homeless. hungry. please help.

They’re at certain intersections. Some of them even start to look familiar.
"Homeless"
"Hungry"
"Anything Appreciated"
"Please Help"

If you’re like me, your mind struggles between thinking, ‘I wonder how much they rake in this way?’ to ‘What if this person is here in true need, waiting on me to be a real Christian?” Or we may wonder how they come to stand there, without much thought to pride, an advertisement to their desperation.

In many ways, we as Christians should be able to identify with the homeless. Whether we like it or not…we’re all the same.

Homeless
Scripture continuously reminds us that this world is not our home. Hebrews 13:14 “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.” And Hebrews 11:16 “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

We have sung it since we were young, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue…” Let our behavior dictate that this world had no hold on us, our treasure is banked someplace else, our eyes fixed on a heavenly destination.

Hungry
Each soul has that hunger and thirst that only a relationship with Christ can fill. Psalm 63:1: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” It has been described as “the hunger of the man who is starving for food, and the thirst of the man who will die unless he drinks." What an expression of the kind of desire we should have to obtain righteousness!

Psalm 42:1-2: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God!” Psalm 63:1: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.”

Please Help
Who reading this doesn’t desperately need divine help? Maybe with a decision you have to make, maybe with your relationships or job, maybe with bad habits or massive struggles. Maybe you need His help just to make it through the day!

No matter how self sufficient we like to feel, how much we think we’ve got it all figured out… We ALL need help to resist temptation and to live a godly life. Doing the right thing doesn’t always come easy. Paul exclaimed in Romans 7:18 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” God’s power is available to us. We must simply ask. He’s there for you, no matter how big or small your need.

He doesn’t judge how many times you’ve asked, or what your sign says. He offers, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

So here I am Lord, with my sign “Homeless, Hungry, Please Help.”

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TIME Magazine on pastor's wives

HELP WANTED: Pastor's wife. Must sing, play music, lead youth groups, raise seraphic children, entertain church notables, minister to other wives, have ability to recite Bible backward and choreograph Christmas pageant. Must keep pastor sated, peaceful and out of trouble. Difficult colleagues, demanding customers, erratic hours. Pay: $0.

That's how one article in TIME magazine starts. It isn't a recent article, but I just stumbled across it and wanted to share it with you.

We all know that being a PW makes for a unique life. No other wife's life is exactly the same as those of us who are married to the pastor.

One of my favorite aspects of the article is its' emphasis on how the Internet can bring PWs together into a network of shared advice and support that never existed for past generations. That's really what CLUTCH is all about.

You might not know it, but CLUTCH is read by PWs in more than 20 countries every single week. We'd like to grow our readership too, so that more and more young PWs can be blessed and share their blessings back with us. So why not let your fellow PW friends in on the secret?

Read the full article by LISA TAKEUCHI CULLEN here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1604902,00.html#ixzz1Dm0BROEe. Then, maybe come back here and tell us what you thought about it?

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© CLUTCH, 2009-2010 unless otherwise sourced.
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hiding in thee

Nearly every time I put my little boy back to bed after nursing him in the night, he lets out a darling little baby fart. One of the things that's so gloriously wonderful about babies is their complete ignorance of themselves. Here in a world where we're always being told we need to know ourselves, stand up for ourselves, and look within ourselves, I'm convinced that true fulfillment comes from being outside of ourselves. No wonder God told us to be like little children.

I was pondering this state of selflessness recently after another look into the life of Christ. This God-man slept, ate, and breathed the will of His Father, which was to bring light and life to suffering humanity. A quote by Hudson Taylor, early missionary to China, has lodged itself forever in my mind, "Measure your life by loss instead of gain. Not by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured forth. For love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice. And whosever suffereth most hath most to give."

A recent Bible lesson in our church was on meekness, this unassuming state of being which was once considered to be pathetic and weak. To me, meekness looks like being invisible with the image of Christ shining through. I hunger for that invisibility. I am the kind of person who easily takes personal offenses to heart, and I'm often too quick to withdraw from people. I pray for that "Christ esteem." I long to be so unaware of self and so connected with Christ that when negativity comes my way, I can smile knowing that Christ takes it on my behalf.

The other challenge is letting God take things on my husband's behalf. The lady who calls and chews him out for every little thing doesn't have to ruin my day. Or the lady who needs him to know about every good deed she's doing in the community. Or the man who subtly uses his influence to undermine my husband's leadership. I'm sure you all have these kinds of people God is challenging you to love.

You've heard it said that you can never love another person until you've learned to love yourself. I'm not so sure about that. But I do think I can only learn to love these people as I learn to hide myself and my identity, my feelings, and my rights within the Lover of my soul.

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
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women's bible groups

For all the women out there who are participating/leading/wanting to start a bible study group and aren't sure what materials to use, what is your favorite

• bible study course?
• inspirational book?
• series of lessons?

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
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the legacy we leave (part 2)

(...continued from yesterday's post...)
Two years ago, I (Sarah) attended a regional PW luncheon. About 130 women of all ages gathered for fabulous food, fellowship and to hear an inspirational speaker, Dr Wilma McClarty. (Sadly, she recently passed away from a brain tumor.)

Dr McClarty's message was about our legacy as PWs. About the little things we might never dream would have a lasting effect. She shared a story that burned itself on my memory, and I'll pass it on to all of you PWs here:

It was 5 AM, as she boarded a shuttle to the airport to catch an early flight. A dozen or so passengers began the two hour drive by introducing themselves and getting acquainted. When her turn came, she shared that she was a professor at a nearby Christian university. Other passengers immediately responded favorably to the university's reputation.

