(An addendum to one of the stories in last week’s post:)
“John just called,” Steve informed me. “He and his wife Peg will be in town on business this weekend, and want to visit the church on Sunday. What would you think of inviting them for dinner afterwards?”
‘Let me check with Mom—‘see if she can help,” I responded. “It would be nice to get acquainted with them ahead of our move.”
John served as chairman of the staff-parish relations committee for the new church Steve had been appointed to. In seven weeks we’d be moving from west coast to east coast in Florida, as determined a couple of months previously by those in charge.
The visit in late April was arranged and dinner planned. My dear mother helped with preparations, since we were already stretched quite thin with Steve’s church responsibilities, mine as an elementary teacher, our three kids, and packing already underway.
As some of you know, we lived in parsonages during Steve’s ministry. Until 2010 or so, these clergy-homes were also supposed to be furnished.
At the time of this move we lived in a lovely middle-class home that fit the current guidelines for parsonages.
This house (over 2000 square feet), included four bedrooms, and even a study. It leant itself well to holding meetings in the living room while the children could be in a separate family room.
Three years previously the church had purchased the house and some new furniture. This is the home that John and Peg saw, as we enjoyed getting acquainted with them.
John would tell us later he was struck by the contrast between our current home and the one we’d be moving into—with approximately 1200 square feet of living space and long-outdated furniture.
Storage would be another problem, given the insufficient kitchen cabinets, small closets, the detached garage (where bugs and critters could create havoc), no attic, and of course no basement in Florida.
John knew the time had come to provide their pastor a home similar to what other professionals with three-year advanced degrees own, that met the scripture-directive of “double honor for those preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17).
But John had to wait for the committee to meet and funding to be appropriated.
Soon after John’s and Peg’s visit, Steve and I traveled across-state to tour their church and parsonage. That’s when we realized some of the challenges to come—in the deficient housing provided and in the church situation.
On the way home, we heard Jeremiah 29:11 quoted on the radio:
Days later, a devotional suggested repeating “all the promises from God’s Word you can remember.” I determined to write in my journal as many as I could find that fit our circumstances. including:
I knew God would enable the five of us to thrive in the small house, or he’d provide another home. But I struggled with “what-ifs.”
Meanwhile, John rallied the staff-parish committee; they voted “yes” for a new parsonage. A week later, the administrative board passed a resolution to purchase a four-bedroom house and allocate funds for some new furniture.
Still to come: a church-wide vote, with the district superintendent presiding.
Of course, a few hiccups occurred. After one disappointment, I wrote: “We still have our promises from our never-failing God. . . I put my trust in You, Lord, by an act of my will, not by what I see happening!
“You know our needs, you know what’s best for this church. Guide us into Your plan in Your timing, and give us wisdom and grace to accept whatever You have for us. We do want what you want!”
And I copied more scripture-promises.
In mid-June, the move into the small house went smoothly.
A week later the church-wide conference voted by a wide margin to relocate their parsonage.
Mid-July our daughter and I flew to Austin, Texas to meet my newborn nephew. Steve called one evening to say a suitable house had been found, similar to our previous home but a bit smaller at 1800 square feet. The kids would love the pool.
I trusted Steve’s appraisal, and agreed the church should make an offer.
As our children started school, we were settling into our new home—just two blocks down the street.
Image credits: http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.canva.com (3).
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Oh Nancy, I’m so glad you ended up with a pool! I imagine the kids had a lot of fun in that pool!
They sure did! It was an extra-special gift from God after a difficult transition.
God gave you a bonus that you probably didn’t even think to ask for. The biggest gift was knowing that he would take care of your needs, if not your wants, as you and your husband sought to trust him. And just think about the family that received that parsonage next!
The pool was a big surprise, Linda! In fact, three out of the six churches we served owned parsonages with pools. (As you know, they’re quite prevalent in Florida.) As for the next parsonage family (13 years later), a church member offered to pay for needed renovations, including the 30+ year-old bathrooms and kitchen. She didn’t know that we’d already received a new appointment elsewhere. (The announcement to the church hadn’t been made yet.) They waited until we left to start the process, and rented a house for them that summer while the work was being done. So, yes, I trust the next family was finally able to take up residence in a fine parsonage!
What a bonus that pool must have been for your kids, Nancy! I love how God will provide for us when we trust His will and His way. And I believe the Lord loves happy endings. After all, He created them. Blessings!
