Why We Do This: Part I - The Town Tramp

If you are in a season of ministry filled with blessings and joy, I encourage you to journal about it. Looking back on the good things God has done is a wonderful way to find strength in those seasons that are not so easy. 

My mom, Pastors Wife for over 40 years, has some stories to tell. They are all true and so good that I’ve turned them into three parts. Her stories illustrate why we do this thing called ministry. Here’s my mom’s first story:

The Town Tramp 

By Doreen Babcock

Everyone knew the town tramp. The deep pockets of his oversized coat held empty liquor bottles. He collected them for the recycling money. Truly, he rarely drank. But he did love his pipe.

Each Sunday, he knocked the tobacco out of his pipe and laid it carefully on the ledge by the back door of the church. Most of the time he left his liquor bottles there as well. Except for the Sunday when one fell out of his pocket and rolled to the front of the church while my husband, Eldon, preached. Eldon picked up the bottle and set it out of sight and just kept right on preaching. At the end of the service he gave it back to it’s owner with no scolding. The tramp came back every Sunday after that. 

Our church had grown and was bursting at the seams with new believers.  Rich and poor alike worshiped side by side. At the time, It seemed like a little piece of heaven in full view.

I will never forget the Sunday God revealed to us exactly what it meant to BE the Church. My husband stood and delivered a call to respond to the Gospel. The altar railings fairly shook with joy as people came forward.  One couple dressed in expensive, clothing knelt together and prayed and wept. The sound of the Tramp coming up the aisle caused them to stop. Realizing the altar was almost full, they moved aside and motioned for the tramp to kneel between them. 

My heart burst with joy as I watched this beautiful display of God’s kingdom. The tramp now has a new name written down in glory!

The End

And this, my dear PW’s is why we do this thing called ministry! Transformed Souls!

What’s your story? What keeps you going? Why on earth do you do this? Journal about it. Share it with a friend. If you’d like you could email us at pastorswife101blog@gmail.com We’d love to hear from you.

Refreshments needed: Pastor's wife 101

I love the comfort of a warm cup of tea on a cool autumn morning. When my mind and body are in need of refreshment tea brings a certain security to my day. Of course it helps that this little ritual often leads to opening the Word of God.  It's even more wonderful to find that opening the word leads to words about refreshment.

Jeremiah 31:25 "For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes.”

This week, I truly felt the need for more than refreshment. My heart and mind grew tired and needed renewal. So, I sat on my porch and spoke to the Lord. I think God has a sense of humor. Because he reminded me of an event that illustrated the truth about renewal in such a funny way that I never forgot it. 

On the advice of a friend, I committed to ten visits with a chiropractor with "alternative" methods. I went and found each visit wackier than the last. 

My most memorable visit involved a colander, a mallet and a very small man sitting in a chair in the corner. 

As I waited my turn on a massage table, I overheard the chiro-man say to the very small man, "I am going to hit this metal bowl with a mallet and the vibrations are going to reset your mind." 

My jaw dropped in amazement as he gave a sharp rap to the colander. 

TWANG! 

As the reverb echoed through the room, I burst into uncontrollable laughter. 

Let's just say my guffaws and sarcastic remarks were not welcome. 

God used this wacky experience to vividly illustrate renewing my mind. I admit to a weird temptation to put my kitchen colander on my head and hit it with a hammer, but the bible has a more effective approach. So grab your  bible and your refreshments and let's discover how to refresh, reset and renew our minds!

Romans 12:2

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Do you see the two commands in this scripture? Underline them and put a slash mark between them. 

Like this:

Do not be conformed to this world / But be Transformed by the renewing of your mind. What does it look like to be conformed to this world? Ephesians Four may shed some light on this.

Ephesisans 4:21-23

"If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed int he spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."

So what are we to lay aside?

Why are we to do that? What is wrong with it?

Let's look at this practically. When I am tired and weary the old me says:

"People suck, I'm fed up with this."

