It’s the time of year for Christmas movies and my absolute favorite is A Charlie Brown Christmas. I still get chills during the speech that Linus gives when Charlie Brown asks if anyone knows what the true meaning of Christmas is. Linus responds by quoting from Luke 2 and telling Charlie Brown, “That’s what Christmas […]
From Our Kitchen to Yours: Soup Recipes You’ll Love
Winter Minestrone Soup Adapted from Melskitchencafe.com Serves 6-8 6 slices bacon, chopped, cooked till crispy 1 c chopped onions 1 ½ c diced carrots (about 3-4 carrots) 1 ½ c diced celery (about 5-6 stalks) 2 ½ c peeled, diced butternut squash (about 1-1 ½ pounds) 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a […]
Psalm 103
Today in church we sang Matt Redman’s 10,000 Reasons and I stood in the back of the sanctuary, as usual, with my toddler on my back in the carrier, correcting the other children in the pews around me, making eye contact and smiling at those who I missed greeting during the handshaking time; and all […]
Communication Is Our Specialty
Communication is our specialty – that’s what my husband, Paul, and I often say. It’s a bit of an inside joke for us dating all the way back to our first conversation ever when he asked me if I was in band (we met at college), and I thought he asked me if I was […]
Six JOY-filled Tips for Pastor’s Wives living on a shoe-string budget
This post is brought to you by, Denna Busenitz and Amber Fox (Denna Busenitz) My husband and I began support raising back in 2001 as we shared with others the Lord’s call to serve as church-planters in rural Nebraska, first under the invaluable mentorship of Pastor Mark and Cindy Danielson, then onto new locations as […]
Choosing Joy
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” (James 1:2 NIV) I fell asleep to the gentle sound of raindrops tapping out a tune on the tent roof. I woke up at two o’clock in the morning with an inch of water pooling on the floor. The […]
Financial Freedom
We began looking for a community outreach for our church to participate in. One that would check off a lot of boxes. We were looking for something that would reach out to parents of the community children that attended our AWANA program during the school year. Something that would attract and interest the parents of […]
Make Me A Blessing
The alarm went off this morning and I struggled to open my eyes. I could see the start of a beautiful sunrise, but it was still too dark. My mind argued with the alarm knowing that it was too dark to get out of bed and begin the day. It’s that time of year again. […]
I am Not Alone: Finding Balance in the Depths of Depression Part 4 of 4
There are no easy answers when it comes to combating depression, but I have discovered there are a few things that help me cope. First, I need to share my struggle with my husband. I know that sometimes we can hold back from our pastor-husbands because we don’t want to add to their burdens, but […]
Focusing on Joy
“For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.” (Psalm 92:4 NIV) During our Vacation Bible School training, we talked about the importance of being attentive. The trainer asked us to watch a video of two jugglers and count the number of times they […]
