{"id":21,"date":"2024-09-03T23:04:27","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T23:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmn.sga.mybluehost.me\/website_b2c0315d\/nordstrom-launches-womens-fashion\/"},"modified":"2024-09-04T12:47:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T18:47:37","slug":"nordstrom-launches-womens-fashion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/nordstrom-launches-womens-fashion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Haunting (of Unfulfilled Call to Ministry)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Haunting of God’s Call<\/em><\/h2>\n

\"ministry<\/p>\n

Scripture states that God\u2019s gifts and callings are irrevocable. He sets members in the body distributing gifts to each as it pleases Him. In other words: His call to salvation and service\/ministry is firm. He doesn\u2019t change His mind and pull back the offer. The planting of the call, the conferral of His gifts and offices, are true and sure.<\/p>\n

Sometimes (OFTEN really), we women stumble at the call. We can\u2019t find firm footing. We can’t find the courage or the path to overcoming the formidable barriers that confront us. Our image of ourselves or the image the church has presented of women or both make us quake inside and pull away in fear- a MULTITUDE of fears. Being a woman called to the vocation of ministry is painful. There is a nakedness to it. You know the stones will hurt when they are thrown. And you know they will be thrown.<\/p>\n

And, you know you are not prepared. Most women called to ministry begin the journey three steps back from the place a man stands when receiving his call. A man\u2019s announcement of call to ministry is usually received with joy, shouts of encouragement, and automatic acceptance. The local church often does not support women in this way. Both women and men in the congregation may pronounce her call to ministry illegitimate. The pulpit often openly preaches against her visible place in the proclamation and leadership ministries. And, she is likely to find little or no mentorship or for that matter even encouragement. Stripped of emotional support and resources, the nakedness is more than uncomfortable. Every flaw, every amateurish misstep will be magnified. Every word will be critiqued- maybe even taken out of context and used against her.<\/p>\n

Yet, the call doesn\u2019t go away. It may hide its head under her display of skill in other areas or vocations. But, it keeps poking its head out. It keeps whispering in her ear: \u201cYou cannot forget me. I am much of who you are.\u201d It makes her restless. It makes her uncomfortable, vaguely dissatisfied with whatever else she does or is.<\/p>\n

In those rare liquid moments when she lets her heart breathe, she feels the way she is intended to move in her call. She lays hands on the sick, anoints with oil, dedicates infants, administers communion, declares the vision for the local church\u2019s future: preaches the gospel. She stands with other leaders representing the Body of Christ. Within those thoughts and visions, she knows she is truly authentic. The movement and words are natural like the act of breathing, like the sensation of freedom she feels when slipping unhindered through the turquoise waters of her pool. The visions haunt her:<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The Haunting<\/h4>\n

She cries out in pain.
\nTears flow in her spirit.<\/p>\n

God is showing her these things.
\nShe knows Him.
\nShe knows His Voice.
\nShe knows His wooing.
\nShe knows His overwhelming acceptance
\nand His sure love.
\nShe knows this is how
\nHe purposed and planned her to function.<\/p>\n

But how can this be more than
\njust a dream,
\nan ideal too improbable to realize?
\nOpposition and impediments are great-
\noverwhelming actually.
\nThere are few in her court.<\/p>\n

She swallows.
\nShe swallows hard.
\nShe buries herself deep inside.
\nShe imprisons the spark of life.
\n\u201cWomen are not called to lead,\u201d
\nchides the church voices in her head.
\nEven her girlfriends in the church
\nmostly think this is so.<\/p>\n

She wipes away
\nthe one tear
\nshe allows to overflow.
\nShe tenses her jaw.
\nShe gets up and moves on
\nwith her daily routine- so much to do.<\/p>\n

If the wooing of
\nthis call to ministry
\nwould not arise periodically
\nawakening her from her dreams,
\nIf it would not appear
\nas an image when she prays,
\nthen she could go on untethered-
\nmaybe even fully enjoy her life.<\/p>\n

But she knows:
\nIT WON’T BE SILENT.<\/p>\n

___________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Kathy A. Meisner, M. Ed., M. Div<\/em>., is a writer and artist living in the Nashville, Tennessee area. The Haunting,\u00a0<\/em>Copyright 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Haunting of God’s Call Scripture states that God\u2019s gifts and callings are irrevocable. He sets members in the body distributing gifts to each as it pleases Him. In other words: His call to salvation and service\/ministry is firm. He doesn\u2019t change His mind and pull back the offer. The planting of the call, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-featured-articles","entry"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Kathy Meisner","author_link":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/author\/kathymeisner\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42,"href":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions\/42"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goldennumber.net\/website_796057e1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}