This series of Bible studies seeks to retell the stories of women who were divinely called and empowered to do great things. Many of them rose to the occasion, and a few very famously did not. Often, the tragedies and triumphs in their lives are missed, and their stories are told from perspectives other than with the honor and dignity they deserve.
Blog Feed
“Personal Knowledge,” by Michael Polanyi (Part 2)
Intuitive and creative thought can only thrive in a free society. Only human beings were able to develop signs and symbols that could record and convey ideas, which made it possible for our intelligence to grow. We are still growing. It takes all of us to know and share the truth, and to continue to find meaning.
Share this:
“Personal Knowledge,” by Michael Polanyi (Part 1)
Polanyi gives his thesis statement a number of times, but I thought this one was fairly straightforward and succinct: “… The whole process of discovery and confirmation ultimately relies on our own accrediting of our own vision of reality” (p 130). This is true of faith and belief as well.
Share this:
“Art and Faith,” by Makoto Fujimura
We would relish God's invitation to create without the inhibition of embarrassment or inability, or cringing in fear at the inevitable smack-down. We would throw ourselves heart, mind, soul, and strength, and with great joy, into the project.
Share this:
“Primal Intelligence,” by Angus Fletcher (Part 2)
Fletcher’s challenge to make new plans when the environment changes, and to junk our must successful plans (that was then, this is now) is bracing counsel that sits well, as is his exhortation to be bold. A mentor of mine once urged me to “fail fast and fall hard,” or something like that. “Cut away the tried-and-true and double down on the eccentric, until you make a breakthrough”
Share this:
“Primal Intelligence,” by Angus Fletcher (Part 1)
The human brain thinks in story, and that kind of thinking can be observed in intuition, imagination, emotion, and common sense. Mentally, I was rubbing my hands with anticipation to read this book, and I was not disappointed.
Share this:
“Ecosemiotics,” by Timo Maran
Perhaps we view Maran in the way we might view a Hebrew Testament prophet, as one who is telling us the awful truth while there is yet time to do something about it.
Share this:
Abigail: God’s Ambassador
How could a marriage so broken, weighted by the burden of abuse and unchecked addiction, bring any good to Abigail? And yet, God had a magnificent purpose in this apparently mismatched couple, as Abigail’s story reveals.
Share this:
Rebekah: Single-Hearted Faith
Rebekah is most remembered for her elaborate—and successful—plan to fool Isaac into giving Jacob both the birthright blessing and the Abrahamic blessings, the promises of God. Her intelligence, persevering faith, and costly sacrifice are often forgotten in the negative reading of her account. Lessons about consequences and familial dysfunction are drawn from her story, but seldom is her single-hearted devotion to God and to God's word highlighted.
Share this:
Martha: From Burdened to Beatified
Most of us remember the Martha depicted in Luke’s Gospel, the busy beaver who is reprimanded by Jesus, and chastened to be more like her spiritual sister Mary. Or, at least, that is the sermon I’ve heard many a time. But I do not think that is the Martha Jesus knew and knows to this day. Imagine, with me, a very different story.
Share this:
Leah: Tender-Eyed Faith
How could God allow such an unhappy marriage of unrequited love, intense loneliness, continuing rejection, and Leah’s broken heart, with seemingly no hope for change? And yet the Lord did have a plan in mind, a purpose so crucial it involved the salvation of the world: for the faith that matured in Leah was the faith her sons would grow up in.
