Beyond the Second Row

I was 24. My heart was full of excitement and anticipation as my husband stood on stage and was commissioned into his first full time youth ministry position. This was our dream. Four years of Bible college, two years of seminary, and now here we were; ready to start putting all this training in to practice. We were dirt broke but full of AMBITION to GIVE IT ALL for the next generation. “Be brave,” I told myself. “You’ll sleep when you’re dead.”

                   I wonder…do I have what it takes to be a pastor’s wife?

I looked across the auditorium and saw her. She was sitting in the second row. Dressed nicely, smiling, and listening with intense respect. She was the Senior Pastor’s wife. In my eyes she earned immediate respect because of her role. Year after year she sat in that second row with that same unwavering, unspoken support to her husband, our pastor.

                I wonder…did she feel the eyes on her every move?

I heard the words but they didn’t sink in. We were being “encouraged” to move out of youth ministry into a role we never imagined. Associate Pastor. I sat on the second row and watched my brave husband break the hearts of all our sweet youth as he told them our time was done. “Be brave,” I tell myself, “your husband needs you to be strong.” 
 
              I wonder…did others see me as brave or did they see the little tear that fell down my cheek?

The next years would be hard. Harder than anything I could ever have imagined. Church destruction at its’ finest. Gossip. Pride. Jockeying. Power. Secrets. Anger. Evil had come to rest upon our church. I looked towards the second row and it was empty. Where did she go? I found her. My second row friend was crying in the corner. I guess not everyone can be strong all the time. I hold her hand and we cry together. I watch our church crumble before my eyes. My husband was on his knees begging out to God for Satan to leave our church. Brokenness. Absolute brokenness. “Be brave,” I tell myself. “Your husband and friends need you now more than ever.”

             I wonder…does Satan view our brokenness as his favorite comedy show?

Sometimes God’s plan makes no sense. Scratch that…it rarely makes sense. Voices. So many voices telling us to take on the role as a Lead Pastor. Our adventurous hearts take it on and we GO.  Now it’s my turn. I sit on the second row and watch my husband commissioned to be the Lead Pastor of this sweet little church. I smile and give him my full support. But wait, was is that? I dare not turn around but I feel the eyes upon me and in that moment…I understand. “Be brave,” I tell myself. “Your husband needs you and this church needs you too.”

            I wonder…how did my second row friend manage to smile when the weight was so heavy?

For 3 years I sat there in the second row. I supported, smiled, encouraged, and prayed. But now our time has come to an end. Again I find myself listening to my husband break horribly sad news to people we loved. There is not much that can be said when God doesn’t give all the answers. “Be brave,” I tell myself. “Your church needs you to be strong. Your husband needs you to be strong.”

            I wonder…did God delight in me?

It’s been 10 months since I sat on that second row. We visit other churches and I feel lost in a sea of people. No one knows my name. I sit in the back row just because I can. I’m distracted by all the sights and sounds. I watch as people play on their phones and fall asleep. I see every little detail and I get lost in my emotions. We visit church after church and feel a sense of dread that we might never find a church that feels like home. My eyes start to wander and they fall upon this beautiful woman on the second row. She holds the pastors hand and smiles as he gets up to preach.

         I don’t have to wonder anymore…I just pray. I pray she will be brave because I know how much she’s needed.

Swimming upstream in a world of Pretenders

I find myself in a season of deep reflection. I guess that’s pretty normal for me, but this time my reflection almost feels like physical pain. I sat on my back porch this morning and I wanted to cry but had no energy to do so.

I feel tired.

I feel sad.

I feel angry.

I feel disappointed.

I feel worried.

I feel overwhelmed.

Lately it seems that everyone that crosses my path has MAJOR life issues going on. I could name at least a dozen of our closest friends and family that are facing life altering moments in their lives right now. Who am I kidding? I'm struggling too. How about you? I feel like I'M personally drowning in transition and uncertainty and it is making me down right crabby (right, honey?). So, what do I have to offer my friends that are gasping for air when I'm drowning in the same boat? My temptation is to carry all these burdens, and hence the flood of raw emotions.

You better stop judging me because I know I’m not alone in this. Just because I love Jesus doesn't mean that I’m a robot and can just magically turn off my emotions. You see, when I hear that my dear friend has been cheated on, I get pissed. When I feel forced into a corner and treated like a child, I feel angry. When I sit with a friend that is overcome with depression, I feel sad. When I see God’s people tear themselves apart, I feel overwhelmed by disappointment.  When I see people consistently turn their back on Jesus and enjoy a life of sin, I feel worried for their souls. When I feel like I'm in a season when everything, I mean everything, is HARD, I feel beyond tired of it all.

Oh, don't get all worried for me. That's not what this is about. What I want you to see, my friend, is that it's OKAY to be REAL with how you feel. When life sucks, it's okay to admit it. 

I was sharing with a friend the other day some of these emotions and the response just blew my mind. “Tirzah, what in the world are you worrying about?! Just trust God. All of these things will work out.” Okay okay, I know all the bible verses that tell me not to worry, and I get that. BUT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, we would be a better witness to the people around us if we would actually show our humanity sometimes and STOP PRETENDING THAT LIFE IS ALL ROSES. Why is it that when we place our faith in Christ, we feel the need to wash up our OUTSIDE when we are in absolute turmoil on the INSIDE?????

