Church Meetings

Emily O. writes:

I don't know about you, but I tend to dread church meetings, typically Voters' Meetings. They loom on the calendar like infrared targets ripe for a sudden and terrible strike. As the day approaches, the tension rises and the pressure increases until I feel like an overfilled balloon. And I don't even personally attend any meetings at church!

While my description of meetings is dramatic, the truth is that church members and pastors are sinners, and whenever sinners get together, they tend to, well, sin. Depending on the church and the dynamics thereof, people exhibit and/or experience volatility when congregating together (I would even venture a guess that there's more fireworks in church meetings than in many other places, and not the kind that make people "oooh" and "aaah" with pleasure). And this is a sad reality of life together as God's people. We get mad, we get frustrated, we say mean and hurtful things. We get quiet and brooding and sullen. We harbor malice. We reject the mercy that God has given us in Christ and so reject our neighbors.

Sometimes anger is righteous. But too often, bitterness reigns. The balance is so difficult to keep, whether you're a layperson who's given decades of service to the church or whether you're a pastor's wife.

But thanks be to Him who saved us--and still saves us--from ourselves. He forgives our biting words, our sarcastic asides, our wrong assumptions and conclusions, our hateful thoughts. And--miracle of miracles--He comes again to meet us in each Divine Service, to serve us perfectly, to grant us forgiveness and to give us peace. I still won't be attending Voters' Meetings anytime soon, but I'm thankful that there's always a Christ-meeting just around the corner. 

Blessed Holy Cross Day

In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.

When the woes of life o’ertake me,
Hopes deceive, and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me,
Lo! it glows with peace and joy.

When the sun of bliss is beaming
Light and love upon my way,
From the cross the radiance streaming
Adds more luster to the day.

Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
By the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that through all time abide.

In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.

In the Cross of Christ I Glory

Listen to tune HERE 

“Merciful God, Your Son, Jesus Christ, was lifted high upon the cross that He might bear the sins of the world and draw all people to Himself. Grant that we who glory in His death for our redemption may faithfully heed His call to bear the cross and follow Him. Amen.”

From Treasury of Daily Prayer for Holy Cross Day

Image Jan Sadeler

Bible Study Invitation

 

BethAnn writes:

Dear Pastors' Wives, 

I would like to extend an invitation for a monthly ladies bible study on biblical mothers. 

There are two different times:

1st evening bible study will be on Sept. 10th at 7:30 p.m. & 1st mid-morning bible study on Sept. 11th at 10:00 a.m. 

The first time we meet will be at Golgotha Lutheran in the Fellowship Hall in Wausa.  

To order a book for the Bible study you can email me at bethannsalinas at rocketmail dot com. The cost of the book is approximately $13. You are still welcome to join us without purchasing a book. You also do not have to make a commitment, but I think you will want to after the first lesson. 

So please join us as we learn, reflect, and study God’s Word together. This will be open to the community as well so invite your friends. I have not lined up caregivers yet so if you know of someone who would like to help please let me know. 

After the first study we will discuss meeting at other places, like Grand Junction in Creighton, The Bloomfield Bakery, & The Wausa Café, etc. 

Other Dates are as followed:  

2012:

Oct. 8^th or 9^th possibly two studies 

Nov. 12^th or 13^th 

Tentative Dec. 10^th or 11^th (we might skip the one study in December due to Advent)

2013:

Jan. 14^th or 15^th possibly two studies,

Feb. 11^th or 12^th  possibly two studies, March 11^th or 12^th,

April 8^th or 9^th, May 13^th or 14^th possibly two studies.

How's Your Mrs. Hyde?

Jenny writes:

I hope to get a discussion going as a follow up to my Mrs. Hyde post.

About a week ago, she reared her ugly head again and that really bothers me.  She is kept contained within my own head, and heart, but I need to give her a voice and this is the safest place to do so. 

The boys have been known to ask me, "Is daddy gone tonight AGAIN?"  And as one sets the table, it's not uncommon for him to ask me, "Will dad be home for supper tonight?"  I don't like hearing those questions.  I know they must be asked, but no matter how many Bible studies the people ask for, or how long they keep Pastor after the closing prayer, doesn't it eventually get to the point where I get to say, "NO MORE!" 

I am not looking for my problems to be solved. They are not terrible. Jon and I have many good discussions, so please, no worries there! I just want to see us share some experiences and ideas. Sound good?

What I'd like to hear about is how you ladies guard your families.  How do you guard your time together?  How do you guard your husbands' day off?  How do you impress upon your husbands the importance of time with family without sounding selfish, keeping in mind the importance of his calling?

Becoming what you eat! - From BethAnn

BethAnn writes:

I always used to get comments on how I looked. It was nice to be noticed for having a normal body weight. Also others also noticed that I didn’t overeat. I ate the correct portions. 

Well, that as all changed. I am now struggling with my weight. I am involved in a healthy eating program that sets goals to help me with my weight. I pray that I can reverse the damage I already caused my body. This issue has put more pressure on my back and hip. It seems to be a cycle….a never ending cycle. Maybe I need to transform my mind as well. 

