The other day I was getting ready in our bathroom and I “felt” the Lord speak to me…
I have always been a person who wanted to do things ‘by myself.’ My family always kidded me, “Oh don’t try to help Kristi open that jar. She wants to do it by herself!” It’s true. I wanted to open the jar, the can, the whatever, by myself. I guess, in this way, I wanted to be independent. I wanted to feel the accomplishment. I wanted to be proud of what I could do alone. I’ve always looked as this personality trait as a plus, something I was kinda proud of, something that meant I would always give everything to try my best. I still think it can be a positive trait; however, as I felt God speak to me the other day, I started to think of it in a different way…
I have a daughter who is the same as I was (am) in this. Sidney wants to do everything ‘by herself.’ She wants to be independent when she wants to be independent, if you know what I mean. I’ve told her many times over the years that she’s just like me. Lately, though, I have seen Sidney not wanting to ask for help, even from the Lord. She seems to think she doesn’t need to ask for help.
Maybe I was thinking about this the other day or maybe God just needed to tell me while I was in one place doing one thing, brushing my teeth. He impressed on my heart that even though I’d always wanted to do things myself, He never created us to be alone. He created us to be in community, to need others…most importantly, to need Him.
WOW! I had never thought of my need to do things ‘by myself’ as a form of pride…until then. I had never thought of my need to not ask for help as something that was keeping me from allowing others the privilege of helping someone…until then. Until then, I had prided myself in the fact that I had always wanted to do things, sometimes over and over again, with no one’s help, mind you! God spoke, though. He told me it’s okay for me, and Sidney, and you, to want to try to do things on our own. It’s okay to even try to do them over and over again, as long as we know that we know that we know we need others, most importantly, our Lord and Savior, to help when we struggle.
We were not made to be alone. In Genesis 2, God even said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Rest. What a seemingly simple word. It is only four letters. But, oh, the implications it can have on a life that actually does it!
My husband, Russell, will often say to me, “Sit down…rest.” There’s that word again. It’s sometimes, (I’m being a little too easy on myself), it’s often difficult for me to sit down and rest. We homeschool our children, Will and Sidney, and this year is the first of many years to come of a lot more to do. Will is in eighth grade and Sidney is in third grade. Their workloads are only increasing from here. So, as I write this, I am looking back on yesterday – a Saturday that we were actually home and not out on the road doing ministry. I had a terrible day because I couldn’t seem to rest. There’s that word again!
Saturdays, in my mind, were meant for catching up on the things you couldn’t get done during the week. Well, because I homeschool, I had laundry, tons of emails to go through and send, and just the normal cleaning. What I needed more than anything, though, was to rest. There’s that…you get the picture.
Jesus had a few things to say about resting. He tells us to come to Him, all who are weary and burdened and He will give us rest. He says our souls will find rest. He told His apostles to come away to a quiet and desolate place and rest a while because there were so many people needing them that they hadn’t even had a chance to eat! We are to “be still and know that He is God.” We are to rest.
I have to realize…it’s okay to rest. Our bodies are designed to rest. We can’t function properly without it. Sometimes we just need a day, or even a few hours, doing things that instill joy into our lives: playing games with our kids, watching a movie, or just napping or taking a long bath. Maybe you haven’t just sat quietly and waited for the Lord to speak. Tell yourself, “It’s okay to rest!” Say it with me, “It’s okay to rest!” One more time, “It’s okay to rest!”
Now, I wonder if your family will notice? I think they will. I think mine will. When we’re rested, we can hear The Holy Spirit’s voice louder, easier. We can feel the joy that He intended for us. I think our Heavenly Father will smile as we take time rest.
Now, can you count how many times I used the word REST? Oh stop it…go rest!!
A Look At 2012 and Beyond!
We are very excited about what God has been up to! We have had a busy year in 2012, one that has been very memorable for us as a couple in ministry together and as a family. Some highlights of the year…
In February…
We had the opportunity to go to South Korea to an international school, enabling us to minister to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders for an entire week. We had some super, one-on-one moments with students from all over the world.
