Who is She?
She is Susan Sloan. Susan is someone who deserves recognition for her ministry as a minister's wife. Last year we went through such a painful time in our ministry. Susan was there for me. She prayer walked with me, visited me, and she and her husband took us out to dinner. She prayed for me, and she gave me encouraging Scriptures and notes.
Susan and her husband have faithfully ministered in the Northwest, where results can be hard and slow. She and her wonderful husband Bruce have not always prospered financially. But she has been faithful in so many stages of her life. Even now, with her ministry to handicapped children, she can be found faithful.
Her grown son, the father of very young children, has recently come through devastating cancer, all the while she was encouraging others to remember that "suffering is a blessing"!
This is a testimony to the wonderful mother and minister's wife Susan has been and the legacy she is leaving.
We bless you Susan in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank you for serving so faithfully for many years. May your blessings be sevenfold as you continue to serve our great and mighty God.
We honor you for your testimony and legacy. We pray continued spiritual and physical strength to finish your race. Hebrews 12:1-2
 Who do you know that we might honor in this spot? There are minister's wives out there who have never been honored for their faithful service throughout the years. They are called of God to do the work He has for them. They are faithful servants. In this column we would love for you to submit the name of a minister's wife to be honored for her faithful service. Please click on the link below and email us her name and a few honoring sentences for her work in ministry. |
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From One Minister's Wife to Another
Life is a race. Sometimes you can be running along a beautiful path, and suddenly, you find yourself on the ground. This part of your race was not what you had planned, and you didn't see anything coming. From the New Living Translation, Isaiah 55 verses 8 and 9 read, "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." God's timing and mine seem to be completely different. I am very glad about that!
I am excited to introduce you to a new friend. Her name is Tracy Osborne. She is God sent to this ministry. I am grateful for our Lord's timing and direction for this site. Keep praying as we strive to minister. The enemy has not wanted this site to continue. The following story is written by Tracy and when you finish reading here, click on the link and go to our forums to finish up and start communicating with our new addition to the site.
God Bless and I am praying for you.
Never Give Up!
Smiling,
Diane Nix
John 15:5; 16:33
 Meet Tracy!
My name is Tracy, I'm a licensed mental health professional, and I'm a "P.K." This declaration often elicits diverse reactions. After stating this fact, some people may envision my nature to be that of an absolute angel while others might imagine me behaving as a depraved reprobate. Although cliche, these stereotypes are prevalent in our culture. Often these misconceptions are reinforced by such high-profile p.k.'s as the debased rockers Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson and, in contrast, the honorable Secretary of State, Condileeza Rice. Whether or not these presuppositions are accurate remains unanswered as very little empirical research has been conducted on this population. As long as I can remember, I've always been fascinated by widely different reactions minister's kids have to their father's calling and chosen profession. While in grad school I decided to research the stressors minister's kids experience and how this might impact their lives.
What is it about the children who are raised in the stained glass fish bowl that invites such scrutiny and judgement? Is it fair or reasonable that their behavior is often used as "grades" on the minister's professional "report card"? And finally, what is unique about the psycho-social environment in which they develop and live?
This population has a unique combination of factors which shape their environment and which they must strive to overcome. One of these is the lack of privacy inherent in ministers' homes which puts extra pressure on the children, who live their lives on a stage, being observed by an audience whose programs are filled with expectations. Their choices in friends, clothing styles, and even occupations are being evaluated by people with preconceived ideas of what is appropriate. Added to this is the notion that P.K.'s should inherently display advanced spiritual maturity and possess vast amounts of Biblical knowledge. These expectations may come from the congregation, the community, or even their clergy parents. This often leads these kids in a fruitless pursuit of perfectionism, or down a path of rebellion and resentment, diverging from the Christian one their families travel. The temptation to do this is enhanced by the need to individuate from their families so they can discover their own identities and be treated as distinct individuals, rather than merely extensions of their clergy parents.
Most of the challenges inherent in the development of minister's children are not limited to this population. The combination of stressors they experience, however, coupled with the environment in which they are experienced, IS unique. The careers of politicians, high profile business people, and high ranking military officers, are not potentially jeopardized by the misbehavior of their children. The words of 1 Timothy 3:5, "If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?", remind many P.K.'s of the awesome responsibility they have to prove their fathers are worthy of their calling.
When considering all these challenges parenting can be rather daunting if it weren't for the partnership we are offered with our Abba. It is neither trivial nor trite to emphasize the need for prayer and the Lord's wisdom when raising children. The fact that these particular children may have some extra stress placed on them due to their fathers' calling is no surprise to God. These potential stressors need neither to be feared nor ignored, but laid at the feet of the One who knows all.
To continue reading click her to go to contagiousjoy4him forum.
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Don't Miss the Pastor's Wives Session!
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Check out our Book Review
 She Can't Even Play the Piano: Insights for Ministry Wives
Compiled by Joyce Williams
She Can't Even Play the Piano: Insights for Ministry Wives, compiled
by Joyce Williams,is filled with uplifting testimonials from seasoned
ministry wives. The book focuses on the stereotypical expectations
placed on a ministry wife.
As a pastor's wife myself, I cannot
count how many times I've been asked, "Do you sing in the choir or play
the piano?" In the earlier years of our ministry, I often felt that
this was some sort of unwritten requirement that somehow made me
unqualified! Now I find the question comical as my husband sometimes
answers, "No, but she does everything else!"This book just
about covers every topic a ministry wife has been through, is going
through, or at some point will go through. Such topics include:
raising children while the congregation watches, maintaining
confidences and friendships, dealing with temptation, when you've been
hurt, and maintaining joy.
I recommend this book not only
because it's uplifting and lighthearted, but because it proves that
while we ministry wives may not all personally know each other, we
share a bond that no one else can quite understand. So sisters, if you
cannot play the piano and if you even have to lip-sync the words to a
hymn in order for heads to not turn, praise God with me for the simple
fact that those things actually are not a requirement to serve our Lord!
To purchase this book please click here
Review by Kristi W. Cook
Wife of Dr. Jay Cook, pastor, First Baptist Church, Pascagoula, MS
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Calling All Minister's Wives
 Has God been speaking to you lately in a very real way? Has He showed up and showed off? Or are you walking in the deepest valley that you have every known and our Father who knows our hearts is speaking to you like He never has before? You might have been in the desert and now when you are on the back side of it you are ready to share with others that are in the middle oftheirdeserts an encouraging word.
Or maybe you just have a funny or embarassing story that has happened to you that God has used to keep you laughing and communicate a message. We know that "laughter does good like a medicine."
We are looking for some minister's wives to share what God has taught them through submitting devotionals, a good book to read, quotes or funny stories. Click on the picture or the link below and submit your story, a devotional word, a book review or a quote. We will prayerfully consider when it would be the right time to use your submission and give the proper acknowledgement. Please include your name and where we might contact you. Remember this is not about you building your own ministry or about you sharing our contact information but is about us supporting one another in the "high call" God has called us to. Thanks and we look forward to you making an eternal investment into your site: www.contagiousjoy4him.com. |
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