A Life Embraced: A Hopeful Guide for the Pastor's Wife [Hardcover]

Gayle Haggard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 2005

Discover the Joy of Your Unique Calling

As the wife of a man involved in ministry, you sometimes may feel trapped by unrealistic expectations and overburdened by obligations. The constant demands on his time and yours–as well as the feeling that your life is always on display–can lead to discouragement and frustration.

But ministry life isn’t about enduring challenges, says author Gayle Haggard. It’s about embracing joy. After more than twenty years of working alongside husband Ted Haggard, she believes that women supporting their husbands in ministry truly can be free, happy, and fulfilled as they recognize the value of their unique vocation.

In this uplifting book, Gayle leads wives of pastors and other ministry leaders to find strength in their dependence upon the Holy Spirit and to pursue intimacy in their relationship with God. Her insights, drawn from personal experience, will inspire and equip you to view your day-to-day responsibilities from a fresh, positive perspective.

As you allow God to shape your vision of how to walk alongside your husband as a partner in ministry, you will find true freedom and experience lasting joy in A Life Embraced.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for A Life Embraced

“Glancing back through the 54 years that Bill and I served together in ministry, I recognize that the support role I held was both challenging and rewarding. Gayle’s tempered voice of experience reminds us that God values a wife’s ministry of everyday, routine responsibilities as much as he values a pastor’s ministry.  We are not alone in the journey, nor are we ill-equipped if we lean on our Lord in every aspect of life.  A Life Embraced reminds us that being a wife alongside a husband in ministry is a rewarding privilege.”
–Vonette Bright, co-founder,
Campus Crusade for Christ, International

“I was thrilled to read this practical book that gives insight as it relates to accepting the call God predestined for us in the midst of the realities of life and ministry. A Life Embraced reminds us of the fact that he who began a good work in us is faithful to complete his work in and through us. For every pastor's wife and those aspiring to be, this is a must read.”
–Lois Evans, DHL, Senior Vice President, The Urban Alternative and President, Global Pastors' Wives Network

“I would encourage any pastor's wife to read A Life Embraced. Not only does it give sound advice regarding home, relationships, and family, but it touches a great deal on the partnership of marriage and how important that is for a healthy, successful ministry. This book is an easy, worthwhile, and very informative read.”
–Anna M. Hayford, wife of
Pastor Jack W. Hayford

“A Life Embraced is more than a guide; it’s a breath of hope to every weary woman who wonders if she has what she needs to make it! Gayle’s transparent style is disarming as she shares time honored truth and the assurance the Father not only sees you, but desires to meet your deepest longings as you labor in his field. Prepare to be strengthened and encouraged!” 
–Lisa Bevere, speaker and bestselling author of Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry and Out of Control & Loving It!

“Sixty-five years ago, when my husband and I began in ministry, there were few manuals and “how-to” books available. In my own experience, I have seen that the demands of a pastor's wife can be overwhelming unless she has been given solid Biblical ways to deal with these challenges.

I am so pleased to learn that Gayle Haggard has recognized this tremendous need and is meeting it. I believe this book will be a blessing--not only to pastors' wives, but also to wives of Christian school administrators, evangelists’ wives, wives of youth pastors and so on. While being a Godly helpmate is never easy, it is well worth the effort. At our husband's side, we have a tremendous opportunity to change the world for God's glory.”
–Evelyn Roberts, wife of Evangelist Oral Roberts and author of His Darling Wife, Evelyn and Evelyn Roberts' Miracle Life Stories

“During an age in which pastors’ wives feel overworked, misunderstood, and alone, Gayle Haggard lovingly embraces and encourages each one. With warmth and wisdom, Gayle shares honestly from her own life and from God's Word. Grab this book and devour it over and over. You'll find fresh truth with each reading.” 
–Lorraine Pintus, conference speaker, author of Diapers Pacifiers and Other Holy Things, and co-author of Intimate Issues and Gift-wrapped by God.
 
“Gayle Haggard is one of the most gracious women I know. In A Life Embraced, she marries grace and truth giving deep wisdom concerning every area of a wife's life. I highly recommend this book to every woman whose husband is a leader.”
–Linda Dillow, mission leader’s wife, author of Calm My Anxious Heart, and co-author of Intimate Issues and Gift-wrapped by God

About the Author

Gayle Haggard has been married for twenty-six years to Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs. From the early days with just a few people meeting in their basement through its growth into a megachurch of 11,000, Gayle has worked alongside her husband in building the ministry. Today she oversees New Life’s small-group ministry for women, which includes more than 100 small groups. She and Ted are the parents of five.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (January 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400070627
• ISBN-13: 978-1400070626
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,414,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gayle Haggard is a speaker, a teacher, and the wife of Ted Haggard, former senior pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs and past president of the National Association of Evangelicals. Ted and Gayle founded New Life Church in the basement of their home in 1984. By 2006, it had grown to a congregation of fourteen thousand people, and Gayle was directing women's ministries, in which she oversaw 150 small groups and taught classes to women of all ages. She also launched a ministry called Women Belong, which was based on the principle that no woman should ever feel alone because we all belong to God and to each other. Soon, however, everything Gayle believed and taught was put to the test. On November 1, 2006, Ted Haggard was accused of having a secret life that involved infidelity and illicit drug use, and Gayle's world came crashing in on her. "In a few short days," she says, "my life as I had known it, that I had so lovingly embraced, was demolished." Over the past few years, Gayle and her husband of thirty-one years have emerged from their crisis and now feel that their faith, their marriage, and their family are stronger than ever because of what they have learned and experienced. In addition to "Why I Stayed," Gayle is the author of "A Life Embraced: A Hopeful Guide for the Pastor's Wife." She and Ted reside in Colorado Springs with their five children and one grandchild.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Life Embraced: A Hopeful Guide for the Pastor's Wife, January 12, 2012

By 

Brenda (KANNAPOLIS, NC, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Life Embraced: A Hopeful Guide for the Pastor's Wife (Hardcover)

I have enjoyed reading this book. It has made me laugh, cry, scream, shout with the spirit of God and many other emotions that I don't have words for. I'm doing research on Pastors' wives and have found this book very enlighting and helpful. This has been an eye opener for myself and a few others that I have shared parts of this book with. I think all should read it not just Pastors' wives. People would get a better understanding of what the Pastors' wives have to go through and would appreciate her for all that she does and sacrifices. I think is should be a must read for all Christians.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Job!, June 7, 2010

By 

Daronda L. Robinson (Poplar Bluff, MO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Life Embraced: A Hopeful Guide for the Pastor's Wife (Hardcover)

The book arrived in excellent condition. I will defintely use this vendor again. Thanks for the quick delivery.