The Pastor's Companion
The role of the Pastor's Companion is a vital part of the ministry. Each companion brings giftings into the calling of the parsonage home. I am grateful for each person, sacrifice and personality expressed in the lives of our pastor's companions. Thank you for the high honor to work along side of you in the ministry.
This page has been started with you in mind. I want to share with you, pray with you, encourage you, and even cry with you. Occasionally, I will place a devotion on here for you to read and contemplate the goodness of God.
Currently, the times we are living in are unstable at best. We are all navigating through unchartered territory. I pray for you and your family daily. Each devotion will be archived and the new one will be displayed on this page. You can read it on-line or print a copy to read later.
It is my prayer that this new avenue of connection will be a source of strength to you in your ministry. May God richly bless you.
~Karen Harper
Executive Assistant
INTRODUCING A NEW MINISTRY COMING SOON!!
Your Comfort Brought Me Joy!
Psalm 94:18-19 NIV When I said, “My foot is slipping.” Your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.
There is a commercial by American Home Shield promoting their product of covering your house in times of emergencies. It caught my eye because of the unusual circumstances that each homeowner was facing. One in particular made me stand back and say, “There is NO WAY that woman would be smiling!” She was standing in her kitchen and making a sandwich—all the while her sink faucet was spewing water everywhere and she was getting soaked (along with the sandwich and her entire kitchen)!! She was smiling and commenting on how she was not worried because she has American Home Shield coverage and they will fix it! I don’t think I would have been that calm!
When I read Psalm 94:18-19, I was reminded of this commercial. The Lord was speaking to me that he was my coverage in the midst of storms and turmoils. I could be calm like the woman in the commercial because He was watching out for me and prepared to catch me if I fell and cheer me up when I became distraught. As the water was spewing all over the place and she was standing there saying she had confidence in American Home Shield, I realized that my confidence in the Lord was stronger than anything American Home Shield had to offer! We have a home warranty company and it takes days to get them to send someone out to my house to fix anything that is broken. In fact, a few times the company never calls back and I have to go through the process all over again and ask them to send someone else.
Not so with my Lord! He is there every time I call His Name. As a result, if I were standing in that kitchen with water spewing everywhere, the first name I would call would be Jesus! My kids know the first thing out of my mouth when tragedy happens is, “Oh Jesus, help us Lord!” And He does!
In the version of The Message, Psalm 94:18-19 reads like this: “The minute I said, ‘I’m slipping, I’m falling,’ your love, God, took hold and held me fast. When I was upset and beside myself, you calmed me down and cheered me up.”
First, you call on Him to rescue you.
Second, you feel His love surround you.
Third, you feel Him lift your spirit out of the despair and you are calmed
Although God can do anything, I would not have expected Him to just stop the water coming out of my faucet. However, my plea for help would have been answered by His love surrounding me and bringing calmness to my spirit so that I could have the wits about me to shut off the water under the sink! I’m sure all of you have had real-life situations similar to the lady in the commercial. I could spend hours telling you one story after another about times God rescued and brought calm to a troubling situation. It’s life. Things happen. The one thing that is always constant and sure is our Heavenly Father. His unfailing love will support us and His comfort will bring us joy.
God cares about every part of your life—the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. Remember to call on Him, receive His love, and let Him bring calm to you. He will never fail to answer and rescue you.
Karen Harper
Regional Bishop’s Wife
Executive Assistant
Great Lakes Region
Church of God of Prophecy
Download a printable copy here
Minister Debbie Parton
Pastor's Wife &
Regional Prayer Coordinator
I am focusing today on Adoration Prayers. Adoration - deep love, respect, worship and honor. When you discover who God is, it causes you to fall in love with Him. Using the alphabet let’s start with A.
The Available God - Psa. 46:1
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
The Almighty God - Rev. 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
The God Who Answers Me - Psa. 120:1
“I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.”
The God Who is Our Advocate- I John 2:1
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”
The Avenging God - Romans 12:19
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[a] says the Lord.”
The Abba God - Gal. 4:6
“Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’”
The Approachable God - Heb. 10:22
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
The Active God - Ex. 15:11
“Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”
The God Who is Aware - Psa. 34:15
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;”
When we learn how to adore the Lord, we are saturated in His presence and filled with the word of the Lord. Suddenly all circumstances are seen through the perspective of who God is. This is a powerful weapon!
~Debbie Parton, Regional Prayer Coordinator
Download a printable copy of Prayer for Pastors Companions
Archived Devotions
by Karen Harper
Re-Opening Kid's Church and How to Navigate the "New Normal" with the new School Year
Miranda Harper is a 5th grade teacher at Parkwood Elementary in Clarksville, IN. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a concentration in Psychology and Counseling from Ball State University. She has worked in children’s and worship ministry for nearly 15 years. Miranda has been involved in planning and directing Vacation Bible School, summer camps, conferences, and various children’s ministry events. She is married to Stetson Harper and currently lives in Jeffersonville, IN.
Migrating Your Child back into the School System
by Miranda Harper
Click HERE
Jennifer Roarke has a passion and calling for teaching, ministering, and growing the Kingdom of God. She answered her calling to full-time children's ministry, along side her husband, Derek, beginning in 2015 in North Carolina. Being a Kentucky native, they returned to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where they currently serve as Kentucky State Children's Ministry Directors, as well as Children's pastors in their local church. Derek and Jennifer have two young children, Harper and Hadley, who have inspired them to dig deeper to find creative ways to reach every child to share the Message of God's love.
