Shepastor: “How Hungry Are You?”

Matthew 4: 1-11

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Matt 4:1-11 (KJV)

Supporting text:

Proverbs 27:7
The full soul loatheth the honey comb, but to the hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet, KJV

We all have experienced hunger of one kind or another. Extreme hunger, however, can drive you to behave in ways that under normal circumstances would never have been an option.

In our focus passages for today, taken from both Proverbs and Matthew, we find two passages of scripture that talk about hunger. In Proverbs we see a thought provoking saying, one short verse that declares,

The full soul loatheth the honey comb, but to the hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet, KJV

The New International Version states it like this,
He who is full loathes (or hates) honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet, NIV

In Matthew we find Jesus, having fasted 40 days and now understandably hungry, one might even say famished and most probably somewhat vulnerable. The devil moves in to temp him. Jesus’ response, however, gives us food for thought.

Consider for a moment the question, “How Hungry Are You?”

When I was a teenager, I enjoyed baking. But sometimes, my cakes, and cookies did not turn out quite as I had hoped. My dad, however, always ate whatever I baked. One day, my father picked up one of my cookies and said, “My God Chrissy, you could lick a dog down with this!” I retorted, “Well, you’re eating it aren’t you?” He responded, “Yea, when you are hungry, you’ll eat anything!”

There was some profundity wrapped up in my father’s sarcasm, for truly, when someone is very hungry, they will eat anything. In this life, we encounter many hungry souls. And for some, maybe even reading this blog, the thought of hunger, not for physical food, but for a life that is fulfilled and complete, that thought hits home.

Some go through life wandering from pillar to post, grasping for but never quite reaching what they are aspiring to attain, you’ve seen them, the hungry.

The hungry, that young woman or young man who keeps getting involved in unhealthy relationships, looking for love in all the wrong places, looking for love in too many faces, the hungry, that boy or that girl who allows themselves to be ill treated or does things that they were not raised to do because they want the approval of the crowd, you’ve seen them, the hungry,

The hungry, that person who goes to the store and buys everything that the fashion designers say is “hot” for the season because they feel that if they can at least dress stylish, somebody will respect, love and admire them, not because of who they are, but because of how they appear…

The hungry, that person who remains in a mentally and physically abusive relationship because they feel that some relationship is better than none at all.

We know them, the hungry, or maybe the hungry is not them, maybe the hungry looks back at us when we look in the mirror.

But God has a good word for the hungry today. We can tell the hungry, whether he or she is another person, or the hungry spirit within our own soul, we can stop feeding our hunger with the bitter, and begin to feast on the sweet.

When Jesus faced the devil after fasting forty days, the devil first tempted him by trying to get him to satisfy his hunger. But Jesus gave us a marvelous example of how to gain true satisfaction when He declared, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

God’s Word, God’s ways, God’s love will satisfy and complete us in ways that our own efforts could never satisfy.

God word says, “You who are hungry, LISTEN, you who are searching, LISTEN…, Don’t be afraid, I made you, I know all about you, I have chosen you… LISTEN…. I will pour out my spirit upon you and not only you, but upon your children, upon your household and you will be blessed. LISTEN, I want to pour the cool refreshing water of my spirit upon the dry, parched and thirsty ground of your life…LISTEN… THERE IS NO ROCK BESIDES ME!

Are you listening? God says to you and I, HEAR ME. There is no God besides me. The Psalmist declared, “We are His people and the sheep of His pasture, It is He that has made us and not we ourselves”. The ancient Israelites had a custom of writing God’s word upon their foreheads and in the palms of their hands so that they would constantly be reminded of what God has said and how they were to live.

God says to us today, stop looking to idols, stop relying upon self, stop looking for another human being to fix your troubles, Call unto me and I will show you great and wonderful things which thou knowest not. We need to write God’s Word upon the table of our hearts and in our minds so that we will say like Paul, nothing will separate us from the love of Christ.