"Oh yes, I had some student interns from there in my office - great kids!" "I've heard about you guys, doing all that volunteer work in the slums!" "Great school!"

With every glowing comment, Dr McClarty sat a little taller in her seat. "Oh yeah," she thought to herself, "I'm proud of my school!"

Until one quieter passenger asked, "Isn't that school from such and such denomination?"

"Yes, absolutely!" she answered proudly.

"I thought so. I know all about you guys!" the other passenger announced bitterly. The group's attention shifted to the new speaker.

"My grandmother used to work for a farmer from your university's denomination when she was a teenager. She worked for him every summer, along with other local kids. And every summer he paid her half what he paid the kids from his church - for doing the same work!"

Eyes widened at the farmer's injustice. Dr. McClarty wasn't sitting so tall now. In fact, she felt like shrinking into her seat as the bitter passenger recounted events from a hundred years ago. None of the passengers were now thinking about the great work her Christian students do every day in the community. Instead their unfortunate final impression was of unfairness from decades past.

Her lesson to the audience of PWs? "That farmer had no idea that his injustice would be repeated to an entire airport shuttle a hundred years later. He never dreamed his actions would be a curse through generations, retold as a reason to disdain his Christian identity."

"Ladies," she said, "as pastor's wives, seek to be sure that you are acting according to God's principles in everything you do. And when you make mistakes, do your best to make it right. You never know the legacy that you are leaving behind!"

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the legacy we leave (part 1)

There are days when I (Sarah) wish I wasn't a PW. And not for the reasons you might think.

Not because of the long hours. Not because there are 600 other people who feel strongly about their stake of "ownership" on my PH's time. Not because I miss sitting together with my husband's arm around me in church. (Although, on certain days, all of those things have crossed my mind, I'll admit!)

But, while no PW is perfect (and I hope you're not self-imposing that expectation), some days it would be nice to just be "normal". Like the days when you make a quick run to the grocery store in your grungiest sweats with greasy hair - and you're guaranteed to run into the most well-dressed member of your church at the checkout line.

Or the days when you're tired, cranky and in a rush - and you honk loudly at the driver that just cut you off, only to realize that it was someone from church. And they DEFINITELY recognized your car.

*Sigh*

Being a PW can sometimes feel like being an ambassador. Yes, we are human. But so are the people around us - and they still form opinions about us, our husbands, and our church based on how they see us act.

Sometimes it would be so nice to just have some time "off" from being under observation. To just shrug off the responsibility of being a representative.

But I suppose Jesus didn't ever have a time where he wasn't responsible for his actions and words, either.

(...to be continued...)

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making it all about Jesus...

It's pretty easy to get caught up in the business of living. Sometimes we all lose focus on being daughters of God. It seems easy to forget why we exist, even when we are living lives of everyday ministry to others as a pastoral family.

So let's share some ideas together. What are the little things that you do to keep daily activities all about Jesus? To keep your own spiritual focus?

How do you remind yourself that our whole purpose of existence is to share Jesus with others through everything we do?

Do you:

• play sacred music as you do housework instead of leaving the TV on?
• keep a little pack of scripture memory verses by the toilet instead of magazines?
• put inspirational quotes on the refrigerator or the bathroom mirror?

Or something totally different and creative?

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counting conversations...

Ever feel like your interaction with other people is just surface talk?

Sometimes I (Sarah) wish I could feel like I was doing more to help people. Those are the times when my husband kindly reminds me that we rarely get to see the fruit of our interaction - and we'll never know the true results until we get to heaven.

But now and then, don't you just get the urge to know you're making a difference NOW?

What if we could do that by re-evaluating our perception of what it means to share Jesus? As PWs, we interact with a LOT of people. Sometimes more than we'd like. Whether we like it or not, whether we admit it or not, people take notice of what we say and do - no matter how humble or invisible we may be.

What if we didn't worry about counting conversions or wishing we could see how our ministry will affect that person's future?

What if we counted conversations instead?

Conversations about Jesus, or about the things Jesus has done for us and can do for others.

If we're alert, these conversations can sneak up on us in the most unexpected places. Like the young man working at Sally's Beauty Supply a couple of weeks ago when I went to buy shampoo. I had a teen girl from church with me, and he asked if we were sisters.

"No, I'm her pastor's wife," I replied.

"Really?" he sounded interested. "Where?" I told him. "Cool! I just got married, and my wife and I haven't really found a place we like yet."

Mental note to self: never brush past an opportunity to talk about Jesus! "What are you looking for?" I asked.

"Someplace that isn't safe," he replied. "We want challenge, not the boring status quo."

I invited him to check out our Friday night LIFEgroup for young adults - a place of deep bible study, warm fellowship, and yummy food. And I mentioned the yearly mission trips to the Amazon interior that my PH coordinates.

Will I see him again? I hope so, but you never know. Did I "convert" him - definitely not. But isn't that why Jesus gave the Holy Spirit?

And while I don't have a clue what will happen next in his life, I do know that God gave me an opportunity for a conversation. And thankfully, this time, I wasn't too dense to notice.

Counting conversations about Jesus, and making a pact with myself to never pass up an opportunity has not only changed the way I feel about ministry, but it keeps me accountable to the calling God has given me as a PW.

How would your ministry and outlook on life change if you counted conversations?

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