Wise Words for Women

As you know, one of the main aims of our blog is to discover and recover for our lives a biblical understanding of womanhood. This is a large vision to embrace! Therefore, we're going to take our Wednesdays to chew over some wise words from great writers (both past and present) on the theme.

Our first wise words for women comes from Elisabeth Elliot and her book, "Let Me Be A Woman." She writes in her chapter, God Sets No Traps:

We are called to be women. The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman. For I have accepted God's idea of me, and my whole life is an offering back to Him of all that I am and all that He wants me to be....

God...has summoned us to the only true and full freedom. The woman who defines her liberation as doing what she wants, or not doing what she doesn't want, is, in the first place, evading responsibility. Evasion of responsibility is the mark of immaturity. The Women's Liberation Movement is characterized, it appears, by this very immaturity. While telling themselves that they have come a long way, that they are actually coming of age, they have retreated to a partial humanity, one that refuses to acknowledge the vast significance of the sexual differentiation...

And the woman who ignores that fundamental truth ironically misses the very thing that she has set out to find. By refusing to fulfil the whole vocation of womanhood she settles for a caricature, a pseudo-personhood.

Whether you are younger or older, single or married, busy at home or in the workplace, ponder these wise words so that you might not fall into the trap of evading your responsibility as a christian woman.

Titus 2 Truths

Today we start a new series we're calling "Titus 2 Truths" where we will focus on the theme verses of our blog, Titus 2:3-5:

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good and to train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

The over-arching theme of these verses is that Paul expects older women to encourage and teach younger women what biblical womanhood looks like in practice, by example and explanation. Note that Paul does not trust this mission to Titus himself, but urges him to ensure that the older women in his church grasp the importance of their role in instructing the young women how to live.

Susan Hunt, in her book of the same name, refers to this process as Spiritual Mothering, and each week for the next few weeks we will focus on this issue.

Susan Hunt defines spiritual mothering as,

when a woman possessing faith and spiritual maturity enters into a nurturing relationship with a younger woman in order to encourage and equip her to live for God's glory.

All women in the church fall into the category of either an older or younger women and in fact, all of us really are "young women" in some sense as we can always learn from those who are more mature in the faith than us. So as we start thinking about older women mentoring young women, I challenge you to think about whether you are involved in this process. Are you mature in the faith and able to offer your time and open your home to show a young women how to live as a godly woman? Are you seeking out older women to act as your role models in biblical womanhood?

I encourage you to take to time this week to listen to Carolyn Mahaney as she speaks on this topic under the title Passing on the Language of Bibical Femininity.

Your weekly Dose of Susannah Spurgeon

At the outset of each week, Phil Johnson (over at Pyromaniacs) blogs under the title: "Your Weekly Dose of Spurgeon." Of course, the Spurgeon he has in mind is C.H. Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of the 19th Century. However, at the risk of going head to head with Pyromaniacs (foolish, I know!) over the next month or so I'd like to offer a weekly dose from Susannah Spurgeon, the wife of the esteemed preacher.

The reason for this thought is that I'm currently reading Susannah Spurgeon's Morning Devotions: Free Grace & Dying Love, which is also helpfully combined with Charles Ray's biography: The Life of Susannah Spurgeon.

Like many of you, I've heard much of Susannah Spurgeon's husband, but comparatively little about the woman who supported such a great minister. Today, I leave you with a few words from the introduction to Charles Ray's record of Mrs Spurgeon's life. It aptly describes her life and ministry:

The position of the wife of a great man, and particularly of a great minister, is not only one of rare difficulty but calls for an exercise of unselfishness and self-effacement which is quite contrary to the natural instincts of the human nature. The lady who would be a true 'helpmeet' to the popular preacher and God-ordained pastor must to a very large extent sink her own individuality and claims and become absorbed in those of her husband.

She must be prepared to part often with the one she loves best on earth, in order that he may go to fulfil his solemn engagements untrammelled by domestic repinings; she must render every assistance in her power and yet not expect to reap the praise of men, which is rightly her due; she must initiate and carry through new plans of Christian effort and be satisfied that they shall be regarded as nothing more than a legitimate part of her husband's ministry; and she must take upon her shoulders a load of responsibility, which the ordinary wife knows nothing of and which amid such a multitude of duties might overwhelm a strong and vigorous man...

No grander an example of the possibilities which the position of a preacher's wife affords,could be offered to her sisters of the manse or to the world at large than Mrs C.H. Spurgeon.

Womanhood Watch

Over the past week I've come across some useful reading and links that are worth a look.

Womanhood:

• Over at Ladies Against Feminism their "Newest Headlines" include a fantastic article by Albert Mohler entitled: A Call for Courage on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood and a referral to Visionary Daughters' excellent Top 10 Resolutions for Christian Women.
• If you want to know how to keep those New Year Resolutions, the Girltalkers offer some advice on how to do it. Click here, here and here.
• Carolyn McCulley asks a question in her New Year series: Be married or be a wife? There is also a Q&A with a married woman particularly focussing on the transition from being single to married life.
• This week over at the Family Room check out their posts on First Things First and consider what it practically looks like to make God first in all we do - in our time, our marriages, and in our parenting.
• Andreas Kostenberger, of "God, marriage and family" fame, plans to make a 12 part seminar series based on the book available on the web. Read the details here.
  