God wants to satisfy the hunger of our hearts. Only God can satisfy the hunger and the longing of our hearts. God’s food is love, God’s food is salvation, God’s food is forgiveness, God’s food is peace, God’s food is joy, God’s food is assurance, God’s food is eternal life.

There is a satisfaction that comes from knowing, living for and loving God. It’s not that we don’t ever experience low points, but God develops “hind’s feet” for the believer and He teaches us how to walk through the valleys and then how to climb high mountains and leap upon the high places of life.

God gives us peace that passes all understanding, peace in the midst of the storm because we know that the God we serve is an able God, an all powerful God, an all knowing God and the God who heals us and loves us. God made it possible for all who desire rest from the cares and burdens of this life, all who desire assurance and peace, all who desire salvation and ultimate fulfillment to obtain these things through His Son Jesus Christ.

You don’t have to stay in the mess that you are in. Exchange the bitter for the sweet. Look to Him who is the great I AM. Let God fill your cup until it over flows. Don’t accept the devil’s words of discouragement, defeat and low standards.

Remind yourself and others that Jesus is the living water, that Jesus is the bread of life, that Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Remind yourself and others that they don’t have to walk alone, that they don’t have to accept less that what God has for them. Remind yourself and others that God is waiting to heal, hear and answer the longings of the broken hearted. God can feed and fill the hunger of your heart.

How hungry are you? Are you willing to put pride aside, go before the Lord and acknowledge your brokenness, your woundedness, your bitterness? Exchange your bitter for the Lord’s sweet and experience the satisfaction that only the Lord can give you today.

Post a comment or send me an email at shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In faith, hope and perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: “Let us… Marching Orders”

Hebrews 10: 22-24

22Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water
23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds

In this passage of scripture, the writer encourages us with three, “let us” phrases:

(1) Let us draw near to God… Even as preachers of the Gospel, we can be drawn away from the true source of our strength, joy, peace, and fulfillment in life. Hectic schedules filled with family obligations, counseling sessions, preaching engagements, board and community meetings, individual projects and a myriad of other things can drain us of vitality. When we are tired, our guard is down. Over burdened hearts and minds leave little room for the refreshing Word that comes only from spending time with the Lord. So often we stand and deliver words of faith, hope and encouragement when our own reservoir is depleted. Frustration, doubt, fear and even guilt can begin to loom over us like a dark cloud. Marching orders? Draw near to God! Move forward, not backward. Move towards the Lord – seek His face, study His Word, not just for sermon preparation, but to discern His leading in every situation and circumstance in your life. “Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you.” James 4:8

(2) Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess… Are you easily discouraged? You are “swerving.” Do you allow doubt to cloud your vision, dowse your enthusiasm, strangle your joy? If so, you are swerving. Like a car careening down the road out of control, if we don’t nurture and build our relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ, with continual prayer, personal study, fellowship with other women and men of God and healthy activities, our faith will begin to falter and our grip on “the hope we profess” can become loose. Our positions as preachers, teachers and leaders can set us up for swerving. We are so busy pouring out into the lives of others, if not careful, we can end up on empty, swerving off of the path of faith.

“The Ministry” has had many casualties - women and men who started out with energy, vision, promise and purpose but somehow swerved and fell backwards. Seasons of drought – plowing, planting, praying and seeing few results, or “super success” – times of bountiful blessings and abundance with the temptations of pride and self indulgence, somehow loosened the grip of their hold to God’s unchanging hands and they fell backwards. Marching orders? Hold fast to the profession of your faith, remembering that the God “who promised” is faithful. God is faithful – He will not forget your labor of love. God is faithful – all His promises are true – God is faithful. Earthly abundance cannot compare to the blessings He has for those who endure until the end!

Don’t you want to stand with the great cloud of witnesses and proclaim, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith…”? As Bishop Millicent Hunter declares, “Don’t die in the winter!” As the late Rev. Dr. Bill Jones declared, “Don’t die in shallow water.” You’ve come this far, don’t give up now!

