We All Have Control Issues

By Bethel B. Webb

God designed us to be dependent on Him. Our limitations are not a consequence of the Fall, nor are they a design flaw. They're precisely what God intended. Our dependence on God creates intimacy with him which produces peace that passeth understanding. (Phil 4:7) Life is unpredictable, and we do not have all the information. This uncertainty is intentional, encouraging us to trust in His wisdom and guidance. 

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What Am I Here For?: Reclaiming Your Purpose According to God's Original Intent

By Bethel B. Webb

The focus on productivity can lead us to equate our purpose with our current role or responsibilities. But roles are not synonymous with purpose. The same way as role is not equal to identity or calling. A pastor's wife can find purpose beyond her husband's ministry. A stay-at-home mom's purpose extends beyond raising children. The purpose of the woman in ministry goes beyond the confines of what she must and must not do.

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Sean Corser Comment
Christmas and Ministry

By Glenna Marshall

Jesus is not just the reason for the season, He is the reason we serve the local church. He is the reason we study and prepare, serve and love, show up and give the gift of our presence to our people. He is the reason we say “yes” to what He asks us to do. He is the reason we give our lives to make Him known. He is our reason and purpose for life!

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Handling Difficult News in Ministry

By Glenna Marshall

There isn’t a script for when you answer the phone and hear that a loved one has suddenly passed away, that a wayward child has disappeared, that a marriage is on the rocks. Nevertheless, your church members will call you when life has gone off the rails because you (and/or your husband) represent wisdom and help as a member of the pastor’s family. While you may not feel up to the challenge, it’s a good thing for your church members to reach out to you!

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Battling Loneliness in a Ministry Marriage

By Glenna Marshall

If you’re struggling with resentment because of the demands ministry makes of your marriage, confess those feelings and areas of sin to the Lord. Seek to keep your heart soft before Him by trusting Him with the calling He has placed on your lives as a married couple in ministry. This isn’t easy, but leaning towards the Lord and the things He loves will always be the right answer.* 

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God Doesn’t Need Your Rash Response

By Glenna Marshall

When it comes to rash words, we reap what we sow. There have been many times in my life as a pastor’s wife when I’ve wished I could stuff a rash response back into my mouth. It’s an ongoing struggle, to be frank. But I can’t unsay what I’ve spoken in angst. When I react immediately in a tenuous situation, it never serves me well in the long run. In fact, a rash reaction tends to make a bad situation worse

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Lessons From Ten Years in Ministry

By Liz Roy

Ministry wife, take heart and know that God is growing you too. Maybe the lessons God has taught me will spur you on to think about what He has been teaching you through vocational ministry. And may the lessons learned for all of us not only settle in our minds as information, but may these lessons transform us to be more like our Savior as we journey together.

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Responding to Harsh Words in Ministry

By Glenna Marshall

I remember the day I sat in a coffee shop with a trusted friend and cried over my latte. While I shared how difficult the week had been ministry-wise, my phone kept buzzing with hurtful texts loaded with criticism from a church member about a decision we’d made as a family. It wasn’t a decision that had any bearing on our church members. It wasn’t immoral or unbiblical; it wasn’t even a big deal. I didn’t understand why I was being bombarded with criticisms. I was accused of being manipulative and secretive. Crushed, I silenced my phone while my friend held my hand and prayed over my tears.

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Sean Corser
Do You Need a Ministry Mentor?

By Liz Roy

Practical Shepherding Women offers mentoring services from ministry mentors. We are pastors’ wives and women in ministry who are ready to come alongside you in your time of need. You can begin meeting with one of our female mentors for 6-8 weeks. During this time we want to hear the burdens you are carrying. Each mentor has her own God-given gifting and abilities and will use the time in a way that she prayerfully considers will be beneficial to your soul. We might ask you to meditate on specific scriptures or read a passage and discuss it the next week. Your mentor will seek to step back and give a biblical perspective on your trial. A mentor commits to pray for you and with you.

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Look for the Faithful Helpers

By Glenna Marshall

The Lord loves His church, and He uses all kinds of people in all different ways to comfort, encourage, exhort, and serve. If your discouragement over absences or lack of involvement is coloring the way you view your church family, ask the Lord to help you look for the faithful helpers. Their presence will encourage you. The body of Christ is made up of ordinary people whose names will likely not be remembered a hundred years from now. But God sees them, and so should we. 

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Growing in Intimacy with Jesus

By Liz Roy

Experiencing the love of Christ is not a mystical or emotional experience to conjure up! Our experiences of His love will rise and fall and ebb and flow. We experience this love in different measures and at different times. We are not to seek after the experience but to seek Jesus! The love of Christ always begins with knowing and believing in who He is and what He has done for me.

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