The Game of Pastoring

Being in ministry is like a shelf of board games. If you're tired of the one you're playing, sit tight, the next one is about to start..........

Sometimes, it's a game of Scrabble where you're trying to find the right words.

Other times, you feel like you're playing Guesstures and just going through the motions.

There are days when the church resembles a Checker board with everyone jumping around.

And there come days when the game of Taboo would most accurately describe your mood.

Well, some weeks, it seems like you're playing a round of Clue, searching for the answers.

We all dread the times when it seems like checkmate on the Chess board.

And, above all things, we dislike the days when the parsonage feels eerily like a game of Battleship, with missiles spraying the water all around us.

Thank the Lord there are those refreshing times when the pastorate really does remind us of Candyland -- a place of sweet rewards and victories.

The greatest aspect of it all is that God holds all the gamepieces in His hand. And He knows all the strategies we need to stay in the game. In the end, He gives the crowns.

Life with the preacher

It's different for ministry wives.

We don't wave him off in the morning and welcome him home in the evening. Our husbands pop in unexpectedly, sometimes with a request, sometimes for lunch, sometimes to work from home or change clothes for the next appointment.

We don't sit beside him in church on Sundays and look over his shoulder while the pastor reads the text. We sit in the second row and smile up at him, because he is the pastor.

We don't have him to do chores around the house on Saturdays. The weekend is "crunch time" and preparing for Sunday takes precedence.

We don't have cozy, carefree evenings. There are board meetings, visits, late-night study sessions, and occasionally, emergencies.

It's different for ministry wives.

We don't have to "call the pastor." He lives with us!

We don't have to worry about what to feed the pastor when he comes to visit. He pulls up to our table regularly, and we know his favorites!

We don't have to wonder about the direction the pastor is leading the church into. We have the inside track because we are the pastor's closest confidante.

We don't need to to schedule pastoral counseling. We can just turn over in bed and talk to him. (if he's awake after his long day of ministry!)

Living with the preacher sure is a sweet life. I hope you enjoy yours. Happy Valentine's Day!

Hello, former readers of the PWC Weekly Email....

I know many of you told me how you missed the weekly chat we used to have by email. I thought a blog might be easier for me to manage. I will post as often as possible. If I miss a week, you can check the next. And you can share your comments and tips as well.

This blog is not posted on the blogger list and it is by invitation only. No one who has not been specifically invited will be reading it. This is for us, the group of women who share the lives and ministry of our pastor husbands. This is a safe place. This is a fun place. Here we go!

In a ministry world that seems like a kaleidascope -- ever changing colors and textures -- the pastor's wife needs to wrap her roots around something solid. Even her pastor-husband has evolving philosophies and sometimes erratic moods. The children are growing up, maturing before her eyes. Her parents are aging. Her friends are moving, changing. Trends fluctuate. Styles vacillate. It is a fluid world.

Of course, our Father is our ever-constancy. He gives us.....

1. The solidarity of friends. (let's be here for each other)
2. The tranquility of grace. (His presence and power)
3. The familiarity of family. (there is nothing like your own sofa on a Sunday night)
4. The stability of promise. (He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.)

I thank you for being my loyal and joyful companions. Ministry is a great life. And nothing endures but change.