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In the middle of addressing character traits for elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3, Paul mentions character traits of a certain group of women. The two dominant perspectives on the identity of these women is that either they were wives of deacons or they were female deacons (deaconesses). So what role did these women fill in the church? And what does that mean for women in the church today?

Some experts say that the number of people in our country dealing with loneliness reached an all-time high during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the virus seems to be diminishing, but the level of loneliness has remained. What makes things worse for those of us who constantly feel alone are the common misperceptions that 1) something is wrong with me if I feel lonely, and 2) I need to mask or cover up my loneliness. Why is it that I allow myself to become convinced I can't share my struggle with loneliness with others? And how do I begin to find ways to overcome my lonely feelings?

We continue our discussion of 1 Timothy 2. Is Paul addressing all women in a worship assembly, or is Paul talking about husbands and wives in a marriage relationship?

Most of us have to deal with some level of anxiety in our lives - some of us more than others. If we're not careful, we might even allow our anxiety to start to dominate our thoughts and dictate our actions. Then we end up adding guilt to our anxiousness because we feel bad about ourselves when we see scriptures that tell us not to worry and not to be anxious about anything. So we try to mask our anxiety and pretend that it's not a problem for us. How do I stop trying to convince myself and others that everything is fine with my worry and anxiousness? And how do I get better at dealing with my anxiety so it's not so much a burden?

Many people see the instructions Paul gives to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2 as instructions about worship, including how women are to conduct themselves. But is Paul actually talking about the worship assembly in this text? And how does his message here coincide with what he says in 1 Corinthians?

It's usually relatively easy to thank God when He answers a particular prayer the way I want Him to. But I'm probably not quite as thankful when I don't get the answer I wanted. And then I may even feel compelled to pretend like it doesn't bother me when my prayer goes unanswered. I may be under the impression that it's my Christian duty to just smile and say, "Everything's fine," when the reality is I'm hurting and confused as to why God didn't give me the answer I was looking for. What do I do when I'm not okay with my unanswered prayers?

Continued from previous week

When it comes to my workplace environment or my work responsibilities, I may try to convince others (or even myself) that everything is fine, but often the reality is that I'm struggling to find joy in my job. Maybe I'm feeling overworked, or maybe I'm feeling underappreciated. Maybe I just don't feel a real sense of purpose in my work. So what do I do when I'm working as hard to pretend I enjoy my job as I am actually working at my job?

1 Corinthians 11 seems to allow, even endorse, women praying and prophesying publicly, as long as they have their heads covered. But then 1 Corinthians 14 says that women are to be silent in the church. Is the Bible contradicting itself? Did Paul change his mind in the middle of writing his letter? Or is there something else being addressed? We need to dive more deeply into 1 Corinthians 14 and see if we can get a clearer picture of what the Bible says about women speaking in church.