Category: The Ministry

Larkly Bible Studies ~Facebook Giveaway~

I want to introduce you to a friend of mine, Ruth Ann Larkly, the writer of a great series of Bible studies that we will be giving away on Thursday, November 20th. She is a pastor’s wife in the state of Arizona and has been married for 9 years to her husband, Tim. They  have 4 beautiful platinum blond children.

IMG_20140929_125744_450

Ruth Ann and I at her home in Arizona

Ruth Ann and I had a small connection when my husband interned for her future husband, Tim, who was already pastoring before they were married. We met for the first time in September and she made me feel as if we have been long-time friends.

These Bible studies are a result of God working in her heart through many circumstances. The first book, was born out of a thesis written to obtain a Master’s Degree at her local college. Then, after she completed it she had it bound and sent to her mother and mother-in-law for a Mother’s Day gift. From there, God used that to be able to move her forward. She shared the Bible study with Grace Hardy, an older friend in the ministry, who encouraged her to self-publish her book. Her friend helped her to find proofreaders and the Lord began to work things out for everything to fall in place. She and her husband also tediously have edited and re-edited these books so that you can have quality ladies Bible studies that will benefit your life.

After the end of the first book, she felt as though the Lord closed that door of writing, but only temporarily until He began stirring a new set of ideas and thoughts in her heart. She has gone through the process of writing each book in much of the same way, when the Lord works in her heart she writes a new one and Lord willing, there will be more!

Ruth Ann is a woman of vision that believes there are more ladies out there that can write what the Lord has put on their hearts and who should put them into book form. She hopes that one day the Lord will help her be able to organize a writer’s conference for those who are called to write but are not sure how to go about getting their information into book form. Tim, her husband, has formatted her books and can offer great insight for getting a book self-published. “Not many books are written in our Christian circle unless someone has connections with a church that has a printing ministry,” she said. She hopes that can change for the sake of the Lord’s work.

family thanksgiving

The Larkly Family

In listening to her discuss the time when she received her first order of books and decided to send them to 80 women in her life. She sent out a group of books at a time with personal letters and then waited for their responses. When she finally heard from them, she was relieved that many women provided lots of positive feedback. Ruth Ann feared when people she knew in the past heard that she had become a Christian writer, that she would not be taken seriously. It concerned her that with some of the mistakes she had made in her past, that it would prevent people from understanding how she has grown in her walk with the Lord. But she has not allowed those fears to hold her back, but has decided to step out in faith each time she published a book.

Her first book is, Your Faith Affects Your Family, that covers Biblical women’s lives like Samson’s wife, Lot’s Wife, Miriam, and 9 more. The second is, Your Faith Affects Your Family Volume Two, includes 12 chapters and women like Hannah, Mary, and Jezebel. Her third book  is, Your Family’s Faith Affects Other Families. Each of these Bible studies are written specifically for women. They have very easy to read chapters, that have scripture, great explanations, and end the chapter with a section called “Our Personal Prayer,” and “Questions to Consider.” If you have ever read through a Regular Baptist Press ladies Bible study book, then these books have a very similar format that can be easy for personal or group use.

Here are some personal testimonies from ladies that have read her book(s):

  •  “Walking readers through the lives of timeless Bible characters supported by the references from the KJV Bible, this book draws our eyes to the Heavenly Father. The author does a good job of guiding readers through personal introspection, personal research and Bible study, and offers insightful application in a simple and easy-to-follow manner. This book has been a blessing to me personally, and I look forward to its encouraging influence on others, as well.”
  • “This is an amazing women’s devotional of the life of and role of women in the Bible and how they interacted or effected their family.  This is a great eye-opening devotional for women; it convicted me on what God has called us to be and how He wants us to glorify Him through the way we live our lives.”
  • “Ruth Ann’s unique biblical insights into women of the Bible will be a source of enlightenment and encouragement. As you read it, you will be challenged to examine your own heart to see how your faith affects your family. I am thrilled to recommend it.”
  • “This book was very specific on different women in the Bible and how their faith affected their different families in good ways and in bad ways as well.  I appreciated that Mrs. Larkly took the time to discuss the things that were wrong and the things that were right in these women’s lives.  Each account seemed  to have different lessons to take away from.”

