Posts

Showing posts from November, 2010

Joys and Pains of the Ministry Life: Part II

Image
Welcome back to my blog series on life in the ministry. I hope these writings encourage you as you walk through the calling that God has placed on your life. If you're like me, you have days that you thank God you've been called. Other days the calling seems so natural and fitting, it's not even a conscious thing. It just is. Then there are days when you scratch your head and ask yourself, as I have from time to time, "How in the world did I get here?" Trust me, you're not alone. And if, at the moment, you are not in ministry or married to someone in ministry, please continue to read on. We need your encouragement, grace and prayers!  Challenge #2: Life in the Fishbowl I'm sure all of you have heard of the "fishbowl life" in ministry. Now this may not be a challenge for some of you, but I personally never aspired to a life on Broadway! An introvert, I  am most comfortable behind the scenes, supporting those around me. I am the encourager

Joys and Pains of the Ministry Life

Image
My next series of blogs is dedicated to my sisters in ministry: whether you're a pastor's wife, a missionary or a ministry leader. Ours is a rewarding, yet trying road, Ladies. We cannot walk it alone. I know I certainly cannot. I'll be listing a few challenges of the ministry life then share tidbits of God's wisdom concerning that challenge. May you be encouraged by the things I share, and at the very least know that someone out there "gets" you. And if you find that you don't fit into any of these categories, still read on. I'm sure there's a pastor's wife, missionary or ministry head who is aching for some of your encouragement. These blogs just might clue you in on how to give her that encouragement. Challenge#1: Sundays no longer feel like the Sabbath This was perhaps the most difficult thing about becoming a pastor's wife for me. The Sunday before Anthony became a pastor, we enjoyed worship together as a couple. We sat side-by-

Sunny San Diego!

Image
Last week I had the pleasure and privilege of spending a week in beautiful San Diego, California with my hubby. For several years our lead pastor, Mark DeyMaz, has been dreaming of a conference that would encourage other diverse churches around the country and train others with the goal of becoming diverse. Well that dream is now a reality as we participated in the first Multi-ethnic Church Conference. And what a blessing it was to see men and women of different races, cultures and backgrounds worshiping and walking together During the conference, we were blessed by speakers Erwin McManus, David Anderson, Dave Gibbons and many others. We even heard from Michael Emerson, the spiritual trailblazer that penned the book Divided by Faith . My husband Anthony and our dear former Pastor Chris Williamson (Strong Tower Bible Church in Franklin, TN) facilitated workshops. And my pastor's wife, Linda DeyMaz, represented the ladies in the house by teaching the pastors' wives. We had a wo