DOORS

I make no secret that I am a female pastor. Anyone who knows me knows that. Imagine a person I had been in the same church with who has listened to me preach, who knows that I am a pastor suddenly up and telling me that a woman should not be a pastor. Never saw it coming imagine that. I was shocked and to tell the truth the person did not want to own up to the opinion but I pushed the envelope when he invited me to visit his church and then told me I could not preach. I finally came right out and asked why. He owned up to being of a denomination that does not allow women to preach. Suffice it to say that I severed ties with this friend. I am accountable to God. If God did not want me to preach He is more than capable of preventing it Himself, God does not need any good ole boys trying to stop something that He started. I thought that all churches of this denomination were the same but apparently it is up to each individual church to interpret the word of God for themselves. My ex friend wanted my help in getting his church up and running but he did not want me to be the pastor that God has called me to be. I was angry for a short while and now am just saddened. My call is real and God has opened doors for my ministry that only God could have opened. I am naturally shy and reticent about being in front of crowds much less crowds of strangers. Yet I have learned that God doesn't always call us where we are naturally gifted. He sometimes calls us where we are weakest so that when we succeed God gets the glory. We cannot say oh I was always good at that. It would not be true.My classmates at seminary see me as very outgoing and not shy at all. My family laughs when I tell them that, they know otherwise. They know I am shy and quiet. You know what though all that changes when I get up to preach the word of God. I dont yell but I can guarantee everyone hears me even without a mike on. It amazes people who know me. Where did this big voice and absolute lack of shyness come from. All I can say is when God calls you He equips you to the mission He has called you to. I never could have imagined all the places that God has taken me to. I preach, I acutally had the privilige of baptizing someone last week, I have written a book of poetry, I am in seminary and will soon graduate, I write on the hubpages, I am learning to use technology that I will use when I get my own church. Right now I am part of the interim ministry team at my home church. Even now I get a hollow feeling when I think how close I came to allowing this man to kill Christ in my life by pulling me away from the church that I am called to serve as interim pastor. I can only thank God for intervening and allowing me to continue to serve in my call. I had to talk to my seminary mentor and ask him what he thought of the situation. He said that our denomination does allow individual churches to decide that issue for themselves. I still cannot understand why some churches will allow women to teach Sunday school and not preach. Which is more of a leadership role? Preaching to people who mostly already know Christ or teaching the children who will grow into the leaders of tomorrow? Is there a difference? I do not think so. I thank God for allowing me to preach His Truth and for opening the right doors and closing the wrong doors. I am also grateful that He gives me wisdom to know the difference between the doors that He has opened and the doors that He has closed.  What doors have you walked through lately?