Secret Women's Business

Pay special attention to the wording and spelling. If you are even remotely familiar with holy scripture, you'll find this hilarious! It comes from a Roman Catholic elementary school test. Kids were asked questions about the old and new testaments. The following statements about the bible were written by children. They have not been re-touched or corrected. Incorrect spelling has been left in. 1. In the first book of the bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating the world so he took the sabbath off. 2. Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. Noah's wife was Joan of Ark. Noah built and ark and the animals came on in pears. 3. Lots wife was a pillar of salt during the day, but a ball of fire during the night. 4. The Jews were a proud people and throughout history they had trouble with unsympathetic genitals. 5. Sampson was a strongman who let him self be led astray by a Jezebel like Delilah. 6. Samson slayed the philistines with the axe of the apostles. 7. Moses led the J...

I've been participating this week in one of the Age online blogs. Kylie Orr wrote an article questioning whether specific religion should be taught in public schools . As one might anticipate, the twin emotive topics of the education of our children plus religion lead to an explosion on the comments thread. For the most part, respondents were civil and a robust and healthy dialogue broke forth into cyberspace. I have found myself feeling quite sympathetic to many of the “anti CRE camp”, in that (in NSW at least) there appears to be no accredited curriculum and it seems that anyone of any faith can teach children anything for half an hour a week. It seems to me if you’re going to teach about religion in schools I’d prefer it not done at all than that it be done badly. That is not meant to be critical of the many CRE volunteers doing wonderful creative teaching, but because I was made aware there are horror stories out there emerging from an unregulated system. However, I’d like to m...

Barbara Walters, of 20/20, did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands. She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walked behind their husbands. Despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seemed happy to maintain the old custom. Ms Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?' The woman looked Ms.Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said: 'Land Mines.' Moral of the story is (no matter what language you speak or where you go): BEHIND EVERY MAN, THERE'S A SMART WOMAN (received by email!)

If I can be forgiven some plagiarism, I was struck by the following article in the Age online. A symptom for me of pastoral burnout was crippling panic attacks, so this article found resonance in me: Winston Churchill is widely cited as someone who suffered depression, or the "black dog" as he referred to it. I have an image of the old man slumped in a chair by a fire, weighed down by the enormity of the fight against Nazism. Churchill's depression was a burden; but it is also consistent with being a deep and serious man. Fewer people know that Churchill also suffered anxiety, with evidence he was prone to panic attacks. I suspect this is a deliberate oversight: a focus on his anxiety may damage our view of him as a strong person. Doesn't it evoke an image of a worry wart? A neurotic with shattered nerves? Would we still want the free world's fate in his hands? The way we view Churchill and his mental illnesses is indicative. There is a huge focus on depression – ...

I met with a friend a few months back who is an escapee from a spiritually abusive church. I enquired how she felt about reading the bible (as her new church was conducting something of a "read the bible" campaign), and she said very the thought of it made her feel like vomiting. This didn't sound terribly like the loving and gentle invitation of the Spirit to me. I asked my friend what kinds of activities seemed to nourish her soul. She said reading a novel by a fireplace was her best soul food. So I suggested she do that regularly... and to take a moment of conscious gratitude each day. I spoke with her again last night, and she feels like her soul is beginning to heal. I encouraged her to continue to learn to live in grace. People who have experienced spiritual abuse seem to have a strong need to detox from religion. Indeed, it seems to me that Jesus wasn't a particularly religious character... the people who seemed most upset by him were the most earnestly religio...

I've recently caught the Facebook bug... which has rather slowed my pace of blogging. Why would one go to the effort of writing a whole article when one can write a few witty words? (Perhaps in this I flatter myself about the generally trivial rubbish I post online!!!) I only joined Facebook because my sister informed me that "Not being on Facebook is like not having a mobile phone". In other words, if I was to have any relevance in the current millenium, Facebook was absolutely essential. So she registered me. A "late adopter" I may be... but better late than never. I have found it kind of fun, and an interesting way to connect with a variety of people. I've also been amazed how much free time some people have... just how many quizzes/games/challenges/virtual world construction can one pack into a day? I did have some pause for thought in the Facebook phenomenon last night listening to Dr Michael Carr-Greg speak on early adolescence. There is something a li...

