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For the One
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:12-14 (NIV) I love sheep. If you’ve known me a long time, you might know that already. I’ve been collecting sheep of all shapes and sizes for many years. When I…
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Parallel Parking and God – A Lesson in Listening
My last child, #4, takes her driving test very soon. I have attempted to show her various maneuvers, but knew I had to pass her off to her dad to cover the intricacies of parallel parking. You see, her dad, who is a car-loving “gear-head” if there ever was one, can park a car inside our garage within inches of the walls and corners. A few days ago they set out to practice on the road, but before they did, my husband attempted to show our daughter on paper how to parallel park. What followed was a series of “I know Dad!” and then “Just be quiet and listen!” verbal…
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So You Want to Be A Pastor’s Wife – Part Two
Years ago I discovered an old book, written in 1956, called “How to be a Preacher’s Wife and Like It”1 written by Lora Lee Parrott. The book begins, “To marry a successful preacher has been the secret ambition of many fine Christian young ladies.” Ha! I snickered, “Not me!” In fact, when I first met my husband-to-be, I knew he was studying to be a pastor, so I told him plainly, “I’ll NEVER be a pastor’s wife!” We were married two years later. Why was I so resistant? Maybe it was because of the pressure that used to be placed upon the wife of the pastor. Listen to what else…
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So You Want to Be a Pastor’s Wife – Part One
There’s been a buzz on my Facebook news feed recently, the excitement of new beginnings as friends and family graduate from high school, college and other schools of higher learning. Twenty-five years ago, we felt the same thrill as my husband wrapped up his last year of Seminary and we were sent off to the West to begin a life in ministry! Mingling emotions of RELIEF (completing school), EXCITEMENT (our first assignment!), and WONDER (are we ready?) filled our being. My brand-new husband, well aware of my reluctance to be a pastor’s wife (we’ll save that for another blog), assured me, “Honey, it may not always be easy, but I promise, we’re…
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Hold On Tight
Last month I touched on the subject of “letting go” -releasing all that we have no control over. Letting go of past events, situations, or worries. Letting go of guilt from sins that Jesus took care of 2000 years ago. Since then, I’ve been pondering the opposite view, because I realize that although there is much we need to let go of and release, there are also some things that are worth fighting for, worth hanging on to – as if life depended on it. What are those things deemed worthy of time, energy, and effort? Here’s a starter-list to get us thinking. 1. My marriage. I started with this…
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Let It Go
I’m so sorry, I really had no intention of putting that song into your head. It’s amazing, isn’t it, how three little words can be so powerful!?! It just seems to be a motto with me lately: Illness invades… let it go. Schedules conflict…let it go. Project is delayed… let it go. I want to hang on, to hold tight, to fight, to control, and God says, Let. It. Go. I’ve been buried in the book of Genesis lately, in one of my favorite studies, The Patriarchs, by Beth Moore. Written over 10 years ago, but still as timeless and applicable as ever, this study has reminded me once again…
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