Kim Stanley

We want to thank you and update you, our partners in this ministry, with recent events in Joe and Kim Stanley Ministries.

Joe was bitten by our cat on his right hand Feb. 7 and ended up with a very nasty infection that became septic and spread up his entire arm, landing him in the hospital for 11 days.

Talk about unexpected.
But God. 

We’re still reeling a bit from the after glow of his recent injury and the fact that it is taking so long to heal.
But we experienced God’s Presence in the hospital in many ways and continue to look for Him in the every day.

You know Joe and his humor, so picture all the nurses and staff coming in to visit him, probably a little more often than most, because even through his pain, he was still his crazy funny self.
I love that about him.

He had some deep conversations with some of the nurses about the Holy Spirit; he gave some marital advice to a male nurse. He even sang a little to one of the nurses. Not surprised are you?

We both fell in love with many of the staff there. A smile, extra hug, a thank you, a whispered prayer, are little things in and of themselves, but when done as unto the Lord, can become big in the Kingdom.

Joe continues to heal at home. it’s been over 3 weeks and he’s still on antibiotics. The swelling continues to go down a little each day. He had a follow up visit with the Doctor yesterday and she agreed it looked better and cleared him to travel.

Which we will do tomorrow!
Thank you Lord!

We leave in the morning for a revival in Independence, Mississippi, which starts Sunday morning and goes through Wednesday evening, March 3-6th.

Please join us in prayer for a move of the Holy Spirit in these meetings. We can plan and schedule a “revival” on the calendar but there is no way man can manufacture it, it has to be a work of  the Spirit. But we can pray and ask for Him to move; to lead people to trust Christ as Savior; to revive the hearts of those weary with religion, to lead others to repentance through his wonderful kindness, and to bring us all to a greater revelation of his holiness.

As you pray, give thanks to God for what He will do. We will praise Him for His goodness.

Thank you for taking time to read this and for praying with us and for us. Thank you for your generosity in giving. We are more aware than ever that your giving to this ministry, financially and in prayer, are the fuel to our going. It is indeed a partnership we have together in the Gospel; all for the glory of Christ.

We’ll be updating on Facebook this week. https://www.facebook.com/joeandkimstanley/
And our schedule is regularly updated on our website https://joeandkimstanley.com/schedule/

We love you and thank our God upon every remembrance of you.

Please feel free to share this newsletter with your friends who may want info on our ministry.

All our love,

Joe and Kim

I met several wonderful women at a Ministry Wives Retreat a couple of years ago. I wasn’t the worship leader or the speaker this time, but just set up a table with some resources from our ministry along with a bowl of – chocolate, the love language of women everywhere.

God gave me a kiss that day as I got to meet these ladies who serve their churches and their communities with their husbands. Some shared a little of their story with me; some just a smile. But God had required of me to see and listen to these women. Whoever He put in my path, whoever came up to my table, was to be looked at in the eye, receive a genuine smile and a warm embrace. I wanted, no Hewanted them to know that they were seen and heard and loved.

These ladies were wives of ministry church leaders. Their husbands served on a church staff in various positions. Most of them, safe to say, served smaller congregations; I would bet a lot of their husbands were bi-vocational, working a full time job along with their ministry responsibilities. Most of these women worked full time as well.

This retreat was organized by a friend of mine, who serves with her husband in a large church in metro Atlanta. Her heart has always been to encourage other ministers’ wives. She gets them. She puts on a great weekend for these ladies; time away for them to be ministered to, time for worship, with special speakers, break out sessions, a little market place, spa services and more.
I have always loved her heart for these women. These women who are mostly in smaller rural areas of our state don’t have access to this special treatment and are so deserving of it and hungry for it.

I loved watching them mill around the room drinking up the warm fellowship. That alone, was well worth the trip.  Being a minister’s wife can make for an isolated life. Who knows the daily struggles and burdens and joys better than another sister who walks the same road?
I loved seeing them line up for their neck and shoulder massages or walk out beaming with a new hairstyle, or gathering in the prayer room to pray together.

You know that prompting you get when God says – “Look at this, take notice. I see these women in all their beauty, their frustrations, their fears, their hopes, their unanswered prayers, their longings for their marriages, their children, all of it, and I want them to know I see them.”

Holy moments .

Remember in Genesis 16 when Hagar, who after having done what her mistress had asked of her, found herself used and abused and fleeing to the desert?  But God found herby a spring of water in the wilderness. He spoke to her, he asked her where was she coming from and where was she going. God told her that her unborn son would become a nation. And He instructed her to go back and submit to her mistress.

She knew God in a new way that day, by a new name.  He revealed himself to her as as the God who sees, El Roi, as the One who looks after her.

That encounter with God gave her strength to go back to Abram and Sarai.

Sometimes we need to know God sees us, that he looks after us.

These women, who give their lives to serve their families, their churches, their communities, their employers, needed that.

Though they live visible to many eyes, they can feel like no one really sees them.

Do you feel unseen?

Perhaps these thoughts run through your head from time to time:
No matter how much I do, it’s never enough. Does anyone ever notice?
I am physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted.
I really believe God called me to this, but where’s the joy?
How can these people be so mean?
If anyone really knew what I struggle with, what goes on in our family, they wouldn’t want me here.
Is there a safe place where I can be real?

I am a minister’s wife.  But I get to serve together with my husband and mostly on the road traveling from one church to another.  He has been on staff at several churches over the years though so I have brushed shoulders with you, dear one.  My heart has been heavy with you and for you as you desire to live fully in the moments of your ministry to your church and to your family.

This desire to be truly seen is something I believe, all women, all people, share.