• For all you romantics, read John Piper's letter to Noel on her birthday, then, if you're married, let your husband read it :)

Not especially womanly, but interesting:

• For a bit of a laugh, check out Tim Challies' idea for a new reality TV show.
• Jenny Schroedel over at Boundless writes my kind of article! Feeling a bit down after eating so much chocolate over the holiday season? Jenny left me with a merry heart after reading this.
• The latest installment of the Nine Marks Newsletter is now available- the theme is friendship.
• Over at the New Attitude blog they are offering free tunes for one week.
  

Remotely Controlled

I received an email yesterday telling me about a new book that has been published entitled "Remotely Controlled - How television is damaging our lives and what we can do about it". The blurb advertising the book makes for sobering reading and it set me off thinking about the whole issue of television and the Christian woman.

Before I go on, I should say that we do have a TV and we do watch it, but over the past year, I have been watching it less and less and I can honestly say I don't miss it!

It struck me that in the different seasons of life we are all at risk of frittering away our time watching TV. As a student, it is all too easy to spend our free time getting to know the latest soap characters rather than our course subjects. As a working woman, who hasn't flopped down in front of the TV in the evening and spent several hours viewing to "unwind"? If we are full-time at home, daytime television can easily distract us from the mounting household chores, and if we have children we can employ the TV for a spot of child care. In later years, the television may be a source of company or comfort if we are less able to get out than we used to be.

The issue of children and television watching is one that has been the subject of quite a bit of research. I did a PubMed search (searching the medical literature) and there are a number of studies linking the amount of television watched and childhood obesity. A study published last year in the journal Pediatrics showed that:

Time spent viewing television both with and without parents and siblings present was strongly negatively related to time spent interacting with parents or siblings. Television viewing was associated with decreased homework time and decreased time in creative play.

Also, several studies looked at the impact of having a TV in children's bedrooms. A German research group found an association in some children between an impairment in expressive language and having a television in their bedroom. Furthermore, parents tend to under-estimate the amount of TV their children are watching if they have a television in their bedroom.

My database searching also had implications for all of us ladies, whether or not we have children. A paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that sedentary pastimes, and especially TV watching, increased the risk of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in the women studied.

So it's pretty clear that for adults and children alike, there are health implications to watching too much TV. However, the effects on our spiritual health are even more profound.

The television usually offers a worldview which is at odds with the one we embrace as Christians and yet often, we switch on our sets and switch off our brains, subconsciously absorbing whatever philosophies are on offer. Also, watching television is a tremendous thief of time. Can we honestly say that the programmes we watch glorify God and make us more Christ-like? As John Piper says in his excellent devotional book Taste and See,

Time is precious. We are fragile. Life is short. Eternity is long. Shall we not then enter on every venture with a vigilance like that of the young Jonathan Edwards when he wrote his fifth resolution: "Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can".

As I finish, let me just say that I do think this is a matter of conscience for the individual believer. I certainly don't want to make you feel bad for allowing your children (or yourself) to watch some TV. In fact, letting my oldest daughter watch "VeggieTales" is the only way I can spend time reading the Bible just now as my 5 month old keeps me up so late! That said, I have been challenged to re-evaluate my attitude towards television and maybe at the start of another year you would be willing to do the same.

Unashamed Workman

I couldn't get away this month without posting about my husbands new blog and give him some free advertising. It's not the least bit womanly but if you are married to, or know of a preacher then this site would perhaps be of interest.

Unashamed workman seeks to serve those who endeavour to fulfil Paul's mandate to Timothy: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Tim 2:15) Colin writes:

The overarching theme, of course, is preaching, and I’d like us to consider it in as wholistic a manner as possible. Therefore, we’ll cover everything from why we preach (the theology of preaching), to what we preach(as it emerges from preparation and ends in delivery), to life outside the pulpit (yes, there is such a thing!).

I plan to blog at least once a day, Monday through Saturday, leaving Sunday a rest day in blogland, since no doubt many of you will be toiling in preaching and prayer that day.

Each day of the week will have a basic theme:

Mondays: “Beyond the Workshop” - Since Monday is also my day off with my family, it seems an apt time to reflect on all matters relating to the kind of preacher I am, such as my personal relationship with God, my wife and children.

Tuesdays: “Classic Materials” - On this day we’ll enjoy an extended quote from any one of the ancient (mostly) or modern lights in preaching. Expect plenty of Jones, Spurgeon, Whitefield, and Edwards here.

Wednesdays: “Under Construction” - Since like many of you, I’m involved in preparing and preaching regular sermons, I’ll be reflecting on things I’m working through with regards my methods and manner of preparation and delivery.