(3) Let us consider how we may spur one another on… We need each other. We need support, encouragement, challenge and at times confrontation to help us to be all that we are called to be. The dynamics of “community” healthy, God led community can “spur us on” to “love and good deeds.” Isolation contributes to unhealthy patterns of thinking. We become inward focused, susceptible to depression, resentment and unforgiveness. Too much time alone can cause you to dwell too deeply upon the past, hurts, mistakes, regrets etc. In loving community, we have the opportunity to process our feelings, share our thoughts, receive feedback and guidance that may help us make better choices and decisions. In community we can help each other to move forward, keep the faith, persevere, remain hopeful, let go of the past and forgive. Marching orders? Encourage one another to love and do what is right in God’s eyes.

“Onward Christian soldier, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus, going on before…”

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor Highlights Conference Messenger, Dr. Wilma R. Johnson – “I Trust in God”

One of the most moving experiences of the “Empowering and Encouraging Women In Ministry” Conference was the appearance and message of our beloved sister, The Reverend Dr. Wilma R. Johnson, Senior Pastor of the New Prospect Missionary Baptist Church, Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Johnson, along with two of her associate ministers traveled by car to be with WTIM of Greater Cleveland.

The extraordinary thing about her coming is that Dr. Johnson had just begun chemotherapy for a re-occurrence of aggressive cancer. To look at her radiant face, her strong demeanor and her evident towering faith – one would never know that she was actively engaged in a battle for her life. What a gift she is to the body of Christ in general and women in ministry in particular! Joy and peace emanate from her trust filled spirit. Dr. Johnson truly is one of our female clergy giants!

Below are excerpts from her powerful message, “I Trust In God”
Read on and be blessed…

Shepastor Highlights Conference Messenger, Dr. Wilma R. Johnson – “I Trust in God”

I trust in God wherever I may be,
Upon the land or on the rolling sea,
For, come what may, from day to day,
My heav'nly Father watches over me.

Chorus
I trust in God, I know He cares for me,
On mountain bleak or on the stormy sea;
Tho' billows roll, He keeps my soul,
My heavn'ly Father watches over me.

Dr. Johnson likened the struggles of many to that of the Charles Shultz Peanuts character, Charlie Brown…

(paraphrased…) When Charlie Brown faced difficult questions in life, he’d often turn to Lucy. On one of those occasions, Lucy said, ‘Charlie Brown, life is like folding chairs on a cruise ship. Some unfold their chairs and sit down at the back of the ship and contemplate where they have been. Some unfold their chairs and sit down at the front of the ship and consider where they are going. You just have to figure out where you are going to place your chair.’ To which Charlie Brown, with great frustration replied ‘Lucy, I can’t even get my chair unfolded!’

So many go through life just trying to figure out how to get their proverbial chair unfolded!

Dr. Johnson went on to encourage us to resist the domination of frustration in life. We have to step out by faith and know that our heavenly Father is watching over us. God is with us to sustain us, take care of us, keep us, guide us and supply all of our needs.

We can take great comfort in knowing that God is watching over us. He knows our pain, our toil, our fears, our struggles, our questions, and is able to carry us over and through every situation and circumstance.

Following the message, we had a two-phase moving and anointed altar call. First, the women gathered around Dr. Johnson, laid hands upon her and prayed for her healing. Then we prayed together for the healing of each other. What an awesome moment! With shouts of joy, tears of triumph and lifted hands in praise – the benediction was announced and we dispersed, having been empowered by God’s Holy Spirit and encouraged by one another!

