No Doubt?
August 28, 2009 |
When do we stop being spiritual seekers? Certainly, through a faith commitment to Jesus, we move from the theological category “lost” to the category “found.” But does the seeking ever truly end? Should it?
I’ve often heard it said that Job was a hero because, though he suffered greatly, he never questioned God. Oh really? I wonder if people who say this have ever actually read some of the things Job said out of his anguish. Have they read his expressions of agony, his wrestling, his frustration, his sense that God was not even listening? The message of the book of Job certainly isn’t “never question God.” For me personally, one of the strongest messages of the book of Job and its inclusion in the canon of Scripture is the brutally honest acknowledgement that confusion—serious, painful confusion … and suffering … and questioning … and doubt … and inner turmoil—are part of the human experience. They are part of any human’s relationship with God. There are moments of confusion and darkness for all of us.
Yet there’s an implicit expectation in the church that Christian leaders are to be somehow immune to this. Pastors, missionaries, parachurch workers, Bible study leaders—they certainly never have doubts, right? And if, for some strange reason they did have doubts, they absolutely should never mention them to anyone.
I have noticed one exception to this general rule.
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on August 28, 2009 | Comments (16)
Spiritual Casualties of Gender Wars
August 25, 2009 |
Earlier this summer, in her excellent post “Weary of the Gender Wars,” Nancy Parkhurst Leafblad presents a compelling portrait of how she was unwillingly conscripted into a war not of her making when she followed God’s call into ministry. This article carries on from her ideas.
Nancy Parkhurst Leafblad describes how she found herself in a war she never wanted, because she is a woman with pastoral gifts working in the church. She is not alone. Women may enter vocational ministry well aware of spiritual warfare yet completely unaware of gender warfare until they are already in the thick of the battle. This certainly happened to me. From early on I had a strong theological bent and was delighted when I was able to enroll in the ThM degree program at Dallas Seminary in 1986, the first year they opened that program to women students. Comments about my presence there were usually easily deflected by the reply that I was training for work as an overseas missionary. Though I didn’t know it at the time, those conversations were the beginning of an ongoing pattern of defending my call to those who thought it should be for men only.
Unlike Nancy, however, my main battles have not been fought in the academy but in the trenches amid the realities of daily ministry. (For a few stories, see my earlier post, “How We Treat the Missionary Wife.”) The academy continues to debate, as she points out, but in my trenches the battle is mostly waged by silence. The question of women in ministry is rarely mentioned and is considered as settled: women belong in home-and-family-based ministry. In the countries and churches where I have served and in the organization that sent me, I have been one of the few voices speaking out in favor of seeing missionary women as vocational workers for God’s kingdom.
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on August 25, 2009 | Comments (15)
Over-Trained and Overwhelmed Leaders
August 21, 2009 |
Since I’d heard some buzz about the book, I was happy to accept the invitation for GFL to part of its “blog tour” along with our sister site, SmallGroups.com. After reading the following passage from chapter 17 of Sticky Church, I became even more excited about sharing this with you all.
In it, author Larry Osborne describes “a common trap,” and certainly one that has kept me—as a leader who has to manage time wisely between motherhood, writing, speaking, and other responsibilities—from getting involved in certain leadership positions I might otherwise enjoy.
Can’t wait to hear what you have to say about this excerpt from Larry Osborne’s Sticky Church:
When we at North Coast Church began our small group ministry, we fell into a common trap.
We overtrained.
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on August 21, 2009 | Comments (5)
What Not to Wear
August 18, 2009 |
You are about to read a post about women and clothing. It probably cannot get more stereotypical, but before you cringe and click out of this window, I beg you to come along. This is about the community of God—not the power of the pedicure.
I once exchanged ideas with two male seminary classmates. Graduation was near, and as we chatted about the students moving into pastoral roles, we tossed out the name of a very talented female graduate. “I wonder what Sally will do?” I said. Sally was smart, savvy, and anointed in a powerful way. She was also gorgeous and turned the heads of many men (not something she tried to do).
My colleague said this, “Sally is phenomenal, but when she preaches few men will be thinking about God. If you know what I mean.”
“So, you saying she’s too pretty to preach?”
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on August 18, 2009 | Comments (87)
Displaying God's Splendor
August 14, 2009 |
I am a Texan through and through. It has for years been my dream to move back to Texas, but I’m pretty sure that will never happen.
