Needy People
Several years ago, I had a conversation with a woman whose grown children lived all over the country—or even the globe, I think. When I asked her if that was hard for her to be so far away, she said, “Not really. I guess I don’t really like being needed.”
At the time—as a new mom with one baby boy—this kind of appalled me. I mean, what kind of mom would miss being needed? Fast forward several years and a couple more kids, and I see where she was coming from. Never more clearly than these past first few weeks of summer. The weather’s been beautiful and my kids and I have had a lot of fun, but the “neediness” of my kids has hit record levels. I swear I get “Mom, can you…?” and “Mom, where’s my….?” and “Mom, help me find….” flying at me from three directions nonstop for what seems like all day—and a long day, that can be. If you have kids, I’m sure you’ve been there.
But what days like this tell me is that I—like the woman from a few years back—am not that much of a fan of being needed myself.
Continue reading...Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on June 20, 2008 | Comments (3)
Live from Synergy 2008: Who We Really Are
Fear not.
That was one message in today’s final plenary session. And it was one overarching message of the entire Synergy conference. As humans, we tend to be afraid, to fear life’s battles and even our own gifts. And as women, many of us practice fear our whole lives. But as women made in the image of God, created to fight the lifelong battle of the ezer, we need not—and must not—live in fear.
So how do we let go of the fears that bind us and keep us from fulfilling God’s calling? We remember the God who created us and who he has made us to be. And we find our strength in him.
This morning, Carolyn Custis James reminded us of the ways we usually identify ourselves and introduce ourselves to others. We talk about our friends, our husbands, our jobs, our children, our homes. All important, to be sure. But all fragile. All can be taken away—as the lives of Naomi and Ruth demonstrate. Our value and identities come not from the roles we play or the people who surround us. Our identity as ezers—God’s image bearers and indispensable warriors—can never be taken away. It’s with us from birth. That’s who we really are.
Posted by Amy Simpson on April 13, 2008 | Comments (3)
Live from Synergy 2008: Emotional Responses from Thinking Women
As I got ready for the final plenary session this morning, I had “chokey moment”—you know; where you get that catch in your throat and feel tears building a bit behind your eyes. I initially thought it was because I was going to see my kids this afternoon and just realized how much I had missed them. But then I remembered: This wasn’t the first time I’d welled up over the weekend here at Synergy. And I’m not a crier.
At Friday night’s opening session, I misted up during Carolyn Custis James’s talk, “Inhabiting Your Story,” as she walked us through Naomi’s powerful story and opened my eyes and heart to God’s love and redeeming power in ways I had never seen. I did it again during Leigh McLeroy’s Saturday morning talk on the ways God can use brokenness for his story—and ours— and how we need to learn to “struggle well.” Wow. That got me.
And I wasn’t the only one I saw getting a bit weepy this weekend. Another woman cried while sharing her exhaustion and her fear of burnout leading a non-for-profit; yet another got choked up sharing her experience—and frustrations—in women’s ministry.
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on April 13, 2008 | Comments (5)
Live from Synergy 2008: What Is the Future of Women’s Ministry?
When I first read Amy Simpson’s blog post Why I Don’t Do Women’s Ministry a short while back, I remember giving an enthusiastic fist-pump toward my computer monitor. “Yeah,” I said, “Why do we always call it a luncheon instead of just lunch?” More than just noon-meal terminology, Amy’s words resonated with me because, like many of you, I feel out of place in traditional “women’s” ministries. And with only 10 short months of marriage to my credit, I’ve come to realize that this extends to ministries to wives or married couples as well. As a person who loves the Lord and wants to be involved with his church, these aversions sometimes make me feel abnormal, guilty, or petty, as if I don’t have the right to find fault with what someone else had diligently planned for me. Thankfully, Amy summarized my feelings exactly and I realized I wasn’t alone. Her comments responded to what many of us associate with typical women’s ministry: home parties, dubiously-named luncheons, or crafts.
