Thoughts on women...

1 Timothy 2:11-15 11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. First things first. I'm no theologian but I'm grateful to the many amazing voices and brains who've dedicated time, faith and energy to the Word. Second thing... This passage is HARD so the second thing is actually the most important thing. When reading passages like this, which on the surface really seem to subjugate women, we have to remember the premise which underwrites everything we know. God is good. That's it, full stop, no "God is good... but...", Psalm 107:1 says "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures fore...

I've always appreciated the fact that Jesus' family tree is a bit suspect and had it's fair share of nuts. I've also been pretty guilty of skipping past verses 1-16 because I'm just not that interested in a boring list of names. Truth bomb. However I set out recently to look at every single interaction Jesus had with women and study them. So I started to read Matthew and so here I am, stuck at the first verse because wow, there He goes again. Including women even before He was born. And not just any women. Specifically those who in the first century church, at the time it would have been written, would have been seen as even more 'less than' than your average first century woman. Two apparent prostitutes, a Moabite widow and 'Uriahs wife' (who?). Tamar - This woman had a tumultuous and tragic life life. Married to a man who was 'wicked in the Lords sight', she was widowed young. She was subsequently handed off to her husbands brother, Onan, ...

When I hear this phrase, my mind goes immediately to the Mel Gibson film 'What Women Want' (because, y'know, films...). For those of you unaware of the premise, Mel Gibson plays a chauvinistic business executive who, after getting electrocuted in the bath, is able to 'hear' what women are thinking. Much hilarity and eventual introspective naval gazing occurs as he navigates the implications of hearing what women really think. His initial reaction is to work out how he can manipulate this ability to his own end, reflective of his original inclination to objectify women. Eventually however, listening to the innermost thoughts of women leads to better relationships with his daughter, colleagues and potential love interests. Of course we would probably do well not to read TOO much into this film. It makes some pretty unhelpful comments about how when a man is so attuned to a woman's thoughts and desires that he must be gay for example. Does it play into and reinforc...

You know those moments in life when you feel like you're seeing for the first time? I'm having one of those moments. I've been staring at Ephesians 5 verses 22-24 (for many years actually), seeing only verses 22 and 24 and kind of ignoring Jesus sat right in the middle of them.  It's ok though. In the great words of Oprah Winfrey "Do the best you can, then when you know better, do better" and for me this speaks about an acknowledgement that we must keep looking forward, with an awareness that the next 'known' better knowledge is just round the corner. God has a plan and a purpose for our lives and the progress within it (Jeremiah 29:11) which should spur us on to discover what that is with joyful expectation. John 16:12-13 tells us that the Holy Spirit will move on us when we are ready to receive new truths, not before, and this is hugely reassuring. Of course this doesn't mean that we should be passive, just that we should know that there are seas...

Speaking with a friend this week I am reminded of the value of sisterhood in Christ. We talked about Jesus. We talked about his interactions with women. We lifted our spirits together by reminding one another of His goodness.  Jesus was unfailingly kind and approachable with women and in fact all people from oppressed groups. He was completely counter-culture in his approach. He protected women by elevating their status to that of men by reminding them of their humanity - "Who will cast the first stone?". He didn't shy away from difficult conversations - the woman at the well got more than she bargained for that day and though he quietly admonished her and helped her to see her sin, she went away refreshed, repentant and joyful! Full of a desire to tell others, one of the first evangelists you might say. He didn't need to leave specific instructions on how to treat women because He lived it. The more often I read Jesus, the more I fall in love with Him. I just need to...