By 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 Glenna Marshall
I remember the first time I heard the song, “He Will Hold Me Fast.” I remember because I wasn’t playing the piano that Sunday morning at church, which was unusual. I’ve played the piano nearly every Sunday morning for fifteen years at the church my husband pastors.
Read MoreBy Cara Croft
Silence. That is my answer. I am afraid of silence. Not my own silence, but silence from God. What if I get alone, I sit quiet all day, and when the time is up I find God has been silent too? What if I go into solitude hoping to find God in a deeper way and do not find Him at all? What if all the things I fear about God is what I experience?
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?”
Read MoreBy Glenna Marshall
Our church ministry was tough from day one. We had no idea what we were doing, and we had walked into quite a difficult situation. What followed were a dozen broken years. It seemed that everything we touched failed, that every hope for the church was met with resistance and criticism, and I struggled with chronic loneliness.
Read MoreBy DeAnna Gibson
I remember ministry before Autism. Mostly well-curated, carefully unveiled at my own discretion, I hid most flaws and inconsistencies better left unseen. It would take a few years beyond my son’s diagnosis to begin relinquishing my need to be seen in a certain light as a mom and ministry wife, and to willingly be on display for Jesus and His purposes in me and my son.
Read MoreBy Cara Croft
The teenage years are messy. They are messy physically and emotionally. Teenagers want to have their own style, their own friends, and their own opinions. It is a time where they are gravitating towards friends and away from us. It is a time when they are trying to figure out who they are and what they believe apart from us. It is a time filled with fear, anxiety, and turmoil for all of us. This is why it is messy.
Read MoreBy Glenna Marshall
What we get, in parenting, are human children who struggle with sinfulness and obedience just like we do. It’s humbling to be the mom in the grocery store whose kid is wailing with all his might while demanding the Spiderman toy you refused to buy. You can feel every eye on you as you try to diffuse the situation without melting into the floor. Even worse if it’s a church sanctuary instead of a grocery store!
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
After years of trying, my husband and I were still childless, and I was dragging myself through another Mother’s Day without children. I left that day feeling both the grief of my empty womb and the love of God through His people.
Read MoreBy Glenna Marshall
It’s been a strange, stressful three months for the church. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that we were not meant to be apart. Three weeks ago, our church began meeting in the parking lot—first in our cars and then in lawn chairs. That first week in the parking lot, I heard the distinct voices of my church family as we sang “The Doxology” at the end of the service, and tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn’t sing around the knot in my throat. On March 15th, a reprieve from church felt a little like a vacation following some ministry burnout. But, standing in the shade of the big trees in front of our church building so many weeks later, I listened to the voices nearest me, and I realized why even an outdoor service felt like a gift all these weeks later: we were meant to be together.
Read MoreBy Kellye Carmack
Pastors want to be faithful with the work that has been entrusted to them but many times this desire to be faithful is met with conflicting views of their plans and decisions. Those expectations can feel like added weight as they try to move forward. Expectations from the church often also extend to the pastor’s wife. Though there is no specific biblical role for her, she likely feels there are specific standards she must meet. Few other careers go as far as ministry in putting pressure and expectations on the whole family. That includes the pastor’s kid.
Read MoreChurches have varying expectations of their ministry wives. And dear ministry wife—because you’re just one person, you’re going to fail to meet the myriad of expectations that an entire congregation of people have for you. The fear of becoming a failure in their eyes or of somehow damaging your husband’s ministry can weaken your resolve to set healthy boundaries for you and your family.
Read More“It feels like heavy weights pressing down on my shoulders.”
“I would describe it like rope tied tight around my chest making it hard to breathe.”
“To me it is like rocks just sitting in my stomach.”
As I talk with pastor’s wives these are some statements I hear when they are describing the weight of expectations being placed upon them. Honestly, these are some of the words I have used to describe the same weight I often experience.
Read MoreEach month we will answer a question from a reader as a part of our new “Practical Postcards” series. The questions asked for today’s post are: “How do we thrive in serving Jesus?”, “How do you get through the pain and move on”, and “How do you stop doubting what God has for you after being hurt so badly and unfairly?”
Read MoreToday, perhaps more than ever, you have situations that you hope will change but no guarantee that God will change them the way you have asked. You feel like all you can do is pray, hold your breath and wait. The good news that you can be sure of is Jesus will never leave you. Your circumstances can change in an instant, but Jesus is always good and never changes.
Read MoreAs I’ve reflected on what God might want me to learn during these financially shaky days, I’ve been reminded that anytime he calls us to suffer in ministry, he is teaching us to lean more heavily on him than on our abilities or resources.
Read MoreRelief has come in the form of not having to do the same crazy Sunday morning ritual. You know, the routine of trying to get kids dressed, fed, and out the door in time to make it to church. The routine of sitting in the pew alone while our husbands are preaching. The routine of fielding all of the pre and post church questions and concerns. The routine of facing the weekly expectations. The routine of conflicts and heated members meetings. The disruption to this routine feels relieving.
Read MoreI’m sure you have heard the saying that you cannot lead someone where you have never been. As those who care for the spiritual and emotional needs of others we must be diligent to care for our own souls as well. There are many excellent books written specifically for those in ministry.
Read MoreLast night while studying Scripture with other women I was convicted of a particular sin. It was one of those “ugly branches that needed cutting down” as Cara talked about in her post this week about autumn. It was both hard and good. We studied the passage from John 9 where Jesus healed the man who was blind from birth. As our teacher walked us through the story, I saw the deep compassion of Christ and my poor reflection of it.
Read MoreOne of the reasons I love living in Kentucky is because we get to experience all of the seasons. Each season brings with it joy and frustration. The lovely blooms of spring coupled with the crippling allergies of the pollen. The warmth of summer quickly turned into suffocating heat and humidity. Winters soft, white snow that muffles out the noise of the world yet coupled with depressing grey skies clouding the brightness of the sun.
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