Faithful But Not Flawless
Spiritual leadership begins at home. In dealing with the family, remember that you have been blessed by the Lord, not beatified. Don't expect them to stop asking you to carry out the garbage.
Paul W. Carlson What is a healthy, hectic home? What does one look like? Consider these four snapshots from ministry families, three of them historic, one contemporary. Despite appearances, being a Christian leader does not eliminate family strife. Husband-and-wife arguments over ministry issues are at least as old as Moses and Zipporah. William and Catherine Booth, for instance, founders of The Salvation Army, were both highly opinionated. Before their marriage, Catherine set four rules to govern their relationship: (1) never have secrets; (2) never have separate purses; (3) talk out differences to secure harmony rather than pretend differences don't exist; (4) never argue in front of the children. The fact that two of the four refer directly to differences of opinion is not insignificant. Only eight months into their marriage, Catherine wrote a letter to a friend, praising her husband's preaching: "My precious William excelled himself and electrified the people. You would indeed have participated in my joy and pride could you have heard and seen what I did. Bless the Lord, O my soul." The next paragraph, however, was written with bolder, less refined, penmanship: "I have just come into the room where my dear wife is writing this precious document and, snatching the paper, have read the above eulogistic sentiments. I just want to say that this very same night she gave me a certain lecture on my blockheadism, stupidity, etc., and lo, she writes to you after this fashion. However, she is an increasingly precious treasure to me, despite the ...
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