GREEN-LIGHT revolution

Welcome to Episode 4 in this season of "Real Housewives of Joplin, MO!" Today, I will introduce you to one of my favorite housewives of all time, Mary Chambers. Follow the links below to catch up on what you've missed:

Episode 1: Kari Nevins
Episode 2: Linda Clements
Episode 3: Penny Brown

And coming soon....Real Housewives 5 (Chris Johnson) & 6 (Abby Clevenger)!

Going green!

Lynn Fleshman
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Name: Mary Chambers
Age: 50
Three Things We Should Know About You:

1. I have been married for almost 32 years to the guy I have had a crush on since I was 14. I still think he is the most fascinating man I have ever met.
2. We have seven children. Yes, we know what causes that.
3. I was a commercial artist/illustrator for 25+ years. I even won a few awards. I grew weary of editors and deadlines and took a short break I haven’t returned from yet. Maybe I’ll go back when it doesn’t feel like work anymore.

1. What are some of the habits you cultivated during your single years that have helped you as a married woman?

Well, I didn’t have that many single years ( I married at 18) and many of the habits I cultivated were not all that helpful. I did, however practice frugality and learned to be handy about the house. I can stretch a dollar till it comes back around the other side and I can cook, sew, saw and tinker. My basement, garage and sometimes kitchen counter look like a torture chamber for treacherous furniture and recalcitrant appliances. They fear me. I employ the rack, screws, drills, and duct tape.

2. What's one thing you have learned about men that you didn't know before you were married?

I had four brothers and no sisters. I have probably learned more about women since I’ve been married. (I learned I was one!) I have learned that men can be as reluctant to lead as we are to submit and it is wrong to step in where God has not given you authority-even if you are invited or allowed.

3. What does your role as your husband's helper look like?

It’s really pretty simple. I find out what he’s doing and then I try to help. Sometimes he needs me to cook, clean, and play hostess, sometimes he needs me to shovel dirt . Sometimes he needs me to mother his children and sometimes to cut it out and think of no one but him. There are times he needs me to just listen to him and times he needs me to talk. He always needs me to honor him and his headship with my words, dress and behavior, to submit to him, and most of all to pray for him! This may seem overly simplified but it is not that intuitive. My own nature is to try to help him do what I want or to insert my own agenda in ways that aren’t that helpful . (To better understand what that looks like, try asking, what does the role of the church look like as she serves her Husband? Do you think she ever wears herself out doing things He doesn’t want her to do and then feels pitiful because her work isn’t appreciated and rewarded?) Do you think the church is to serve Christ or to be ‘fulfilled’ and have her own needs met? How is that supposed to work?)

4. What do you appreciate about the single women in your life?

I appreciate any woman who is contentedly and whole-heartedly serving Jesus. A discontented woman is a danger to herself and those around her. Paul says that those who are single are free to pursue God without having to first consider a husband and children. This often places them better to encourage and minister to me in ways that my married friends can’t. They truly are less bound and those that use that freedom to go for God are my supply line to a place I don’t get to as often as I’d like. If you had limited transportation but had friends that traveled frequently to different shops, who would you appreciate more—those who brought you things from farmer’s markets, pharmacies, and the grocery store or those who mainly shopped at Victoria’s Secret or Mr. Bulky’s?

5. If you could travel back in time and talk to yourself during your single years, what would you say? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?

I wish I had spent more time pursuing God instead of Tim! God was literally dying to be in a committed, lifetime relationship with me and wanted to be found. Tim just ran out of places to hide. I do believe that God rewards those who seek His kingdom first with good things. I choose to believe that I am one of those good things that God gave Tim while he was seeking God.