The first tenet of Big Ocean Women is “We believe in God and are women of faith.” We don’t, as an organization, have expectations of what faith tradition our members espouse. We only recognize that there is and has historically been a high percentage of women who identify with some faith, and we also find…
As women of faith, prayer is core to our lives. Connecting with our higher power brings us peace and clarity. It enables us to do far more than we thought possible. We know prayer greatly impacts our faith because of the assurance that someone hears us. Now, there is evidence that prayer physically changes our…
It is an image that has stayed with me for years now. Something of interest, something overlooked, something easily missed among the bright and splashy canvas paintings and larger than life sculptures in the museum gallery, but something I am drawn to over and over again. It is this: a stack of blankets in the…
Remember Tom and Becky Rogers who moved to Ghana on a dream and a prayer to mentor families? We asked Becky how her children participate in their rapidly growing projects and programs there. Are they part of their family mentoring other families? In a word, yes! Becky reports that her children work at the literacy…
Last night I finished reading a memoir that left me reeling. I lay in bed for several hours afterward pondering my place in the world. I evaluated the way I spend my time, my abilities (or my perception of my abilities), my dreams, my circumstances, and I prayed solemn prayers for direction. My mind felt…
Happy New Year! My family New Year’s greeting is often, “May the New Year be filled with health and prosperity.” The ozone soup that we eat first thing on New Year’s Day is filled with ingredients cut in a round shape to symbolize coins. Eating plenty of symbolic coins assures us that the New Year…
https://youtu.be/Ve0X6qSHIqI
A few years ago, my husband and I embarked on a mission to share our faith with the people of Eastern Canada. We came to love and value many people we met, whether or not they had any interest in our particular brand of faith. One of these wonderful new friends was Blanche Moyaert. She…
According to the Pew Research Center, 83.4 percent of women around the world are affiliated with a religious tradition. This figure alone implies the importance of religious freedom for women, but in practice religious freedom and women’s rights are often viewed as competing interests. This view is likely derived from the idea that religion is…
In November 2017 a book called Walking with the Women of the Old Testament was published by Cedar Fort, an independent small press publisher in Utah. Almost immediately the book was sold out—something that seemed surprising considering the topic and time frame of the book, a collection of profiles of Old Testament women such as…