The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh: Celebrating my Wife

Last night, my wife spoke at the INN University Ministries. It’s something she does with student leaders frequently. But due to things like child care, it’s been awhile since I’ve been able to hear her.

On Monday, Rachel Held Evens asked men to post blogs that honor women and celebrate feminine images of God. Here’s my thoughts on both.

Tonight I had the privilege of hearing my wife preach. She spoke with humor, vulnerability, courage, beauty, and truth. She took the story of the tower of Babel found in Genesis and pointed out to us that every day, in big ways and small, we construct our own tower of babels. We don’t let God be God. We construct our little towers of safety and security. But in the end, these are just idols. They will tumble. They are no more than a subtle display of a lack of trust and a failure to obey. She reminded us that God is calling us to take risks, to go forth, and to trust God to be God. Just as with Abraham and Sarah, even our own barrenness can be the arena for God’s life. Through the power and testimony of God’s own Spirit, she brought forth the Word of God.

I am thankful that I am part of a denomination, church, and ministry that not only values women and their own giftedness but takes it as an assumption. Women aren’t “allowed” to preach, teach, and lead in service. We men aren’t doing them a favor by letting them in the club. Women are simply using their God given giftedness. It would be a disservice to deny this giftedness. Last night the INN community would have been poorer for never hearing her message.

As I listened to her preach and thought about it on the car drive home, I was once again reminded of the powerful testimony found in the book of Acts. In the second chapter we find the Holy Spirit being poured out on all flesh. In fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel, the Holy Spirit was indiscriminately manifested in men and women alike—who both began prophesying to gathered groups of men and women. This Pentecost moment is the paradigmatic expression of the power, work, and experience of the Holy Spirit in the lives of men and women, young and old. The proclamation of Jesus Christ isn’t bound by gender but is the Word of God.

I’m thankful to be married to a minister who pours out her life to young men and women every day because that is what she is called to be. I’m thankful for the countless other men and women who do this is as well for no other reason that the undeniable fact that they are deeply loved by God and are living in that love as agents of faith, love, and hope. I’m thankful that even if I were wrong in my understandings, God is in the business of redemption. God calls life out of barrenness. God uses small, foolish, and prideful people in big ways every day.