The Waiting Is Finally Over -Random Journal Day

Dear Friends, Today is the first Friday of the month, and for a group of fellow bloggers and myself, it is also known as "Random Journal Day". The idea is to grab an old journal off the shelf and randomly choose a journal entry to share with the world...if you dare! (Click here to see what others are sharing) Well, I seem to have run out of appropriate journal entries to share, but I have started writing the story of our life in the ministry from beginning to end...and it is a kind of journal of the early years of our call to the ministry and some of the more interesting moments that I "dare" to share with the world. So, grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit back, and take a journey back in the time machine with me to the year 1977, when my husband was called to his very first church as a pastor...and I was called to become that curious person known as "The Pastor's Wife". I hope you'll enjoy this little excursion into the past with me...

The Waiting is Finally Over   (August, 1977)

Isaiah 30:18   “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.  For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.”

Finally the day came when the District Superintendent called John on the phone and told him that he had a small church that wanted to hear him speak.  However, it was several hours south of us, in a very retired community.  Of course we leaped at the opportunity! This was what we had been waiting for!  So we went down for a weekend to meet the people and “candidate” for the position of pastor.  Did I mention that it was August…and very hot and humid?  Well, it was…and the people with whom we were to spend the night did not have on their air conditioning.  They had an air-conditioner; they just didn’t have it turned on!  Our baby Scott was just about six months old, and we took along a plastic-sided port-a-crib for him to sleep in.  That poor baby was just ringing wet with perspiration all night long in that hot little bed in that very hot little room. We had the windows open, but unfortunately with the humidity it didn’t help at all.  Not to mention the fact that the house sat right next door to a bowling alley, which was also not far from the railroad tracks!  So you can just imagine what kind of night we spent! Every few minutes we could hear the loud crashing of the pins in the bowling alley, only to be followed by the whistle of the train as it roared by, and then the poor hot baby crying in his bed and us trying to sleep so John could preach a powerful sermon the next day!  Talk about testing!   I don’t think this test came from God…I’m quite sure it was Satan himself trying to keep us from succeeding in this idea of preaching the Gospel! 

Morning came all too early, and as we tried to put on our very hot suits, ties, and panty hose, dress, etc., the lady of the house came in and said, “Oh, you can turn on that air conditioner in your room if you want!”   Thank you very much…why couldn’t she have told us that last night?????

So you can imagine what frame of mind we were in when we headed over to the church that morning to meet and greet all the people and put our best foot forward so they would invite us to come back and be their new minister and family! There was a lot on the line for this very tired, hot, cranky family that day!  Our two older boys were all spiffed up in their little suits and ties, and the baby was cooled down with his bath and dressed up in the cutest outfit I could find for a bouncing baby boy of six months.  I was dressed just as perfectly as I could possibly muster after dressing and feeding the boys and making sure that John had his tie on straight and his shirt and suit coat not too wrinkled.  And since I was still nursing the baby, I had to make sure that he was well fed before we got to church so he wouldn’t start demanding more food in the middle of the service!  Yes, the pressure was definitely on!!  There was no time to pray!  I had to whisper a few hurried prayers to the Lord that morning like, “Help!” and, “Lord, please help the boys to behave and the baby not to cry and help John remember his sermon!” 

I wish I could remember what John preached that day…I haven’t got a clue…but whatever it was, they said they liked it as they filed past us, shaking our hands at the close of the service! But then came the real test! THE INTERVIEW!  After lunch the church governing board took John for an interview, and the “bored wives” decided to do a little interviewing of their own, of ME!  I hadn’t bargained for that!  I mean, after all, John is the one they are hiring! What could they possibly want to know about me? 

I was asked if I could play the piano.  I responded that I could not, having never taken lessons.  The woman asking the question was astounded and she replied, “Why! Our Pastor’s Wives have ALWAYS played the piano!”   I said I thought they would get a little tired of singing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” and “Chopsticks”, the only songs I could play! (I was thinking to myself “Can you imagine trying to sing “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” to the tune of ‘Chopsticks’? Now THAT would be funny!”) A little perturbed, she went on to her next question.  She said, “Well, of course you WILL be the President of our Women’s Missionary Prayer Fellowship!  Our Pastor’s Wives have ALWAYS been the President!”  Not wanting to be a total disappointment to these dear ladies,  (and not wanting to lose the job for my husband if I didn’t meet their approval) I told them I’d try...but it would be kind of hard to be the President of an organization that I had only visited once or twice!   After all, I had a new baby and two other active youngsters, and hadn’t had much time to attend meetings! 

Believe it or not, we still were called to serve that church, and during the installation service

Anointed for Service in the Kingdom, 1977

I found out what my REAL job was going to be as a pastor’s wife!  During the prayer of installation, the dear District Superintendent who was praying for us laid his hand on my shoulder and prayed, “and dear Lord, please help Pam to be a “real Mother” to these ladies of this congregation!”  I almost couldn’t control the giggles that were welling up inside of me at that point...you see, our congregation was made up of people who were, in the main, at least as old as my own grandparents!  Following the service, one of the sweet elderly ladies came up to shake my hand and lovingly looked into my eyes and said, “Hi, Mom!”  I knew then that I would love being “Mom” to these ladies, and many others afterwards in different places, and of all ages!

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”      (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Oh Lord, help me to be the woman of influence that you desire me to be.  Help my influence be one that leads others to You.  Help me to “keep on keeping on”, even when my feet are tired of running the race.   Give me the strength that only You can provide.  Give me the desire to be a “real Mother” to the women that you bring into my path each day.  They are YOUR children, and I am YOUR servant here to lead them to YOU.    I will consider You, “who endured such hostility from sinners against [Yourself], lest I become weary and discouraged in  [my] soul.”   (Hebrews 12:3)  Thank You Lord, for not giving up on me.  Amen.

Rev. and Mrs. John F. Steiner, Pastor and Wife, 1977
Gee, we sure were young. Sigh...where did all the years go?