I have copied the article below from the Age online: THE standard assumption is that women’s lives have dramatically improved in the past 50 years. They have considerably more personal freedom, and opportunities for education and employment have been transformed. As a result they have much greater financial independence, which has given them more power to shape their lives. So far, so easy. But something odd is going on. These huge social changes are not making women happier, and, according to several significant studies, women’s happiness relative to men’s has declined in the past 25 years. This includes women of all age groups, and is evident in many countries, particularly the United States and Britain. Let’s start with the most alarming evidence. It comes from a study by Patrick West and Helen Sweeting of 15-year-olds conducted in exactly the same place in Scotland in 1987, 1999 and 2006. The 1999 results show that the incidence of common mental disorders such as anxiety, depressio...

"It was the worst of times, it was the best of times" is the famous opening line of Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities". It is a phrase that comes to my mind on this six-month anniversary of Black Saturday. The worst of times... as Australia's worst ever natural disaster claimed 173 lives and traumatised thousands of others. However, this "worst of times" led to a truly remarkable outpouring of generosity and service by the Australian community... the best qualities of the Australian community (and beyond) were released in a most moving way. This article notes the recovery process and the contribution of a wide range of church, business and community groups that rallied to help. I would like to take a moment to sing the praises of the VCC chaplains... largely unsung in the media... who journeyed with deeply traumatised people after the fire. Many chaplains have continued to journey with those impacted by this tragedy. Each chaplain I have spoken with ...

I don't know about you, but some days I am nearly convinced that demonic forces are at work on my computer. The freezing... the error messages... the unexpected restarts... all designed to test my endurance and character. Anyway, today I received the following email about Jesus, Satan and computers for your edification and entertainment: Jesus and Satan were having an on-going argument about who was better on the computer. They had been going at it for days, and frankly God was tired of hearing all the bickering. Finally fed up, God said, "THAT'S IT! I have had enough. I am going to set up a test that will run for forty days and forty nights, and from those results, I will judge who does the better job." So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away. They moused. They created powerpoint presentations. They e-mailed. They e-mailed with attachments. They downloaded. They did spreadsheets. They wrote reports. They created labels and cards. They created cha...

I had the delightful privilege this week of sharing an hour with a group of CCTC students studying mission in the New Testament. (As a presenter, rather than as a fellow sufferer... well, a fellow sufferer in Greek classes at least... I do enjoy other subjects. I'm still in "recovery" from last semester... sorry for harping on about it). I asked them all to make a single response to a simple question: "What is one thing that helps you to connect with God?" What was remarkable was the diversity of responses around the room... community, aloneness, the Word, music, nature, and other responses I've forgotten (I should have taken notes). Perhaps this level of diversity shouldn't surprise me. We worship the God who created an incredibly diverse and complex natural world, and who has made every person on earth unique. It would be surprising if our spiritual lives did not reflect the diversity we see in other aspects of human life. This experience added poign...

I heard a beautiful story from a Churches of Christ minister recently... whom I shall call “Priscilla” for the sake of anonymity... about a retired gentleman whom I shall call “Jack”. Priscilla was on the ministry team of a church that had a policy that sermon notes should be copied and distributed to the congregation. One day after she had preached, Jack (a newcomer at the church) bowled up to her and announced “I don’t believe in women ministers”. “Oh, that’s interesting” she replied. “And I don’t agree with this!” He then thrust at her the day’s sermon notes with furious circles all over the sermon. “Would you like to discuss this further?” she enquired. He agreed that he would, so she dutifully went to his house the next day and had a long conversation about exegesis, theology, etc. etc. They parted on very cordial terms. The next time Priscilla preached, the man bowled up to her and proclaimed: “I don’t believe in women ministers. And I don’t agree with this! ” He once more thrust...

ORLANDO — Hot glue guns, faux-silk flowers, painted magnets that say "I can do all things through Christ!" — these astonishingly effective tools and skill-building exercises have helped New Life Center's women's group launch dozens of women into world-changing evangelism. "Who knew that crafts were such a potent training ground for the gospel?" says Debby Wentworth, the group's chipper leader, as she finishes painting an irresistibly cute wooden angel. She's joined in the fellowship hall by 120 women, all chatting and doing decoupage. They create darling flower bouquets, seasonal wall-hangings and cozy centerpieces — all for the cause of Christ. As a result of intense craft training, the group has become an engine of world transformation, sending dozens of women into the mission field. "My years spent doing crafts prepared me well for the incredible complexities and challenges of running an orphanage in rural Malaysia," says Tamara Gooden, ...

