Please describe the evidence you see of your spouse’s divine call to ministry:
When Stephen first shared how the Lord was calling him into ministry, my reaction was to burst into tears and run from the room. This was not the response that he had anticipated. My best friend was a pastor’s wife and she was everything I was not. Stephen of course asked me what was wrong and I blurted out “I can’t play the piano or sing! What I could not bring myself to say was we did not meet in high school, I was not saved at six, and people like me are not good enough for the ministry… As I allowed Stephen to calm my fears another horrible thought crept in-What if I was not the wife the Lord had for Stephen?……
It was in the writing of our wedding vows, that the Lord put to rest any lingering doubts. I unfolded a gently worn, tear stained paper and
re- read the words I spoke for the first time a few short months before.....; “From deep within I heard a whisper of certainty, a melody without words. You are the one; it sings to my soul. Your smile alone reaches me in places I have never known. My hope is in God, that his love will carry us through. It is my prayer that our love will not only endure, but grow with the many tests of time. My desire will be for you Stephen, my husband, and no higher calling could I find”.
Shortly after our marriage I became a minister’s wife.
“And we know that all things work together for the good of them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”. Romans 8:28
It will be eleven years June 27th and as I look over this period of time I can see clearly the hand print of God as his work in our lives and all he has called us to testifies to our hearts that “God does not call the qualified, but rather he qualifies the called.”
I have been a first hand witness to my husbands call into ministry and his steady sure growth into an awesome man of God and husband.The evidence is in the testimony of our marriage the fruit of the many ministries we have been blessed to serve in, he has faithfully and unwaveringly lead the way in our marriage and in every ministry the Lord has called him too. I am awed and humbled by his walk and with each passing year the echo of my vows “no higher calling could I find” becomes as much a precious promise from my Lord as it is a testament to my willingness to follow my husband in what ever direction he leads.
When Stephen first shared how the Lord was calling him into ministry, my reaction was to burst into tears and run from the room. This was not the response that he had anticipated. My best friend was a pastor’s wife and she was everything I was not. Stephen of course asked me what was wrong and I blurted out “I can’t play the piano or sing! What I could not bring myself to say was we did not meet in high school, I was not saved at six, and people like me are not good enough for the ministry… As I allowed Stephen to calm my fears another horrible thought crept in-What if I was not the wife the Lord had for Stephen?……
It was in the writing of our wedding vows, that the Lord put to rest any lingering doubts. I unfolded a gently worn, tear stained paper and
re- read the words I spoke for the first time a few short months before.....; “From deep within I heard a whisper of certainty, a melody without words. You are the one; it sings to my soul. Your smile alone reaches me in places I have never known. My hope is in God, that his love will carry us through. It is my prayer that our love will not only endure, but grow with the many tests of time. My desire will be for you Stephen, my husband, and no higher calling could I find”.
Shortly after our marriage I became a minister’s wife.
“And we know that all things work together for the good of them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”. Romans 8:28
It will be eleven years June 27th and as I look over this period of time I can see clearly the hand print of God as his work in our lives and all he has called us to testifies to our hearts that “God does not call the qualified, but rather he qualifies the called.”
I have been a first hand witness to my husbands call into ministry and his steady sure growth into an awesome man of God and husband.The evidence is in the testimony of our marriage the fruit of the many ministries we have been blessed to serve in, he has faithfully and unwaveringly lead the way in our marriage and in every ministry the Lord has called him too. I am awed and humbled by his walk and with each passing year the echo of my vows “no higher calling could I find” becomes as much a precious promise from my Lord as it is a testament to my willingness to follow my husband in what ever direction he leads.
How God is working in my life and ministry:
At the beginning of 2007 God called my husband to be The Chaplain at Waco Center for Youth a residential treatment facility for at risk adolescence. At the time we were living in the Adirondacks (this is a 6 million acre wild life preserve in the upstate region of New York.) The local people call the area “God’s country” and mile after mile takes your breath away. I remember one beautiful fall day driving down a winding Mountain road in the middle of this vast wilderness and having to pull over and weep at the incredible beauty of all the vibrant fall colors, it was as if the entire Mountain range were on fire.
During our time in this beautiful place I for the most part was a stay at home foster parent, this is when Baby J as I will call him came into our lives he was A bundle of rose petal skin and deep blue eyes, “Baby J” came to us at seven weeks old right out of intensive care. It was a whirl wind of activity; feeding, burping, sleeping, changing and bathing. In between were the sounds of giggles, mine and his.One morning at dawn as I was preparing to feed “Baby J”, he turned his tiny face towards mine, looking up at me with those big beautiful pools of blue, I could clearly see him; bursting in the back door of the kitchen, mud from his toes to his cheeks, a frog in one hand a fist full of beautiful weeds in the other. Looking up at me, with all the enthusiasm of a four year old, exclaiming; “mommy, mommy look what I brought you” I must of blinked, because as quickly as “Baby J” came into our lives he was gone. He was all of eight months old when we returned Baby J to his parents. Not unlike the story of Hannah and her baby Samuel, I know that though my beautiful baby J is now in the embrace of his natural mother it is in to the loving and gentle arms of My Lord that I have placed him and it is my hearts cry that he would one day hear the Lord calling his name and embrace all the Lord has for him!
At the beginning of 2007 God called my husband to be The Chaplain at Waco Center for Youth a residential treatment facility for at risk adolescence. At the time we were living in the Adirondacks (this is a 6 million acre wild life preserve in the upstate region of New York.) The local people call the area “God’s country” and mile after mile takes your breath away. I remember one beautiful fall day driving down a winding Mountain road in the middle of this vast wilderness and having to pull over and weep at the incredible beauty of all the vibrant fall colors, it was as if the entire Mountain range were on fire.
During our time in this beautiful place I for the most part was a stay at home foster parent, this is when Baby J as I will call him came into our lives he was A bundle of rose petal skin and deep blue eyes, “Baby J” came to us at seven weeks old right out of intensive care. It was a whirl wind of activity; feeding, burping, sleeping, changing and bathing. In between were the sounds of giggles, mine and his.One morning at dawn as I was preparing to feed “Baby J”, he turned his tiny face towards mine, looking up at me with those big beautiful pools of blue, I could clearly see him; bursting in the back door of the kitchen, mud from his toes to his cheeks, a frog in one hand a fist full of beautiful weeds in the other. Looking up at me, with all the enthusiasm of a four year old, exclaiming; “mommy, mommy look what I brought you” I must of blinked, because as quickly as “Baby J” came into our lives he was gone. He was all of eight months old when we returned Baby J to his parents. Not unlike the story of Hannah and her baby Samuel, I know that though my beautiful baby J is now in the embrace of his natural mother it is in to the loving and gentle arms of My Lord that I have placed him and it is my hearts cry that he would one day hear the Lord calling his name and embrace all the Lord has for him!
February 09 our oldest daughter gave birth to our first grandchild, Bryson Luke! I can see him in my minds eye as well, he's all of three years old, with deep red hair and a face full of freckles, he's racing his brand new tricycle, all excited and giggling a streak of red wiz's by the sound of his voice on the wind; "grandpa, grandma look at me".......
December 2006- current(April 2009)
WCY has thrived in its music praise teams, reaching eighty five at risk youth, many have given their hearts to Jesus and continue to be disciple through on campus bible study, chapel services and on unit devotions.
We now wait, Poised in excited, anticipation of yet another adventure and opportunity to witness first hand the awesome power of God as we in continued obedience submit and embrace all that which He has called us to.
In the short of it My ministry is to my husband, I am called to be an "excellent wife."
No comments:
Post a Comment