A Year!

Wow, it has been a year since I last posted here. A lot has happened and it has been one of the hardest seasons we have ever been through. I’m not the most talented at writing, but I will try to catch up.

We have been on a rest from the ministry of any kind over the last year. We didn’t realize that we were in burn out until about fall of last year. We had consistently been in the ministry full time for many years, not always knowing how to utilize the help we had available to us from our church family. We have learned so much here by just sitting back and watching our current church operate in an apostolic government. The church is lead by a team of leaders and they all share in the responsibility of the church. The pastor, Glenn Shaffer, wrote a great book called, Apostolic Government in the 21st Century a few years ago and they have experienced it as a church themselves.  They also have one of the most effective discipleship programs we have ever seen.

I  am still working full time for the church doing the bookkeeping and that has been a real learning experience also. I do the books for both the Owasso campus and the Claremore campus and for the Christian school, so it is quite a job.  I love it!  Terry went to work for AT&T back in the spring as a sales executive doing door to door sales for the U-Verse division. He isn’t crazy about selling, but it has great benefits and pay when he makes the sales. He is also attending Southwestern Christian University and is working toward a degree and will soon obtain a Life Coaching certificate. Alex is in the 5th grade and attending the local school here in Claremore. Kyle is going into Teen Challenge for the next year and we believe it will be a life changing experience for him. If you want more information about that, visit me on my Facebook page and message me for the information. We have a prayer and support page set up and also information on how you may help us financially in being able to send him.

Terry went through a lot of depression and thought he would never do ministry again, but when the depression finally lifted recently, he is feeling that desire to start up again. We are praying for God’s will in all of this and know that His purpose will be fulfilled.  We found ourselves this last year in a strange place, at a strange church, not knowing anyone and away from any family. It has been very lonely, but we have slowly made some friends.  We have had to come through some tough stuff by ourselves this year and there were times we thought no one cared or would reach out. I hope to think that in the future we will be more sensitive to minister to others who are burnt out from ministry and to remember that we should reach out to them and love them and befriend them through the hard time. When you are going through stuff, you do not reach out for help, you tend to withdraw from everything and everyone.

I think that because we post on Facebook only positive stuff and we don’t air our “dirty laundry” there, that people just assumed we were doing great and didn’t really think about getting ahold of us and giving us encouragement.  What I am trying to say is that when you think about someone, please be careful to listen to the Holy Spirit when he prompts you to give them a word of encouragement.

But we are coming out and I believe that our latter years will be greater than our former years. God isn’t finished with us yet! I hope to post some awesome stuff soon about all that God is doing.

Sherry