Maybe this sensitivity is why I gravitated so quickly to the theme of the Synergy workshop I attended this morning called “What Is the Future of Women’s Ministry?” Our group was diverse in ethnicity, age, profession, and family status. The panel discussion aimed to discuss about five questions on the subject of the future of women’s ministry, but our dynamic group only made it through the first and most fundamental: what is women’s ministry? In other words, what do we mean when we use that term? And how does that inform how we think about our hopes and expectations of this concept?
Continue reading...Posted by Roxanne Wieman on April 12, 2008 | Comments (6)
Live from Synergy 2008: The Return of the Ezer
Synergy 2008 is off to quite a start!
First off, let me just say: it’s so wonderfully warm here. Sunny and warm and humid…and there are flowers. Spring has been late in coming to Chicago (or at least that’s how it feels to me), so I’m loving this!
Now on to the good stuff. Last night, Carolyn Custis James wowed us all during the first plenary session of the conference. She reminded us of our roles as ezers – the word used to describe females in Genesis 2: 18: “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper (ezer) suitable for him.’”
But ezer does not simply mean helper…or not in the simple way we might define helper anyway. We were not made simply to help men clean up after themselves or to do the stuff they don’t want to do. Ezer signifies a partnership beyond mere conveniences or even simple reproductive purposes. Ezer is not a word to be taken lightly; nor is it a word used solely (or even primarily) for women. Ezer is more often used in the Bible to describe God as Israel’s helper. Or sometimes to describe Israel’s war allies. This is a powerful word embodying so much more than our English “helper” would have us believe. Ezer: (pronounced azer with a long a, as in razor) is a powerful Hebrew military word. And yet it’s the word God chose to twice describe the woman he created. This is not the image of a helpmate; this is the image of a compatriot, a fellow warrior in an all-important battle.
Continue reading...Posted by Roxanne Wieman on April 12, 2008 | Comments (3)
Just Like Summer Camp…Well, Sort of
When I was growing up, I went to Bible camp every summer. Going to camp was one of the absolute highlights of my year. It was right up there with Christmas, my birthday, the last day of school, and the first snowfall.
So what made camp so great? Well, it wasn’t the activities. I could enjoy many of those things at home. It wasn’t the sleeping accommodations—sleeping bags and 3-inch-thick noisy mattresses are a novelty for only a few nights. The food was…well, it was camp food. And I’m not crazy about marshmallows.
Posted by Amy Simpson on March 25, 2008 | Comments (4)
Savoring Synergy
If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.
—African Proverb
Several years ago, when I was facing major surgery, I learned just how alone a person can feel and also what it means to have someone come alongside you.
At the time, I was an employee of the hospital where I was now an anxious patient. When I awoke the morning of my surgery, both my husband and my boss (an amazing woman who was also to me both a mentor and a friend) were there for me. As I was wheeled up to the surgical suite, I had an IV on one side and my friend on the other. Her hand was gently resting on my shoulder pumping courage into me.
There’s more than a little truth in the African proverb that we need one another to go the distance in the battles God puts in our path.
Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on March 16, 2008 | Comments (2)
Synergy 2008 Conference
Friday-Sunday, April 11-13, 2008
Crowne Plaza Hotel—Orlando Airport
Orlando, Florida
Register
FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE STORY: The Return of the Ezer
• This conference is the starting place for teaching and painting the picture of the ezer.
• The message: "God has created you as an ezer."
• God created a perfect plan, addressing creation and the fall.
KEY SPEAKERS:
Carolyn Custis James
Leigh McLeroy
Reggie Kidd
Rebecca Guillory Gilmer
Posted by Roxanne Wieman on March 13, 2008 | Comments (2)
Synergy 2008 Workshop Tracks
We are confident the workshops will be a high point of your conference experience. We offer three workshop tracks that will run concurrently during three different sessions on Saturday; check our Schedule for the exact times. These cutting-edge, forward-thinking, interactive workshops will be 1.5 hours each. Click here for full details.
