Upcoming Events
In This Issue...
Articles
- A Theology of Humor by Cheryl Taylor
- Ministering With Humor by Stephanie Nance
- Christian Leaders Having Fun? by Pam Morton with Kathy Jingling
- The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter by Dwenda Gjerdingen, MD, MS
Resources
Book Reviews
- Anatomy of an Illness by Norman Cousins
- The Purse-Driven Life by Anita Renfroe
| Return |
Embrace Life's Seasons: An Interview with Peggy Musgrove
By Sandi Bradford
Sandi has been involved in directing graded music programs, teaching ministry, and prayer ministry to moms. She currently supports her husband in his ministry as general secretary of the Assemblies of God in Springfield, Missouri.
Peggy Musgrove, a licensed Assemblies of God minister, is a speaker, freelance writer, author, and prayer group leader. She has held diverse national and district ministry positions for the Assemblies of God, including serving as national director for the Women’s Ministries Department. Her latest book, Musings of a Maraschino Cherry was released in 2004.
Peggy Musgrove has been an inspiration to me since I was a teenager. I came to know Peggy through her and her husband's leadership in the Kansas District Council. Assisting her husband in his leadership roles or assuming the position of Women's Ministries director for the Kansas district, Peggy always did everything with excellence and integrity. In the days when ministry was often prioritized above family, she was a good role model of a wife and mom who invested well in her family. Through the years I have used her books on prayer and women of the Bible. I adapted her notes on a Survey the Bible to teach many Christian education classes. I have watched her adjust to the changes in her ministry with grace and yet with a zest to continue to be a growing and giving person. It was my privilege to interview her on her reflections of embracing these various seasons of ministry.
WIM: Tell us the various ministry positions you have had throughout your 50-plus years of ministry.
Peggy: Soon after marrying Derald, we became pastors of a small church in Kansas. We pastored four churches throughout our ministry. My husband has held three Kansas district offices — youth director, district secretary, and the district superintendent — totaling 30 years in district leadership. During the time we were in the district office, I was the Kansas Women's Ministries director. After retiring from the Kansas district, we moved to Springfield without any specific call. Derald was soon asked to develop a national ministry for seniors in the Assemblies of God, and I was asked to become the national director of Women's Ministries.
As you get older ... you are removed from the mainstream. You can feel marginalized — it is not bad, it is just what it is.
WIM: How many of those roles were determined by your husband's ministry?
Peggy: Everyone but National Women's Ministries. I decided I was like Levi or Matthew — Jesus said "Come, follow me." This was not a specific vocation, but a call to follow where Jesus led. The need seemed to be the call for me. Providence is the next step, being led by what opened up to us.
Even my writing started because Derald was asked to write for God's Word for Today. He wasn't interested in the writing assignment, but I volunteered to do it under his name. The editors liked the material so much that he was contacted to write for the Assemblies of God Sunday school quarterly. This was around l970. When Derald told them it was actually his wife that had written the devotionals, they told him that they didn't allow woman to write Sunday school material! A few years later, I was asked to write a Bible study on women in the Bible.
WIM: How did your role change after you had children?
Peggy: The world really changed when we had our first child. We had been married for 6 years and I had not been around small children. It is an adjustment that every parent makes, and was a difficult one for me.
Praying is the most important contribution I can make to my family and to my church.
We were in district ministry when our daughters became teenagers. I decided not to travel with my husband on weekends so that my girls would be able to be involved in our home church. This made quite a difference in their lives. Having teenagers helps you understand youth in general. If you are looking through your own child's eyes, you see things differently.
My two daughters are married with children of their own. We leave the parental role and put it in the background. It is a joy to see them involved in church work. They have grown beyond us. I think it is important to be willing to let your children grown beyond you in skills and professional training that we never had.
WIM: You wrote a book: Musings of a Maraschino Cherry: Reflections of the Role of a Minister's Wife. What would you say are the primary lessons you share in your book?
Peggy: It is coming to peace with giving others "the gift of presence." How valuable it is to just be with people. It is the lesson of being rather than doing. Another important lesson is the process of growth. It is necessary to be pruned and to be hidden so we can conform to the image of the Son.
WIM: After you and your husband retired from leadership in the Kansas District Council, what ministries has God led you to?
Peggy: We had no specific plan after retiring, but we soon were invited to speak in 13 different districts. I was asked to step into the national women's ministry director position. I gave leadership to WMs for 4 years, and have stayed involved writing a weekly newsletter and developing online training material. I keep going off committees and going on other committees! Right now, I am involved with Central Bible College's women's auxiliary and Central Assembly of God church as a consultant in developing their ministry to women.
WIM: How have you been impacted by your age or health?
Peggy: Health is a definite factor for anyone. I'm pretty healthy, but I have slowed down. What happens as you get older is that your friends are also growing older, so you are removed from the mainstream. You can feel marginalized — it is not bad, it is just what is.
One has to be sure that your identity is not in your position. Also, it is important that you don't feel compulsion that you are not pleasing God if you are not active. Praying, one-on-one relationships — these are valuable. I must be content with private, not public ministry. Personal ministry is still in line with my call to follow God where I am right now.
WIM: You have two teenage grandsons and an elementary age granddaughter. Share how they affect your ministry and life.
Find your identity in the Lord, not in your ministry.
Peggy: I think this is an important question! I look at them and their friends and it helps me properly evaluate the youth of today. They love God, but they are not like us. They live in their world and I appreciate their commitment to Christ. If you don't have connection with young people, you will "grump" at the changes going on in this generation.
Kids help you keep relating to the culture. Kids keep you praying! Praying is the most important contribution I can make to my family and to my church.
WIM: Is there anything you would like to add?
Peggy: It is important to know what the Lord wants you to do and be content. Find your identity in the Lord, not in your ministry. It doesn't mean we don't "do" ministry anymore. When you follow Him you can cope with culture changes and the private/public ministry issues. Following Him helps me accept the stages of life.
