I have a confession: Hostessing, for some reason, is not my forte. I am nervous. I worry about being a hostess as a pastor's wife. When guests are coming over, I stress about having enough food. I worry that I'm forgetting something. I never think my house is clean enough, or decorated enough, or tidy enough, or... whatever. I feel pressured to get everything done in time for the guests to arrive. I worry about keeping the conversation going.
"But thanks be to God which always causeth us to triumph..." ~ II Corinthians 2:14
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." ~ Philippians 4:13
"...much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." ~ Romans 5:10 There is so much more to my salvation than just hope of heaven. And I long to truly learn this principle in the practical sense in my life. Sure, I have a head knowledge. I can quote verses and tell you that as I yield to the Spirit of God living in me, I can do all things. I am well aware that, as Jesus said, "I can of mine own self do nothing..." (John 5:30). But in my practical, nitty-gritty, everyday walk... well... I tend to tell myself "It's normal for Christians to struggle; we're human." Isn't that what most people believe? Isn't that what most people will tell you? You get a free pass to worry today; you're human.
Of course, my God is not a mean, churlish god who demands my perfect performance! He simply offers His perfect Holy Spirit, who already lives inside me, as available to live His Life through my imperfect fleshly body! How amazing is that! Of course, I have heard it all before. I have read it a thousand times. BUT, do I believe it? HE will live HIS perfect life through my imperfect fleshly body! Wow! Imagine what that does for me! I can rest. I don't have to worry. I don't have to get mad. I don't have to perform as a perfect hostess. I'm the tea pot in HIS hands! The tea pot doesn't worry about whether her tea is perfect. The tea pot doesn't worry whether everyone is quite pleased with her! (And that really is the issue: worry="me focus"! But that's another blog for another day!) The tea pot is simply a tea pot. In the hostess' hands. Just a happy little tea pot. That's me. In Jesus' hands.
I have a confession: Hostessing, for some reason, is not my forte. I am nervous. I worry about being a hostess as a pastor's wife. When guests are coming over, I stress about having enough food. I worry that I'm forgetting something. I never think my house is clean enough, or decorated enough, or tidy enough, or... whatever. I feel pressured to get everything done in time for the guests to arrive. I worry about keeping the conversation going.
"But thanks be to God which always causeth us to triumph..." ~ II Corinthians 2:14
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." ~ Philippians 4:13
"...much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." ~ Romans 5:10 There is so much more to my salvation than just hope of heaven. And I long to truly learn this principle in the practical sense in my life. Sure, I have a head knowledge. I can quote verses and tell you that as I yield to the Spirit of God living in me, I can do all things. I am well aware that, as Jesus said, "I can of mine own self do nothing..." (John 5:30). But in my practical, nitty-gritty, everyday walk... well... I tend to tell myself "It's normal for Christians to struggle; we're human." Isn't that what most people believe? Isn't that what most people will tell you? You get a free pass to worry today; you're human.
Of course, my God is not a mean, churlish god who demands my perfect performance! He simply offers His perfect Holy Spirit, who already lives inside me, as available to live His Life through my imperfect fleshly body! How amazing is that! Of course, I have heard it all before. I have read it a thousand times. BUT, do I believe it? HE will live HIS perfect life through my imperfect fleshly body! Wow! Imagine what that does for me! I can rest. I don't have to worry. I don't have to get mad. I don't have to perform as a perfect hostess. I'm the tea pot in HIS hands! The tea pot doesn't worry about whether her tea is perfect. The tea pot doesn't worry whether everyone is quite pleased with her! (And that really is the issue: worry="me focus"! But that's another blog for another day!) The tea pot is simply a tea pot. In the hostess' hands. Just a happy little tea pot. That's me. In Jesus' hands.
I'm an American preacher's kid who became a Canadian pastor's wife. I have the greatest parents in the world! By the time I was two, my mom taught me to quote more than 200 Bible verses. (Way to go, Mom!) My dad was always my favourite preacher. After I grew up, I was a book editor and a magazine/web copy editor. But since age 12, I knew my true calling and passion lay in ministry. The year I spent as a missionary in the Netherlands was life changing in many ways. I met my love, Peter, and God graciously granted my lost dream of being a pastor's wife. Peter and I have three beautiful children and the cutest granddaughter and grandson you've ever seen. smile emoticon I love tiffany blue and cherry red (not necessarily together), coffee (trying to be healthier with "fake" barley/chicory coffee these days), jasmine green tea and myriad other teas, ethnic foods, dark chocolate (especially with nuts!), European style, vintage décor, music (vocal, piano, harp). and books!
