It’s Saturday and I’m blogging amidst general family muddle - the kids are painting, Johnny is out with the search team trying to appoint a children & families worker for our church (hurray) and I am mentally writing an article entitled ‘Living in the fishbowl - thriving in a ministry home (!)’ whilst trying to figure out what to serve for dinner for the couple coming to our house this evening. I love my family and I love our life but I want our kids, now officially PKs (pastor’s kids) to thrive in this existence, not just survive it.

Last year I read a really helpful book entitled ‘We’re in this together’ by Celia Bowring which looked at lives of ministers’ wives and how we can maximise serving with our husbands, learning from others who have gone before and enjoy the calling upon our family.

We are ALL in this together - kids too - and an American pastor in one of Johnny’s leadership mags made some helpful suggestions as to how he enabled his daughters to thrive on ministry life. One thing he said was ‘Look for ways to include your children in ministry’ and I think that is a really positive suggestion. I became a Christian as a child and I was in a ministry home too, and I know that what we felt and contributed mattered. Adults can learn a lot from a child’s simple faith and their understanding of Jesus and His place in their lives.

Prayer is also key and if the kids see the importance of prayer in our lives it has an impact on them. I was prayed for and with as a child and my family’s prayers are a big reason why I love Jesus today. Listening to kids pray and encouraging that both in your own and those you may teach on Sunday will help their faith to bloom because it becomes real to them.

All for now - my painters need me. Have a prayerful week.