Recently this book, "The Representative Women of the Bible," published in 1907 caught my eye. It was high on the top shelf in the library - tucked between numerous modern and post-modern works about women. I've read so many books about women - written by women and written by men. The concept of woman, her... Continue Reading →
Gifts We Cherish
I've been working for months moving the books from my small study in a nook in our bedroom into what used to be my sewing studio. Today I asked myself where this passion for books came from and remembered a time when I was about six years old. I was kneeling in front of a... Continue Reading →
Silent No More
This post is about the insidious ways we silence others. While scrolling through my FB feed a few weeks ago, an ad for a new movie, Women Talking, popped up. The movie is based off the earlier book written by Miriam Toews. I watched the trailer, did some research, and quickly ordered the book from... Continue Reading →
The Power of Life
Vickie celebrated her 71st birthday a while ago. Wouldn't the medical prophets from the past be surprised to discover how wrong they were in calculating the length of her life. I read somewhere that living-things thrive to continue to be alive. The will to live is a powerful force. A month before her birthday I... Continue Reading →
“Prepare Me to Be a Sanctuary” 1 Pet 1:15-16
A few months ago, the rural congregation where my husband and I serve, opened the worship service with the song, Sanctuary. The prayerful refrain is repeated three times making it easy to remember. It goes like this: "Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true.With thanksgiving, I'll be a living... Continue Reading →
Seeking the Kingdom of God, Part 2
Celebrating Jubilee I'm celebrating my year of Jubilee. Fifty years ago I gave my life wholly and completely to Jesus. Peter often reminds me that I belong to "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people." Peter goes on to say, we are called out of darkness for one purpose: to... Continue Reading →
Getting Our ‘He’s & She’s’ Together!
In a recent article in CBE, James Nichols tells of a professor who attempted to give equal time to both male and female pronouns in his lectures. It worked this way, "for each time he used male pronouns such as “he” or “his,” he would use an equal number of female pronouns such as “she”... Continue Reading →
The Kingdom of God – All Tattered & Torn, Part 1
The Righteous One on the Mount Two of my longtime, favorite Bible verses, which I refer to below, come from the gospel of Matthew (Mt 5:6, 6:33). Matthew gathers some of Jesus's remarkable teachings into a section of the book familiar to English speakers as the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7). Let's take note... Continue Reading →
“Kitchen Theology?”
Art by Joachim Beuckelaer, 1533-1575, Wikimedia Commons One of my favorite activities — when studying what the Biblical text means for the universal church — is to gain a richer and broader understanding of it by reading what scholars from differing backgrounds and different countries have to say about it. Since the Body of Christ... Continue Reading →
The Delicious Allure of Power!
I read a quote from the advertisement for a Conference featuring Sean Callaghan, on Making Space for Other Voices that is troubling me. Perhaps I'm missing something. Maybe you all can help me sort this out. I appreciate how Callaghan believes all voices are necessary – as in “nothing about us, without us” when addressing... Continue Reading →