Power & Submission: Be Not Afraid

I’m being interviewed tomorrow by the media team at a conference I am speaking at – New Awakening 2011, and I’m being asked about my journey as a Christian leader. I have some thoughts brewing, but I would love to hear/read your thoughts on the topic of power and submission.

We don’t always do a great job of talking about either power or submission, especially when you mix in issues of race, ethnicity, gender and faith. As a Christian Asian American woman I can’t help but bring in those angles and issues. It isn’t “just” leadership/power. It isn’t “just” submission.

It’s complicated. It’s loaded. It’s important. And there aren’t enough “safe” places to talk about the issue. If we can be gracious, perhaps this little corner of cyberspace could continue to become one of those places where we don’t have to be afraid.

So, what do you think when you read this question:

(M)any women are rising up and taking estimable positions in today’s world. In your perspective, how can Christian women balance practicing power and submission?

What Would You Say To a Younger You?

Ministry leaders of female awesomeness know that choosing the better thing doesn’t mean we can just sit around all day and wait for someone to recognize our awesomeness.

We network. We learn. We observe. We ask questions of just about anyone we respect who will listen and give us the time of day. We want to be connected relationally and find safe places.

Wednesday morning I have the privilege of meeting with a group of women, students at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, who are leaders who want to keep learning, keep growing and keep asking the tough questions, even if they may not want to ask them out loud all of the time.

This opportunity dovetails with the end of my 30s and the start of my amazing 40s. I can’t begin to tell you what an incredibly blessed and grueling decade it has been. But in some ways, that is what I am thinking about as I gather my thoughts to speak frankly about my ministry, my vocation, my call.

So help me out. I know there is a lot of wisdom out there…

If you could go back and give your younger you a word of advice and encouragement, what would you say?

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started out in ministry?