Hello Ishshah’s Story friends, Have you noticed that God frequently moves in our lives by the principle of seasons? Just as the coming and going of natural seasons seize our attention with changes in the atmosphere around us – leaves turning from green to red, daylight hours becoming shorter, temperatures rising or falling – so…
Tag: egalitarianism
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…
Women Jesus Honored Part Two
You are invited to read Part One of this article here. The Canaanite Woman (Matthew 15:21-28) There were a few occasions where Jesus healed Gentiles (non-Jews), but usually they occurred when He was approached by Gentiles in Jewish territory. In the story of the Canaanite woman (sometimes called the Syro-Phoenecian woman) Jesus seems to have deliberately travelled into…
Celebrating: Lilias Trotter of Algeria
“It is easy to find out whether our lives are focused and if so where the focus lies. Where do our thoughts settle when consciousness comes back in the morning? Where do they swing back when the pressure is off during the day? Dare to have it out with God, and ask Him to show…
She Could No Longer Hide
Our latest guest contribution is from Wendy Bones of Coffs Harbour, Australia. Wendy brings us a fresh and beautifully personal perspective on the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8:43-48. Welcome Wendy, and thankyou for reminding us that in Christ there is total healing for our ‘hidden places’ and freedom from shame. A chance…
Are Women Also Sons?
While Cheryl McGrath, our blessed sister in Christ and founder of Ishshah’s Story, is enjoying the last bit of her brief sabbatical, we are pleased to offer Cheryl’s wisdom and voice once again in this second post “from the archives”. Recently someone expressed concern when I posted a scripture reference to Galatians 3:26 on the…
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…
Manoah’s Wife
Tucked away in the Old Testament book of Judges there is a woman many of us may not have heard about. As the Bible does not disclose her name, we know her only as Manoah’s wife. Her story is found in Judges 13:1-24. Manoah’s wife lived during a period of Israel’s history when the nation…
The Remarkable Katharine Bushnell
I’d like for you to meet one of my favorite people, Dr. Katharine C. Bushnell. Obviously I never met her in the flesh since my friend Kate was born in 1855, a bit before my time.[1] She was a physician, missionary, crusader, reformer, author and speaker as well as a brilliant and original scholar who…
Women in Leadership in the Early Church – Part 2
This is the second of three articles addressing women in ministry. The first two articles use the Bible to document their service and leadership from the time of Jesus through the first century. Part 3 looks at the factors that came together to oppose the equality found in the early church. WOMEN LEADERS IN THE EARLY CHURCH…
Welcome to Charis Psallo
We are very happy to announce that Charis of Charis:Subject to Change is joining us as a regular contributor to Ishshah’s Story. This means as well as posts from the familiar voices of Nancy, Pat and Cheryl you can now look forward to interesting articles from Charis as she shares from her grace and wisdom with our readers. …
Destiny
This song, called “Destiny”, was written by me in 2003. It describes three women found in the gospels – the woman who poured her perfume on Jesus (Luke 7:37-48), the woman with the issue of blood (Matt. 9:20-22), and the Samaritan woman He met at a well (John 4:7-29). But really this song is about every woman who…
The Woman Who Touched God
To all our Ishshah’s Story readers and supporters we wish you the very best of everything for Christmas and the coming year. We look forward to sharing, fellowshipping and hearing from you in 2016. This last post for 2015 was recently shared at Bread for the Bride and poses the question if Jesus was not offended…
Celebrating ‘The Trio’ – Mildred, Eva and Francesca – Of China
“From Etzingol to Turpan, from Spring of Wine to Chuguchak, we … spent long years in following trade-routes, tracing faint caravan tracks, searching out innumerable by-paths and exploring the most hidden oases. … Five times we traversed the whole length of the desert, and in the process we had become part of its life.” Mildred…
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…
In Whose Image?
One of the most common accusations levelled at women by those who advocate male leadership in church and home (and some would add society in general), is that Eve (Ishshah) disobeyed God and led Adam into sin. For this reason, they say, God ordained that ‘her husband would rule over her’ (Gen. 3:16). In fact,…
Exploring the Greek Word Kephale Translated “Head” Part 2
In part one of the study on kephale, the Greek word for head, we learned that kephale means physical head or when used figuratively; originator, competitor, source of life or simply source and should not be translated authority over.[1] In Ephesians 5:18-24 tradition supports looking at the word head as meaning authority over, but is that what…
Exploring the Greek Word Kephale Translated “Head”
When we read the word “head” most of us think of our physical head. This is by far the most common use of the word in the New Testament. In English, the word “head” can also mean someone who has authority like a leader, boss or chief. However, this last definition is not true in Greek.…
Celebrating: Jackie Pullinger of Hong Kong
Now and again, people would say “Isn’t it wonderful that God would choose a woman to go? I would say, “No, it’s not wonderful. Excuse me for being rude about God, but He can pick who He likes.” I mean, it’s no more wonderful for Him to send a woman than a man, or an old…
Are Women Also Sons?
Recently someone expressed concern when I posted a scripture reference to Galatians 3:26 on the Ishshah’s Story Facebook page. The verse says: ‘For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.’ (NASB) Some translations use ‘children’ rather than ‘sons’, but I deliberately chose that particular translation in an attempt to open up…
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…
Celebrating Anna of Jerusalem: The Witness
“…by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.” (Deu. 19:15) So said the law given to Moses by Yahweh. But in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ birth, Jewish tradition and culture declared that witnesses must always be male. Women were held in such low esteem that they were not…
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…
Challenging Tradition in Genesis 1 & 2
The first two chapters of the book of Genesis are critical to understanding the intent of God for His creation. Today we’ll address some of the widely held misconceptions from these chapters that affect women. Tradition has taught that the male was created first and given dominion. Take a close look. The creation of human beings…
