The Arkansas Baptist Convention is meeting in my area this week and today there was a conference for pastor's wives. They asked my mom and I to come and speak as a seasoned ministry wive/child team.
It was the first time my mom has ever spoken to a group. She was so nervous but did great! She spoke and then I spoke. The funny thing was we really didn't compare notes and yet we both had kind of the same thing to say. And I didn't take a picture with my mom for some reason?
This is Sherrill. She's on the planning team and went to OBU several years after I did. We were rocking the denim vest and boots today!
I also got to see my childhood friend Aamie. I went about 30 years without seeing her and then God keeps putting us in the same places over the last year. So fun! She's an encouragement to me.
If you are wondering what I shared???? Are any of you in the ministry? Do you worry about your kids? I was hoping to encourage the wives today that preacher's kids CAN grow up and still LOVE the church and be passionate for Jesus. I talked about how my parents never put pressure on us because we were preacher's kids. They didn't expect us to act a certain way because people were watching us or church members expected certain things. They just expected us to behave and act certain ways because they were our parents - despite what my dad's occupation is. No different than what I will expect out of my kids as a lay person. The other key thing was that my parents were the same inside and outside the church. They just modeled Jesus to us. They didn't talk badly about the church in front of us. We just watched their actions - not just followed their words. And the BIGGEST gift they gave me was teaching me the gift of service. They have given their whole lives to serving others. We spent all of our time hanging out in hospital waiting rooms while they visited people or taking meals to people or staying late at church so my dad could counsel someone or ministering to grieving families. And I just find that second nature as an adult. I love to serve others and I do it because it was modeled to me. And I pray I'm modeling that for my children.
