Together in the Word Tuesday

When we began, we hoped that this blog would call women to the Word of God.  You can imagine how surprised we were to get the earliest comments and find our old friend Jane was the first.  The story of how tragedy intervened in her life and her Bible reading fell to the wayside is one we can all sympathize with.  It certainly doesn't take a disaster for me to fall off the wagon.  We have known Jane since all of us were college students and are so excited about her posting here about her daily Bible readings. 

Rachel and Leah: Pieces in a Game

Want to hear a story?  Once there was a plain, near-sighted matron who lived right beside her beautiful younger sister.  The younger sister had married her first love, the first boy she'd ever kissed.  It was love at first sight and her much older husband had been outrageous in his pursuit of her.  The matron's husband on the other hand was never fond of her.  Their large and healthy brood seemed to bring her immense joy. The younger sister was infertile and it was source of conflict in her marriage.  Sound like the start of a novel to you?  What if I told you that their husband was the same guy?  What a great episode of Jerry Springer that would be!

Mind Your Own Business

I knew I wanted to write a post about Martha. She is one of my favorite women in the Bible, mainly because I identify with her faults. She was a devoted follower of Jesus, but she got distracted by her service. That is what I intended to write about. The point is always made that Martha should have set the cooking aside for a moment and focused on Jesus, just like her sister Mary did. And that is true. But when I read all the stories about Martha in the Bible, I was struck by something different. I had never thought about it before, and I would like to share it with you.

A Wonderful Gift

You may hear me say a few times that I love my in-laws.  In a world full of crass mother-in-law jokes and families who don't get along, I feel truly blessed.  My in-laws raised a godly man for me to marry, and they have continued to strike the perfect balance between allowing him to "leave and cleave" and giving us support and advice.  My father-in-law is a retired preacher, and my mother-in-law is the picture of an old school preacher's wife: she is hospitable, a good teacher, and a generally caring woman.  They don't spoil our kids, but all 12 grandchildren love to go to Nana and Papaw's house.  In so many ways, they help us to be the family we need to be.  One of the best ways they have helped has been in a gift they have given to us.  They keep us subscribed to Think magazine.

Powerful Submission

In the first two parts of our series on women under authority we examined the powerful defiance of the Hebrew midwives and the hopeful faith shown by Jochebed.  Each of these stories focuses on our response to legitimate authority used in illegitimate ways.  The last tale in this trio leads us in a different direction towards submission not only to God but also to legitimate authority.   

Missed Opportunity

There is a "For Sale" sign outside the house next door.  In today's housing market, a house for sale is not really a remarkable thing.  But I get a pang every time I see this sign because it represents a missed opportunity.

Bigotry

This week Melissa and I are thinking about bigotry. It's a topic that leaves both of us with a nasty, greasy feeling in the pit of our stomachs, not one of those lovely or noble thoughts.  However in our lives there have been a series of events, each one leaving us more disturbed than the last.  We want to address it together.

Helpless Hope

In the first installment in our three part series on being a woman under authority, we looked at the story of Shiphrah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives who defied Pharaoh and refused to kill the baby boys they delivered.  They illustrate the power of a woman of God to challenge the Dick Dastardlys of the world.  However there are times when we find ourselves powerless rather than powerful.   

Taking Advice

When I was a newlywed, I had a problem with my in-laws.  Anyone who knows my husband's parents will know that the problem was really with me.  You see, my father in law is fond of giving advice.  Very fond. 

An S for Super Christian

I push to fill my mind up with positive stuff.  I have to do it on purpose.  It is in no way effortless.  I listen to soaring a cappella hymns while I scrub the kitchen floor.  I choose books of theology, history, science, and even occasionally inspirational self-help books.  I pray while I walk through the market shopping or on my way to class.  Sometimes to be honest I have little taste for it.  I'd rather lose myself in a novel or an "ancient" Jon Bon Jovi album that reminds me of a college roommate.  Still I put myself through the paces, a little everyday, and am generally better for it.  They remain disciplines not habits. I do them purposefully, consciously, not because I have already developed a taste for it.

Fearless Defiance

The world lies to women all the time about what it means to be a person under authority.    A maze of confusion awaits us as we try to balance all the conflicting voices in our lives.  Elders and elderly parents, husbands and bosses, all compete for our attention and allegiance, inspiring or indulging our fear. The question of who we will listen to is a complex one. Finding the way to submit with an open heart to the proper authority while standing firm against those who pressure us to do wrong is a puzzle. However diving into the opening of Exodus, we glimpse three clear paths through this maze.  In this series we will explore three sets of women and how they interacted with the authority in their lives.  

I'm Not Cinderella

 I really can't say I enjoy housework. I know there are women out there who glory in the scent of pine-sol, but I'd rather read a book. Cleaning bathrooms and mopping floors are particularly loathsome jobs. When I'm finished, the floors may look marginally better, but I look like a wreck and smell like cleaning products. And it is usually just when I'm finished that one of my children spills something sticky.

Whatsoever Wednesday

It's confession time.  I hate laundry.  See I said it, out loud.  I despise cleaning the floor.  I spend several hours a day shopping, washing vegetables, and cooking for my little family, and it's not always fun.  Because I live abroad, I walk to the market to buy my food and walk back home.  When the weather's good and the sun is shining, I have a little song in my heart.  But when the rain is pouring and the market's muddy, when I am juggling my bags and my umbrella and trying to keep the run off from running off onto me, I am grumpy.    I find that it is when my hands are busy but my mind is not that Satan gets a foothold in my life.  

You're With Us!

This week begins a new adventure in the lives of Melissa and I.  We are extending our efforts to minister to the women around us into the blogosphere.

There is a lie out there, an insidious one, that says that men and women are basically the same. It insists that despite the obvious biological difference, our needs, our desires, our hopes, our roles, our gifts, our powers, are not only equal but exactly the same.  It is true that we are equal.  In the eyes of God, His daughters and His sons are equally beloved and equally redeemed. (Galatians 3:28) However our Creator did not create us the same.  What better way to learn about our differences and celebrate them than to read about the women we find in Scripture?