Rejected or Embraced

This morning’s scriptures included one of my favourite gospel stories as recored in Mark 5:21-43.  It is the story of Jesus being asked by Jairus, one of the leaders of the synagogue to come and heal his daughter.  On the way he is touched by a woman who had suffered for many years from constant [...]

The Causes of Our Times

I am getting ready to speak at the West Coast Healthcare Missions Conference this next week and have been updating some of my statistics and presentations.  As usual this kind of preparation challenges me again to look at the needs of our world and to grapple with how my life can make a difference in [...]

Jimmy Carter – Losing My Faith For Equality

Jimmy Carter, president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 has just left the Southern Baptist Convention because of their discrimination against women.  I have always admired him for his involvement in peacemaking and concern for the poor.  This stand has increased my estimation of him 10 fold.  My prayers are with him as [...]

An Empire for Poor Working Women, Guided by a Gandhian Approach

International Women’s Day may be over but I keep coming across stories that I want to share about women whose lives have made a difference particularly to those who live in poverty.  Here is an inspiring story about Ela Bhatt who started India’s first woman’s bank. THIRTY-FIVE years ago in this once thriving textile town, [...]

More On International Women’s Day

Yesterday was International Women’s day and Julie Clawson organized this wonderful synchroblog about reflections on women.  The entries are well worth a look and a read… particularly during this second week of Lent as we enter the brokenness of hunger  60 – 70% of those who live in poverty are women and girls and it [...]

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Today is International Womens Day, a day for celebrating the social, economic and political achievements of women.  It was first celebrated in 1911 when women in most parts of the world still had few rights. Thinking about this reminded me of the many women I have known over the years who have impacted my own [...]

Women in Leadership

My friend Eugene Cho has just published an excellent post on Women in Leadership which expresses not only his views but also those of the Covenant church. First let me say how much I appreciate Eugene for speaking out like this. Men in leadership are so often silent on these issues. Second let me express [...]

Sitting with Mary at Jesus Feet

The start of another week and my mind is whirring with the many things I would like to share – the beauty of Fall in Seattle, the horror of the fires in California, my struggles to keep my life balanced in the midst of a busy schedule all come to mind.  However uppermost are some [...]

Women Peacemaking and the Church

I just found this wonderful article on Women Peacemaking and the Church by Father Dear, thanks to Jan who mentioned the article on her blog Yearning for God   It reminded me of a book I read many years ago written in 1970s by Swiss psychiatrist Paul Tournier called The Gift of Feeling, in which [...]

Women Speak Out

A couple of days ago I spoke about the need to listen to voices from other cultures.  As I reflected on that entry I realized that at times I seem to pay more attention to the voices from other cultures than I do to the voices of sisters in my own culture.  Yet I am [...]