“Sex and the City Uncovered: Exposing the Emptiness and Healing the Hurt” by Marian Jordan

In Sex and the City Uncovered: Exposing the Emptiness and Healing the Hurt author Marian Jordan uses the popular television series “Sex in the City” as a reference point for some of the issues faced by single (and married) young women in today’s culture.

In the book, she discusses the ways that many young women seek to find their self-worth in relationships, careers, money, clothing, appearance, alcohol, sex – and helps them come to the conclusion that none of these things will bring the lasting happiness and joy that they seek.  Only a relationship with Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness in their hearts.

Founder of Redeemed Girl Ministries, Marian knows first-hand that this kind of lifestyle does not lead to true happiness because she tried living that way herself.

I would recommend this book as a good resource for those seeking to minister to young adult women today, as well as a resource for those who find themselves trapped in a life that seeks to find approval from the world.

 

True Woman ‘08

The True Woman ‘08 conference, sponsored by Revive Our Hearts, was held this past fall in Chicago.  The opening message at that conference was delivered by Pastor John Piper.  In his message, he makes this mind-blowing observation:

That’s the reason the universe exists: To display the glory of God’s grace in its highest expression as the Son of God dies to make a rebellious people His bride.

Everything exists so that that can happen, and everything exists to highlight that and make much of that, especially you. God’s ultimate purpose in creating the world and choosing to let it become this sin-wrecked world that it is, is so that the glory of Christ could be put on display where He bought the rebellious bride at the cost of His life.

Now that’s based on text. Let me give you a couple of them.

Revelation chapter 13, verse 8, goes like this. God is talking about writing names down in a book, and those that are in the book don’t worship the beast. He says, “Before the foundation of the world, in the Book of Life of the Lamb who was slain.”

So names are being written before the foundation of the world in a book, and the name of the book is the Book of Life of the Lamb who was slain. That is amazing. Before anything existed but God, Christ was crucified in God’s mind for sin that didn’t exist anywhere in the universe. That’s amazing. That’s not wimpy, and it doesn’t produce wimpy women. It is staggering to think that God was planning the death and slaughter–that’s the word slain–of His Son before the universe was made.

You can listen to the rest of Pastor Piper’s message on “The Most Influential People in the World” here.

 

Women’s Ministry and Young Adult Women

We know that many young women in their 20s and 30s are not particularly attracted to the “traditional” way of doing women’s ministry – which is great and fine, but yet I still believe that the topic of biblical womanhood is best taught and applied in the context of women teaching women.

So … I’ve been praying and struggling with ideas for several months as to how a “new” way of doing women’s ministry would look to this age group.  I don’t really have any firm answers yet, but I am excited to tell you that a young woman in our church e-mailed me this week with a real burden for many of the issues faced by the other women in our age group, and with a desire to help work with this group of women.  Praise the Lord!

We hope to meet together in the coming weeks to share ideas with one another, but this is completely a step in the right direction!  I think that God is going to do wonderful things through the women of our church, and I can’t wait to see what happens!

 

Tonight’s the Big Night!

Tonight is the big night for our women’s ministry!  Our ladies have pulled out all the stops to make a winter wonderland out of our church gym.  Others will spend the day cooking, and tonight we will gather to learn more about “Treasuring God in Our Traditions.”

With that thought in mind, I am reminded of an old Amy Grant song, which I leave with you today…

 

Psalms Study Wrap-up

Last night, my Bible study group finished our study of Nancy Leigh DeMoss’ A 30-Day Walk With God in the Psalms.  Although it was a lot of work that came at a really busy time of year for me, I’m glad that I was able to be a part of this group.  I have heard so many testimonies from these ladies as to how God was using the Psalms to speak to them right where they are in this season of life.

One of the blessings about the way our church does small group Bible studies is that the participants vary from study to study, bringing together a wide group of ages, life stages, and experience.  We are able to spend time with people (in this case, women) who we would not normally get to know.  New friends are made, old friendships are renewed.