"Nobody appreciates me."

"God must not be looking my way today."

"I'm just going to watch this trashy show and try to escape."

The old me is like this butterfly we found wedged in the cracks of our fender. Hurt, scared, and desperate. 

The problem arrises when I refuse to turn those feelings over the God. I don't let him rescue me. 

Instead, I dwell on my poor predicament until I begin to fester with pride, anger, jealousy and rebellion.

Shocking huh? Maybe your old self is not as bad as mine. Maybe it is worse. Regardless the bible tells us it is corrupt. We can't trust anything that is corrupt. We have to walk away from it.

So let's go back to that wacky Chiro-man. He believed with all his heart that the vibrations of that colander were resetting the mind of his patient. What if the bible were our colander? What if we let the vibration of it's truth reverberate in and through us in such a way that our old self fell away and our new self rose up?

Oh the glory of that thought!

So let's look at Ephesians one more time. It tells us what to do!

"Be renewed in the spirit of your mind." 

Put on the new self.

Which is in the likeness of God

and has been created in 

righteousness

holiness and

truth."

The new me says: 

"People are loved by God, I can love in His strength."

"God sees me and loves me, I can do all things through Him."

"I will worship the Lord with gladness for he has done great things for me."

The new me claims that verse we started with in Jeremiah. "For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes."

Truth

Holiness

Righeousness

These are the refreshments that will truly renew my mind. 

So pass the refreshments please!

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Pastor's Appreciation Month is here are you ready?

Maybe you saw the title of this post and thought, "Oh yeah! Bring on the gifts and appreciation!"  Maybe you thought, "Ha! nobody even does that anymore!"  Well read on! I think you'll be encouraged.

Someone asked me the other day, “What’s the best gift you’ve ever received for Pastor’s appreciation month?” 

Crickets...no I don’t mean we received them, but that’s the sound of my answer.  I really couldn’t think of anything.  Not that we’ve never received gifts. I just don’t think they coincided with October. 

We loved the July gift someone gave of us of their time share. Our kids still bring up the good memories of that week. 

Oh and the January gift of a ski lodge weekend. My hubby still moans over the humiliation of that snow board incident. 

We’ve received butter braids and gift cards and local passes to parks. We’ve received a quilt with dear messages written on each square, and a Gold framed picture of an old fashioned sewing machine..love that one!  Sunday morning's I often receive hugs and plenty of love. Darling friends have left baskets of goodies on our doorstep when we were sick. 

Yeah, I could say we feel gifted and appreciated.

So, why is that when October comes around we feel a bit miffed when nothing more than a card arrives in the mail?  I believe it’s because we’ve lost sight of our purpose.  And why do we turn up our noses at the card when that could be the very person God has helped us to impact the most this year. That card could represent a huge sacrifice of humility or time or finances..no matter how small. 

I’m lecturing myself here as well as you dear one. I have been known to be prett -tty grouchy about the apparent lack of appreciation October brings.  I hang my head in shame over my attitude.

Mark this: We did not enter ministry to be appreciated by man but approved by God. We are servants who’s purpose is to glorify the master. We are shepherds who’s job it is to protect and love the sheep. We are soldiers dedicated to digging into the trenches or to marching into battle, knowing we might get dirty and wounded and it all might end in complete chaos. But, will God be glorified in our obedience? You betcha!

Does a soldier expect a butter braid bread at the end of a hard days work? 

Does a shepherd expect his sheep to send him off on a week long vacation? 
Absurd. 

Of course, we are grateful when people appreciate us. To expect it and even to demand it in our spirits? That is the day we are clearly off track. 

So, this pastor’s appreciation month, I challenge you to dig in to the Word of God. I implore you to care more deeply for the people in your congregation. Do not expect a thing in return other than the approval of God. I commit myself to this task as well. 

Oh my! I think this calls for a spot of tea. Come, let’s sit down and ask the Lord to give us renewed focus and purpose.