This ends the series of highlights for the “Empowering and Encouraging Women In Ministry” Conference. Comments from conference participants will be shared on the WTIM website at www.wtimofgreatercleveland.org

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until Next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: Highlights from Conference Plenary Session Delivered by the Reverend Dr. Stephanie Allen, “Woman to Woman: The Historical, Theological and Societal Influences Upon Our Relationships”

What factors influence the way women interact with each another? How have women’s roles and relationships over time impacted our view of sisterhood, trust, bonding, men etc? What issues separate us? What have erroneous, flawed interpretations of scripture done to damage our support for and perceptions of one another?

Today Shepastor highlights an excerpt from the conference Plenary presentation, delivered by The Reverend Dr. Stephanie Allen, Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church of Greater Cleveland, Instructor of Biblical Hebrew for Ashland Theological Seminary. With great depth and insight, Dr. Allen challenged us to consider why the words of others take on greater meaning or value than our own words. When we embrace the words of others to a greater extent than our own words, their views, interpretations, actions or inactions tremendously influence our perceptions.

The greatest words or “Word” that we can embrace to help shape our world view is the Word of God. When we correctly interpret God’s Word, it will shape, influence and drive our self-perceptions as well as our relationships with one another.

Read an excerpt of her message below and be blessed…

Shepastor: Highlights from Conference Plenary Session Delivered by the Reverend Dr. Stephanie Allen, “ Woman to Woman: The Historical, Theological and Societal Influences Upon Our Relationships”

In a postmodern world our tendency is to face conflict, especially over issues as emotive as faith, by saying there is no one, grand meta-narrative; therefore we are all free to “agree to disagree”. Another tactic utilized is to convince one another that one must change sides in order to “win” an argument. I must convince you I am right and you must abandon your ideals or vice versa, but God comes along and says “neither ideal will work”. Instead of human ways to see faith we must see humans through faith and in God’s terms that means God’s Word is the great neutralizer. The leveling field is Scripture. When we view ourselves through the terms of theology, history or sociology we place the lens through the human vantage point, but God’s Word has the power to equalize our reader response ideas, our ecosystems created by humanity and our baggage we bring to the table. In order to overcome the opinions and constraints set by humanity we must reclaim the Word of God as a valid and worthy text: the one great meta-narrative. We do this through refocusing people upon both the particular and universal in any exegesis and with a careful eye on translation. The words then are not only relevant to one era, mind-set, situation or world view and instead we see how God’s transforming work has been done and is ongoing in a sinful world. It will always be our temptation to reduce God to our image, but God being the great God through the work of Jesus Christ does not argue with our desire, but simply pulls our heads up to see our own face in the image of God.

How have the views of others shaped your self-perception and world view? Have you replaced the opinions of others with God’s view of you? If so, how has that changed you? Post a comment or send me an email at
Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor Highlights: Panel Discussion, “Empowering and Encouraging Women in Ministry”

Today Shepastor continues to highlight the, WTIM - Women Together in Ministry of Greater Cleveland “Empowering and Encouraging Women in Ministry” Conference. This week’s blog focuses upon the Panel discussion that bears the same name as the conference.

Our panelist were,

· The Reverend Marilyn Turner, Associate Executive Director of American Baptist Home Mission Societies, Center for Missional Life and Leadership
· The Reverend Dr. Marvin A. McMickle, Senior Pastor, Antioch Baptist Church; Cleveland, Ohio, Newly Elected President of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
· The Reverend Dr. Valentino Lassiter, Senior Pastor, East View United Church of Christ, Shaker Heights, Ohio
· The Reverend Pat Hernandez, Director, American Baptist Women In Ministry

Each panelist was given the opportunity to respond to the questions below…

“Empowering and Encouraging Women in Ministry”

-Through your own observation and experiences, what factors influence how women relate to one another?

-How have historical, societal and theological influences both positively and negatively impacted women’s relationships?

-Frequently, men are blamed for oppressing and hindering women’s progress. Many women, however, have experienced oppression, hindering and lack of support from other women. What can clergywomen and clergymen do to honestly, openly and sincerely address this issue?

-What can and should the Church do to help women build and nurture healthy relationships amongst women?

