Thousands of Christian leaders are gathered in Louisville, KY for the Together for the Gospel Conference(Tim Challies is blogging about it here). Many of these leaders are married men who left behind their wives and children to participate. Like my husband and I, they are apart for the gospel this week. I’m sure I speak for many of these wives that we are eager for our husbands to have such a privilege to be freshly inspired, encouraged, and envisioned for the glory of the Gospel. And we anticipate the impact of such a conference not just on our husbands’ lives individually, but on their ministries, their churches, and the world around us. It is exciting, indeed.
And yet, it does require for many wives the sacrifice of being home alone with the kids. I know some of these wives and can honestly say that while the gospel is impacting their husbands at the conference, it is impacting their wives at home. Because the gospel has set her free to love, I know one mom who is making the most of this week by spending special time with her two teenage girls. Another mom is packing her home to relocate with her husband, yet again, for the furtherance of the gospel. Two moms I know will have very little sleep due to being woken up by sick children throughout the night. All of these ladies display in vibrant hues, the beauty of the gospel as they lay down their lives to serve their children and release their husbands for Together for the Gospel.
There might be another group of gals not feeling quite so heroic today. Maybe they succumbed to grumbling and complaining. Maybe they were filled with anxiety last night as they went to bed alone. Maybe they were tempted to self pity, or making their husbands feel guilty or indebted. For this group of gals (with whom I so closely identify) the gospel blazes forth in beauty as well. Jesus came to rescue sinners like us. His finished work on our behalf grants us forgiveness and cleansing for all of these sins. What mercy! What grace!
We have two more days to show forth the glorious gospel in a unique way. Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we are able to receive pardon for our sins and power to be….apart for the gospel.
ordinary mother 
Great post Laurie! It is truly the Gospel that gives me the grace to embrace “apart for the gospel” with joy!
Thanks Lori for the reminder…I have been so excited for CB to be refreshed and for me to get some fun time with my girlies…but the reminder that what we do at home is just as important for the gospel was very refreshing…thank you!!! I agree with Tara that it is only His grace that carries me! By the way…we have been hearing rumors out here in the middle of PA of how much God is using you and Jason in OH! It brought big smiles to our faces(although we weren’t surprised:) …and we thanked God for you! Lotsa love…Shannon E
Hey Laurie! Thanks so much for this post – I may link to it if that’s ok. My Brian is there this week too and it is hard to be alone with 4 little ones (although grandparents live in town) but I am so thankful he has this opportunity to learn and grow!
This was a very timely reminder for me as my guy is in his 5th day traveling and I was starting to get discouraged. Thanks!
This was excellent, thank you.
it’s for the sake of the Gospel. How can I not be joyful when I remember that… and why we are all here?
Thrilled my husband/pastor can be at T4G. He definitely needs to “take in” as he gives out everyday, all day as a pastor. Yes, I have kids at home, but thankful God has provided this blessing for my husband.
Don’t forget the girls that are bitter, thinking “at least you HAVE a husband to miss.” We don’t like these all-men conferences, where we can neither attend or miss those who can. I’m not complaining though, because I’m engaged, but I was there and know that is a full ship.
Laurie,
Great post. I’m sure it means so much to your husband! I was in the same spot 2 years ago, when my husband went in 06. This year we live in Louisville while my husband is in Seminary, and I get to taste a little bit of the excitement as well. BLESS YOU for doing what you do to further the gospel. It is not insignificant!
~Gretchen Neisler
My husband is not attending this conference, but will be going to one in Chicago in May. I appreciate this reminder as a PW…my husband gets called away frequently with last minute and pressing needs of the flock. It is good to reminded that we have an awesome privelege of being the women behind these men who are doing kingdom work! We are just as much a part of spreading the gospel as our husbands, we just do in a “behind the scenes” kind of way.
Blessings!
Very encouraging! I’m the latter half of those gals for sure and in need of much grace to lay down my “rights”, my life, for the furtherance of the Gospel! Thankful for His grace that is sufficient in my weakness and that He is using this to sanctify me more and more to Himself (though it’s very hard!). : ) And, ultimately, thankful for the fellowship, worship, and teaching my husband is experiencing at T4G!
