Together we search for meaning in our personal lives. Together we nurture husbands, raise children whose halos are perpetually off-center, move from place to place, and try to keep our reputations translucently pure. Together, the wives of ministers and the wives of all other men struggle for the faith that will keep them on God's life-fulfilling path.
The stereotypes are pervasive. Everyone has expectations of the woman married to a spiritual leader; the congregation, the minister, society, families, and the woman herself. Greenbacker, a journalist, and Taylor, a pastoral counselor, present the stories of the wives. Based on a survey and personal interviews, the stories tell of congregations, housing, children, salaries, moving, interfaith marriages, leaving the ministry, and infidelity. Readers' ideas about clergy spouses and the personal lives of clergy families will be confronted and transformed.
For the wives of pastors and pastors themselves. This book includes testimonials from eight notable church leaders, including Rick Warren, John Maxwell and Jack Hayford. Full of encouragement, affirmation and appreciation, this book will play an important part in strengthening and energizing both marriages and ministries.
I had been looking for a book that would be honest and helpful. Virgina did it all. She not only told you "what you should do", but she also shares her own personal experiences - the good ones and the bad ones.
Lorna Dobson knows firsthand the struggles and joys of being married to a pastor—and the questions, not the least of which is, “What is a ‘pastor's wife,’ anyway?” As her poll of hundreds of women reveals, the wife of a minister is rarely the piano-playing, committee-leading stereotype.
With humor, disarming genuineness, personal stories, and wisdom rooted in Scripture, Dobson cuts through the labels. “How I live has little to do with whether my husband is a pastor; rather, my life reflects my growth, or lack of it, as a Christian.” In this revised edition of I’m More Than the Pastor’s Wife, she includes new perspectives as a grandparent, soon-to-be empty-nester, and speaker. Here are frontline insights on
·Making friends and cultivating personal support outside the church
·Learning to handle expectations and pressures
·Balancing time and using your gifts
·Supporting your husband and growing closer to him
·Prioritizing prayer for your husband, family, and church
·Knowing your capabilities and limits
·Dealing with “problem people” and church conflicts . . . and much more!
This book contains fourteen specific questions from pastors' wives, answered by the author, a licensed psychologist.
From the Back Cover
Dr. Diane Langberg, a licensed psychologist, offers sympathetic and realistic answers to fourteen questions from pastors' wives, questions that are often asked. In answering the questions Dr. Langberg addresses not only the particular women who asked them, but also those who are looking in over the shoulders of these women. Some of the answers are simpler than others. All of the answers require acts of faith, renewed patience, and wisdom that must come from God. With these divine resources come healing and possible solutions.
As the wife of a man involved in ministry, you sometimes may feel trapped by unrealistic expectations and overburdened by obligations. The constant demands on his time and yours–as well as the feeling that your life is always on display–can lead to discouragement and frustration.
But ministry life isn’t about enduring challenges, says author Gayle Haggard. It’s about embracing joy. After more than twenty years of working alongside husband Ted Haggard, she believes that women supporting their husbands in ministry truly can be free, happy, and fulfilled as they recognize the value of their unique vocation.
In this uplifting book, Gayle leads wives of pastors and other ministry leaders to find strength in their dependence upon the Holy Spirit and to pursue intimacy in their relationship with God. Her insights, drawn from personal experience, will inspire and equip you to view your day-to-day responsibilities from a fresh, positive perspective.
It was amazing how this book paralleled my life over the last month. I began reading it and was taken in by Nancy's honesty and humor. I related to so much of what she was saying.
As I continued along, the issues we were facing at the church began to surface in the book. She discussed "dragons" in the church, those people who seem bent on causing trouble somewhere, anywhere, over anything.
After things blew up here, I lay the book down for a bit. When I picked it back up, I was on the chapters written to those dealing with serious complications in their ministerial life. WOW! It was like she called me up on the phone and said, "Heather, I know what you are facing, and God will see you through it."
