Our Male-Bashing Bible Study
Posted on 25-Mar-13 15:20 by Karen Waddles
Topics: Relationships with Others
It all started out so well . . . until there was a subtle shift in our conversation.
Karen Waddles
Karen is assistant to the publisher at Moody Publishers, a conference speaker, and contributing author to Our Voices: Issues Facing Black Women in America and The Women of Color Study Bible. She and her husband, George, who has been a pastor for the past 35 years, have four grown children and nine grandchildren. Her greatest joy is seeing women experience the fruit of God's blessings when they apply the principles of biblical womanhood to their lives.
Blog Posts by this author:
Sunday Dinners
Posted on 25-Feb-13 14:11 by Karen Waddles
Topics: Relationships with Others
Discouraged about your family. Karen encourages you to persevere by recounting what God has done in her own family.
150 Years Later, God Is Still at Work
Posted on 29-Jan-13 17:05 by Karen Waddles
150 years ago, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, God is still at work!
Calling It What It Is
Posted on 08-Jan-13 16:17 by Karen Waddles
Topics: Relationships with Others
Karen Waddles confesses to prettying up her sin in her previous post.
A Thirsty Woman
Posted on 21-Sep-12 14:54 by Karen Waddles
Have you been seeking to
satisfy the thirst of your heart in ways that are dishonoring to God? Have you
been listening to the lies of the enemy that say that God couldn’t love
you? The good news is that our Lord is seeking
to fill the void of our hungry souls with Himself.
I’ll Have a Slice of Humble Pie
Posted on 18-Jul-12 15:05 by Karen Waddles
A small group of ladies had taken me out to dinner after a special event at our church. It was meant to be a time of fellowship and fun. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, one of the ladies asked me, "Do you think that some of the ladies in the church may think of you as unapproachable?"
Following Your Man
Posted on 26-Jun-12 16:24 by Karen Waddles
I kept looking in my rearview mirror to see if George had realized the error of his ways, turned around, and joined the caravan. To my utter dismay he did not.
Are Women a Disenfranchised Minority in the Church?
Posted on 17-Apr-12 13:28 by Karen Waddles
The author subtly promotes a Sisters Solidarity Sunday in which all of the women in church stay home to force male leadership to acknowledge their value, influence, and power; and to provide more leadership opportunities for them.
Black History Month: Telling the Story of God's Mighty Power
Posted on 07-Feb-12 17:33 by Karen Waddles
In many ways, that is what Black History Month is to African-Americans. It is a time to remember and re-tell the story of how God moved on our behalf throughout history--eradicating slavery and opening doors
that had been closed. It is a time, once again, to testify of His mighty hand and to be in awe of His power!
A Disturbing Conversation
Posted on 30-Jan-12 07:43 by Karen Waddles
My niece immediately charged me with being intolerant. "Christians don't have a right to say that their beliefs are the right ones. Everyone's beliefs are on an equal plane and should be respected!"
Mom's in the Hospital!
Posted on 17-Jan-12 15:36 by Karen Waddles
With my cell phone in one hand and a bag of turnip greens in the other, I was torn. Would I be a bad daughter if I didn’t immediately leave the produce aisle and rush to the airport, catching a flight to Kansas to take care of my mother?
One of the Most Difficult Disciplines for Me to Master . . .
Posted on 11-Jan-12 10:27 by Karen Waddles
I'd struggle with starts and stops through the rest of the year--not to mention the weight of guilt for not "measuring up" as a Christian!
The Rest of the Story
Posted on 02-Dec-11 11:26 by Karen Waddles
Mario could win a contest for the happiest man in the world with his ear-to-ear smile. And it got brighter and more intense when he looked at Kristen, his wife. I was intrigued and asked to hear their story.
What I Wish I Had Said . . .
Posted on 08-Nov-11 16:54 by Karen Waddles
Have you ever walked away from an encounter and wished you could have added more?
After Thirty-Six Years in the Pastorate . . .
Posted on 27-Oct-11 13:15 by Karen Waddles
I have dreamed of what it would have been like to actually be married to a regular nine-to-five guy. The other side of that reality is that I cannot imagine a life that could have been any more rewarding and more meaningful than this one.
Herbert and Zelmyra, Longest Living Married Couple
Posted on 29-Sep-11 16:18 by Karen Waddles
Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher have been married for eighty-seven years and hold the Guinness World Record for the longest marriage of a living couple.
Marion and Jim
Posted on 16-Sep-11 15:25 by Karen Waddles
Topics: Marriage
As Jim ranted on and on, Marion looked into his glaring eyes and said softly, with deep sincerity . . . “I love you, Jim.”
