Now that school’s back in session, what are you reading?
Here are some books you might enjoy:
Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life by Keri Wyatt Kent
You Matter More Than You Think by Dr. Leslie Parrott
Finding More Time in Your Life by Dru Scott Decker
We used quotes from each of these books in our book, My Husband wants to be a Church Planter… So What Will That Make Me?
“Communication is crucial for the success of the plant and your relationship with your husband. You cannot let things fester or go unspoken. Scheduling time to ‘unpack’ things is a way to help stay on track. My husband and I spend part of Mondays just talking about the service. We discuss the things that worked well, things that did not, potential problems and ideas. We also spend time addressing how we are feeling. As a woman, I have had a roller coaster of emotions and feelings. The first couple of years of planting a church are hard work, and the wave of emotions that come with planting a church can range from excitement to fear, frustration, anger, disappointment, self-doubt, guilt, and possibly even resentment. Talking about them with your spouse takes their power away and helps you to work through legitimate issues that need to be addressed and to identify the untruths Satan has whispered in your ears.”
Nokona Koenig from
My Husband wants to be a Church Planter… So What Will That Make Me?
The following post was written by Tina Cole. Tina’s husband is a cowboy church planter.
5:30am Wake up … coffee … quiet time … pray for my worship team and the two services today, youth band practice, youth Bible study
6:30am Wake David … get dressed in my good jeans, boots, and a nice blouse … what a change from the “Sunday dresses” from four years ago … yes, easier.
7:00am Wake the kids … everyone has a job on Sundays: Ira, children’s church; Seth, base player for the worship team; Rebekah, Joda and Abigail, “whatever Dad asks them to do.”
7:45am Arrive at the church, (greeting team is already making coffee, yeah! That used to be my job!) sound check, pray, practice the music set.
8:45am First service
9:45am Greet those who came to the first service and those coming in for the second
10:30am Second service
11:30am Visit with people… pack up the portable sound system and send home with Hank for tonight’s youth get-together at his house… lock up the church… go home and collapse for a few hours
2:00pm Make “sweet team” and lemonade… head to Hank and Renny’s house for youth band practice
3:00pm Youth band practice
4:00pm Youth swimming party and Bible Study
9:00pm Pack up the sound system, say thanks and good-bye for the 11th time to Hank and Renny… count the kids… did we get all fo them out of the pool?… head to the church to put up the sound system
9:30pm Debrief the day with David and the kids over some popcorn …talk about the week ahead
10:30pm Day is over. Thank you, Jesus.
It didn’t used to be so smooth. This is after 3 and a half years of a LOT of hard work and sacrifice. We have come a long way, but have so much further to go. We started with 27 people in our living room in December, 2004. Now, in July of 2008, about 160 people attend each Sunday. We are a Cowboy Church and have ropings and playdaystwice a month in the arena at our church. This particular Sunday, we did not have either, so we planned a youth party. We reach a lot of Cowboys and their families.
Don’t be discouraged when you are the one who seems to do everything… the Lord will send you the workers. We still do a great deal of the work ourselves. It isn’t always easy to delegate. You want help, but you also have to be willing to give up the control to someone else in order to get rid of the obligation.
Psalm 37:23-24 says, “The Lord delights in the way of the man whose steps he has made firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”
In the words of MercyMe, “Hold fast… help is on the way.”
The following post was written by Jennifer Antonucci about her struggles as she and her husband prepare to plant a church in Las Vegas.
I have no doubt that God wants us to move to Las Vegas. I’m more sure of it than just about anything. Just because I know it, doesn’t mean that I’m happy about it all the time. I was recently with my parents. The conversation came up that we probably won’t be able to come home for Christmas anymore. My mom and I started crying and proceeded to spend the next hour sitting in a chair together bawling.
God is so sweet to me. Ever since the moment that I knew He called us to Vegas, He’s been whispering to me. Even as I was crying in my bed, when I first realized that we were moving, He spoke to me. Nothing loud or earth shattering—just whispers. He used songs, Bible verses, Bible studies, friends’ words, etc. to give me peace. He knows this is a huge step for me. He knows I need Him to constantly reassure me.
This morning I was doing my Bible study and read these verses: “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place” (Deuteronomy 1:29-31).
The truth is that I’m terrified of this church plant. Everyone who lives in Las Vegas that my husband has talked to has pretty much implied that he’s crazy and that we shouldn’t expect more than 50 people…EVER!…Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them.
I’m also afraid of what lies ahead of us. I mean, who really wants to raise their kids in Las Vegas? The school system sucks compared to Virginia’s. This is Satan’s playground, for crying out loud! We’re entering his turf…The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you.
I have so many questions. My heart is broken. I’m really struggling with depression right now…the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went.
As I read these verses this morning, I was changed. I was filled with hope and encouragement. I’m like a hunting dog, looking for God. I’m on the prowl for encouragement and for His sweet words to comfort me.
How about you? When you are facing a daunting situation, where do you look? How do you deal with the dark days of depression and fear? Do you keep your eyes and ears open for God?
I’ve got to admit that sometimes my eyes are shut and my ears are closed. And on those days, it’s darker. My prayer for me and for you, as church planting wives, is that we stay alert to God and allow Him to carry us as a father carries his son…all the way we go.
More than half of the church planter wives we surveyed said that their husband’s office is in their home. Of those, half said they are glad it is and the other half said they sometimes wish it wasn’t. What do you think?
(Click here to download our complete research study.)
In the following post, Tiffany Southerland shares about some of the trials her family experienced leading up to the launch of their church plant.
We will press on, we will fight the good fight.
Since about the time we revealed the church plant to the sponsoring church, we have been under constant attack. Prior to that, our major “events” would be sporadic—about once a month. Now that we are getting closer to our launch date, they are becoming more and more frequent. Since the reveal day, we have had two close, personal attacks, two financial attacks (i.e., big bad IRS, trees falling, power outages), my health went again last week with a nice respiratory infection that I can’t seem to shake, and today we had to put poor Sassy the bunny to sleep. Sassy, who had cancer, took a really bad turn for the worse last night and become very ill. Sweet Sassy was the perfect pet, she loved everyone and was fun to be around with her little sassy attitudes.
So, needless to say, we know exactly what we are doing, we are chasing after God and His Holy church. We know Satan doesn’t want this to happen and will stop at nothing to deter this. We pray for protection for ourselves and for protection for our core group and their families, for we are fighting a bigger battle than we ever thought could be possible. But God is holy and righteous and we will fight to bring Him Glory and Honor in the new church. We will persevere!
Through all this we have seen God’s glory through some amazing blessings from people around us, we thank God for those people and how they are touching our lives and making a huge impact on the Kingdom!
We are blessed and praise God in the midst of hard times, for by Grace we have been saved and He is the Creator who makes all things new. No matter what happens to us we say with a truly happy heart, to God be the Glory!
“I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 4:8
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27
With the school year getting ready to start, here’s something to think about….
“If your kid is in three activities and you are in zero, that’s not unselfish of you. It’s unbalanced. If you don’t like sports, take a class in something you’re interested in-maybe scrapbooking or sewing or photography. Take piano lessons. Join a book club or a Bible study. Read a book for fun.
You should have a chance to do something fun, a chance to play, without your kids… Be sure your schedule includes some playtime for you.”
Keri Wyatt Kent from the book
Breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life
