What the Apostle Paul had to say

There have been many men throughout literature who have warned about the powers of a woman. The Apostle Paul has been one such man.

Paul has had much to say about Eve. He has had a lot to say about women in general. Mention the Apostle Paul in a room full of women and you will notice a couple of eyes rolling in exasperation at a man some label as a woman hater. It is interesting such a rule breaker and renegade as Paul would make a statement about women causing so much debate and angst such as: I Corinthians 14:33-35:
“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husband at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”

Another statement of Paul’s causing contention is found in I Timothy 2:9-15;
“I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women, will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with propriety.”

Paul was not a man who mixed words. Paul was not a man afraid to be used by God. He received a revelation from God to preach to the Gentiles and he did not let anything or anyone stop him as evidenced by Galatians 2:6, “As for those who seemed to be important---whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance---those men added nothing to my massage.”

It would seem Paul should have understood about the necessity to break the established rules in favor of kingdom work. Did he undrstand that there would arise a time that would make it necessary for women to break the assumed rules of silence for kingdom work? Do you truly believe Paul wanted the role of women in Christianity limited?

What do you think about the statements made by Paul about women? Could an apostle of God really not value the role of women in Christianity?

Vampire Fascination

From my manuscript "Death: Life's Annoying Neighbor)

There is no doubt we are fascinated with vampires. We flock to the movies and plunk down our cash to see a couple of hours of the pale sexy undead. They hold a certain mystery. They know what life is after death. We are drawn to them because in their life after death state, they are immune to the fear of pain and destruction. They are powerful and vibrant; able to live knowing they have no end. This can only be our dream. We must use caution in our vulnerable daily lives. We are powerless against natural forces. Watching the night roamers, we get to live out a fantasy. Vampires enjoy an existence after death; how seductive and alluring.

Long before Americans established themselves in America, people were being born and dying in other countries. As people immigrated to America, they bought a lot of their superstitions with them. America is a melting pot of superstitions. If one was truly serious about trying to extend their lives using handed down rituals and beliefs, there are enough of them to keep you busy until you can’t even think about dying.

Here are a few superstitions and beliefs related to death in the Philippines www.lininginthephilippines.com

1. If a black butterfly lingers around a person, it means that one of his relatives has just died.
2. No one should go out before the utensils used in eating have been washed and put away, otherwise a member of the family will die.
3. One must not organize teams of 3 or 13, otherwise one member will die.
4. Eating sour fruits at night will cause the early death of one’s parents.
5. At a funeral, not all members of the family should be allowed to look at the face of the dead person. If they do, he will visit them and all of them will die.
6. If a sick person on his way to the hospital meets a black cat, he will die.
7. If someone smells the odor of a candle when there is no candle burning, one of his relatives will die.
8. If one dreams that one of his teeth is being uprooted or pulled out, a member of his family will die.
9. If a person eats “malunggay” (leaves of a Philippine tree used as a vegetable) when one member of his family has just died, all the other members of the family will die.
10. During a wedding the one whose candle goes out first will be the first of the couple to die.
11. If one cuts his fingernails at night, a member of the family will die.
12. When a group of three have their picture taken, the one in the middle will die first.
13. If a cock crows in the afternoon, it means somebody will die.
14. If an owl is seen near the house of a sick person, that sick person is sure to die.
15. Pregnant women should not have their picture taken; otherwise, their babies will die.
16. While the mother is giving birth, every hole in the house should be covered, otherwise an evil spirit might come in and kill the baby.
17. When a pregnant woman wears a black dress, her baby will die.
18. If a person’s shadow appears to be without a head, that person will soon die.
19. Cleaning the backyard when the sun has already set and it is already dark causes death.
20. If two people from the same family get married within a year, one will die.
21. If you place a dead person with his feet pointing toward the rising sun, a relative will die

Healing Old Wounds

Tell the truth. If I were to check out your closet of skeletons I would probably find a broken heart. There is always the ghost of the one who got away, or the one you made a complete fool of yourself for for love. For some, it was the first one who claimed your virginity with an oath never to love another only to love many more. Then of course, there is the one you mistreated in the idleness of your youth.

No matter what the case may be, past relationships can leave injuries to the heart that never quite heal. We are tempted at times to peek into our own closet of ghosts to revisit those old loves to see have they changed, evolved into what we wished they would have been. We close the door in disappointment beating ourselves for wondering. The wound oozes, seeming as fresh as the day it was born.

The song says "What becomes of the broken hearted?"

There are several choices: an angry hard hearted person looking for love in all the wrong places or a person continually feeling unloveable because THE ONE you wanted love from did not share your feelings.