Just phoned the NHS swine flu helpline and all I got was crackling. How did the pig go on holiday? The swine flu Swine flu isn’t a problem for pigs, because they're all going to be cured anyway. The first sign of pig flu is that you come out in nasty rashers. Swine flu is getting serious, it has been reported to be a hamdemic, which may lead to an aporkolypse... But we’ll get through. Where there's a swill there's a way. This little piggy went to market, This little piggy stayed at home, This little piggy had roast beef, This little piggy had none. And this little piggy had influenza A virus subtype hemagglutinin protein 1 neuraminidase protein 1. The only known cure for Swine Flu has been found to be the liberal application of oinkment. My friend says he’s got swine flu, but I think he's telling porkies I have to say, I'm finding all these jokes about swine flu pretty boaring. If you receive an email from the Department of Health telling you not to eat...

One of the many wonderful things about children is that they pop out fresh. They therefore see the world with new eyes, and ask unexpected questions. My ten-year-old son was bemoaning the state of the world this morning (OK, he has a melancholy streak, and they've been looking at ecological sustainability, recycling, ethical shopping, child labour, carbon footprint etc. at school. I'm now living with a fully paid up member of the "eco-police"). I assured my son that when Jesus returns he'll make everything right. "I hope he wears decent clothes this time" was his reply. Yet again I'm theologically stumped. What would Jesus wear for his return? It seem perfectly reasonable to think that he wouldn't need to wear his 1st century styled robes. Any thoughts on contemporary gear for the second coming?

I have spent a bit of time in the blogosphere of late reading (and commenting upon) articles about women's ministry. (Not like me I know... ha ha!) Those of you who can't bear to wait for the CBE conference next year, and who would like to engage in some biblical discussions around this issue, might want to look at: Peggy Brown's article at "The Next Wave" and Peggy's reflections on the "women must keep silent" passage in Corinthians and How Junia became a male, then became a woman again and my earlier post about headship, etc. (Thanks to Matt Stone who has inspired me to use "blogger help" to learn about some of the zillion things I don't know about blogging. Let's just see if the links actually work...)

One of my life passions is seeing women step into their God-given vocation; to exercise the gifts and step into the calling that will be fruitful for them and a blessing to others. For some women, this calling is to parent well, or to teach, or to nurse, or to work in a variety of industries, or to engage in the creative arts, or to volunteer their services for the good of others, or a myriad of other possibilities… while for some, this involves a call to formal Christian ministry. I’ve recently discovered that the international “Christians for Biblical Equality” conference will be held in Melbourne next year. You can find out more information about this here I’m delighted to support this group, who provide solid evangelical explanations of the “tricky passages” that are used to block the leadership of women in conservative churches. This “blocking” is understandable in groups that sincerely want to come under the authority of scripture, and live faithfully to God. It is strange howeve...

By the rivers of Babylon There we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.... How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land? (Psalm 137: 1, 4. 21st Century King James Version,,, or was it Boney M? ) Psalm 137 a picture of utter disorientation. Worship in the temple is a thing of the past. How could these Exiles be the people of God away from the temple, away from the rituals, away from the songs of worship, away from the place where the presence of God was promised to dwell? Should they forget the LORD and simply dissolve into the world of the Babylonians? Was it all too hard? How could they be the people of God in a strange place? Of course, something profound happened among God’s people in the exile to Babylon. Over time they discovered a new way to be the people of God away from Jerusalem, away from the ruined temple, and outside of the sacrificial system of temple worship. The formation of the synagogue system, that have in one form or another has kept Judaism alive f...

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back. When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome. Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater. She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.' 'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there...

It can be quite useful to be bad at something. Some men excel at the art of "strategic incompetence". They find that if they cook a completely inedible meal, or generate 50 pots of washing up in the process of preparing a meal, they are not asked to do it again. They are unable to see the grease (and bits of melted cheese) still stuck to the plates after their "washing up" efforts, thus find themselves excused from further duties. Their attempts at washing clothes render all the whites pink and all the woollens downsized, and they find themselves exempt from future laundry duties. Whether such incompetence is innocent or deliberate, the result is the same... their time is freed up for other activities. It is actually impossible to be good at everything, and our weaknesses are usually the flip side of our strengths. There has been research that suggests those who are outstanding in a field are not "well balanced" people... in order to excel in one area, ot...

I received an email yesterday enquiring about the position of Churches of Christ in relation to women as senior ministers. I thought this was an interesting question, so I've posted below an edited version of my email response: Churches of Christ do not generally have "positions" on anything outside of the absolute core Christian beliefs, because of an historical commitment to the independence of local churches, and because they value liberty of conscience of individuals. Choices about who may or who may not be invited to take on a ministry position therefore become the decision of the eldership of a local church, elected by the church membership. As a movement overall, however, Churches of Christ ordain women in ministry under the expectation that all who follow Christ are "ministers", and that there is neither male nor female, slave nor free, Jew nor Greek in Christ Jesus. In the traditional view of Churches of Christ, a team of elders are the ...