 Let’s seek God’s approval for our attitudes and actions today.  He knowns our names. He sees our hearts. Let’s rest our heads on his shoulder, close our eyes and feel the autumn breeze touch our face. May the Lord’s very presence fill you with peace today. I am so glad, sister to be here with you on this lovely October day. I feel so ready for this month now. How about you?  Yes? Good. 

I am so glad we are...

Under the same wing.

Joleen

Mentoring College Students

Invite some one over to bake with you! Yes, I highly recommend this activity.

Our church attracts a good number of Wheaton College Students. So, I invited a few of them over to my house this week to bake apple pie with me. We had such a wonderful time sharing and baking together! It felt like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. So in honor of that great artist, here's our pictures, put into a format you may find quaintly familiar. 

I think it's interesting that all the girls who came today had mothers or grandmothers who taught them the art of baking pie. This simple activity may seem outdated or even a waste of valuable time in our busy, fast food world. I believe that taking the time to be with other women in the kitchen holds more than just domestic value. 

BTW we did invite some guys to join us lest you think I believe only women should be in the kitchen!

 Here's one of the girls using my apple/peeler/slicer/corer - Best kitchen invention besides the oven!

The girls and I had a wonderful time talking about pies and baking. They also, introduced me to some new music. Let's see if I can remember the names: Jack Johnson's sweet song called I got you. And a darling song by Mindy Gledhill called All the Pennies. 

I love how this picture turned out. That's my Great Aunt's kitchen table. I'm sure it's had many pies assembled on it over the years.  That's Becky putting the finishing touches on one of our five pies!

So, why on earth would I suggest you invite some college girls or neighbor's over to bake with you? Because you need women in your life. You need  to laugh and talk and learn from each other. This is what it looks like to be in community with one another. Sitting in a pew or a bible study chair will not help you build lasting, meaningful relationships with other people. Take the risk and invite some new faces into your home for a baking day. You will find it to be deliciously fulfilling!

Pumpkin Centerpieces! Who said Fall had to be orange?

Oh my goodness! I can't stop painting pumpkins! Here's how to turn everyday pumpkins into an amazing centerpieces like these: 

You will need: 

3 White pumpkins

3 short pillar candles

Fall foliage from the dollar store

Some burlap for ribbon

You will also need:

Two colors of paint: I used Behr's base paint

Circle stickers: I used some left over Avery circle labels 

Packing tape: this is for the lined pumpkin

Your power tools include: A drill with a small drill bit and a hot glue gun. You might also want some wire cutters to separate the flowers and a screw driver to help you get the stems off the pumpkins.

Here's a little video to get you started

Be sure you press down on the stickers or tape really well. You'll still get some bleed through, but I'll show you how to fix it!

So now you are ready to paint. Be sure to spread out a drop cloth. I just used an old plastic shower curtain! 

Paint right over all the tape and stickers. Be sure to let this first coat dry really well. Hint: If you use white pumpkins you won't need a second coat. 

Once paint is dry, remove stickers and tape. As you can see the results are less than perfect. So here's what I did to fix it. Get a small paint brush and dip it in the opposing color. Carefully paint in the circles and lines. Once that dries go back with your original color and touch up the edges. 

When everything is dry you can begin adding the decorations. 

Hot glue the pillar candles to the top of each pumpkin. I suggest wrapping the pillar candles in the burlap ribbon beforehand. 

Then use the power drill to plunge holes around the candle. Place holes about 1/2 inch away from the candle. Cut the floral pieces so that you have individual stems. Firmly push the stems into the holes you have drilled. Be careful not to pull on the pillar candle. 

I suggest storing your pumpkin centerpieces outside where it's cooler. They will last longer outside than inside. But, if you want to use them indoors, they should be fine for several days. 

Decorating the Parsonage for Fall

Decorating is one of my favorite things to do. If I had endless hours, I would decorate and drink tea and study the word of God! 