The great thing I believe is not only the content of the books, but the cost. Each book is $8 and if you purchase the set of all 3 books, she will give you a bundled price of $20 (plus shipping). You can purchase her books by following this link and contacting her on her Facebook page.

Larkly Bible Studies Giveaway1Enter this great giveaway on the Ministry Mamas Facebook page here!!

Want to know more about the Larkly family? Follow Ruth Ann as she writes at her “Happy as a Larkly” blog.

 

The winner of Ruth Ann’s bundle of 3 books will be notified on Friday, November 21st.

Thank You for Being a Sweet Friend

Sweet Friend

 

In Girl Scouts as a child I often sang this song:

Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.

A circle is round it has no end, that’s how long I want to be your friend.

Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.

Today I want to take the time to give a special shout out to those who are my friends, both gold and old friends and new and silver friends. Or did I get that backwards? Don’t older people get silver hair so should it be old and silver friends? (Chuckle) Okay, I think my candy-corny sense of humor has gotten away from me.

To Old Friends:

As the season of thankfulness begins I wanted to say a special thank you to many of my ministry friends for being a sweet friend! I am closing down on the last quarter of my 2nd year of blogging and I will tell you that within these two years I have had the best most encouraging friends that have cheered me on to write about topics that help them but also what is on my heart.

To have encouraging friends is a precious thing to me! I do not take you for granted. I appreciate your kind ideas, tips on how to improve, the conversations that spark my ideas to help others in the struggles that we share in many of the common bonds of ministry. You help this blog be a blessing to others also.

Your spiritual encouragement to me is invaluable! God has worked through many of you through the years and God has allowed your words to spur me on to do the things I would not want to do. Other times they have lifted me up and comforted me in the most loving of ways. It is not always the conversations we have, because many times we are so far apart I cannot see you or talk to you regularly. There is a comfort in knowing you are there for me even when you are not close locally. You are great cheerleaders!

To New Friends:

Many of you out there are my new friends and I want to say thank you for reading, commenting on our Ministry Mamas Facebook page, and even asking me questions. You are the people God allows me to write for. I love ministering to you. Thank you that in the private moments that many of you contact me that you feel comfortable enough to see me as your sister-in-Christ and friend. It is helping you and people like you that gives me the motivation to keep this blog going.

I want to extend my hand of friendship and let you know that if you ever need a person to listen or pray with, that you are welcome to contact me. If you have questions about ministry or life then do not hesitate to ask. I may not know the answer but the Lord has provided me with the ability to contact other ministry ladies that might be able to answer just the question that you have and the ability to read and study His Word and may give me the ability to transfer something He has spoken to my heart about to help you too (because I need a lot of help!!).

I pray for all of my friends that as this season of the year proceeds, that God will give you a spirit of overwhelming gratitude toward Himself this year. There is so much to be thankful for! We have a precious life worth living because of Jesus Christ our Saviour!

Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. I Chronicles 16:8

Thank you Lord for loving and caring friends, both those I have met and those I have yet to meet. They are blessings of your love and a wonderful benefit to being a part of your family.

How God Taught Me to Take Time for My Kids ~Guest Post~

Ministry Mamas, I want to share with you a special testimony from a fellow ministry wife and mother named Mindy. She has served in the ministry for 15 years. She now serves beside her husband in the state of Kansas. She and her husband have two beautiful daughters, ages 7 and 10.  Not only is she a busy lady in ministry she suffers from a connective tissue disorder that causes her joints to dislocate and causes discomfort that effects her life daily.

She is busy homeschooling, taking her daughters to therapy (her oldest has Aspergers, and her youngest was blessed with her genes). She also is busy with chores, cleaning the  her home, driving to music lessons, swim therapy, grocery shopping, and helping her husband with secretary projects. All of those things do not include the cuties she has at church! Does any of this sound familiar to you?? I am sure that you can relate in your own way.

