Managing Your Ministry

"She reaches her hand to the poor...she reaches out her hands to the needy." Proverbs 31:20

  Home  |  About Janet & Kathy  |  Family Notebook  |  Delightful Resources   |  E-mail Us  

Time Management  |  Marriage  |  Cooking  |  Organizing & Cleaning  |  Finances  |  Hospitality  

How I Found My Way Out of a Mess

When I quit work to stay home with our first child fourteen years ago, I eagerly entered the stage of life that would offer plenty of time and opportunity for me to be a model housewife and mother. Soon our house would sparkle, our happy baby would sleep all night long, and my husband would enjoy a kiss and hot-cooked meal every evening promptly at 5:30 when he arrived home from work.

Real life happened, of course, and chaos soon moved in with us and took over. I was totally at a loss how to manage my household and cope with the resulting feelings of inadequacy, so I began to investigate organizing techniques and cleaning principles. While learning what cleaning experts recommended on how to "work smarter, not harder," I also turned to God's Word for answers -- and found them. Many passages of Scripture encouraged me to view homemaking as a way to love my family and to honor God by blessing others.

Eventually I published an article on organizing, then was invited to speak at my church. The makeup of the audience surprised me; the room was full of women of all ages! When Kathy and I later began teaching seminars together, we discovered that women in any stage of life can feel overwhelmed by routine household chores and today's chaotic pace of life.  We're all hungry for useful tips that will add the missing ingredient of peace back into our homes. 

To remedy this situation, God's Word outlines a mentoring plan in Titus 2:3-5.  Older women are to "encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, subject to their own husbands."  In other words, since most of what we need to know about being a good wife doesn't come easy or natural, we've got to help each other out!

Who are you mentoring? Have you taught someone how to cook or sew or plant a garden? If you've worked hard to maintain a long-lasting marriage, share your secrets of victory with someone who may be considering giving up on her marriage. Regardless of our age, each of us has wisdom we can share with other women, especially concerning things we've learned the hard way. Find someone you can encourage and build into her life; multiply the value of your experiences by sharing them with other women.

My best advice for finding a way out of desperation is to let Jesus Christ transform your life. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new," (see       2 Corinthians  5:17). Salvation through Him is the only cure for our desperate condition called sin and Jesus is the only way to find delight in real life. In fact, He came to give us abundant life (see John 10:10).

Our goal should never be to impress others with a well-run household, but to bless them. A calm, orderly home will attract family and friends inside where you can meet their needs and invest in lasting relationships. As you learn to replace the chaotic areas of your life with habits that create peace, pass on the basics of your journey to someone else.  After all, the world has enough desperate housewives!

Develop a Ministry of Hospitality

      When was the last time someone had you over for dinner or maybe lunch and a play date?  The typical answer we hear is "Months!"  What about the last time you invited someone into your home to share a meal and fellowship?  We all have our reasons for not welcoming others:  My house is a wreck, I'm not a good cook, We're too busy, Our furniture isn't nice enough, I'm too nervous (or stressed) to entertain guests, I don't know how to . . . and so on.

      When we live in a constant state of desperation, it's extremely difficult to find delight in reaching out to those around us.  One of the reasons we developed this ministry was to give women the tools they need to help manage their households--not so they can feel better about themselves, but so they can bless their family and reach out to those around them. This is what we like to call "The Ministry of Hospitality." 

      But why is hospitality so important?  We are admonished in Hebrews 10:24, "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds."  Romans 12:13 tells us to meet one another's needs by "contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality." When you have people into your home, they get to know you and your family in a deeper way.  They see what's important to you, they get a glimpse into your personality, they learn how you communicate. Especially in this techno-age of instant messaging and voice mail, people will appreciate the personal time you spend with them. 

      Inviting others into our home was a little intimidating at first, but our family has learned to truly enjoy it. What we've found with my neighbors is this--the more you have them into your home (for a variety of reasons), the more comfortable they are stopping by to visit and acting more like buddies instead of strangers who happen to live nearby.

      Now that the kids are out of school, spend some family time getting the house in order so you will want to have people over. Brainstorm easy ways to create special opportunities to reach others and begin practicing your own ministry of hospitality. When you finally do share your home with others, you'll realize they didn't notice your dusty baseboards or your pile of dirty laundry (unless it's on the kitchen table!). They will remember that you cared about them enough to plan an evening together and build a friendship.

Make a Friend for L.I.F.E.

List your unsaved friends, co-workers or neighbors. Pray for opportunities to share your faith with these people.

Invite them to a church event or to your home for dinner.

"Fellowshare" with them.  Use this time of fellowship to share your testimony with them.

Explain the ABC's of the gospel.

Admit that you're a sinner. All of us have lived enough life to know that we've done wrong.  Our sin  separates us from God.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to bridge the gap between man and God by paying for our sin with his death on the cross.

Confess Jesus as your Savior.  Give Him your life-- everything you were, all that you are, and whatever you will be!  Jesus will give you abundant life now and eternal life in heaven.