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"You can't be a minister," my pastor said, "because God didn't choose any women." Really, God? You made me a woman but that disqualifies me? How can that be? It has taken more than half a century and many difficulties, including rape and a hope-shattering accident along the way, but our gracious Father God has gradually brought healing from those dismissing words. I have learned that, far from women being created to be mere servants and sex objects, God had a very different destiny for His daughters. I discovered that the Hebrew words He spoke to bring forth the first woman meant "one who sets boundaries, who is a warrior, a theologian, and an image bearer", who would partner with the man, to defeat God's enemy and fill the earth with His Presence. When Abraham's servant was searching for a suitable bride for Isaac, he asked Rebecca, "Whose daughter are you? Is there room in your father's house for us to lodge this night?" When we know whose daughter we are, we have authority to invite people into our Father's house. The challenge now facing us is for men and women to prepare for the rematch of the battle that was lost in the Garden of Eden, by learning to work and war together to establish His kingdom and become His bride. Shirley & Paul Diggle have been married for over 50 years and live in Victoria B.C. They have four children and 12 grandchildren. Shirley is a teacher, writer and quilter.
