Recently one of the world’s foremost Christian leaders reiterated his organisation’s official stance excluding women from the priesthood. Elsewhere in the Christian world woman’s entitlement to ordination on an equal basis with her male counterparts is still being hotly debated and is far from settled. Women who believe they are being called by God to…
Tag: church
Guest Post: Find Your Voice
We have a great guest post for you this week from Kay Bonikowsky. Kay describes herself as a Missionary kid. Mother. Wife. Seminarian. Opinionated. And Grateful. Check out more of Kay’s excellent articles at kbonikowsky.com. The story of Ariel, The Little Mermaid, is a story of a young woman learning the value of her voice.…
Reclaiming The Magdalene
Who was Mary Magdalene? How much of what we think we know about her is myth, innuendo, or fabrication? Can we clear away the false from the true, remove the layers of unsubstantiated church tradition, Hollywood fiction, rock musicals and imaginings of modern novelists to discover the real Mary Magdalene, friend and disciple of Christ…
A Dream in the Night
Ishshah’s Story will celebrate its 2nd birthday in just a few weeks. Reaching back to the Archives, the following post is the first one I wrote for our fledgling blog two years ago. Given recent messages the Lord has released about spiritual abuse and the enemy’s operation through hidden darkness, this archives re-post is timely. May…
Hope for the Betrayed
I’ve learned to pay attention when unusual co-incidences occur in my life. When the same book or the same topics pop up in random conversation and unexpected places I tend to wonder if there is a reason. The recurring topic this week was about people who have been deeply wounded by experiences in the church;…
Acknowledging the Eldership of Women
Ishshah’s Story is pleased to feature the following archived Her History post authored by Cheryl McGrath. Away for a short break, Cheryl’s voice and heart stimulates us still through her writings. Enjoy the first of two posts to be featured while she is on a brief sabbatical. When I was both a young woman and…
A View From The Coal Face
The often told story in John chapter 8 of an adulterous woman brought before Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees is familiar to many of us. In this post I want to focus in on something Jesus said to the woman after those who demanded her stoning had quietly left the scene: “Woman, where are…
Is It Time For You to Be Our Guest?
Got something that needs saying? A lesson learned, an inspiration, a moment of wisdom, a revelation, a story to tell, a beautiful creation? There will be no better time than now. Take a look at the multiple ways you can share on our Ishshah’s Story blog site. Ishshah’s Story is your story! We want to hear it, we…
The Personhood of Ishshah
The struggle is as ancient as the Fall: the need of woman to be viewed first and foremost as a person. The solution from a fallen world has been to classify her in roles that designate her perceived value and in functions that define her limit and scope of interactions. For the female heart that…
The Reluctant Bride
Author’s Note: The following was recently published on Wellspring of Life in a continuing series entitled Vineyard Days, featuring teaching posts from the Song of Songs and John 15 – Jesus and His church, the Bride of Christ. Until when does the day blow, and the shadows flee away? Turn, my Beloved, and be like…
Celebrating: Feisty Females of the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages, or Medieval Period, covered one thousand years of human history, from the fifth to the fifteenth century. It was a time of feudalism, superstition and the rise and fall of kingdoms. It was also a time when Christianity was primarily represented by one established Church, ruled by the Pope in Rome, who…
The Harm of Ungodly Prayer
Healing prayer and the prophetic have been part of my life since I was a child. Growing up as no stranger to the laying on of hands, it was not something that I shied away from. I’d had no reason to mistrust the spirit of ones who ministered to me in such fashion. The results…
When Generations of Silent Women Speak
Many thanks to SheLoves Online Magazine for featuring this article on their website and Facebook Page today! The voices moving around me are strong. They are loud, articulate, and powerful. Most of all they are young, charged with the unmistakable exuberance and vigour of youth. They are young with the outrageous brashness of those who have…
Acknowledging the Eldership of Women
When I was both a young woman and a young Christian I would often wander with some friends down to Speaker’s Corner at the Domain in Sydney for some Sunday afternoon entertainment. Speaker’s Corner, as the name implies, was a space in the city given over for anyone and everyone with a cause to present…
The Lady From Number 31
I’ve been noticing a resurgence in interest in the blogosphere lately in the proverbial ‘virtuous’ wife of Proverbs 31. The Junia Project has a good article here and there’s another here by Rachel Held Evans. I agree with the excellent insights in these posts, but I also have a slightly different perspective on the Proverbs 31 wife…
Running for Cover
Ishshah’s Story is pleased to feature our first guest contributor post! Author – Virginia of Nairobi, Kenya. *** I sat on a front seat at the Pastor’s section, a bit nervous because the person I sought to have audience with had been ignoring me for the last fifteen minutes or so. You see, in this…
Taking A Closer Look: Sapphira and Male Headship (Acts 5:1-11)
It is taught in some Christian denominations today that women are to be subject/submitted to their husbands in all things. It is not unusual to hear of instances where women have suffered domestic violence or other abuses of human rights within their marriages even while church leadership encourages them to continue ‘submitting’ to such behaviour. Sadly, Christian…
Rejoice in Your Voice!
Got something that needs saying? A lesson learned, an inspiration, a moment of wisdom, a revelation, a story to tell, a beautiful creation? There will be no better time than now. Take a look at the multiple ways you can share on our Ishshah’s Story blog site. Ishshah’s Story is your story! We want to hear it, we…
Shadows in the Pew
One’s passion for serving the body of Christ is often found in the redeemed fodder of one’s life. Since I was born into a church-going family, I was on the Cradle Roll as an infant. Year by year I grew up sitting in the pews, wooden theater-style flip-up chairs, or eventually, the comfy upholstered connecting…
A Dream in the Night
There is an old saying, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”* I prefer though the more accurate translation from the original Chinese… “The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet.” In my case, it began beneath my head while I lay dreaming in the night. A sweet dream…
