The Real Life of a Pastor's Wife

Things are changing around here.... well changing and staying the same in an interesting dynamic! I am no longer a youth pastor's wife, but I am still at the same time! We have recently resigned from FBC Troup, which was the place we have been serving longer than any other place before it. We have accepted the call to be church plant pastors and with that church plant youth pastors at the same time, at least until the baby church grows into needing additional staff. So I am now a pastor/youth pastor's wife; translation I am still just a normal, girl who happens to be married to some one in the ministry. I am blogging to make sure everyone knows that my family and I are not perfect,to share with everyone what God is doing in me and to give you a peek into the craziness that is my real life. It is my prayer that no matter how you found this blog, and no matter who you are, God will use these words to speak to your heart and draw you closer to Himself. I would love to hear from you; comments, questions, complaints, and randomness is always welcome!!

The family!

The family!

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Monday, June 8, 2015

Call Me Crazy (I Know A lot of People Already Do)

I'm so sick of avocados I could puke! And if I never eat another serving of dry, bland chicken breast that is ok with me!! But I'm getting ahead of my self.... Let me explain, and you will likely think I'm crazy but that's nothing new.
For the last few months I have been reading and researching a lot about the condition of the world and how people live in different places and what we can do to help (read my blog from last week for more info about that).  Along the way I read a book by a church plant pastor's wife, who I could really relate to. They too are trying to change the paradigm and lead their church to sacrifice self for the poor and needy of the world. The book was about how God rearanged their world and thinking and is teaching them a new way (which is really the very old, original way) to do this whole Christian life. Fast forward a few weeks and it was time for me to start thinking about a summer women's bible study so, I just picked one done by my new church-planter-least-of-these-lover friend (she doesn't know we are friends yet but she will one day!), called 7. From what I read it was about simplifying life in the spirit of a fast in order to realize how much we have and that most of that we don't actually need. I ordered 20 copies of it without even reading it so I was obligated to do it now! I decided to go ahead and read the book that the bible study came from and quickly realized I might have bit off more than I could chew, and that the ladies in the study were gonna kill me (and think I am crazier than they already do)! The book is all about simplifying life and reducing it down to what we absolutely need and asking God to speak to us there in those moments of less stuff and less distractions. It sounds so much easier and normal than it is. 
The first month is simplifying food. We are so spoiled as Americans and have so many choices and flavors and options available to us 24 hours a day. So she experimented by eating only 7 foods for a month! That sounded kind of challenging but I was already committed since I ordered the books and I can't ask my ladies to do something I'm not going to do so.... For the last week I have not eaten anything except chicken breast, eggs, sweet potatoes, spinach, whole wheat bread, apples and avocados.  NOthing else, no butter, no sugar, no seasoning other than salt and pepper, no chocolate and NO COFFEE!!!!
A few things have happened in the last week that surprised me. 1. I have realized how much I rely on food to change how I feel. If I'm stressed or unhappy I instanly want something sweet. If I'm sleepy I go for some coffee.  If we are celebrating any thing there is food involved and it's usually the focus.  This means I am using food for things I seriously doubt God intended it for.  I should not need Jesus AND coffee to start my day.  Jesus should be enough. Period. 2. I learned that a lot of the times I eat because something looks good, smells good or I know it tastes good, not because I am necessarily hungry. Now that I've eaten the same thing on repeat for days I'm far less interested in food.  I'm only eaten to get enough calories to survive and even that is a struggle.  Most people don't have the variety and volume of food available to them, so they are eating what's accessible to them so they can stay alive.  I am so spoiled that I take all I have for granted.  Which is true of the things of God too, I have known the love and forgiveness of God for many years.  After a while the stories are on repeat and the sermons all sounds similar (no offense to my preaching husband, that's my bad not his).  The things of God don't always look appealing and tasty, but they are honestly the only thing in this life that's worth anything.  Everything else is going to pass away, God's things are eternal and worth feasting on.  3.  Variety is desired.  This is probably the most eye opening.  If I get bored eating the same food and have to MAKE myself eat it, then I can reasonably apply this to my spiritual life as well. If I am simply going through the motions and doing the same thing every day, as far as reading and praying, etc, then it makes sense that I would be bored with that and not necessary craving it, but just doing it because I need to.  I need some variety in my routine with Jesus.  I need to change things up and learn and connect with him in different ways.  God is huge and creative, I should not be confining him to 40 minutes of reading and praying in the mornings and nothing else.  So I'm praying for some ideas.
I wish I could say I don't crave coffee and sugar and fat and honestly anything other than these 7 foods, but I  can't.  I wish I could tell you that I am so in tune with Jesus that even this cheating version of a fast has been a breeze, well I'd be lying because this is hard and it sucks and I am crazy, but I would do a lot of even crazier things if that meant I could connect with the creator in life
changing ways and become more of who he intends me to be.  He is so worth simplifying and sacrificing and rearranging everything for. So if I need to eat only 7 foods for the rest of my life if that is what it takes to deny myself, give to others and most importantly obey God in real ways even if that's counter cultural!! So call me crazy or crazier than you even thought before! "He must become greater, I must become less." John 3:30. Maybe we all need to find ways to be a little crazy for the cause of Jesus.   

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