Women Teaching Women

I memorized a lot of Scripture when I was a child. Growing up in a pastor's home meant that we were heavily involved in the AWANA program, and I was privileged to participate as early as Cubbies to TNT clubs and beyond. In Bible college, Scripture memorization was a major portion of our grades. I was thoroughly saturated with the importance of memorizing Scripture... So I was naturally great at it, right? The truth is, I've always struggled with memorization. Nearly everything I memorized was crammed for one reason or another, and whatever wasn't done last minute wouldn't stick with me long-term. I can hardly remember any of the verses that I memorized in AWANA clubs, and I have only a vague recollection of what I memorized during college (which was not very long ago, mind you.) My strongest memories are the agonizing frustrations of trying to recite to a professor, or writing down for a test, only to be met with a blank wall of complete forgetfulness. I didn...

A phrase in James has haunted my mind. You may be very familiar with this phrase too. As I've gone to work it has floated in the back of my mind, at home it shadows me. Everywhere I seem to go and everything I do brings this phrase back to mind and I can't get it out of my head. Have you ever had an experience like that with a Bible verse or phrase? Something hits you so hard that you can't forget it if you wanted to. This is how this verse sat with me, sometimes I wanted to forget it but I couldn't get it out of my head. I heard it, but sometimes it made me angry to remember. Let me introduce you to this verse. You can find it in James 4:2, and it says, "You do not have because you do not ask." You've probably experienced many of the same feelings and frustrations that I have faced. You may remember a specific time that you felt abandoned by your closest friends. You may have felt defeated by a sin that kept pulling you into the temptation...

Young people are often told to be faithful now, and God will use you. Older people are told to be faithful in the little things, because you never know how God will use you. But, how do I know when God is using me? What does God do with me when He’s done using me? What if God never uses me? Those are valid questions. So we are going to consider examples in the Bible to pinpoint eight qualities of how God uses people. It may not be what you think. Timing God used Moses after preparing him for 80 years. God’s big Abraham event occurred at age 100. God used Noah after 500 years of faithfulness. Then again, God used John the Baptist while he was still in the womb. Wait for God’s timing. It’s always right. Opposition and Difficulty Joseph was in prison with a marred reputation. Elijah, Micaiah, Jeremiah, and others confronted powerful, angry men. Kings Asa and Hezekiah faced large armies. Mary faced execution as an unwed, pregnan...

I’ve heard it. I’m sure you’ve heard it, too. “Learn to love yourself.” “Girl, you need to take care of you first.” “Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough.” “Believe in yourself.” And on and on it goes. Inspirational phrases of this type flood our Facebook feeds, magazines, blogs, and self-help books. They sound so wrong at first, as if they are telling you to be self-focused and narcissistic. Then they begin to sound so right, so inviting, so kind, so healing…. THE PROOF-TEXT Even Christian publications are beginning to give a starring role to this ideology, using Jesus’ own words to back up their points. What words would Jesus have said about this? In Matthew 22:36-40, we read  this conversation: "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the sec...

Whether it is a state of mind or feeling, happiness is something that everyone desires. We go to great lengths to achieve it, but it seems that lasting happiness is always fleeing from our desperate grasps. We are pushed and told to do the things that make us happy, yet we struggle to make the feeling last. There is a good reason for this: happiness is not permanent. This is because happiness is based on happenstances, hence the word "happiness". It comes as a result of your response to what happens in your life. No wonder you can't make it stay! As a Christian, it is vital to understand that happiness and joy are distinct from one another. You may not always be happy, to which there ought to be no shame and guilt when you are not, but you are always to remain joyful. While there are certain aspects of your life that you cannot control, there are some things that you can do to promote happiness. 1. Present The key to being a truly happy person is to live not ...

Being sick is never fun, but it seems particularly more miserable when it's cold and dreary outside. I don't know what it is, but it seems that the cold and flu virus runs rampant in the winter and I always catch one or the other around this time of year. I'm sure there is a scientific explanation as to why it more common this time of year to catch a bug, so maybe that's the next topic I'll be researching soon. I am on the upward climb from catching a bad cold, and these are the things that I always do to help me through being ill. I am not a medical professional, so please keep that in mind as you read. I hope you start to feel better soon, too! 1. Talk to your doctor "Natural remedies" are sometimes more dangerous to your health than it would seem. If something is out of the ordinary, such as if your sore throat is causing a fever or you suspect that you have a sinus infection, please seek medical attention. Doctors have been educated and are ...

Ever since I was a little girl watching "Fiddler on the Roof", I have loved Hodel, the middle daughter, and her devoted spirit. Her key song, "Far from the Home I Love", has always given me tears, but now that I am married, it means much more to me than an emotional movie plot element. The lyrics paint a genuine picture of what God wrote in Genesis 2:24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. So, what wisdom does Hodel share about "leaving and cleaving"?  1. It's unforeseen "Who could see that a man would come who would change the course of my dreams?" We don't know the future, but we know a God who does. Whether I feel that I've missed the boat or jumped on the wrong one, accept that His timing is right. 2. It's life-changing "A man... who would change the course of my dreams.... Other dreams grow dim." Whatever I was...