The Mitford Series

Are you looking for a good read? I highly recommend the Mitford Series by Jan Karon.

I just finished her latest in the series, Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good.

I first discovered this series years ago, back in 1995, when a good friend of ours had read the first book, At Home in Mitford, and then she gave it to my mother-in-law to read. My mother-in-law then gave it to me to read and we were all hooked.

I immediately was pulled into the little fictional town of Mitford, North Carolina. I loved Father Tim and was always looking forward to the next book to see what he would be doing next.

If you like books that are part of a series, please don't hesitate to read this series. There are a total of ten books and you must start with number one. You will get pulled into Father Tim's life and it won't take long to get through the whole series. I just finished because I have read each and everyone, since that first book, as soon as it was released.

If you do decide to read these books, please don't hesitate to let me know how you are enjoying them.

Love from the Preacher and I

The Qualifications of a Preacher's Wife

I follow the blog of another preacher's wife and in her blog she has so many encouraging words for us wives. While reading her latest post I was reminded of the many preacher's wives that I have known throughout the years.

I grew up in the Christian church that was located in my little hometown in Indiana. My family was very involved, they taught Sunday School and youth groups, and my father was an Elder for as long as I could remember. As an Elder's daughter I was introduced to many preachers and their families who ministered to our church. Some were very good friends with my parents, therefore, I had the privilege of getting to know several preacher's wives who were good role models for me and the women of our church.

This is how I remember those Preacher's wives

These women sat in the front row, they played the piano, they taught Sunday School and they stood by their husbands every Sunday shaking the hands of everyone leaving the service that day, and many other duties that were expected of a preacher's wife in those days. Their training to become a preacher's wife came way before their husband ever stood behind a pulpit.

When I was young, a girl who grew up in the church was expected to go to a Bible college. There you could study to become a teacher, a nurse or a secretary, but the degree you were really expected to obtain was the MRS. degree. I felt like all Christian parents hoped and prayed their daughters would become the wife of a preacher.

Now after being a preacher's wife for 26 years and knowing several preacher's wives throughout our ministry, I believe that there are really only three qualifications that you need to have to become a preacher's wife:

One --- she needs be a a woman who loves the Lord and has a personal relationship with Him. Without this she can not be of any help to her preacher.Second --- she needs to love her preacher, she needs to fully believe in him, she needs to stand beside him, not just to shake the hands of his congregation, but to stand with him through the good times and the bad; the days that feel like he is on heaven's doorstep and the days when heaven feels so far away.Third --- she needs to believe in the preacher's call, whether that be the call to a pulpit ministry, youth ministry, missionary work, or any of the many other ministries that are available.

I do not play the piano, but I love my Savior, I love my preacher and I fully believe in him and the call that he has heard from the Lord!

If your preacher's wife is not teaching a children's class or a ladies Bible study, try not to be so hard on her. She just needs to be, figuratively, standing by her man. Love her for that!

Love from the Preacher and I

This little girl decided that she needed to sit on my lap while I wrote this post. If there are any typo's I'll blame it on her!

2015 Good Intentions

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  2 Corinthians 5.17

2015 - Here we are 11 days into the new year and I have just finalized by "Good Intentions" for the year.

I'm not going to call these resolutions, because I'm not sure how much resolve I have, I do have good intentions though, to do the following things:

(1)  I have gathered up the books that I have either began reading or have not read as of yet. I have good intentions on finishing these books sometime during this year. I better get started because I know that I will be buying a few more books before the year is over.

"Leading on Empty" Wayne Cordeiro
"God is Able"  Priscilla Shirer
"Love Does" Bob Goff
"Wonderstruck"  Margaret Feinberg
"bird by bird" Anne Lamott
"Love Story" Nichole Nordeman
"Battles of the Heart" Tracie Ciambotti

(2)  I have seen a few people online, through blogs or Facebook, pick a word that they want to use as their life word for the new year. I began thinking that if I were to choose a word what would it be. I contemplated a few words and what I have decided on is the word "BRAVE". Webster dictionary defines the word as 'having or showing courage'. I have good intentions to be brave this year. I want to have the courage to step out and be confident in some areas in my life where before I have been scared.   I need to stop listening to the words of doubt that come into my head when I decide to try and accomplish something I have not had the courage to do before. Also, I need to be brave and rely on the Lord instead of worrying and trying to do things on my own. I need to give those things over to Him. 
(This does not mean that I will do anything silly like zip-lines or jumping out of airplanes and the like!)  

(3) I so need to get back to art journaling. I have slacked off and I miss it. I just reorganized my supplies so maybe that will give me the incentive to start playing again.

I pray that your New Year is going well and that if you have made any "good intentions"/resolutions that you will be able to keep them all year long.

Love from the Preacher and I