The Preacher's Wife

Monday Morning Commentary... Seven Mile Miracle

What an amazing Easter weekend.  I am coming back to life today, still kind of recovering from the excitement of all that God did this past weekend.  We had record attendance and over 1500 people turn in a card indicating that they gave their lives to Christ.  That makes everything worth it.

I am so thankful I get to be a part of such an amazing move of God across our city and our world.  I am thankful for every volunteer and staff member who tirelessly gave up their Easter to make 7 Mile Miracle possible.  I am blown away at how our worship team gave the same excitement to the first worship experience that they did to the 10th, and every one in between, no matter how many people were present.  I am so proud of every spouse who held down the fort while their husbands (or wives) worked countless hours leading up to and during Easter.  Even though that does not feel like an act of worship, it is.

And today I am praying not only for all the people who gave their lives to Jesus this weekend, but also the ones who didn't. I am praying that their hearts would begin to soften as the message of the gospel echos in their head.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  I will share some family pictures tomorrow!

Easters past and present

  
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Good Friday!  I just love the Easter season!  These are pictures from our staff Easter party, we had such a great time. 

The anticipation of this weekend is so exciting.  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to preview our worship experience at Elevation and it is going to be spectacular.  I am so proud of our team.  I cannot wait for tonight.

Today I thought I would link a few blogs I have posted from Easters past...

Posted 4/9/09, in this post I talk about raising kids in the ministry (there may or may not be pictures from my childhood)
Who says you have to hunt eggs on Sunday?

Posted on 4/2/09, here I talk about praying against attacks from the Enemy.
Put up your dukes

Posted on 3/31/10, it's an oldie but a goodie!  4 year old Elijah tells the Easter story with props (man he is growing up fast!)
Elijah Furtick presents the Easter Story

Posted on 3/30/10, I share one of the Easter activities we like to do with our kids.
Celebrating Easter

Posted on 4/1/10, more the seriousness of the Enemy that we face and our need to fight back.
Keep your dukes up

This year I am praying

Easter is an amazing season.  I am so looking forward to the creative gospel presentation at our church (I have had a sneak peek and it is going to be incredible). But on a bigger scale, I can't wait to hear about all the unique ways different churches all over the world are celebrating Easter.

There is something about Easter that people are just more open to coming to church.  And as the Church, we will proclaim the gospel to each and every person who comes through our doors.  The Enemy knows this too.  He will attack in every way he can to stop us.

He will attack our families in any way he can.  If he has to attack our health, our outlook on life, or even our attitude towards each other, he will.  He will try to distract those who are far from God and have had someone invite them to church.  He will do anything he can to stop people from hearing the gospel, and anything he can to stop me from praying.

Sometimes, I forget this.  It's like I get so bogged down in the day to day affairs.  While my husband is working extra hard this week, I am trying to maintain all the actual details.  I just get sidetracked.  Not this year. 

I'm taking today to focus on really praying.  I am praying for my husband as he prepares to invite people to give their lives to Christ.  I am praying for my pastor's wives friends all over the country as they support their husbands and ministries.  I am praying for our staff.  I am praying for all the people who will come.

And I want to pray for you.  If you are on staff at a church, I want to pray for you and your church by name.  If you have invited someone to church who is far from God, I want to pray for them by name.  I am excited to think of all that God is going to do this coming weekend all over our nation and our world.

If you would like for me to pray for you today, leave a comment or mention me on twitter.  I will be checking them all day long and lifting you up.

 

Recipe... Crock Pot Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal

  
I love Pinterest.  It is such a great place to get ideas and inspiration.  The other night I was browsing recipes and came across this one.  I checked to see if I had all the ingredients and I did.  Within an hour of pinning the recipe, it was cooking in my crock pot!

  

This is a great idea for Easter morning when you know you will need a bit of extra time to make sure everyone looks just right before church!

  

You can find the original recipe here.  I made a few modifications because I didn't feel like ours was sweet enough.  I also used Trader Joe's quick cook steel oats so I added 1/3 c to her original recipe...  

  
  

2 medium (or 3 small) sized apples, peeled and chopped

1 1/3C steel cut oats (uncooked)

6 Tbs brown sugar

3 Tbs butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbs flax seed (totally optional)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C milk (I used 1%)

1 1/2 C water

  

Combine all the ingredients, cook overnight on low and enjoy!

