In Need of Some Inspiration

My friend and I are teaching a workshop on Biblical Femininity this summer. You can read some of my journey with this subject here.

The point of this post is not to externally process even more, but rather to get your feedback. 

First, because I was very humbled when my friend and I sat down and realized that even two different perspectives are a limitation, because femininity includes all women, and all women are, in fact, very different. (Shocking, I know.) 

Second, because I know the people that read this blog are brilliant (obviously, since you read my posts) and I respect your opinions. 

Quick nutshell of the class: (If any LT-ers who signed up for the class are reading this... it may be a spoiler.) 

The overarching purpose is to restore dignity to femininity, to sift through our perceptions of it and maybe ferret out a few of the negative ones that are based out of our culture rather than the Bible. My friend and I have no expectation to conquer the entire topic OR, once the four-week workshop is over, except all the people taking it to have arrived at what it means to be a woman of God and in God in the fullest sense. 

The teachers are young and the female heart way too deep a matter to take care of all that. 

What I'm hoping to get your help with, is your thoughts, opinions, experiences, etc. on our first week's topic. 

Beauty as a female Christ-follower.  

Questions we'll be asking the girls: 

- What word or picture first comes to mind when you hear the word "beauty?" 

- What emotion first comes to mind? 

- Why is it so important for us to hammer this topic out, anyway? 

Questions my friend and I have been asking ourselves: 

- Is outward beauty biblical? 

- What does a "gentle & quiet spirit" really mean? (I Peter 3.1-7) ** I looked up the greek, and as far as my not-able-to-understand-biblical-greek mind can tell, it may literally mean, "a spirit that withholds unnecessary strength that may harm and is tranquil or peaceful."**

- What's the balance between immodesty for attention & hiding your physical femininity out of fear or pride? 

- Queen Esther was able to save her people, not completely but in part, because of her physical beauty... right? 

- How can we seriously, really, I mean REALLY, stop comparing ourselves to other women? 

Okay... that's all the rough bits for now. We each have our own stories with this topic, and maybe I'll get around to posting mine later this week, but for now, I'd love your thoughts! If you'd rather not post them, feel free to email me. 

p.s. I'd love the male perspective, as well. 

Philippians 1

Over Christmas break my lifegroup and I thought it would be good to read a book of the Bible and discuss it via a facebook thread. (I felt really cool starting a thread....) 


So we chose Philippians. It's one of my favorite books in the Bible and also happens to be only four chapters long. 


I began reading in The Message and really loved the translation, so I thought I'd share what came of it. So here's the inordinately long facebook message that the girls in my lifegroup received: 


One of my favorite passages in the book of Philippians is right in the beginning. (vs. 1-11) I remember reading these in college, and realizing that how Paul talks about the church in Philippi is what I desire for the community I'm a part of - particularly verses 3-6, & 9-11. 

The first thing I desire is the sincere love Paul has for the church at Phillipi. He even goes so far in verses 7 & 8 to explain that it's not "fanciful" for him to have such strong affection for this group of people. The Philippian church partnered with him in the Gospel. They were on the front lines with Paul. 

"It's not at all fanciful for me to think this way about you. My prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality. You have, after all, stuck with me all the way from the time I was thrown in jail, put on trial, and came out of it in one piece. All along you have experienced with me the most generous help from God. He knows how much I love and miss you these days. Sometimes I think I feel as strongly about you as Christ does!" (vs. 7-8, The Message)

This always challenges me to not settle in regard to my community. I feel like it's very easy for me to slip into making it merely a fun place to be, or, better yet, a place where people come and open up a little bit and even do, in fact, experience God. 


When they graduate and move on, however, their walk with God hasn't deepened, their faith hasn't been challenged, and they haven't grabbed hold of Christ with a fierce grip reinforced by an even fiercer heart knowledge of grace. 

I want my church home to be a place of safety where I feel I can be myself, for sure; but I can't deny how much deeper my connections are with people who I have gone to battle with, the ones who I have served side by side with to advance the kingdom. 

I think of the Trinity, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, they are Three-in-One. I wonder how much of that connection stems from the fact that their one pursuit is the redemption of mankind for Glory. The Father in His immense power & holiness, The Son in His heart-pounding, passionate love, & the Spirit in His deep comfort and piercing conviction all working together, simultaneously to bring man back to God. Such unity is something no human has ever known. 

We do get a taste of it though, I think. That's why Paul's language is so strong. If you continue reading, later on in the chapter Paul wrestles with which would be better: to stay on earth and serve the believers, or to die and finally be united with Christ? To stay and continue to serve, struggle, sweat, & bleed with other members of the Body? Or to finally go home, and be with Him who the deep places in our hearts long for? "To live is Christ, and to die is gain." 

How beautiful of a struggle to have, though. Sometimes I am overcome with the desire to show this to unbelievers. I lack the ability, but the Holy Spirit doesn't. This is what I desire for my church. For us to be a vessel for the Holy Spirit to show unbelievers the joy of such unity. The joy of being unified with Christ and unified with other members of His Body. 

After feeling so strongly this desire for my community to be (by the grace of God) a powerful tool for the advancement of the Kingdom, Paul's prayer in verses 9-11 makes more sense to me. I think the only way we can be effective is by having the kind of love Paul describes here: 

"So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God." (The Message)