Breaking Free - Book Review

 In Breaking Free, Beth Moore embarks on a study of selected passages from the book of Isaiah, drawing several parallels between the captive Israelites and today’s Christians, in order to show how to make freedom in Christ a daily reality. Moore teaches readers to remove obstacles that hinder freedom by identifying spiritual strongholds in their lives and overcoming them through the truth of God’s Word—truth that will set us free.

This book is wonderful for women's study groups and lends itself very nicely to practical discussion about the issues that women of God struggle with on a daily basis.  Beth Moore is a wonderful writer, and excellent Bible teacher!

It's Time for a Shift by David G. Evans

Sister Girls

The other night I sat with a group of girlfriends and when I tell you we laughed and hollared!  We laughed so hard, for most of the dinner, we were in tears.  Nothin' like being with your sister girls and walking down memory lane and laughing so hard you almost break your hips!  But you know...I seldom experience this in my ministry circles with women of the cloth.  Why is that?  Are we too serious, or what? Why is it that we don't take time to be sister girls and not just title holders? Two of the things that I think is seriously missing today among female preachers and pastors are a sense of fraternity, and the fellowship that occurs when a group of people build community with each other. It just seems to me that we have deliberately closed ourselves off from each other as people. What a shame - because we need each other.  We need each other for laughter and tears, we need each other so that we can grow up together and spend our lives together, and we need each other to remind ourselves not to take ourselves so seriously that we forget that it is all about Jesus and not the titles we wear so proudly.  I'm just sayin'...

Being True To Your Own Speaking-Delivery Style

When I think of my favorite girl preachers, there is something about each of them that I find endearing and even funny.  One can preach you under the pew with her hoop. A male preacher would be hard pressed to try to out-hoop her.  You know what I mean? Hooping is her personal delivery style. While I love watching her do it, I don't try it - because it is not my style.  Another of my favorites is a comedienne in bishop's attire. She will make you laugh one moment, and while you are in the middle of that laugh she can drop a truth that will make you grab your throat.  Although I can make you laugh too - comedy is not one of my specialties - but exegesis of a scripture is.  So...I don't try to clown while I am preaching.  It is not my style.

Some girl preachers are super feminine, and some are tom-boyish in their mannerisms and terminology.  Some girl preachers stand still behind the pulpit with their notes, while others - like me - are on the move from the start of their sermon to the end.  And, I seldom use notes.  Some girl preachers are very articulate and use wonderfully good grammar. I couldn't if my life depended on it, because it is not my style. I personally enjoy wrecking verbs and prepositions.

It takes time to find out what your style of ministry delivery is.  In finding out what that is, be comfortable in your own skin, love you, and don't try to sound or act like somebody else...no matter how good they are.