Billie Meadors was convinced God was about to redeem a difficult part of her past. Having survived an extremely tough marriage and then long season of single motherhood, Billie had just wholeheartedly spent the entire summer recruiting team members, preparing to launch and lead an all new Single Moms Ministry, when a routine mammogram threatened all that.
In my last blog I talked about what diversity is. I asked, “What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘diversity’?”, suggesting anything from gender equality to ethnic diversification. We looked at how diversity relates to perspective, courage, and reconciliation. Then we considered how diversity is not tokenism, patronization, or sameness.
What comes to mind when you hear the word “diversity”? Is it gender equality and women’s rights? Is it immigration and our chaotic Southern border? Is it denominational inclusion and capital “C” Church unity? Is it graciously entertaining differences in opinion or religion? Or, for you, is it racial equality and ethnic diversification?
If you keep up with cultural trends and statistics, you may be aware that a rising number of young adults raised in the church are now leaving the church and that new converts in the millennial demographic are fewer than ever. As a woman passionate about mentoring younger generations and as a mom of teens, this statistic is very concerning to me.
Are you ever so excited about something that you think you just might bust? Like if someone could look inside your anticipation they’d see a 5-year old version of a Christmas jammie clad you, jumping up and down on her parent’s bed in hopes of waking them so you can please oh please oh please finally open your Christmas presents? Well, that’s how I feel about our Fall Women’s Ministry Launch!
Three years ago, I found myself in a losing battle against materialism. I was an unhappy shopaholic who couldn’t keep a budget to save her life. Research shows clutter can compound stress and anxiety in our lives, but I didn’t need research to confirm what I was experiencing. We already have enough stressors in our life that we can’tcontrol, which is why I’ve become a big fan of the recent “tidying” craze inspired by Marie Kondo.
