Good News - May 2021

COVER STORY 34 MAY 2021 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition Pacienza family from left to right: Lydia (lily of the valley bouquet in remembrance of Lilianne), Jen, Rob, and Pre- ston Pacienza Jennifer Pacienza Jennifer Pacienza is a gifted Bible teacher, writer andministry leader with her hus- band Rob Pacienca, lead pastor at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. Jen has taught classes withRosemary Barnes at SheridanHouse FamilyMinistries andwas formerly on staff at Rio VistaChurch, where she ledmiddle school, high school and college age girls. Having attended seminary alongside her husbandRob, Jennifer said her greatest passion is studying God’s word and it’s redemptive history. “What the Lord has really impressed onmy heart in this season is I’m to be a helper inministry to Rob. We’ve al- ways loved studying God’s word together and we are in the text together…Ministry at different times has been doing Bible studies and speaking at different gatherings, but especially with COVID, I’ve also devoted more of my attention to our staff wives.” Jen and Rob have been married for 18 years and have three children, including “one who lives in heaven” after their three-year-old daughter Lilianne “Lily” Pacienza died suddenly in her sleep four years ago. Do you have a goal for your family? Jennifer: I think as a family it would be that they would have a biblical worldview. After Lily died, God put a little secret desire in our hearts that wewanted to read through the Bible with our kids before they leave our home, and so that requires a plan. We have realized our schedule works best for us in the mornings. That wasn’t an easy start, but it is becoming a rhythm. We’re working through this book right now called The Long Story Short byMartyMachowski. He helps parents in a very simpleway see how the old testament scripture points to Christ. What Bible verse encourages you as a mother? “You have led in your steadfast love the people who you have redeemed. You have guided them with your strength to your holy abode” (Exodus 15:13). What was your most challenging time as a mother? Jennifer: Definitely the challenging time has been the death of our child andwalk- ing our child to heaven. But God brought so much grace in that valley that I almost hate saying it was the most challenging time. What has become the most challenging of that experience iswalking through all the different life events and siblings and trusting God to work in the soul of our children. What was your most rewarding time as a mother? Jennifer: Themost rewarding time is when I see glimpses of grace in their hearts. It’s just such joy when he’s pulling the curtain back and letting me see his hand in their life in a little way. But my favorite time I think too, as messy as Sunday morning is and as difficult as it is, it is so much joy to worship with my kids… They bring their Bibles and they’re journaling and we’re trying to teach them what that looks like. I love it that my girls scribbled all over my pages and their handprints are there and holding them on my lap. I feel like it’s a picture of heaven in so many ways. What advice would you offer mothers? Jennifer: There’s been a handful of spiritual mothers that God has put along my path and I think of one woman who led me to the Lord. She never had children. She never married. Everymother’s day she gets real excited. She looks at my children and she says you’re my spiritual children, and I really try to affirm her – that she was willing to share the gospel withme. I was inmiddle school at 6th grade and she ledme to the Lord. And how different my life would be and our family would be if she hadn’t done that. And there have been others… Mother’s Day can be a little emotional for people, but I think being able to realize that you can have an influence as a mother in so many ways, to pray about that and ask the Lord, “What would that look like?” Then serve or love those people God put before you. John and Sarah Forman with Zeke, Daniel Forman, Amanda Forman, Jennifer and Collins Forman, Alyssa Forman, Tim and Becky For- man, Carmen Cargill (Jen’s mom), Nathaniel and Robin Forman with Hamilton Jennifer Forman Jennifer Formanandher husbandH. CollinsForman, Jr., Esq. havehomeeducated their six children, travellingwith themextensively as a living classroom.As a couple they served in youth ministry at their local church, First Christian Church of Fort Lauderdale, where Collins has been an elder for 30 years and participated in the worshipministry for 35 years with several of their children. However, their ministry extends into their home where they have hosted a Bible Study since 2008. “I would say my ministry is more in hospitality,” said Jennifer. “There are a lot of people who come through our home. We have a Friday night Bible study that is age in- tegrated from different churches. Parents can come with their kids, and that’s how it started. Our heart is to disciple and to encourage people to grow in faith. That’s a focus for us, so there are a lot of people that come in and out of our home.” Our family – they all have different ministries they support, but the one I’m involved in personally is teaching a parenting class at Teen Challenge in Davie, or we will go as a family and do chapel for them and get to know them. It’s a women’s program (for those struggling with drug addiction) and I just love to see the transformation. Why did you choose to homeschool your children? Jennifer: We wanted to rear children who really knew and loved the Lord, and it was our responsibility to disciple them, not anybody else’s. It was our responsibility to parent them, so homeschooling became the vehicle with which we could do that. It al- lowed us to have the freedom to pick curriculum but also to make Bible time a focus for us and to give us the flexibility to travel and do things and not be at the speed of others. What Bible verse encourages you as amother? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and learn not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Did you have a goal as a family? Jennifer: I remember Dr. Raymond Moore (author of Better Late than Early , the book that launched themodernhomeschoolingmovement),saying therewere threeparts tohealthy homeschooling. It was learning towork, learning to serveand thenacademics. So when the kids were little, we always looked for ways we could serve as a family. At church when my husband went to pray for somebody, he’d say, “they need to learn to pray,” sowewould all go, little ones and children. Or whenwewould go caroling, it would bea family affair.Wedid things that thewhole family could serve in. It was part of our cul- ture and still is. But our goal for our children –wewould tell it to them– our goal for you is not for you to be nice kids or to just be good adults, but we want you to be mighty in God’s spirit. What was your most challenging time as amother? Jennifer: My most challenging time as a mother was when I had four children age six and under. John was born and I think I had gotten sick. He cried a lot as a baby and I couldn’t take himanywhere because I couldn’t nurse himanywhere because hewould scream. I felt like I was in quarantine the whole time. And now he’s such a joy! What was your most rewarding time as a mother? Jennifer: I heard someone say you never really know how much your chil- dren really have learned and what they will choose until they are out of your home. Seeing our kids that are out of our home – and in our home too – I think the re- warding things is seeing the choices they’re making. Seeing them serve the Lord wherever they are. What advice would you offer mothers? Jennifer: We need to know Jesus. We need his presence in our lives. We need his direction. We need to take the time one-on-one with him with our Bible in hand and ask his presence to come in – His spirit to move – and to just learn his presence. Jesus said, “Abide in me and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” So it really does not matter what we do in our lives, we need to take the time with him so that He can bear fruit in our lives. (Continued from page 33) We recognize there are many women worthy of recogni- tion. We did extend invitation to a few others who due to COVID concerns or schedule conflicts could not attend.