It’s Officially … Official
Posted by Lori Wilhite
Over the last month, we’ve been dancing around some big news that Brandi and I have been waiting to share.
Yes, we have JustONE starting Monday. Monday!! We’re excited to kick it off!
And, we have new Virtual Community Groups launching Monday as well! If you aren’t in a group, well, you’re really missing out. They’re fantastic.
And, before we know it, we’ll be Road Tripping to Retreat … and really hope you’ll be able to join us!
But, today we get to announce our other piece of news that we’ve had tucked in our pockets.
Because …. It’s officially official.
Brandi and I are currently writing our first book for Pastors’ Wives and Women in Ministry, in partnership with the fabulous team at Hachette and Faith Words. We’re tackling the challenges of leadership that keep ladies from embracing the joy that they can experience in this call that God has on their lives. Our hope is that we can encourage women to … dare I say it … lead and love it.
We would absolutely covet your prayers during this time as we work on this project.
Please pray for God’s guidance in the creative process so that we can clearly communicate the message that He would have us share.
Pray for lots of energy and caffeine as we attempt to write around our kids’ school and bedtime schedules.
And pray that God will multiply our efforts many fold as we seek to continue to serve our families, churches, and this community well.
We love you ladies and have been so blessed and inspired by you over the last (almost) five years.
We’re now accepting lots of writing advice and pep-talks! 
Fun Friday … A Few Of My Favorite Things
I love discovering new, fun, cool things! A couple months ago, I had three friends tell me (quite emphatically I might add) about the “greatest mascara on earth!”. I listened but I didn’t run out and buy it. Then, a few weeks later, I received a wonderful surprise in the mail! Mascara! Not just any mascara…”the greatest mascara on earth!” (thank you Brandi) Since I so love when others share a new find with me I thought I would share a few of my favorite things with you:
What I’m watching:
This is a new show on ABC and it is fantastic! It is a watch for the whole family…tune in!
What I’m reading:
Okay, I am loving this book (and not just because I believe Priscilla is my BFF) This book has been a great, challenging read for me to begin the New Year.
What I’m drinking:
I am a coffee addict but this tea is slowly converting me! Kinda pricey but fun to grab a cup in the mall.
What I’m wearing:
Yes ladies, this is the “greatest mascara on earth!”
Those are a few of my favorite things. Do you share any of my “likes”? I am always looking for my next new favorite…what are some of yours?
I AM…?
Last week I asked the REAL YOU to please stand up in 2012. I mentioned several ways I’ve discovered the real me, one being:
Instead of feeling like I should be extroverted in all situations, I now accept that I’m extroverted when I’m overseeing an event and more reserved when I’m attending someone else’s event. It’s great to understand this about myself and feel comfortable in my skin, finally.
How did I realize this truth about myself? Well, several events caused me to do some serious searching with honest conversations. Here are just a few examples of situations I’ve experienced:
* I remember going to a program at my kids’ school. My oldest was in pre-k at the time and my youngest was just 4 weeks old. I met some great moms but I arrived home feeling badly that I didn’t initiate more conversations with them. In my mind, there had to be a reason I didn’t connect more. I blamed it on being sleep deprived due to having 4 kids under 4. After all, at church I loved reaching out and making connections with others. It just didn’t make sense that I didn’t do it at the school. I was determined to do better the next time I was at a school event. (Side Note: I’m still more introverted at school events.)
* On another occasion, I was attending a fabulous pastors’ wives event with some amazing PWs. I was thrilled to be there but I felt this strange sense of being the quiet one in the room. Me, the quiet one. My one-on-one interactions were fabulous, my group time made me feel awkward. Why? I still had false ideas about who I was and who others thought I should be.
* Here’s the kicker! I started to think back to my school days. I was a friend to everyone and a talker, always wanting others to feel loved. I also served on the student council and as a class officer. One summer we attended a leadership camp. When asked to share a nickname on the first day, I replied, “I’m talkative Tiffany.” On the last day of the camp, my counselor said, “We’re still waiting for the talkative Tiffany to show up.” I felt so out of my skin. It was the first time I realized I wasn’t the initiator or the talker! What was happening? I couldn’t understand it.
Now I understand that even then, as a kid, I operated as I do today, I just didn’t fully know who I was. I’m extroverted when I’m overseeing an event and more reserved when I’m attending someone else’s event. AND, I now know that it’s perfectly okay! That’s how God created me.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.
Psalm 139:14
What have you been learning about yourself? How does it make you feel?
Through the Eyes of…the Pastor’s Wife
Posted by: Jessica Cornelius
Carmen Meeks serves in the Discipleship Ministry at EastLake Church in Chula Vista, California where her husband, Mike Meeks is Senior Pastor. She is the editor of their E-Devotional ministry, leading a team of thirty talented writers. She also writes growth group curriculum used by hundreds of volunteer leaders. She considers herself a lifetime learner, but was happy to finally complete her Bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific University in 2003. Carmen and Mike have two grown children who both chose awesome spouses. They are thankful for their seven amazing grandchildren.
1. What special little things does your husband do or say to show you he loves you? Oh cool! A chance to brag on my husband! I am happy to say that I am more in love with my husband today than at any other time in our 34-year marriage. We’ve talked honestly and openly about our marriage struggles over the years, which has been helpful and encouraging to other struggling couples. But it’s wonderful to be at a place where our relationship is so mutually satisfying. The way I know my husband loves me is that he is considerate toward me in the little everyday things: making my coffee in the morning, doing the laundry when he sees the need, making time for our morning “coffee talk” so we know what is on our agendas for the day, and praying with me about the things that are weighing me down. But most of all I know my husband loves me because he cooks for me! Just a few short years ago, the only dish my husband knew how to make was French Toast. Then he attended a men’s cooking group through our church. He had fun hanging out with friends, drinking a beer, and learning basic cooking skills. He is now a lifetime (or remedial) member of this group, having repeated it three times. The results have transformed our marriage. After three decades of being the chief cook and bottle washer, I am now the biggest fan of his delicious barbequed chicken, moist and tender pot roast, and sizzling seared ahi tuna. Cooking has become a relaxing hobby for him and a huge blessing for me. Dr. Kevin Leman wrote a book titled, “Sex Begins in the Kitchen.” He’s right.
