My Thoughts About The Gospel-Centered Woman:
This topic is always a delicate topic of conversation, especially within the church. As a Pastor’s Wife and Ministry Leader in the church I knew that this book was one that I wanted to dig into. I couldn’t wait to see where Wendy was going to go with this book and not really knowing anything about her or where she stand theologically I knew that it might be a chance, but it was one that I was willing to take.
Let me just say that this book did not disappoint. Packed full of Biblical wisdom and grounded in the Word Wendy tackled how we are “Created in God’s Image” in section #1, “Redeemed to Reflect God Once More” in section #2, and “Wisdom in the Tension” in section #3. Each and every section always went back to the gospel and was a precious gift to me as I read through it.
Each chapter has a page at the end for your own personal reflections. It is a great way to process through what you’ve just read as well as putting it into your own words with what stood out to you and what truths you can dig into right then. Love that! There’s also discussion questions at the back of the book if you chose to do this as a book group or study…which I highly recommend.
Right in the beginning of the book she sets the tone and says, “It is the gospel alone that equips us to bridge the gap between God’s good plan for His daughters and the fallen reality in which we all live.” As she wraps up the book she says, “Stand strong, alternately planting your feet while bracing against the storms of life and moving one foot forward in those moments the wind dies down, always believing confidently that your sovereign Father will keep His promises to you.” What a great way to start and end this important book.
About The Gospel-Centered Woman:
Understanding Biblical Womanhood through the Lens of the Gospel
Many Christian books written to women claim to present God’s good instructions for their lives. Some expound on the value of marriage and children. Many extol the virtues of the Proverbs 31 wife. A good number teach the value of love, submission, and respect in Christian marriages. Though this book deals with these topics, The Gospel-Centered Womanaddresses women from an entirely different perspective. The most important part of the Bible’s instructions to women center around the gospel. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection brought about a seismic shift in our understanding of Scripture. After His resurrection, His disciples understood words written thousands of years before with a clarity they never had previously. The good news of Christ illuminates all other Scripture, including instructions to women.
Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/jgKJd
Meet Wendy:
Wendy Alsup is a wife, mom and college math teacher who loves ministering to women. “I feel I’ve almost always been in ministry, from the earliest years of my life helping my dad with his bus ministry at a small Baptist church in South Carolina,” explains Alsup. As an adult, her ministry work has included working in Christian camps and Christian schools in the U.S. and Korea and leading the women’s ministry at a large church in her current home city, Seattle. Her heart is most centered in the informal counseling and discipleship of women.
Alsup has published three books: Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in our Daily Lives, By His Wounds You are Healed: How the Message of Ephesians Transforms a Woman’s Identity, and the new release, The Gospel-Centered Woman: Understanding Biblical Womanhood through the Lens of the Gospel.
“I don’t have it all together. But then again, if I did, I wouldn’t need the gospel. The Gospel-Centered Woman is written by and for women who don’t have it all together. Who struggle. Whose burdens in life sometimes feel overwhelming. This is not a guilt-inducing book. God forbid! It would be the height of hypocrisy if I wrote a book that made other women feel guilt because of some imagined pinnacle of Biblical womanhood I had achieved.”
Find out more about Wendy Alsup and The Gospel-Centered Woman at www.theologyforwomen.org. Readers can keep up with Alsup via the Practical Theology for Women Facebook page and follow her on Twitter (@WendyAlsup).
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”