chick preachers

I'm about to blog on the topic of women in ministry, and I'm terrified!
Please be gracious to me in your comments :o)

I haven't figured it out yet. To be honest, I still haven't found satisfactory interpretations for all of those tricky verses. But I believe that God has called me to preach, and I have to sort out how that can be possible.

I know that my experience of God's call should never contradict the Scriptures, so it's taking some effort to feel comfortable with both the Bible, and my own experience. I've read a lot (both sides of the argument!) and prayed a lot and discussed A LOT, and here are a few of my thoughts at this moment. What follows is "wet cement"-- not settled and permanent, just where I am at in this process.

• In 1 Corinthians Paul says that women should wear head coverings when they pray or prophecy... the head coverings were a cultural symbol of marriage, so we don't need to worry about that! The key thing from those verses is this: women can pray and prophecy in church meetings! Catherine Booth and Phoebe Palmer (who greatly influenced the Booths) think that prophecy and preaching are essentially the same thing...but that's still up for debate!

• Priscilla and Aquila (married couple) pull Apollos aside to teach him the way of God...so this supports women teaching on a personal relational level (even teaching a man). The only issue is the fact that Priscilla's husband was there. Would it have been appropriate for Priscilla to teach Apollos one-on-one? Perhaps not.
  

• The troubling verses in 1 Timothy aren't so troubling when you learn these few things: 1) Timothy was in Ephesus which was a town that worshiped women-- the women in that church needed to be more humble and submissive! 2) Paul isn't saying that they should be "silent" because the Greek word for silent is also used in 1 Corinthians to tell prophets to wait their turn. It doesn't mean completely silent, it just means quieter. 3) The whole chapter is about qualifications for elders, it is not about telling women to get in their place. So, maybe women shouldn't be elders, but I'm still trying to sort out what that means for us now!
  

• And one of the most compelling arguments is simply this: the overwhelming trend in Jesus' culture was chauvinism. When Jesus welcomed women to follow Him, to learn from Him, and when He showed them respect...He was making a bold statement about the value of all people, both genders. So even if women shouldn't be elders or apostles (not even sure if that's true, just saying!) they are CERTAINLY equals.

• I'm mostly viewing it from a Trinitarian perspective. Which means: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all EQUAL in power, authority, and value, but they perform different roles. The Father is sovereign, the Son obeyed the Father, and the Spirit is mysterious and rarely acknowledged...yet they are all God. In the same way, women and men are completely equal, but still completely different! And that's okay! My concern with modern-day feminism is that it tries to take away gender differences in order to find equality. I believe that we can be equal, while still maintaining our feminine identity.

Okay, now I really do want to hear your thoughts,
just be nice to each other, kiddos!
;-)

Here's a lengthy quote from Donald Miller's blog, that made me think:

"I’ve also found that the more I trust in Christ’s redemption to be sufficient, the less overtly religious I am. And, quite honestly, the more suspect overtly religious people become to me. When I’m with somebody who talks zealously about faith, about Jesus, about the Bible, after a while, I find myself wondering whether or not their faith is strong at all.

For instance, if I were with somebody who kept talking about how much they loved their wife, going on loudly and profusely, intuitively I would wonder whether or not they were struggling in their marriage. I would wonder whether they were trying to convince me they loved their wife, or if they were trying to convince themselves. (Now that I think of it, though, some of my favorite people talk about how much they love their wives, but these are less public proclamations and more sighs of appreciation.)

Faith in Christ, for me, is similar. It’s intimate. I’m more comfortable giving quiet prayers, intimate prayers. Often alone, in fact. I speak of faith the way I speak of personal matters. Of course there is a time for proclamations, but that’s the key, isn’t it? There’s a time."

(Donald Miller)

Part of me wanted to immediately jump to the defensive.
But, the other part of me decided to check my motives again,
and maybe you would like to as well:

1)Really, why do you proclaim your faith?

• does it flow out of joy and thankfulness in your heart?
• do you want people to admire you?
• are you trying to convince yourself of what you are saying?

2) Should our relationship with God look like a marriage? (private, intimate, but with obvious allegiance and devotion?)

3) Why do you serve?

• "Paying it forward" what Christ has done for you?
• because you believe there is good in everyone?
• you look to gain some happiness from giving (Oprah theology)?
• so that others will praise you?

4) When you see believers zealous for Christ, do you judge their motives, or are you joyful to see that they are so full?

Here are some appropriate Sara Groves lyrics:

Why do I pray-do I pray to say I prayed an hour?
Why do I love-do I want you beholden to me?
Why do I help-do I want to hear my name called out? Why do I sing?

Search me and know my heart, oh God.
See if there is any wrong thing in me.
All I have ever really wanted are clean hands and a pure heart.

Why do I give-do I give so I can get a blessing?
Why do I praise-do I praise to do the right thing?
Why do I serve-do I serve so others will serve me? Why do I sing?

Search me and know my heart, oh God.
See if there is any wrong thing in me.
All I have ever really wanted are clean hands and a pure heart


What do YOU think?

Sessional Names

The use of sessional names for cadet intakes began with the name ‘Victory' in 1918 and has continued ever since. These names create special links between the many training colleges around the Army world, encourage comradeship among cadets and officers and provide a focus for preaching, teaching and reflection throughout and even beyond the life of a session.
In selecting names for the next five sessions I have tried to keep these things in mind. It has also been my desire to introduce new concepts into the names, but always in keeping with our God-given mission and identity.

