Trying something different…

Have you ever tried something new or different?  How about a new recipe or a new skill?  Sometimes doing something different can be nerve wracking or even down right scary.  The learning of it can be frustrating.  It can cause you to doubt yourself or want to give up the whole endeavour.  That’s the way I have been feeling the last few weeks.  You see, I decided to start a blog.  I have a friend who blogs and she’s been telling me for a while that this is something I could probably do, maybe even be a success.  She said I could just write about what I love.  Writing was the easy part.  She didn’t tell me about the whole website building, WordPress learning, graphic branding giant-cloud-of-frustration that comes beforehand…. at least not in so many words.  Amanda did say that there were times she wanted to cry when struggling with WordPress, but I don’t think I took her seriously enough.  In fact, my daughters told me that my frustration only sent bad vibes to my laptop which relayed those vibes to the internet.  Then permalinks would break.  Graphic designs wouldn’t save properly.   Get the picture?

Anyway, here we are.  The website appears to be doing what it’s supposed to, and, doesn’t look like it was hacked together by a rank amateur.  (It was, but let’s keep that our little secret!)  So now I’m doing what I love- teaching, training, and talking about women’s ministry… only in a new place!

You might be wondering what I mean by women’s ministry.  Maybe women’s ministry conjures up images of a bunch of old ladies from your church who meet together once a month for a potluck lunch and occasionally make sandwiches for funerals.  Perhaps women’s ministry is attending, or hosting, a big event once a year.  Possibly there’s a group of women in your church that just seem to do “stuff” that doesn’t seem to have any connection with the vision of your church.  Please, please, please, don’t get me wrong!  I am not saying these things are wrong in and of themselves.  What I am saying, is that women’s ministry, real, deep-down, heart-reaching, soul-winning, women’s ministry is so much more!

How do I know?  Well, first of all, the Bible says so.

There’s one thing you need to know about me before I go any further.  I am utterly and completely convinced that the Bible is the Word of God.  Not only does the Bible contain God’s thoughts and commands, I believe the Bible, in its entirety, is the only way to get to know God.  I trust that it is the first and final authority about God, and, if I find I have a problem with it, without fail, the problem is with my understanding of the Bible and not the Bible itself.

So let’s look at what it has to say about women’s ministry.  Now, the Bible doesn’t actually use the words “women’s ministry”, but it is pretty clear about followers of Jesus Christ are supposed to do and know.  The Bible also has a few things to say specifically about women and how God wants us to serve him.  At the end of the gospel of Matthew, we find Jesus speaking with his disciples just before he goes back to Heaven.  Here is what he says:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18-20 New International Version, NIV)

We women, as disciples (or Christ-followers), are supposed to go and make other disciples.  In other words, we are supposed to live in such a way that other people know we are Christ-followers and learn from us to be Christ-followers as well.  What does a Christ-follower do?  She does what she can to obey Jesus’ commands, because he is with her.  Seems fairly simple, right?  In print, maybe, but what about in real life?  The everyday grind of work, family, friends, bills, triumphs, struggles, and hormones can be overwhelming.  How are we supposed to add one more thing to that?  Well, the Bible has something to say about that, too.

Titus 2:3-5 says, “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.  Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” (NIV)

Older Christ-following women (older in age or in spiritual maturity) are supposed to urge or encourage younger women in what they do so that “no one will malign the word of God”.  Couldn’t we all use someone to come alongside and tell us that we’re doing a good job?  Don’t we all need more encouragement to be self-controlled and kind?  Isn’t it always a good thing to learn better ways to obey God’s word?

Of course!  A good women’s ministry becomes the place where women can engage with each other; where we are equipped with the tools from God’s word to obey it; and encouraged to keep going.   I know this because I have lived it and am living it.  There are older women who have encouraged me ever since I was a young believer in Christ.  They have encouraged me to serve Him; challenged me to parent with grace; and prayed for me as I worked outside my home in both ministry and non-ministry settings.  I have grown to love Jesus more as I have encouraged other women in much the same way.  I am so convinced that this is what God wants for his daughters, that I want to see other women do the same.

Will you try something different with me?  Will you join me as I walk with women?