In March…
We held our second Adore Marriage Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC, with couples from five different states in attendance. The conference tripled from our first year in 2011. We have had many wonderful comments about this weekend and are excited to see how God grows this weekend getaway for married couples.
In June…
We traveled to New Orleans, LA to the Southern Baptist Convention. We had an opportunity to lead worship for a worship service on Sunday morning and reconnect with fellow ministers while we were there. Our son, Will, wasn’t with us this time. He got a chance to go to France and Spain with his grandparents so he chose that instead!
This year…
We decided to completely homeschool
Will and Sidney. We have been very pleased with this decision and keep reminding them
both how blessed we all are to
be able to travel together.
In October…
We held our very first Adore Marriage Cruise to the Bahamas! We had 22 couples in attendance from seven different states. We had a super time and are looking forward to next year!
This Christmas…
We kicked off our first ever Christmas Concert Tour, making stops in South Carolina and Tennessee. One of the best parts was that Will and Sidney were a part of it! We all enjoyed ministering together as a family.
Looking Ahead…
2013 starts our 15th year of ministry together. Many of you may not know that in 2010 we started Adore Marriage. We noticed that so many marriages around us, from 2 years to 30+ years, were ending in divorce.
Was there something we
could do to help?
God began to give us a vision for a ministry that focused on creating memorable getaways for couples at economical prices. We have already had couples from 9 different states impacted by an Adore Marriage getaway! One of our goals is to pack as much value as we can into these experiences so that marriages can be strengthened and encouraged. These events include…
– Great Biblical teaching
– Worship
– Space for couples to relax, reconnect and renew
In our world today, there seems to be an all-out assault on both marriage and family. We are committed to helping couples and families fight back. By offering experiences, resources, and time away from the normal routine, we believe that couples will be more able to hear God speak and that lives, marriages, and families will be transformed.
We know that God values marriage – He created it!
The area of finances is one of the biggest issues married couples face today. We never want the cost of an Adore Ministries event to be yet another financial burden. In order to continue to see this ministry help marriages and families,
Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us?
Your gifts to Adore Ministries will help us provide the following:
– Low-cost, high-impact getaways for couples
– Scholarships for couples who would like to come but might not be able to afford it
– Resources, like emails and devotionals
– Help finding Christian counselors when needed
– Low-cost, high-impact family events
Where there are strong marriages,
there are strong families…
Where there are strong families,
there are strong churches!
We ask for your prayers as we continue to plan and equip marriages and families. There are several ways to partner with us…
-Prayer Support
-One-Time Gift
-Monthly Gift
-Weekly Gift
-Bi-Weekly Gift
Please visit our website, www.adoreministries.org and click on the donations link to find out
how you can help strengthen and encourage marriages and families across the globe with God’s love and wisdom.
We pray for God’s blessings in your life in 2013!!! Thank you for your encouragement and support as we continue to share the hope of Jesus Christ!
God has allowed us to see his great works in marriage enrichment throughout our years and it is certainly a passion for Russell and myself. We have all too often seen people we love and care deeply about devastated by divorce and by major problems in their marriages. And like all other couples, we struggle from time to time in our marriage, as well. So, after several years of talking back and forth about marriage events, we decided to bring one to our home town – I mean, where better since we live in a resort town, right?
So, we are pleased to present the Adore Marriage conference in Myrtle Beach on March 4th through the 6th. The conference will be at the Hampton Inn and Suites Oceanfront, located at 18th Avenue on Ocean Boulevard. We are very happy that Eddie and Janet Thompson have agreed to come and lead the teaching portion of the weekend. Eddie and Janet are amazing people who we met through retreats where we led worship at Fort Caswell in North Carolina. These two share an amazing passion for marriage and work full time for the North Carolina Baptist Association leading marriage retreats to bring couples closer to Christ and to each other.
We would certainly invite you to come for this wonderful weekend of marriage enrichment. For more information, see the event website at www.adoremarriage.com or call the Adore Marriage information line at (843) 560-9449. The cost for the conference is $149 through February 4 and we have discounted room rates through the same date.
