The Safe Place for Ministry Wives

The Struggle of One

No, I will not abandon you as orphans-I will come to you. John 14:18

I was sitting in a crowded sanctuary surrounded by people and had this thought, "I could never come here again...I could disappear...die...or just never come and no one would even know I was missing." You might have had a thought something like this, "Not one of these people really knows me. ME. The real me." Have you ever felt like an orphan in the middle of a crowded room? The issue of loneliness and the struggle through it is absolutely one of the most difficult issues that a ministry wife faces.

Several reasons attribute to the loneliness that we feel. They include:(this list is not complete)

Moving to an area far away from all family support
Financial restraints that do not allow the freedom of meeting for lunch or entertaining in your home
Working outside of the home in order to support the family while husband carries on ministry
Raising children alone and being in a congregation with few or no women in the same stage of life
Living in an area of the country or world where like minded women are few and far between

So what's a woman to do? First, turn to the WORD and then prayer.

Deuteronomy 31:6 reads,

6 So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

Recognize you are not alone. He has gone before you. He will not abandon you or forsake you. Begin to ask God for direction and for Him to bring you a like minded friend in your local area. We can survive with one real good girl friend.
Look your budget over and just plan that one day you will have coffee with someone. Invite your small group in your home for a potluck. Everyone brings a dish. Develop a small group of people to have conversation. Look beyond your walls of comfort. Have a co-worker meet you in the break room or for a walk at lunch and eat your lunch with her. Establish play dates with other women outside of your church - you never know - since God has been there before you - you might get to lead the family to Jesus! Go ahead!
Build, seek out, and develop an inner circle of close confidants of like minded women via Skype or other social media. Pull your chair up to the computer and have a cup of coffee through the computer with a girlfriend. Put your phone on speaker, attach it to you, then dust and clean while you have a good chat. Join a forum that's safe like us at contagiousjoy4him.com or join a group on Facebook and make friends.

It is a struggle! It's going to be a struggle! It probably always will be a struggle but you and I can push through it and live. Live the life that God meant for us to live in this fish bowl. What a privilege. What an honor. So finally, if your lonely - don't believe the lies. Don't keep it secret. Face it. Admit it. Bring it out into the light and let God direct. It's when you and I give into the lie of our great foe that we lose perspective and sink deeper into the feeling of loneliness.

How do you combat loneliness? We need to hear what you do. Post in the forum in a safe private page or post a comment in the public devotional page. Iron sharpens iron.

Praying for you.

Diane

Diane Nix is director and founder of Contagious Joy. She is the spiritual mom of two grown daughters. (Kasia 32 & Courtney 30) The birth mom of two miracle daughters - one college freshman Rebekah and one 16 year old Rachel. She and her professor/pastor husband, Dr. Preston Nix, have served in ministry for 30 years August 2013. She speaks and teaches whenever the Lord gives her opportunity. Gratefully acknowledging that He has plucked her out of her birth family mire in order to share HIS LOVE!

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The Influence of One!

Your voice is unique and important

We had just come to the church. It had only been a short one or two months and there I was standing before over 250 women in our sanctuary. They had come in response to an invitation about a new "Women's Ministry". Heart Ministries was to be the name of the that ministry and it was just for women. I had scoured and devoured two books that I had discovered in the LifeWay Christian bookstore. "Women Reaching Women" by Chris Adams and one I don't even remember. Mrs. Jan and Mrs. Judy were two women in the audience that day. The lives of each one has influenced me and marked me till the day I'll see Jesus. They didn't have a clue they were just living life for their ONE. ONE is a powerful number. The Leadership and influence of one is mighty. I believe that most of us live life without realizing just how much we influence those around us. Let's change that. Tell us about your ONE experience.

Your voice is unique and important....

XChange is Coming - April 4th, 2014

Faithful Workouts
Introducing our new fitness

program that combines our faith and workouts for the ultimate fitness program. We hope you will join us for these free video workout online and also nutritional tips as well. Let's take care of the temple this year. Get fit God's way! Through the link you can watch a free work out video set to Christian music.

Our instructor is Michelle Spadafora. Michelle lives in Colorado with her husband Jeff and their three children Denika, Neal and Quinn. She has a passion for helping people take a Biblical approach to exercise, healthy eating and spiritual development. She has been in the fitness industry for over 25 years but it wasn't until she was 40 years old and became a Christian that she began to bring her faith into her workouts. What was her profession is now her passion. She believes her Ephesians 2:10 (the good works that God planned in advance) is to help people find more joy in the journey toward physical and spiritual health.

Ladies, Michelle is offering her online videos to us for free and if you want to join her program you can follow the steps on the website to do so. You can choose the best plan for you and then enter the code "Group" for a 25% discount. Her goal is for us to be fit and healthy in order to be all that God wants for us to be!

In the coming weeks we will have a permanent page on CJ4H linking her to our site and more videos until then check out the video and the website by clicking here. Maybe you could even join me to a healthier body in 2014!

Spiritual Warfare for Women

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Come on Join in - It's not too late.

Online Bible Study - Week 4- Knowing your Enemy.

Private & Safe in the forum. You can still join us. Order your book and sign-up here. MINISTRY Wives ONLY.

Sign in each week and join other ministry wives for a Bible Study meant just for us.

The enemy is real, and his mission is to hurt you, your family, and your relationships. But the enemy has no weapon that could ever compare to God's love.

The author, Leighann McCoy will lead this study.

As a pastor's wife, mother, and ministry leader she knows what it's like to be up close and personal in battling the enemy. Through her transparency and humor you will discover that every attack from the enemy brings with it a divine invitation from the sovereign hand of God to learn by experience what Love does.

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Priscilla Shirer Live - April 5th -New Orleans

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Daily Devotion for Women - Now online

We now have a one year Daily Devotion written by Minister's Wives for minister's wives. We will post a new one every morning at 4:30 a.m. You can click on the book for more information or you can

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