In a World Gone Mad...

It will hit you when you pick up the morning news, or read the latest news feed on Twitter, or catch your favorite morning show...this world is a crazy, insane place to live!

Innocent people get killed. Good people die. Daddies walk out on families. Mommies do too. Children suffer. Hunger is rampant worldwide. Disasters happen. Greed has taken over. Pride is now worn as a badge. Where are the good men? Where are the men that will stand up for what is right?  Where are the men that will make a difference?  Where are the men with hearts full of compassion? Where are the men that, above all, love God and then shows that loves to everyone he meets?

They are out there. They are making a difference. Its just too often that the bad ones get all the publicity, so here is a little publicity for a man I know that fulfills the extreme definition of a godly man. This month is Pastor Appreciation Month, so I'm going to "appreciate" my pastor!  So what if he's my husband??? Who knows him better than I? 

Jason Aultman is the epitome of a man of godly character. His compassion for others goes without saying. He is not only an amazing preacher, but he's an amazing pastor!  And no, those two are not always synonymous. He works at everything as working for the Lord, with integrity and purpose. He works six days a week (Sunday-Friday) and often has weddings, funerals, hospital visits or other church functions on Saturdays. He doesn't complain. He just does the work the Lord has set before him.

We have been on vacation getaways only to be called back home for some reason or another. I've been pulling dinner out of the oven (okay, so those that know me knows that doesn't happen often!) and his phone will ring and he'll have to go meet someone for counseling or head to the hospital. And yet, he never complains. He can listen to anyone talk for hours and still be so loving and compassionate. Perhaps that is why God blessed me with Jason?? Hmmm....

Yes, I appreciate my pastor, but more than that I appreciate my husband and my children's daddy. In a world that has men leaving wives on a daily basis, and not just men "of the world", but godly men that allowed Satan a foothold in their lives.  There are husbands and daddies who just as soon physically or verbally abuse their wives and children than look at them. There are dads that never take the time for their families. Too often, jobs, sports and hobbies become much more of a priority to men than their families. They care more about their personal fulfillment and enjoyment than enjoying time with their family. Oh how I thank God for Jason being very involved in our kids' lives. He takes them to breakfast every single Friday morning. He has coached team after team. He is a part of their world and they know that and that gives me comfort and our children security.
I'm so very grateful for the man God has placed in my life. A man that was prayed about for years and years before we ever met. A man that is still prayed for today. I've never been worried about Jason leaving me, but that doesn't stop me from praying that he doesn't. I know the enemy is out there seeking whom he may devour. I don't pray so much for the enemy not to attack him, as much as I ask God just to protect him, and strengthen him, and fill him with only the grace, love, and power that can come from the God of all.
It is not in my prayers alone, but in the relationship Jason has with his Father. Only in experiencing the kind of love God gives His children, can we truly love our children.  It is also the prayers of faithful prayer warriors in our lives at Antioch Baptist Church. They not only get on their knees for their church, but for their pastor and his family. This October, the month of Pastor Appreciation, Antioch, let me tell you all, YOU ARE APPRECIATED!!  "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16b) We feel those prayers of His people!
Jason takes to heart to love me as Christ loves the church. There is never a day that I go to bed that I wonder if he loves me and our children. He laughs at my crazy whims, supports me in my endeavors and loves my friends as family. In essence, he just loves. Above all.
Jason and I recently went to the movies with our 11 year old son to see the movie "Courageous". If you have not seen this movie, let me encourage you now to go see it!  As I left the theater that night, walking hand in hand between the two most important guys in my life, I just had to thank the God of all for these two blessings. The love of my life and the example he sets for our son.  He is a Courageous man of God and I am so wonderfully and amazingly blessed that God chose someone such as I to have Jason as the daddy to our children, as my pastor, as my husband,  and as my best friend!

Now, don't get me wrong, he is not perfect! Trust me on this one!  In fact, just this past weekend I had a stomach bug and he quarantined me to our bedroom while he Lysol-ed everything in the house that I had touched or thought about touching and camped out in our guest bedroom for three nights. Oh yes, I felt the love as I choked on Lysol fumes!  And before you say, "he was just trying to protect the kids", *cough *cough, hmm...err...yeah, that's it!

Yes, we most definitely live in a world gone mad, but I'm madly in love with you, Jason Aultman and I just wanted you to know that as my pastor, you are VERY much appreciated! :)