You know, ministry can be quite the roller coaster. I heard recently that only 10% of all pastors finish well in ministry. Um, if that is true, that is a scary statistic. I pray that Stuart and I are part of that 10%, as a matter of fact, we are determined to be part of that 10%! When you are called to some sort of ministry it has so many ups and downs. I am so thankful that we have had so many more ups than we have had downs. Recently, we went through a situation that was probably one of the most difficult situations we have ever experienced in ministry. I am so grateful for the difficult situations in life, because it draws your soul to deeply long for Christ and His guidance. Our marriage is stronger and I believe our perspective on ministry, church and friendships are better. When we were going through this difficult time, I heard a woman speak, Kerri Weems. She spoke about dealing with discouragement and some of the things that she said really resonated with me. I thought that I would share some of my notes with you.
When dealing with discouragement:
*Stir up the rise up factor-The rise up factor is simply "the will to keep going in the face of opposition and discouragement." That will preach! I think that this can be used in ALL areas of our lives. We have to make a conscious decision to STIR UP THE RISE UP FACTOR!
*Get the mind of Christ-we have the capacity to see all things the way that Christ sees them. We need to learn to see things through spiritual eyes. In these difficult times it is important to position yourself even more in the word of God. Know the promises of God and retrain your mind to think the way God's Word does.
*Get in the habit of practicing the presence of God-Be in tune to his voice all day long. Worship him all day long.
*Guard the fire of devotion in you heart-I love the way that she phrased this. It is such a great picture of us physically guarding our heart and our devotion to the One that we love. Booya-that is how we increase that 10% to 100% of people in ministry finishing well!
I am so thankful that a couple of months ago I had the privilege of hearing Kerri Weems. It was exactly what I needed and I hope that it helps you too!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
My Mother's Day
I'm thinking that this Mother's Day will go down in the books for me! It was such a great weekend.
The kids had a half day on Friday and as soon as they got off of the bus we went to Busch Gardens. It was so much fun. I got to spend some special time with Taylor (our non roller coaster child) and I also got to spend time with Emma and Brayden (our roller coaster riding children). Verbolten (their new roller coaster) was having a soft opening and we got to ride it...AMAZING! We had dinner at Chickfila and went home. Stuart and the kids worked on a "special" project the whole rest of the night.
Saturday we went to Brayden's baseball game and then all of our family came over to have dinner for Mother's Day (preachers and their families have to celebrate things like this on a separate day). Typically, Stuart tries to rest on Saturday, but he worked his tail off making things extra special for me an our moms. He grocery shopped and he cooked the whole meal, which was fantastic! I felt so special. My kids also went all out for Mother's Day. Check out what they made me:
The big finale was the "special" project that the kids had been working on. Stuart had the idea a couple of weeks ago to build me a garden. We inherited a very large garden in our yard, but we took it down because I felt overwhelmed by the size. So, he took the old wood that we used from the other garden (score!) and then he and the kids built me a garden. Then he took the kids to the store and they bought plants with their own money. I don't think that I have ever felt so special before. I am so grateful to have a husband and kids that are so incredibly thoughtful. I feel ridiculously blessed!
On Sunday, I had the privilege of speaking with Stuart at the end of the service. I have never done anything like that before. I was sooo nervous. How crazy is it that every time I went up there I was nervous? However, Stuart made me feel so comfortable and he promised me that he would cover up all of my mess ups...he is a pro you know? It was a really neat experience. It definitely gave me more of an appreciation of what Stuart does on Sundays. God has blessed him with an amazing ability to speak...in my own personal opinion he is the BEST!
The kids had a half day on Friday and as soon as they got off of the bus we went to Busch Gardens. It was so much fun. I got to spend some special time with Taylor (our non roller coaster child) and I also got to spend time with Emma and Brayden (our roller coaster riding children). Verbolten (their new roller coaster) was having a soft opening and we got to ride it...AMAZING! We had dinner at Chickfila and went home. Stuart and the kids worked on a "special" project the whole rest of the night.
Saturday we went to Brayden's baseball game and then all of our family came over to have dinner for Mother's Day (preachers and their families have to celebrate things like this on a separate day). Typically, Stuart tries to rest on Saturday, but he worked his tail off making things extra special for me an our moms. He grocery shopped and he cooked the whole meal, which was fantastic! I felt so special. My kids also went all out for Mother's Day. Check out what they made me:
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| These beautiful tissue flowers are from Emma! |
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| This was the card from Brayden. He said that in my free time I like organizing...he knows me so well! And, how do you like my favorite food? Krispy Kreme! Ha! |
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| Brayden also wrote 3 paragraphs about me. I love that he likes to spend time with me! |
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| Taylor wrote this for me! So sweet and her handwriting is awesome! |
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| How adorable...me and Taylor! |
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| I love our art teacher at school. Every time my kids have been in 1st grade she has them make this pinch pot for Mother's Day. I now have my complete set of 3! I love these and I will cherish them forever! |
The big finale was the "special" project that the kids had been working on. Stuart had the idea a couple of weeks ago to build me a garden. We inherited a very large garden in our yard, but we took it down because I felt overwhelmed by the size. So, he took the old wood that we used from the other garden (score!) and then he and the kids built me a garden. Then he took the kids to the store and they bought plants with their own money. I don't think that I have ever felt so special before. I am so grateful to have a husband and kids that are so incredibly thoughtful. I feel ridiculously blessed!
On Sunday, I had the privilege of speaking with Stuart at the end of the service. I have never done anything like that before. I was sooo nervous. How crazy is it that every time I went up there I was nervous? However, Stuart made me feel so comfortable and he promised me that he would cover up all of my mess ups...he is a pro you know? It was a really neat experience. It definitely gave me more of an appreciation of what Stuart does on Sundays. God has blessed him with an amazing ability to speak...in my own personal opinion he is the BEST!
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