People often ask me where I get my ideas for decorating. Most of the beginning ideas come from things I see on pintrest or color combinations that just spark my imagination.  

So, Today, I'm going to show you how I decorated our porch for fall. I really don't like the scary aspects of the season, so I decided to cheer things up with three beautiful colors.

Introducing moss blue, bear brown and country yellow!  Yay! I love them together so much. 

I bought the traditional pumpkins at a local farmers market and proceeded to turn them into the decor I desired. 

I also gathered my stash of tin cans and mason jars. I just couldn't resist painting them all! 

When I put all my items together, there just seemed to be something missing. I really hated to spend any more money so I decided to search for a solution around my house. I found it in the form of burlap! I know it seems crazy that I just had this lying around! I am such a craft junkie though that I often keep stuff and reuse it in projects like this. I also added seashells and sand to get just the right beach/fall feeling on my porch! 

Who said fall had to be orange and red! Give me blue, brown, and yellow any day!

I loved the colors so much, I ended up painting some of our porch benches as well. Love the two tone brown and blue! 

In the end, I just needed a pot of tea to sit and enjoy the beauty of the day! 

Wish you were here to join me!

The Blessing of being a Pastor's Kid!

I grew up as a pastor's kid and now I have PK's of my own.  At times, I am sorry for the label they must wear. It does seem unfair to be held to higher standard simply because of your father's job. However, most of the time, I am glad of their label. I've tried to teach my children being a PK does not need to be a burden but, a blessing. 

What blessings are there? First, let me say, I am aware of the pain and burden placed upon the pastor's family. When unfair statements are made, I help my kids address them. When people are downright rude, I defend my children. When my family is attacked by criticism, I am loyal and stand firmly on their side. But, there are ways to help the PK see himself or herself as blessed not cursed. 

Here's a few blessings:

#1. Everyone knows who you are

 

Our youngest son with his Daddy!

If I ever get lost in a major city in Canada, I will go to the nearest Free Methodist Church and say, "My father is Eldon Babcock." I believe I will be instantly welcomed and known. Perhaps this is wishful thinking. But the very fact that I've believed this all my life is a blessing. 

This did not suit me as a teenager trying to skip school for the one and only time, only to be seen by a church person who knew me immediately.  However, It only bothered me because I was doing wrong. The church person may have been a busy body, but I should not have been at the bowling alley in the middle of a Wednesday. 

The fact that everyone knows who you are means they look out for you and care for you and remember things like your birthday and the fact that you just got a new bike. People compliment you and praise you and encourage you and that brings us to the second blessing.

#2. People pray for you more often

Our three boys

I certainly hope it's true that the same dear people who pray for my kids are praying for other people's children as well. I am so grateful for those who ask, "How can I pray for your children?" Of course, I am careful not to share things that would embarrass my kids.  But, It's a joy to say,  "Oh, yes please pray for Matthew to form good deep friendships."  or, "Pray for Jonathan's safety as he travels home next week!" 

We had one dear lady who told us every Sunday that she'd prayed for our children that week. How sad we were when she went to be with Jesus. Her life of prayer impacted us and blessed us. We hope she is still daily bringing us to the throne of God as she sits at the feet of her Savior. 

#3. People gift you and your family frequently

Though we certainly do not look for or expect gifts. It's true that we are gifted frequently and often just at the right time. 

The day our eldest son was baptized, we wanted to go out for lunch to celebrate but our budget was tight so I'd planned on making his favorite foods at home. As we were leaving the church a woman walked up to me and shook my hand. It was filled with a wad of money she'd pulled from her purse. I teared up as she said, "Now you take that dear boy out for lunch and tell him, I am praying he will become a great man of God!"  What a blessing those words were and still are to my heart. 

Another time, we were in serious financial need and a check for a thousand dollars arrived in the mail! God had used us in the lives of these dear people and they felt led to share out of their abundance. Little did they know both Dave and I had been on our knees that very morning asking God to meet our needs. Praise the Lord! 