I have a wound from an ex who was not truly an ex. It's complicated as most relationships that do not work out are. After years of living separate lives, I believed we could be friends. Older and wiser with life lessons learned, I believed the new improved me lived in the present and the past was in the past.

The problem. In my mind and heart, the ex has been petrified in time. I only see and hear the old version. There is no lust or hope for a relationship there, but all of the faults and shortcomings scream out. Now, whose problem is this; mines or his?

The problem of wounds that do not heal belongs to the person with the wounds. We all carry battle scars; it's part of living. But lost loves and past loves should just be that: PAST. I won't win a prize for being able to be in the ex'es presence without any residual emotion. It is not important prize to win. Ex'es are ex'es for a reason -- they were not the one. And since love relationships should be built on friendships, its safe to assume that there is no hope for friendship.

Now I'm talking about bad breakups, no amicable ones. I'm not talking about unforgiveness, because forgiveness of others is essential to peace. I am talking about wounds and scars of the heart. Revisiting the holder of the knife or gun is never a good thing and should be approached with caution. I am talking about taking care of yourself first in a healthy way.

Until you reach the point where you wish the ex well in life whether that includes you or not; stay away! Even then you may come to realize wishing them well actually does not include you because you are not the one they want in that capacity. Everyone deserves to be loved passionately and unconditionally. Returning to an ex only blocks that person in your future waiting to love you the first go round.

Back to ex'es as friends. Do I really need another friend? Do I really need an ex as a friend? There was no interest in me or my life the first go round and I have no interest presenting for a second time a new improved me for appraisal.

I am thankful this particular wound that will not heal is one and not several. I've met many more men who did not wound me. It was one knife, one time, one person. Ever seen someone with multiple gunshot wounds? I think you would tell them not to be around the shooter. We live, we learn, we live some more. The best we can ever hope for is not to live in the pain of yesterday nor the fear of tomorrow, but the reality of today. Today there is not a knife or gun.

FEMINISM the "F" word of Christianity

WHO HATES FEMINISTS? CHRISTIANS HATE FEMINIST.

I recently heard a Christian radio broadcast and later read an article in which both men accused women of feminizing Jesus and the Bible. They explained women were making Jesus and the Bible warm and fuzzy and loving; tolerant and caring about all people. Women were making Jesus touchy, feely, with sensitivity and emotions. It was suggested when women read the Bible they skip over the masculine battles and anger displayed by God and only read his examples of love and mercy.

They went on to explain how manly Jesus was when he overthrew the money lender's table and so on and so on. A call was given, I guess to Christian men, to stop women from feminizing God and the Bible.

After years of the church telling Christian women how admired they would be for being the essence of femininty: dressing modestly, speaking softly, being seen and not heard, a "yes" woman for her husband, a patient kind, never stressed mother, who teaches the little children's Bible class, now they wonder why she only sees and dreams of clouds and unicorns.

Get real. Only the wives of dominating, over-bearing Christian men are feminizing everything they touch with lavender and roses. You created the monster, now enjoy. Christian women who actually study the Bible and discuss it with other men and women in and out of the church understand and know Jesus.

I found this statement offensive. It is just another way to silence women in the church. The best weapon that has been used against women who ask questions and think for themselve is to use the scarlet letter "F" FEMINIST. I lived in fear for years of being labled a feminist. Glad I grew out of that. In my book "When Will Eve Be Forgiven?" I examine how some of Paul's views and statements about women were formulated and misinterpreted. Below is an excerpt from the book.

Many feminists bristle at Paul’s treatment of women in the Scriptures. At this point I will not claim or disavow whether I am a feminist or not. I will say I am not in agreement with the definitions of Feminist Theology and those that are labeled correctly or incorrectly as feminists. I do believe more dialogue should occur between the members of Christianity and those belonging to Feminist groups. I will always advocate dialogue between any two opposing parties because it leads to growth. But, before we label anyone, let’s get an understanding of who we are talking about.

Feminist Theology (contextual theologians) became prominent in the second half of the twentieth century. A variety of theologians reflected theologically while taking into account the experience of women. The primary focus was on the “experience” of the women, specifically the oppression of women in male-dominated societies and churches. Liberation is the primary focus of the oppressed woman, oppressed people, and the oppressors. All feminist theologians agree their experience in a church and society dominated by males is significant.

