JULY 2018
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October 22–24, 2018!

by Amy Nemecek

“This is the most relaxed I’ve felt in a long time.” I wrote those words in my prayer journal during our first Converge MidAmerica Pastors & Wives Retreat back in October 2016. My husband Sean and I had just enjoyed lunch together, followed by a leisurely walk along the city beach in New Buffalo. I collected a little jar of pebbles, fossils, and sea glass, which I’ve kept on my desk ever since to remind me of what I have to look forward to at the next retreat. So I’m excited to share that the next Pastors & Wives Retreat is planned for October 22–24, 2018! Accommodations will again be at the luxurious  Harbor Grand & Marina Grand Resorts in New Buffalo, Michigan.
 
From the moment we entered the hotel lobby, Sean and I felt loved on, cared for, and appreciated by the Converge MidAmerica staff. The people at Converge Community Church showed radical generosity and hospitality to all the attendees. Speaker and author Dr. Gary Chapman was inspiring, encouraging, and fun-loving in the sessions he led. But what really set this apart from other retreats was the amount of time and space allowed for us to just relax and play as a couple.

Dr. James Ford Jr.  will be our speaker this year. You’ve probably heard him on Moody Radio’s weekly program “Treasured Truth.” He and his wife Leslie have been married 46 years. Affectionately known as “the Love Doctor,” Pastor Ford’s unique way of blending funny, engaging stories with practical, doable advice will click with couples who desire to grow deeper in their love for Jesus and one another.

by Joey Rudder

Our women’s group was meeting for the first time, and I wanted everything to be just right. The house was clean for the most part, and the kitchen table was free from piles of folded underwear. (A friend who was coming tried to comfort me about the house saying she didn’t care what it looked like, even if there was underwear on the kitchen table.) The orange juice and coffee were waiting, and I’d just pulled a gluten-free coffee cake from the oven, so no need to worry about serving a day-old rice-flour dessert (aka sawdust) to my friends.

Everything appeared to be ready. Everything but me. I was a complete wreck. I always struggled with hospitality — I worry about the food I serve, dangling cobwebs, and the spots on our drinking glasses. (Spots? Who am I kidding? They’re so bad they look frosted!)

But I also knew I wasn’t ready to encourage anyone. Earlier in the week I’d gotten a big ol’  no  on a writing project I’d been working on for a few years and dreaming about for much longer. The rejection hurt and I was in serious discouragement mode.  Lord, how can I possibly welcome anyone and make them feel loved and encouraged when I am hurting and the pain is festering like a splinter in my heart?
Pastoring Your Home On Purpose

by Dayton Hartman

Many pastors fail at being the pastor of their family. We may be ashamed to admit it, but often when we pontificate from the pulpit about how parents shouldn’t outsource the discipleship of their children to the church, we aren’t even discipling our own children.

Before you feel a heavy hand of condemnation, let me remind you that no man wakes up one day and instantly becomes the pastor of his home. It takes years of experience—and many awkward face-plants—to grow into that role. From my limited experience as a father and husband, here are a few simple habits that will get you on the trajectory to being a healthy “pastor-dad.”

PRAY FOR AND WITH YOUR FAMILY

It should be the most natural thing for a man to pray for his family, but it isn’t. It takes intentionality...