Genesis 1: 26 Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Genesis 1 is an extraordinarily rich passage, subtly introducing a number of key themes that emerge throughout the bible. In the extraordinary phrase “let us ”, we see the earliest hint of the God revealed in Christ and through the Spirit... as a God whose very nature is relationship. The Christian view of God as Trinity, three persons in eternal relationship, is gently evoked b...

Churches of Christ are fairly laissez-faire around the issue of ordination... many of our paid ministers are not ordained, and the Church of Christ view around ordination is very different from that of many other traditions. The belief that all Christians are "ministers", but that some people may be set aside from secular work in order to equip all the other "ministers" in Christian service, is one of the key ideas in our movement. Gender is pretty much irrelevant in this view of paid (and/or ordained) ministry. For some of our brothers and sisters in other denominations, ordination has very different implications... and gender is one of the important criteria involved in who may (or may not) be ordained. Circulating around cyberspace is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek argument about the importance of gender in ordination to Christian ministry: Top Ten Reasons Why Men Should Not Be Ordained: 10. A man's place is in the army. 9. For men who have children, their duties...

This website says it all... http://www.girleffect.org/#/splash/

You may have noticed on my profile the statement: “I love to encourage women to do whatever makes them ‘fully alive’.”(Or men, for that matter... but my primary focus is women’s ministry!) By “fully alive” I don’t mean thrills for thrills’ sake... I mean the deeper joy of stepping into vocation... of making a difference in the world in one’s own unique, God-given shape. I heard the following reading at church recently, and thought I’d quote it here, because it captures poetically something of the beauty of a person who is living “fully alive”: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are ...

It's no great secret that the education and empowerment of women is absolutely critical in the struggle against world poverty. Women's education rates are key to lowering birthrates in developing countries... an important step in avoiding environmental catastrophe and resultant hunger. The greater the education of women, on average, the higher their income. In comparison to men, women spend a far higher proportion of their income on their children. The health and education of future generations can best be achieved by educating women, and by empowering them through "microeconomic" schemes. So today I would like to applaud the Obama administration for establishing a global women's post. (see http://www.theage.com.au/world/obama-creates-post-to-tackle-global-womens-issues-20090307-8rwk.html) This can only be a step in the right direction for human rights and human wellbeing across the planet. The Obama administration... like governments all across the globe... face ...

I was privileged to preach at a small church the week after the terrible bushfires that claimed so many lives, and destroyed so many homes and farms and workplaces. It was a beautiful morning service, full of the prayers and rituals and times of sharing that are so important to people processing real (and vicarious) grief. This small community was involved in running one of the official bushfire relief centres, so they had been working their proverbial backsides off all week processing and packing and forwarding on the outpouring of gracious gifts of the community to those left homeless by the fires. Beverley, who led the service, commented afterward that she hadn’t had a proper meal all week, as she had been pretty much working at the centre from dawn to dusk. I sat next to June, an older lady who led the communion time. Her husband had been in hospital all that week, and she herself had recently had a hip replacement. (She was a little unsteady on her feet). Her homemade preserves ha...

Sometimes parents take insufficient thought and care when naming their new bundle of joy... I think this post is best read out loud... Stan Still, 76, said his name 'has been a blooming millstone around my neck my entire life', Mr Still, a former RAF man from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, told the Daily Mail newspaper in the UK: "When I was in the RAF my commanding officer used to shout, "Stan Still, get a move on" and roll about laughing. It got hugely boring after a while." Doug Hole didn't want to talk about his, and Will Power was just grateful he had always been known as Bill. Imagine trying to lead a normal life being named Justin Case, Barb Dwyer, Mary Christmas, Paige Turner, Jo King, Lee King, Anna Sasin and Barry Cade. Thank your lucky stars you're not called Rose Bush, Pearl Button or Hazel Nutt, who also make the list of The Most Unfortunate Names in Britain. A search taking in the US turned up Bill Board, Annette Curtain, Carrie Oakey an...

Q: Should I have a baby after 35? A: No, 35 children is enough. Q : I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move? A: With any luck, right after he finishes university. Q : What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex? A: Childbirth. Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational. A: So what's your question? Q : My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right? A: Yes, in the same way that a cyclone might be called an air current. Q: When is the best time to get an epidural? A: Right after you find out you're pregnant. Q : Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor? A: Not unless the word 'child support payment' means anything to you. Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth? A: Yes, pregnancy. Q : Do I have to have a baby shower? A: Not if you change the baby's nappy very q...

