just a taste of the Pastor's/Wives retreat in Door County...

When last have you taken time to dream? When last have you consciously allowed your thoughts to go places you won't normally venture? What if, today, you allowed yourself to go into every nook and cranny of your ideal self, your ideal life, your ideal world? What would that even look like? What would it feel like?

Today, let's move into those dreams that come into your consciousness and stir up your desire for a better self and a better world. Click here and... DREAM BIG!

It might be fun to take time to comment once working through some of this.


May your Dreams take you to the places of your truest self. May your Dreams give you insight into who you really are and what you can accomplish. May your Dreams remind you that you are powerful, necessary and unique. Remember, only you can bring the Beauty of your Authentic Life to this world. May you know Courage, Focus and Determination as you follow your Dreams.

cartoon of the week...

Pastors and their spouses face as much stress as any of the highest executives in America. Now, more than ever, those in ministry must find times of refreshment and renewal. Many may just need a short rest, while others may only need a time of encouragement and fellowship. Wherever you stand, we feel that everyone can benefit from this specially designed three-day two-night retreat.
Since much of the cost is being underwritten by Focus on the Family, the total cost for early registration per couple for two nights lodging, four meals and all conference materials is only $200. (Cost increases to $300 per couple within eight weeks of the retreat.)

Rev. H.B. London Jr., from Focus on the Family, and other Christian speakers and entertainers will be there as well. Between words of encouragement and peace, laughter and quality time alone, this is sure to be the rest you've been looking for. For more info. go to www.parsonage.org..

Up in Smoke by Tillie Marchaman

"Most senseless of all is the incredibly fast pace of living that robs everybody of everything but their unwanted fatigue." When I first read this sad statement describing the American lifestyle, it caused me to stop and take a good look at my life and what I was doing with my time. As a result, I made the commitment to simplify my life in any way I could, take a good look at my priorities, and to determine what was really important to me and to God.

Consequently, the daily-grind type of stress that Chuck Swindoll calls "the tyranny of the urgent," the kind that comes with overcommitment and living the hurried lifestyle, has eased considerably.

But there are other kinds of stress that come from living in a world where Jesus promised us that we would have suffering. He said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33b).

Because we live in an imperfect world, this kind of stress can "hit us from the blind side". We may feel shocked, hurt, or sad. We may even find ourselves questioning God.

Oswald Chambers said, "The things we try to avoid and fight against – Tribulation...Suffering...Persecution...are the very things that produce abundant Joy!"

to read complete article by Tillie Marchaman..go to ...Just Between Us

The Gospel according to Jelly Beans...

by S.A. Cooke If the number of jelly beans produced each Easter were lined up end-to-end, they would circle the earth almost three times. According to the National Confectioners’ Association, Easter is the second most popular candy eating occasion. Fifteen billion jellybeans, 2 million marshmallow chicks, and 60 million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced for this holiday. What do Easter eggs and jelly beans have to do with the holiest celebration of the year? To people who don't know Jesus, they are goodies left by the Easter Bunny for children to find. For Christians, they can be not only a sweet treat, but also an effective tool for celebrating and presenting the message of salvation. to read more, go to Christian Women Today.

What went wrong?

Have you followed the news story ... minister's wife shooting her husband? I first heard about it at work - lunch room commentary. I fortunately was not asked for my thoughts on this story, just took some interesting glances. Gene read this piece on Yahoo News and asked me if he was next. I finally sat down this afternoon to read the story and view the pics of the family. I still don't know which direction to head with thoughts, emotions. I have run through being judgemental, speculative, defensive, sad, mad, curious... the only thing that I know isn't right would be to make fun of this tragedy.

I read this article, Depression Hits Some Preachers' Wives and thought about how sad the truth is at times. I glanced at some of the commentary from readers and saw headings like "Where was Jesus"... "Why didn't Jesus help her?" ...and became even more conflicted.

It seems that the people in the church respected this family, they are planting flowers in memory of their pastor so he must have been a good guy. -Why did she rent a condo on the beach? -This is a church that is facing trouble. How will they represent Jesus to their small community. How will God show His glory? Will she find peace in jail? What of the kids?

One thing I know to do is pray. It also causes me to think that us being committed to one another, bearing burdens, celebrating victories, dreaming, working, praying...together, is a very good thing. MaryAnn commented to me today that somewhere in our name it should also be said that "we live dangerous lives" - how true that is - in many ways.

Any thoughts?