Jo Kadlecek - Desperate Women of the Bible: Lessons on Passion from the Gospels

Jo beautifully pairs Gods provision with our very personal desperations. Turning her writers pen on the subtle, secondary women of Scripture, she underlines how Jesus meets our needs and enables us to see his presence in our own daily desperations.

Elisa Morgan, CEO and president, MOPS International

I have read the biblical accounts of these seven nameless women so many times before, but this time was very different. As Jo shared her insights into the lives of these women who experienced Jesus himself in the face of extreme pain and hopelessness, I found myself being drawn into a deeper personal understanding of the depth of the mercy, love, and forgiveness of Christ. I highly recommend this book for both men and women who want to receive a greater understanding of what it means to be a representative of Christ to a world that is desperate to know him.

Nancy Alcorn, president and founder, Mercy Ministries

Although conflicts, heartaches, and obstacles will always be before us, this book is a reminder that an encounter with Christ gives us hope for satisfaction, freedom, grace, forgiveness, and purpose. Jesus gave hope to these desperate women and extends the same invitation to the desperation in us all. He is our find; he is our prize; and we are his.

Jami Smith, worship leader and musician, www.jamismith.com

Jo Kadlecek is a gifted writer! Desperate Women of the Bible is an inspiring, prayerful resource for anyone who wants to know more about women in the Scriptures. The women on these pages come alive as Kadlecek skillfully adds contemporary anecdotes and personal stories that help us realize that solutions to many of todays problems are to be found in the Bible and the gospel of love given to us by the Lord.

Amy Hill Hearth, coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Having Our
Say: The Delany Sisters First 100 Years

I have found in Desperate Women of the Bible a careful teaching on Scripture that invites me to Jesus. Jo has given us an insightful gift into Christs ways with women. I remember why I love him as I read the stories here. I think many will be blessed by the truth brought to light in this book.

Debbie Haliday, regional camp director,
Southern California Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Jo Kadleceks writing draws me in, and her insight takes me deep. Her personal stories complement the stories in the Scripture and make relevant the lives of these desperate women.

Sue Semrau, head womens basketball coach, Florida State University

Other books by Jo Kadlecek

Fiction

A Mile from Sunday, book 1 in the Lightfoot Trilogy The Sound of My Voice

Nonfiction

Fear: A Spiritual Navigation, a memoir

Reckless Faith: Living Passionately as Imperfect Christians,
a study on the life of Peter

Feast of Life: Spiritual Food for Balanced Living

Desperate
Women of the Bible

LESSONS ON PASSION
FROM THE GOSPELS

JO KADLECEK

Grand Rapids,Michigan

2006 by Jo Kadlecek

Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

ISBN 10: 0-8010-6618-2 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-8010-6618-4 (pbk.)

Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Song lyrics from Man of La Mancha are used by permission. 1965 Andrew Scott Music, Helena Music Company. Words: Joe Darion. Music: Mitch Leigh.

For those friends, here and abroad,
who have struggled, ached, or run out of resources.

CONTENTS

Behind our own history,
deepening it at every point,
has been another history.

Flannery OConnor

PROLOGUE
DESPERATE... FOR A STORY

There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you.

Zora Neale Hurston

Last July, my brothers family visited my husband and me as part of their summer vacation. One night while we were sitting around the barbeque after dinner, Annie, my six-year-old niece, looked up at me, blue eyes wide and excited, and said, Lets play the story game, Aunt Jo! Can we? Please?!

How could I say no?

For the next ten minutes (as everyone else cleared the table), Annie gave me details about the character shed literally just created. Then she stopped midsentence, waved at me like she was an emcee introducing the upcoming act on a stage, and waited for me to fill in the next part of the tale. I obliged with silly adventures and strange sounds while she laughed and waited for her turn to continue the nonsensical story before waving me in again. The story ended when the ice cream was served, but not before I realizedonce againthat a childs imagination is a gift. Annie cannot help but crave stories. Shes made that way.

Children of all cultures, times, and agesfrom six to ninety-six years oldhave always longed for the wonder, delight, and adventure of a good story. We identify with a character, feel a sense of connection to a setting, or cheer for a heroine as she overcomes a dozen obstacles on her journey. We watch relationships grow, listen to voices we otherwise might not hear, and feel the crazy emotions that scale the range of human experiences. Stories help us make sense of this thing called living and encourage us to face the challenges and glories of another day. Stories help us breathe.

Whether in a childs game or around a watercooler, on a cinematic screen, a stage, in a newspaper or the pages of a book, stories remind us that were not alone. Like people, they come in all sizes, genres, and styles, reflecting one basic truth about the human condition: we cannot live without them. At least, we cannot live well without stories.

Little wonder, then, that the book considered by many of historys most intelligent and creative people to be one of the most influential pieces of literature is also a true story. From national dignitaries and medical geniuses, renowned composers and literary artists, to activists and labor workers, engineers and teachers, millions of women and men across the continents and ages have staked their lives, their vocations, and their relationships on the single message and story of the Bible. Christians call it Gods Word.

And his name is Jesus.

John, the author of one of the four Gospels in the New Testament, wrote in the first chapter of his book, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (1:14). And so, the Story of God became the story of humankind, living, breathing, and laughing among other humans all for the single purpose that we might be a part of his story, that we might know what it means to belong.

I have to admit, I love this story as much as my niece loves the story game. Truth be told, I have come to see itas I think many others haveas a story of enormous literary power and radical personal impact, one that has affected me more than all the others Ive ever read or heard combined. It has changed wicked minds and repaired aching heartslike mine. It has continued to infuse hope in otherwise desperate situations, renew dreams in otherwise lifeless routines, and provide meaning in otherwise chaotic moments. Yes, I admit it: I love the Bible. Though I dont always understand it, I love the entirety of the story from Genesis to Revelation. I love that though it remains the most widely read book of all time, it never loses its relevance, eloquence, or sway.