Most people who work in Christian organisations know a thing or two about tight (or non-existent) budgets. One learns to make do... sneaking down to Community Care to borrow a glue stick, promoting events by email to save on stamps, budgeting events to break even (and praying like mad enough people will register so this can happen.) Etc. etc. Shocking though this may sound, gentle reader, I have moaned for some years about not having money to develop a website (although only in a terribly gracious, charitable and Christian kind of way, of course!) Well, over the past week my wondrous boss Martin has just whipped one up on his laptop! He keeps threatening to turn it all pink and girly when I give him cheek, which is most of the time. So if it has a sudden change of hue, you'll know I've pushed the boundaries with Martin just a little bit too far. So here (drum roll) is "Mark One" of a women's ministry site for Churches of Christ Vic/Tas. Any feedback or comments ab...

As unruffled and efficient as I may be (ahem), it is with some alarm I note that I will be running / MCing a major conference in just over 3 weeks. Arrgghhh. (That's a cyber scream. Though in cyberspace, no one can hear you scream... Or was that real space?) Anyway, if you could spare a prayer for me, the speakers, the organising team, and a spare prayer of blessing for those who attend, that would be greatly appreciated. http://cofcaustralia.org/cofc-cms/images/stories/CofCVicTas/coc%20refresh%20dl%20web.pdf?PHPSESSID=eca047d7f2d06c01ecb01144aeb5e6ab

I am amazed. No, really. My comment on Danny Nalliah’s blog (see previous post) has been rejected. Apparently, it’s ok to have his comments described as: “disgusting” and as “blatant opportunism”. But describing his exegesis as “sloppy” is apparently a comment too hot to handle. I don’t think I’ve said anything too radical (although perhaps I had a bit of a “tone” in my comments... I was a little ticked off when writing). I was trying to make a simple point, really. The first testament describes a covenant between Yahweh and a people (the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), promising them the land of Israel. If the Jewish people obeyed the laws given to Moses, they would have peace and prosperity in this land. God promised his presence in the temple in Jerusalem, and if his people had been unfaithful, God would always hear them as they repented and prayed in this temple. The New Testament describes a new covenant, where all who follow the way of Jesus become God’s people, regard...

The bushfires raging around Victoria have created a most sobering week... more than 1800 homes lost, more than 180 people dead, thousands of people with traumatic near misses from the fire. It has highlighted to me what an interlinked community we have in Victoria... everyone I speak with knows someone, or knows someone who knows someone, who has been deeply affected by these fires. Even as I write now I can smell smoke and see the reddish-gold smoke-tinted sunlight as fires continue to blaze in the hills. Amidst all the trauma and sadness and heroism and kindness and generosity, there has been a voice of gross insensitivity noted in the newspapers. Danny Nalliah, a Christian pastor known for "Catch the Fire Ministries", has publicly claimed that the bushfires are a direct result of God removing his protection from Australia in general and Victoria in particular because of our recently modified abortion laws. One wonders the cause of the 80's Ash Wednesday and the 30'...

While I might George W Bush a teeny weeny bit harshly for things like... oh, failure to regulate bank lending leading to global economic chaos, torture, prolonged detention of suspects without trial, and a trumped up war (have you seen Google earth lately... where did they hide those weapons of mass destruction again?), I honestly don’t judge him too harshly for saying dumb things when he steps aside from an autocue. (See previous post). The Lord alone knows how many dumb things I’ve said in my time... especially since the acquired brain injury of pregnancy. (I keep waiting for my brain to recover, but am close to giving up hope on that score). Last year at the supermarket deli, I asked for 5 honey soy and 5 satay kebabs. “Do you mind if they’re in the one packet?” the attendant enquired. “No, I don’t want them mixed together...” (thinking the sauces would cross-pollinate, so to speak). Then I noticed they were already in two separate plastic bags. “Oh, I don’t mind if they’re in the s...

Strangely enough, I think we'll all miss these kinds of statements now an erudite president has taken office in the US... 'The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country.' - George W. Bush 'If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.' - George W. Bush 'One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is 'to be prepared'.' -George W. Bush 'I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future.' - George W. Bush 'The future will be better tomorrow.' - George W. Bush 'We're going to have the best educated American people in the world.' - George W. Bush 'I stand by all the misstatements that I've made.' - George W Bush 'We have a firm commitment to NATO, we ar...