Steel Cut Oatmeal
Posted on 02-Sep-11 14:04 by Karen Waddles
Now, if you're like me, you've never heard about steel cut oatmeal, and probably don't know what's so special about it . . .
Can't He Tell Time?!
Posted on 22-Aug-11 10:09 by Karen Waddles
If we're supposed to be somewhere at 6 p.m., I want to be there by 5:45 p.m. (probably has something to do with those "on time" awards they gave us in Sunday School when I was growing up). My husband, on the other hand, is perfectly happy with a 6:15 or 6:20 p.m. arrival. As you can imagine, this has been a source of quite a bit of tension over the years!
Still Learning . . . The Whole Submission Thing
Posted on 05-Aug-11 16:43 by Karen Waddles
It never occurred to me (at the time) that I was being disrespectful of my husband. I was in “functional mode”: Gotta get the groceries so that as soon as we arrive the vacation can begin in earnest. Don’t want to use valuable vacation time shopping for groceries! It’s really no big deal.
Should Young Women Live at Home?
Posted on 27-Jul-11 16:48 by Karen Waddles
I was listening to a secular radio station on the way home from work yesterday, and the host was reading excerpts from an article that suggested that young women should live at home with their parents until they were ready for marriage. The author suggested they should move from their parent’s home into the home of their husband, thereby making it easier for them to submit as wives.
My Husband Is Passive--He Likes for Me to Lead
Posted on 18-Jul-11 13:54 by Karen Waddles
“I would love to be able to follow my husband’s leadership, but he prefers for me to lead. When I ask for his opinion, he usually tells me to do whatever I want to do!”
Submission Makes Me Feel Inferior
Posted on 24-Jun-11 13:56 by Karen Waddles
A new minister's wife recently told me "submission makes me feel inferior, insignificant, and taken advantage of." It's easy to empathize with this new wife, isn't it?
Submission Is a Thing of the Past!
Posted on 17-Jun-11 14:51 by Karen Waddles
It’s difficult to hold to the tenets of our faith when they rub hard against the reality of a culture that is wildly independent and unashamedly hedonistic.
I'm a Better Leader
Posted on 25-May-11 13:59 by Karen Waddles
Topics: Marriage
At one particularly difficult time during our marriage, my husband threw up his hands in exasperation and said, “I tell you what we’re going to do! From now on you do what you want to do and I’ll do what I want to do. I’m not going to keep going back and forth with you about who’s going to lead this family!”
When HE Gets It Right
Posted on 09-May-11 11:37 by Karen Waddles
One of the strongest objections I’ve heard over the years from wives goes something like this: “He’s not right! He doesn’t love me like Christ loved the church. Why would I submit to him? When he gets his act together, I’ll think about it.”
My Submission Journey
Posted on 17-Apr-11 18:44 by Karen Waddles
Topics: Marriage
For the most part, George and I had much in common. However, his ideas about roles within marriage were diametrically opposed to mine. The idea of being a doting, submissive wife was archaic and distasteful to me. I had not seen that example growing up and had no desire to break the generational mold cast for me by the women in my life.
Yoo-Hoo, I'm Up Here, Honey!
Posted on 06-Apr-11 15:58 by Karen Waddles
I want to be his number one encourager and affirmer. But I’ve noticed something. With children, grandchildren, young wives, friends, and co-workers . . . it’s easy to find the words of encouragement and support for them. I wish that were true with the hubby–but it’s not.
Balcony People
Posted on 06-Apr-11 15:33 by Karen Waddles
Are you a "balcony person" or a "basement person"?
Yesterday's Conversation
Posted on 21-Mar-11 08:40 by Karen Waddles
How would you grade your conversation from yesterday? Were your words healing, or did they cause someone to stumble?
Voices of Recall
Posted on 14-Mar-11 14:17 by Karen Waddles
Doesn’t it seem that whenever you make a commitment to follow the Lord more faithfully, that commitment is tested?
Prettying Up Our Sin
Posted on 21-Feb-11 09:50 by Karen Waddles
Topics: Relationship with God
We hate, yet we choose to call it dislike. We are rude, yet we call it having a bad day. We lie, yet we call it stretching the truth. We are brazen and full of pride, yet we call it assertiveness.
Passionate Pursuit of My Offender
Posted on 18-Feb-11 13:58 by Karen Waddles
Like the character Demi Moore played in “The Scarlet Letter,” it felt like there was a huge sign on my forehead that identified my sin. It seemed like all of heaven was in suspense . . . waiting to see if this would be the conviction that finally stuck, that actually bore fruit.
