Musings from My Sun Porch

                 The Leadership roles of Women in the Church is an issue that is sure to stir up controversy.   The best place to look for an answer to any of the issues that we face is the Bible, and this one is no exception.   The first woman in a leadership position was Miriam, and she was the perfect example of both what you should and should not do as a woman leader.             As Moses’ older sister, her first opportunity to lead was when Pharoah’s daughter discovered the baby Moses.   Pharoah had issued an edict that all male Israelite babies were to be killed.   To protect her infant son, Miriam’s mother placed Moses in a special basket along the bank of the Nile River.   Miriam stood watch.   When Pharoah’s daughter found the infant, Miriam had two choices.   She could have run to her mother for help, or she could have boldly addressed t...

                 Yesterday, we celebrated “Memorial Day”.   People enjoyed a day off from work and there were lots of gatherings of friends and family, but I wonder how many of us gave a second thought to what Memorial Day is all about.                           A “memorial” is defined as “ something, especially a structure, established to remind people of a person or event.”   We can find memorials all over this nation.   Some are made of bronze or marble.   Some are carved into a mountainside.   Some are large monuments while others are just small plaques.   Some of these memorials that we often take for granted are small white crosses marking the graves of the fallen. There is another memorial that records the warriors’ names on a wall, but as the song says, “they are more than just a name ...

                 As we continue our look at the women of the Bible, we come to Potiphar’s wife.   She appears to be so inconsequential to God’s story that she isn’t even given a name.   She is known only as the wife of the Captain of the Guard.   Surprisingly, she plays an important part in God’s plan.             Joseph, son of Jacob, encountered this deceitful woman after he was sold into slavery by his brothers.   Potiphar became his Master, and because Joseph served him well, he made Joseph head of his household.   Joseph was put in charge of everything Potiphar owned.             Enter Potiphar’s wife!   Joseph was young and handsome, and immediately she attempted to seduce him.   Joseph gave three reasons why he could not concede to her temptations.   First, it would be a sin agai...

                 The story of Judah and Tamar is one that at first makes you question how it ever ended up in the Bible.   It reads like a soap opera, but it becomes a beautiful picture of how God uses ordinary people and redeems their mistakes for His glory. Judah, one of the Israel tribal leaders, ultimately became the ancestor of Jesus, the Messiah.   However, in our minds, his story in Genesis 38 makes him unworthy of that honor.   God had another idea.             Judah had two sons who married, in succession, a Canaanite woman, Tamar.   Each son died before producing an heir.   Judah had one son left and to avoid marrying him off to this “black widow”, he made excuses.   That’s where the trickery and deceit began.             When Tamar realized that her father-in-law had no intention of al...

                 As we continue our look at various women in the Bible, we come to Rachel and Leah, the wives of Jacob.   These ladies are another example of sibling rivalry helped along by parental trickery.             Jacob loved Rachel and worked for seven years to win her hand in marriage.   Unfortunately for him, Leah was the older sister, and it was their custom that the older daughter must be wed first.   The girls’ father, Laban, tricked Jacob into marrying Leah and then demanded that he work another seven years to win Rachel’s hand as well.   The result was an intense rivalry between the girls for their husband’s love.             Rachel was the love of Jacob’s life, but it was Leah who was blessed with the sons that he desired.   After the birth of four sons, Rachel, who was still childless...

                       As we celebrate “Mothers” this week, I wanted to take this opportunity to remember my Mom and celebrate her legacy.                 It’s hard to know where to start.  After all, she wasn’t famous.  She never went to college.  She never worked outside of the home until after my father retired, and she wasn’t rich.  By the world’s standards, she was pretty ordinary.  So, what makes her special?                 Her legacy starts and ends with family and friends.  She was an extrovert and never saw a stranger.  She would take your arm off if you let her, and she loved being with family and friends.  That was probably one of the few areas of contention between her and my “introvert” father.  He would have...

                 Dinah is a woman of the Bible that we seldom hear about.   She was the only daughter of Jacob and Leah. While Jacob’s sons became known as the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel, Dinah is known only for the attack by the son of the local ruler.   He first violated her and then claimed his undying love for her.   Ultimately, Dinah’s brothers took their revenge on the man and his entire community.   Scripture doesn’t tell us what happened to Dinah.             Unfortunately, it was an act of disobedience by Dinah’s father that led to this terrifying attack on his daughter.   In Genesis 31: 13, as Jacob was told to leave his father-in-law, Laban, God said, “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me.   Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land” (NIV84).   Before this, God ...

                 If you are looking for a primer on how NOT to parent, look no further than Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis.   After 20 years of marriage, Rebekah gave birth to twin boys who began their battle while still in the womb.   Genesis 25: 28 explains how their parents added to the competitive nature of the boys’ relationship.             “Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob” (NIV84).             Favoritism was at the root of many of this family’s problems. God had promised Rebekah that both boys would be the father of a nation, but He also said that the older boy, Esau, would serve the younger, Jacob.   As you read on in Genesis, you find that once more a strong-willed woman decided to help God with His promise.   She and Jacob perpetrated a trick on Issac that ...