2
comments
I remember when I told my mom I was going to marry a pastor, and the first words out of her mouth were, “He better not move you away from me.” Much to her dismay, her question became a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I found myself living five states over, away from home, at twenty years old. It didn’t take long for me to learn that living away from family was just one of the many sacrifices that ministry would ask of me. Being the wife of a pastor carries many unique burdens, expectations, and different ways of thinking, but ministry is also a life filled with favor, blessings, opportunities, and meaningful life experiences that wouldn’t come otherwise. Over the course of seven years in fulltime ministry, I have developed a few philosophies that I think are unique to pastors' wives. These new “norms” for Jason and me have helped our marriage to remain healthy and thriving amidst the idiosyncrasies of life in the ministry.
Be his biggest cheerleader
This comes naturally for me because my general disposition is to be an encourager. Ministry is filled with highs and lows, and each high and low carries significant emotional swings. It is so difficult for pastors to not
0
comments
I would be willing to bet that God has blessed you more than you realize. What happens to many of us is, over time we forget about certain answered prayers or certain blessings that God has given because we are believing or asking for new things. I want to challenge you today to stop what you are doing (after you finish reading this) and take inventory of the specific things in your life that God has given you. I’ll give you an example from the other day.
My wife Andrea and I were talking about a BIG request we are praying for and she said to me “Do you realize how much of the stuff in the house was given to us? We didn’t pay for hardly any of it.” So I started looking around and taking inventory. Sure enough, she was right. We don’t live in a big house at all (900 sq ft) but I started putting together a list of everything in our house that God had blessed us with. Below is a list of everything in our house that was given to us by someone else.
Living room chair, TV, kitchen table, dishwasher, all nursery furniture, Sadie’s bunk bed, & all of our bedroom furniture.
As a matter of fact, the only thing in our house we actually bought was our couch and washer and dryer, but
...read more0
comments
Sitting here tonight thinking about the upcoming Father’s Day and the pride I have in two sons who call me “Dad” I recalled that I have been blessed to have many “fathers” whose influence and life have impacted mine. Allow me to explain…
My grand-fathers–Ernest Isaacs and Stanley Simpson raised my parents. These men were hard working, committed fathers and their influence helped shaped the parents I have.
My father–YZ Isaacs has lived a life of integrity and faith before me more than 50 years. Dad’s nature and demeanor made life applicable. My father rarely tries to be something he is not. A master storyteller and the most positive, optimistic person I know. Dad assumes the best, believes the best until forced to accept differently. Dad’s life has been lived with few regrets and I love that about him.
Kathy’s father–Paul Lanier died 15 years ago but I still think of Paul often. He let me marry his oldest daughter when she was but 16 years old. He invested so much in her that touches my life. Her commitment to ministry excellence came from her father. Her integrity and honesty are marks of her father’s influence. My life is blessed because of Kathy’s dad.
...read more
The movement of God is always forward. We have been made to soar and to embrace our future as God sees it. Forwardleadership is designed to engage leaders who have tomorrow in their hearts. Thank you for visiting.
