Book Review: Feminine Threads-Women in the Tapestry of Christian History

Diana Severance's book, Feminine Threads: Women in the Tapestry of Christian History, is a crash course in church history, specifically the role of women in the historical narrative of the church. She traces specific women and their stories from the New Testament era through the end of two millennia, all in 300 or so pages! It is a quick and cursory look, to be sure, yet the pace does not hinder her objective but rather helps the reader gain insight into the broad spectrum of the contribution of women in church history, the big picture as it were.

Feminine Threads is chronological in its approach, beginning as I said with the New Testament era and the early church, weaving its way through late antiquity, the middle ages, and the reformation, concluding with chapters on the Puritans, the Victorians, and finally our modern culture. Severance explains her approach in the Introduction:

Each chapter includes general background information important to understanding the historical era of the chapter.  Within each chapter, stories of Christian women are grouped according to their most prominent roles during that period--wives, mothers, ascetics, queens, writers, educators, reformers, evangelists, or philanthropists, etc. Wherever possible, the women are allowed to speak for themselves, from their letters, diaries, or published works.

I confess I know little of church history and even less of the women whose narratives are highlighted in Feminine Threads. As one ignorant of much of what I was reading about, I thought it a fascinating and encouraging. From queens to slaves, women played an important role in the defense and spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the centuries of church history! Some modern historians have attempted to represent church history as demeaning and suppressive to women yet Severance asserts that "we do not need to create an imagined narrative out of speculative evidence." The evidence is there, as noted by Severance's thorough research and her extensive footnotes.

True, I may disagree strongly with various doctrinal beliefs or lifestyles of some whose stories are told in Feminine Threads. Yet I find it refreshing that this book...

...[does not] write histories--of commoners or of so-called elite--based on what we would have liked for them to have been. Neither do we seek to superimpose contemporary thought patterns and standards on earlier societies. Though at times the evidence might raise unanswered questions, or we might wish the facts to be different, the truth of the story of women in Christian history inspires, challenges, and, above all, demonstrates the grace of God producing much fruit through Christian women throughout two millennia of the Church.

It does indeed. I was inspired and challenged by the grace of God and the fruit of the gospel borne by these, my forerunners in the faith. Some were quite wealthy and used their wealth and influence to advance the gospel. Some were poor, destitute, martyered for their adherance to Christ. Nearly all demonstrated a fervency in biblical scholarship and a thirst for knowledge that both encourages and shames me. As I read of wealthy queens and of determined missionaries I can't help but wonder about my own legacy. Certainly for each story told in the pages of Feminine Threads, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of women also serving the Lord with the same boldness of faith, yet in humble obscurity. Feminine Threads reminds me that it is not fame that builds an important and lasting legacy; it is the staunch and steadfast surrender of one's life to the cause of Christ, seeking His glory and the advance His kingdom in all things. How I want to be found faithful!

I highly recommend Feminine Threads. It is an important and encouraging, not to mention engrossing, read, one that will benefit all believers. I'd like to thank Christian Focus for providing a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion. My thoughts here are part of a blog tour; you can check out other reviews at the Christian Focus Booknotes blog.

A glimpse into our goings and comings

Well, well, well. So it's been a week since I last logged in here to attempt a post, or something vaguely resembling one, and while you the reader can no longer be surprised by such lapses in posting I the author remain so. I never intend for the site to lie dormant for so many days; in fact I even had a few pressing thoughts eager to make their way to the computer screen...and yet, here we are. So what have I been up to since I obviously haven't been blogging?

We had new carpet installed upstairs, a much needed project albeit one requiring much preparatory labor. The installers moved all the large pieces of furniture; we had to only have what I call the "little stuff" cleared out from under the beds, off the floors of the closets, off the shelves, and so on. Did I mention much prepatory labor? We stacked most of it in the dining room (yes, the children helped--I was not about to attempt the transport of the many lego creations). Who knew there was so much junk hidden under the beds and in the closets?

