Pastoral ministry is more challenging than ever with unique, complicated burdens and expectations some have not experienced in previous generations. Because of this, the number of pastors who start with a great zeal for the work, quickly crash and burn and are left with a battered faith and family. This book seeks to identify those unique challenges, diagnose the problem, propose a biblical solution, and then guide the pastor and his family to embrace these challenges while shepherding the family through them.
Is being a pastor's kid an asset or a liability in someone's life? I have lived on both sides of this perspective. As a bitter teen, I loved God but hated the church; I was loving people but hating "church people." What I had seen had ruined me...or had it? Might it have been the difference between dysfunction and destiny? Let me take you through my entire journey as a 3rd generation pastor's kid and let you peek into both sides of this PK issue. Was it tragedy or triumph? You decide. Residing in Santa Maria, CA, Rob and Cindy Litzinger pastor Church for Life, a multi-generational, multi-ethnic gathering of incredible people. Having an open door in their home, they have had a mix of adopted, foster, and natural children--currently 5 girls and a boy. Life is good.
Everyone wants to be happy, and we all pursue happiness in different ways. Some people are thrill-seekers; others are homebodies. Some people are loners; others love big families or communities. Some people express things creatively; others consume what is created. Some sing; others listen to music. Whatever we find happiness in, we are united by our desire for work that matters and relationships that fulfil. As Christians, we often fall into the trap of basing our hopes on earthly things, even when we know they only make us happy for a short time. But how are we to experience happiness in this life? How do we avoid expecting too much of earthly things and being disappointed, or expecting too little and becoming cynics? In this book, recovering cynic Barnabas Piper helps us to throw off both the unrealistic expectations that end in disappointment and the guilty sense that Christians are not meant to have fun. He shows how having a clear view of the reality of the fall and the promise of redemption frees us to live a life that's grounded, hopeful and genuinely happy.
Being a good mom isn't about doing everything right to create a set of perfect trophy children--though every mom has felt the pressure to do just that and to do it all on her own. To ask for help feels like defeat. Yet when we try to do it all by our own strength, we end up depleted, lonely, and ineffective. Heather MacFadyen wants you to know that you are not meant to go it alone. Sharing her most vulnerable, hard mom moments, she shows how moms can be empowered by God, supported by others, and connected with their children. With encouragement and insight, she helps you foster the key relationships you need to be the mom you want to be. Whether you work or stay home, whether you have teenagers or babes in arms, you'll find here a compassionate friend who wants the best--not just for your kids but for you.
In this upbeat book Robbie Castleman shows parents how to guide their toddlers and teenagers to participate more fully in the worship of the church. This significantly revised and updated edition includes a new preface and new appendices with ideas for children's sermons and intergenerational community.
#1 New York Times bestseller with more than 11 million copies sold! When 4-year-old Colton Burpo emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven, his family doesn’t know what to believe. Heaven is For Real details what Colton saw and his family’s journey towards accepting their young son had visited the afterlife. “Do you remember the hospital, Colton?” Sonja said. “Yes, mommy, I remember,” he said. “That’s where the angels sang to me.” Colton told his parents he left his body during an emergency surgery–and proved that claim by describing exactly what his parents were doing in another part of the hospital during his operation. He talked of visiting heaven and described events that happened before he was born and how he spoke with family members he’d never met. Colton also astonished his parents with descriptions and obscure details about heaven that matched the Bible exactly, even though he had not yet learned to read. With disarming innocence and the plainspoken boldness of a child, Colton recounts his visit to heaven, describing: Meeting long-departed family members Jesus, the angels, how “really, really big” God is, and how much God loves us How Jesus called Todd, Colton’s father, to be a pastor The Battle of Armageddon Retold by his father, but using Colton’s uniquely simple words, Heaven Is for Real offers a glimpse of the world that awaits us, where as Colton says, “Nobody is old and nobody wears glasses.” Heaven Is for Real will forever change the way you think of eternity, offering the chance to see, and believe, like a child. Praise for Heaven is for Real: “A beautifully written glimpse into heaven that will encourage those who doubt and thrill those who believe.” —Ron Hall, coauthor of Same Kind of Different as Me
"Nothing in my life goes untouched by my husband’s calling." Christine Hoover’s words in the first chapter describe so well the life of a church planter’s wife, which is enormously difficult yet extraordinarily rewarding. To be married to a church planter is a calling of its own with a richness of its own. In The Church Planting Wife, Hoover explores and encourages the hearts of her readers while teaching what it means to have heart prepared for this unique ministry. She knows the challenges: A church planter's wife must develop a job description, be a wise helper to her husband, develop friendships within the church and community, deal with stress and discouragement, handle wounds, and more. Christine speaks candidly about these challenges while urging readers to grow a heart that wholly reflects Jesus. Spread throughout these pages are stories and interviews from church planting wives. Christine Hoover empathetically and pointedly builds from these testimonies to uplift the reader and offer lessons of hope in the midst of a challenging ministry.
Pastors’ kids have it hard, feeling the weight of undue expectations and the observing world around them. In Surviving the Fishbowl, Catherine J. Stewart assembles an experienced group of authors to give advice for those feeling the pressure of life lived in the scrutinized house of a minister. With contributions from pastors and their wives, as well as from former pastors’ kids, this book gives sage advice for those navigating difficult waters. Whether you are pastor’s kid struggling to understanding your identity, dealing with troubling social pressures, or just wishing you could escape it all, read this book and see that these trying days are survivable and even attended with blessings you may not have considered before. Table of Contents: Foreword by David Strain Part 1: Laying the Foundation 1. Identity Crisis: PK or Child of the King?—Jasmine Holmes 2. Expectations: Who Sets the Standard?—Megan Hill 3. Count Your Blessings: Enjoying the Benefits of Being a PK—Joel and Mary Beeke 4. Friendships: The Glorious Gift of Extended Family—Terry and Emily Johnson 5. Loving the Church: Pressing on Through Family Highs and Lows—Tom and Donna Ascol Part 2: Sharks in the Bowl 6. Criticism: The Godly Response—Mike and Mae Milton 7. Loneliness: Choice or Inevitability?—Amanda Martin 8. Cultural Change: Adapting to New Surroundings—Carl and Catriona Trueman 9. Depression: The Dark Night of the Soul—Neil and Catherine Stewart 10. Rebel PK: The One that Got Away (Almost)—Ike Reeder 11. Financial Crisis: High Calling with a High Price—Daniel Wakefield
Born into an evangelical church family, Ronna rebels, believing she can walk away, unscathed. Ronna is forced to examine her joyless existence and find the courage to stand on her own. In the process, she falls in love with her own life.
