Summer Time is V.B.S. Time!!!

When God called Roger and I to Whites Creek Baptist Church going on 15 years ago, I was told that I was the VBS Director because I was the Pastor’s Wife. Soooo for 15 summers I have directed VBS.

Every year I get really, really scared that I will not have enough help and every year, I always have more than enough help. Our entire church gets involved….the young and old; male and female. I was asked by our Associational VBS Crew how I managed to recruit so many workers and my reply was…”Well the same year I was told I was the director by default I was also told that I would have to reach out to other churches and the Association for help because all of the members of Whites Creek Baptist Church had served their time in VBS and had since retired from working in VBS. I prayed about it and then stood up and told them that as long as they were breathing, God had a place for them in VBS. When God got ready for them to retire, he would just take them on home.”

For some reason ever since that year, I always have lots of workers. (I guess they are afraid to say “No”……..afraid that God will call them home. Smile.) If you can’t get them to willingly volunteer and can not shame them into help…just do as I do and scare them into working. Smile.

My oldest VBS worker was almost 90 years old. I do not turn ANY worker away…..even non-Christians. (Of course I do not allow them to teach or be a leader, but I have let them guide a group of students around to the different areas or be a helper somewhere. I figured that by allowing them to do that, they were hearing the Word too.) I have had to even create positions………the almost 90 year old sat in a soft chair and passed out candy to the kids when they told him their memory verse.

Anyway…I have directed our VBS for 15 summers and every year I learn something or experience something new. This year we had a unique situation. One of my Craft helpers was very pregnant and due in a month. She worked in VBS Monday and Tuesday nights and then mentioned on Tuesday night that she was leaking. To shorten the story, her and her mother-in-law left VBS thirty minutes early, called her doctor and went to the ER where they determined her water had broken during VBS so they admitted her to the hospital and induced labor. Cayden was born at 6:00 the next morning, weighing 5 lbs. 3 oz. which was not bad considering he was 5 ½ weeks early. His lungs were not fully developed so he did have to stay in Children’s ICU for a little over a week, but he is now home and doing very well.

So…this year in VBS, we truly had a VBS Baby. On Friday Nights, we have our Family Night and at the end we show a slide show of the kids participating in different activities during the week. Candice, the mom, was shown in her very pregnant state and then later there was a picture of Cayden in ICU and mom sitting beside him. A true VBS Baby.

On Sunday, we had two folks to join our church by salvation and baptism as a result of VBS.

I say all of this to say…..VBS is hard. It takes a lot hard work and takes lots of people working together. BUT….it is oh, so worth it. There has never been a year that I did not receive a blessing from the week. It is a blessing just to watch all of our adults working together every night.

I am sure most of you have a VBS Story to tell. I would love to hear it.

What Would You Say?

Church politics make me sad.

No doubt, if you and/or your husband has had much to do with ministry for ANY amount of time, you have seen more than your fair share. Committees, deacons, chairpersons, deacon wives - there are a whole list of titles and positions within our churches to make ministry more challenging than it should be.

In one church I know of, I am watching a minister be eaten alive by the people he has spent the last six plus years ministering to. It breaks my heart. Numbers are down, both in attendance and giving. They are looking for someone to hold responsible, yet they have been the ones making so many of the decisions that have put this church in this position. This minister's sweet family is paying the toll.

It is in times like these that I have to be reminded that Christ died for His Bride, the Church, and gave Himself up for her. With all her blemishes and obvious flaws He loved her so much. I have to pray for strength to do the same.

My husband and I are longing to reach out to this family. I desire some great words of encouragement to pass on to this dear minister's wife. She has such a strong faith, a servant's heart and a quiet resolve, so many traits I want to immulate.

If you were in her shoes, and I pray you are not, what would you like to hear? Is there something in particular you would like to be reminded of? Maybe you have been in her high heels. What scripture, what truth, helped you through those dark, hard days?

What Do You Think?

I just got off the phone with one of the minister's wives from my church. She and I are contemplating and praying over whether or not God is calling one or both of us to lead a particular discipleship study for women next month.

Recently, her husband's ministry responsibilities changed. He is no longer a youth minister, but more of a young adult minister now. This study could be considered very much in-line with his new responsibilities.

Here is my question:

Should your husband's ministry and calling be an influence or a deciding factor in how you discern what God is calling you to do?

I am pretty sure that there isn't a black/white answer to this, nor a specific scripture that speaks directly to this issue. I was just wondering what you thought.

" . . . By The Lord . . ."