Reality Discipline

Dr. Kevin Leman is one of my favorite parenting experts.  I love to hear him when he comes on Focus on the Family.  His parenting advice is excellent and funny too.

One of his teachings is called Reality Discipline (he talks about it in his book, Making children mind without losing yours.)  Reality discipline is based on letting your child suffer the natural consequences of their negative behaviors.  For instance, your child doesn't do their homework, you let them go to school without it.  Or, your child does not want to eat the dinner you cooked, you let them go to bed hungry.

Now, while I know Reality Discipline is not the answer to all of my parenting challenges, it is a great tool to have in my arsenal.  To be quite honest, I have been patiently waiting to use it ever since I heard Dr. Leman talk about it.  And last week, the opportunity arose.

It was about 5pm on Tuesday and our playroom was moderately messy.  I pulled the boys in and told them we were going to do a quick clean up (it was seriously a 20 minute job if we all worked together).  30 minutes later, I was the only one who had cleaned up a thing.  My boys were playing with toys, fighting, laying on the floor and doing everything but cleaning up.  I fussed, I threatened, I may or may not have raised my voice.  I was more than mad.  But for some reason, I decided to get creative.  First, I sent them to time out where they had to silently sit and watch me clean up.  I took the liberty to trash and/or give away any items I wanted. 

Then, while I was cleaning, I got an idea.  I decided that the playroom would be closed for a few days since they had chosen not to clean it.  I made sure that their DS' were in there too.  I hung this sign on the door to remind them not to go in there.

The next day, Graham told our babysitter the story.  He said, "...and she didn't spank us, it was worse.  She closed the playroom."  When I heard this, I was so happy.  But today, I was proud, because the boys cleaned up with out very much headache remembering (hopefully) what their mother was capable of doing.

Monday Morning Commentary

This weekend we celebrated Palm Sunday.  I just love the days leading up to Easter.  They are days filled with lots of anticipation and celebration.  This weekend we also had a special treat as Israel Houghton lead us in worship.

My husband's message was based out of Mark 11.  He said told us that Jesus often calls us to do something risky (like taking a donkey before asking) and also something that has never been done (like riding a donkey that has never been ridden).  Here are a few of my favorite lines...

He told us that God is not a genie who carries out my wishes, rather I am a donkey who fulfills His purpose! 

Sometimes in order to be victorious, you have to look ridiculous. 

God doesn't need me to understand fully in order to obey completely

He closed by encouraging us, "When I do as Jesus tells me, it will be as Jesus told me."  He challenged us by asking, what is Jesus asking you to do?

You can listen to the message (or watch it) at our website, the Elevation Network and our podcast.

Have a great Monday!

Life Change Inbox

It's Friday and time for another Life Change Inbox!  I have been sharing some of the wonderful emails my husband gets, where people share the work God is doing in their lives through Elevation Church.  Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2-4 that our lives are living letters written so that God might be glorified.

Here is Bree's story about the power of being in a small group...

God has opened so many doors for me through Elevation. I grew up in a Christian home. I accepted Christ into my heart, but then lived off my parents relationship with God. About 3 yrs ago I acknowledged my powerlessnes over an addiction and my need for God. I went into Alcohol Anoynmous defeated and hopeless. As God lead my sponser and me through the 12 steps necessary for a daily reprive from alcoholism, I became to know God as my Savior and Papa.

About a year and a half into recovery God lead me to Elevation. My personal relationship with my Papa was evolving, but I felt as though something was missing. I went to Elevation for about a year before getting more involved. After I continued to hear from God through Pastor Furtick, God led me to search for an eGroup.

I was at an AA meeting one night talking to a friend about Elevation and a woman who attends Elevation heard me and came over. We started talking and got on the subject of eGroups. I told her about seeing Erika in the documentary. I really related to her and her struggles. The woman WAS IN ERIKA'S EGROUP and she invited me to join! I was so amazed and humbled that because of my addiction God used it to bring me closer to Him through Elevation and Erika.

I had been in Erika's eGroup for a couple of months when I need to find a new roommate. I had been living in a very negative and depressive environment. I had been going to Elevation every week and God used Pastor Furtick to confirm in my heart that he would provide for me. I told my eGroup my prayer request for a roommate. The NEXT WEEK, one of the girls came back with a card of a fellow Elevator woman who need a roommate!

I now live with her and I couldn't be happier and more blessed with my roommate. I am always lifted up by the worship experience and blessed by Pastor Furticks words from God. Thank you for allowing God to use you in such a powerful way in my life.

