A Special Sunday, contending for JOY!

This Pastors Wife couldn't have been more thrilled yesterday during our baptism service. We has 11 people baptized at a local pool yesterday!  And it truly made my day!  I was having a rough day skin wise and some other personal issues, but nothing brings greater joy than seeing the work of God being done in another's life.  As I stood on the poolside taking photo's I was reminded of our first baptism there 5 years ago.  With just 2 or 3 people getting baptized and a handful of people in the audience. Who knew those small beginnings would ever lead to this!?  I am happy to say one of the first girls we ever baptized is still serving God to this day in another one of our fellowhsip churches(miss you Kiki)

Being a pastors wife has had it's shares of challenges.  Many of which i haven't shared openly on this blog...maybe one day will.  Yesterday morning as I got ready for church I was in tears.  Things just were falling apart (or so it seemed) in my life and I just felt at my wits end!  IN these precious moments we have two options. We can be defeated or we can have the victory.  Everything in me wanted to crawl back in to bed and weep the rest of the day...but I determined I was NOT going down like that! NOT TODAY!

I solved one of my issues for the morning by putting on a hat.  YES I was having a bad hair day...life threatening stuff for the pw!  Let's just say it was the needle on the hay stack.  My husband came back to pick me up because, as  I was mid crisis when it was time to leave(thank GOd we live minutes from church)
As I drove to church I began to prep talk myself in my mind!  I WILL have the VICTORY.  I CAN make it THROUGH.  I sat down to pray and then service started.  I entered the most powerful worship I have experienced in about 5 weeks.  I remember specifically because last time i had powerful worship was a midst crisis too( seeing a pattern here)

It felt so good to worship  my precious Savior.  I closed my eyes, even at times lifted my hands wilst playing piano and sang harder than I have in a long time.  God is worthy of praise despite our crappy life situations.  I was filled immediately with TRUE JOY!  The kind of joy the bible talks about. The kind of joy Paul had when he said "he has learned to be content in whatever state".  Thou he slay me yet will I praise him.  And it felt SOOOOO good!


The day continued and the baptism finished and the devil decided to throw another fiery dart to ruin all the good done that day!  I learned our  battle is not ever over!  We have to fight through! Joy is a continual thing we have to contend for! And that's our only hope for getting through the tough times!

On the outside some may look at my life and think it looks like a dream.  Beautiful kids, family, flourishing ministry, nice home, car...you name it.  But there is another side...a harder side....inner turmoils and attacks  I have to face that no body knows about. And while I am blessed...some of it has come at a cost...a price tag.
So I ask you to keep me in prayer and all the pastors wives you know personally!  Their lives aren't as glamorous as they may seem when they're rocking their Sundays bests!  We need, covet and solicit your prayers.  And often times it's our precious church and the wonderful work that Gods doing in the lives of individuals that keeps us going and gives us the greatest joy of all!


Well that post was quite all over the place...
Here are some photo's from our special sunday baptism!

The place was packed...some people outside 

What a supportive bunch!!

Brother Testifies after baptism!

YAY you did it!!