Till Ministry Us Do Part?
The breaking and healing of a pastor's marriage.
by Matt and Julie Woodley
April 1, 2004
Eighteen months after our wedding day, we had our first child. One month later we started seminary, eagerly looking forward to a life of ministry.
Ten years later our marriage had degenerated from ministry dreams to marital nightmares. We were ministering to other married couples while our own marriage was a mess.
Although we never used the word divorce, we both knew our marriage was sinking. Like two drowning victims, we frantically fought each other, gasping for air, until it was almost too late. This is the story of what went wrong. But it's also the story of our surprising encounter with God's grace, which healed and restored our marriage.
Ministry dreams
p Julie: After four stressful years of seminary—agonizing with my husband through Greek and hermeneutics, scrounging for canned vegetables at the local food pantry, delivering two babies, working until 1:00 A.M. as a waitress—Matt finally graduated. We had the prize, and now life would get better, easier, and "normal."
That June we moved to our first church, a small congregation in rural Minnesota.
I had expectations and even dreams for this little church. On a practical level, I assumed that they would pay us well.
On a spiritual level, I was excited about standing proudly beside my husband, sharing my gifts, ideas, and my passion for ministry.
The reality of church life quickly shattered those dreams.
During our first Christmas there, I planned a special gift for the church—an open house at the parsonage. I spent hours creatively laying out my offering of love—trays of cut vegetables and hot appetizers, steaming spiced cider, new Christmas lights, and beautiful luminaries on the sidewalk.
The time came, but no friends did.
After waiting an hour, one church member finally ...
Please complete one of the following:
If you're a Leadership journal subscriber...
...but have not yet registered for online access to CTLibrary.com, you can receive a full-year's access for just $29.95!
Register Here | | If you're NOT a Leadership journal print subscriber...
You're entitled to a special, introductory offer for new subscribers only! Subscribe now and receive a one-year Leadership journal print subscription and one-year access to all Leadership archives for just $39.95!
Subscribe now!
When you log in as a Leadership Journal subscriber, you'll see additional articles noted as premium content only available to CTLibrary.com members. To access the entire CTLibrary requires a CTLibrary subscription. If you would prefer this option, select the offer below that best fits your needs.
|
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 20,359 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
| 
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
