Tag Archive - women

Obstacles to the Mission

July 29, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership, Ministry to Women with 3 Comments

Ever notice when you set out to do what God asks, the going gets tougher? Opposition mounts to discourage and cause doubts. Seems like the enemy is working as hard as we are.

That’s where our Uganda team is right now, in the middle of one obstacle after another as we prepare for our trip. We are set to leave Saturday, July 30th and the setbacks and difficulties have been numerous. But through it all we remained steadfast in our intentions and focused on our mission. We packed 23 trunks for the orphans full of supplies, food, tools, clothes, bedding, books and toys, etc.

Here are a few pics from one of our after-work, late-night packings:

Socks and toys for Uganda orphans

Trunks for Uganda orphans

Trunks for Uganda orphans

The trunks get a second life as a “dresser” in which an orphan will keep their belongings (Not much. One of my kids could nearly fill those trunks by themselves).

We got word that the water and electricity is off then on again at the orphanage. You may also have noticed the news that a horrible famine is ravaging Africa right now. People are starving and desperate for food. As the famine increases, more orphans will be dropped off because the families can’t afford to feed them. Please pray for the people the orphanage will touch as well as our team going to minister.

Packing for Uganda and orphans
Jacque Packing for orphans in Uganda

James is on the right (pray for his right shoulder to heal), Chuck is next to him (he’s not feeling well, pray for healing), I’m standing next to Chuck (I’ll take all the prayer I can get), And Jacque is standing next to me (pray also for her). Jacque’s husband worked late that night and didn’t make this pic (pray for Mike), and Cameron (pray for him too) will join us Saturday at the airport. We have a total of six on our team going to Uganda to work in the orphanage.

Uganda Mission Team Minus Two

Uganda Mission Team Minus Two

Please pray for the mission. You can sign up to be a partner in prayer. And for updates while on location you can subscribe to feed here.

Please contribute your comment below. I’d love to hear how you deal with obstacles that make you mission difficult.

This post is part of the Living and Working on Mission Blog Series and you can read more about our trip in the previous Uganda posts. If you enjoyed it you may also like the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series, the Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges Series or the other Blog Series.

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How to Embarrassingly Prepare Cross-culturally in One Sunday Morning

July 14, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership, Ministry to Women with 0 Comments

I stepped out of the restroom into the busy grand foyer of our church auditorium. People were milling around, visiting with their friends and chasing their children into their seats for the service. The place was hopping. I took about twelve steps into the race of people and paused to get a mint from my purse. Earlier, in class, I had a cup of java with friends, and now I’m sure that no one would want to talk with my coffee-breath-self. Besides we have to make our best appearance, and smells matter right?

Pretty in Pearls
Creative Commons License photo credit: Katie Tegtmeyer
Appearance: Pretty in Pearls

Speaking of appearances, since I am going to Uganda to disciple orphans at the end of the month, I decided to practice fitting into their culture, beforehand. In Uganda, you must wear long skirts because wearing pants or showing legs makes you a flirt. I should tell you that short dumpy people typically don’t wear long skirts, because they make us look shorter and well . . . dumpier. Nevertheless, I acquired a long skirt and was practicing the use of it this fine Sunday morning.

While standing in our crowded church foyer, two people stopped their trek to meet people and get into the service. One older woman, whom I didn’t know, paused and began to tell me something when the other, a much younger teen, wrapped her arm around me and said into my ear, “Your skirt is caught up.”

Naturally, I leaned forward to look at the yards of material nearly at my feet, not quite understanding what she meant. She quickly jumped behind me and tugged at the overflow behind my knees. That’s when I figured out that I had flashed Uganda’s flirt alert!

DSC_0006
Creative Commons License photo credit: TheArtGuy
Alarming Situation!

Yes, that’s right. I had inadvertently misplaced the trail end of this monstrous bolt of cascading cotton. Apparently, it was tucked somewhere north, near my waist.

All dignity and “best” appearance vaporized. How many of the 300+ people caught my “special” style? Hopefully not many since all of that took place in a short minute or three. Or five?

Since my bff, Kate, pulled at the material from knee level, and since there was enough of it to fold over twice and still cover my shortness, surely I was safely not flashing American Style flirt. Fool maybe, but not flirt. Even when I bent forward, it could only have been embarrassingly un-stylish, right?

This never happens with my regular length skirts. I was way out of my norm even in my own church building. There’s no telling how things will go in Uganda when I’m really out of my culture. Won’t you partner with me in prayer?

