Women on the court vs. Women in the church

Someone called one of the morning sports talk shows I listen to on Tuesday. It was the day after the men's NCAA championship and she wanted to talk some women's hoops. Mistake number one. Apparently the Final Four was in Tampa this year. Who knew? Needless to say her air time was short lived.

Most dudes I know don't watch, follow, or care about women's basketball. My reasoning is this: I don't want to watch a slower game in which layups make the highlight reel. I can lay it up. I can't dunk. I want to watch people do something I can't do (I know several women can dunk, but it doesn't look nearly as cool).

Regardless, most men don't respect what women can do on the basketball court. But when it comes to the church, men must be careful not to take the same approach. As much as I don't like watching (I'm not arguing against its existence!) women's basketball, the opposite could be said of how highly I view women in the church.

I've personally been blessed by women in the church throughout my life. Obviously my mother has played a huge part in my life, as has my grandmother. But there have also been some more obscure folks who've just been around me for a season. One particular lady about 8 years ago listened to me when I was at my lowest battling anxiety. And on another occasion she flat out rebuked me for speaking against my church. I'll never forget that-I needed it!

Just thinking about my own church now, I'm thankful for all of the "women's work." In addition to shepherding their own children, women here have taken initiative in ministry, reached out to neighbors, led discussions and bible studies, mentored others, served behind the scenes, shown mercy to those who didn't deserve mercy, provided me necessary encouragement at just the right time, etc....Without women serving in the church, we would miss so much that only women bring to the table. I don't think I could be part of a church that didn't hold a high view of women, and recognized the necessity of them being actively involved in the ministry of the church.