Journey with Joy

Friday’s Reflections: Becoming a Preacher’s Wife

Joy

Becoming a preacher’s wife can happen in a myriad of ways. My journey there was not particularly extraordinary. When I was 9 or 10 years old I wrote a paragraph for a school assignment, in which I described what I thought my life would be like in 20 years. I wrote that I wanted to marry a missionary and have 3 or 4 children.

I grew up as a preacher’s kid and so I could not imagine life any other way. Being part of a “preacher’s family” was what I knew and I was comfortable there. Like most families in our congregation, my parents struggled to make ends meet, yet we never lacked for things we really needed (1 Tim. 6:8). There were so many blessings our family enjoyed because of my Dad being a preacher. Being a preacher’s kid also had its challenges, but I’ll save that for another day.

Fast forward a few years, when I married my best friend, George Jensen. I wanted this verse read during our wedding ceremony “…whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge…” (Ruth 1:16). I knew I would follow him, but where, I knew not. Before we were married, George attended an evening Bible school for a couple of years and he preached occasionally, filling in when needed at different congregations in the area. He worked full time as an electrician, but he began to struggle with the time required for his secular job versus the time he needed and wanted to devote to the increasing number of sermons he was preparing.

About seven months after we married, George decided to attend the East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions. We raised the needed support, moved to Tennessee two months later, to begin school in February of 1986. No longer was I a “preacher’s kid”, but I had become a preacher’s wife.

Perhaps your husband was already a preacher when you met him, and so you knew you were marrying a preacher. Maybe you were married already and somewhere down the road your husband made the decision that he wanted to turn his sights towards preaching full-time. Regardless of the circumstances, it is very important that you be at peace with it. If not, life will be miserable for both you and your husband.

When each of us made the decision to marry, hopefully we understood that we were agreeing to be a help-meet. That is a Bible truth that applies to each wife, regardless of my husband’s occupation. If our husband’s passion is to preach the gospel, then we ought to want to help him be the most effective worker for the Lord.

The life of a preacher’s family is not always easy. Sometimes it’s difficult – very difficult. But as a preacher’s wife, my goal has been to be an asset to him, rather than a liability. I want him to be better because of me, rather than in spite of me. Being a help-meet to my husband is what I do, because I want to serve my Lord and my husband. I can’t think of anything that I’d rather do!

How did you become a preacher’s wife? I’d love to hear your story!

Reflections for the Preacher’s Wife

Joy

I’ve been giving some thought to doing a blog series over the next few weeks on the Preacher’s wife. Being the wife of a preacher brings a life full of blessings. However, with those blessings also come some extra responsibilities and stresses. It is interesting to note that there are no specific biblical instructions or commands for preacher’s wives. They have the same responsibilities as every other Christian woman. However, without a doubt there are commands that do apply to her, and her obedience or disobedience will either help or harm her husband’s work.

I would love to hear your input. Is there a particular aspect of life as a preacher’s wife you would like to be addressed? These are the related topics I have come up with so far:

Hospitality
Encouraging Your Preacher
Friendships
Preacher’s Kids
Was I Hired Too?
Guard Your Tongue
Are You an Asset or a Hindrance?
Learning to Say No

If you have other ideas, let me know and I’ll do my best to address them.

Have a wonderful week!

In the Kitchen

Melt In Your Mouth Dutch Letters

Joy

In my previous post I mentioned that I was going to make Dutch Letters. Well, I did just that and they are as good as we remember them to be! I thought I would share the recipe and the process for making them.

First, in a large mixing bowl stir together flour and salt. Cut cold butter into 1/2 inch thick slices, then add to the flour mixture and toss until butter slices are coated and separated. (I had a little challenge with this, because of the warm, humid weather. My butter softened way too fast, but I just had to work with it.)

Second, in a small mixing bowl stir together egg and ice water. Add all at once to your flour mixture. Using a spoon, quickly mix. The butter will remain in chunks and the flour will have a lot of dry spots.

Third, turn your dough mixture out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough about 10 times, pressing and pushing dough together to form a rough-looking ball.

Shape the dough into a rectangle. If, at this point, the butter is getting too soft, chill for 15 minutes or so. On a well-floured surface, shape dough into rectangle, about 15″ x 10″. Fold the short sides in half together, rotate and fold in half again. Repeat the rolling and folding process, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding process 2 more times, and chill for another 20 minutes. (I had to skip much of the rolling and folding, due to warm weather, but they still turned out okay. 🙂 )

Using a sharp knife, divide dough into four equal parts. Wrap 3 portions in plastic wrap and put in fridge. On a well floured surface, roll 1 section into a 12″ x 10″ rectangle. Cut rectangle into five equal-sized strips.

For the filling, in a small mixing bowl mix together the egg white, almond paste, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Divide into four equal parts. Divide the one of the four sections of almond paste mixture into five parts. Roll each part into a 9″ rope and place it in the first dough strip. Roll the dough around the rope, pinching the edges to seal them. Moisten the ends of the dough with water and pinch to seal the ends.

Shape strip into a letter (traditionally the letter “S” – why, I do not know.) Brush with water, sprinkle with additional granulated sugar (I used light brown). Repeat process with remaining strips and filling. Repeat with the remaining 3 sections of dough and filling. Bake at 375 degrees (F) for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Ration carefully to family members!

Dutch Letters

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 cups cold butter ( 1 lb.)
1 beaten egg
1 cup ice water
1 egg white
1 8 oz. can almond paste
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Granulated sugar

Family Matters, In the Kitchen

It’s Tradition!

Joy

I find it enjoyable to learn about the traditions of different families. Families have traditions for various occasions, such as when a new family member comes into the world. Some families have special traditions to celebrate each person’s birthday or graduation. Traditions, particularly family traditions, are often the threads that help keep a family woven together. They make us feel like we belong.

This time of year is particularly full of traditions. Many families like to make certain kinds of foods, perhaps a favorite family recipe. When two people marry, hopefully there is a complimentary blending of traditions from both families, as well as the making of new traditions.

One tradition that has been passed down through the Jensen family during the holiday season is to make sugar cookies. These aren’t your typical sugar cookies in shapes of Christmas trees and snowmen, but cookies in the shape of animals – an elephant, a cow, a pig and a swan. These patterns, dating back to the 1870’s, have been passed down from family to family.

A holiday tradition from the Jackson side of the family is coconut cake and boiled custard. Oh, so good! After we moved to Iowa, we started a new tradition, that of making Dutch Letters, a delicious Dutch pastry. Since moving to Africa, I’ve not been able to make them every year, because it calls for almond paste. I have one can of almond paste that I’ve been saving, which I plan to use tomorrow. 🙂 Dutch letters are melt-in-your-mouth delicious! Never mind that the recipe calls for a pound of butter.

I’d love for you to share some of your favorite family traditions.

As heart warming as they may be, these kinds of traditions are simply human traditions. They are fun, they are often delicious and they make great memories, but they are not mandatory. Hopefully I won’t get excommunicated from the family if I fail to make sugar cookies one year. If so, I’d be in trouble!

There is, however, another kind of tradition that we are required to keep. These are Divine traditions (teachings) set forth in the Scriptures, from God. “So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by epistle of ours.” 2 Thess. 2:15. Whether or not we keep these traditions IS a matter of life and death. On numerous occasions Jesus had to reprimand his fellow Jews because they rejected the commandments of God, in favor of their human traditions. We must guard against doing the same.

As we all enjoy various family traditions, let’s remember to keep things in proper perspective. What really matters in the grand scheme of things, is our faithfulness in keeping the Divine Traditions; that is, being obedient children of God.