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.