We both know God cannot provide happy endings all the time or this would be heaven. He’s saving that for later! However, if the small house had been God’s choice for us, I believe the story would’ve had a happy ending anyway–just different (Romans 8:28). Perhaps the kids would have spent more time together during those years, because of the close quarters! We surely would have been presented lessons in perseverance, resilience, negotiation (with one another), and adaptability. Much to be said for those opportunities too.
That’s actually what I was thinking, Nancy. Heaven is His final happy ending. And yes, when we can take all opportunities to grow in faith through hardships and inconvenience, the better all will be in the end.
Amen, my friend!
Nancy, I so enjoyed hearing “the rest of the story”. What a truly amazing God we serve, and I so appreciate your faithfulness in trusting Him rather than the circumstances you saw around you.
Please understand, I did struggle, Dianna. My trust was not iron-clad strong. But I tried to remember that God would bring us through one way or another. He always does, until he’s ready to take us home!
Oh, I understand that completely. 🙂 I’m going through something right now that is requiring me to stand on His promises and not pay attention to everything that is trying to distract and discourage me. I think that’s why I appreciated your example so much. xx
Praise God for his timing, Dianna, and may God calm your heart as you wait for his plan to unfold!
Uprooting to a different state and downsizing to a much smaller home must have been a nightmare move. Praise the Lord for your strong faith that kept you from losing heart. I enjoy reading about your experiences as a Pastor’s wife. God bless you! 🙂
Thank you, Nancy. Looking back, I wish my faith had been stronger, that the “what-ifs” hadn’t bothered me at all. But my spirit did benefit from reviewing the promises and affirming what I knew about God’s power to work out everything for good (Romans 8:28). The most difficult aspect of that move was lack of storage. We had numerous boxes stacked up in the dining area because there was no place to put Christmas decorations, suitcases, out-of-season clothing, books, etc. We would have had to rent a storage unit if that was where we had to stay!
Oh my! I’m so glad another personage was bought and it worked out for your family. 😁🏡
Thank you, Nancy!
An interesting story, Nancy. That would be a challenging way to live!
I tried to see each move as an adventure, Dwight. But you’re right–we definitely faced challenges. And God saw us through each one, teaching us valuable lessons while growing our faith and maturity along the way.
The Lord has blessed you with such a beautiful spirit. Downsizing to such a degree with three children to boot with such humility and strength. Praise the Lord. God bless you.
Thank you, Brenda. I don’t know about a beautiful spirit, humility, or strength. I can see the dust and cobwebs in the corners where you can’t! But my desire IS to reflect the beauty of our God, in spite of my shortfalls. I know that’s your heart’s desire also, my friend.
So happy that things turned out so well for you. God had a plan. We are currently without a pastor at the church I attend. We had a vacancy pastor for two and a half years, but he recently accepted a call in Wisconsin. It must very hard on pastors, their wives and families to change their lives so drastically. We continue to pray for our church. There is a decline in membership and a lack of ministers to serve. Right now we are looking into merging with a nearby congregation. May God bless you as you take this next step in your ministry.
These events happened several decades ago, Kathy. We’re now retired. I didn’t make that as clear as I should have in the post! Since God is not bound by time, I can say he did indeed answer your prayer. God blessed us RICHLY during Steve’s years as a pastor–in spite of the challenges. Now it’s my turn to pray for you and your congregation as you seek wisdom for a possible merger and a pastor to lead you all forward.
I’m sorry I misinterpreted your timeline. I hope you are enjoying your retirement. I really love reading your words. Lots of wisdom and power in them. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Aw-w-w–thank you for your sweet encouragement, Kathy! As always, I have to praise God for his inspiration!
Nancy, your story reminds me to stay trusting and leaning on God even when I struggle with what ifs and how is this going to work out. Very encouraging to me. God has me talking to me about contentment. Not that I should not Hope or strive for more but also to be content with what he gives in this or my next season.
Amen, Manu. You’ve brought to mind two old hymns: “Trust and Obey,” and “Leaning on Jesus.” God has proven himself over and over again as a good and gracious God, an empowering God, and One who ALWAYS sees us through. And yet! Those pesky doubts still creep in, don’t they. I think you’re on the right track, focusing on contentment. We have so much to be grateful for–that’s what we need to zero in on (Philippians 4:8)–especially God’s attributes and his work in our lives. May we persevere, my friend, toward wholehearted trust no matter what!
We are so accustomed to monitoring every little thing regarding the progress (or seeming lack thereof) related to our concerns that we get anxious and become distracted from putting the solution completely in God’s hands. We tend to grab it back and worry. We are only human, and God knows it. That is why there are so many references in His Word to abandon our fears and trust in Him alone to work things out for His best for us. Wonderful addendum to last week’s blog.