I’m sorry, but when I sit with a dear friend and hear the news that her teenage child is pregnant, it’s not my first instinct to say, “oh____, everything is going to be okay.” Um, well it’s not going to be okay so why would I say that? Yes, God can use anything for GOOD, but is that really what she needs to hear in that moment? Uh, no.

When I sit with a friend that tells me “I feel like a failure in life in every possible way”, I’m not going to just brush over that with pat words. These words of grief are real that cannot be healed by cliché comments.

So, if you are reading my rant today, I just want to simply ask you this, “Are YOU for REAL?”

Next time a dear friends comes to you with a struggle, will you do them the great honor of keeping your stupid cliché comments to yourself and just listen with empathy?

Will you pause next time you’re forced to stuff YOUR emotions and trust that God can handle your authenticity with Him?

Did Jesus judge the man that said “Lord, I believe but help me in my unbelief”? I think not.

I feel like I’m swimming upstream in this life of authenticity. 

Will someone join me?

YOGA PANTS

A few days ago I was having one of my moments of deep thought in my favorite place of solitude.  Yes, you got it, I was in the shower.  Our poor water bill has suffered much over the years with my eternal steam bath thinking/praying sessions.

I was thinking a lot about motherhood. I had this earth shattering thought…”YOGA PANTS DON’T DEFINE YOU!”  Rocket science, right?  On the other hand…yoga pants really DO define you.  I mean, I should NOT be able to see your cellulite from 20 yards away…oh, but others have written about this so I’ll let that one lie. (http://veronicapartridge.com/why-i-chose-to-no-longer-wear-leggings/)

(Personal opinion on the topic…who cares if you wear yoga pants but PLEASE cover up your butt! I asked Bradley what he thought about yoga pants and he said “what are those anyway?” ha ha ha.  I love my husband!)

Yeesh, I got distracted from my point.

Here’s the skinny.

I've had SO MANY conversations with women that have no idea what God wants them to do with their life. These are ladies that have been dedicated, loving, godly mommy’s and have done an AMAZING job at it.  NOTHING is wrong with that and I agree that raising our children is a necessary priority and privilege.  However, why is it that we have an epidemic of women that struggle so much with their purpose, especially once their children are to the stage of independence?? Why is it that so many women are LOST and WANDERING aimlessly through life?  Hence my thought that, “YOGA PANTS DON'T DEFINE YOU!"

If we had the chance to sit in Starbucks and hash out what I mean by that, here's what I'd tell you:

TO THE YOUNG MOM:

"Way to go, girlfriend!!!  You may not feel it today as you wipe butts and clean up that pile of blocks for the hundredth time, but what you are doing is SO IMPORTANT.  You are raising the next generation of Jesus Followers and you are doing a rock star job!! Today, though, I want you to remember a simple truth. As mommy’s we don’t have to check out from the world around us just because we spend the majority of our time un-showered, in yesterday’s make-up, with yoga pants, a ponytail, and a baby on our hips. Dear friend, we have to stop raising self-centered, narcissistic, children that are fed a lie that the world revolves around THEM.  

This will look different for all of us. For me it has meant that over the years my children have seen me spend hours and hours counseling and mentoring young women on my couch (my passion). They have seen me have quiet time and pray diligently for them every night as they close their eyes to sleep. They have seen us as a family open our home to bible studies and countless meals with neighbors and friends.  They have seen us give our time and resources to those in need and make meals for the sick. They have seen us visit hurting people in the hospital and cry with people that have lost a loved one. I want my children to see the reality of the gospel lived out in ME so that their little lives will be drawn more and more to Jesus. So friend, I ask you… are you setting the example for your children that life is not ALL ABOUT THEM, it’s ALL ABOUT JESUS?"

TO THE SEASONED MOMMY:

"Oh man, I like you a lot.  You have been my friend and encourager.  I’m drawn to the older, less petty people in life.  I’m proud of you, friend.  You have raised your children well and while they are far from perfect, that’s the whole point right?  We are all lost people in need of JESUS every day.

To you, I just want to say two simple things:

1) Don’t live in regret.  Don’t look back on motherhood and feel like you screwed it up.  Yeah, maybe you could have done things differently, but leave the past in the past and move on.  Satan likes to keep you wallowing in the poop of the past, but God wants to wash you clean and set your eyes on the future (1 Jn 1:9).  There is no such thing as a perfect mom.  Even that other lady that has those “perfect godly children” is not without her faults.  God did not create robots, He created people.  He loves us ALL THE SAME and has a wonderful plan for ALL of His children.  So, I ask you today to stop living in regret and “Let it go! Let it go!”  (sorry, I couldn't help myself…darn that stupid song!

2) Remember Ephesians 2:10 “For [insert your name here]are [is] God's masterpiece. He has created [me] anew in Christ Jesus, so [I] can do the good things he planned for [me] long ago.” (NLT)

While I don’t know your personal story and I don’t know how He has gifted you to “do good works”, what I do know is this, HE HAS A PURPOSE FOR YOU!  Don’t sit back waiting for the perfect opportunity to plop in your lap that will fill your life with purpose.  Just take a risk.  Step out in faith and try something new.  Maybe it will flop, but either way you win because either you found your awesome purpose or you can cross one more thing off your list.  You won’t know until you try! 

Jesus is coming back soon and I can promise you that the ladies I look up to so much sure don’t want to be caught sitting on their behinds.  I love you, sweet sister!  Get in the game and keep setting the example to all those young girls around you that so desperately need it.  Oh, and by the way, the same goes for you.  You might be older and think you can get away with the yoga pants, but PLEASE cover up your buns."  ;  )

Authentically flawed,

Tirzah

UNcomfortable

I’ve had this ringing in my ears my whole entire life that “I just want to feel settled.”  That has meant different things during varying phases of my life.  As a child it meant that I wanted to be in a family that wasn’t so full of pain and heart ache.  I wanted a “normal” childhood where I could trade my fear and anxiety for fun and security. As a teen it meant that I wanted to feel loved unconditionally, and I would accept that from whoever would give it to me.  As college age girl it meant that I wanted to get married and live a nice, simple, peaceful, stable life with my husband and children.  As a grown woman, it has progressed even more into a deep rooted lie that Satan tries to daily whisper in my ear. He whispers, “seek comfort, comfort, comfort,” and then the seeds of my discontent start growing into bitterness and despair.

I remember telling my husband after we accepted our first ministry position in WI, “I don’t want to move from here until our kids are grown.  I want to plant our roots and STAY!” I’m not sure if you can resonate with what I’m saying, but it was this unexplainable longing in my heart to be comfortable.
I wanted the comfort of long term friendships for myself and my children.  I wanted the comfort of living in my dream house. I wanted the comfort of a stable job.  I wanted the comfort of… a predictable life. 

God must laugh at His children sometimes at our foolish ways of thinking.  Or does He cry? I hope he laughs because in my mind we need to stop taking life so seriously.  I guess there’s a reason He always calls us “sheep” in the Bible.  Is that God’s way of telling us we’re all stupid?  Well, it’s at least fun to think about.  I like to imagine the God I serve with a smile on His face and not a frown.  How do you imagine your Father?  It might say a lot about your view of grace if He always carries ‘The Frown of Condemnation.’

Today, I’m keeping my thoughts simple.  I just want you to hear from my heart to yours that maybe you need to get off your fanny and start getting a little more UNcomfortable in your life.
Stop making the safe choices. Step out in faith and talk to that neighbor you’ve been avoiding. Call that friend that is going through hardship and take them to coffee (don’t worry about what to say…just listen and pray). Make the call and get yourself in counseling if you’ve been avoiding it. Reach out to that friend you’ve hurt and say sorry. Take a hard look at your life and ask yourself if there any areas you are holding back from God. Stop counting yourself out in life, and quit being the victim. Serve in your local church and stop making stupid excuses.  Get the idea? 

For us in recent days it has meant my husband leaving the pastorate and totally going back to the LORD asking “How can I thrive and serve You best?” For me at has meant taking off the comfortable “stay at home mom” hat and being the bread winner for a while. FREAKY STUFF, MAN!!!  I’m not going to tell you getting UNcomfortable has been easy on us. Frankly, so far most days feel really crappy.  At the same time I have never felt so dependent on God in my entire life…and that, my friend, is an AWESOME feeling.

So, I leave you with this prayer that has been my prayer in recent days. 

“Father, I confess to you that I have placed comfort as an idol in my life. Forgive me for trying to be the conductor in the orchestra of my life. Lord, I ask you for help. I confess my fear to you.  I confess that the ‘unknown or unpredictable’ look like a ravenous lion in my heart that wants to devour me. God, I want to follow you with no strings attached. I want to be bold for you and make choices in my life that will leave those in my path curious. I release control to you, Jesus, and ask you to help me find my COMFORT in YOU.”

How will YOU start getting UNcomfortable today?

"The Ministry" is not a Calling

Where do I start?  How do I put words to things I have felt for so much of my life and have only just now the courage to say out loud?

As a kid I felt that my “calling” was to be a missionary because that was what was expected of me (or so I thought). In college I fought against that and decided that I was “called to vocational ministry” with Bradley.

A few years into our career of vocational ministry, our calling was challenged, and our world was rocked.  I remember the moment when this happened like it was yesterday. If I could pick up the pieces of my heart during that time and speak the truth that I now wholeheartedly believe, it could have changed so much for us.  But alas, Bradley and I had to learn the hard way (which by the way I truly wouldn’t change for anything).

The result of us equating our “calling” with our “vocation” is a common mistake we make as believers.  For us personally, living in a “calling” that did not bring us true, heart level joy, has caused us to process our life in a confused state of mind.  Way too often people in full-time church or parachurch ministry resist truly following God’s leading because of this unhealthy belief that “leaving a ministry role” is  a sign of failure or disobedience to God. Wow. I said it. 

After studying at the Moody Bible Institute and then Dallas Theological Seminary, we have been well equipped.  No doubt about that.  We both felt that God “called” us to the ministry. No doubt about that.  We have been “successful” in ministry. No doubt about that.  BUT, there has been a huge component to our vocational ministry that we have not addressed until the last 6-8 months, and that is we have come to the conviction that “The Ministry” should not be the focus of our Calling.

I’m not a theologian, and I’m not interested in theological debates or semantics.  Hear my heart.  As believers in Jesus Christ, we have been CALLED His sons and daughters.  We have been CALLED to suffer for Christ.  We have been CALLED to preach the gospel.  We have been CALLED to live a life full of the Fruit of the Spirit.  We have been CALLED to use our gifts to further His Kingdom.  I could go on, but do you get the point?  Our CALLING is not an job or role, it is a life attitude that should permeate every single one of us!!!  That literally makes my heart skip a beat.  Just think what an amazing impact we as believers could make in this world if we all truly accepted and acted upon this CALLING!

There is so much more I could say about this, but for now I just wanted to let you all (my faithful readers and friends) know how these thoughts have impacted our family in a huge way this year.

About 6 months ago, Bradley and I were in a very hard season of ministry exhaustion and internal evaluation. As Bradley puts it, he felt as though the ministry for him was like “building sand castles too close to the rising tide.”  We both knew that something needed to change, but we had no idea what.  That is when we learned of a study called “Life Beyond Imagination.”  Our dear friend, Steven Barr, wrote this curriculum for Disney Cast Members to have an opportunity to learn for the first time that they were created for a unique purpose.  While it was a bit unconventional at the time since we aren’t Cast Members, he asked us to join him on the journey to find our unique purpose. We have spent hours and hours charting our lives, experiences, ups, downs, and it has been truly life-changing (especially for Bradley).  Many of these things God had already brought me to a point of clarity on about 5 years ago, but it was a joy to walk through it for the first time with Bradley.  There have been lots of tears, lots of anger as we processed past ministry hurts, and much laughter as we have dreamed about stepping outside the vocational ministry box.

In conjunction to meeting with the pastor of Cast Member Church (Steven Barr), I have also been receiving some great mentoring from a dear woman I met two years ago at the Exponential Conference.  Debbie Jones is the leader of “Bloom,” which is ministry to church planting wives in Stadia, and she has faithfully taken me under her wing.  Debbie, if you are reading this, THANK YOU.  Your investment into my life has been such a blessing.  You’ve heard the raw things and have pushed me to be MORE and MORE the woman the God has created me to be.  The key thing that Debbie has challenged me about is that we need to be “making the maximum impact for Christ.”  This has been the catalyst for causing me to re-think how I see myself serving Christ for the long hall.

So, this past October Bradley and I decided to start having some very frank conversations with our mentors and then eventually some of the leaders in the E-Free denomination about how we were feeling.  I will spare you all the details, but through a constant leading from the Holy Spirit and confirmation from trusted spiritual advisors, we have decided to step out of vocational ministry for an undetermined amount of time.  During this season, I have accepted with JOY the opportunity to go full time with my job as Director of Sales and Marketing at a large wedding venue owned by my mom and stepdad.  I love, love, love my job and it has been a huge opportunity to shine Christ to a lost world.  Bradley has taken up 100% of the home schooling and household responsibilities (although he says he puts his foot down when it comes to the cooking!).  ;  )   

One key thing that Bradley is hoping to accomplish on a personal level during this season is to finish writing his novel and then start putting together a ministry writing project that I honestly believe could be a bestseller and could really open up some huge opportunities (more to come on that later!).  Bradley is a gifted teacher/speaker and no matter what comes our way, I do believe that there will be aspects of that involved.

SO MUCH right now is uncertain, and I feel that this is literally the biggest step of faith we have ever made (with the exception of accepting Christ that is!).  In these next months, I ask that you pray for us.  Pray for our children as we have asked them to join us on this “adventure.”  They are sad to leave our sweet friends at CrossWay Community Church (as we are too!), but even at this young age they see that something needed to change in our family. There are many questions you may have that we just don’t have the answer to right now.  The biggest question we get is “are you moving?”  We just don’t know the answer to that yet.  Our kids are happy here.  They have an AMAZING school (homeschool M,W,F and then a classical school T, TH-perfect combo!).  I like the warm weather (Bradley barely makes it through the HOT summers though). We have a great home and wonderful friends here.  There are a couple possible options that would bring us away from Florida, but at this point we just wait and pray. 

I leave you with two scriptures that have been a huge encouragement to us in this season.  I know you can all quote Proverbs 3:5-6 (look it up if you don’t have it memorized), but God has given us new understanding of these verses and it’s awesome!!  God asked us to basically forget about the “path” that we wanted to be led upon and totally opened our eyes to the TRUST, LEANING NOT ON OURSELVES, and ACKNOWLEDGING HIM aspect of these verses.  God showed us the “path” really doesn't matter so much but rather our heart attitude as we WALK the path!!!  We need to focus on keeping our lives so in-tuned with Jesus that we could take almost any path, and it would be great.  Do you hear that??  Life with Christ is not about the destination, but the journey of obedience to Christ in every aspect of our lives.  He needs to touch EVERYTHING in our life.  I love that!

The second scripture I've been personally meditating on is Psalm 37:4-5 (Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths).  What I love about these verses is the thought that when we delight ourselves in God, HE GIVES US the desires of our heart.  Not, “He lets us get what we want,” but the idea that we actually have NO IDEA what our dreams are without Jesus.  He is the author of our lives, and He calls us to delight in Him.  And, when the time is right, He plants the seeds of those dreams in our hearts.  Isn’t that cool??

So, this is what we are asking of God right now…for Him to plant that seed in our hearts and show us how we can best “delight in Him.” 

Thank you, sweet friends, for taking the time to hear from my heart.  We covet your prayers.

Tirzah (and Bradley too!)

