Preacher’s Wife Teaching Life

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...

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:

In Psalm 129 , the Israelites express their frustration for being persecuted since youth and they ask God to cut the cords that tie them to the wicked.  For them, it's about slavery and the way they've been treated in the past; for us it's more about being slaves to the things that torment us - like depression, addictions, anxiety, etc. God is trying to teach us, in this day, that: Our suffering is not a lifestyle, it is merely a gateway to our freedom in Christ. Suffering is not a phase we live in for the rest of our lives while we wither away in sorrow and frustration - it should be used as an opportunity for God to cut the chains that bind us so we can experience true freedom in him. For example, years ago when financial burdens plagued us I used to get very worried, stressed and hopeless about our situation. I would try to come up with ways we could earn more money to afford the things that came up unexpectedly. I lived this way - chained down to this fear of lack o...

We know from reading the Bible about the concept of the fear of the Lord, and as Christians, we’ve mostly developed a healthy amount of fear for his greatness and holiness. Fear of the Lord in the simplest terms is a respect for God and what he is capable of in the areas of his greatness but also in the areas of his discipline. We hold a high reverence for him and know not to curse his name, stomp on a Bible or disrespect him or those who serve him in any way. Jarrod and I are learning about the fear of the Lord in a whole new way: a way that sparks change in our mindset and heart. When we were on a local-ish mission trip, God allowed us to usher in miracles, signs and wonders. One girl in particular stands out in my mind because of her reaction to God. She was dealing with an injured foot and a recent concussion from getting knocked over in the bounce house. We prayed for her head and it felt a little better, moved on to her foot which improved about 50%, prayed for her foo...

It always surprises me how often God answers our cry for help. It's almost embarrassing how small he makes our troubles seem with his solutions; He's the God of creative answers and extravagant gifts.   Tornado threat that dissipated into heavy rain, thunder and lightning.  My husband and I experience his mercy every single day. We've experienced his tiny mercies every day  and even big mercies that we never imagined. They range from lifting the threat of tornadoes in our area to providing a home for us free of debt. The common thread among his mercies is the desperation we express for more of Him in our time of need but also in our time of thanksgiving. His mercy is not exclusive to tragic desperation but inclusive of being desperately grateful for all he has done. He showers us with love and provision when we are in fear and when we are thriving. I love how he gives without conditions or strings. He just gives and loves because he wants to.   Cry Out...

I hear from different denominations in Christianity about what being saved means, whether it expires, and how to maintain it. Salvation to me is an initial acceptance and faith in Jesus Christ, verbal confirmation in your choice, and an ongoing relationship to keep the wheels spinning smoothly. For example, a couple weekends ago, I got some bad news in the mail and immediately went into panic mode. I started crying, freaking out and going into these impossible scenarios in my head about how our world was going to end (drama queen, I know). Deep in my heart I knew that God is bigger than any of my problems and that everything would work out fine because it ALWAYS DOES. (What's that saying? 90% of the things we worry about end up never happening.) Despite my devout belief that God is bigger than my problems, I had this sudden attack of voices in my head about how stupid I was, how this was my fault, how we were never going to get it fixed, that we would go into debt and lose everyt...

If you're breathing then I imagine you struggle with or have struggled with one or more of the following: -worry -stress -fear -rejection -self loathing -feeling of inadequacy -self blame The list goes on, but those are just of few of the most common feelings that people have, sometimes on a daily basis. I know these feelings creep up on me more often than I'd like. When I start to feel any of the above, I remind myself that these feelings are NOT feelings from God. They are evil thoughts creeping their way into my mind and I refuse to agree with them. If I agree with these lies, then I'm denying that my Father is the King. On Sunday, my husband started doubting himself and he wanted me to make him feel better. I realized almost immediately that he was being attacked by lies not from God (I wish I could say I do this every time lies creep up, but I don't...this was divine intervention). Instead of trying to think of positive, uplifting, and encouraging thin...

When I was little, my family lived in a big 2 story house in town. It was an old farmhouse with no central heat or air and I loved it. Every day was an adventure and there was more than enough room for our family of 6 and anyone else who wanted to stay. At night, I'd read my Bible and say goodnight to my parents (I was downstairs in a room across from them). As soon as I'd turn off the lights and get in my bed a large yellow eyeball would appear in front of me and float around in the air. It still scares me just to think about it. It literally makes me cringe.  For the first couple nights, I thought, "I'm just going crazy...my imagination is too wild and its not real." After a while of seeing this scary eyeball I started to worry. If I had a friend over, I'd ask if they could see it and one said she could so I knew it wasn't my imagination. I obviously knew it wasn't a REAL eyeball but I knew something wasn't right and I decided it was safe to te...