What an engaging, thought provoking and heartfelt conversation we had! Each panelist shared from personal, historical and cultural experiences. Rev. Turner shared the praise report that many wonderful women have played a role in her ministerial development. However, she has also experienced the pain of being called by two different churches and then later receiving notification that the church (each one) was “not ready for a female pastor.”

Rev. Hernandez shared the experience of facing a female panel of interviewers (for a different position) who treated her coldly and scolded her as being “unprofessional” for sharing a personal experience that was significant in forming her view of ministry. Rev. Hernandez went on to unpack the implications that women are often expected (even by other women in leadership) to leave their femininity at the door if they expect to make it in a “man’s world.”

Culturally speaking, Dr. Lassiter discussed the dilemma of the African American community as men and women were demeaned in the larger society. The church became the place where they found their, “somebodiness.” African American women feeling the need to nurture, build and protect the esteem of African American males, supported male leadership and rejected any woman or women who appeared to want to usurp their positions of authority.

Dr. McMickle shared the riveting story of one of the first Episcopalian female priests, who upon serving communion to a female parishioner was bitten and spat upon with spit mingled with her own blood and told, “That’s what I think of female priests!” The parishioner faced no repercussions for her cruel act and the priest was moved to another parish. The incident, however, did not drive her out of the ministry, but made her more determined to stand for the rights of clergywomen.

Dr. McMickle further challenged us to consider the question, “How can any group that makes up approximately 70% of an institution be oppressed by that same institution?,” referring to the reality that women make up the majority of churches. All panelists and the audience agreed - as more courageous men and women determine to stand against the discriminatory behaviors of churches, inevitably, the barriers will fall down.

Conference pictures on the web…
Conference web album now available! Check out pictures below of the “Empowering and Encouraging Women In Ministry” Conference

WTIM: "Empowering and Encouraging Women In Ministry" Conference Augsut 2011

or visit www.wtimofgreatercleveland.org and click on the web album link.

Post your responses or send them to me by email at shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until Next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor Highlights the “Empowering and Encouraging Women in Ministry” Conference, August 26-27th, 2011

This past weekend, August 26-27th, a diverse host of clergywomen from the Midwest and East Coast gathered in Beachwood, Ohio to attend the “Empowering and Encouraging Women in Ministry” Conference, sponsored by Women Together in Ministry of Greater Cleveland (WTIM). What an, anointed, refreshing, enlightening, strengthening, challenging, empowering and encouraging time we had together!

WTIM thanks everyone who helped to make this conference a reality! We thank everyone who came out to support this women in ministry gathering! The Lord granted us divine favor and smiled upon this our first ever event! As promised, over the next several Wednesday, Shepastor will highlight various aspects of the conference. Today, we will share excerpts from the first day of the conference, Friday – August 26th, 2011.

Read on and be blessed…

Shepastor Highlights the “Empowering and Encouraging Women in Ministry” Conference, August 26-27th, 2011

While enjoying a scrumptious mixed greens salad with Champaign vinaigrette and chicken picotta or baked salmon meal, we were blessed with the melodious music ministry of our Worship Leader, Sister Joyce Lake of American Baptist Women In Ministry; Valley Forge, PA. After dinner we gathered for evening worship. We received special greetings from the Honorable Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (Representative of the 11th Congressional District, Ohio) who reminded us that on August 26th, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect, giving women the right to vote! She congratulated the conference for its multi-leveled diversity – racial, geographical and age wise. She applauded the vision of women coming together to empower and encourage one another.

WTIM was also honored by the Honorable Mayor Frank G. Jackson’s (Cleveland, Ohio) Office with a proclamation, expressing congratulations! The Cleveland Baptist Association Executive Minister, The Reverend Dr. Leonard Thompson proclaimed that we could drop the “Em” and the “En” and simply say, “Power” and “Courage” is what it takes to join together to address great needs and to do great things such as the many and varied great works of women in ministry.

