Sex and other musings

Just got back from a two-day regional conference of our denomination. The meetings were okay (shorter, which is better), but the highlight by far is re-connecting with friends. Lots of fun. Some of us went out last night to a Mongolian Grill. You pick your ingredients, they grill them, and then you eat in a wrap. I tried to make mine as spicy as possible, and ended up making the place smell like curry. I loved the place. Our denomination is still struggling with knowing how to handle the gender and leadership issue. I respect what they're trying to do, and it sure seems that they can't win on this one. I don't like where it's heading, though. I'm not too far theologically from where they are (although I'm very much in flux), but that's not my main concern. My main concern is that we're going to draw a line in the sand, and if you don't tow the line, you're out. That should be done pretty sparingly, and I'm not convinced that it's necessary on this one. Even if I end up agreeing with them on the issue, I'm seeing myself gradually pushed out. It's not a great feeling. Last night, I drove the speaker back to the airport. He's an internationally known speaker and author. We talked about many things, but then he asked about my family. Out of the blue, he said, "Pastors often ask me about when to have sex when you have young children. What do you do? Do you wait until they're in bed and you're dead tired? I can't remember what we did when our kids were young." It was so out of the blue and candid that I was waiting for the punchline, but it was just an observation. Another reminder that famous people are just people, with the same problems and random comments as the rest of us. P.S. After a slight uncomfortable pause (waiting for the punchline), I responded that maybe young children are one of God's forms of natural birth control. Not terribly insightful, but the best I could come up with.

Comments

[Bene Diction]

What is the current stand of your denomination on the gender/leadership issue?

[Darryl Dash]

The current view is male-only eldership. There are a small but growing number who are open to female eldership, but it looks like they're getting pushed out.

[tiek]

Nap times are good. While they are engrossed in a Veggietale. We even locked ourselves in the bathroom once but not until the youngest was three. We actually find it fun and easy to keep ourselves interested. We rarely wait until the end of the evening because then we are tired. As for your other issue, women in leadership...Joel 2:28, "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophecy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." There is a hunger for women concerning the Word of God. It seems that this would be a natural occurance since the Lord forewarned us of this development. As women pursue the things of God and begin to teach other women, there will be an even stronger pull towards the Lord. Eventually, leadership will develop among the women themselves which will need to be addressed by any congregation. Eventually, the eldership of the local church will recognize that men leading women into the pursuit of women's issues is lacking perspective and insight. Women filled with the Word of God and insight will not be satisfied until they have fulfilled all their purposes in God's kingdom. Personally, I've been involved in two very different situations. One where the eldership believe strongly that women should not be involved in leadership. One where they did and all I can say is that one stiffled these women and the women became complacent and painfully ineffective in areas of evangelism and discipleship. There was a huge malcontent among the women. The second had women as elders and pastors. The effect was that although there was much support for the women...the elders boards were much in conflict and often simple decisions took months due to the amount of disagreement. I would assume that the answer will lie in the area of compromise and christian maturity. Women if placed in areas of eldership should be women who are in agreement with the terms placed in 1 Timothy 3. They must show a level of Christian maturity displayed in Galations 5:22. They must absolutely demonstrate control over their emotions and submit to Christ. By the way, I'm a woman.