In the following article, "We Were in Marital Hell," Kay Warren, the author of Sacred Privilege: Your Life and Ministry as a Pastor's Wife, and the wife of Rick Warren, the senior pastor at Saddleback Church in CA, offers a starkly realistic, but ultimately reaffirming, presentation of the major struggles of their marriage in the context of [...]
Below is an excerpt from a long letter written by Lynne Hybels to her husband on their 40th wedding anniversary. Bill Hybels is the senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in IL, an evangelical church. It contains many relevant truths that we as clergy wives and couples can identify with, even though we may [...]
The article below is excellent for both priests and presvyteres to read and discuss together: "The Unbusy Pastor," by Eugene Peterson. Key quotation from the article: The word busy is the symptom not of commitment but of betrayal." The article can be found at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/1981/summer/eugene-peterson-unbusy-pastor.html
In the article, "The Orthodox Clergy Wife," Matushka Valerie Zahirsky, explores the "position" of the clergy wife, beginning the article with the question, "What does it mean to have a wonderful title, and no real job description?" This is an article worth reading, as it provides a particular perspective based on the life experience of [...]
By Chris Kukk. Written from a psychological perspective, it offers helpful insight for all of us involved in ministry. Though not comprehensive in scope, it helps to begin the discussion about the dangers of empathy, something those of us in the "caring" professions are often encouraged to learn and practice. Perhaps this more recent critique [...]
"Self Care Tips for the Clergy Family," written by a Protestant minister, succinctly describes some of the realities of clergy family life in America and some pointers for managing the common stressors of clergy families. It is worth the read and can be found at: http://desperatepreacher.com/pastorcare/intro_clergyfamily.htm
In this article on marriage, Fr. John Behr describes the historical shift in marriage from the pre-modern to the modern era and then explores the ascetical dimension of marriage beginning with the Old Testament, then on to the New Testament, and select writings of fathers of the Church, particularly St. Ireneaus, and St. Gregory of [...]
Here you will find a selected marriage resource list for your own personal use or to pass on to your parishioners. Each resource has been read and reviewed. The books and articles come from a variety of perspectives and approaches. Selected Marriage Resources
All Interested Presvyteres: If you are interested in joining a Lenten Psalter reading group consisting of Orthodox clergy wives, please email me at: kpappas@goarch.org I will put together the schedule of readings and assign one person each day to write a brief reflection on one of the psalms or a verse/s from one of the [...]
This is an outstanding article on marriage. Though it is not written from an Orthodox perspective, or even a Christian perspective, many insightful "truths" about marriage that we can all learn from are well articulated. And, as Orthodox we can fill in what is lacking and incomplete. "36 Things I Know After 36 Years of [...]
