Letters

July 25, 2011

    Without going into great detail I would like to say this. I am a divorced woman that has met a wonderful man. He is a Christian in every sense of the word and I will consider myself forever blessed that he loves me and that I love him. I am also a Christian. But.... there has been one verse (well several) that has always kept me at arms length from God. Ephesians 5:22.

Through your articles and teachings.... I have relief like I have never felt before.

    I am a naturally "submissive" person. Outrageously outgoing, extrovert, playful and fun... yet I RUN to peace. I always try to look for the betterment of any situation and if that means I need to "take a back seat" then so be it. But, for the life of me.... I've never been able to wrap my head around Ephesians 5:22. You have literally saved me.
    On that note..... can you please recommend a bible that might reflect all of what you are saying? Or at least a bible that has side notes that reflect your thoughts.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,
    Sue

Dear precious Servant of God.

Holy greetings to you in the mighty Name of Jesus.

I am writing From Kenya and it was by the grace of God that I visited the Internet and was privileged to find your contact. After prayerfully reading and studying your WebPages, I was spiritually charged, moved and thrilled.

My spiritual electricity went stronger to find that you have what we need for spiritual growth. Right now I don't feel like my feet are touching the ground because of the desire that has been ignited in me by reading your webpage. I humbly pray that the Holy Spirit visit your hearts and humbly spend time with us as our spiritual mentors. We hunger and thirst for your fellowship and teachings. If God provides the opportunity we beseech that brothers make a MACEDONIAN TRIP here and help us. Also remember the orphans we are taking care of in your prayers.

A ministry well done by His faithful servants brings GLORY to Christ.

Please bless us with a reply.

God bless you

In whom we serve,
Pastor Jane and Paul.

Dear God's Word to Women,

Thank you for your prompt reply! I am relieved, because I just found your website (I am new to the computer and internet) and was delighted to discover that "God's Word to Women" is still in print and available. I have a photocopy of the book that I have been reading, and have been so deeply and richly blessed by it. I am thrilled to discover your website and the amazing resources you provide. Thank you to all of you who are working on this...your timing is providential. The need amongst women is so great and the despair, hurt and grief is all but indescribable. Blessings to you all, I look forward to receiving these books. They need to passed around.

Thank you, Cathy Peters

March 4,2011

Dear GWTW,

I found your website and am overjoyed with it! Maine is a very hard state for Christian women. We are subordinated bigtime in the mainline Baptist churches. I have recently received a copy of "God's Word to Women" by K. Bushnell, and I have read it from cover to cover. I loved it. And I am convinced that God is calling me out of these churches here that silence women. I have a Master's degree in Theology from a Christian college in Bangor, Maine, and was teaching the Women's Sunday School in my local church until the new pastor came. At his suggestion, my husband and I "team-taught" the adult Sunday School class for a number of Sundays. Then, at a Christian Ed. meeting of which I was a part, the pastor suddenly told me I "made him uncomfortable" when I stood to teach my part of each lesson!

After much prayer and thought, I sat one day in my living room and reasoned something like this:

If I make him uncomfortable, then there is something wrong with me...

What's wrong with me?...more soul searching....

The only thing I could think of was my gender.

And if that is the case, the pastor should take that up with God!

But if I truly make him uncomfortable, then there must be some part of me not taken care of by the redemption!

I knew, however, that the Redemption was Enough.

So, I reasoned, is my pastor's view of the Redemption flawed??

Thus I reasoned that afternoon, and in the mail the very next day came my new copy of K. Bushnell's book. I was surprised and glad to find that the same reasoning had occurred to this author many years ago.

I presented this newly found quandry to this pastor, and I am now being set up for "church discipline." I can't believe how intransigent they are! He refuses to answer my question regarding his view of the Redemption.

My reaction to all of this is a desire to run, run. I do not like conflict. But this is not my fight, and I feel as though I need to see this to the bitter end, if not for me, for the women in this church whom I love.

Any response from you is more than welcome!! Please know, that now that I know you are out there, I will be reading your site and watching for ways to become involved, perhaps.

Sincerely,

A.S.