As I mentioned, the new carpet was a much needed investment. In other words, our old carpet was shot. When deciding on exactly which carpet we wanted, I told the salesman that I had four boys and I wasn't a very good housekeeper and therefore I needed carpet that would withstand both. Time will tell, I suppose. I chose a much darker color as well, a brown named "Flowerbed" and while I worried that perhaps we were channeling 1972, I really, really like it. Now we have only to reinstate all the little stuff to their former hiding places.

It is also Vacation Bible School this week. So, yeah, the new carpet and associated labor notwithstanding, we're tired. Though I have to say that I really like the approach of this particular curriculum. Our classes travel to stations for the Bible lesson, crafts, games, and snacks so my main responsibility is making sure my little class of four year olds stays on schedule. That I can do!

In other news, I signed up for Pinterest though I remain a little unsure as to its concept and use, particularly for someone like me who prefers words to pictures and whose hobby doesn't require spray paint and sander but a laptop and thesaurus. :) I do enjoy reading and gaining inspiration from various home and decorating blogs so it will be fun to accumulate ("pin") images and ideas that I like in one page ("board"). Just a cursory glance on the boards that I follow already has me ready for a thrift/antique store shopping spree--I'm thinking I need a few more plates to hang on the wall! No doubt there are all sorts of other uses to be discovered. Oh, and if you want to check out my boards and pins and such (though I currently have only two, yes count them, two pins) you can follow me here.

I've also been reading Feminine Threads: Women in the Tapestry of Christian History for an upcoming blog tour. Though I will have more to say in next week's post, I will say this: this book is a fascinating look at the lives and faith of Christian women throughout history. I'm ashamed to admit how little world history I know and to read of the impact and influence of the gospel through the stories of real women in various historical and cultural contexts--well, as I said, it's fascinating. I'm enjoying both the (brief) history lesson and the encouragement that comes with remembering those who've gone before and who stood firm contending for the faith, often at great cost.

Speaking of books, I received an advance copy of Nancy Guthrie's study on Genesis this week, The Promised One: Seeing Jesus in Genesis. I am really excited about perusing it more carefully but what I see, I like! A lot!

So, there's a small glimpse into our goings and comings. I hope that you too are enjoying a summer full of the blessings of church and family, good books and good friends, grace undeserved and mercy overflowing...

Friday's Fave Five

It's Friday, which means it's time once again to link up our five favorites of the week at Susanne's blog Living to Tell the Story. Some of my favorites of the week include:

1. The regional soccer tournament last weekend that I posted about yesterday. We didn't win but we sure competed!

2.  My husband had a business trip to Nashville and our two younger sons and I tagged along. We stayed at the Opryland Hotel which is huge. And amazing. And gorgeous. Here's the view from the balcony of our room. We had an interior view, mind you, so all that you see is inside the hotel. Incredible!

3. As part of our trip we took a spin on the General Jackson showboat for supper and a show. The supper was okay but the show was fantastic! It was a retrospective of sorts, featuring (you guessed it) country music through the years. I grew up on country music and was an avid fan in my college/newlywed years so it was great fun and the performances were really good.

4. I won a $50 cash doorprize the last morning of my husband's conference so we stopped at the mall on the way out of town and I purchased a new charm for my charm bracelet. Fun!

5. It's fun to go, to soccer tournaments and to beautiful hotels alike, but I'm a homebody at heart. In fact, I'd rather be home than almost anywhere and I think sometimes my husband must feel as if he has to pry me the out the door with a crowbar! That being said, the best part of going is coming home. I love to come back home!

What were your favorites of the week? Link up your Friday Fave Five over at Susanne's!

The Cinderella story that almost was

Some of you may remember my second son's soccer team won the state championship for their division last fall (and in very exciting fashion). As the state champions, they earned the privilege to represent our state in the regional tournament against champions from 11 other states. We played last weekend and I have to be honest: I wasn't sure how competitive we'd be. I knew we were a good team, by our state's standards, but hello, our first game was against the Florida team from Miami. I'm not certain, but I've been told the population of Miami alone is greater than the entire population of my whole state. Anyway, not only did we hold our own, we tied the Miami team 1-1, my son scoring the tying goal with what his coach described as one of the prettiest goals he's ever seen as a coach (proud mama moment to be sure). In fact, our coach wrote about the game here, describing the thrill of the equalizer that showed us a competitive force.