She recently had a day in which God showed her some very valuable things through talking with her daughters that I think will touch your heart.

Here is her testimony in her own words:

My oldest daughter was having a hard time focusing on school and had a headache. I sent her upstairs to lay down and came up about ten minutes later to see how she was. I found her sobbing. I asked what was wrong and she began to unload. She was overwhelmed by all that we do every day. She said that life was so hard and that she NEVER got to have fun because she was always “on the go.” She explained she never had time to just play with her toys. I know she is not a selfish girl and that these were real problems and that she seemed extremely overwhelmed.

My 7-year-old was listening and began to cry too. She said that she has a bully in her heart and that she was fighting to keep a right spirit and not be mean to her sister or have a bad attitude. Her exact words were, “Why is life SO hard!?”

Wow! Talk about feeling like a big fat failure! I listened and absorbed what they were saying and was careful not to discount their very raw emotions. My first thought was “they are totally trying to get out of school work.” Then, the Holy Spirit smote my heart and somehow I knew they were really struggling.

The Dilemma

I know I am busy but I never thought that I was over-serving or over-committed. I didn’t know what to say… So, I prayed. I asked God for an “I love you” from Him just for my girls. I don’t want them to grow up and hate the ministry or despise homeschooling.

I Love You’s From God

When my husband got home that day he brought them flowers!! He had NO idea that they had a rough day so it was totally mind-blowing to them. He also took them out to do some errands with him, but before he left he decided to check the mail. In the mailbox was a letter from a visitor to our church that visited a few weeks earlier. She said she was so touched by the sermon and illustration that my husband told about my girls’ answered prayers that she wanted them to have a gift card for them to go shopping. At that point both of our girls burst into tears and began to thank God for the “hug” from heaven.

It is truly amazing the lengths that God will go through to prove Himself to my children! I am thankful for a God that cares enough to reach down and “hug” my two beautiful girls.

6 Lessons from a Busy Ministry Mama

Lessons I Would Like to Share with You

1. Don’t underestimate the pressure your children are under, even when they don’t display signs of stress.  This situation for us came out of no where.
2. Make more time for down time! Sometimes the kitchen floor can wait. Do something fun! Someone once told me, “It is more important to read a book to your child than to have your bed made.”
3. Listen to your children and encourage them to talk to you. Reassure them that they will not get in trouble for telling you they don’t like something or are struggling. You will never know the extent of the trouble they face unless they trust you enough to speak to you about it.
4. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Ladies, we can only do so much. I am not a perfect mom. I am limited to what I can do with them physically but I need to keep them physically and socially healthy. Go easy on yourself. You are only one person and the _______ can probably wait until tomorrow.
5. Do not be so focused on life that you forget those you live with! Sometimes I can be so goal-oriented that I forget that those two duties are running behind me as fast as their little leggies can go. Stop and smile, hug them and hold on for more than 45 seconds (that is when the stress release hormone is released). Tell them you love them several times a day.
6. Pray with them and for them. Pray for God to increase their faith. Remind them that any good thing that they have come from Jesus. When you have a blessing share it with them. If you have a prayer request, share it with them and then when it is answered, tell them about it.

A Final Note from The Ministry Mama

As I read Mindy’s testimony for the first time before approaching her to publish it here on The Ministry Mama, I was touched and convicted. As I reread it for editing purposes, I am touched again and again. She is right when she says that we should not get so busy in life and ministry that we forget those we live with.  I pray that as you may see a bit of yourself and your children in this personal story, that you would be able to also grow from her helpfulness. Mindy breaks it down so simply in easy lessons that we can each carry out into our lives.

If God speaks to you about this, please pray and ask Him now to help you do something specifically from this article today to help keep the lines of communication open between you and your children.

Hugs to you all, you are not alone in feeling too busy, just take time to push “pause” when you need to, and I believe that you can still be one of the greatest influences in your children’s lives!