Women in Ministry

Hey,
Hope you are all well. I'm still trying to gain strength after being sick. Chuck is gone for the week and his job it totally up in the air. His dedicated was 'lost' to another company and he doesn't have any clear direction from his bosses. Dependence on God is the top of our list of 'trusts'.
I hope you all had a great Mother's Day. We celebrated with our kids and grands on Sat. We also celebrated Ethan and Lynn's birthday's, so a full day of fun and great food. Tiffani fixed Salmon with pesto and phyllo dough and it was wonderful and SOOO easy to make.
Because of Chuck's job, he's quite often leaves early on Sunday's, so I've been going to church alone. I have to admit that I don't like it. Before we moved, at least I had friends to fellowship with and ministry.
What I'm experiencing is being single, even though I'm not. It gives me a new appreciation for those that are single, for whatever reason. Because the church is medium sized, not everyone I meet understands that I'm new. Every week someone introduces themselves, but mostly I'm alone. That's not something I handle well, but the Lord keeps reminding me that He is with me and I'm never alone. I'm looking at this new experience as a learning time.
That brings me to the blog and a series that I'm going to do. As I was sitting in the Sunday school classroom I saw some booklets that the pastor has written. I was told before that we can take them, so I looked them over and decided to find out what the church teaches about women in ministry. I'm going to share with you what I learn.
I've studied this before because I had some confusion in the past. A dear pastor friend helped me to understand what scripture teaches. So, this is new, yet old for me. I guess it's a refresher and you get to share with me along the journey.
In the O.T. we find that because of the 'fall' the women will desire her husband. I agree with the pastor when he says that he doesn't think it's a power struggle for control, but that even though child birth is painful, the women will desire her husband sexually so that they can procreate.
The O.T. broke traditions that women were property; surrounding cultures taught that. God showed that women could minister in many capacities.
First example: God made His covenant with women as well as men: Deuteronomy 29:1-11. He exhorts them to follow the new covenant. They've come through the desert, and God has gathered everyone, even foreigners to hear what He wants for them. Women were included because He commanded 'everyone' to hear what He wanted done. Verse 11: "together with your children and your wives, and the aliens living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water (slaves). "
So, God has included women in the original covenant and He wants women to be a part of what He is doing. This applies to us today. He has called us into ministry, sharing what the Word tells us to do. We in turn are to share what we learn with others.
If you feel that God doesn't have anything for you to do, think again. He does. Try different ministries until you find the one that "rings your bells".

Bell ringing,
Sandy