Just me.....

....being a pastor wife, I am me, JUST ME. At Walmart, volunteering at school, cheering at sporting events. I am me, when I am teaching children (my passion) at church or singing in the choir. (w/same passion) I am me from the very first time we meet.

I believe that I do no more than any other wife would do to support her husband in their positions in society. I am no netter than the working family who goes to our church and has to pay for their Wednesday family meal ticket. I do not take a free ride just b/c of this position that God ordained for me since the day I was born. I am not privy to anything new b/c although I am a pastor's wife, I am also a church member in a community of believers who serve in this community together. I love the fact that my husband takes great care in protecting me from news I need not know so that my perspective of others is not shaded.

I laugh, I cry and yes I make mistakes. I helped raise 2 daughters on a shoestring budget. I cook almost every meal for my family and also cook for others in need. Our home is a home not a museum, so if you are looking for perfection you must go somewhere else. Our doors have been opened to teenagers who ran away from home all the way to businessmen from Japan and missionaries from Germany.

I cannot sing like Sandy Patti nor can I play a piano, however I can give time to be president of said choir. I cannot give a dramatic line by line performance in a Easter program, but I can imagine what Mary the mother of Jesus felt like and act with my whole heart. I can build any set you want for any program from PTA to VBS.

I taught our daughters to serve others w/o expecting anything in return. I told them numerous times to always remember to be a friend first. ("if a person who has mistreated you was on fire and you had a bucket of water, you had better be the first to douse the flame.") Now these young ladies are pastor wives as well. At one church interview our daughter was asked if she felt she could handle the job as pastor wife, her response, "I only know that the examples I have before me is Jesus and my mother and so my answer would have to be, I am very assured of my calling as a wife."

I am inspired that God knew who I was to become before I took my first breath. I am encouraged that my Lord has never given up on me. I am inspired by the 7 churches we have served in and know that I held my head up high, did my best to listen to God and not man and helped others who were in need.

Carpe a Diem....

.....just got back from 3 days with my momma and have to journal my thoughts. Listening to a CD arrangement of encouraging music sent with love from my staff wives, song #8 was "Seize the Day." I love this quiet song....Seize the day, seize whatever you can, cause life slips away just like hour sand sand, seize the day, pray for grace from God's hand....then nothin will stand in your way...seize the day.

As I was singing at the top of my lungs, I realize that I just "been there, done that" with my momma this week. After spending 3 days with her, I seized whatever I could. We laughed alot, talked even more, WalMarted, ate homemade chile, watched alittle TV and slept less. Gave blood for more tests and had a doctor visit to attend today. We were exhausted from a long day on Thursday but was grateful for a full nights sleep. Seize the day!

"Grace from God's hand" He gave us some memories to enjoy. I love serving my momma so I cleaned her home from top to bottom being grateful for the time I can share. Nothing stood in our way, not even the lady in the drive thru at the bank yesterday. We were both so tired...the lady in the truck beside us had a cigarette hanging from her lip and I said, "I think that is very unattractive for a lady to hang a cigarette out of her mouth." (just a personal opinion) Mom said something and I said, "shhh, she might hear us and want to beat us up." My momma said, "Yeah, I know she could beat me up." I said, "yeah she could probably beat us both up while never loosing the ashes from her cigarette!" Mom started laughing so hard...we just sat there in the drive thru with tears in our eyes. I know it's not that funny now but at the moment and being as tired as we were....it was hillarious. Seize the day!

"Life slips away just like hour glass sand" None of us are guaranteed tomorrows breath, yet God have choosen to give me 3 more fun days with my mom. I am blessed. I have to make sure that I pay attention to all those moments with those that I love. I would hate to think that I missed it b/c I was selfish or lazy. This thought is not only for my mother but my 2 awesome mother-in-laws, my husband, our children, grandchildren and the strangers who come to the Open Table at our church. Or what about those strangers whom you meet on the street? Seize the day!

Everyday I want to be reminded of this song...looking into a beautiful sunrise , may I remember that I must take advantage of the day God has given...I cannot waste time on fear of the unknown or what I am not able to do. Seize the day!

"One thing that I noticed whereve I wander, everyone's got a dream he can follow or squander. You can do what you will with the days you are given. I'm trying to spend mine on the business of livin." Seize the day!~

P.S. Had a awesome lunch this week with old school friends..3 of us were friends since kindergarten! Beth Charlotte and I went to school since kindergarten and Debi Long came into my life in 7th grade. Long time friends were have been seperated by almost 43 yrs came together and acted like it was just another lunch date. So fun...we really did CARPE A DIEM!~

Slave or Free.....

...well of course we all would pick "Free!" But according to God's word we choose "slave." Reflecting upon myself I have to admit that at this moment in time I am a captive to my weight. As I pondered more on this slave/free thing, I am a slave to being overweight, not tons, just 25 lbs. My health is relatively stable, no BP problems or thyroid issues. I eat healthy, no processed meats, lots of veggies and a new taste for oven kale. My main failure is the lack of exercise. That is my slavery issue.

EXERCISE...yuck! Who wants to exercise? I do not know of anyone who really "loves to exercise" yet I do know that it is an essential part of being healthy. Just like drinking water is important to our health so is activity. I can be active but the thought of a daily regimented exercise just turns me off. In the Bible today, it talked about being a slave to self. Humm, how could that be? As I read I saw myself in the very words of God and Oswald Chambers. Chambers said, "Yielding to Jesus will break every form of slavery in any human life" The Bible says "His servants ye are to whom ye obey." Romans 6:16

Yielding for one day in exercise last week made me weak enough to yield every day since. My reason for delaying this process was a dentist visit that kicked my jaws....then having to go back the next day to re fix the problem.

We yield in all sorts of ways...."I must have that" or "just one" or have you ever said...."it won't hurt and no one will know", how about "I can give that up any time." Sound familiar?

I am at blame because I yielded way back last Monday and now here it is 7 days later and I still have not got back into the groove. I became a slave to self. But if I obey God, I do so because I am yielding myself to Him and not self. THEREFORE I AM FREE! It sounds pretty redundant, to obey is to be free, but it is the only truth we have to cling to. If you think about self, we become slave to what has captured our attention or pleasure for that moment in time...But God gives us freedom to be ourselves, in Him! That my friends is very freeing!

Then I read today in James 1:14-15..."But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown, it gives birth to death."

I got it God, I am starting back into my dull routine of exercise this afternoon! Promise!