The Pastor’s Wife

She did not know what she was getting into!

On June 20, 1981, Denise and I walked down the aisle, arm-in-arm, as newlyweds into a life of local church ministry that has continued for over 41 years.

Wow! The lessons we both learned in those early years, and then when the Lord led us to our first pastorate in Graysville, TN, and even on into today.

Both of us grew up in Christian homes, my dad a pastor and Denise’s dad a deacon. Our moms served the Lord and our dads in the home and through local church ministry as well.

So, what did my wife become, first and foremost, the day we were married?

It was not, “the pastor’s wife.” Above all else, she become my wife, my friend, my companion, my love, my sweetheart, my cheerleader, my other half, my confidant, and my rock.

A little over three years after marriage, she became mother to our first child, a daughter, Whitney. In 1987, Ashley Marie was stillborn, and then in 1991, the Lord gave us Allison.

In the past eleven years, she has become mother-in-law to Paul and Andrew.

For the past four years, Denise has joyfully become, Gigi, to twin boys!

In reading the above descriptions, did you notice that my wife’s main role is not “the pastor’s wife?” That she is, but her life is first identified by her position in Christ and then my wife.

What she has done in ministry and our home has always been what she believed the Lord would have her to do, not because she was (or is) “the pastor’s wife.” She does not need to find her identity in that role.

Nevertheless, as she has prayed and sought the Lord’s will along with my counsel and encouragement over these 41 years, she has worked alongside me to minister to ladies, teach Sunday School to children and ladies, counsel the needy, home school our daughters, make our home a refuge from this world, prepare meals for us and others, host three or four guest books of names of folk in our home, lead backyard Bible clubs, speak for mother-daughter banquets and ladies’ retreats, serve on a camp board, carry on a radio broadcast, and write over 1,000 blog posts.

Today, she steps into another world, that of podcasting. Continuing her desire to minister and refresh the hearts of ladies in her simple, Word-filled way, this is the launch day of the “Refresh Her Podcast” on Buzzsprout. You can find it here by clicking on this link. (You do not have to have an account to listen. Just click “Listen Now.”)Ladies, you can find refreshment for your heart, home and life and even get a delicious pumpkin muffin recipe!

Indeed, 41 years ago, Denise did not know what she was getting into because ministry life is a “multi-colored” roller-coaster ride, but the journey together has been rich as husband and wife serving our Lord through the local church and other ministries.

You see, I don’t know her as “the pastor’s wife.” She is simply my wife. That’s her most important role (Ephesians 5:18-33).