Jacki C. King - The Calling of Eve: How the Women of the Bible Inspire the Women of the Church

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The Calling of Eve: How the Women of the Bible Inspire the Women of the Church

Copyright 2022 by Church Answers. All rights reserved.

Cover and interior illustrations of watercolor shapes copyright Veris Studio/Creative Market. All rights reserved.

Designed by Ron C. Kaufmann

All the examples and stories in this book are true. Names and some specific details have been modified to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotation marked NKJV is taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-1-4964-6208-4

ISBN 978-1-4964-6210-7 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-4964-6209-1 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-4964-6211-4 (Apple)

Build: 2022-06-03 11:09:27 EPUB 3.0

To Josh and the Boys

Josh,

You have been the steady and faithful voice cheering me on through all the seasons of life. I would not be the woman I am today if it werent for you. I love the team that we are. I love you deeply.

Haddon, Leland, and Amos,

The depth of joy you bring me is unmatched. Youve helped me learn so much about God and his love for us. I am so proud and grateful to be your mom.

It was a typical Sunday morning at church. Lots of smiles in the lobby as people stood in small clusters, sipping coffee and visiting before the service.

When the service began, groups of friends and families hustled into the sanctuary, some arriving late with their coffee in one hand and their Bible in the other. We sang. We prayed. We listened intently to the message.

This particular message presented the gospel, including an invitation to come forward and surrender to Christ. At the conclusion of the message, the plan was for all our ministers and pastors to stand at the front of the sanctuary to pray with those who felt the Spirits prompting. As the minister to women for our church, I would be among them. When the music began to play and I started to make my way to the front, I noticed that our childrens minister seemed to be missing. She must have gotten pulled away into one of the classrooms, I thought. This left me as the only woman standing at the front, an experience Id had many times.

As we began to sing, people started moving through the aisles, asking for prayer. I scanned the congregation and made eye contact with a nine-year-old girl named Langley. I smiled at her as she tugged at her moms shirt and pointed to me. I wondered what she was saying. Then I caught the eye of one of our teenage girls, Haven, and her younger sister, Reese. They had the same kind of look, both curious and longing, and then they smiled. Next my eyes landed on several of our college girls that I lead in a small group. They broke the serious vibe with silly faces, and one tossed up a heart shape with her hands. Trying to keep my composure and fight the urge to shoot back an equally goofy face, I smiled and shared a quick wink. These were souls and faces I loved to see each week, and God was doing remarkable things in and through them. And I had the privilege of a front-row seat.

As I drove home that day, I couldnt stop thinking about Langleys bright eyes and smile. I had vivid memories of what it was like to be her age and in church almost every Sunday. Mrs. Vicki was my Sunday school teacher, and she faithfully taught our class week after week using flannel board Bible characters and coloring sheets the cutting-edge technology of the day.

Mrs. Susan was the faithful piano player for our worship services. She was one of the quietest women I had ever met, but her fingers flew across the piano keys at crazy speeds when she played the old hymn Since Jesus Came into My Heart.

Then there was Mrs. Blair, who gathered us elementary schoolgirls together every Sunday afternoon at 4:00 to teach us about different missionaries around the world.

I considered Mrs. Dot an adopted grandma. She and her husband, Brother Tommy, gave me a hug each week as I entered the building. Then Mrs. Dot made her way to the infant room to rock crying babies and change dirty diapers, a role in which she served for decades.

I loved these women and their smiles. I loved how they knew so much about the Bible and God. I loved how faithful they were, that I could rely on them to be there for me and others, ready to share hugs and stories that pointed my heart to Jesus. These were the women who made me fall in love with the church. It was just who they were. It was how they served. It was how they led.

There was never a question in my mind that women were a part of Gods Kingdom and mission, simply because from my earliest memories I was surrounded by women. It wasnt until I was a bit older that I began to experience doubts and to question where I fit in as a woman in the church.

I was a loud and energetic kid. I mean, really loud. (I blame it on being Cuban.) I was also an off-the-charts extrovert. I constantly got in trouble for talking in school and spent a good bit of time in detention after chemistry class because I was way more interested in catching up with my friends than in anything to do with molecules and periodic tables. I wasnt a social butterfly; I was more like a social June bug. Butterflies are winsome and full of grace as they flit between social settings. June bugs, on the other hand, are a bit awkward, clumsily flying into things. And with their loud buzzing, everybody knows theyre coming.

Teachers and coaches told me I was a natural leader, although I sometimes led people in the wrong direction. I remember the stern voice of my youth minister when he called once to reprimand me. Apparently I had not set a good example for the younger students when I enlisted them to join me in egging the car of an ex-boyfriend. Some might have considered it vandalism, but I preferred to think of it as a team-building activity. In sports, I was the team captain and the person everyone relied on to rally the team when we were behind and in a funk. I led the cheers, and I led the prayers.

I wasnt that great with kids, and I was horrible at crafts. While my friends earned summer money babysitting, I opted to mow lawns and walk dogs. I loved competition, hated glitter and anything pink, and had more questions than answers when it came to life and the Bible.

I think as young girls we were always looking ahead and trying to decide who we wanted to be. Thats why sports heroes and fashion models always piqued our interest. So when I looked at the Bible and the church, I naturally looked at the women and wondered who was most like me and who I could become.