"All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children." - Isaiah 54:13

This verse has new meaning to me this week. Notice the verse says that our children will be taught BY the Lord, not "OF" the Lord.

I have prayed since Riley, my 8 year old, was in the womb that God would reveal Himself to her. I have longed that He would teach her and have trusted that He would answer those prayers.

Yesterday, I was not the teacher. He was. I was just another pupil in His classroom of our lives.

Riley had an out-patient surgery performed at The Vanderbilt Children's Hospital to correct her "lazy" eye. She was put under general anesthesia and had two muscles on her left eye operated upon.

She was nervous. She has been for weeks. She was unsure of what to expect. She was scared.

Her daddy and I had spoken to her about faith. We had talked of His faithfulness to us. We had prayed for and with her.

But, this wasn't about us. Yes, God ministered to us and we both grew in our faith but it was really all about Riley's faith becoming her own.

He was writing her testimony. He was stretching her young faith. He was revealing His character to her.

It is hard to watch. I know that there will be many lessons she has to learn the hard way. There will be pain in her life - physical, and emotional, that He will use so she can truly experience God's peace.

A family friend made us a beautiful wooden plaque with the above verse printed on it. I had loved it because it was from him and for the uniqueness of the verse used. I began praying it. Yesterday I saw the peace it speaks of on my daughter's face as they wheeled her back for her first surgery.

Yes, God is teaching my children and yes, their peace shall be great. Thank You Lord.

Married to Minister Living in Sin

My heart has been heavy and I have known for a while that I needed to address this issue….but I did not want to….I kept putting it off. After meeting with the friend I mentioned in my last post, I knew I could put it off no longer...yet even knowing this week I must bring it up, it is now Saturday and I have procrastinated all week. It is uncomfortable. It is easier to talk about things that are funny, encouraging, and light.

There have been so many times where a minister’s wife has pulled me aside to share with me how her husband is living, walking in sin. He stands to preach or teach the Word before a group of spiritually hungry people who take in every word while at the same time has dark secrets. He is doing exactly the opposite of what he is teaching/preaching. Please be sure you are hearing me correctly….I am NOT talking about your husband who sins…because we are all sinners!! I am referring to the one who is living, walking, abiding in sin.

Here are just a few examples:
My pastor husband encouraged me to have an affair….and I am.
My pastor husband and I are divorced….living together….and no one in the church knows.
My pastor husband is addicted to pornography.
My pastor husband is consistently harsh and cruel and mean to me and our children.
My pastor husband emotionally and verbally abuses me.
My pastor husband has swindled thousands of dollars from our friends and now bankrupted our family.
My pastor husband is having an affair.

The list could go on and on and it is something we don’t like or want to talk about. And to be honest, there is not the time or space to deal with it here. But one thing I have learned is that often times the enemy will get our husbands to think they are invincible. They can get to the place where they are not willing to hear the truth about their lives.

Sweet ladies, perhaps you are dealing with a husband who is walking in sin….and if you are not, please realize that we and/or our husbands are all one decision away from making these same mistakes or worse. One decision. No one wakes up one day and says, “I think I will have an affair!!” It happens gradually, little by little, and before we know it we have crossed the line.

We must do two important things. Confront and expose. Confront him with your concerns. Speak with love and truth and pure motives. If he does not listen to you (which honestly, might be the case) bring someone with you. This is Biblical. This must happen. It is embarrassing because we like to keep it all in the dark. BUT darkness is where the sin grows!! Expose it! Get it into the light so that it can be dealt with!!

I wish that as ministers’ families we did not have to deal with this pain and hurt….but trust me, the enemy wants to destroy the Body of Christ and one of the best ways he does it is to attack the leaders!!

Be courageous. Confront. Expose.

I am praying…..I wish we had more time/space to really talk about this…..maybe later. Oh Father I ask that You would put a hedge of protection around those who are leading the Body of Christ. That You would give that woman the insight and courage to confront her sinning spouse. That he would listen to her. Father raise up a people who will be trustworthy that we can turn to who will go with us to expose any life of sin. We desire pure marriages, families, churches. Surround our sisters who are hurting as a result of sinful decisions their husbands have made. In Jesus’ name…..amen.

An Idol from an Unexpected Source

I had not seen her in decades, (how is that possible when I know I am still in my 20’s!!) yet it was surprisingly easy to spot her in the crowd waiting at the Tex Mex restaurant in Dallas. Her looks had not changed a bit…but her life certainly had. After talking and crying and eating enchiladas, chips and salsa for three hours we decided we should let the poor waiter have something and someone different to serve instead of us!! After leaving a very large tip for his patience and tolerance, we picked up our discussion where we left off at Starbucks….and talked several more hours.

