Wednesday Worship: Justified

No matter how crazy life may get, it's helpful to remember...

Justified me,
Glorified me,
Paid my ransom and I've been redeemed by his blood
Go to Calvary,
I've been made free,
Despite my enemy,
I thank God I'm justified

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Featured Book: You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes by Lisa McKay

Encouraging advice on being a pastor’s wife - from a woman who never thought she’d be one!

ABOUT THE BOOK

When most women think of a “pastor’s wife,” certain images come to mind: either a woman who is so holy she doesn’t seem human or someone sentenced to a life without fun, fashion, or friends. The sad truth is that pastor’s wives often walk a lonely road littered with impossible expectations and inconceivable identity crises. They’re the object of hallway conversations and sermon illustrations, but they rarely have the opportunity to be fully and freely transparent and unique.

Lisa McKay’s You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes is an utterly honest, charmingly witty, and biblically-insightful guide for every minister’s wife who wants to serve the church and support her husband without losing herself along the way. You will feel an instant sisterhood with Lisa, a senior pastor’s wife happily serving in the trenches. She understands the challenges of a life lived before a congregation, from finding friends and coping with criticism to saying goodbye and starting all over again.

Through Lisa’s engaging style and fresh perspective, you’ll be encouraged to fully embrace being “married to the ministry”! In this book you’ll find answers to questions like:

* How can I effectively support my husband?
* What are my responsibilities within the church?
* Will ministry destroy my family? Am I doomed to a life of solitude?

The questions haven’t changed much over the years but the answers certainly have. Twenty-first century technology has introduced avenues to connect ministry wives in ways never before possible. Among other things, You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes demonstrates how to use online connectivity as a lifeline when isolation threatens to take over.

You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes is a must-have guide for every woman who wants to do the ministry wife “thing” well. Dealing with relationships between ministry wives, ministry families, and church congregations can be rewarding, confusing, and painful. With that in mind, Lisa uncovers insights from pastor’s wives and lay people as to how we can serve one another and Christ with faithfulness and humility.

REVIEW

Where was this book two decades ago, when I was a relative newlywed and my husband was entering the ministry? Where was it some ten years later when we branched out to launch our own ministry and church?

The good news is that minister's and pastor's wives today don't need to look far for the solid, grounded advice that so many crave, but most forego...in silence. No more do these women need to operate shrouded in self-doubt, confusion, trepidation, and worse, anger and resentment.

Lisa McKay has authored the book that every woman "married to the ministry" should read. You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes (And Other Advice from an Unlikely Preacher's Wife) provides answers, encouragement and resources for minister's wives, with humor and grace. She knows from what she speaks, as she so richly shares on her blog.

In my own journey, thankfully, I eventually figured out that my husband never asked me to conform or change to fit some stereotypical mold of a preacher's wife. More thankfully, while he was actively pastoring, we were willing to move according to the leading of the Holy Spirit, which in our case, meant leaving behind some denominational and cultural constraints, thereby removing some invisible chains off me and my children, enabling us to reach out in nontraditional ways, and drawing us closer to God.

Reading this book was like having a girlfriend down in the trenches with me. I could relate to Lisa's stories based on personal experiences--or those of other women in ministry that I know. Even after all those years in ministry, it also shined a light on areas in my life where God's not quite finished with me yet.


For those who are interested in some real conversation on the issues that Lisa presents-- --check out her blog, The Preacher's Wife, where she's leading a chapter-by-chapter discussion with women from all over the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa McKay and her husband, Luke, serve at a thriving church in Alabama. Lisa also is the wrangler of three rowdy boys, and shopping companion to one princess-in-training. She has followed God's call and Luke's U-Haul across five states for fifteen years. Visit Lisa online at www.apreacherswife.com

You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes by Lisa McKay

David C Cook   February 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-4347-6726-4/208 pages/softcover/$12.99

www.davidccook.com

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by TBB Media and David C. Cook for review purposes.

Wednesday Worship: You're Already Here

I couldn't find this video for the longest because I mistakenly thought it was a Winans. Sounds like a young Marvin to me. Nonetheless, since I first heard this on the radio, I knew I had to find this one. The message is too good.

God, we wait on You. Sometimes we call to You. We don't hear Your response. We wonder where You are. But, then in the stillness, we recall...

You're Already Here

Wednesday Worship: With All I Am by Hillsongs

This song, sung in worship on Easter Sunday, has been ringing in my head. It's so elemental yet so powerful. Hillsong's With All I Am:

Jesus, I believe in you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
You're the reason that I live,
The reason that I sing,
With all I am.

Looks like I missed a few "Wednesday Worship" postings. Missing worship is not something I like to do, not even online, so I'll work on that as I work on revamping my blogs.

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

When Heaven Was Helpless

Author Jack Cavanaugh published a four-part short story on his blog about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Yes, I know Easter was yesterday, but it's never really over, right?

You'll enjoy this story...

When Heaven Was Helpless, Part 1

When Heaven Was Helpless, Part 2

When Heaven Was Helpless, Part 3

When Heaven Was Helpless, Part 4

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia