A Miraculous, Triumphant Contradiction

by Mary Childress Wall
Used by permission

What miraculous, triumphant contradiction this is: that we should call his agony, "good." I fear many other days we too boldly imply His goodness only equated with ease. With Comfort. With Escape. We demand it still. We shamelessly lay demands defined by what we want to be His goodness on the Rescuer who hung for our shame. 

The more His scarred, grace filled hands gently and firmly rework my view of what "good" really is, the more I know Him, the less I can bear to think of His suffering that day. And even Today. His courage. His agony. His longing. His love. His strength. His gaze. His choice. 

And I am silenced. 

He is the greatest love story this world has ever known. And yet I am His. And He is mine. And as I fall silent I remember the crowds, surrounding still; they don't know who He really is. They don't know how He really loves. They don't know what "good" really is. Come and see... Come and know this King ... Our King... who stepped down from His throne... And though I know I cannot fully see it, comprehend it...bear it... I recognize that voice. 

I know those scarred hands that let "worth it" redefine good. They have loved me. They have saved even me.

From the start He loved our lives. "God saw all that He had made and it was very good." Gen. 1:31 He called our lives good. We call His death good. And yes, it is good. This love.. I cannot comprehend. 

But it demands a response. "Oh, your cross, it changes everything. There my world begins again." "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. " As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:6-7

A Bit of Transparency

by Rosanne Parker - Used by permission

In my youth no one would have tagged me as anything but an extrovert. My sister in love described me as a white tornado when I'd arrive for a visit....I loved life and enjoyed people. In particular, I loved my Campus Life community of friends.

Life has a way of affecting change. The joys and sorrows conform us and teach us some BIG lessons. In my twenties I seemed to have lots of easy answers. My thirties were a blur with kids, a home and amazing relationships. The answers were less than easy but I was growing in grace and compassion. My temper was easily ignited to my shame. Hurt and what I now understand as trauma became an unwelcomed house guest and left messes that stained our lives. Those stains are being used to form an amazing piece of art, our life, to reflect resilience and grace from God alone.

The anger was often a reaction to fear. Fear is debilitating. As a teen I watched my beloved mom struggle through the change of life. For her, crowds and florescent lighting often triggered panic. Dear mom would get red faced on one side and go pale as Casper on the opposite side. People would offer help but that only served to make it harder for her. I recall being in a huge bus terminal in Canada when it once happened. Poor mom. I learned a little about assisting panicked people quietly during those days.

Here I am now, looking in to groups of people with a different lens than when I was in high school or college. Those waves of panic well up sometimes and I just need to pause and get acclimated like you do when you come inside from the sun into a dim room. It takes a few moments to adjust.

Please friends, be patient with those who don't jump into the party with gusto. Please remember, you do not know the history nor the current circumstance. 

Panic is a hard enemy and while it can mask as anger or unfriendliness, it is neither. It just needs a safe place to fall and gentle tenderness to get acclimated.

How can you be a safe place for someone today?

Reflections of a Preacher’s Wife: Post-it Note #158

by Connie Post
July 19, 2015
http://graceintherealworld.com/ - Used by permission

Today is my 18^th wedding anniversary. My husband was already a preacher when I married him and so my life has been on display before a congregation of people since before I said “I do”. All these years later we have ministered in many settings to multiple congregations and have been blessed with 5 great kids.

We have been supported and loved and prayed for by the people of our congregations. They have celebrated our victories and walked with us through some dark and challenging days. Those folks who have made a difference for us are the ones that know the following things:

1. The preacher’s family is a real family. They don’t have it all together. They are sinners just like the rest of the world and can’t be held up on a pedestal or unrealistic standard. They blow it sometimes. They lose it with their kids. They are learning as they go, just like you are. Sometimes their house is a wreck. Sometimes they need a break or a vacation or time away. They don’t know the answers to every question. They need your prayers for wisdom.
2. The preacher’s kids are kids. They act like kids. They might run at church if Mom isn’t watching. They don’t come into the world knowing how to act. And when they are at church their dad is working so mom is a “single-mom” on Sunday mornings. If you talk to her at church expect her to be looking over your shoulder while listening so that she can keep her eyes on her kids. Because EVERY unsupervised kid wants to jump on the stage or swing from a chandelier whether they are related to the preacher or not. They need your prayers to balance it all.
3. Preacher’s kids give up their dad a lot. They share him with everyone. Mom is often the one teaching them to ride bikes and taking them to recitals and soccer games because Dad is ministering to the church family. So it’s likely they didn’t see dad all day Saturday and greeting time on Sunday is the first time they’ve seen him in a while. If they go hug their dad on Sunday morning, it’s because they need too and not because they are trying to interrupt “real ministry” to the church. Preacher’s come and go, but he’s the only Dad they have. The preacher’s family doesn’t get a quiet holiday at home. Dad is planning an event for the church family to come to.  So if the preacher’s kids seem tired, clingy or out of sorts, they need to be given a little slack. They need your prayers for strength.
4. The preacher’s family is under attack. Satan loves to trample on the preacher’s family. He comes after their marriage, their kids individually, and their family unit. He is constantly trying to distract them and cause disunity. And often Saturday night or Sunday morning is when he takes his best shots. So maybe the kids aren’t all dressed to the nines and their hair isn’t smooth as glass on Sunday morning. Maybe mom is looking a little frazzled. She got those kids dressed by herself and out the door and maybe what she’s wearing at the moment is the best she could do on this particular morning because she was so busy fighting the devil to even get there. Judgment never helps the preacher’s family. It only adds to Satan’s schemes. They need your prayers for protection.
5. The preacher may be a godly man, but he’s still a man. You can’t expect more of him than he can give. And the preacher’s wife may be a godly woman but she’s just a woman with limitations too.  Sometimes she has to say “no” to the lists of tasks and responsibilities that others want from her. Her number one priority is her family. She can’t apologize or feel guilty for that. It’s hard to make choices like this, because nobody want to say  “no” to people they are called to minister to and yet don’t want to short change their family.  It’s a constant tightrope.  They need your prayers for stamina.
6. The preacher’s family answers to God for their actions, their parenting, and their ministry. They shouldn’t be expected to act according to the standards of individuals in the church. They can’t parent their kids according to the way others parent. They should be allowed to minister according to their spiritual gifts and not according to the list of expectations of what a preacher of preacher’s wife or preacher’s kids should do, look like or be like. They need your prayers for courage.
7. When they go through a tough time, they need your support. It’s hard to struggle publicly. It’s hard to live in a “fish bowl” for everyone to watch. They need your love and they need your prayers.