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Leading and Loving It

L&L It … New Spring Florence

Posted by Lori Wilhite

Thursday February 2nd, Vanessa Brown hosted her second event for the staff ladies and wives of New Spring’s Florence campus. Thanks Vanessa for sharing your experience and for hosting this gathering. We know that God really used your efforts and time together!

From Vanessa:

As I look back over the thirteen years that my husband and I have been in ministry, one of the things I remember the most is feeling lonely for many of the beginning years. Thankfully, that has changed; nothing could be further from the truth.

However, I understand that a lot of pastors’ wives and women in ministry feel this way. I believe God allowed me to experience those feelings and to go through those hard times so that I would be aware and in-tune with the ladies in our staff family.

Our campus started three and a half years ago, and it’s three hours away from our central hub. A lot of our staff is either brand new to ministry or has moved to join us – leaving family and friends to start over. It is my heart’s desire that not one of the girls in our staff family ever feels as lonely and frustrated as I did. And if they ever do, that they know they are not alone. I want them to know they are loved, valued and incredibly appreciated. Our focus for this ministry is found in Ephesians 6:18 – “In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

Most of us don’t see each other on a regular basis, but when we have times, like our Junkfood and Jammies Night, community is built. We are bonding, sharing, laughing, and having fun together. We are praying for each other, learning from each other, connecting, and making memories. Intentional time together and laughter provide a glue to these relationships, a “stickiness” that reminds us of our shared circumstances.

Ministry is a weighty lifestyle, and my hope is that by sharing light moments, boisterous girl giggling and yummy goodness, we will be able to lean in to each other when it feels hard. Allowing laughter and fun to beat a path through the woods for shared tears – when those times arise. My hope and prayer is that we can turn to each other and not go through difficult times alone – we will call on one another – lift each other’s spirits up, pray for one another, and make sure not a single one drops out or falls behind. We celebrate with each other in the good, and we support each other in the not-so-good.

Fun Friday … Shameless Plug!

It has been so exciting for me to see the way God has used the Leading and Loving It ministry to encourage and connect Pastor’s Wives and Women In Ministry across the globe. After our retreat last year in Nashville, Lori asked me to to oversee the Leading and Loving It Local Groups and a few months ago she gave me the opportunity to blog every other Friday…which leads me to my shameless plug!

Have you been encouraged by our blog? Have you been energized through a Virtual Community Group? Have you felt like you needed to take your commitment a step further in your own community? Leading and Loving Local events may be an area that God has wired you and been preparing you for!

Hosting a Leading and Loving Local event is a wonderful way to connect, refresh and encourage the Pastor’s Wives and Women In Ministry in your community. We would love the opportunity to partner with you in hosting an event in your area. Check out our Local Events page on the Leading and Loving It blog and see how fun these events are! We have excellent resources to share with you to help equip you in planning and to make your event a success.

In the month of April we have the following events happening in all the areas you see below. If you are a Pastor’s Wife or Woman in Ministry in one of these cities or if you know a Pastor’s Wife/Woman In Ministry that one of these events fits just have them click on the event that is in their area and they will be able to see all the details and registration information.

If you are interested in hosting a Leading and Loving It Local event in your area please email me at lisa[at]leadingandlovingit[dot]com

Who/What is your Master?

Happy Thursday, Beautiful Leading Ladies! Today we get to hear from one of our fabulous Leading and Loving It friends, Joy Cannis.

Joy Cannis

“Servants…don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ.” ~Colossians 2:22-25 (MSG version)

This is the verse that I adopted for this year. I have it posted multiple places at home, work and in my car (I’m a slow learner so I want to cover all my bases.)

I was born a PK (Preacher’s Kid), my mother lead every bible study there was, we were at church anytime the doors were open, I sang in the choir and I vowed never to work anywhere near a church or place of organized religion.

Now the hubs and I both work in ministry at Buckhead Church. Doesn’t God have a funny sense of humor?

