To visit JoyfulArt's home page, please go to:
http://ionanet.com/ppl/Shannon/shannon.htm
TentDwellr@aol.com (Christina Weimer) is a pastor's wife working
alongside husband Nathan Weimer at Columbia Ridge Baptist Church in
Vancouver, WashingtonColumbia Ridge Baptist Church and Academy of
Vancouver Washington
http://ionanet.com/chrst/columbia/index.htm
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All financial contributions are tax deductible and are used to support
this Internet Community through web presence, and resources.
Contact JoyfulArt or TentDwellr(@aol.com)
if you are interested in becoming a more involved part of Sarah's Tent
Joy
in The Kitchen Volume 4 Issue 6
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