God created us with that need and He desires for us to find it met, perfectly, in Him.

Whether you find yourself on the run to the wilderness, or already there, may you feel His compassionate eyes on you today and know Him as the One who sees you and takes care of you.

And then, after your intimate encounter with your El Roi, go back and have coffee with a sister who feels unseen. Share the chocolate kiss with a friend.

I’d love to hear from you.

“So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’ for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.’ ”      Genesis 16:13 (ESV)

Seen by Him,

kim

I love this picture my son in love sent me in December. He took his children into the national forest to search for and cut down the perfect Christmas tree. (not like Christmas Vacation) He just does cool things like that all the time.
When I looked at this, I couldn’t help but notice these small humans, my perfect grandchildren’s faces. They look content and even a little adventurous. Their Dad is ahead of them and they’re on their way into the snowy forest on a path they’ve never been on before.

Brack is a single dad; he’s an amazing dad. This is his new path now. He’s also a widower. What?!? Yea –  just doesn’t sound right, does it?  He would totally put in a good descriptive word right here that would be so cool, but I’m not that cool.  But, I do learn from him, just like I learned so much from his freakin’ awesome wife, my daughter, who passed away 8 months ago from brain cancer.

Anger still bites; you can tell, right? But staring at these faces, brave little faces, simmers the stinging frost bite into warm liquid gold of joy and wonder – and hope. They don’t know where they’re headed exactly. They’re just following their Dad who’s promised them an adventure. And they know him well enough to know that he will deliver on his promise.

Take notice, Kim

They stand side by side. Time alone will tell how these days will have forged their sibling relationship. But for now, they just walk together and follow the one who loves them the most in this world (except, of course, for Nana and Granny CC) into the unknown.

Another note. 
Walking an unfamiliar path is not as daunting and is much more fun with a friend.

Everything in me wants to be like them. To trust like them. To follow like them. To stand close together like them. To smile at the wonder of it all like them.

”Learn this well: Unless you dramatically change your way of thinking and become teachable, and learn about heaven’s kingdom realm with wide-eyed wonder of a child, you will never be able to enter in. Whoever continually humbles himself to become like this gentle child is the greatest one in heaven’s kingdom realm. And if you tenderly care for this little one on my behalf, you are tenderly caring for me.” Matthew 18: 3-5 (TPT)

Off we go….

With much much love,

kim

Come Away My Beloved

On May 29th, our sweet Jordan stopped breathing here and was carried away to her Beloved. In holy moments still too sacred for words, Brack, Joe and I watched as she peacefully just stopped struggling. Then we wept together for a long time.

I’ve tried to write this several times in the last few weeks. It’s just been hard.

Jordan’s life was celebrated coast to coast with services in Oregon and Georgia. Beautiful. She was and continues to be a display of the grace and beauty of God to us and to all who knew her.

There are so many of you who have prayed for Jordan and Brack and Benton and Parker and all of us. So many of you who have given financially to enable us to be in Oregon for 8 months to help care for her and her family. So many of you who have sent encouraging notes and letters and texts and emails to assure us we’re not alone in this journey.

You are all very dear to us and we will be forever grateful for your love.

Please continue to pray for Brack and Benton and Parker. They are doing amazingly well by God’s grace. Brack’s a great Dad; he’s taken them on many adventures in that beautiful place they live; much healing happens in God’s creation. I’ve made a couple of trips back and forth to Oregon, so we could have Benton and Parker here with us for a visit. Brack went on his own solo hiking trip for several days while we had the kids. That’s a tale for him to tell.

There are some more specific things I want to write about those final moments; about how we saw God in the middle of saying good bye to our daughter. That will have to be for a later time though. For now, I want to convey my thanks to you for reading and following along. Many of you read Brack’s blog too; you should – he’s an incredible writer. He’ll be writing more also. I love his heart so much. He wants to honor Jordan in telling more of their story.

Joe and I took the month of July off to rest and listen and grieve. Still grieving. We’re had our other children and grandchildren home, which is always comforting. Could you whisper up an extra prayer for Jordan’s brothers and sister? My mama’s heart is uncovering layers of grief; one especially being for her other children who are missing their sister.
Again – thank you!!!

Tomorrow night we have our first concert in over 6 months. We get to worship with other Christ followers and be in the Presence of the One who gave his Beloved for us. If tears come, I will offer them up as worship, because that’s what I have right now.

We can give God our tears, our joy, our doubts, questions, anger…etc… as worship. I’m learning that more and more. He knows it all anyway. And He doesn’t go away because we look so ugly inside. Instead He invites us into the holy of holies to gaze upon His beauty. To be hidden in his shelter and concealed in the cover of his tent.

Just get there. Crawl if you have to, crawl along with me.

“In his shelter in the day of trouble, that’s where you’ll find me,
for he hides me there in his holiness.
He has smuggled me into his secret place,
where I’m kept safe and secure—
out of reach from all my enemies.
Triumphant now, I’ll bring him my offerings of praise,
singing and shouting with ecstatic joy!
Yes, listen and you can hear
the fanfare of my shouts of praise to the Lord!
God, hear my cry. Show me your grace.
Show me mercy, and send the help I need!” Psalm 27: 5-7 (TPT)

There’s a link below to our website with our schedule; we’d love to see you along the way. And also one for Brack’s blog. It’s a journal of their love story.
Please share this with anyone you feel led to.

And please share with us how you’ve experienced God’s healing Presence during your own grief. We all are learning to grieve “not as those without hope.”

Peace and grace to you, friend,

Kim

https://joeandkimstanley.com/schedule/

http://brackandjordan.blogspot.com