Profound and Sometimes Preposterous Ponderings of Pete

1 Timothy 2: 12  I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. Due to the interpretation of that verse, over the past 30+ years, there has been a rise in debate amongst Christian churches, of whether or not women should be allowed to be pastors, leaders over men, and teachers of men in the church.  For the most part, the giftings, talents, and competency of women who do lead/preach/teach are not questioned, even by those who staunchly oppose it. It will be my attempt to show readers that there is strong evidence that the traditional interpretation of the passage is in error. When engaging in Bible study, the standard process amongst scholars, is to look at who was writing and who was the audience, the context of the passage, how it relates to the rest of the Bible (this would include other writings of the author, if any, and if New Testament, how it relates to the Old Testament), and finally how it was applied and how it can

Sorry, I am not talking about marriage.  I am talking about grieving.  Why? Some of my dearest friends are approaching the first anniversary of the death of their father, friend, husband, son.  Myself included.  Eric Van Rhee was bigger than life in many ways.  He was a great father, a wonderful husband, and an irreplaceable friend.  He died February 18, 2016.  The hole he left in his family and his church was huge.  The hole he left in my family's life was huge as well. I have not spoken much about it for 2 reasons. 1. I did not want to diminish the grief of his family and closest friends and 2. we were not the only ones who were grieving him. That being said, I feel deeply moved to speak on this. Those who have lost someone very close to them know this. That first anniversary is extremely difficult.  It feels like it is happening all over again. The barely scabbed wound is ripped open and your heart starts bleeding again.  Why I am stating this?  No it is not to rub salt in an