May 25, 1974 I married the most wonderful guy!!

So you know I’m a Pastor’s wife, right? Almost everyone who knows me personally, knows this about me. However, it is NOT the first thing I mention about myself when I meet someone new. I have learned over the years, many people shut down as soon as the words come out of my mouth. It’s one of the hazards of being a pastor’s wife (PW) A very hard thing I had to learn to accept.

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned being a pastor’s wife occasionally in other posts. I’ve been once since the day I married Don….37 years ago! The funny thing is, I didn’t ever see it coming….this pastor’s wife thing!

In the early 70′s Don was the Campus Pastor on a small college campus. We both had been in the campus group, and he had grown into the leadership role and was on staff at a local church overseeing ministry to the campus. After we fell in love and married, we continued working with college kids and we thoroughly loved the great relationships we had with them. I’m sure I pictured us being in the campus environment for the rest of our lives. I guess we were actually pastoring on the college campus, but I never thought of myself as a pastor’s wife and I KNOW the thought of pastoring a church NEVER crossed my mind at the time!

But God had a definite surprise in store for me, when after three years of marriage, Don was asked to pastor the church we had been part of since our college days. I remember thinking, “How is it that suddenly I’m supposed to be able to take care of other people’s spiritual lives, when I’m barely learning how to take care of my own?” By this time I had only walked with Jesus for about 6 years and had not gone to Bible School. Our season of leading the college students had been one of mutual learning and growing as friends. The idea of being a pastor’s wife seemed like entirely new territory!

Don and I had been trained and discipled by our wonderful pastor, so he and the elders felt we were ready for the challenge. However, for me it felt as if we were suddenly being pushed out of the nest, and I was quite sure I was NOT ready to fly! Regardless of my feelings, it was going to happen, so I tried to wrap my mind and heart around the idea.

I set aside time to think and pray about this new step! And one day God dropped a couple thoughts into my heart that brought peace…. I could either try to play the role of “a pastor’s wife” or I could “be” the same person the people in our church had known all this time. In the moment the choice was easy — be myself!

Sticking to that choice would definitely have its challenges in the years ahead….. (that’s another post).

The other thought the Lord gave me was simple: He said, “I didn’t call you to be A Pastor’s Wife, (and He said it as if  He was reading the title of a book), I called you to be Don’s wife. Be the best wife you can possibly be to him and the rest will fall into place.”

Although at times it was difficult to keep those two things separate, God was ALWAYS faithful to help me see when I had taken on a role — and then He helped me re-prioritize my life, so I could take the time to “be” Don’s wife ….. and let the rest fall into place!

Our dear friend Betina seated on the deck of her apartment in "The House"

We are presently traveling in Denmark and Sweden and loving it!

Copenhagen was our first stop and we found it to be a “magical” city! A beautiful old city, where people prefer to walk to work or ride their bikes, and where mothers have their babies out in strollers for at least an hour a day — rain or shine!

One afternoon we sat with our friends, Frank and Betina, above the busy streets of Copenhagen at Cafe Norden and enjoyed Danish pastries and coffee while watching the continuous movement below. As we watched we felt a great sense of wonder. Where were they going… what cheered them.. or what troubled them? We sat silently for a while pondering the continual motion of humanity below with a great awareness of God’s amazing love for every nation, tribe and tongue.

The majority of our time in Copenhagen was spent with Frank and Betina, and a group of 22 amazing believers who live together in one very large house. At 7:00 each morning they met to worship Jesus and pray together for half an hour before they left for their respective jobs and obligations. One family has a six month old baby named Esther, and even little Esther loved being in the midst of their early morning worship and prayer! No one who mentioned this early gathering spoke of it with dread or a sense of obligation, but with anticipation and a desire to start their day together with God and one another.

At the end of each day, they gathered again for the evening meal. The task of preparing the large family meal rotated from one person to another each day, until all had their turn — and then it would start over again. The family atmosphere around the table was filled with conversation and laughter! The depth of their relationships could be felt as they talked about their lives and their desire to see Jesus use them to reach their city! God has been preparing them and has been revealing His plan for this House. Before long, the work God has done in them will expand outward past the walls of the House and have a far-reaching effect in Copenhagen and beyond!

Our time with them refreshed us and at the same time, challenged us! We worshiped together, had several teaching sessions, opened our hearts and were deeply knit together with them. The best way of expressing what we experienced with them can be found in I Thessalonians 2:8.

“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”

Worshiping with our friends!

This year Good Friday held a deeper meaning for me than it has for quite some time!

I teach a Bible Class to the Jr. and Sr. High students in our school. They are precious kids, with hearts open to God and His Word. As the season of Lent approached we discussed fasting and and a desire to focus on God throughout this time. Each one made private decisions to fast in certain ways and we also did specific times of corporate fasting. Our commitments would continue until Easter. As we moved into the last week we decided (with parental approval) to watch The Passion of the Christ, by Mel Gibson.

I told them before the movie, they could leave at any time if it was too much for them, or they could listen with their eyes closed. They all stayed…. and watched….or listened. Their hearts were deeply moved by seeing the true price He paid.

As the movie ended, some sat silently with tears in their eyes, stunned by what they had seen. Some openly wept, some held each other and cried on each others shoulders, while others buried their faces in their hands.

Letting them sense the agony of what Jesus did for us, was difficult for me to watch. After what seemed like hours, but was only minutes, I gathered the girls in my arms and asked them what was happening in their hearts. One of them cried, “That was us doing that to Jesus!”

With that we talked of His amazing love and how He knew– even before He created us — He would have to die for our sins. And we wept some more as we realized how incredible and incomprehensible His great love was and is for each of us.