Pastor's Wife: The "calling" I never wanted but learned to embrace

It’s been quite a while since my last post.  Life, children, ministry, work travel, kid’s sports, piano lessons, and carpooling have been my priority these past several weeks.  Trying to get into a non-psychotic- life-rhythm is always…um…let’s just say, a challenge.

I made myself a promise when I started blogging that I wasn’t going to be one of those people that blog for the sake of blogging.  I don’t want to waste your time reading my ramblings.  I have also been waiting to write because I frankly didn’t know how (or have the courage) to write what has so heavily been on my heart these past few months.

Let me just stop right here and say that this post is going to be written to my fellow pastors wives.  If you fall in that category, PLEASE keep reading.  IF, however, you have a dear pastor’s wife friend that could use a little encouragement to her soul, please read this for yourself and pass this on to her.  The words to come might be exactly what she needs to hear today.
Dear fellow pastor’s wife,

Get a cup of coffee and put the kids in front of a movie.  I think you need 15 minutes to hear what I have to say to you today.

I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately.  You don’t know me, but I feel like I know you better now than ever before.  This year marks 12 years that I’ve been standing by my man in ministry.  To be honest, many days I feel more like a seasoned 55 year old than my current 35 years of age.  My outward shell is no testament to the inner story.  My heart and soul are weathered.

I never thought I’d be a Lead Pastor’s wife.  No way.  My parents led a church for 18 years and got chewed up and spit out.  They lost their marriage and it devastated our family in irreparable ways.  They laid their life down for people that turned around and stabbed them in the back. No, I did not want to be in this role.  And church?  Ick.  In my young mind I saw that the church was full of legalistic hypocrites, many of whom I’d fantasized about how I could give them a taste of their own medicine and make them pay for the damage caused to my family.  But alas, God, knowing my heart and my story called me to full time ministry in the church and set my feet on a path that has forever changed me.  He called me into the great unknown, and I was beyond unprepared for what awaited me.  I have often felt alone and wondered if my struggles were isolated and I’ve yearned for the motherly embrace of the more seasoned pastors wife to tell me that I’m “doing a good job” or “this is totally normal” when I’m feeling weary and insecure.

This, sister, is why I want to write you today.  You’ve been on my mind for ages, and I fear there are women just like you all over the world that need to hear the same message: “YOU. ARE. AMAZING.”  Stop it.  I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not prideful to accept that you are amazing!  You are amazing because of the beautiful work that God is doing in and through you.  You are amazing because of your faithfulness to endure hardship and be the hidden strength behind the man in the pulpit.  You are amazing because you work relentlessly to help your husband fulfill His God-given dreams.  You are amazing because you work hard to pay the bills, educate your children, keep the house somewhat in order, and juggle more than any man could dream of doing!  Can I get a witness?!  But seriously, next time you lay your head on the pillow, I want you to close your eyes and accept the simple truth that when God sees you, He is saying, “Beloved, you are amazing to me, and I love you so much.”

To my sweet youth pastor’s wife, I am so proud of you!  You are overlooked by so many.  The church often sees you as young and immature and doesn’t see how amazing you are.  You stay up to all hours of the night counseling girls and pouring your very heart and soul into their precious little lives.  You beg your girls to save sex for marriage and do everything you can to keep them on the straight and narrow.  You cry with them when they tell you they can’t stop masturbating (yep, I said that), and you feel the amazing privilege that so many girls would trust you with their deepest darkest struggles.  You are there for them when they start cutting or drinking.  You hold their hand after they’ve had an abortion.  You pray and help them accept God’s forgiveness when they feel it could never be given to them.  You kneel and pray with them as they accept Jesus into their hearts. You open up your home to kids that don’t understand the social clues to leave after a party is over and you fall asleep on the carpet while your husband pours into the student leaders.  You’ve grilled THOUSANDS of hamburgers and bought more gallons of ice cream then you can count.  You’ve been underpaid and overworked, but hardest of all, you feel invisible.  But friend, I see you.   Even better yet, GOD SEES YOU and HE IS AMAZED AT YOU.  My eyes fill up with tears when I think of the lasting impact you have made on this world.  You are investing in the next generation of life-changers.  You have one of the most important jobs in the church and you need keep doing your thing.  Remember, you don’t need a pat on the back.  Next time one of your girls hugs on you and spills her heart out to you, just quietly praise God that this is all the thanks you need.  Oh, and one last thing, you just keep rocking those skinny jeans girl; they won’t always look so good on you!