I am thankful for our 30-day walk (that actually took seven weeks!).  I am thankful for the diligent work that the women put into their individual study, and for the insights that they brought to class each week.

Last night was the end of our Sunday evening “discipleship training” for 2008.  Sunday nights from now until the end of the year will be taken up with special services related to the Christmas season.  But come January, we’ll be ready to dive back into our Bible studies.  If you live in Owensboro, I hope you’ll plan to join us!

 

Passing Along Our Traditions

This morning, I had the privilege of spending two hours planning this year’s Christmas event with our women’s ministries team.  Wow!  If you live in Owensboro, this is going to be an awesome evening!  On Friday evening December 5th, our ladies, girls, and guests are going to be treated to a winter wonderland.  I cannot begin to describe how fantastic the decorations are going to be – you’ll have to come and see them for yourself!

The theme of the evening is “Treasuring God in Our Traditions,” which comes from Noel Piper’s book by the same title.  If you have not read Mrs. Piper’s book, I strongly encourage you to get a copy of it before the holiday season is over.  She passes along some great ideas for keeping Christ the center of your family traditions.

Throughout our special evening, some of the godly women of our church will share how they have kept Christ in Christmas, and how they are passing on these traditions to their families.  Some of the ladies who will share are “senior saints,” some are in the middle of their journey, and one is even a teenager.  We will eat some wonderful Christmas food, and hear beautiful Christmas carols.  We will fellowship with one another, and hopefully we will edify one another with our words.

We believe it is important for Christian women to share with one another how, in the context of the secular world in which we live, we manage to teach our families that the holidays are first and foremost about God’s gift to us in sending Jesus.  We believe that it is important to teach these eternal Truths to younger generations.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.  Deuteronomy 6:4-9

 

Young Women and Biblical Womanhood

I have been searching for resources to help young adult women understand the concept of biblical womanhood, and I am coming up short.

Where can I find the future Elisabeth Elliot and Nancy Leigh DeMoss?  What leaders, speakers, and writers in their 20s and early 30s are actively seeking to model to and teach their peers about a biblical understanding of what a woman is to be in her home and family?

Please don’t misunderstand me.  I know the value of older, godly women passing along the legacy of biblical womanhood to those of us who are younger.  I have been listening to Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s current radio series on Titus 2, and I am learning a lot from her this month.  Yet, I know that she is primarily talking to the older women in the audience.

One good blog that I read is girl talk, written by Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters.  They give a good balance of older women teaching younger women, and how the younger women are to respond.

Marian Jordan and Redeemed Girl Ministries were recently recommended to me.  I am anxiously awaiting her book to be delivered by our friendly USPS.  Once I’ve read it, I’ll give a report.

If you are involved with leading women or young adults, do you have some good, new resources to share in this area?  If so, please pass them along!

 

Studying the Word

Last night, I began leading a group of women through Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s A 30-Day Walk With God in the Psalms.  Fifteen women showed up to learn more about the Psalms and to learn how to deepen their devotional life through studying God’s Word.

I am really looking forward to teaching this particular study because I believe that the questions asked in the workbook can help women learn how to approach any text of Scripture for themselves.

Our evangelical world of women’s ministry is often very personality-driven.  Women want to do studies written by whomever they find to be the most dynamic … or the funniest … or the best-dressed … or the loudest … without ever really considering the content.

I am more interested in seeing women grow in their walk with the Lord than in whether or not we are doing the latest and greatest study on the shelf at our local Christian bookstore.

Don’t misunderstand me – women who write Bible studies and do conferences are not necessarily a bad thing.  However, I have observed women in local churches lifting these leaders up in unhealthy ways, ways that come close to worshipping the leader rather than the Savior.

So, while we are doing a study written by a national speaker to women, I am praying that through this study the women in the group will learn to study the Word for themselves.  In a few weeks, we will do an assignment outside of the workbook, to see if we can apply the principles that we are learning.

I’m looking forward to seeing how God’s Word will move in our lives.