You know who you are.  You carry the weight of ministry with your husband. You encourage him when ministry overwhelms him.  You see the Saturday night agonies and the Sunday night exhaustion. You lead teams, teach classes, arrange events, coordinate details, or play music. You visit the sick, help counsel engaged couples, or celebrate new life with a baby shower.  You might help renovate your house (the one your tight budget could handle) with a baby on your hip.  You may work full or part time outside the home (meaning someone pays you) to help keep the family afloat. You dream after God’s heart with your husband, or help him cast a vision for what God’s group of beautiful, broken people—the church—should look like in your city or town.

You have the privilege of seeing God work: that long-prayed-for conversion. The stunning provision of a place to meet.  The teenager who decides that this God is real. The addict who finally enters rehab. The estranged couple who agrees to give their marriage another chance.  The skeptic who becomes a seeker, and the seeker who becomes a brother or sister in Christ. You have a front-row seat to kingdom work—the good, the bad, the ugly, and the downright miraculous.

Why do you do all this? Not to earn brownie points with God. Not so He will “owe” you and answer “yes” to all your prayers. You do it—imperfectly, we know, and with tainted motives at times—because you love Jesus Christ. You are known and loved by him. And you want others to know and love Him, too.

Enjoy a Gospel Valentine from our Parakaleo crew to you

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth…

Our hearts pump with enthusiastic joy as we celebrate you – your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints.

Maria Garriott

While walking through the park yesterday, a bush filled with singing birds captured my attention.  I stopped, mesmerized. Upon returning home I pulled out my pencils and art paper, researched feathered-friends on the internet and proceeded to think about rare fowl pencil drawings while ignoring the many emails piling up on my computer.  Before plunging into my drawing project, the crisp winter day called for a cup of tea.

This morning I found the cold tea untouched on the coffee table along with the drawing pencils. In another corner of our small apartment a stack of Christmas Cards is waiting to be sent. My plan was to go to the Corner Café yesterday, address them and send as New Year’s cards, but seeing the sunny day I thought I’d walk through the park first. As you already know, the birds took it from there. Continue reading →

“The Broken Body” is a snapshot of one Sunday in my life as an urban pastor’s wife, feeling the brokenness of this world that Jesus died to save.

I

Sunday, 11:00 a.m.

Sam was home from Arabia

where his wife must stay shrouded

where two volunteer American nurses

were found with their throats slit like goats

where his friends were kidnapped

and their small blonde daughters

were found a year later speaking only Arabic,

their parents and infant brother presumed dead.

Where his friend Amin was arrested

and the police told his father, Your son had a Bible

and the old man said,

Then I have no son.

I saw Sam’s unsteady gait, quick tears,

his pores seeping sweat and pain,

heard him say, We are not doing well. 

Continue reading →

Your Story Through the Lens of God’s Story

When you look at your life, what do you see? How do you make sense of the world around you? Of the thoughts inside you? How is your story unique? How is your story similar to all other stories in the world? How did it all start? What went wrong? How is it going to get fixed? How will it end? Continue reading →

Yes, we are a few weeks away from 2012. Christmas is around the corner and you may ask; ‘So what? How does this season of the year affects my season of life?’

I am currently experiencing a very difficult season as my mother-in-law – Deise, who lives in Brazil, is rapidly loosing cognitive abilities and is confused and in distress. She has served the Lord intensely for over 60 years and was always known for her words of wisdom and knowledge of the Lord. Deise was the person to look for if you were confused and in distress. She has been for many years like a second mother to me and I feel like she has already left, but not…

Continue reading →