We all need to try different things to make connections with people and touch their lives with the hope of Jesus. What part of your culture are you willing to stretch or give up to meet people and make a difference in their lives? For their sakes, are you willing to try and fail, even look foolish?

Please make contributions in the comments and let me know what topics you’d love for me to cover!

This is part of the Minister Wives Fellowship and Support Series. If you enjoyed it you may also like the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series, the Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges Series or other Blog Series.

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Blog Series

July 13, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership, Ministry to Women, series with 0 Comments

These blog post and blog post series are considered the “Best Of” here on Confessions of a Preacher’s Wife Blog. These are the ones that moved me the most and naturally they are the best I have to offer.

I hope you enjoy the time journeying through them at your own leisure. Also, I trust you find them helpful, become inspired by them, and then maybe change or do something because of them. That your life will be different by taking my hard-learned lessons to heart and applying them as well as sharing them with others!

181/365
Creative Commons License photo credit: Xelcise
Best of Blog Series

Here are the series that I’ve put together for you:

A Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges

This is a series of confessions on how God gently nudged me along on my spiritual journey. Sometimes it felt more like a kick in the pants, nevertheless, I got the message and back on track. Laced throughout are key truths I’ve learned along the way that changed me and I’m sure will help you, if only to laugh at this preacher’s wife and her zaniness.

Living and Working on Mission

This series is more of a log of various ministry efforts and opportunities as well as sharing insights I’ve gained. Any special effort like the Ugandan Orphan Mission or the Capture Me! Conference for women will share about another culture or a mission opportunity. These posts will deliver inspiration to get involved with God and share his love even in your own hometown. Click over to begin your journey of sharing God’s love and be ready to laugh and learn along with me.

  • Engage us here as we live on mission, changing the world one heart at a time.
  • Remember, it isn’t about guilt, it’s about finding something to live for, something that gives your life purpose!

Insights into Ministry & Leadership

This series includes insights and encouragement to improve leadership, ministry and personal/team development. Often we get into ruts doing things as usual. I want to broaden our thinking with some “what if” questions as well as some helpful tips. As a pastor’s wife and leader, I made a fair share of mistakes which caused me to study leadership and effectiveness. In these posts you will learn from my mistakes and gain insights on many aspects of leadership development, teaching and ministry, including ministering to women.

Minister Wives Fellowship and Support

This series both challenges and honors the leadership of ministry wives. If you’re a minister’s wife, you’ve felt the essential need to connect with someone who understands the ministry and gets you. I’m a preacher’s wife and I have a desire to help minister’s wives find a safe place to to be heard and receive ministry. In this blog series, you’ll find helps, a few opinions and lots of confessions in the struggle to be a pastor’s wife. The plan is to build a support system for these special servants that often feel isolated and overlooked. Click on over to take a look at some of the topics.

Other series may be developed as need is expressed. If you have any ideas, please share in the comments below. Please comment and share your insight and solutions. What issues do you deal with that you would like discussed?

As always, if you have a topic or suggestion you would like to discuss please contact me here or make a comment on this post!

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Insights into Ministry & Leadership

July 13, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership, Ministry to Women, series with 0 Comments

Leadership Wordle 

Thank you for your leadership and ministry. You are a valuable asset and I want to honor you. I wrote this series of posts to encourage you and give insights into how to improve your leadership, ministry and personal/team development. Often we get into ruts, repeating the same duties and tasks while hoping for different results. Think of this series as a way to broaden your thinking with some “what if” questions. As a pastor’s wife and leader, I’ve both seen poor leadership and been the one responsible in said poor leadership. The sorrow over my lack caused me to try harder and study effective leadership. In these posts I’ll steer you away from my mistakes and share some tips on leadership development, teaching and ministry.

I would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and topics you’d like for me to consider in the comments below!

Begin changing the world one tidbit at a time with these posts of challenge and inspiration:

  1. Should I STAY? Or Should I GO??
  2. How to be Part of the Inner Circle: Partners in Prayer
  3. Twittering Ministry!
  4. 7 Tips for Women to Help in the Ministry
  5. The S.O.S. of Wise Leadership
  6. 12 Leadership Checks for Making a Kingdom Difference
  7. The Creative Need in Leadership
  8. Successful Life and Leadership
  9. Stepping into Success
  10. Social Networks & Kingdom Influence
  11. 10 Life and Leadership Principles from Steve Jobs
  12. Two Life-Changing Tools for Spiritual Growth
  13. Spoof NLALV New Living Amplified Leadership Version
  14. 3 problems of Christian Leadership (who me, use me, love me)
  15. Who me leadership
  16. Use me Leadership
  17. Love Me Leadership
  18. 5 Practices to lead with love
  19. choosing a speaking topic
  20. how to write a speech outline
  21. continued . . .