So true, Cheri! In the case of the circumstance described in this post my drift toward the “what-ifs” led me into self-centeredness, not wanting to deal with the potential problems of our pending future. Instead, I needed an attitude of, “I wonder how God will take care of THIS situation?!” and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Yes indeed, to trust in Him alone to work things out for His best, as you’ve said, is the only way to deep shalom!
I love your comment about ignoring the “what-ifs” while waiting in wonderment and great expectations HOW He is going to handle things! He only wants to do the best thing for you; for only He knows the whole picture! He also wants us to learn patience as we wait.
Amen, my friend! You may remind me of “wonderment and great expectations” the next time uncertainty looms in our lives!
Rejoicing with you in the new provision. Is this a current situation or a reflection on the past?
I’m sorry the time of these events wasn’t clear. It happened several decades ago–Steve and I are now retired. Thank you for rejoicing with us, Lisa! God’s provision of that house is still a delightful memory, even after all these years!
God’s very personal interest in our needs and his provisions are so encouraging. Thank you for sharing this, Nancy, and thank you and your husband for your obedience to God’s call and direction in your lives. Your experience continues to teach and bless us all.
Thank you, Patty. It was a privilege to serve in six churches during Steve’s ministry, to watch God work through him and others, leading struggling churches (financially, relationally, directionally, and/or with declining attendance) back to spiritual vitality!
Nancy,
This is faith in action. Move ahead but feel out for changes people can make. That seemed to have some good pull and push to it.
In Christ, Gary
Gary Avants Forbear Productions * *garyavants66@gmail.com garyavants66@gmail.com
An astute observation, Gary. The story of Naomi and Ruth seems a good biblical example of pull and push as events unfold. Naomi was proactive; God blessed each step of the process to bring Ruth and Boaz together. And a former-Gentile woman became part of the lineage of Christ!
Yes. Thank you.
Gary Avants Forbear Productions * *garyavants66@gmail.com garyavants66@gmail.com
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Thank you, Eileen!
Oh Nancy!! What a great uplifting story to read! The goodness of our Abba! Thank you for sharing this. 🙂 Are you and your husband still in ministry, or have you retired? (Not that any Christian, ever really retires from ministry. 🙂 ) Thank you again for this story. Blessings to you!! 🙂
I’m so glad this story brought you uplift, Katie. Indeed, God has been INCREDIBLY good to us over the decades. We ARE retired now, after Steve served six churches over 40 years of ministry. / Thank you for your blessing–I DO feel blessed, every day.
Your faith and faithfulness to trust that the Lord would take care of you no matter what is what stands out here. A beautiful picture of trusting what you can’t see because you know God understands our needs better than we do. You waited on the Lord, and He provided. What a wonderful story of grace in action.
Please know, Dayle, I was not a pillar of faith during that waiting time! As I told Cheri above, even as I affirmed what I knew to be true and copied numerous promises in my journal, the ongoing drift toward “what-ifs” led me into self-centeredness sometimes, not wanting to deal with the potential problems of our pending future. Instead, I needed an attitude of, “I wonder how God will take care of THIS situation?!” and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Praise God, he did provide that larger house where we could live more comfortably, with fewer stressors!
Yes, but you stayed the course, Nancy. I think it’s human to question God because we don’t know what He knows. But you saw Him provide in very specific ways. I still say you showed grace in action.
Thank you for your gracious assessment, Dayle!
I loved reading this post! Your faith allowed you to stay positive in the midst of uncertainty. God loves to surprise His children with gifts they do not expect, and He times those gifts so perfectly!
Thank you, Linda. To be honest, I wasn’t as positive as I wish I’d been! But focusing on God’s promises kept me from despair. Praise God for his happy surprises–of which we’ve enjoyed PLENTY!
Nancy, thank you for sharing this journey for your husband, as well as you and the children. I appreciate reading samples of Scripture which filled your journal. Indeed, faith builds trust.
You’re welcome, Richard. Steps of faith DO build trust, just as you’ve said!
wow I sure can identify with this story. Moving is hard especially when so much is out of our control. We both had to learn to trust God knowing things would work out in His will. Good story, Nancy!
I remember your story, Jean–you included it in your book, Sacred Surroundings. Moving can be stressful, even if you’re excited about the change and have movers to do much of the work. But you are so right: when so much is out of our control, it becomes even more challenging. You and I surely did learn some important lessons about trust, and I for one am thankful. I know you are too!