We went on to tie with Georgia and found ourselves in a must-win game against Oklahoma, a team Miami had beat 2-0. In order to advance, we needed to win 2-0 as well and we needed Miami to tie with Georgia. Crazily enough, that is exactly what happened and thus tied with the Miami team, penalty kicks then determined who would advance to the semi-finals. Nine kicks later, the Floridians advanced and ultimately went on to beat a team from Houston to win the whole tournament and earn a berth at nationals.

It could have been us, our boys, going all the way. We had obviously shown ourselves equal to whomever we were playing, a feat to be enormously proud of, no doubt about it. I find it interesting that the final game was comprised of opponents from two of our nation's largest cities: Miami and Houston. What if it had been us, a team of boys from various small towns scattered across northeast Alabama? A Cinderella story to be sure! Maybe next year!

I am proud of the team, for their hard work and persistence, their determination and their desire to play. My boy is already looking toward next season! It's exciting to win, yes, but it's also exciting to see the kind of teamwork and discipline they are learning by playing the game they love.

Plates, books, and the joys of thrifting

A fun day for me might include rummaging around in one of our local thrift stores, perhaps an antique store or two, and if I'm joined by a couple of girlfriends, all's the better! I'm not a collector so much, nor even a true antique-r, though I would like to be. No collections around here, I sometimes say, except for books and children!

I am inspired by the stories I read via blogs and magazines, stories of beautiful pieces found, restored, re-purposed, or repainted. Ten dollar French chairs or the solid wood chest of drawers for a steal or a fantastic lamp needing only a burst of spray paint and a trendy shade, these trash-to-treasure tales appeal to my inner decorator, such as it is. Those home bloggers who can write daily posts on their various decorating projects amaze me. Me, I'm more of a dabbler, a rummager as I said before. I do like looking for my own treasures in the rough; I bought a coffee table once and painted it. Among my favorite thrift store finds are four small needlepoints currently hanging in my half bath. I don't know if they're tacky, I just know I like them! A lot! Since I'm more of a dabbler and less of a decorator, I have no firm ideas of what I'm looking for, I'm just hoping I'll know it when I see it!

My main thrifting indulgences, however, are plates and books. I cannot resist either, particularly a white plate, most particularly platters, nor the old book, especially one with a name scribbled in the flyleaf. I think my thrift store plate obsession began when looking for some plates, white preferably, to hang in some sort of artistic expression over my bed. That project is done and now I can't stop. I have beautiful plates hanging in several rooms in my home. Some of the plates are thrift store acquisitions, some I've had many years, some my mom gave me (she has a thing about plates and china as well), some belonged to my husband's grandmother. Is this poor taste in decorating? I don't really mind even if it is. It's what I like.

I like books too, old books, and I am unable to pass up, say, a two dollar 1920s era Chemistry textbook with beautifully aged red binding. Books I remember from my childhood, or even books that I don't, the aforementioned textbooks, an Emily Post book on etiquette, a book on southern gardening, all these--and more--have found their way to my shelves, to my mantle, to a stack on my coffee table... I like their beauty, I like wondering who they belonged to, I just like books. And yes, they are everywhere. Again, is this poor taste in decorating? Again I don't really mind even if it is. It's what I like.

So, there's my decorating theme in a nutshell: plates and books. I love them both and I'm glad for the occasional rummage among the thrift store shelves and for the blessing of being able to surround myself with such pleasures, even if they are transitory and fleeting. I like decorating my home with things I love, things others once loved; I also like remembering that my life does not consist in the abundance of either books or plates. After all, someday someone else may know the thrill of spending $2 on a book that once graced my shelves!

What if?