As always, if you have a topic or suggestion you would like to discuss please contact me here or make a comment on this post!

These are the posts for the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series. Check out the other Blog Series! If you’re a minister’s wife or a woman in the ministry you may like Minister Wives Fellowship and Support Series. Click on over and let me know what you think!

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A Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges

July 13, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Ministry to Women, series with 0 Comments

Spiritual Worshipphoto by www.christianphotos.net

These posts are confessions of God’s gentle nudges along on my spiritual journey. Sometimes the nudges are more like a kick in the pants, nevertheless, I got the message and back on track. Laced throughout are truths that helped me and hopefully will give you insight into your own spiritual journey. If nothing else, you can laugh at this preacher’s wife and her zaniness which is a daily occasion.

If you are a minister’s wife. I created a special series with you in mind over at Minister’s Wives Fellowship and Support. Click on over there and check it out!

Here are some of the blog post topics you’re waiting for:

  1. 3 Steps to an Incredible Journey with God
  2. Mismanaging Self Is Wicked
  4. Spiritual Life (PART 1): Perfect Knowledge Unnecessary
  5. Spiritual Life (Part 2) Experiencing God Gives Hope
  6. Spiritual Life (Part 3): How to Experience God
  7. Why Following God in Living Relationship is NOT for the Faint-Hearted
  8. Stay Thirsty, Share Hope: A Simple Way to Do Good
  9. Nothing on Purpose: Learning To Be God’s
  10. Two Life-Changing Tools for Spiritual Growth
  11. continued . . .

Blessings galore! I hope these posts encourage you on your spiritual journey to find God faithful and true as well as some practical tips to help you along your way.

If you’re moving forward and finding people looking to you for guidance and direction in life you might be interested in the series Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series and Living and Working on Mission Series. Also if you’re a minister’s wife or a woman in the ministry you may like Minister Wives Fellowship and Support Series. Check out the table of contents for all the Blog Series and let me know what you think!

As always, if you have a topic or suggestion you would like to discuss please contact me here or make a comment on this post!

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Minister Wives Fellowship and Support

July 13, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership, Ministry to Women, series with 2 Comments

Welcome to this more intimate series of posts that are meant to be a “we’re-in-this-together” kind of thing. I’ll write these posts to both challenge and honor us as the leaders we’re called to be. We’ve felt the essential need to connect with someone who understands the ministry and gets us. I’m a preacher’s wife and I have a desire to help minister’s wives find a safe place to to be heard and receive ministry. I’ll provide helps, a few opinions and lots of confessions in the struggle to be a pastor’s wife. My intention is to build a support system for you, the special servants of God, that often feel isolated and overlooked.

Future Minister Wives
Creative Commons License photo credit: ubo_pakes
Together, Facing the World

This post will serve as a table of contents for this series.

As always, please leave your thoughts, suggestions, and things you’d love for me to consider covering in the comments!

Can’t wait to get started. The following are the ideas to come and posts:

  1. How to Embarrassingly Prepare Cross-culturally in One Sunday Morning
  2. One Essential Way for a Pastor’s Wife to Deal with Anger
  3. post on being real for minister’s and minister’s wives from a children’s book
  4. continued . . .

As always, if you have a topic or suggestion you would like to discuss please contact me here or make a comment on this post!

This is the Minister Wives Fellowship and Support Series. If you liked it, you might enjoy the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series, the Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges Series and the Living and Working on Mission Series. Click over to the table of contents for all the Blog Series.

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One Essential Way for a Pastor’s Wife to Deal with Anger

July 12, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership with 4 Comments

I don’t know about you, but for me my anger is triggered when things don’t work right. When it’s needed, one ought to be able to depend upon it to work. Yet things break, fail and simply don’t get the job done. That frustrates me. I’m busy and really don’t have time to coddle a cantankerous thing-a-ma-jig. It could be my car, my lawn mower or my dishwasher. Or it could be a person, my children or my spouse. It really doesn’t matter which; I struggle with the same frustration when stuff doesn’t work. (Never mind the fact that the way it should work is my way. That’s a different blog post confession all together.) But when a company is paid to deliver a product or service and they fail, my dander especially gets all out of whack. It’s a whole other level.