Thank you so much for the gentle rebuke and exhortation in how to glorify our Lord in being “apart” for the gospel. I am a new PW and have certainly given in to my flesh in complaining and grumbling for my husband being absent. I praise God for His grace and that because of the cross I can now turn and rejoice that I am apart from my husband to the praise and glory of my sweet Lord. My husband pours out so much of his life and it is such a blessing that He gets to be filled up at an amazing gethering of men seeking to invest in his life.
Thank you for this post, Laurie. My dad is at the conference for the 2nd time and this time he took 8 guys from our church with him. I called him this morning to tell him about this encouraging post (I was feeling a little bit jealous before I read this actually!) and he answered his phone for me while they were all singing “Jesus Paid It All.” It was absolutely breathtaking to hear that many men singing praises to our glorious Savior! I got “glory bumps” as some would say!
Thanks for the encouragement! :o)
Thank you for your post. My husband is at T4G also. This week has been challenging b/c it seems that the boys know that daddy is away 🙂 I am thankful for the Cross! Thankful for his grace and mercy. Thankful that my husband gets to enjoy this great conference 🙂 God has blessed me with an amazing man!
thank you for the encouragement 🙂
Thank you for your post. Like you and other wives and mothers, I was ambivalent about losing my husband for a whole four days because we have recently been blessed with a baby boy, who is the joy of our lives. However, like any tired new mom, I knew I was sorely going to miss my husband, the other half of this tag team, with whose help I’m able to do such basic things as take showers, cat nap, and make dinner while he watches the baby.
However, as you pointed out, I’m also really excited that my husband is being refreshed, challenged, convicted, sharpened, because he will in turn refresh, challenge, convict and sharpen me. Four days, then, is not too bad a bargain.
This is so encouraging to me! My husband is about to depart on a month long trip for work and because of the nature of his job we will have very little contact over the four weeks he is away. We have both been tempted to fear in many ways as I am 7 months pregnant and caring for our 14 month-old son. But recently God has increased our faith to trust in his perfect plan for us. This post also challenges me to see the opportunity this time apart affords us to display the glorious Gospel to those around us. By walking in obedience to God we can show how lowly sinners like us can be transformed by Christ’s finished work for us on the cross!
Thanks for the fresh perspective!
Thank you to all who took time to stop by the comment box. It glorifies God how many of you ladies joyfully release your husbands for conferences or other extended times away like this.
Thanks so much for the encouraging post. I was very thankful for the opportunity that my husband and the group of men from our church were able to go to T4G. That is, until lunch today, while I was making yet another pb&j sandwich, my husband called from their lunch stop on the way home…not Taco Bell, not McD’s but Texas Roadhouse no less. I battled with begrudging him his time of fellowship rather than rejoicing in it. I’m so very thankful that the Lord showed me this post right before he should be getting home! Isn’t He kind!
I am so grateful that my pastor’s wife recommended I read this…my husband is in seminary and as he has only one year left I’m seeking to prepare my heart for this service to the Lord (we have been in full-time ministry before and my heart was not in the right place, wanting to serve the Lord’s flock with our whole…I was selfish with our time and selfish with my husband). Thank you for the perspective of being “apart for the gospel”. Great wisdom I will carry with me into this next season of our life, serving the Lord. And serving Him more fully and to His glory.
Laurie, I had the privilege of accompanying my husband to T4G this time. Dear C.J. Mahaney encouraged the husbands there, when they returned home, to hire a babysitter, take their wives out for a nice meal, thank them for making the necessary sacrifices at home for the husbands to attend the conference, and share with their wives what God had graciously taught them. Blessings on him for such a grace-filled suggestion! I can only imagine the joy they will share “together for the gospel.”
As my children are older, I was able to go with my husband to T4G this year, and just wanted to echo what Julie mentioned above. C.J. Mahaney was so very encouraging to the husbands who had left their wives at home and full of suggestions to build up the wives who had stayed home. Also, John Piper had some tremendously, valuable words for godly women in his message. You can find his message on Radical Christian Sacrifice here (along with all of the T4G messages): http://t4g.org/08/media/
Susan, Jason told me about the Piper message. I can’t wait to listen to it! I’m glad you and Julie were able to attend the conference. I think my eyes might start glazing over during some of the more academic talks 😉 .