When you split from another church, a certain amount of curiosity and interest on the part of others outside the immediate situation is to be expected. In other words, people will talk, the downside of that being, of course, that not all that they say will be true. It is a hard truth to swallow that you may be misunderstood or mischaracterized and that there is no avenue to defend yourself. For the most part, it doesn't bother me so much, despite what how it may appear, what with me writing about it lo, these three years later. In fact, the more I have thought about it, I've concluded that I do not mind at all to be talked about in terms of what is true about what we believe, and what we are doing now as a church family. Go ahead, talk about us and how much we love Jesus or our allegiance to Scripture or our desire for the glory of God in all things. It's all true, insofar as our sinful selves can attest.

It's the stuff that isn't true that gets my goat.

As I said, we are nearly three years out from the split and, to me at least, it is so much water under the bridge. Those difficult early days, difficult not just in terms of public perception but even more so in terms of the sort of grief and shock that accompany such situations, are gone. I love my church, more than I can express in mere words on a screen, and if there is chatter I am pretty much far removed from it, perhaps isolated by the company of my fellow outcasts, as it were!

Kidding about the outcasts part. Ok, only somewhat. ;)

And then a few weeks ago a rumor about what we purportedly believe reached my ears via a couple of different avenues. I was shocked. And hurt. And maybe a little angry. Needless to say, what had been said about me wasn't true and seemed to me ridiculous, among other things and several other choice adjectives. Again I knew the frustration of having no recourse and again I knew the disappointment that people are talking about me with incorrect and outlandish accusations.

I can't help but think once again of our propensity as fallen people to choose to talk, to gossip, to whisper, to denigrate, rather than to choose to confront the issue head-on with truth. And I'm not just talking about those gossiping about me and my church and our beliefs. I'm guilty as well. Don't we prefer the shock value of whispered hearsay over the humble, gentle confrontation that both Paul and Jesus command? Don't I?

What if? What if, when someone was told that Lisa believed "____", what if they called me on the phone or shot me an email and said "Hey, I heard this. Is it true? If yes, can you explain why you think that?" What if we, believers, followers of Jesus Christ, you, me, loved each other enough and loved His church enough to speak the truth to each other with bold grace and gentle courage?

Iron sharpening iron

Last Friday I had lunch with two wise and brilliant friends of mine, godly women passionate about doctrine and theology and the glory of God in all things. They are thinking women, articulate and smart, and love the Lord Jesus with single-minded, whole-hearted fervor. Our conversation swirled around such diverse topics as trusting the Lord in difficulty, seeking wisdom in parenting, Sabbatarianism and choosing a carpet color.

In case you were wondering, my contribution to the day's conversation was the carpet color dilemma.

It is easy for someone like me, in my more insecure moments, to be intimidated by these friends. So articulate, so impassioned that sometimes I am tempted to feel silly and shallow. Sometimes. Instead, I am deeply thankful, both for my friends and for the healthy and helpful dose of humility that reminds me to press on and press in and seek after the deep things of the Lord in ever increasing determination. They encourage me, these mom-theologians whose theology isn't merely academic but lives itself out as they mother their children, love their husbands, serve their church, and struggle to be faithful to the Lord even when life is confusing and sometimes disappointing. What examples they are to me!

Iron sharpening iron, I want to be that kind of friend!

Today's Chapter

I am out on the porch. No painters this morning, it being Saturday and all, so I am able to enjoy a peaceful few minutes outside. Peaceful and hot. Good grief, it's been hot. Two of my guys are still in the bed, recovering from the spending-the-night-fun of the previous night. The other three of my men are out on a bicycle ride; the puppy is in the backyard no doubt getting into some sort of trouble. With all members of my household thus employed, I am free to think and ponder and read and drink coffee in glad solitude.

This week's thoughts led me to search for an article by John Piper in which he presents a list of fifteen challenges to women. Sometimes I am unsure of what I'm supposed to be about and my mission as a wife, mom, and woman seems cloudy and unsettled. Most, nearly all, of my days I am happy and content with my simple life, here, at home, serving my husband, loving my children, volunteering at the pregnancy center, teaching Bible study, happily fulfilling those responsibilities that are my particular privilege.

Sometimes, though, a trace of panic will wash over me as I suddenly realize that I'm not anything and by this I mean in terms of accomplishment and success and clearly defined roles esteemed and counted worthy by the standards of our culture. I'm just a mom, I will lament to myself. No job skills, no job experience, no accomplishment to boast in other than the occasionally clean toilet. What if I was supposed to be somebody? To do something, something important, something valuable, something else, something more?