Why do I want to stay mad at you?

Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

In my Bible study this week, What's it like to be married to me? by Linda Dillow (see this post), we have been talking about forgiveness.  The title of the chapter is, "Why do I want to stay mad at you?"  The chapter talks about when we choose not to forgive, we are avoid seeing any wrong we may have done in the situation.  In other words, unforgiveness keeps me from seeing the plank in my own eye.

In Ephesians 4 it says we should get rid of bitterness (choosing not to forgive), rage and anger, harsh words (words spoken to the person), and slander (words spoken about the person).  The book asked, which do you have the harderst time with.  Mine is probably slander.  Because I am non-confrontational, I would rather say mean things about a person than to a person.  Which do you struggle with the most?

Then the scripture tells us to be kind (acts towards a person), tenderhearted (having compassion and sympathy towards a person) and forgiving (letting go of hurts) to others.  Again the question was asked, which is the hardest for you?  I struggle with being tenderhearted.  It is easier to just think someone is a jerk than to empathize with why they are having a bad day.  Which do you have the hardest time doing?

My husband said in a sermon once, "Forgiveness is about setting someone free and finding out it was me."  I forgive because Christ has forgiven me.  Not because the person who hurt me deserves my forgiveness. Read the verse one more time and ask the Lord to give you a forgiving spirit.

Ephesians 4:31-32, Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Nag the right One

The book of Proverbs talks a lot about nagging.

Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. Proverbs 21:19
A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.  Proverbs 27:15-16

I am not sure why we women in particular struggle with this issue.  I think most of the time, we have good intentions.  We just want everything to be just right, including our husbands.  Whether we are reminding them to do something they promised they would do or making comments about things they are (or are not) doing that we think they should change.  Or even silently nagging with our looks or our actions or reactions to certain situations, our nagging can do great harm to our marriages.

I will have been married 10 years this summer.  And one thing that I am learning (of course I do not always get this right) is that there is someone I can nag, it's just not my husband.  It's the Lord.  In Luke 18, Jesus tells the story of the persistent widow.  She went to the judge every day, pleading for justice.  and her persistence paid off.  Jesus said, "Don't you think God will give justice to those who cry out day and night?"

Persistence with God pays off.  Persistence with your husband, could drive him further away.  Am I saying that if I want my husband to remember to pick up the groceries I am going to pray about it rather than send him a text, no.  But when we don't see eye to eye, when I think there is an issue that needs to be addressed (again), or I think there is a change that needs to be made, I can leave it with the Lord.  I can trust that God can change his heart, or maybe change mine.

Let me give you a hypothetical situation.  Let's say you feel like your husband's health is in jeopardy and he needs to lose weight.  You have brought the issue up and your husband does not agree.  Rather than continuing to argue about it, make looks every time he eats a snack, and comment about it to all your girlfriends.  You could begin to pray about it and ask God on work on his heart.

Please don't hear me saying that I don't speak my mind in our marriage.  I promise, I do plenty of that (my husband would gladly attest to that).  I think it is so often the small things (those pesky little foxes) that do so much damage to a marriage.

Proverbs 31:2-3 Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

The Great Silly Band Challenge

My husband recently went on a long trip.  I knew he was going to be gone for 7 days and I needed a plan for parenting so that I didn't lose my mind (and my voice) fussing at my children left and right every 5 minutes (thank you for allowing me to be honest).

So I came up with The Great Silly Band Challenge.  Here's how it works.  Each day Elijah and Graham get 6 silly bands (I started off with 8 and bumped it down because 8 was too many).  At any point in the day, I could take a silly band for any of the following infractions: arguing, complaining, whining, fighting, disobeying, tattling and being unkind.  At the end of the day, they could redeem their remaining bands for either 10 cents or 2 extra minutes of video game time (for the following day).  If they lose all of their silly bands in one day, they get a spanking.  Earning a silly band back is virtually impossible, and if they ask if they can earn one back, the answer is automatically no.

The system has really worked well.  It especially helped me to stop arguing with my little lawyer, Elijah.  It also really cut down on the fighting between the two boys.

We have been doing The Great Silly Band Challenge for about 10 days.  I plan to suspend the challenge for a few days until my husband's next trip so that it does not lose it's effectiveness. We will probably put it on hold for a while after that (no need to run a good thing into the ground).  I will pull it back out as needed.   Maybe this summer I could come up with a creative way to let them earn the silly bands rather than just start off with them.