There is a category of pastor’s out there that I have learned to have a great amount of respect for.  In my years in ministry I’ve affectionately named these men the “Ass-Pastors.”  Yes, you know the ones. They are the Associate Pastors.  (I’m going to generalize here so just roll with me) They are the ones that are trying to climb the corporate ladder but in a very “Godly, spirit filled way.”  I heard someone say the other day, “I just barfed in my mind.”  Yes, that about sums up how I feel about this method of job progression. These Associate Pastors are often the men that hop from one role to the next and never seem to be satisfied anywhere for too terribly long. They have identity issues.  They are insecure.  Okay, so maybe I’m not speaking directly to your issues, but I know there are many of you out there because I’ve been friends with you.  I’ve had a front row seat to your journey AND I’ve walked in your shoes.  Oh, sister, I do not envy you.  To be married to a man that doesn’t know where he fits in the puzzle is just SO HARD.  You see him strive for recognition for his noble efforts and then cry with him when he feels like nothing he is doing is making any difference in the world.  You see him work so diligently on projects only to have someone higher up take all the glory for his hard work. You try not to ride the emotional roller coaster with him, but in your heart you know that being in this limbo-hodge-podge position can only last for so long.  To you my friend, I want you to know that I understand your exhaustion.  I know that you are trying to be strong.  I know that you desire your man to thrive in his God-given role, and I promise that if you keep seeking God then that time will come.  I encourage you, sister, to remember that the grass is most definitely NOT greener on the other side.  I beg you to embrace where God has you and do your best to encourage your husband to keep working heartily for the Lord.  Let’s be really honest, if it weren’t for our AMAZING Associate Pastors and their wives none of these super successful pastors would be super successful.  You are the Aarons.  You are holding up the arms of the bumbling idiot Moses’ out there, and we desperately need your strength and passion for Jesus to help our churches reach the world for Christ.  So thank you, Aaron’s wife.  You.are.amazing.

To my sweet worship pastor’s wives, let me say I’m sorry.  I’m sorry that your husband is the most openly criticized pastor in the church.  I’m sorry for the people that left the church because your husband didn’t include enough hymns in the service.  I’m sorry for all the hate emails you get if your husband ever dares to include “I could sing of your love forever” in service. I’m sorry that your ministry has been the scratching post for all the crabby, super critical, graceless people in the church.  I want you to know that without your husband faithfully leading the church through song and scripture, our services would be lacking SO MUCH.  You, my sweet sister, are part of this beautiful team.  You are vital to the ministries of the church.  Sometimes I see you, and I wonder if you believe that truth.  I look in your eyes, and I see that you aren’t sure where you belong.  I see hurt in you and a woman that has been blindsided by the ugly side of Christians.  I ask you sister, to just be patient with the church.  Don’t allow the harsh words that people say about your husband to sink deep into your soul.  Remember that when God calls you, He equips you.  He is using the challenges of leading a team of prima donna’s on a worship team to help YOU and your hubby be more like Christ.  Leading from up front is a high calling. Never doubt your role because without worship so many of us would be lost.  You and your talented spouse are vital part of the church, and God and I think YOU ARE AMAZING.

And now, my dear lead pastors wife…what shall I say to you?  You are the one I never wanted to be.  I see you week after week sitting all alone in the front row of church.  I used to wonder what it felt like to be all alone up there, but now I completely understand.  I know what it’s like to have all the eyes on you.  I know the fears of having your children misbehave and feeling the judging eyes of the whole church peer into your back.  I know the feeling of being told you look really nice but would look even better if “you wore a thong with those slacks.”  Yes, I’m walking this road with you my friend.  (Oh, and by the way, should I slap the well intentioned woman or will you?)  I know what it’s like to be held to a completely different standard than every other woman in the church.  I know what it’s like to never be introduced as anything other than, “This is my pastor’s wife!” I know, sis, how much your family pours out for the church, and I THANK YOU.  We pastors wives are as different as grains of sand, but many things we can ALL understand.  We have a bond, a sister-hood, a language that no other kind of pastor’s wife can understand.  We get to see the naked side of church; the part that very few ever get to see.  We are the secret keepers and the frontline soldiers.  We are judged and gossiped about.  We are loved and hated.  We are embraced and then rejected.  We are friended and then unfriended (yes, I’m talking about Facebook!). We have tons of relationships but almost always feel lonely.  We, ladies, are the ones that lie in bed at midnight and talk through sermon outlines with our husbands.  We are the ones who wait up till 11pm when our husbands have late night elder meetings and then take another hour (or two) to help our men process the meeting so they can sleep.  We are the ones that work extra jobs to pay the bills so our warriors don’t have to worry about money on top of all the other stress in their lives.  But all of these things pale in comparison to our ONE most important role that we all share, WE ARE THE CHEERLEEDERS.  We are our husband’s biggest fans.  No matter what, that is our role and our privilege. We support them after church when they feel like they just “totally bombed it” or feel like “I didn’t impact anyone with that sermon.”  We hug and encourage and only give honest feedback.  We know that our opinion and affirmation is more valued than any other person on earth, and we hold that responsibility with care and discernment.  We are strength.  We are stability. We are comfort.  We are counselors. We are peacemakers.  We are love (yes, the bom chicka wow wow kind).  We are authentic.  We are caretakers.  We are committed for the journey, no matter where that takes us.  And after all that, we are TIRED.  ;  ) And to you my friend, I hold your hand, and say to you with all the sincerity in my heart, YOU ARE AMAZING.  Keep up the great work!

