Preacher’s Wife Teaching Life

Even if you're not married, this post can benefit you and your future spouse...if you are married, you might find out a new way you can connect with your spouse. My husband and I celebrate our 8th anniversary this year; while 8 years is nothing compared to the 40+ my parents have and 60+ my grandparents have, I can undoubtedly say I've learned a lot about marriage over the last 8 years. I'm sure my marriage education started far before I ever got married when I was a kid watching my parents relate, but first-hand experience is a guaranteed fast track education in the area of relationships. We know as humans that relationships are built on an emotional connection . We find someone we can emotionally relate to and our foundation is formed. Either you found something similar that connects you, or you found something totally different that you wish you had, but the two of you formed a bond that goes deeper than any surface level acquaintance. Another connection, and not

At the dawning of a new year, we can't help but see what's coming as a clean slate and a fresh start. Most of us make resolutions or goals for the new year. Did you make any this year? Did you have any prayers you wanted answered or hopes you wanted fulfilled? Internet!!!!!! Our very pregnant mini goat The past two years, my husband and I have written down our hopes for the new year. I can honestly say that most of those hopes have come true. There are a few things we are still praying for, but ultimately we know that everything happens in God's good timing. Some of the things I hoped for were kind of silly, like for our mini goats to have babies and internet at our house (we live in between two middle-of-nowheres and there's nothing but land and cows); some of my hopes were a little more serious, like becoming spiritually closer with Jarrod and reaching more people for Jesus. Those four things alone came true this year: our mini goat is currently about to pop

God sure has been saying a lot and saying it clearly to me lately in my time set aside for him.The peace I feel throughout each day comes from time spent resting in his presence and listening to his plans and hopes. He told me today that my hopes and his plans are very closely aligned. He said I've lived a life walking closely to him, and the things I dream about and hope for are the things he plans for me to have. Going into my day knowing that certainly changes the way I view the day that unfolds. The small hardships or harsh words that used to crumble me are brushed away with the knowledge that God is pleased with me. The distractions of life are pushed aside as I remember the plans he has for me. I'm telling you, it's a different quality of life than the one of worry and anxiety I used to live. This little guy is one of my dreams come true. There is an indescribable feeling of fulfillment that comes from experiencing his love and hearing his thoughts about me an

We voted! I love the anticipation of finding out who will preside over our country! I would imagine being president is one of the hardest jobs on the planet, yet we manage to find one every 4-8 years that is willing to take on the sacrifices of a country leader. I may not always agree with our president, but no matter who it is, I hold a great deal of respect for someone willing to step into that position of authority. It is, after all, essentially the greatest authority we have on Earth as Americans. I can find rest in who America chooses because while he/she is the greatest authority in our country, God still remains the greatest authority over the entire universe. Worrying about things that are out of our control would be like preparing for a test we are never going to have...it's pointless. Faithfully praying, without worry, on the other hand, is certainly recommended in times when big decision are being made that affect many people for years. God has been teaching me t

Why is it that employees often think they know how to do the boss' job better than the boss does? I always wonder, "is it arrogance? is it perspective? is it just plain stupidity?" No matter the reason, this is an age old problem that plagues people of all ages. Kids think their parents don't know anything. Students think their teachers are stupid. Employees think their bosses are jerks. Wives think husbands are selfish. Husbands think wives are annoying. The list goes on but the problem remains: a lot of people have problems respecting authority. Maybe the lack of respect comes from an abusive experience. Perhaps you think you're justified in your defiance because of the way you were treated. Again, either way, the problem remains: a lot of people have problems respecting authority. Authority can be a tricky thing to recognize, especially when you place yourself above authority in your own mind because they're younger than you, dumber than you, not as exper

With each new day comes new obstacles. When we get weighed down by these obstacles and our own expectations, our hope dims and our frustration brightens. I'm here today to testify that dimming hope is not possible in a day walked closely with God. This doesn't mean you toss your anger and frustration in his direction and throw your requests out into open air; walking a day with God means spending time in his presence and opening up the conversation with him to rid you of frustration and hopelessness.  My frustration this morning! Made me late to work but prayer brought me favor with timing. We are learning that every day is a gift from God. Each day doesn't have to be open season for opposition; each day can bring new hope, new opportunities, second chances and excitement for what is to come. We don't have the promise of tomorrow, but we do have the promise of a life lived well with God on our side and the guarantee of an eternity spent with him.  A joyful ti