As many of you know, all too often, ministry leads to burnout. One minute you are rockin’ and rollin’ influencing, mentoring, serving, speaking, writing, emailing, gettin’ your “perfect girl” image on. The next minute, you are slap dab in the middle of, what I call, a “ministry muddle.”

This is when we become ineffective because we take our eyes off the prize. Doubt seeps in and we start asking, “Is this really what I am supposed to be doing?! Lord, I think you may want to rethink this one.” Listen, Precious One, God dealt with Moses way back in the day. Don’t make him set your hydrangeas on fire to get your attention.

Here is what I know I MUST do to survive the calling of ministry? (And believe me, it’s a calling. Who else would work this hard for so little money?!)

Block out time to retreat from the noise. That can mean a number of things, including but not limited to… going into the bathroom, turning on the fan, and asking God to direct your thinking, sitting on the floor of your closet…with the door closed, sitting in your car in the garage (with the engine off!), any place where you can be alone with your Creator.

Even Jesus retreated from the crowds. He withdrew to spend time with the Father. Rest assured that unless you take some time to retreat and find rest in the Father’s eternal promises, your vision will become blurred and your mission skewed.

Darlin’s, God does not call for perfection, He calls for action. Faith in action. Don’t get so distracted by the earthly master, the people you are serving, that you lose focus on the true Master. He has created each of us with such great purpose and worth. If only we could see a fraction of what He sees, we would be overwhelmed (in a good way.)

May I encourage you today? Do your best and then take time to rest. Invite the Father into every part of this day, knowing that He is more than capable of exceeding our expectations in using us to further His kingdom. Perfection is not required or accepted, just willingness and availability.

What specifically are you struggling with that pertains to this? What can I pray for and with you about today?

Equipping Marriages Webinar

Posted by Brandi Wilson

Big news ladies! We’re excited to announce we’re offering our first LIVE webinar event.

That’s right! Our fabulous “Equipping Marriages” team will be LIVE for you to interact with. This event will be similar to our JustONE Conference, except LIVE! Are you getting the drift this event is not pre-recorded, but, wait for it, LIVE?;)

Here are the all important details.

When: Tuesday, April 10th 9:00pm EST 8:00pm CST (See countdown clock in right corner).

Who: Cindy Beall is our keynote speaker with Trisha Davis and Jenni Clayville answering your questions in the chat (you will see Lori and myself there as well).

What: The focus of the webinar is to help take healthy marriages to the next level. Cindy is going to be specifically addressing the ministry dynamic in marriage. We have all heard many messages on marriage… but how can we best apply those principles in the context of ministry and how can those overlap into our daily lives.

Where: Our MediaSocial page.

Mark 60 minutes off your calendar on the evening of April 10th and join us for a good word, good conversations and good connections.

Register HERE (registration not required, but a reminder email will be sent).

It’s A Chronic Problem…

Posted by Brandi Wilson

Last week at my bible study we were having a conversation where I realized I have a problem. The longer we chatted I started to think “I bet I don’t suffer alone… I am sure all my Pastors’ Wives friends probably suffer from this same issue.”

No doubt you’re curiosity is peeked.

I’m a chronic nodder. Yes, a chronic nodder. As I sit on the 2nd row each Sunday I catch myself nodding my head through Pete’s whole message. I always think, If no one else in this room is listening I want him to know I’m with him.

Honestly, I really didn’t think much about it until I shared my theory and one of my girlfriends who regularly sits in the row behind mine said “Oh, yea, you do nod the whole time he’s speaking” then she laughed!

Those poor people who sit behind me. I bet I annoy the heck out of them! It’s amazing anyone sits on that side of our sanctuary because of my chronic nodding. Seriously, how has our church even survived with a pastors’ wife who is a living, breathing bobble head.

Does anyone know where I’m coming from? Any other chronic nodders out there?? Or maybe you’re a chronic amen-er or clapper. Let us know!