So I decided to bring Texas to Florida—to my family room. I have acquired several genuine Texas items, including an old tin Texas flag, bluebonnet coasters, a wild horse sculpture, a lone star paperweight and many others.
But I needed a just right piece to go above our fireplace. I found it when I was in Galveston with my mother and sisters. On the wall of a fabulous art gallery was an awesome G. Harvey painting called “Turning the Lead.” It portrays a dark and stormy night; the moon is breaking through the clouds, reflecting in the puddles on the red dirt. Two weathered cowboys are attempting to turn the lead steer and thus stop the stampeding herd of longhorns.
I ordered a print, and when it came, I spent hours picking out just the right frame and matting for the picture and for our home. The mottled rust colored frame picked up the red dirt. The beige, suede matting provided lightness and texture. Both were perfect for displaying the beauty of the painting.
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on August 14, 2009 | Comments (0)
The Art of Rebinding
August 11, 2009 |
I recently had my Bible rebound. I’ve had it for more than a decade, and it’s literally travelled tens of thousands of miles with me—physically and spiritually. Its pages provided comfort during the long dark winters in Alaska, hope during times of transition when we returned to Colorado, and wisdom for various steps along the way. In the end, I spent a $123 to get the wrinkled pages of my Bible pressed, additional blank pages added to the back, five new ribbons, and a genuine leather covers that smells, well, like fresh cow skin. Yum.
But in all honesty, I was really paying for were the things money couldn’t buy: the years of notes, the prayer lists, the underlined and circled passages, the dates where particular scriptures were the most impactful. Those are the things money can’t bind. Priceless.
The whole process of having a book rebound is counterintuitive in our fast-paced, highly disposable world. Some have suggested that I should have just ordered a new Bible. From a fiscal perspective, they’re right. Most Bibles are a whole lot less expensive, and the process would have been quicker. But there’s something wonderful about that which is old, tried, and true. This whole book binding experienced has raised the question of what else should I be holding onto? What else should I try to restore?
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on August 11, 2009 | Comments (3)
When We Can't Agree to Disagree
August 7, 2009 |
The idea that men and women are created differently, in ways that complement each other, sounds okay. But often, this “equal but different” thinking results in a hierarchy that can lead to distortions of truth, or even emotional and physical abuse.
For years, I thought that as with many theological side issues, sincere Christians can agree to disagree when it comes to gender roles. Some churches let women lead and teach the whole congregation, others interpret the Bible to say that women can only lead and teach other women, and in some cases, there are limits beyond even that. (I’ve heard of one church that doesn’t allow a woman to be the head of women’s ministries.)
I disagreed with this view, known as Complementarianism, but I figured, well, if that’s how they roll, then okay. But now, I’m starting to change my mind: often, it is not okay. Because if you take Complementarianism to the extreme, it becomes destructive.
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on August 7, 2009 | Comments (67)
Ministry in the Moment
August 4, 2009 |
Lately I’ve been struck at how full my life has become. Between family, friends, church, home and job as a hospital chaplain (complete with a pager that seems to go off when it’s least convenient), my calendar doesn’t have much white space. I am, in a word, busy. As a churchgoer, I’ve heard countless sermons on the dangers of being busy. But lately I’m beginning to think that maybe busyness is not the real problem. Instead, I’m moving towards identifying a different issue—a deeper one—that begs addressing. The issue of how I choose to respond to God, and others, in the midst of my busyness. In other words: Do I choose to remain available to love/serve others in those moments that are not planned, not scripted, or fail to fit neatly into my schedule?
As a woman who longs to lead as Jesus led, this question moves me to look at Jesus’ view of busyness. And as I read the Gospels, a shocking reality emerges: it doesn’t appear that Jesus had a problem with busyness. Just consider his life. Jesus was constantly on the move, traveling from town to town, engaging religious leaders, healing the sick, casting out demons, sitting with outcasts, mentoring disciples, teaching multitudes, etc. I am fairly confident that if Jesus had carried a Blackberry, or an iPhone, his calendar would have appeared full to overflowing, not to mention his email inbox. However, unlike most of us, he never allowed his busyness to trump his availability.
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on August 4, 2009 | Comments (11)
