"What A Beautiful Name" is going through my head this morning. The name of Jesus is a beautiful name. When one says it, there is power in it. There is a part that I needed reminded of today... You have no rival, You have no equal Now and forever, God You reign Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the glory Yours is the Name, above all names The enemy may work his best to cause havoc in lives but he is "no equal" to Jesus. The enemy's name does not have the same power as Jesus' name. The enemy himself does not have the power Jesus has. I think the more the enemy fights us the more we need to call out Jesus' name. The enemy has not and can not accomplish what Jesus has and can. There is no power in the enemy's name. The truth of Jesus' death and resurrection cannot be compared to anything the enemy has done. Death could not hold You, the veil tore before You You silenced the boast, of sin and grave The heavens are roaring, the praise of Your glory For You are raised to life again In II Peter 1 Peter describes how prophecy was confirmed to him and the other disciples. Peter encourages all to stay focused on God's Word. It will enable us to be living right in the days leading up to the Lord's return. This morning I was thinking about how the disciples experienced Jesus being on earth with them. We can't experience him in human form until we get to heaven but we can experience living in a relationship where we hear His voice. In order to be in such relationship we first must accept Him into our heart. Then we must go a step further and allow Him to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords of our life. He must be the One we listen to. He must be the One who directs our every thought and action. His name must be the name we call on for strength and power. The desire of His heart is to have everyone call upon Him. The desire of my heart is to please Him. Dear Jesus, Thank You for the reminders from this song this morning. Thank You for the power You give through the utterance of Your name. I pray for the enemy to be knocked down today when he comes knocking. I pray for Your name to be on my lips throughout the day. Lord, empower me to be greater than anything the enemy brings my way. Fill my words, actions, attitude and vision with more of You. May You flow from me abundantly so people will see You instead of me. Lord, I continue to pray for a healing in my husband. I pray for Your strength to be his in abundance...physically, mentally, emotionally, financially and most of all spiritually. Thank You Jesus for being My Beautiful! Amen.
Today is my husband's birthday. I am so blessed by him. He is an example of what a godly man is all about. He reminds me of my Daddy in so many ways with the way he cares for me and makes life fun. I never know what is going to happen throughout the day. He definitely makes life interesting! The one thing I do know though is that God is going to be a part of every decision made. When Doc felt led to South Carolina, I knew it wasn't just his desire but it was the Lord's desire. As we have come up against obstacle over obstacle since coming this was realized even more so. The enemy does not like what we are doing and continues to fight us. Praise God we have Him on our side. We do not have to worry over things but instead can rest in His peace. That is easier said than done at times when things keep hitting us but the Lord is with us. He is our strength. He is greater than physical problems. He is greater than financial unknowns. Plain and simple. He is greater. My husband stands upon that fact. Once again, I am so blessed by his faith. I am so grateful to have him as not only my husband but as my pastor. I know the times he puts into a sermon before he gets into the pulpit. I know the time he prays for people and the time he invests into people's lives. I am so grateful for the the knowledge of these things. Dear Jesus, Thank You for my husband! Thank You for his faith in You! Father, I pray a blessing over his day today as he celebrates his birthday. Lord, I pray for a healing his physical body. I pray for the blood pressure and the sugar to be in normal range. Lord, I pray You will do a miraculous healing in him. Father, thank You for his support of me not only as his wife but as a pastor. I pray for more of You in both of us. I pray for Your words, actions, attitude and vision to be ours. Enable me to be a better support to him in all he does. Thank You Jesus for being Our Guide. Amen.
I like what Peter says about how to live so "no grass will grow under your feet." He gives the understanding of what it takes to live so "no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus." One must not only have faith but they also must live that faith out. When times get tough, we must dig deeper into God's Word and pray. When we are faced with difficult situations, we must look to God and listen to His voice for direction. As we go through life there will be people who will make us feel unloved but instead of responding in the same manner we must love them with His love. All of the qualities mentioned in this Scripture are ones we need to take on in our spirit each and every day. They will complement each other to develop the person the Lord so desires us to be. The more we take on these qualities of Christ, the more we will become Christ-like and fulfill our purpose on this earth. Dear Jesus, Thank You for the reminder of Your Word this morning. As I look to this day I wonder who You will put in my path to exercise Your love on. I pray for all who hear or see me today to know You are the very essence of my life. I pray for people to desire You because of the faith they see I have in You. Lord, fill me to overflowing so Your actions, words, attitude and vision flow from me. I pray for physical strength for this day but most of all I pray for spiritual strength. May my tank be full throughout the entire day! Thank You Jesus for being My Essence. Amen.
Being woke
up at 1:40 with an urgency to pray for a dear brother and his wife was a
privilege but with knowing the clock was going off at 4:45 I grumbled a bit.
The Lord reprimanded me for being crabby. Intercession is a privilege. I am
thankful for those who prayer for me. Even when people do not know details they
still pray. I have no idea what my friends are going through but I do know He
told me what to pray and to share it with them. He told me to pray the full
armor of God over them, specifically the belt of truth. I prayed for this
couple to “stand firm” as they are in battle with the evil one. They are going
places the enemy does not want them to be. As I prayed for them I thought of
our situation. I am so excited to know the enemy does not like our obedience.