Frank, May 8, 2011 - Tweety3Creative Commons License photo credit: pat00139
That’s One Angry Bird

Poor Service is Frustrating

Like my internet server. Their service is intermittent based upon how the wind blows. At the same time I have a bad hair day I also have to put up with no internet. It used to be tolerable. A finger-comb through my hair and a short call to the internet provider would fix it right up. I’d call the 800 number and they would punch a button somewhere in their system and it’d be fixed in no time. But not now. I can’t talk with them any more.

In case you haven’t been watching the wildfire news. I live in a Texas hotspot. A heat wave of hot air that parched us with no rain since last October, until recently that is. When the rains finally came, so did the wind. That’s right. Lots of internet outage. The nice young man on the other end of the 800 number said, “I’m sorry the company won’t let me do a quick restart anymore.”

“Why? It always fixed the problem in the past.”

“I don’t know why. I have to call a service representative. They should get to you in a week, depending upon how backed up they are.”

Right. The temperature rose as my blood began to boil. A WEEK! You’re kidding me. And everybody around here with the same provider has probably called for service making the response time even longer. It might be a month before I see results! What else is a girl to do?

I calmly said, “That won’t do.” Then I asked him to report my displeasure over his company’s policy. He hung up after giving me some number where I could talk with someone else. Like I wanted to talk with another person unable to do the right thing and break the company’s new policy! I began to look for the FIRED button, the one with the biggest buzzer?

Self-discipline, Distance and Grace Helps

But even in all that emotion, you’d be proud of me. I didn’t completely soil Jesus in my conversation with this poor guy. It’s not his fault he works for an inadequate company. But to save any outbursts, I chose not to talk with them again lest I give them their pink slip. I’m still debating and hating the idea of shopping for a new service. That’s time I’d rather be spending on more profitable ventures or ministries. My delay could be called grace.

Isn’t that what we should do? Good leaders balance productivity and grace. I’m not necessarily a good pastor’s wife, but I’m working on it. I need wisdom to handle myself and the decisions to be made.

One simple help: Trust God and pray for wisdom and grace.

How do you handle your anger triggers? How do you work at keeping the relationships prime? How do you know when to send the dreaded pink slip?

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3 Steps to an Incredible Journey with God

June 9, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Ministry to Women with 2 Comments

A couple of days after speaking at a Prayer breakfast on the topic of a living relationship with God, I had several people who asked for a refresher. They wanted to know more about taking a deep breath and pausing our busy schedules for a few minutes to focus on God. I will answer their questions by outlining the method I use for taking a breather to join God on an incredible journey.

writing prayer with God
Creative Commons License photo credit: juliejordanscott

I’ve read the Bible, studied the Bible, prayed, kept the famous Quiet Time and done all these things since my early teens, but it wasn’t until I asked God to speak to me that I learned what it looked like to have a living relationship with God. This forever changed the way I read the Bible and pray.

Here are the steps I take to join God on life’s journey:

  1. Take Time to Hear God

    As I exhale a physical deep cleansing kind of breath, I ask God to speak to me. I sort of sigh out all my racing thoughts and get ready to hear God speak. Careful to keep my spiritual ears open, I read a short devotion and the Bible. I don’t exegete the biblical passage or parse the biblical language. I’m not looking for in-depth Bible knowledge during this time. Rather, I’m simply reading to hear God speak–to give life to our conversation and depth to our living relationship. Reading the Bible with God conversationally has deepened my journey with God.

    I keep a journal of my journey. The things God shows me during my reading, I put on paper. Sometimes it is a little unknown-to-me fact, or at others, it’s a bigger ah ha moment–like the day I was creeped out. (Recorded in Why Following God in Living Relationship is NOT for the Faint-Hearted).  After writing what God says in my journal, I respond.

  2. Respond in Prayer

    My response to God is a prayer of praise–celebrating God’s continued relationship with me. I use the acrostic: P.R.A.I.S.E. Writing the acrostic down the page and my prayer according to these categories:

    • Praise – Think about God’s majesty, power, mercy, grace and love. Praise him for speaking to you and thank him for who he is and what he does.
    • Repentance – Ask God’s forgiveness for your wrongdoing, sin. Be specific. Ask for a clean heart.
    • Acknowledgement – Recognize God as sovereign master and humbly yield yourself. Submit to him.
    • Intercession – Make requests of God for others: your family, friends, church leaders, etc.
    • Supplication – Make requests of God for yourself: your needs, health, job, etc
    • Equipping – Ask God to help you fulfill your purpose in life: to fill you with his Spirit, to help you be victorious over evil, to empower you, to have eyes and ears to know God and a heart to respond to him.