Protestant feminist theologians tend to focus on the reinterpretation and recovery of Scripture. This form of theology is not atypical. Black theology, also a contextual theology and also developed in the second half of the twentieth century, looks at the oppression of persons of African descent enslaved in America. African American women, conscious of their double oppression and exclusion as black and female have developed their own form of black theology, “Womanist theology.”
Black theology has been thrust into the forefront of the twenty-first century mainstream due to the election of the first African American President in 2009, Barak Obama. President Obama’s religious association with his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and Wright’s controversial stance and belief in Black Theology, has stirred debate and renewed conversation regarding Jesus and his Gospel message.
Is there any room in the Good News for freedom for the oppressed? Are women truly oppressed by the Scripture? While Paul was setting the Gentile’s free, was he enslaving women?

Don McWhorter has divided Feminism in religion into distinctive segments such as, Radical Feminists, Moderate Feminists, “Christian” Feminists, and “Biblical Feminists.” He explains the Radical Feminist disavows any connection with religion as he labels it and they sever themselves and their ideology from the God of heaven and from the Bible; in essence they have formed their own religion. Radical Feminists, according to McWhorter, are violently anti-male.

Moderate Feminists are more affable towards marriage, home, family, and motherhood. They do not endorse traditional marriage but make concessions in the areas of co-habitation and childbearing.

Christian Feminists find almost everything about Christianity an enemy of their true cause which is the elevation of women to roles of authority in every area of the church. He insists the primary interest of the “Christian” Feminist is the names and images of deity. Instead of the male pronouns used in the Bible, the women prefer to use female names, pronouns, and metaphors.

The last category of “Biblical” Feminist differs in the interpretation of the passages in the Bible dealing with the roles of women. These particular women argue whether Paul had anti-woman prejudices or that he has faulty interpretation of the principles laid down in Genesis 1 and 2. McWhorter adds the primary focus of all of the segments of feminists is to challenge the principles of Genesis 1 and 2 in regard to the spiritual roles of men and women and the authority of God to speak to modern man through the Holy Scriptures. Many of the above defined feminists would have a few choice words for Paul and his passages regarding women.

My youngest daughter asked me with all sincerity whether I was a feminist. After a moment of reflection and the awareness of the impact my reply would have on my teenage daughter, I answered with pride, “I am a feminist in the sense I embrace the way God created me. I am a feminist in regards to the fact God gave me free will and free choice as he did with man. I am a feminist in the essence of the “label” that, I, in the image of God, was given the freedom and the capacity to make choices for myself and no person or institution has the right to take my free will or free choice from me because it was given to me by God. I exercised my free will and free choice when I served my country in the Army during the first Gulf War. I exercised my free will and free choice when I decided to become a mother (this argument will be addressed later in the book). Whether I choose rightly or wrongly, my right to choose was given to me by God and this is an area of Feminism many people forget.”

My final answer? I left it for her to decide whether or not her mother is a feminist.
It is imperative for each Christian to chart a course of trying to continually uncover truth within the Scripture. It takes courage and maturity to set out to find that truth and to practice the truth that is found. The leadership in today’s church will gladly do the thinking for its congregation and set the perimeters of truth for its members. This should not be the mode of operation for any church. Honest inquiry leads men and women to break new ground with Bible study that can enrich the entire Christian body. Many churches spend a majority of time promoting doctrine, which continue to separate them from their religious neighbors. Any scholarly effort to understand the nature of God and the nature of man as God created him should be encouraged within the Christian community with an atmosphere of open dialogue.

LADY EVE: Poetry in motion

If you haven't guessed I have a fascination with Eve, the mother of all women. She can be thanked for my desire to write and continue to learn about issues affecting women in life and especially religion. History has tainted the image of women and I will spend my life encouraging women to love and embrace womanhood. Keep an eye on my blog for upcoming published work availability. For now, enjoy one of my poems.

LADY EVE
by Dorothy Guyton

Who were you this woman of creation,
That took a fall that fell a nation.
Who were you to reach and take a bite,
To open your eyes to now have sight.
What made you draw close to that tree that was forbidden,
What made you want to know all of the things God had hidden.

Tell me now the secret of your decision,
Tell me the entire truth leave out the revision.
Was it truly a snake in the garden on that day,
Was it truly an animal that convinced you to stray.
Could his beauty and supposedly velvety voice,
Make you eat of the tree-entice your choice.

Why did you decide to share the wonder you unearthed,
Why did you want to share deception you unconsciously birthed.
Can you put into words that first day of discovery,
Can you form a paragraph explaining your treachery.
Man has composed sonnets, ballads and prose,
To that one day in Eden when sin quickly arose.

Lady Eve, woman of beauty wisdom and charm,
Did you believe your curious action would cause so much harm.
Did you realize you sealed the fate of people yet to be born,
Your life forever remembered with loathing, shame and scorn.
You hid yourself in bushes and covered yourself with leaves,
And weaved a web of lies you hoped your Lord would believe.

Gone are your blissful days of laughter,
Your story was written without a happily ever after.
Evicted in shame from a garden of ease,
To pray for mercy daily on your humble bent knees.

I wonder on the day of the birth of your son,
Did you realize exactly what you had done.
To secure the prize of knowledge and sight,
You sacrificed the warmth and pleasure of daylight.
For the haunted, seductive, delicious, destruction of sin,
Would you make a different choice if confronted by the snake again.

Lady Eve, my ancestor in a time by me unknown,
Your actions on one day in history was a seed you should have never sown.
Adam and you presiding over all of creation,
Chose to disobey God with only slight hesitation.
Today I say I forgive you for the curse of the pain of labor,
If I faced what you faced in Eden I could have well been your neighbor.

Don't Dread Change

I started my day as a red head, but I will end it with dark night emo hair.

I stood in front of the mirror and grabbed two handfuls or long red twisted dreads. I released the locks letting them cascade back down to the sides of my face and the edges of my shoulder blades. "I can't do it!" escaped my lips before I had time to form the thought of trepidation in my mind. Change is scary.

I have worn shocking red hair for over six years. It was my signiture. People in restaraunts would turn to look aT my tresses as I passed their tables. On more than one occasion, I have been asked "Who does your hair. I love the color." The children at my kids school think my kids have a cool mom with red dreads.

WHO AM I WITHOUT MY RED DREADS?

People always say it is "just hair." No it's not. Its who I want the world to know me as. For me my red dreads say I am a free spirit; fighting against the establishment. I am one with nature and all of the arts. I gravitate towards the unusual and root for the estranged underdog. I am a voice in constant communication with word, motion, and presence. I am the one who refuses to be ignored.

I shook the two bottles of dye, took a deep breath and began. Minutes later I rinsed away a past; realizing when I came up out of the water I would be a different person. I wrapped my hair and my mind preparing to face the new me.

In front of my bathroom mirror I unvailed deep, dark, rich, sensual, jet black hair. Beneath the damp straight twisted dreads was me with a smile.

I went from a blazing mane of red to an arresting classic black crown. There was still power there. There was still strength there. There was still me there.

My hair is such a large part of me. It makes a statement before I ever say a word. But, my hair has power because its origin has power. If I were a sexy person; I would have sexy hair. If I were a humble person; I would have humble hair.

Change is not easy. It makes you question "who you are." Knowing who you are is scary because you may not like yourself. But, this does not have to be a permanent condition. If I would have hated the black hair I would have eventually changed it to something I did like. But, it was the process of changing that was revealing, not necesarily the end product. Getting out of a comfort zone leads to growth.

I learned that I am willing to change, I am capable of change, and I am strong enough to change.

DON'T DREAD CHANGE.

New eyes, new ears, new you.

In what can only be considered as mind boggling, a seventh grade class in California discovered cave openings from an image taken of Mars by NASA. The class was doing a project looking at the surface of Mars in an attempt to find differences in the surface indicating mountains or caves.

This remarkable find helps to legitimize my philosophy on life and living. Do not think that you are the only keeper of knowledge. Take time to listen to someone with an opposing or new opinion or idea on a given subject.

There are many great theologians who have dedicated themselves to the study of God with concrete doctrine and flawless commentary of Scripture. But, there should always be an opportunity for fresh eyes to look at the Bible.

Just as police have cold case files, the Bible continues to reveal more information about those who penned the information and the source of that information. Years later, after a case has been put on the shelf with only half or even less than half of the critical information to solve the mystery found, a fresh pair of investigative eyes is assigned the unfinished case. The fresh eyes look at the information in a different way applying new techniques and new ideas to what has already been learned. In a lot of instances, the fresh eyes are able to solve the mystery of the unsolved case.


Who would have ever believed seventh graders, without degrees in astronomy or any other degree testifying to their mastery of the subject, would find something new and relelvent that scientists missed.

In religion, we should always be open to new and better explanations of the Bible and those who penned the pages. New information does not always equal heresy. There is usually warning bells and red flags for those who are corrupting the message of the Bible. But out and out corruption is much different then debate and discussion.

In life we should always try to have new eyes and new ears; open to enriching the knowledge we already possess. Just because you have done or believed something a certain way for years does not make it wrong, but it does not mean what you know and do is the best way known on earth.

I challenge you to have new eyes and new ears always searching the mysteries in your life enriching yourself and hopefully others.