He continually throws darts at us. Yesterday I told someone that I was so tired
of the fight. Those words could be an open door to the enemy. I rebuke him from
having any power over us. Just as “Great Are You Lord” goes He is the Great One
who gives life and hope.
You give life, You are
love,
You bring light to the
darkness
You give hope You
restore
every heart that is
broken
And Great are You Lord
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for waking me to pray for this precious couple.
Father, I also pray for our situation. May we “stand firm” no matter what the
enemy tries to tear us down with. I pray we will continually have the full armor
of God on to be our strength. Lord, fill me to overflowing with more of You. Be
my words, actions, attitude and vision as I go throughout this day. May all who
see or hear me know You are living in me. Father, enable me to knock the enemy
down when he comes knocking! Thank You for being My Strength! Amen.
Yesterday was a day I thought would never end. Four doctor appointments and a church board meeting were more than enough to fill the day. Add making meals and doing school work on top of that was exhausting. I don't know why but I was very anxious before my first oncologist appointment. It wasn't like I was getting test results or anything. I couldn't understand it. I knew God was with me yet my physical body responded with an elevated BP. I was thankful when I went across the lobby to the second oncologist the BP was down. Most of all I am grateful the Lord is with me. He confirmed when the cancer was first realized that I was do to radiation and then take the hormone pill afterward. I can't imagine not having Him to guide my every step. Years ago when I turned away from Him He never left me. I was the one to turn away. Last night when I finally went to bed I had "Lord I'm Ready Now" in my mind. I am so grateful for the way He accepted me back. I am amazed over and over again with where I am in life. My relationship with Him is so special and I love that He loves me so deeply. I am grateful for the way He uses me as His servant. I promised Him yesterday the enemy will not win in this war against us. The enemy does not like our obedience and that makes me even more determined to dig in my heals and stay planted firm in the Lord. As the Lord takes me deeper in my relationship with Him, I am blessed. I praise His Holy Name for every day He gives me to love on others with His love. I am blessed this morning as I read II Peter 1. Verses three through eleven are words from Peter to those who have turned away from the world into the arms of Christ. The qualities Peter lists of such a person are ones that will bless each of us in abundance. I love the part "With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus." Each day has a reward to be found in it when You live a life going deeper into relationship for Him. Every day has blessings even when circumstances make it hard to see them. He blesses me in abundance as I strive to complement my "basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love" (verses 5-7).
Dear Jesus, Thank You for wrapping Your loving arms around me each and every day. Thank You for blessing my obedience. Thank You for loving me so greatly. Father, I will admit I am tired of this fight against the enemy but I also will say I am determined he will not win. You are greater than him. You are greater than bills, the cost of medication, etc. I praise Your Holy Name for that knowledge! Please keep reminding me You have everything taken care of! Father, fill me with more of You so the reminders do not have to happen as often. I pray for people to see and hear You through me today. Bless me as I strive to bless others. Be my actions, words, attitude and vision throughout this day. Thank You Father for being My Depth. Amen.
Being a pastor's wife can be very difficult yet it can be very joyful. It is a role many serve well while others struggle. When the Lord called us to Willard, I struggled with much of the advice given to pastors wives. I never could understand the advice that a pastor's wife was not have friends in the church. I understand that you don't want to offend people with having a 'best' friend. That could cause hard feelings. But not having friends at all just did not make sense to me. After leaving Willard I realized maybe why a pastor's wife is not to have friends in the church is because when you leave it hurts. Leaving my church family was very hard to do. We lived life together for fifteen years. They were in my life for the birth of our first grandchild...actually the birth of all of our grandchildren. They saw us through many MS exacerbations. Doc's foot surgery, tonsillectomy, foot surgery, multiple kidney stones, etc. They were my support when my Daddy died. We were there for births, deaths, graduations, etc. They were more than just my church family. They were my friends. I remember before we left being asked "How can we love on our new pastor's wife the best? What can we do to make her feel welcome and a part of our church family?" My first response was, "Don't compare her to me. Whoever comes will not be like me." Of course we laughed at that statement! But one thing that makes me different than other pastor wives is that I am not only called to be a helpmate for my husband but I am called to be a pastor. I do things in and out of the church as a pastor. Not every pastor's wife would officiate a funeral. Although I have talked to some who their husband became ill and did so. Not every pastor's wife goes to pastoral meetings. I also answered the question by saying, "Love on her like you loved on me. Support her in whatever she does." I remember when we first went to Willard I traveled back and forth to work at Smuckers for a long time. During that time the church loved on us with supper many times. They loved on me with cards to encourage me. They didn't put expectations upon me that were unbearable to meet, although I did. Most of all I knew there were many ladies praying for me as I traveled and that meant a lot. Last night I had a message from a friend about being a shepherd. She wrote,
You do a great job at all the things Peter calls shepherds to be! I recall reading in a farm magazine a neat article about the life of sheep-herding. They live a rather dangerous and difficult life, but the rewards must be good, such as living under the stars, nomad-like, in a slower paced life than most of us will ever live. However, isolation and loneliness was the hardest challenge. I am a loner by nature, I might enjoy it. But my point was, being the Pastor and Pastor's wife might be just as lonely at times? I hope not. ULtimately, God is enough, even for shepherds.