There is one last woman that I would like to speak to, and that is the broken and betrayed pastor’s wife. This is the wife that has been so beaten up that she wonders if she can ever step foot in a church again.  You see, I know you too.  The image is burned in my head seeing my husband collapse onto the church sanctuary floor in weeping sobs as we experienced our church break into shambles.  I understand betrayal of the worst kind by people you thought loved you like a sister.  I’ve had my secrets shared.  I’ve been publically humiliated.  I’ve been so grossly misunderstood that I wanted to leave the church and never return.  I’ve had to suffer through seeing my husband be used as a punching bag for YEARS and hold him in my arms time after time as he wept tears of utter defeat and discouragement.  I know the numbness.  I know the anger.  I know the brokenness.  My mom still tells me that she can hear me screaming in the phone when I called her after our church split.  She thought someone had died and then realized it was so much worse than that.  A broken church is the worst death of all.  It’s like a mass suicide of your whole entire family.  It’s been almost 3 years and just recalling this time in our lives brings the tears back to my eyes, and my heart starts to beat just a bit faster.  I’ve healed a lot, but there are scars that have changed me forever.  So sister, I may not understand all the details of why you are hurting, but I want you to know that YOU ARE AMAZING.  God knows your pain, and He is hurting right along with you, because you know what, He loves the Church even more than you.  There are many things I wish I could say to you, but let me just encourage you in this; do not let your pain turn to resentment and anger.  Hurting people will always hurt people.  Satan wants to destroy you and me and make us ineffective for Jesus.  Don’t let him win.  So, yeah, maybe you aren’t a pastor’s wife anymore, but that doesn’t mean your impact for God is over.  NO WAY!  Maybe your best and most effective years of ministry are yet to come.  Take time to heal, be patient with the LONG process, but be open NOW to let God use you in a mighty way.  And don’t forget, YOU ARE AMAZING.

So my sweet friends, today I just wanted you to know that you have a sister out there that is cheering for you.  When you feel like ministry compares to an obese pregnant woman trying to run a triathlon, just know that I’m right there with you.  ; )

Always remember that your role, success, or failure in ministry is NOT what defines you.  God’s not more impressed with Bill Hybels than he is your husband that pastors a tiny little church in the middle of Iowa. God doesn’t care if you or your husband writes a book that makes best seller.  He doesn’t care if your husband planted a church, and now it has 5000 members.  On the flip side He’s not disappointed in your small church that is struggling to make ends meet.  You have not let him down.  WE are not the ones who get to decide if our life is a success or failure.  Do you hear me? YOU do NOT get to decide if your life has been a success or a failure.  God is the judge.  And you know what, he doesn’t look at the outside, He looks at the heart.  He doesn’t’ care about the BUCKS, BUILDINGS, AND BUTT’S (at least that’s what the big wigs call it!).  God, in His great wisdom has uniquely gifted and equipped each of us to be a very specific piece in His giant puzzle of creation.  Don’t you dare compare your piece of the puzzle to another because without you, not matter what color or shape you may be, the puzzle is incomplete.  You are his workmanship, sister, and YOU ARE AMAZING.

“Therefore, my beloved [sisters](my paraphrase), be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor in not in vain.”

With all the love in my heart for you, sweet sister,

Tirzah

 

When hurt takes up residence in your heart

I've been thinking a lot this week about old wounds.  We sat with some friends last Sunday talking about key people and circumstances that have shaped our lives.  I found unexpected tears running down my face as I shared one of my hurts.

(bear with me as I tell a bit of my story…I'm a bit humbled to share this, but my lessons are not just for me to keep to myself...we can all learn from each others' stories!)

As a child you don’t really have a lot of choices about things.  In my family it wasn't really an option if you were going to play the piano.  It’s what every good girl did right?  Four sisters and we all played.  I have lots of fond memories around the piano.  We played duets and sang with each other for hours.  I love music.

I remember my first piano teacher.  She was SUPER fat (not trying to be judgmental…just giving you my childhood impression of her) and sat in her chair barely able to breathe. Sounded like Darth Vader to me and VERY distracting!  She sat with a fan blowing on her so loudly that she had to yell over it to teach me.  I went week after week, and I’m not really sure what she taught me…definitely not music theory.  That lasted several years, but ended when our family moved across town.  I did a happy dance.  And hence, this is my the birth of my music education.  Lovely.

A few years later I started up again with someone that was revered as one of the best classically trained pianists in St. Louis.  My family was so poor so one of my brothers and his wife committed to pay every single month for my pianos lessons.  They were making such a big sacrifice and I felt the need to make them proud. Week after week I sat in his lessons.  I was always terrified.  He never praised me and often told me “I needed to play like my older sister.”  I remember one time I thought for sure I had nailed a song and his exact words were “well, that sounded stupid.”  I kept going because I thought that if I JUST KEPT WORKING HARDER he would eventually be pleased with me.  Yeah, that never happened.  Crappy piano teacher #2.

As I got older and started thinking about college and I had no idea what to study.  After 10 years of piano, music was the only context I knew.  At 16 I started up with another teacher and she promised to do her best to get me prepared for college.  She was a good teacher, but I was still terrified of her.  Praise was not on her tongue, but I think she had compassion on me.  My Grandma died during this time, and each month I paid for my lessons with my inheritance.  Every single penny I got from my grandma went to piano lessons.  Yes, every-single-penny.

Within my first days studying piano at the Moody Bible Institute I knew this was going to be the hardest thing I had ever done.  Most everyone was better than me, but I LOVED music (so I thought) and with the right training I had confidence I could do this thing!  I met the two piano instructors and I PRAYED I would get the kind one.  But alas, that wasn't my good fortune.  Bring in crappy piano teacher #3.  (a little caveat here...I actually don't think my teachers were actually bad people...just not good for ME...big difference there and I know it.)