Following several greetings, we were electrified by the praise dance ministry of two beautiful senior women (one of which is a WTIM Board Member, The Reverend Itherine Spencer) of the “Virtuous Liturgical Dancers” as they danced to Vicki Yohe’s rendition of “Lord I Worship You Because of Who You Are.” Those Sisters had us up on our feet!

Next, the Imani United Church of Christ choir rocked the house with the song “Sold Out” with lyrics declaring – “My heart is fixed, my mind made up – no room no vacancies I’m all filled up – His Spirit lives in me and that’s the reason I’m sold out!” Imani Senior Pastor, The Reverend Michele Humphrey lit our hearts a fire with her powerful message, “Go and Tell…” Taken from the story of Mary Magdalene’s encounter with Jesus when he instructed her to go and tell the disciples that He is risen.

Pastor Humphrey challenged the misinterpretations of Paul’s writings to Timothy that women are to keep silent in the church. “Do we listen to the dictate to keep silent or do we obey Jesus and go and tell?” She also emphasized the importance of women standing “together” in ministry instead of allowing competition, jealousy, envy and other issues to separate us. Sharing her own experiences as a woman pastor, she spoke about the importance of understanding “who” has called you to “go and tell.”

Now pastoring a church of several thousand, Pastor Humphrey let us know that it didn’t start out that way – half of the congregation initially left, not wanting to be led by a female, efforts to undermine her authority abounded, being addressed disrespectfully – being called, “sweet heart” and “Michele” the road has not been easy! But the same Lord who called her to ‘Go and Tell” has kept her and causes her to triumph over every adversity!

Finally, she shared the story of an experience by the late Rev. Dr. Prathia Hall Wynn, who, decades earlier in the midst of a Baptist gathering filled with male preachers who were asked to stand debated within herself how to respond – to sit because the “men” preachers were asked to stand – and she certainly was not a man or to stand because she was a preacher…

"I stood in the authenticity of my being Black, preacher, Baptist, woman. For the same God who made me a preacher made me a woman, and I convinced that God was not confused on either count."
The late Rev. Dr. Prathia Hall-Wynn

What a time we had in fellowship! How blessed we were to come together to worship, praise, sing, shout, dance and rejoice in the God who made us both women and preachers!

Our next segment will share highlights from Saturday’s plenary session, panel discussion and workshops. Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: “Empowering and Encouraging Women in Ministry - Sharing Our Insights With One Another”

Dear Shepastor Friends, this weekend, WTIM - Women Together in Ministry of Greater Cleveland www.wtimofgreatercleveland.org will host the “Empowering and Encouraging Women in Ministry” Conference.” Oh how excited and blessed we are to have this opportunity to fellowship, pray, sing, dialogue, listen, praise and celebrate together as women in ministry!

For those who are not able to attend, excerpts from the conference will be shared over the course of the next few weeks. Today, Shepastor shares the questions that will serve as the basis for our panel discussion which bares the same title as the conference.

Read the questions and prayerfully consider sharing your responses with our Shepastor audience. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

See questions below…

“Empowering and Encouraging Women in Ministry”

-Through your own observation and experiences, what factors influence how women relate to one another?

-How have historical, societal and theological influences both positively and negatively impacted women’s relationships?

-Frequently, men are blamed for oppressing and hindering women’s progress. Many women, however, have experienced oppression, hindering and lack of support from other women. What can clergywomen and clergymen do to honestly, openly and sincerely address this issue?

-What can and should the Church do to help women build and nurture healthy relationships amongst women?

I look forward to receiving your wisdom filled, prayerful responses! Your insights can help us as women to overcome many of the things that keep us from loving, encouraging, supporting and empowering each other. Let's share so that we can turn our attention away from unhealthy patterns of behavior and be used to bless and heal others.

Post your responses or send them to me by email at shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until Next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris