#Christian women

[weavergrovedevotional]

Holy Week Monday: The Cleansing Fire - When Jesus Rocked the Foundations

Today, Holy Week Monday, the narrative takes a sharp turn from the triumphant entry of Palm Sunday. We move from joyous shouts of "Hosanna!" to a scene of righteous anger and decisive action: Jesus cleansing the Temple in Jerusalem.

This wasn't a gentle request or a polite suggestion for improvement. This was a forceful intervention, a prophetic act that shook the very foundations of the religious establishment and continues to resonate with us today.

Imagine the scene: the bustling Court of the Gentiles, meant to be a place of prayer for all nations, transformed into a marketplace. The air thick with the bleating of sheep, the lowing of cattle, the haggling of merchants, and the clinking of coins. The very essence of worship, a connection with the divine, was being suffocated by commercialism and greed.

Then, Jesus enters. Not as a meek supplicant, but with a fire in his eyes and a purpose in his stride. He doesn't engage in debate or negotiation. Instead, he takes decisive action:

He drives out the livestock: Symbolically removing the sacrificial animals that had become a source of profit rather than genuine devotion.

He overturns the tables of the money changers: Challenging the exploitative system that profited from the exchange of foreign currency needed for Temple offerings.

He scatters the coins: Disrupting the flow of commerce and declaring that this sacred space would no longer be a den of robbers.

His words ring out, echoing the prophecies of old: "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it ‘a den of robbers’." (Mark 11:17)

This act was more than just a purification of a physical space. It was a powerful statement about the true nature of worship and the priorities of God's kingdom. Jesus was challenging:

Hypocrisy: The outward show of piety that masked inner corruption and self-interest.

Materialism: The obsession with wealth and profit that overshadowed spiritual values.

Exclusion: The transformation of a place meant for all into a space dominated by a select few and their commercial activities.

The cleansing of the Temple was a direct confrontation with the religious authorities, a bold declaration that the way they were conducting things was unacceptable to God. It was a catalyst that further fueled the animosity towards Jesus, ultimately leading him down the path to the cross.

As we reflect on this event on Holy Week Monday, we are called to examine our own "temples" – our hearts, our homes, our communities. Are there areas where the sacred is being compromised by the secular, where genuine connection with God is being overshadowed by worldly concerns?

Jesus' actions weren't about destruction for its own sake, but about clearing the way for true worship, for a genuine relationship with God. It was a cleansing fire, meant to purify and restore.

Let us use this Holy Week to reflect on what needs to be cleansed within ourselves and our lives, making space for the true presence of God. Just as Jesus boldly challenged the status quo, may we also have the courage to confront the things that hinder our relationship with the divine and prevent our "temples" from being true houses of prayer.

[ffcrazy15]

There's this way of doing female-ness in Christianity that I call "pastel flower journal Christianity." I've got nothing against pastel flower journals per se, but for some reason people believe it's the end all and be all of female spirituality, and I think it's a real disservice towards young Christian women.

One of these days I'd like to start a prayer-and-reading group or something for young women, but there would be no floral themes or over-focus on how "God thinks you're beautiful even if the world doesn't" (a true statement, but it's wayyyyy too often the focus in women's spiritual reading). Instead we would be reading:

Seneca's Letters from a Stoic

Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning

Sheed's A Map of Life

Portions of Pieper's book on leisure

Kreeft's Three Philosophies of Life

Guardini's The Lord (or something similar)

Therese's Story of a Soul

and some select portions of the Nicomachean Ethics.

(Also they're all getting the porn talk. I don't know why we give the porn talk to young men but not young women. There's this idea that women don't use porn and they only need the talk about "guarding their heart." Bullshit. There's porn on the YA shelves of Barnes and Nobles and before that there were bodice rippers. Young women need the porn talk too.)

Every young woman needs to be getting a basic grounding in virtue ethics, logic, natural law, scholastic philosophy and Biblical hermeneutics if they're going to get by in today's spiritual landscape. Enough faffery and emotionalism in young women's spiritual education! Give them real food to chew on, not pasty sentimentalism!

[adinelleggreeo]

Women were NOT put on this earth to serve men, get married as soon as they turn 18 and pop out a hundred and one babies before 25.

Women were put on this earth to serve GOD and glorify him in everything that they do. Marriage and motherhood is one way, not the way.

[adayinjune]

I'm looking for more Christian blogs to follow, so if you post Christian content, please engage with this post!

[perennial-wave]

poetic images and names for God from medieval beguine writings

from “The Wisdom of the Beguines” by Laura Swan

[thesimply]

[makaylasthings]

Found this on Pinterest after thinking about how much time I spend on my phone 😭

[aussiechristianwomen]

Mark 10:9

What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder

Asqunder = ‘into separate pieces’

[onceatpeace]

God loves us,

We are meant to love each other, everyone

Accept who you are and who you will become

Don't let your past define you but shape your future for who you will be

Love isn't rushed or sexual

It's within us to share and appreciate

Enjoy you're time while you still have some

And always be joyous even in bad situations

Heal from what has broken you

Propser from where you are now

Be happy. Be loved. Show love.

-Once at peace

[cr33pygr33nlight]

[ae-cha08]

God Loves Imperfect People

Most of the time, we believe that God loves us as long as we’re making good decisions, resisting temptation, and treating people right. But there will be times when you compromise, times when you have doubts, times when you fail. When we don’t perform perfectly, it’s easy to think that God is far from us.

I say this respectfully, but sometimes religion pushes people down. It says, “If you make poor choices, you’re on your own.” But the truth is that when you fall, God doesn’t turn away from you. He comes running toward you. When you blow it, God doesn’t say, “Too bad. You had your chance.” Rather, He comes after you with a greater passion. When you make a mistake, God loves you so much that He pursues you. He won’t leave you alone until He sees you restored and back on the right course. That’s the mercy of God coming after you. God loves imperfect people.

[weavergrovedevotional]

🌿 Palm Sunday 🌿

“When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It’s the start of Holy Week, my favourite week of the year! Palm Sunday marks the day that Christ arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover. I’ll be sharing lots this week about Holy Week 🤍

[ecommmax]

[godslove]

[theereina]

IG: immeganashley