Thursdays: “Workmen Watch” - In any craft, skills are often learned as we watch and learn from experts in the trade. Every week, I try to listen to at least a few sermons online, and I’ll be reviewing a sermon each week from a variety of modern preachers to see what I can learn.

Fridays: “Work ethics” - Here, I’ll be looking for a month at a time at various aspects of the preaching task. For example, I may take a month of Friday’s to look at what different people have decided about use of notes or manuscript, as opposed to completely extemporary. Or we may spend a whole month pondering how best to preach from the major prophets.

Saturday: “Tools for the Toolshed” - On Saturday, I’ll link to anything I’ve found on a given week that might be of benefit to preaching. This will be “around the blogs” with an eye open for things helpful to preachers.

Posting started daily on January 1st and is well worth a look.

"Never in January?"

Since our first few posts of 2007 have been typically reflective -as befits the time of year - I thought I'd carry on in this vein. Yes, it's that point in the calender when many of us resolve to get our bible reading in check: aiming perhaps to read the bible through in the coming year.

If you are anything like me, normally by the end of the first month I've failed miserably, falling behind in my readings and generally trying to play catch up. Nothing worse to dampen the enjoyment of what reading God's Word should be.

Having just flicked over to Desiring God, I noticed an article by Noel Piper: "Never in January". In it Noel describes her difficulties in reading the bible through in a year and how bible reading plans never seemed to work for her. Instead she offers her method of bible reading in which she found the following "results":

This time I can truthfully say that I never dragged myself dutifully on to the next chapters. I loved it and it pulled me back day after day. What made this attempt different? I'm certain God's Spirit provided the inspiration, because I was the same stumbling Christian I have always been. But I did decide to take a more creative approach to my "walk through the Word".

So what was this "more creative approach"? Here are a few things that struck me:

• Noel didn't necessarily start in January, but started "anytime now".
• She didn't start "in the beginning" but in "unknown territory".
• She didn't read the bible "in sequence".
• She didn't split her reading into 365 "equal segments".
• She took only the bible along with her for "reading material".
• She became a "hunter" in which a blue highlighter became her "weapon".

Please do take time to read this article. I found it both comforting (that such a godly woman who I have much admiration for struggles with the same things I do), and encouraging, as Noel has creatively sought and achieved to do that which we all strive to - read faithfully, and joyfully, God's Word.

A Reflection on New Year

Our church, Charlotte Chapel, is right in the centre of Edinburgh. As we walked to our morning service on Hogmanay (that's New Year's Eve in Scotland!), already people were gathering in the city for the New Year Celebrations. Princes Street was closed to traffic and filled with loud speakers, crowd-control barriers and portaloos. The preparations for "Edinburgh's Hogmanay" were complete. That evening, the annual street party would be held, culminating in a spectacular (and spectacularly expensive) firework display on the stroke of midnight. Over 100,000 revellers were anticipated to fill the city centre to see in 2007.

For so many people, New Year is a big deal as they pin their hopes on things being different in 2007, and use it as an excuse to party or drown their sorrows. However, when they wake on January 1st, they face the same situations they did on December 31st. The celebration of New Year is a popular holiday, but for many it is an empty celebration, with another year bringing fresh difficulties or disappointments.

By contrast, if we are Christians we should not look to a new year as the source of our hope but to God one day "making everything new". My husband shared as much when our family gathered for lunch yesterday. He read from Revelation 21:1-5:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

In the end, a 60mph gale got the better of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations and thousands of party-goers were bitterly disappointed as the event was cancelled. However, we can be sure that God's promises will not fail and that, whatever challenges 2007 may bring, our eternal future is secure if we trust in Christ.

"Success" In 2007?

One of the books I bought my husband for Christmas was R.Kent and Barbara's Hughes' "Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome." Already I can see that this book teaches vital concepts that my husband (a pastor) and I need to get our heads around in life and ministry.

In the book's intro, Kent Hughes describes a breakdown he suffered in the first few years of ministry. Having been taught 'methods' at seminary, which coupled with prayer and hard work were 'guaranteed' to get results, Hughes was confronted with the fact that his small church wasn't growing.

The young pastor and his supportive wife were forced to re-evaluate their ministry worldview, not least their expectations of what constitutes a successful pastorate. The book lays out what Kent and Barbara discovered as they considered Scripture against their faulty ways of thinking.

Here's their summary of a biblical view of success. It seems an appropriate list to place before any follower of Christ at the outset of another year of Christian life and ministry:

• Success is faithfulness: "So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." (1 Cor 4:1-2)
  

• Success is serving: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave." (Mat 22:25-27)

• Success is loving: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?...'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." (Mat 22:37-38)

• Success is believing: "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Heb 11:6)

• Success is prayer: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." (Col 4:2)

• Success is holiness: "Be holy because I am holy." (Lev 19:2)

• Success is attitude: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who, though being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing." (Phil 2:5)