Yes, of course, it's ridiculous. I feel ridiculous typing it out and, if I am honest, I am tempted to delete it all. Yet my point in all this heartfelt confession is to encourage you as I encourage myself with Piper's charge to be devoted to the glory of God in all things (#1 on his list), to be a woman of the Book (#4) and to be committed to ministry (#7). I am particularly challenged and encouraged by his admonition to consider how to use my time, home and creativity to advance the Kingdom of Christ, to make choices not based on secular trends but on what will strengthen the cause of Christ (#11).

I think, though, I was most encouraged by the truth that our lives are comprised of stages and that no stage has all the joys. Yes and amen. Piper writes,

Chapters are divided by various things—age, strength, singleness, marriage, employment choices, children at home, children in college, grandchildren, retirement, etc. No chapter has all the joys. Finite life is a series of tradeoffs. Finding God's will, and living for the glory of Christ to the full in every chapter is what makes it a success, not whether it reads like somebody else's chapter or whether it has in it what chapter five will have.

What does today's chapter hold? Some laundry, some cleaning, some reading, some cooking of supper. Hopefully too some hugs, some laughter, some conversation, some time spent with my husband and boys, some gratitude for saving grace and gospel mercy and the undeserved and overwhelming blessings of family and home and life and breath. Paul said, "For me to live is Christ." Whether I am being or doing, living large or living small, Christ my all in all. How I want to live this day's chapter for the glory of Christ to the full!

Status Report, June

Sitting...at my dining room table. I would be out on the porch, my favorite morning locale, but with the painter here pressure washing and the contractors here repairing some rotten and damaged siding, the porch isn't quite the restful and peaceful location it usually is.

Drinking...coffee, black.

Reading...Knowing God by J.I. Packer. We're discussing a chapter each week in my pastor's Wednesday night class at church but I couldn't resist reading ahead. Good stuff.

Looking...for a good fiction read. I recently finished Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry and enjoyed it very much. It is always difficult to find an adequate follow up to a really good book!

Enjoyed...our book club this past month. We read Jane Austen's Persuasion and watched the Masterpiece Theater adaptation at our meeting. That plus ice cream made for a fun evening! This month we're reading Little Women, another favorite!

Celebrating...packing my last lunchbox of the school year this morning! Yes!

Planning...various projects around the house. Of course, it seems to me that I am always doing the planning but never quite the completing of such projects. Among my goals for the summer: staining the porch, painting trim, sorting the boys' clothes currently stored in boxes under the beds and in closets, painting a couple of pieces of furniture, and so on. Pretty ambitious, as I said.

Transitioning...to our summer lifestyle and fighting feeling just a little overwhelmed by the crowded June and July calendars. In addition to the boys' usual practices and workouts, we'll be making a trip to the beach as well as visiting my son's college of choice.

Wondering...and not for the first time...how it is that my son is now a senior, set to graduate and fly the coop next year. Seriously, how can these things be? Seems like he should be in fifth grade or something. Time, it flies, and far more quickly than I ever imagined.

Wanting...to write and put to paper (computer screen?) the various ponderings and wonderings occupying my mind lately. Yeah, yeah, it's my same old confession: I miss blogging, I want to blog more, I want to write more, but I never seem to get back in the groove. Blah, blah, blah. I'm a frustrated blogger, no doubt about it. It is difficult to find the time, yes, but it is also difficult--at times--to walk the fine line between what I should and shouldn't write about. So sometimes I just don't.

Thankful...that the worth of my life isn't measured by site hits or comment counts nor even by the successful completion of all my summer projects. Rather, it is the humble living of my days, ordinary as they may be, loving and serving my family, testifying of the glorious gospel, rejoicing in the Lord's mercy in saving me, resting in His sufficiency, seeking the glory of the Lord in all things--this is what matters, this is the good life. A humble, ordinary life comprised of humble, ordinary days: this is my calling and this is my joy. I am thankful.