The names for future cadet sessions, following Witnesses for Christ (2007-2009), will therefore be:
2008-2010 Prayer Warriors2009-2011 Ambassadors of Holiness2010-2012 Friends of Christ2011-2013 Proclaimers of the Resurrection2012-2014 Disciples of the Cross.

Prayer Warriors: here is a name in keeping with the great need of our time. Prayer is the Army's spiritual engine and the need for those who will be constant and persistent in prayer is as urgent as ever it was. Prayer is a vital weapon in the salvation war, a war we pursue without guns and led by the Prince of Peace. The word ‘prayer' has not previously featured in any sessional name, although we recall with gratitude the Intercessors of 1951-1952 and the Faithful Intercessors of 1997-1999. We thank God also for the Warriors of 1946-1947.

Ambassadors of Holiness: this name brings into focus the holiness teaching which is such a key part of the Army's mission and identity. It reminds us of the need for every officer to understand, to teach and to exemplify the truths expressed in our 10th doctrine. While ‘ambassadors' has been part of three earlier sessional names, this is the first time a sessional name has included the word ‘holiness'.

Friends of Christ: this name signals the close intimacy that all entering into full-time ministry seek to enjoy, encouraging others to become also the friends of Christ in accordance with John 15:14 and in obedience to the divine commands. No previous sessional name has used ‘friends', but seven have included the name of Christ.

Proclaimers of the Resurrection: here is a sessional name which explicitly identifies those using it with the very first Christians. Paul tells us that without the Resurrection there is no hope of salvation (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). Preaching the risen Christ is thus our central mission. No previous sessional name has referred to ‘resurrection', though three have used ‘proclaimers'.

Disciples of the Cross: surprisingly, only twice before has the Cross been referred to in a sessional name - Soldiers of the Cross in 1973-1975, and Crossbearers in 2000-2002. Equally, ‘disciples' has appeared in only one previous name, Disciples of Jesus in 1976-1978. Disciples of the Cross will be a name reminding us to be a Christ-centred, Cross-conscious Army of God, placing Calvary and its meaning at the heart of all we do. Also, a disciple is teachable and humble, attributes without which we can never be all we are intended to be in Christ.

I am aware that the sessional names above have already been announced in some territorial periodicals, and that is helpful. It is appropriate, however, that, of all our publications, The Officer should also carry these details. Officership remains a sacred privilege. We thank God for all forms of full-time ministry in the Army, but officership is still at the heart of Army full-time service. Only officers are covenanted in the terms signed prior to being commissioned. We are a distinctively covenanted community of servants. I still find myself deeply moved whenever I encounter officer colleagues pressing on faithfully and unspectacularly, without gimmicks, offering that classical, self-sacrificing Army service based on availability and mobility arising out of a strong love for God, obedience to the divine voice, a passion for souls and a heart for the needy. Such are those who will read these words. I thank God for all of you.

I first made these new sessional names known at Sunbury Court, near London, during a retreat for commissioners stationed at International Headquarters, who were joined for the day by retired commissioners and retired Generals resident in the United Kingdom. As each sessional name was announced we paused and spontaneous prayer was offered for the unseen, unnamed persons whom God will call into future sessions in training colleges all around the world. These were poignant and memorable moments.

May God continue to call many into the paths of officership, filling places now empty in our colleges, and may these sessional names be blessed and used of God to inspire reflection, preaching and teaching pleasing to him in the years to come!

--The General

wade in the water

Why did Jesus get baptized?

Anyone?

He never sinned, so what was the point?

The best ideas that I can come up with are these:

-To align Himself with John the Baptizer's ministry, like a stamp of approval
-To identify Himself with the people, and show them what they ought to do
-As a prophetic act, symbolizing the cross (death and resurrection)

Any others?

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do!

I am a recovering over-thinker.

If you are like me (or Adam and Eve) then you hunger for knowledge. Over-thinkers like us want to figure it all out. We might admit that we can't know everything...but we're not going to stop until we've absorbed as much as our minds can handle.

To learn is a good thing.
To covet all knowledge is not.

I suppose it's really an issue of motivation-- why do you want to know so much?
Do you want to know God more because you are captivated by Him?
Or for some other reason?

My thoughts, my research, my concerns, my doubts
can burden me like nothing else.

Sometimes my thoughts are so heavy that I am even demotivated to pray or to sing, because I'm too busy dissecting words and lyrics.

People sometimes tell me that I should write or preach, and all I can think is,
"I'm just...so...tired. I don't want to process it all anymore. There is too much to say and to write, I'll burn out. Just let me keep reading."

Well, time to get over it, Miss Livi!

Time to rise up in holy energy and find joy in the journey.

We should never turn off our brains,
HOWEVER, we also should NEVER let knowledge become our IDOL.

Time to worship God!


So now I'm singing singing singing all the time!

My former Corps Officer said:
In a basketball game, the way to destroy the opposition is not to hit the players.
The way to destroy the opposition is to get the ball in the basket.
We could spend our efforts trying to beat up the devil,
or we could worship. Worshipping is getting the ball in the basket.

Tired of sin? Tired of injustice? Tired of depression?
Don't just fight it,
WORSHIP GOD!

Thanks for reading my process.