And you would think that having numerous family medical issues as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure would motivate me, guess again. Lately, I have been praying for others and not myself because it feels selfish. I have been eating because the change of becoming a mother and staying at home has given a new unknown and stressful dimension of my vocation here on earth. 

Don’t get me wrong I have LOVED being a mother and staying at home and training my daughter in the way she shall go. I thought I could do it on my own. But I have failed miserably! I want to eat correctly again. I want to have the peace that passes my understanding rain in my heart. But I can’t do it without HIS guidance and forgiveness. But there is one last step which is even harder to meet or surpass - forgiving myself!

God's love and my smiles,

BethAnn  

Image Sunny Breakfast Vladimir Volegov

Dr. Jekyll and “Mrs.” Hyde - From Jenny

Jenny writes:

Are you familiar with this old story by Robert Louis Stevenson? Dr. Jekyll invents a potion in an attempt to hide the evil desires within himself with which he has been battling for years. But to his horror the potion transforms him into Mr. Hyde, giving the evil desires full reign.

Sometimes, as the wife of the pastor, I feel a bit like this twisted character. The “real me” is so very proud of my husband; of the studying he’s done and continues to do; of the work he so tirelessly goes after. He upholds the Office of the Holy Ministry very well, thank you very much! I’m sure you feel the same about your husbands. What a blessing isn’t it, to have the privilege to know these men?

I willingly share him with the people of the congregation, knowing that the Lord’s work needs to be done. People want his ministry so I release him to be “over there” at any and all times. Bible studies need to be written and prepared, sermons need to be researched and written, people need counselling, couples need to be married, widows need to be visited, meetings need to be attended, and the list goes on, right? I know it must happen and for the better part of the day, of the week even, I don’t miss him. He’s at work and I’m at work. We are busy with our callings, doing the Lord’s bidding.

But then he is asked to visit Africa with his father. He will be gone almost three weeks. He will miss two Sundays and five Tuesday/Thursday Matins services. The catch is that he will be home on Wednesday, meaning he should be able to have Matins on the following Thursday. But he cancels it, knowing he will miss six Matins services. He was told by his Board of Elders to take the rest of the homecoming week off – to be with family – to recover from jet lag. I love the Board of Elders! 

Sunday morning comes and we are all in church again. The congregation is happy to have their shepherd back. I am happy to have my husband back. My children are happy to have their father back. But there are a few who never miss Matins. Ever. And they are not happy. I feel Mrs. Hyde beginning to bubble under the surface. 

“I was going to have a welcome home party for him and he didn’t even have Matins.” 

I smile, understanding her disappointment. Mrs. Hyde continues to bubble. 

“I hate being away from Matins so long. Why did he cancel it?” 

I try to explain in a gentle way while Mrs. Hyde wants to raise her voice and say, “Because he’s been away from his wife and sons for over two weeks!!”  

She shakes her head in disbelief. “Well I just don’t understand. I had a bon voyage party for him and I planned to have a welcome home party for him.”  

Her lips purse as she walks away. Mrs. Hyde is not happy. Another member tells me how many times she will be away from her shepherd over the summer, what with all of his trips and the times she has to be gone. I listen sympathetically. Inside, Mrs. Hyde is now screaming, “What about your shepherd’s family?! Why are you people so selfish? Can you not understand how much of him we share already? Why must you steal away the time he is to spend with us?!” *sigh*

It can be a bit unnerving, dealing with this “Mrs. Hyde.” I love the members of our congregation. We have had, in the past, some difficult congregations to deal with. Most members have been anything but kind. The selfishness was par for the course. After three years of being in the midst of these loving Christians, I guess I was taken aback by their disappointment; by the upset in their schedule and how they vocalized it so matter-of-factly.

Just goes to show me that no one is free from the temptations of the Devil. Everyone is self-centered. Even the most faithful Dr. Jekyll can have a selfish Hyde within.

Weak and Loved

 “People say be strong. I say be weak and be loved.” Emily Cook

Emily Cook is the author of Weak and Loved: A Mother Daughter Love Story about her daughter's struggle with epilepsy. She writes:

"In October 2008, shortly after her fourth birthday, my daughter Aggie was diagnosed with epilepsy.  The year that followed was one of the most difficult years of our lives."

Right now you can get a copy of the eBook for Free HERE. I don't have an eReader but I just bought a copy of the book and can't wait to read it.

And she keeps a blog, Weak And Loved, if you haven't been there you should check it out. I've been blessed by her words many times.

"Emily Cook is a mother of six, a sinner, a child, covered in the blood of Christ, and freed from the burden of pretending she is strong. She s a woman growing backward, a mother-child, messy with sin, but rejoicing in the constant love of her Heavenly Father. She lives with her husband and their six children, including now-healthy Aggie, in the arms of the church where he is a pastor." from Amazon Bio