Carolyn Custis James

“After 9/11, the French newspaper Le Monde declared: We Are All Americans. And after yesterday’s earthquake: Today, we are all Haitians. No country seems to have had worse luck with misrule, environmental mismanagement, natural disasters and poor governance than Haiti. Haitians are a lovely people who deserve far better.”

Miep Gies, who helped hide Anne Frank and her family for two years during the Holocaust, died at the age of 100. She preserved Anne’s diary which was eventually published by Anne’s father and has given the world an intimate and powerful glimpse into those years of hiding.

Despite the risks Gies willingly took, she didn’t consider herself as a hero and was dismissive when others praised her valor. “This is very unfair. So many others have done the same or even far more dangerous work.”

Here’s a fuller account of her story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122469287

One more week and Synergy is heading to Chicago!

It seems ages since John Armstrong, President of ACT3, first contacted me with the idea of bringing Synergy to the “Windy City.” This is Synergy’s first venture beyond the warmth of sunny Orlando, Florida. We hope it is the first of many similar ventures.

If you’ve ever attended a Synergy conference, you’ll know what I mean when I say, “This isn’t your typical women’s conference.” For those who are new to Synergy, let me explain.

At Synergy, we take women and God’s calling on their lives seriously. We’re asking hard questions—the kinds of questions women are asking all the time—21st Century questions about what it means to live for Christ in this broken world, how he is raising up his daughters to serve him in a Blessed Alliance with our Christian brothers. We’re casting a large gospel vision that invests every woman’s and man’s life with meaning and purpose, no matter where God stations us.

Here’s what one attendee said,

I received more than I ever expected or imagined at Synergy! God stirred up many hopes and longings in me that I had not even realized I had cast aside (or maybe the better word is I had slowly killed off because it hurt too much to dream and I had lost sight of my place in the Kingdom battle).

What makes Synergy especially unique is that men have started attending. They are drawn by the quality and deep content of our conferences. We’re asking questions that impact their lives too. Here’s what one of our brothers had to say:

I’ve been to many conferences, but Synergy rises to the top for its theological and relational vitality. Carolyn is leading a way in a paradigm shift of biblical engagement which is really not new at all, but rooted in the Reformation concept of the priesthood of all believers. Carolyn is putting the “all” back in that ancient doctrine. As a pastor and a seminary professor, I wholeheartedly commend Carolyn’s work and Synergy.

The theme of SynergyChicago is “Finding your place in The Story.” If you’re within reach of Chicago, we hope you’ll join us.

For details and to register, goto: SynergyChicago

Note: Earlier today, Frank posted the following on the Three Mt. Hood Climbers blog. Please keep the families, the searchers, and the two remaining climbers in your prayers.

The names are different, but the agony is the same. Instead of Kelly, Brian and Nikko, the names are Katie, Luke and Anthony. One body recovered, two experienced climbers missing (as of 14 December 2009). The search & rescue effort is hampered by extreme weather conditions. The somber sheriff is surrounded with microphones from reporters,and family members try to hold themselves together while their hearts are stuck in their throats. Three flawed followers of Jesus are lost on Mount Hood in a cold December. This tragedy is the last thing I wanted as I prepare myself to enter into the mouth of mourning for the third time.

All year, every day, my wounded heart bleeds with grief. The bleeding ebbs and flows but never stops entirely. I hide my wound behind my work and ministry and manage to do what I am supposed to. There even have been a few moments of joy in the last three years. When our large boisterous and fractious family gathers, there is always a subterranean consciousness that someone is missing. And now Mt. Hood is threatening to do the same to others.

What can I say to the families who are this very moment huddled together, grasping for every encouraging report, weary from sleepless nights and long days, fiercely holding out hope?

I have no magic wand or pious platitudes that will make it all go away. It is already too late for Luke’s family. But for the loved ones of Luke, Katie and Anthony, I can only say, you are not alone. Somehow God is present in the storm—for the climbers and their anxious families. That does not remove the fear, the anxiety and the struggle; it does remind us that God is there when we reach out into the darkness. It is no doubt foolish to think I might have anything helpful to say to the remaining families because they are so vulnerable just now—but perhaps they will listen because it comes from a broken heart. David reminds us all in Psalm 46 that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” David does not promise that our loved ones will be rescued from the mountain. Nikko, Brian, Kelly and now Luke, were not rescued. David does not promise there will be no trouble or any heartache in this life. He only promises that God is with us in the trouble.

I don’t exactly know what this will mean for each one. For me, it has meant that I can shout out loud my frustrations and even say things I don’t really mean; I can weep quietly in my bed in the middle of the night; I can look up into the sky, stretch out my arms and ask why? In all of this anguish, God was present even when I felt alone. I don’t understand this paradox: how I can feel so alone and yet sense in my bones that God is near? David describes much the same experience in Psalm 10. David cries out in verse 1: “Why, O Lord do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” But then David declares unequivocally in verse 17: “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.” It is a mystery—somehow both are true at the same time.

Mount Hood is a monster—a beautiful monster, but a monster none the less. Like the ancient sirens that seduced sailors in Greek mythology, Mt. Hood lures adventurers to its magnificent slopes and then freezes their lives away. God is not a monster. He is a mystery that pulls me toward Him even as I squirm and resist. And He is there in the dark places when I feel most alone.