#4. There are always people in your home

our front porch on fourth of July!

I have good childhood memories of fading off to sleep to the sound of clinking glassware and quiet conversation. My parents door seemed to be open to everyone. Now, I practice the same level of hospitality as much as possible. I do everything I can to include our children in the conversations and times with people. We are careful to guard our family time and keep boundaries on our life. Yet, it's the people coming and going, praying, singing, talking and laughing that fill our home with a special atmosphere that I hope our children will remember. 

#5. Your parents lean on Christ daily and encourage you to do the same. 

My parents modeled a dependency on Christ that I in turn strive to share with my children. The ability to turn to God when we are sad, hurt or lonely is a blessing. We don't just teach our children to have a daily quiet time, we do also, spend time in bible study and prayer. We gather as a family before our youngest goes to bed each night. Dave reads a passage of scripture or asks, the kids to share what they have read. We talk and laugh and pray.  It's true there are nights we are grumpy and tired, but it is the daily encouragement that matters in the end. 

So, there you have it. Being a PK has it's blessings. 

I actually love being a Pastor's wife.  Even though we have been burned by betrayal and wounded by words, I can't think of anything I'd rather do with my life. It is this passion for Christ that I hope to impart to my darling PK's.  

How about you? Can you see past the hurts to the blessings? If not, I am sorry. I understand some seasons of ministry are dark and difficult. I am praying for you today. Praying that God would renew the joy of your salvation and heal your broken places. I pray you will be able to walk in the spirit in front of your children. I pray they will see your dependence on Christ and remember the blessings of being your child. 

-Under the same wing,

Joleen

Hosting a Neighborhood Party: Part 3-Creating a welcome atmosphere

In the previous posts I showed you how to invite your neighbors creatively and gave you  tips on getting ready. Finally the night of the event is here! What are you going to do to create an atmosphere that promotes conversation and puts your neighbors at ease? The picture above is of my porch on a regular day. it's wonderful, but there's a few things that will create a welcome atmosphere. 

Lighting is essential! 

There’s just something about candles and special lights that create a feeling of warmth and comfort. I like using candles with names like, pumpkin spice and cranberry-orange peel. One guest commented how she could “smell the welcome” as she came up the drive! 

I also found inexpensive porch lights and hung them across the end of the porch. They add low light and a create a festive atmosphere.

Games are the key to easy conversation! 

Put out a stack of your store bought games. Be sure they are easy to play. We have a lovely old game called Crokinole. I have wonderful memories of playing Crokinole on frosty winter evenings with my Grandfather.  You can actually buy the boards on Ebay.  

I put my youngest son, he’s nine, in charge of showing the first guests our games. He was eager to teach them Crokinole. 

I’ve also found collecting old wooden things like spools and blocks, to be an endless source of entertainment for little guests. They always create something unique.

If you have space, a game of whiffle ball, or ladder golf will help engage the older kids and a few of the adults as well. This creates and opportunity for camaraderie with your new neighbors.

Good questions inspire good conversation. 

My husband is terrific at this. He’s quick to ask questions such as, “Tell me about your family” or “How long have you lived in this neighborhood?” He followed this one up with, “What’s changed over the years?”

This last question launched one neighbor into a story about a famous person who used to live right next door to us.  We also learned that there used to be neighborhood parties but they’d fallen off at some point as people’s kids grew older. 

Our evening was filled with lively conversation and the warmth of new friendships. The highlight of the evening came in the form of a sweet neighbor boy who quickly made fast friends with our youngest son. We’ve lived here three years and never knew a good friend lived right across the street. 

Here's our family the year we moved into the "Blue House" as it is lovingly labeled by the neighbors. We had no idea what a blessing that porch would be. 

So, the verdict on the neighborhood porch party is in. A success! We are already thinking about what to do next. perhaps a neighborhood Christmas party? Hmm.. perhaps.