2. What is the best leadership lesson you have learned lately? I accepted Christ and started out in ministry as a teenager. I met my husband while volunteering with junior high students, got married, then left my hometown of Eugene, Oregon to help plant a church in the Seattle area when I was twenty-two years old and our first baby was not yet walking. I have been in an evolving leadership role ever since. But I have learned so much in the past few years from the gals in the Leading and Loving It network. Through them I have grown in a single area that has had a ripple effect on every area of my life and ministry: Trust. I’ve learned that I can best lead in my church and on my church staff when I trust my husband’s leadership and choose to be his best supporter. Although he respects my input, he doesn’t need me to try to change who he is, but I can encourage him to be the person God created him to be-nothing more. And I can best lead my staff and volunteers when I trust them to be the capable and competent people God created them to be. That means I do not need to do (or re-do) their jobs for them. I can relax and do my part, while trusting them to make wise decisions and minister with their own unique gifts and abilities. In other words, I’ve learned to get out of the way and let others lead and learn-sometimes by making a few mistakes. What I try to offer my husband and my staff and volunteers is my accessibility, my listening ear, my advice when they need and ask for it, and fresh insights and resources I come across while focusing on my own assignments.
The only way I can continue to grow in my ability to trust others is to grow in my ability to trust God in the daily details of my own life. For that, I lean on this great passage from Matthew 11:28-30, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me-watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
3. What new adventures in ministry have you enjoyed this year? After many years of dreaming about a chance to go to Africa, my dream came true this year. My husband and I led a team of nineteen people to visit a school and orphanage in Uganda that we have helped support since its inception. Although we had sent teams in the past and I had seen pictures of the children and the facilities, it does not compare to being there in person. Bright Hope School is located near Bulanga, Uganda. There is no electricity or running water in this part of the country. Most people are subsistence farmers and many families have lost mothers or fathers to AIDS. Grandparents, uncles and aunts are struggling to raise children who have been orphaned. In the midst of this poverty-stricken area, Bright Hope School is a beacon of hope. The children living or attending school here have grown healthier each year as they have been able to receive nutritious meals and access to basic medical care on a consistent basis. They are grateful for the opportunity to receive an education, which will pave the way to a better future, so more than 200 students walk to school from all around the surrounding countryside each day, eager to learn alongside the 200 children who live on the property. The presence of Jesus is seen and heard each day in the bright smiles and beautiful voices of the children as they sing and pray as naturally as they laugh and play. You’ve probably heard of “helper’s high”, which describes the endorphin rush you feel when you do what God has designed you for, which includes serving others. I am still on a helper’s high from my visit to this beautiful country. What could possibly be more satisfying than realizing your sacrificial gifts have literally saved the lives of hundreds of children and continue to give them hope and a future?
Unrecognized Blessing…
Posted by Brandi Wilson
I really love being a stay at home mom. It’s been everything I’ve expected and more (both good and bad ). But, I must be honest and say that not long after I my third son was born I started to slightly agonize about what I’d do after they were all in school, unfortunately I’m an insufferable planner. My degrees are in education and I really enjoyed working in the classroom, but I’ve never felt that returning to teaching was exactly what I was suppose to do.
My plans after my kids started school was a conversation I’ve had with several close friends. Now, I’m not totally disillusioned, I know my boys will still keep me plenty busy when they’re in school. I’m not suddenly gonna have a plethora of free time. But I do feel I’m suppose to work outside the home to some capacity. Something that is flexible and allows me to still manage all the boys’ activities and work around my husband’s busy schedule.
It’s been something I’ve fervently prayed about and sought wise counsel on. Something that has regularly bounced around in my mind…. over the past 5 years.
Now fast forward to this past fall, God dropped a HUGE opportunity in my lap. I’m talking big (for me anyway). And when I say He “dropped” I mean I really didn’t work that hard to make it happen. He totally provided an opportunity that allows me to be flexible to my kids’ activities, to be super adaptable around my husband’s schedule and it’s something I enjoy. It’s not an easy opportunity, in fact it’s quite difficult and I’m really stretching myself, I’m feeling very challenged to grow and developed some professional skills I’ve ignored the last several years.
But here’s the kicker. God dropped this blessing in my lap. An “opportunity” I’ve dreamed about the last 5 years and my first response wasn’t to thank Him.
I got distracted… there are a few time details I’m working through and learning how to manage. I got so caught up in the details that “aren’t perfect” in my eyes and totally forgot to recognize how God HAS provided. I became paralyzed by fear of my ability and forgot to acknowledge my ability in Christ.
He answered a sincere prayer of my heart.
And I didn’t thank Him.
I was given a blessing and I didn’t even recognize it. It’s terribly embarrassing to admit. Acknowledging God’s handiwork in someone’s life is something I readily do for others… yet ignored in my own life.
Obviously, at this point I have recognized my faults and have spent lots of time acknowledging God’s provision. But it did make me think… how often to I miss a blessing. How often to I actively see God at work and not pause to acknowledge His sovereignty?
Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever gotten so caught up in human worries that you didn’t recognize a blessing given by our Father?
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