On Thursday, 17 December (the day the rescuers found Kelly), I will go through my annual ritual of smoking a cigar, drinking a glass of wine while listening to foot-stomping honky-tonk music. I will shout out loud and says things I don’t really mean. I will lift my empty hands to the dark sky and ask why. And I will remember Luke, Katie and Anthony along with Nikko, Brian and my dear outrageous irrepressible brother—Jeffrey Kelly James.

Rock on little brother.

FAJ

“We don’t have to have daughters anymore!”

The statement comes from Half the Sky, a powerful book I finished reading recently, in which Pulitzer Prize winning authors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn chronicle the disturbing ongoing global crisis involving women and girls.

The title was taken from a Chinese proverb: “Women hold up half the sky”—an important reminder that women are one of the world’s vital natural resources and, as the book so convincingly points out, not simply because of their ability to reproduce.

The speaker was a Chinese man rejoicing over the availability of ultrasound. His cause for joy? The fact that under China’s One Child Rule, technology now enables Chinese couples systematically to abort unwanted female babies in their desperate quest for sons.

In some cultures, daughters are prized and championed. They are told, “You can be anything you want.” Elsewhere in the world, daughters have gone missing—millions of them—through female infanticide, sex trafficking, honor killings, and inadequate healthcare, to name a few causes. Discarded, sold off, or executed as worthless. Not long, long ago. This is happening today!

There ought to be a warning label on a book like this. The contents are appalling, nightmarish, and unforgettable. If you’re like me, you have to stop reading periodically to pull yourself together, and once you’ve finished, you won’t be able to get it out of your mind. Yet, this is one book every Christian ought to read—whether you have the stomach for it or not!

We need to be honest about the grim realities in this fallen world. At the same time, we must not lose sight of the hope we have that God is at work, and He is working through us.

Concurrent with this tidal wave of suffering is a hopeful surge of women God is raising up to serve Him in ministry. One of the biggest success stories of the modern church is the fact that so many of God’s daughters are sensing His call, training in theological seminaries, graduate schools and internships, and moving into a wide variety of ministries, including ministries to combat the rampant evils that are devastating the lives of countless women and girls.

We believe God has raised up Synergy for such a time as this. The Synergy Women’s Network champions these women. Synergy exists to connect, equip and mobilize them to serve God in ministries worldwide. Our national conferences are fueling their efforts.

Synergy is making a difference, and so are they.

We have come a long way with volunteers and significant support from like-minded friends. We believe God is calling us to do more as we transition from a fledgling organization to a leading-edge international network. We are working to make our network actively available year round, employing the power of technology to reach more women, and taking Synergy to other parts of the world.

WhitbyForum friends have been great Synergy supporters in the past. Once again, I am asking you to remember Synergy in your year-end giving and also to consider becoming a regular Synergy supporter.

To find out more, go here.

Last March—the day before Synergy2009 to be exact—Frank was appointed Provost at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts.

That decision triggered a wild and crazy year.

We sold our house, packed up, and moved to New England (Boxford, Massachusetts to be precise) where, after 16 years in Florida, we are working diligently to winterize ourselves before the cold weather sets in.

(So much for all my gloating about being warm year round in Florida.)

I may be bracing for the first icy blast of winter, but it will warm the hearts of Red Sox fans to learn that Frank and I have a history of bringing good luck to the local major league team. The Phillies, Dodgers, and Marlins all won the World Series shortly after we moved into the neighborhood. So if the Sox win the Series in the next year or two, you’ll know why.

Adding a major move to my schedule didn’t slackened the pace of anything else. I’ve had my busiest speaking schedule ever with trips to Alaska, Minnesota, California, and Orlando. Next week I’ll be in Michigan, Indiana, and California again. I’ve signed a two-book contract with Zondervan, so I have my work cut out for me.

If you’re keeping up with Synergy news, you’ll know Synergy is exploding. In January, Angel Richard and I are taking Synergy north for SynergyChicago. Synergy2010 (March 5-7) marks our 6th national conference. Registration is now open for both conferences. To stay informed about Synergy, sign up for the Synergy newsletter here.

Meanwhile, you can find me on FaceBook and Twitter, blogging here, and as a regular columnist in FullFill’s recently unveiled digital magazine which is now free online!

Bundling up in Boxford,
Carolyn

The Gospel of Ruth is now out in Spanish. I just received my advance copy of el Evangelio de Rut in today’s mail. Made my day!

Scheduled for release Dec 1—just in time for Christmas giving!

“Was Paul disappointed when the Holy Spirit led him to a group of praying women? Did he fear the feminization of the church in Philippi? Was he looking for a few good men to take over this new ministry that was overloaded with women?

Some years later, from a Roman prison cell, Paul gave his answer in a letter he wrote to his friends in Philippi. “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3–5, emphasis added). As the Philippian believers read his letter aloud, they knew who Paul had in mind—the founding mothers of the Philippian church who partnered with him in the gospel ‘from the first day.'”

“When a man partners with a strong woman, everyone benefits…. What I find remarkable is that more men around the globe don’t realize how much stronger they would be if partnered with a strong woman.Way too often and in too many corners of the globe, women are denied the opportunity to reach their full potential. It’s wrong and it’s backward, and of course, the irony is that by keeping women down, men lose out too.”

Here’s what Spurgeon had to say about the response of Jesus’ disciples when they found him talking with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:27). Sounds a lot like the Blessed Alliance to me.