Some people thrive under criticism and pressure…not me.  I’m a people-pleaser.  It was the worst possible scenario for me.  I’m sorry, but telling me you want to hit me with a yard stick or slap my knuckles till they bleed doesn't exactly inspire confidence in me.  I worked hard, really hard.  I practiced for hours every day and somehow I still new I would never be good enough.

I joined a ladies choir and found some of my dearest and sweetest friends there.  To this day they all hold an amazing place in my heart.  But, I must confess, it was just one more place that Satan was able to get in my head that I was worthless when it came to piano.  You know how you have moments in time that stand still and they get locked in your heart forever?  I have about a dozen or so of those key defining moments.  Well, something happened in me on this particular day.  I walked into choir with my best friend, and we were unprepared for the fact that we would be publicly humiliated that day.  Maybe to some this wouldn't be a big deal, but to me, the wounds went deep.  My friend and I had been playing our choir finale for weeks.  It was a duet, and we were known for our love for playing duets together.  Evidently we weren't good enough though and someone else was chosen to play.  There was no coaching, no talks, no warning.  We just walked in to choir one day and right in front of everyone we were told we had been replaced.   I can still remember the little voice in my head telling me how all those years of piano were just a waste of my time, my brother's money, and my grandmother’s inheritance.  I let them all down.  (I know…stupid thoughts of a 20 year old, but they were my thoughts nonetheless).

It was in that moment my heart changed about piano.  I accepted my mediocrity, but not with grace.  Hurt came and stayed…for a very long time.

So, this story got me thinking.  How many of us have hurts that have come and made a comfy residence within our hearts?  I KNOW I’m not the only one with a story like this one.  Can you resonate at all with these feelings?    Can you stop right now and think of a key time in your life when hurt came and took up residence in your heart?

FRIENDS!  God has made us such beautiful creations.  He gave us passions and desires.  He blessed us with gifts and talents that He wants us to use for His glory!  Not man’s glory. GOD’S GLORY!  I can’t say that enough.  It’s all about HIM.  When we start believing the lies that Satan throws at us, He becomes the winner.  We become handicapped by our fears, insecurities, anger, and bitterness.  With these hurts lingering in our hearts, our ability to make an impact for Jesus becomes so much less than what it could by living in HIS TRUTH.

Satan…stupid Satan. He wants to destroy any good that God creates.  He wants to squelch our joy.  He wants to discourage us.  He wants to sow seeds of bitterness in our hearts.  He wants us to get angry and stay angry.  He wants to make us feel and believe we are “less-than.”  I don’t know about you but I’m tired of feeling less than.  I’m also sick and tired of seeing God’s children walk around defeated and useless because Satan has convinced us that we have nothing to offer.  Excuse me, but BULL CRAP.  You are an amazing work of God.  You were created for good works that God prepared for you to do!   Isn't that so cool?

So I ask you.  Do you feel sub-par?  Are you tired of leasing out your heart to the stupid tenants called HURT and INSECURITY?   I sure am!  Friends, we are made for GOD sized dreams.  If you have hurts in your life that have crippled you, I beg you to ASK GOD TO RELEASE YOU from this bondage. 

I had to tell you this story because it brings to mind some of the deepest feelings of inadequacy in my life.  Obviously, I’m just sharing a tiny bit of my story, but I know we can all tell similar stories.  Stories of not being good enough.  Stories of letting ourselves and others down.  Stories of DEEP HURT.  Stories that still bring the tears to our eyes and sharp pangs to our hearts.

You have so much in common with this butterfly.  Every dot and line are perfectly placed by God.  You are beautiful in His sight and made for a wonderful purpose!  Don't let Satan's lies destroy your "wings" and keep you from flying!  There is nothing more beautiful than seeing God's handiworks fly in total freedom to express HIS LOVE to the world!

I don’t know about you but I want to be free from old wounds.  Would you dare to join with me, friend?  Would you ask God to help you be released from those thoughts and feelings that are not of God?  You, sister and brother, are a beautiful work of God.  He is pleased with you.  You are enough!  What Jesus wants from us is our hearts; hearts that are fully devoted to HIM.  He delights in our offerings and doesn't judge the offering but the heart behind it. 

So, how did my little piano sob story end?

I decided after I graduated college that I wanted the cycle to end.  I wanted to teach piano with JOY and KINDNESS.  I wasn't the best teacher, but I loved on each and every one of my students.  My mission as a teacher was to give them a positive experience with piano and show them the love of Jesus through my life.  I think I did that pretty well.  I took my hurt and let it turn into a gift…I let God us it for GOOD in my life.

Years later, I did get the courage to try out for the worship team.  I was turned down yet again.  Yeah, it sucked.   But guess what?  I’m still alive. 

I wish I could say I've got all these feelings figured out, but I don’t.  I was shocked this week when I cried as I told this part of my story.  BUT, this thing I do know:  God wants us to remember that in Him, we don’t have to keep on striving to be more and better.  He loves us so much.  I think it breaks His heart when His children feel the need to achieve the praise of men, when through Him, we have everything we need. 

   

So, next time you are tempted to feel like you suck …say to yourself “I AM A DELIGHT TO GOD...JUST LIKE I AM.”   Next time you are hurt by something life brings along your way…say to yourself “I WILL NOT LET HURT TAKE RESIDENCE IN MY HEART…I choose to forgive and let God keep doing his MIGHTY work in my life!”

Keep on digging deeper my friends,

Tirzah