Sunday, February 6, 2011

Another Week; Come and Gone

Sunday again.

It bugs me how easy it is to be distracted and annoyed on Sundays. I believe the devil must pay double overtime to the demons on Sundays.

Today was pretty phenomenal. This whole week has been pretty great. Wednesday and Thursday I prayed prayers early in the morning that were answered before lunchtime. That'll strengthen your faith!!! God has allowed me to be faithful this week to seek His face in prayer for longer periods than I ever remember being able to pray. I thank Him so much for giving my family direction. I thank Him for giving me a Godly pastor to shepherd us. I thank God for the church that He has called us to.

This week my goals are to have our kids over for dinner and clean up my war zone (aka my house).

I am experiencing a very unpleasant case of writer's block. The past five times I have sat down to work on my manuscript, I find myself just reading through, really unable to add anything. I'm struggling with which way to take the story. It is loosely based on my life and circumstances that I have experienced. I'm not sure if I want to keep it the same as my life actually went or if I want to change the story to fit my preferences. I am also determined to add more "God" into it as well. I know now why it is called "writer's block." It feels a little bit like banging your head on a block. lol. Y'all pray.

I'm also beginning to work on our church's Christmas play. This will be the fourth year that I have written the play and I am determined to finish writing earlier and start practise earlier as well. There is no need to have a repeat performance of last year with my nerves resembling a stack of dry whispy hay. My writer's block extends to this work as well. I'm thinking that it is going to be set in the old west. Just for something different. But we'll find out when we get there.

The one area of my life that is not all "blocked up" is painting and designing our pastor's business cards. lol. Thank God it hasn't all dried up!!!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Unpacking my Brain

Today is Thursday, right?

The past six days have been quite phenomenal and TOTALLY exhausting at the same time. I have never been so mentally drained in all of my life. My husband and I just got back from the Pastor's Conference in First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, FL. We use this trip as our vacation every year.

There is nothing like taking a few days away from your everyday life to get together with other ministers and sit "in the soak" (as Oswald Chambers would say).

We arrived on Friday afternoon and stayed until lunch time on Tuesday. By Tuesday morning, my brain was so completely taxed that I could not force myself to focus through another sermon. But I definitley saved some brain space for Mrs. Lisa McKay, the speaker @ the women's conference. I had been to see her speak the day before and had already started devouring her book "You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes". By the time I got her to sign it for me on Tuesday, I was well on my way to conquering it.

I can't let myself read all the time, my 17 month old daughter would be motherless. (AKA, time management is NOT one of my strong suits)
Lisa really spoke to my heart, her book did as well. She inspired me to start this little bloggy endeavor. I love so much to express my thoughts in black and white, and I think it will be good practice for me. I am endeavoring, with the help of God, to write a book. (Just like every other weirdo you know.)

My husband surrendered to the call to preach in August of this past year. He has been wrestling with it for a long time. I was so relieved. It was like he had been in labor for over a year (It was bad enough the 2 hours I had to do it myself. Can I get a witness?) I have been so apprehensive about becoming a minister's wife. I've been to church all my life; literally, since conception. I was saved, by a miracle of God, when i was 3 years old. I have always tried with all my heart to follow God. I used to joke that I was going to be a preacher's wife. (Not such a funny joke now.)

It's not the responsibility I fear; nor is it the hard work (you should see my schedule. It has nothing but church activities and it is packed.). It's not even the controversy that all real men of God will face in their ministries, our church has been rocked by conflict for three of the last four years. Thank God He is bringing that to a lull (at least temporarily). I think it is the thought of having to move churches MUCH more than your average member. I have moved churches only twice, and they were both rather traumatic events in my life. I get attached to people; I love people very much. The thought of having to constantly leave people I love and meet new people is a little bit extremely terrifying to me.

I know God will give me His grace over this. I pray for it everyday.

Oh, by the way, did I mention my child has the flu now? Isn't that marvelous!? I obviously did not pray enough when I woke up this morning. :)