Last week was the first time I had “face time” with this dear college roommate since our weddings in the 70’s, and even though we have had little contact over the years, nothing had changed between us. We were able to cut through all of the mundane, unimportant topics right to the core of what was on our hearts. Isn’t it beautiful to have relationships like that?

As sorority sisters, we would laugh so hard together! I will never forget the evening we danced all around the apartment singing songs from “Funny Girl”!! (Well, I suppose THAT dates me!!) She was about to marry the love of her life and I wanted to find the love of my life. She was beautiful and funny and put together…she knew what she wanted and was going for it. And she got it. The love of her life.

The love of her life was in the ministry. He was large as life. Funny. Intelligent (not just smart—but intelligent!!) Seminary graduate. Amazing “platform” presence. Everyone loved him. Everyone was drawn to him. You knew when he was in the room….everyone was either laughing or learning or listening. God was going to do amazing things with and through this young man. We all knew it.

Fast forward to 2011. Their lives and marriage are a mess. A disaster. In ruins. There is much hurt and pain and heartache. How did this happen? It turned out that the “love of her life” was, in actuality, an idol.

Oh, as I look back on those days, I could see that she idolized him...but I said nothing. Did I even know it then? Was I so clueless that I neglected the warning signs? My dear friend...beware! The devil roars like a lion seeking to destroy YOU! Your marriage, Your ministry, Your relationships. One way he does it is to cause something very good to become very bad...an idol.

Anything we put in the center of our lives....a spouse, a CHILD!!!, a job, WHATEVER is our idol. Stop right now. Take a serious look. What is at the center of your life? Mind? Even a trial can become an idol!!

Oh, how I love you...even though I do not even know you. Lord, please reveal to each one of us where we have made anything an idol. Help us to identify them and then to break them up!! Put YOU at the center. In Jesus name....amen!

Unity

Can you believe that we have completed the first half of 2011 and July 4th is Monday? If you are like me this year has been a race against time to see what else can be put on my plate. Usually, 4th of July means added tensions because we always have family or friends visiting or we are on a trip.

Although I love having people in our home, I get myself so stressed out at times planning that I forget to just enjoy my company. Usually, we have the entire family here so that means planning the menu for several days and deciding where everyone will sleep (who gets the two beds, who gets the sleeper sofa, and who gets the air mattresses and couches). When everyone arrives it is interesting to see where the luggage goes and a fight for bathroom time. By the end of the extend family time, there are a few "discussions" that have taken place. However, this weekend is unusual for the Lee family. We have no one coming to visit and we have no 4th of July plans. It feels really odd.

As I was having my quiet time this morning, I ran across Psalm 133:1 which says, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity." I began to think about the sweet times that our family has had over the years celebrating our nations freedom. Then I thought about the times when I was so stressed by the time everyone arrived that I had to force myself to focus because I was zapped of energy.

I believe this verse also applies to our church families. It is awesome when the church family is in one accord. God is able to do some mighty works for His glory when our energies and thoughts are centered on Him. However, when disunity rears its ugly head in the church, our focus is taken off the Lord and placed on the problem at hand. When issues arrive in the church it robs us of our Christian example we have in our communities and robs God of the ministry He wants to do through us. We become so bogged down on the situation that our spirits are defeated and often we give up.

I am a firm believer that our biological families as well as our Christian brothers and sisters should strive to get along. We should enjoy one another's company and fellowship. We should seek to find the good in all people and be peacemakers if necessary. I, like many of you, have family members who are not Christians. When they see me stressed and arguing with my own family I wonder what they are thinking of me as a Christian. Likewise, our church family and our community should see the best in us and we should strive to live in unity for the glory of God's kingdom.

As this national holiday approaches, I pray that you enjoy your time with your families and there is no disharmony over the sleeping arrangements. I also pray that your church is unified in serving Jesus and furthering His kingdom.

P.S. Below is one of my favorite, easy, stressful desserts that I always serve on the 4th of July. I hope you enjoy it even though it is not chocolate.

Lemonaid Pie

1/2 carton of Cool Whip
2 cups of frozen yogart (I use Kroger brand)
1 small package of Crystal Light Rasberry Lemonaid mix

Blend all ingredients and pour into graham cracker crust. Place in freeze. Remove a few minutes before serving and top with remainer of Cool Whip.