What a refreshing, joyous, and Spirit-led event! More about that later in the blog.
We received an e-mail from a listening friend who was confused by the seemingly contradicting messages of two of last week's shows: David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church (March 27) and Janet Davis, author of My Own Worst Enemy (March 29).
Here's what she wrote:
"I do appreciate the message and encouragement to women this morning. But, I am torn between the message from David Murrow earlier in the week and today's message. I felt David encouraging women to step back in order that men can step up. I felt quieted and stifled by him. Please address this paradox."
I think listening to both interviews with this question in mind is extremely helpful and enlightening:
What are we doing in the church that prevents or impedes someone from worshiping, serving or knowing God, and what do we do to change it?
What David helped me see -- especially because my own dear husband has, after 33 years, recently come back to Christ and is now attending church every Sunday (instead of just Christmas and Easter) -- is how our standard way of doing church only connects with a portion of Christ-followers, namely a majority of the women and a very small percentage of the men who are musical and verbal. What regular opportunities are there for men to use their natural gifts and abilities -- problem solving skills, trade and craft talents (mechanics, carpentry, electrical, contracting, computer), to name just two categories -- to serve and bless other people, while honoring, glorifying and blessing God? David raised this important question, and then offered some practical ideas for making a place at the table for men, while not squeezing out women who've done most of the heavy lifting for years.
We obviously didn't emphasize this enough during the interview. It's not either/or but rather both/and. David addresses this clearly -- and with a beautiful, inclusive tone -- in his book.
Janet Davis's book My Own Worst Enemy isn't about women in ministry (though her insights can definitely be applied to the topic) but rather an exploration of how we allow voices, including our own, to prevent us from "shining" -- allowing the life of Christ to pour out of us.
We women can struggle with wholeheartedly and confidently shining because we confuse shining with pride, while we confuse hiding with humility. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Shining sometimes requires saying "no" to people in authority, our friends, the enemy of our souls, social norms, old patterns and other things. I think this is what felt contradictory to our e-mail friend. Yes, give men more of a voice in church (implying women would then have less of a voice) and women, you need to shine, which will require you to speak up but you can't do that if we want to make church more male-friendly. So how do you do both?
I go back to the question that I think helps guide us to those things that can make a way for men and women to bring not only their gender hard-wiring but their unique personalities as people made in the image of Christ to worshiping God and serving and loving others: What are we doing in the church that prevents or impedes someone from worshiping, serving or knowing God, and what do we do to change it?
What do you think?
Everything about the Fresh Grounded Faith conference was wonderful. From every moment spent with Bekah (the woman is craaaazy fun); talking with woman after woman about their lives and faith; enjoying food and fellowship with Jennifer Rothschild, Kathy Troccoli, Carl Herrgesell and the team who brought the event to Lima (thanks, Karlin); praying with new friends; hearing truth spoken and sung; and laughing, laughing, laughing -- it was a life-giving weekend.
Have you heard Kathy's song Take Me With You? I hadn't before the weekend -- where she sang it twice! -- but now it's on my iPhone, and I'm playing it nonstop. There is no video on You Tube, or I would have included it in the blog. When Jesus calls us to follow Him, the Greek tense means to follow again and again and again and again...or as Ken Wuest translates it, "Follow Me, and consider it a permanent appointment." Take Me With You is my committed request to Christ, your committed request to Christ, to take us wherever He is going, be it a dark valley, across the sea, or Home. We only want to be where He is.
Thank you, Kathy, for co-writing this song.
Kathy is NOT singing Take Me With You in this photo! She and Carl are having a little fun (the guy has stellar singing and playing the piano skills), which happened a lot during FGF.
It's now 1:30 a.m. My blog is finished and I'm ON VACATION! Lots of home projects including painting our front door red, giving several clear glass containers a treatment to make them look like mercury glass (I'll let you know how that little project goes), and cleaning up the guest bedroom. My son and husband say I'm one box of stuff away from being officially labeled a hoarder.
Enjoy the week of best-of encores. I'll be back on the air April 9 when Bekah and I kick off Mid-Morning's "Party Palooza" Contest.
Blessings...
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