Every day I hear people wondering out loud if they are effective or having an impact in the world. We can't help but want to leave our mark on the world and impact people in a powerful way. What you're experiencing right now, what you've experienced in the past, and what you will experience tomorrow shapes you in such a way that you have a unique impact on people. We go through hard times and we go through good times that shape us into the person we are with the personality we have. Some people go through harder things than others and some people grow up in an environment of love and safety. Whatever you're surrounded with, it is shaping you. God uses every single life experience for his victory, your testimony, and for the people that you can reach through your personal experiences. The key to getting to a place where you can share your experiences with light, love and hope comes from intimacy with God and sustained victory over darkness. Only through God can we sh

Creepy iPad and keyboard I walked into my bedroom to work on my computer, thinking about what I might want to write about. I’ve had a rough couple days for no particular reason so I was trying to tie that in to a topic for the blog. After the 300th time of trying to get my wireless keyboard to connect to my computer, I have to admit I got a little heated over the matter. I stormed out of my bedroom, slammed the door for effect and at that very moment, my iPad turned on and randomly started playing “What is Love?” It stopped me in my tracks. It’s a song from the 80/90s, but it is a song I grew up on and remember fondly from skating rink days. I immediately grabbed the iPad and started dancing (ridiculously) in the living room and laughing so hard it hurt. The title of the song and the timing of it turning on without my permission are not lost on me. I love how God works. He reminds us in the most unique ways of his presence and how small our problems are. Did I mention that I don’t

If you walked into my house last week, you would have found me having a fight with a coffee machine. Like any other normal person, I like to have coffee in the morning. And like any other coffee lover, if I don't get my coffee, insanity ensues.  My thoughts when there was no coffee. On this particular morning, my coffee machine decided to make all the appropriate noises but do none of the appropriate functions to make coffee. Water was spewing everywhere; Kcups were wasted; coffee cups were splattered why murky coffee like substance.  I. Freaked. Out. I ripped the cord out of the wall, threw the machine in the sink upside down and cursed the heck out of it. I might venture the say this was a little over the top for an innocent coffee machine with no heart beat. I might even venture to say it could have been user error. I don't know, but whatever it was, my reaction was a little dramatic for a plastic item. Jarrod encouraged me to take a break as I instructed him to &

God showed me a little bit about our identity through my understanding of mathematics. It may seem scary at first, but I'll explain it so stick with me :) I'll start with a simple example to explain what God is saying in the above graphic. 1*3 = 3, right? Yes. 1 is the identity for multiplication because it is the only number that won't change the characteristics of other numbers. 1*4 = 4 1*5 = 5 and so on. Jesus is a Christian's true identity so: Jesus * you = YOU He is the only factor that can produce the true you. The you without the hitch hikers that jump on your mind and heart from the troubles of this world, your upbringing and your worry for the future. . My husband and I have been focusing our mornings on spending more time with God. He prefers an unhindered quiet time of soaking, praying and reading while I enjoy time on the sofa with coffee, puppies, reading and praying. I love to see how the word applies to my life and also how it provides e

You know that thing you do that you don't wanna do but you keep doing it because you can't stop doing it? These behaviors might include: lying, cheating, raging, gossiping, pornography, drinking, drugs, eating, throwing up, etc. Reforming these behaviors on your own can prove to be a little tricky. I'd say reforming undesirable behavior might even be impossible on your own. But there is still hope for us. With the love of God, the power of the Holy Spirit and a renewed mind, you can reform your behavior. Youth conference with lots of God encounters! An encounter with God is the easiest way to reform undesirable behavior because the encounter will fill you with the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord renews our minds in a way that informs our bodies of what's beneficial to our spiritual health in the eyes of God. So, your mouth doesn't want to lie anymore; your tongue won't allow you to eat certain things; your eyes will be opened to the evil of pornogra

You know that feeling when things aren’t working out the way you planned? Maybe you expected a better outcome for yourself and you’re worried about how everything will turn out? You lose sleep over issues that are out of your control and you have anxiety about the future. As the reader, you might notice all the “you’s” in the above sentences. There wasn’t much of “God” mentioned but there was a lot mentioned about your own well-being and yourself. This is an example of operating in the flesh. If you haven’t grown up in church, you might associate “flesh” with skin and you’re wondering why I’m talking about skin. “Flesh” in church-ese for operating in this world without the guidance and fruit of the Holy Spirit. Flesh focuses a lot on “self” – self-gratification, selfishness, self-satisfaction, self-advancement, self-consciousness, self-protection, etc. Walking in the flesh usually ends in anxiety, worry, depression, addictions, destruction, anger and fear. Matthew 7:13,14 Ent

