Treasuring God and Radical Womanhood

For nearly four years, my group of ladies (we say ladies because 'girls' sounds too young and 'women' sounds too old) has been meeting for Bible study, prayer, laughter, and fellowship (which always includes food). We've had some ladies come, and we've had some ladies go (you know, one of us goes off to one of the best med schools in the country or another moves to the Middle East- the usual in any group), but for the most part, we've remained pretty much the same. Just us, meeting once a week to stuff our faces with whatever food the hostess cooked up, cry about the crap going on in our lives, and laugh at each other's snide remarks and stories from work (ahem, Charity and the uterus story...need I say more?). This group of beloved friends will be one of the things I miss the most about living in Columbia.

Sometimes our group studied different books of the Bible, sometimes we went through topical studies, and sometimes we simply read through different books together. Back in January, we started Treasuring God in Our Traditions, a wonderful book by Noel Piper which I've read numerous times. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend purchasing it (it's one you'll want to read again and again) and begin reading it soon. As in, today. Piper discusses the importance of actively turning our attention to Jesus and intentionally focusing on our Lord. One of the most important ways through which we can accomplish this is for us to focus our family and our homes on bringing glory to the Lord. She offers practical suggestions on how this might look and also gives examples of how the Piper family chooses to bring honor to God through family activities, including holidays and special occasions, but also through the simplicity of every day life. This book, however, is not written as a how-to. Piper recognizes that each family is inherently different, and that uniqueness in and of itself pleases the Lord. She instead encourages each family to develop their own unique traditions that focus on our Saviour and bring glory to Him. This book is an easy read and is the perfect idea for a wedding or bridal shower gift as well.

After we finished Piper's novel, we decided to read through Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World, a recent release by Carolyn McCulley. Written by a former feminist, McCulley presents us with an incredibly well-researched explanation for the different waves of the feminist movement as well as how those waves affected society, women in the church, and how we approach Christianity and everyday life. I learned so much from reading it that I began to wonder how I had never learned any of the material located within the pages of this amazing book. This book is the perfect gift for any young woman; in fact, McCulley comments that this was the book she wished someone had given her in college. I understand that some people may be rather skeptical; they may not understand the true concept of biblical manhood and womanhood (please note that it is not forcing women to stay in the home by any means) and think McCulley just wants women to get married, stay at home, and take care of their children. In fact, McCulley herself is a single woman, a fact that I believe lends even more credence to her book (we also have single ladies involved in our group; they enjoyed this book as much as the married women and the married woman with a child). The purpose of women is not to get married and have children, but to glorify the Lord in our lives; McCulley clearly explains this purpose throughout the book while teaching the reader just how much the feminist movement has inhibited us from glorifying our Maker through our lives.