By Kellye Carmack
Encourage them. Is someone serving and sacrificing their time? Encourage them. Did someone lead a small group or a Bible study? Instead of pointing out what they could have done better, encourage them. Do you want your church leaders to thrive? Encourage them.
Read Moreby Kellye Carmack
Many ministry families give up their hobbies and passions to spend more time doing ministry, but the things that bring you joy may be the exact things that God uses to minister through you. I’m not saying there won’t be sacrifices that we have to make for our church, but don’t sacrifice something that God may want to use. The same God who knit you together with your passions, called you to ministry, and He wants to use all of you for His glory.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
There are parameters in following Christ. Those parameters allow us to freely and safely live where we can experience true blessing. God’s commands, rightly applied, give life, joy and protection.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
It feels easier for us to believe that Jesus rose from the dead than to believe that He will work all things out for our good. Friend, this is what I want you to remember: If Jesus really rose from the dead, then everything else He says is true. He promised he would rise from the dead, just like he promised to give you all things for life and godliness, just like He promised to never leave you or forsake you, just like He promised to provide for all your needs.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
The body of Christ is full of “worship leaders,” who never step on a stage or pick up a guitar, but whose lives constantly point others to the Savior. Your church doesn’t need you to be a dynamic teacher or an amazing hostess. They need you to love God more than anything else in the world.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
Taking time to examine our hearts, our work, and our relationships at church can be a good habit for a ministry family. One way to do that is with reflection questions. I love reflection questions. They’re like prodding little friends who pull the hidden mess of our hearts into the light.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
I’ve had a lot of experience with unmet desires, with years of praying and longing but not receiving. Like our foster child, I’ve known what I wanted, and it has looked so good. I’ve been certain it would be the best thing for me, and I have been angry with God for not agreeing with me. I’ve spent a good bit of time trying to interpret and understand my losses through the lens of Scripture.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
Do you have a burden to care for the hurting people in your church? There are so many resources for people who want to develop basic counseling skills for use in your local church. Today, I want to recommend a few that have been helpful to me.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
If you are in the middle of a difficult season, let me encourage you to meditate on the resurrection of Jesus. Be encouraged and find joy in the victory that He won for you when He was raised from the dead. God has saved us. He will sustain our faith until the end, and He will save us in the end. Our hope in Christ is a full assurance that God is going to do good for us. He fills our earthly homes with hope and praise. He is filling our Heavenly home with a beautiful, everlasting inheritance. It’s an absolute guarantee.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
Conflict is inevitable in Christian circles but in Christ, peace and reconciliation are always possible. The love of Jesus covers over the multitude of sins that we commit against each other. His grace is sufficient for all of us. Battles within our churches are disheartening but be encouraged—Christ won the victory before the battle even began.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
Is a missionary from your church coming home this summer? Perhaps they are retiring or taking a much-needed break. The church should be a place where missionaries receive refreshment, encouragement, and discipleship. Here are a few suggestions for how to help them transition and recharge before returning to the field.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
There are so many practical ways to accomplish the great commission and I want to share a few suggestions directly from the mission field. I asked missionaries from various parts of the world to share the most encouraging ways their home church has supported them. While this list is by no means exhaustive, just a few ideas for how you can care for the missionaries from your church. Read them and be encouraged.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
For those who are in Christ, our foundation is more than our past experiences or our present realities. We are rooted in Him and that root runs deep and strong. He is the source of everything we need for each new season. Our identities find security in Him.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
This month on the blog we want to offer you a few practical ways to savor the birth of Jesus. We pray that each post in this Christmas series will lead you in a few moments of worship as you reflect on Christ this season.
Read MoreBy Kelly Carmack
In the harshest season of the year we find wonder, deep rest, peace, time to savor. These gifts wouldn’t exist without the harsh elements of the season, and our winters in ministry are no different. Perhaps those gifts in ministry are not as visible as the glittering white landscape you see out your window on a snowy winter’s day.
Read MoreMinistry wives, as we wrap up a month that sometimes makes us painfully aware of our shortcomings and perceived failures in ministry, we encourage you to look for the gifts. If you’re really struggling right now, consider making an actual list of the gifts God has given you in your ministry. Dig deep. Think of ways God has sprinkled in spots of joy into your ministry, even on the toughest days. Thank Him for sustaining you thus far, and pray for Him to keep upholding you as you serve Him by serving your church. He loves you, He sees you, and your ministry matters to Him.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
God’s love is greater than any person or church can show you. Even the most meaningful human gifts pale in comparison to what He has for you. Let me encourage you to take a few moments to rest in His love for you. Meditate on who He is as your Father and Creator. Ask Him to show you how much He loves you.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
How will you get up on Sunday morning and serve your church when you are hurting? God is a rescuer, He wants to rescue you. Before you decide to give up, call out to Him for help. He can give you strength and endurance to faithfully serve in the hardest of places.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
The hymns we sing in our childhood — and the ones you teach your children— plant a seed that can produce fruit throughout our lives. “Great is Thy Faithfulness” has helped me bear the fruits of love, joy, peace, and faithfulness even when the season I’m in feels barren and dry. Singing hymns can spur us on in perseverance as they draw our wandering minds back in the direction of trusting and following God.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
A friend recently shared with me that she had grown complacent in her prayer life. Where she once felt a passion and excitement for prayer she now felt tired and unmotivated. Knowing that prayer is pivotal for her ministry and personal growth she was desperate to get out of what she called a “prayerless rut”. “What do you do,” she asked, “when you don’t feel like praying?”
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