Those moments together brought gratitude to our hearts and connected us to Jesus and to one another in a very deep and living way! It was the perfect ending to a season of sacrifice. It changed us!

His sacrifice changed us!

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13  NLT

Thinking!

Yes, instead of talking I’ve been meditating on scripture… and meeting…..God!

A recent idea from the book, Made to Crave, by Lysa TerKeurst, simply challenged me to sit quietly during my prayer time and let God show up. I did…..and He did! It was an astounding experience!

For several days prior, Psalm 46:10 frequently popped into my mind. I considered this to be definite direction by the Holy Spirit. With that in mind, I set aside time to wait quietly before God while focusing my heart on Psalm 46:10 which says,  “Be still and know that I am God.”

I began by thinking and considering the first word in the scripture. After meditating on it for a time, I moved on to the next word and continued until the verse was completed and the truth of it had been embedded in my heart! Actually, what happened was…… He invaded my heart!

It went like this:

Be – Just be. Don’t perform for God. Don’t try to be something or someone I’m not. Don’t pretend. Just Be! He likes me just the way I am.

Be still – Just be. Be Quiet. Quit trying so hard. Quit straining. Just hush. Be. Be quiet in His Presence. Listen…. He’s here!

Be still and – Stay right here … in His Presence. Wait. He’ll show me the “and”. He’ll show me what comes next!

Be still and know – Know He’s right here with me. It’s so peaceful to be known by Him. To know His love. To knowYou! To be held!

Be still and know that – That there’s more. That right now and forever I will be discovering more of You! And loving You more! I’m experiencing more right now!

Be still and know that I – That I matter to You. That You matter to me! That You matter more than I can tell You, Lord! You are here….. here in the stillness!

Be still and know that I am – Here in Your presence is the fullness of I Am. You are  everything Lord! I need nothing, because You are absolutely everything!

(Then…. I heard my name)

“Cheri…. I Am the One who rescued you. I Am the One who walks each step of everyday with you. I Am the One who provides strength for you each day. I Am the One who calms your fears. I Am the One who made you just as you are and loves you just as you are. I Am the One who listens to your heart….and understands you! I Am Love! And my love for you is …….endless!

Be still and know that I am GOD!

God above all gods! Lord above all lords! There’s No One like You! Worthy! You are Worthy! Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ IS  Lord!

In this moment, I bow my heart before YOU, my Lord!

Here in the stillness….. I know….. YOU!

Holly & Katie! Great friends!

Smiles and laughter!

Sometimes tears and sadness,

Love covers.

Each one celebrated.

Teenagers and elementary students together.

No peer pressure

Playing Hide ‘n Seek

Backyard Hide/n Seek

Prayers for friends in crisis.

Answered prayers.

Worship to our Jesus who is Good!

Teenage leaders!

Disciples in the making.

Austin, Sara & Julia leading worship on Honor's Night

Friendship with fellow teachers.

Birthday’s celebrated.

Hugs and more hugs!

Brooke, Jared & Sara

Songs created.

Little dancing girls.

Spring classes outside.

Lessons learned.

Grace for the hard days.

Silliness and pranks.

Austin! LOL!

Fun!

Holly

Sum it all up and it = LOVE!

Dave & Beth

Pat & Theresa

Have you ever experienced a moment when you were in the midst of a rather routine happening, yet you realized it was more significant than it would appear to anyone standing outside and looking in? Let me explain…

Over the past couple years, my husband and I have been privileged to host several couples in our home over a handful of days. Each pastor and wife came with expectant hearts! As a group, we were acutely aware of our need for the Lord’s refreshing and healing. We gathered as friends to spend time with God and one another.

We talked, listened, prayed, wept and found healing together. Through our openness we discovered the uniqueness of each individual, and we grew in our appreciation of our differences, likenesses, weaknesses and strengths. As a result of this kind of vulnerability, we knew God had indelibly linked our hearts together!

Following one of these remarkable sessions, I found myself seated beside two dear women as we took  some time out to simply talk, laugh and copy recipes. Suddenly, their laughter became like background noise, and I felt as if I had stepped outside the moment and was watching it occur. In that instant a powerful awareness of my two friends’ love and acceptance of me, swept through my emotions and made a direct hit in my heart! It took my breath away as I fully realized what true and faithful friends these women were to me, and how honestly they loved me regardless of my weaknesses and shortcomings. In that moment we weren’t doing anything exciting or important. We were just being ….. friends. I felt safe. Understood. Accepted. Healed! It completely overwhelmed me! And changed me!

This incredible experience revealed to me a very simple truth regarding friends:

“…the sweetest friendships of all are the unlikeliest, for they are founded in something even more precious than delight. They are founded on nothing less than the complete and perfect acceptance of one by another.” (Larkrise to Candleford)

While it was amazing for me to know the love of my friends that day, it also left me with a very deep desire to exhibit love and acceptance to the friends God has brought and will bring into my life, in order that together we might experience…. the sweetest friendships!

This is the kind of friend I desire to be! How about you?

Selah

Dave & Karen

Randy & Mary

Kathy & Wendell

Not all these couples were with us during those days of meetings in our home. However, I consider them “some of the sweetest friendships!”

Almost every Sunday, the children in our church gather at the front and dance during our times of worship. Watching them, I envision Jesus’ pleasure at seeing them jump up and down. Sometimes they hold hands, or try to swing each other around, while the smaller ones who simply followed their older siblings up to the front, meander around and sit or fall on the floor.

Lately our little girls all seem to love wearing boots! I couldn’t resist trying to capture all their little feet as they danced together! These precious little girls (along with their boots) are made for worship!