Leigh Powers - Renewed: A 40-Day Devotional for Healing from Church Hurt and for Loving Well in Ministry

I absolutely love this book. Leigh is honest, candid, raw, and open. I dont know a pastors wife anywhere who hasnt been where shes been. I also dont know many who are bold enough to express their thoughts and feelings the way Leigh has expressed them. I love most that when Leigh struggled with her faith, she chose to press into God rather than run away. As a pastors wife whos had to learn to love the church over the long haul, I am grateful for this book!

Leighann McCoy, pastors wife and author of Spiritual Warfare for Women , A Womans Guide to Hearing Gods Voice , and Taking Responsibility for the Choices We Make

Being in ministry can be a joy, but it can also bring about pain and loneliness. Leigh Powers, a pastors wife, shares from her heart with honesty and transparency about the struggles of being on a church staff. I found myself saying, Yes, Ive felt and thought those exact things. But Leigh doesnt just share about the struggles; she shares how to walk through those difficult times by being honest with God and allowing him to heal the hurts that are inevitable in ministry. This is a must-have book not only for those in full-time ministry but for every Christian.

Crickett Keeth, director of womens ministry at First Evangelical Church, author of The Gift of Rest , and coauthor of Sumatra with the Seven Churches

Being a pastors wife has simultaneously been one of my greatest joys and one of my greatest struggles. When Ive experienced hurts and heartaches, I havent known what to do beyond turning to the Lord. Thats why Im grateful for Leigh Powers. In RENEWED, she offers us a knowing heart and a guiding hand as we seek the Lords healing, something we all will need at some point in ministry.

Christine Hoover, author of The Church Planting Wife and Messy Beautiful Friendship

As a pastors wife, daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter, I related to every single word in Leighs book. Someone in my family has experienced just about every worst-case scenario imaginable in ministry. But one of the most beautiful parts of being part of a family with well over one hundred years of ministry experience is hearing the stories of restoration, of redemption, of reconciliation. Leighs stories, coupled with biblical truth, offer all of us in ministry a tool for moving through the hard seasons and celebrating the hope we have in Christ. This book belongs on the bedside table of every pastors wife.

Teri Lynne Underwood, writer, speaker, and author of Praying for Girls: Asking God for the Things They Need Most

RENEWED is written from the heart with transparent, authentic emotion as Leigh Powers shares her wounds from the fierce battles of ministry through the instrument of prayer taken straight from her prayer journal. But thenand this is what I loveLeigh takes her story and reflects Gods light on the hurt through his Word. She shares wisdom and insight into how the relevant Scripture impacts and transforms the difficult place into a watershed of Gods grace. Each of the forty devotions ends in a prayer and an opportunity for the reader to contemplate her own life, her own wounds, and lay them honestly at the feet of Jesus, where he can take their despair, infuse it with his hope, and bring healing to his faithful servant. Have you been wounded by the church, especially due to ministry? RENEWED will take you straight to the throne of grace where your painful places can be soothed and healed by the Fathers love.

Nan Jones, pastors wife of thirty-one years, speaker, and author of The Perils of a Pastors Wife

Leigh Powerss RENEWED gripped me from the start and held me forth through days of help and healing. It is honest and refreshing.

Bob Hostetler, author of Life Stinks And Then You Die

To Heath, because this book would never have happened without your love and support. To the churches we have loved and who have loved us well. And to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For your glory, always and amen.

I backed my car out of the garage and paused at the edge of the driveway. Left or right? I should turn right and head over to our church. People would be expecting to see me in my usual seat, Bible open, listening attentively as my husband preached. But wed been going through a season of conflict. Friends had left the church. People had worked to undermine my husbands leadership. He wasnt sure how much longer hed have a job. I was tired of smiling and acting like everything was fine. I wanted to worship.

I turned left and headed out of town to a church where I could lose myself in the crowd and not have people asking why the pastors wife was sitting in the pew silently weeping. I prayed as I drove: Lord, this hurts. Why does church have to be so hard? I dont know how much longer I can keep this up.

That Sunday I thought Id hit bottom. But it was also the beginning of my journey of healing. God renewed my spirit, healed my hurts, and restored my love for the church. It is a privilege to minister to Gods people. But it can also be challenging. And if youre involved in ministry as a member of church staff, a part of a ministry family, or serving as a faithful lay leader in the congregation, youve probably experienced the painful and difficult side of ministry. You may bear a few old wounds or still-tender scars. But there is hope. God waits to bind up your broken spirit and restore your hope. You, too, can be renewed.

Well travel the path of renewal together over the next forty days. The devotions in this book will lead you through the journey of lamenting the pain, letting go of the hurt, looking to Christ for healing, and finding the courage to love the church again. Not all the stories in this book are mine, but they are all true. Over the years Ive been blessed to encounter many ministers, ministry wives, and women in ministry who have shared their stories with me. Names and details have been changed, but all are based on the experiences of real men and women who have lived through the heartbreak and joys of ministryand the healing Christ can bring.