You will have an opportunity to register for the three workshops you want to attend at Registration and also before the conference.
WORKSHOP TRACKS
Academic
Leadership Interests
Writing
Posted by Roxanne Wieman on March 6, 2008 | Comments (0)
Synergy 2008 Registration Information
Single Registration: US $195
Team Rate: US $175 per person—minimum 5 people
To register, click on this link: Online Registration
You will be re-directed to the Campus Crusade Conference Registration Tool where you will be required to set up a Login Profile with a password before you can proceed to register.
Posted by Roxanne Wieman on March 5, 2008 | Comments (0)
Synergy: The Vision
As an organization, Synergy is committed to the following...
VISION
To see women wholeheartedly following Christ and partnering with their Christian brothers and each other to build His Kingdom.
MISSION
To connect, equip, and encourage women in vocational ministry to be effective leaders and laborers for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Posted by Roxanne Wieman on March 4, 2008 | Comments (0)
Why I Like Conferences
I’m headed to a conference today – thankfully, one in a much warmer climate than the near zero temperatures of Chicago right now.
I’m usually a fan of conferences. I enjoy the opportunity to hear great speakers, share insights with comrades in the field, and get inspired for another season of ministry.
With the 2008 conference season underway, I thought I’d put together a little top 10 list—the Top 10 Reasons I Like Conferences…
10. A hotel room—no laundry, no mess, no cooking!
9. Round tables—I love conferences that invite you to talk with other attendees. It always seems like the best encouragement and the most practical ideas come from round table discussions.
8. Worship—it’s exhilarating to praise God amidst a body of believers devoted to a similar calling and ministry focus.
Posted by Roxanne Wieman on February 19, 2008 | Comments (4)
Synergy 2007 Wrap-Up
In my experience at Synergy 2007, my most significant impression has been a sense of awe at how much variety is in the body of Christ, how many ways God is speaking and working through women. The women at this conference have traveled so many different paths; for some of us these paths have taken us all over the world. God has called us to different ministries and given us different passions. And yet through the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit and the fellowship we have in Jesus, he makes us one body—the ultimate in synergy.
While I’ve been here, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know and hearing from some remarkable women.
Continue reading...Posted by Amy Simpson on April 15, 2007 | Comments (3)
Synergy 2007 Update
Saturday at Synergy 2007 has been a pleasure. I continue to be impressed with the group of women who have found their way to this event . Like Gifted for Leadership, Synergy is a community of gifted women who represent great potential for powerful ministry in the name of Christ.
In our plenary session this morning, we heard again from Dr. Alice Mathews. She talked about “synergy”—what it means and why it’s important. Basically, to achieve synergy, you must have all the parts of a whole present and engaged and working together in unity. This certainly is true for the church. Synergy, she pointed out, is essential for our work of spreading the gospel.
Dr. Mathews focused especially on the importance of a specific synergy in our lives: synergy among Christ, the Living Word, and the Bible, God’s written word. She challenged us as leaders to carefully handle the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15).
Continue reading...Posted by Amy Simpson on April 14, 2007 | Comments (0)
Synergy 2007
Here I am at Synergy 2007 in Orlando. In a previous post, I mentioned this networking event, whose purpose is to connect women who are preparing for and serving in vocational ministry. This event is organized and sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ, The Impact Movement, Reformed Theological Seminary, and WhitbyForum.
I'm excited and privileged to be at this event. The room was full of gifted women--who represent so much life-changing ministry happening throughout the world. The session was challenging and inspiring. God is obviously at work!
Tonight, in the opening plenary session, we enjoyed a time of "speed networking," getting to know a little bit about other women and exchanging information so that we can resume our conversations later on.
We also we heard from Dr. Alice Mathews, who challenged us to be faithful in responding to God's call by using the gifts he has given us. She raised an interesting question: When women neglect their gifts, failing to develop and use the leadership gifts God has given them, are they sinning?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
Posted by Amy Simpson on April 13, 2007 | Comments (3)
