Free Web Conference for Pastor's Wives!

I just found out about an online conference called JustOne Conference specifically for pastor's wives. Click here for more info.

Awakening

I'm the type of person who can sleep anywhere, anytime. I need at least nine hours of sleep a night to function. I've been known to sleep while in the middle of a conversation, at church, while driving, and on the toilet (yep, I'm good)!

I had a sleep study done a few years ago because I started to worry that something was wrong with me. It turned out that I had a few issues and began taking medicine and wearing a mouth guard while I slept.

All was fine for several years, but we recently started noticing some issues (and by "we" I mean Vince). I started snoring through my mouth guard (think large truck driver), I would kick all night long like a karate champion (think Ralph Macchio) and I started needing naps again (think newborn baby).

I begrudgingly went back for another sleep study. I was quickly diagnosed with sleep apnea. My only option for treatment was to sleep with a CPAP machine...for the rest of my life! Needless to say, I was not happy. (Do yourself a favor and google CPAP machine...it isn't pretty).

The first few nights were HORRIBLE! I felt like I was being smothered under water (think Aqua Man, but without his powers), my entire face was covered by the mask (think Hannibal Lecter), and my nose started bleeding in several places (I'm not even going to ask you to think about that).

Despite all the nastiness, something amazing happened: I immediately woke up each morning and got out of bed!

I'm sure you're thinking, "So what! Everyone wakes up and gets out of bed!" Well, you'd be wrong. I have never just woken up and gotten out of bed. There is lots of snooze-bar-action, there is begging and pleading with my husband and children for 5 MORE MINUTES, there is bribing, there is occasional crying, and lots of falling back asleep.

So, you can understand why waking up and getting out of bed is such a big deal. To wake up and not be tired is simply unfathomable. To actually sing a song before having caffeine inserted into my veins is just absurd. To only sleep-in until 9am on a Saturday is just plain crazy!!! But all these things started happening to me! My life completely changed. I was a new woman!

So here's why I share all these embarrassing details from my bedroom...

Are you sleeping through life? Not physically, but spiritually? I had no idea that life could be lived in such a way. I was always tired and it effected every area of my life. Does your relationship with God need a checkup? Does something in your spiritual life need to change so you can have an active, joyful, peace-filled, intimate relationship with God?

Do you have spiritual sleep apnea? Sleep apnea basically means that your breathing stops or slows down while you're sleeping. Is your relationship with God healthy and vibrant, or stale and lifeless?

Do you need a spiritual awakening? Does something need to change in your life to allow this awakening to occur? What is one step you can take today towards improved health in your relationship with God? I promise it will be worth it!

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You're Not Alone

This week Verve put on a conference for church planters and their spouses. It was so fun to get to hang out with fellow wives and share and encourage one another. All of us struggle in some way or another whether it's with the church, family, jobs, boundaries, time management, guilt, difficulties in marriages, etc. My favorite part was on Tuesday night when the wives got together for a few hours to talk and share their experiences. We laughed hard, we shared struggles and asked for advice. All of us are in different situations, but we share some commonalities. It's refreshing to spend time with people who really understand what you're going through and experiencing on a daily basis.

I guess the main thing I walked away with was that as church planters' wives we are never alone. We may feel alone at times, but there are thousands of women out there who have or are going through exactly what you're going through. The joys and struggles are similar, along with the frustrations and worry. We all desire the same end result...healthy, vibrant churches that bring glory to God.

If you don't know any planter wives please find one in your area. She needs you as much as you need her.

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Vault Conference

Do you need an excuse to come to Las Vegas...

Are you thinking about starting a church...

Are you already in the church planting process...

Do you want to know more about church planting...

If you answered YES at least once then you need to come to Vault October 10-12th.

Vault is Verve‘s church planting lab where current and future church planters can learn how to start a church for people who don’t like church. There are lots of books and conferences on church planting, but unfortunately they’re not focused on how to start a church for the unconvinced and cynical. So … we’re doing it. We’ll take you into the vault, sharing principles learned over several effective church plants, and give you practical ideas to vault you into the future.

I'll be leading some special sessions just for the wives...I'd love to hang out with you!

Click here for more info.

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Friends in Ministry

Vince forwarded me the following post about friendships in ministry. Hope you enjoy it!

Click here to read it.

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Recommended Reading

I have a small group of women that I meet with weekly at Verve. They are all brand new Christians and know very little about the Bible. The life change that is happening is amazing!!! I'm wondering if you have any recommendations for studies that we could do together. Beth Moore is always my #1 choice, but these girls aren't ready for her yet.

If you have any suggestions, please email me at jenniferlantonucci@gmail.com.

Thanks!

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The Launch Team Blues...Part 3

What if God only wanted them to stay for one month? Or three months? Or one year? What if God is the orchestrator of their departure? If you think about it from this perspective there is a whole let less to be upset about, isn't there? As church planters we might be disappointed and feel rejected if someone joined the team and then left before we thought they should. But what if they were simply obeying God in leaving?

This realization has saved me from so much pain. If you really believe that God is in charge of your church plant, then you should believe that He's got every detail under control. Including the people He led to help you start the church.

The idea of God's sovereignty is difficult for us at times. We like to be in control and feel like we've got things covered. In reality, however, we don't. Sometimes we hold on so tightly to things (and people) that we forget that God is actually the one doing the holding and not us. Our perspective gets messed up; we can only see part of the picture and so we freak out instead of trusting God, who sees the complete picture.

Some of us have been hurt so badly that even changing perspectives won't help us feel better. In that case, I'd encourage you to see a counselor. You need to work through the pain of what you've experienced. It's the only way you're going to be able to have healthy, trusting, safe relationships in the future. You can't keep holding onto the pain and expect that it won't affect your relationships. Whether you like it or not, you've got to deal with it.

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