    After finishing the acrostic P.R.A.I.S.E., I ask God to confirm any specific actions I need to take.

  3. Act on the Priorities

    Wrapping up my breather with God, I think about all I need to do. On more than one occasion, God has prompted me to do something specific during my conversation. I write my refreshed to do list making sure God’s tasks get first priority.

After I finish this exercise, I close my journal but carry on the conversation with God. That’s how I know what to do to be living on purpose–going on an incredible journey with God.

How do you keep up to date with your life with God? Please share what works for you in the comments section.

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Nothing on Purpose: Learning To Be God’s

January 27, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife with 14 Comments

I had lunch with Sharen, and heard her story. “I’m not doing anything specific. God asked me to put aside my ministry.”

As a ministry friend I was intrigued and concerned. I wondered how does one go from an active ministry to doing nothing?

Flower in Nothing but Blue Sky

She went on to say that God gave her a peace about turning the ministry loose and that she wasn’t to replace it with other activity. Instead God impressed upon her to just be his. “I’m enjoying focusing on him, just being his and not doing anything.”

My soul longed for that kind of refreshing. The new year brought lots of fresh starts, resolutions and back to school routines that busied my schedule. Why do we feel that we have to be doing something to have value? Sharen’s relaxed and satisfied fashion proved our value isn’t in doing but being. Her face glowed with the peace and contentedness of just being.

No matter how busy our hands or how many irons we have on the fire, we can be content in simply being God’s and following his lead.

“Others may do a greater work,
But you have your part to do;
And no one in all God’s family
Can do it as well as you.” Streams in the Desert p.2

For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (Phil 4:11. ESV)

Lord, I want to do my part: to dream, to work and to minister for you in the manner you plan for me. Make me 100% yours and useable to further your kingdom as you see fit. Help me to be content being who you want me to be and fulfilled in knowing you are my reward.
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(Images courtesy of sxc.hu)

12 Leadership Checks for Making a Kingdom Difference

January 14, 2011 in Confessions of a Preacher's Wife, Leadership with 4 Comments

While praying about multiplying our small group and the possibility of planting a church, I began reading and studying every related resource I could find. Many cite leadership as a key element to starting and/or maintaining a ministry.

Leaders teach Bible studies, organize and administrate offices and households, train children, balance budgets and bills then decide what’s for dinner. Leaders are everywhere, and I’m sure you’re one of them.

Leader.DucksinaRow
Leaders can lead large groups, but they must lead one: themselves. Leadership is pioneer work: heading out where no one goes but God. There are many challenges and it is easy to slip into NOT leading. In Exponential: How You and Your Friends Can Start a Missional Church Movement by Dave and Jon Ferguson, I found a cool check list for leaders to monitor themselves and make sure they lead well.

Twelve indicators that leadership is lacking
1. I wait for someone to tell me what to do rather than taking the initiative myself.
2. I spend too much time talking about how things should be different.
3. I blame the context, surroundings, or other people for my current situation.
4. I am more concerned about being cool or accepted than doing the right thing.
5. I seek consensus rather than casting vision for a preferable future.
6. I am not taking any significant risks.
7. I accept the status quo as the way it’s always been and always will be.
8. I start protecting my reputation instead of opening myself up to opposition.
9. I procrastinate to avoid making a tough call.
10. I talk to others about the problem rather than taking it to the person responsible.
11. I don’t feel like my butt is on the line for anything significant.
12. I ask for way too many opinions before taking action.

The list made me uncomfortable. Yet I’m not called to be comfortable. I am to serve even when it hurts. Fear immobilizes me and I’m guilty of allowing it to keep me from leading. This list inspired me to take a risk, to step up and really lead as God directs.

How about you? Where has God been leading that makes you uncomfortable, or like your neck is stuck out? How do you put fear aside and adventure forward with God? Please answer in the comment section.

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This post is part of the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series. If you enjoyed it you may also like the Living and Working on Mission Blog Series, the Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges Series or the other Blog Series.
(Images courtesy of sxc.hu)

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