A Jesus lover's destiny ultimately is to live eternity with him. In the meantime, we are often left wondering what our destiny is here on Earth ( 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ). We ask ourselves what we were made for or where we are headed in life. This Sunday, God revealed through Pastor Jim three things about destiny. Your destiny is to: 1) Have a relationship with God.  Simply put, a relationship with God entails spending time with him. Your time may be spent talking, listening, singing, soaking, dancing, resting, or any other various form that allows you to spend time with God. A reminder of God's promise and the wiping out of evil men. 2) Have victory over darkness. What is darkness? Darkness is anything evil in your life that drowns out God's light and love. Victory over darkness means: by the power of the Holy Spirit, you have the ability to rid your life of darkness and see the light of God's love. For example, I had reoccurring dreams about people accusing

If I asked you what you think God's will for your life is, how would you answer? You might answer stating the purpose of your life or saying what drive's you or what your passion is. God's will is stated clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4 : that you should be sanctified. I talk more about that in this video. But before you watch, please know that conviction from God is different than shame. I'll put it this way: If God is good and shame is bad, then shame is not from God. So please, if you feel shame, cast it off in Jesus' name and ask him to fill you with his love, peace and wisdom as you deal with the actions he brings to your mind.

It's quite common for our view of family to expand when we are thrown into situations where our blood families are not available. For example, military people form tight bonds with fellow soldiers because of the stories shared, time spent, and hard days lived together. Jarrod and I are quickly finding that these bonds are not confined to military branches, schools or other places. These bonds are formed within the body of Christ. Through the body of Christ we are able to share stories and experiences, find common ground through the love of God, and spend time together learning more about Jesus. Hear more about how we've transformed our lives through our expanding view of family:

One of my favorite things about watching the Olympics (other than watching the US dominate in swimming) is hearing the athletes’ personal stories. I love getting to know them a little better and what their personalities are like. One of my favorite stories is from the synchronized divers. The diver expressed how lost he got when he found his identity in winning medals and trying to represent the United States well in his sport. He said he realized the sport was much more fun when he found his identity and value in Christ. Now he doesn't feel obligated to measure up to anyone's standards. He found himself already celebrated in heaven and having received the greatest prize. (I’m paraphrasing). We average, non-Olympians live by similar standards except we don’t deal in golds, silvers and bronzes. While our lives are measured by jobs, spouses, children, money, houses, cars and “happiness,” we are still left with the same empty defeat when we don’t measure up in our own minds o

One of my favorite things to do is take old furniture that's been tossed aside and make it new again.I found this old dresser in a second-hand store that was a little ratty. It had some water damage, missing screws and just needed some TLC in general. But all I saw was it's potential! It was exactly what I'd been searching for and it had great potential to be made into a beautiful piece of furniture. I sent a picture to my husband and he wasn't too keen on it but said he trusted me to make that decision. Sooooooooo after a couple days of thinking, I bought it. We took it home and I couldn't wait to get started on it! I sanded it down, cleaned it up, spray painted the handles, primed all the surfaces and finished it with a fresh coat of paint. What used to be an ugly, tossed-aside piece became beautiful and welcome in our home. I think I love transforming furniture so much because it reminds me of the way God works in our lives when we say yes to him. It seems like

At 6 years old, I knew in my heart that Jesus was real and I accepted him as my savior and God as my Father. At 11 years old, my dad taught me how to open my heart and hear from God. When I was faced with unanswered questions or problems we didn’t have a solution to, I would seek him and await a response. At that point in my life, my parents were hoping to buy a house sitting on a lot of land that seemed like a dream come true to me. I asked my dad if he thought we would get approved for the land and he wasn’t sure so he referred me to God. This was foreign to me at the time but he encouraged me through it and I was 90% sure I had heard from God. I was a beginner in hearing the voice of God and wasn’t positive if what I heard was God’s voice or my own hopes answering back. Not long after that, confirmation came when the contract went through on that house and we moved in shortly after. This was pivotal in learning the process of interacting with God. He has an opinion and wants to tal