The rewards to shepherding are great but isolation and loneliness do come into play from time to time. Moving to South Carolina has been a great adjustment to me. I think of our first month or so and the adjustments we experienced. Even Mordecei struggled. He (and I) were use to having people in and out of the house. We were use to taking walks and stopping and talking to people. Our 'normal' went out the window in so many ways. Many times I found him sitting in the guest room with his head down and it made me cry. His loss of interaction with people and other dogs was great. There were times where I wondered if he would ever adjust or if he would give up and die. I think the reason the Lord sent so many visitors those first few months was because He knew we needed them. I am so grateful for the new friends we made, the new church family He gave us and the old friends who stay in contact. I am really grateful for the internet and today's technology that give us ways to 'be there' on occasions such as Christmas when we physically can't. My last memories of my brother Gene were because Ben did a video on Christmas Eve between those at Mom's and us. I will forever be grateful for that. Being this far from friends and family in Ohio is one of the hardest things to get use to. The loneliness Debbie wrote about is very real from time to time. But praise God the rewards she mentioned come along just when we need them.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the words of I Peter 5 that give direction on what a shepherd needs to be. Thank You for calling me to not only be a pastor's wife but for the calling upon my life to pastor. I know I am not a typical pastor's wife because of that calling. Thank You for loving on me through the transition of the move to SC. Thank You for old friends and new friends. Thank You for our neighborhood and 'C' that gave me friends outside of the church. Lord, You are so awesome! I pray for all shepherds and their spouses who struggle with isolation and loneliness. I pray for You to put people before them who will love on them unconditionally. Lord, I know some who are going through very difficult situations right now that need their church family to become aware of what they need. Please open up their eyes and hearts to their shepherd and family. It breaks my heart to hear shepherds say they can't tell their church family what is happening. Strengthen relationships between shepherds and their flock. Father, I also pray for Your words, actions, attitude and vision to be upon me as I continue to shepherd. Open up new fields for me and enable me to care better in my current fields. Thank You once again for being My Shepherd. Amen.
In my class this week we are studying the duties of a shepherd. There was one sentence Bruce Petersen wrote which brought back fond memories. “Shepherds
function as spiritual midwives when new lambs are born.” I love
the word picture in this statement. One of my experiences over the years in
ministry was being a doula (midwife helper) for two children’s births of a
family in our church. As I coached Debbie throughout the labor process I shared
scripture with her and prayed. When the babies were born, I watched in awe as the other children saw their new baby brother. In the days following the births
I took a meal to the family, visited and helped with the children. I realize
this is not something everyone does but I am grateful for the opportunity. Shepherds take on different roles in the church but the most important role is to love on people. The best gift a shepherd can give their flock is to follow Christ's example in what they do. Peter gives direction to all shepherds in I Peter 5. He advises them to...
care for their flock willingly
feed them
lead by example
lead with humility
be on guard for attacks by the enemy
trust the Lord
know they are not alone
These are all pieces of good advice shepherds need to remember. There are times in ministry when one feels like they are at the end of their rope. Many times this is because they are doing things on their own strength instead of praying for God's will. There are some nights that are too short and some days that are too long. But no one is alone. God is always there to encourage. The important thing to remember is keeping Him as our vision. In the hymn "Be Thou My Vision" it gives us the word picture of Him being our best thought...our presence...our light. When He is our vision, we see the world through His eyes. This causes us to love with His love. When He is our vision we focus less on what we want in order to help others. We also are more concerned with pleasing God than pleasing people. He gave me Colossians 3:23 in the very early time of our pastorate in Willard. I was trying to be Super Woman and do everything everyone wanted. He reminded me people are not who I am to please. He is. As I serve others, I need to do it with a cheerful heart. This can be hard when dealing with crabby people but they are not what matters. His will is what will be bring about Him being glorified. I received such freedom when I quit trying to please others. This is not just for pastors but for everyone.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the reminders from Your Word this morning. Thank You for giving clear direction on the duties of a shepherd. Thank You for modeling this type of love for others. Lord, today my heart aches for pastors who will get into the pulpit without allowing You to infill them with Your Holy Spirit. It breaks for pastors who are worn down from trying to please people instead of You. I pray for a few pastors who don't have a church at this time to minister in. I pray for their spiritual tanks to be filled up during this break. I pray for You to become so much more real to them and their spouses. I pray for the pastor's spouse who recently lost their pastor/spouse. I pray for those on the road who minister to many. Most of all I pray for You to be glorified from all pulpits today. Lord, I pray for more of Your traits to show through in me. I pray for Your words, action, vision and attitude to be mine today. Thank You Jesus for being My Good Shepherd. Amen.
