Heather Hodges

There are a lot of “firsts” in life. Your fist airplane ride, first taste of Dove chocolate, first time to see a Broadway musical,  first time to smell a giraffe.  But one of the most memorable “firsts”for a lot of people is the first day of first grade.  Have a great year Caleb!!!

I live in a home of all males. Even the hamsters were boys. I say “were” because not long ago we put the hamster cage on the back porch so that everyone could have some fresh air (especially me.) The next morning the hamsters were gone. In the night, a cat or some other predator knocked the cage over and either emancipated or digested them.

Living in a house of all males has some clear disadvantages: the toilet seat is ALWAYS up, wrestling is an all-day every-day pass time, the noise level of my home is about that of a jet engine or a Creed concert, I now buy band-aids in bulk, the toy arsenal continues to grow, keeping the fridge stocked is an unattainable goal, testosterone and adrenaline flow like a river and I never know who are what is going to jump out of the closet at me.

But when the dust settles and the blood has clotted, the three guys I live with work pretty hard to treat me like a queen. I’m the only woman in their lives and I reap the benefits, hugs and kisses are abundant. Sitting next to me is a coveted spot and I have the honor of being fought over every day. They try to out-do each other to make me laugh, and they each risk their lives to show-off for me. Holding my hand walking across the parking lot is tantamount to getting the biggest scoop of ice cream. In short, my little domain may be loud, messy and sometimes bloody, but at least I get to be the Queen!

I just spent the better part of the weekend building a new website for the Garnett Bilingual Preschool. Coached by my brilliant husband, we decided to go with a blog format with static pages to display information. A new website in less than 48 hours, you’ve got to love WordPress.

It has been a pleasure reading your feedback to my previous post. I am humbled that so many of you took the time to weigh in on this very important subject. I invite you now to brain storm with me what the next actions could be for a congregation that believes women should use their gifts fully in service to God. Where do we go from here? How do a group of believers proceed down a path that will inevitably cause pain or discomfort to others? Is it possible to change church culture? Should we attempt to change church culture? Do you know of examples from other congregations who have navigated these waters already? Is there anything we can learn from their triumphs or failures?

I have long been an advocate of women exercising their spiritual gifts in the church. I noticed the discrepancy between how males and females served the Lord in public when I was about 5 years old. “Singing Night” was every first Wednesday of the month at the church where I grew up in Azle, Texas. The congregation would meet together in the auditorium for an hour of worship. During this time Odell Bramlett, the song leader, would invite the little boys to come down front with him for a few songs as his song-leaders-in-training. My brothers would eagerly rush to the front to join Brother Odell. When I tried to follow them, a gentle hand pulled me back down on the pew. When I asked my dad why I couldn’t help lead worship like my brothers, his answer was grossly insufficient for both of us. He and my mom didn’t always agree with the traditions and heritage of the Church of Christ. At home a different truth was taught. I was brought up to believe that I was worthy in the sight of God and was gifted by Him for His service.

I was taught about the courage and faithfulness of the women of the Bible, and how the Lord moved in their lives and was glorified by their talents and service. From the time I was a child I heard the names of Sarah, Rachael, Leah, Jochebed, Miriam, Abigail, Tamar, Deborah, Jael, Rahab, Esther, Ruth, Hannah, Elizabeth, Anna, Mary, Martha, Dorcas (Tabitha), Lydia, Phoebe, Chloe, Priscilla, Junias, Lois, and Eunice. These women served in every roll imaginable in the kingdom. There was a mother of nations, a song leader, a ruler, a warrior, a hero, a determined convert, a rescuer, a faithful mom, a loyal wife, a prophetess, a hostess, a church planter, a teacher, an apostle, a philanthropist, a business woman, a devout Christian, and a woman honored above all other woman as the mother of Christ.

Throughout Scripture we read story after story of these great women who had distinct roles in the kingdom of God. Whether they were pious or not, they were used for the glory of the Lord. Unfortunately, many Christian churches today have let two culturally restrictive Scriptures (1 Co 14:34 and 1 Tim 2:12) over shadow the rich history of women in the Bible. Scholars agree that these two Scriptures were cultural directions that dealt with specific situations and are not to be directives to all churches for all times. However, many churches have applied these two restrictions to all women for all times. Other churches have softened their stance for women’s roles but have kept women in the background because of “heritage values.”

It is time for a better understanding of Scripture and a better understanding of how the Lord has used and plans to use women in his kingdom. So, where are the women in churches today? They are where they have always been. They are behind the scenes planning, coordinating, and organizing. They are in the kitchen, nursery, and classrooms. They are on their knees in prayer. They are battling the enemy head-on in their homes, at work, the community and the mission field. They are raising-up generations of faithful believers.

Women have been functioning in the role of a supporter, nurturer, hostess, care-giver, or children’s teacher. Many women have been able to fully exercise their spiritual gifts within the boundaries of these roles. These women have served their church family in completeness and have felt little restriction or confinement in these roles. However, there are a large number of women who have felt that their spiritual gifts have been unusable to the church. These women are gifted in administration, business, scholarship, public speaking, and leadership. These women are entrepreneurs, doctors, professors, mothers, politicians, bankers, administrators, social workers, and business women. They have occupied roles in the world that have best suited their interests, talents, and areas of giftedness. Women are presidents of universities, prime ministers of countries, and CEOs of top 10 companies. In the world they have had the freedom to excel and be effective.

The talents of these women have lain dormant in the church because of a poor interpretation of Scripture. Women have been told to “remain silent” and to “be in submission” when a less gifted (or less willing) man was an elder, preacher, youth minister, church administrator, served on committees, lead worship, read Scripture, or prayed in public.

The spiritual gifts of millions of women has been stifled and hushed through the years. This has damaged many women, it has hurt marriages and families. It has hindered the church and I believe saddened the Lord. A better reading of Scripture is now being realized among many churches and can emancipate women in the church. It is time to give women the freedom to fully use their gifts in the service of God. The harvest is ripe and there have been women waiting to be allowed to serve. Where are the women? They are here and they are ready.

Tulsa is under an excessive heat warning today until 7pm.  It is already 96 degrees and it is only 9:30am.  I think we will stay inside for the majority of the day and perhaps venture out to play on the slip-n-slide later.  My kingdom for a swimming pool.