At 6 years old, I knew in my heart that Jesus was real and I accepted him as my savior and God as my Father. At 11 years old, my dad taught me how to open my heart and hear from God. When I was faced with unanswered questions or problems we didn’t have a solution to, I would seek him and await a response. At that point in my life, my parents were hoping to buy a house sitting on a lot of land that seemed like a dream come true to me. I asked my dad if he thought we would get approved for the land and he wasn’t sure so he referred me to God. This was foreign to me at the time but he encouraged me through it and I was 90% sure I had heard from God. I was a beginner in hearing the voice of God and wasn’t positive if what I heard was God’s voice or my own hopes answering back. Not long after that, confirmation came when the contract went through on that house and we moved in shortly after. This was pivotal in learning the process of interacting with God. He has an opinion and wants to tal

I've grown up thinking that failure is one of the worst outcomes. So much so that it cripples me in certain ways; for example, I used to not even start certain things because I was afraid I wouldn't be succeed. God has been showing me that failure isn't a reflection on WHO I am, it doesn't mean that God doesn't have my back and it isn't an opportunity to quit while I'm ahead. He's replacing that mindset with the concept that failure is a chance to become better, to learn more about God's character and helps eliminate options in life. I posted a few videos on my Facebook page (Preacher's Wife Teaching Life) so I'll share those with you now: The Greatest Teacher: Failure with a Flair:

Man, can you believe some of the stories we hear on the news? It’s crazy to believe that these are true stories that are happening on our home turf. My heart is saddened by the way people are treated. It’s not only in the planned attacks against our police, the LGBT community, Christians, and our government officials, but also on social media, over the phone or the grocery store parking lot. Sure, acts of kindness are shown too. We have the “pay it forward” movement at the coffee shop, a chivalrous young man holding the door open for a woman, the kind stranger helping to find a lost item and so on. However, it’s the acts of hatred that rest heavy on my heart and the hearts of the rest of God’s people. Across the nation, God’s people are coming together as one and sharing His vision of transformation. It is a transformation accomplished through the power of His love. He wants to start a movement that transplants the hearts of wicked with a new and pure heart that beats with lo

SURPRIIIIIIISE!!!! The Shock of the Year… We were invited to a friend’s house for dinner last weekend. We pulled up promptly at 7, walked in the house and received instructions from my friend. She said that her son wanted to show me his new puppy in the backyard. I open up the door to the backyard and immediately see all my close church friends gathered around in expectation, and hear a loud “SURPRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISE!!!!!!” In that moment, my heart was flooded with emotion. Tears gathered in my eyes as memories and thoughts of great times spent together came rushing upon me in an instant. I was so excited and touched to know that they had been planning this for weeks and prepared a special party for me with all my favorite things. One of those favorite things included the art of celebration; I love to celebrate and mark moments in time with good memories and good friends. I love for each person to feel special and distinguished when good things come their way. Cheesecake F

I’m writing this post to offer you a sneak peek into a pastor and his wife’s life. There’s not exactly a job description lined out or a person that my husband has to answer daily like a normal boss so figuring a daily agenda out takes prayer and a little trial and error. I have to admit, at first we had no idea what we were supposed to be doing on a daily basis. And I have to admit that even now sometimes we wonder what we should be doing or if we should be doing more. Making a video together for my Facebook page. As part of my calling, I’m very involved in my husband’s ministry. We act as one unit and most people are not used to that because typically, the pastor acts as a single unit that takes care of all his duties alone. In our case, we are called to work together and we do that the best we know how as a single organism with one mind and shared heart. Our uniqueness and oneness often times puts us in a box all by ourselves but we have each other and have become stro

If you’ve followed my page on Facebook , then you’ve seen the “how-to” videos my husband and I prepared. Staying true to the blog format, I’d like to write out what we spoke about in those videos. In between making those videos, on our way out of the driveway, we ran over one of our kittens. I was forced to walk out my own teachings yet again as we faced a tragedy beyond our control.  My husband and I know enough to understand that we don’t have to wallow in our pit of despair; we know hope is available to us and that we want it. My husband lined out a 4 step plan to find hope and we walked it out together as we mourned the loss of our kitten. Step 1: Acknowledge Him as God- This simply involves addressing him and acknowledging that he is real and his presence is known in your world. {Proverbs 3:6 - In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will makes your paths straight.} Step 2: Worship Him -  Let your worship, praises and thanksgiving flow out of your mouth up to H