Under a gray sky with a hint of sunrise at its edge, a hand holds a dandelion puffball, with parts of it scattered by the force of the person's breath.

The silencing of women and the snorts of God

“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak.” The meaning of that quote from 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is obvious, right? God silences women, and the inspired apostle Paul affirmed it. Or maybe, just maybe: The Lord and Paul both snort at the idea – and we have not known it.

Praying hands? Serving hands? True leader's hands? Closeup of clasped hands, dirty from tending the garden.

Submit to such as these women

The greetings in Paul’s New Testament letters – the ones translators have altered and we often bypass – affirm women, as well as men, who minister as true servant leaders.

Lovely translucent butterfly on green leaf. Present, even when unseen.

Where have all the women gone?

What has, for centuries, hidden the presence of women alongside men in the New Testament, and especially in Paul’s letters? Where have all the women gone?

Weathered wooden signpost, with weathered blue arrow pointing right

12 signposts on the journey to rest

I’ve learned a lot about rest from people in Scripture. Seeing their lives with fresh eyes, I’ve seen things I had not realized: How blessed rest is. How different it looks from what we often think. How much in our lives can keep us from it. Here are 12 “signposts” pointing us to rest, signposts placed on the path by people who came before.

My beautiful, long-haired, brown-and-black cat Tessa sleeps on a pillow on the carpet in a shaft of sunlight.

Tessa and the lion’s den

  • Post category:My Story
  • Post last modified:March 12, 2025

My finicky and beloved cat Tessa lived for 17 years. She inspired this post one night in 2004 – the year I first found myself in a den with lions that tear people apart.